By Morpheus
This organizer page is for stories set in Morpheus's Twisted Universe. This universe is an open universe and the rules can be found on his yahoo group.
Twisted: The Twisted Universe takes place in a future world which contains special individuals who are known as ‘twisted’, each one having undergone a unique ‘twist’ usually during their teenage years.
50 years earlier a Canadian explorer named John Kinkaide was in Antarctica and became infected with a new virus which became known as the Antarctic Flu or the Kinkaide Virus after its first victim. The virus spread over North America killing 60% of the people infected by it. Over 2 million people died from infections before the vaccine was found and the virus was stopped.
The people who survived the virus were subtly changed by it though showed no symptoms of this change. However, their children and grandchildren did. The descendents of the survivors had become linked to a previously unknown quantum field and could sometimes tap into it. The first time this happened to them, usually during their adolescence, these strange quantum energies would change them in surprising and unpredictable ways. They could be completely transformed...body, mind, and soul in someone or something else. Their very lives were twisted into a new shape, so that's what they became known as...twisted.
These transformations are frequently triggered by a specific event, usually something emotional or experienced for the first time. Scientists think that this is because the part of the brain that takes in new experiences might be linked to the part that influences the quantum field. Most of the time the specific twist a person goes through is related to what they were doing or what was going on around them at the time though not always.
As an example, a boy dressing as a woman for a costume party might suddenly undergo his twist and physically turn into a woman. He might also find his personality changing to match what kind of woman he was dressed as or gaining compulsions to behave in a certain way.
The actual process of undergoing a twist usually seems to be as though static electricity forms around the person while pressure builds within. Then they often feel as though they are struck by lightning while their bodies and minds undergo drastic changes. Many times the twist may be subtle or not even include a physical or mental component. Unconsciousness often follows. There is also often physical damage to things surrounding the person undergoing the twist such as charring or being shocked.
Many twisted gain a ‘trick’ or two which is a special ability which comes from tapping into the quantum field and are often related to their specific twist. These tricks are like magic or super powers though the twisted are careful to refer to them as tricks rather than powers in order to discourage normals from feeling threatened by them.
Many normals are prejudiced and hostile towards twisted often due to fear over their tricks, the drastic changes which sometimes occur in their personalities, and the compulsions which some may have. Because of this a large group of twisted and their families formed the town of Spiral where being twisted is accepted and often considered normal. There is a very high population of twisted in Spiral but there are also a lot of normals who have grown up around the twisted.
Story Examples: Twisted, Twisted Pink, Hair and Now.
Fifty years after a devestating virus ravaged North America, a new minority of people are left twisted in it's wake.
A teenage boy comes from a family of these twisted and soon faces that very twist himself.
I stifled a yawn, hoping that my English teacher didn't see how bored I was with his lecture. I couldn't help it though because he had one of those monotone voices that just burrowed into your skull and forced you to fall asleep. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford to antagonize him since I'd gotten a D in this class on my last report card and my parents would skin me alive if I got another one.
Even though I tried to pay attention, my mind continued to wander. I looked around and found myself staring at a girl several seats away. Shiv Martin was sixteen, the same age as me, but she had electric blue hair that was cut short and tattoos over most of her body, including one of her cheeks. It was hard to believe that just two months ago, she had still been calling herself Cindy and had been one of the most shy and quiet students in the entire school. Now Shiv was loud, obnoxious and always looking for a fight, almost the exact opposite of what she had been as Cindy.
"She's twisted all right," I sighed to myself, thinking about just how drastically Cindy had changed. Of course, it wasn't the first time that I'd seen that kind of thing happen to people, but it was still pretty unnerving.
Cindy's drastic transformation into Shiv could be attributed to a disease that hasn't even been around for decades. The Kinkaide Virus, also known as the Antarctic Flu was named after John Kinkaide, a Canadian explorer who is the first known person to contract it. About fifty years ago, he was on a trip across Antarctica when he caught it and accidentally brought it home with him. Before anyone had realized it, the disease had spread like wildfire over most of North America, killing more than sixty percent of those infected. Over two million people died before a vaccine was found and the disease was finally stopped. However, that wasn't the end of the matter.
Some years later, scientists discovered that the people who survived the Kinkaide Virus had somehow been subtly changed by it. The survivors didn't show any symptom's from this change, but their children most certainly did. Their bodies somehow became like antenna that could tap into some previously unknown quantum field. The first time this happened to them, usually during their adolescence, these strange quantum energies would change them in surprising and unpredictable ways. They could be completely transformed...body, mind, and soul in someone or something else. Their very lives were twisted into a new shape, so that's what they became known as...twisted. Eventually, it was discovered that their children inherited the ability to become twisted as well.
My name is Blake Tyson, and I am twisted...or at least very likely to become one. So far my own twist hasn't triggered, but I know that it's only a matter of time since both my parents and my older sister were all twisted. Eventually, it would be my turn...and that scared the shit out of me.
Being twisted wasn't exactly a good thing, especially among the normal population. A lot of people hated us for religious reasons or just on general principal. Things were very hard on the early twisted who had to deal with violence and discrimination on a normal basis, even after laws were passed to ensure their civil rights. Even now, twisted were often treated with suspicion and regarded as second-class citizens.
Fortunately, my family and I live in the town of Spiral where we don't have to deal with those problems very much. Spiral had been founded by twisted, their families and people who were sympathetic to us as a place where we could be ourselves and be with others who understood our problems. Only a third of the people here were actually twisted or the children of twisted, but it wasn't uncommon for me to see my classmates going through drastic changes like Cindy did when she became Shiv.
I frowned and turned my attention back to the teacher, thankful that class was almost over. I glanced at the clock and watched the hand move painfully slow. It seemed as though the class would never end so I could get to lunch.
The moment the bell rang, I nearly yelled out, "Finally," as I launched myself towards the door.
Just a few minutes later, I was sitting at my normal table in the lunch room with a plate full of mystery meat sandwich. Actually, I doubted that it had any real meat in it, but I was too hungry to care. I gobbled it down, not even stopping to say hi when my best friend Jeke sat down next to me.
"How's it going?" Jeke asked me as he helped himself to one of my tater tots.
"Same as always," I shrugged. "You?"
"The same," he sighed, looking a little tired.
"Ian?" I asked, referring to Jeke's stepbrother. Jeke wasn't twisted, but his step mom and stepbrother both were. In fact, Ian had only gone through his twist last week and Jeke was having a hard time dealing with it.
"It's not fair," Jeke sighed again. "He's only twelve, but now he's taller than me. I'm sick and tired of him calling me shorty all the time. It gets old fast."
"I know how you feel," I sighed, thinking of my sister Kim and how she'd changed with her twist last year.
Jeke stared at me for a moment before nodding, "Yeah, it's too bad. Kim used to be pretty cool."
I just nodded at that, then bent over and grinned, "So...did you bring it?"
"Of course," Jeke grinned back, then reached into his book bag and pulled out a computer disk. He handed it to me and said, "Just don't let your folks catch you looking at it."
"Don't worry about that," I told him. "Thanks."
After I put the disk away, Jeke and I continued talking, sharing school gossip and complaining about nearly every aspect of our lives. We shared complains about parents, siblings, teachers, and just about everything else as we always did. I don't think that either of us had it too bad, but it was sort of an unwritten rule that we could never admit it.
"Hey, did you see Sue Barton?" Jeke abruptly asked after awhile. "Damn, she's looking good now. I mean, her twist made her look hot as hell."
"Sue's not twisted," I chuckled, having seen Sue just yesterday so knowing exactly what Jeke meant about her looking good. "For her it's just puberty and a makeover."
"Really?" Jeke blinked in surprise.
"There might be a little plastic surgery involved too," I admitted with a shrug.
Jeke shook his head, having a hard time believing that Sue's drastic change from last year wasn't the result of being twisted. "Whatever it is," he said, "I like it."
When lunch was over, I made my way to my next class which was history. I wasn't too excited about history, but it was certainly a lot better than English. Lately, we'd been learning about the Great Middle East War that was going on around the same time the Kinkaide Virus appeared. Of course, we already knew how that all ended, but it was kind of interesting to learn a little more about how it started in the first place.
The rest of the day passed in a blur, partly because I napped through one of my classes, and almost before I knew it I was on my way home. I said a quick good-bye to Jeke then ran for home, eager to get away from the mind numbing boredom of school. About the only reason I bothered going there in the first place was that I could hang around with Jeke for part of the day. Well, that and the fact my folks would kick my ass if they caught me skipping again.
While I was walking home, I found myself thinking about Shiv again. It wasn't that I was attracted to her or anything like that, but I couldn't help thinking about just how much her twist had changed her. It was like she was an entirely different person now. Of course, that was pretty common with the twisted. It was also why I was terrified of going through my own twist. I had absolutely no idea of who I would become or any control over it.
"I hope my turn never comes," I spat vehemently.
The degree and ways in which you changed varied from person to person, but sometimes they could get extremely drastic...and nasty. I knew a guy who'd been a straight A student and a great athlete until his twist when he suddenly turned into an overweight couch potato without the motivation to do anything. There used to be a girl in school who was real religious and something of a prude, until she twisted and turned into a completely uninhibited slut. The last thing I'd heard about her was that she'd been arrested for prostitution. And there was even a guy who'd lost all his conscience and inhibitions during his twist, becoming a serial killer afterwards. There were many stories like that, things that critics of the twisted loved to remind everyone of in order to point out how dangerous we were.
"Please not like that," I prayed, shuddering as I imagined the worst possible results of a twist.
The worst thing about being twisted was that not only could your body be completely transformed, but so could your very personality. I didn't like the idea of either happening to me. I didn't want to become someone else. Of course, I couldn't exactly explain that to my family since they'd already gone through it themselves and ended up fine. In fact, for most twisted, going through your twist was considered a right of passage. Until then, you were considered almost...incomplete. Everyone knew that you would be changing, so who you were until that point didn't matter as much.
In spite of how it might appear, the changes weren't entirely random. Sure, the twists often come without any warning or cause, but they are frequently triggered by a specific event, usually something emotional or experienced for the first time. Scientists think that this is because the part of the brain that takes in new experiences might be linked to the part that influences the quantum field. I don't know much about that, only that a lot of times the specific twist a person goes through is related to what they were doing or what was going on around them at the time. Unfortunately, this can't really be controlled, though a lot of would be twisted like to try doing things that might intentionally trigger their twist in a way they want. As embarrassed as I am to admit it, I went though a period of time where I tried a lot of new sports in case that might trigger me to become more athletic. That kind of thing sometimes works, but not very often.
Of course, there was a reason I was getting so worked up about going through my twist now when I knew it would eventually happen for most of my life. My sister Kim had gone through hers a year ago when she was sixteen. My dad had gone through his twist at the age of sixteen as well, while my mom had hers at fifteen. According to my family history, I was due for my twist. It could come at any time.
"Well, I could come out of it as a total stud," I said, trying to think on the bright side. "And I might even get a really cool trick."
I had to admit that there was one major perk to being twisted, and that was the tricks. A lot of twisted, in fact most, had at least one special trick they could perform. I didn't understand the physics behind it all, but they could tap into the quantum field that had twisted them and use it to do things outside of normal physics. It was like having magic or super powers, though we were discouraged from actually referring to them as 'powers' since that makes them sound dangerous and makes normals nervous. Instead, we were told to refer to these abilities as 'tricks', since that makes them seem more harmless and entertaining.
"I hope I get a really good one," I muttered.
When I finally got home, I went inside and found Kim hanging around the living room, glaring at me when she saw me come in. My sister looked the same as normal, with long black hair, a nose ring with a fine chain that went to one of the half dozen piercings in that one ear, a silver ring through her lip and another through her eyebrow. Kim had a stud through her tongue, and I was sure she had other piercings in places I didn't even want to know about. All in all, she was dressed in an old goth punk style that had recently started coming back into fashion for the antisocial.
Kim and I used to be pretty close, but that was before her twist. Now I usually avoided her. From what I understood, she'd been getting her navel pierced when her twist triggered, giving her a fondness for piercings as well as a more antisocial personality. And I didn't know if it counted as a trick or not, but she didn't even feel any pain from getting new piercings.
"Hey loser," Kim greeted me in the same way she had since her twist.
I ignored Kim, as I usually did and hurried past her, almost running into my mom as I left the room. My mom was about 7 feet tall and bulging with more muscle than Mr. Universe at the moment, so I knew she'd just gotten back from the gym. Normally, she's 5 foot 11 and very athletic, but she had a trick that makes her grow to massive size whenever she really exerts herself by living weights. Within an hour, she'd be back to her normal size.
"Do you have any homework for tonight?" my mom immediately asked, looking down at me with a scowl.
I gulped, then shook my head, "Not tonight."
Mom gave me a suspicious look, then said, "I can always have your dad ask you..."
"Oh," I gulped again, "I guess I have a little..."
"Then you'd better take care of that before you do anything else," she told me with a scowl. "I don't want you getting another report card like the last one."
I nodded and promised to take care of it right away before I rushed to the safety of my room. I hated the fact that I could be intimidated by my mom like that, and it certainly didn't help when she threatened to throw me over her knee and give me a spanking, just like I was a little kid if I got such a bad report card again. The worst part was that she meant it too. It was hard to believe that she used to be short and scrawny when she was a kid, but that all changed with her twist. Now she was nearly obsessed with athletics and staying in shape.
Then there was my dad, who was almost nothing like my mom. He used to play high school football, but other than that, he'd never been overly athletic. The only real odd thing about my dad that made him different from other dad's was that he didn't lie. To be more accurate, he couldn't lie. And the more he wanted to keep something a secret, the more he felt compelled to talk about it. Kim and I used to take advantage of that fact when we were kids, so my mom ended up buying all our Christmas and birthday presents herself and not telling him what they were giving us.
Of course, my dad's inability to ever tell a lie could sometimes be pretty embarrassing for him, but he had a trick that made up for it. If he wanted, he could make other people around him tell only the truth as well. Because of this, the police used to hire him to hang around while they did interrogations or show up in court while witnesses were on the stand. However, that all ended about ten years ago when some judge ruled that any confessions gained this way were inadmissible in court. Now he usually uses that trick to make sure Kim and I couldn't get away with anything. That especially sucked when we were kids.
Once I was alone in my room, I immediately went to work on my homework. I would have preferred to avoid it, or to at least put it off until later. However, there was a good chance my dad would ask if I'd done it and I wouldn't have a choice but to tell him the truth. I'd learned a long time ago that I couldn't fool my dad if he really wanted to know something. The trick was to keep him from suspecting anything so he wouldn't think to ask.
I rushed through my homework as fast as I could, doing what my dad would call a 'half-assed' job of it. My goal wasn't to get everything perfect, but to just get it done and out of the way so I could move onto more interesting things, like that disk Jeke had given me during lunch.
When I finished with my homework, I decided to hold off on the disk for a little longer. That way I'd have deniability and could honestly answer 'nothing' if my dad happened to ask me about what I'd been up to since getting home. Instead, I waited until dinner was over, then returned to my room and locked the door. Now I was clear to check it out.
"Let's see," I mused, inserting the disk and waiting for it to load.
A few seconds later, my entire computer screen was filled with images of very sexy and mostly very naked women in a variety of poses. The disk contained a large amount of such pictures, in fact, nearly the entire porn collection of Jeke's cousin Lewis. There was absolutely no doubt that my folks would be seriously pissed if they caught me with something like this in the house.
I felt a little nervous as I looked at the pictures and I couldn't help glancing back at my bedroom to door to verify that it was indeed locked. I kept expecting someone to come in and catch me. However, I had to admit that there was a definite thrill to doing the forbidden.
I took my time looking through the pictures, most of which were fairly soft-core so far. I was just a little disappointed at that, though I had noticed several folders that were given names like 'nasty' and 'extreme'. I figured that I'd probably work my way up to those ones eventually...if I had the nerve. I'd probably look eventually, just to satisfy my curiosity if nothing else.
After I had looked through pictures of maybe two dozen incredibly hot looking girls, I suddenly felt the hairs on the back of my neck and arms stand on end, as though charged with a lot of static electricity. I immediately froze, feeling a, for lack of a better word, pressure building up around me.
"Oh shit," I gasped, jumping to my feet in terror as I realized what was happening. Other people had described the exact same thing often enough that I immediately recognized the symptoms of going through my twist.
I wasn't sure if I screamed or not because I suddenly felt as though I'd been struck by lightning. A massive surge of indescribable force ripped through me, burning into my body, mind, and soul...tearing and twisting at my very being. For an instant, reality itself felt as though it was bent to the breaking point and my entire existence was about to be erased. I was so overwhelmed that I couldn't think, nor was I aware of anything beyond the moment, except a vague sense of bright light and loud noise just before I collapsed to the floor.
For several minutes, I lay motionless on the floor, unable to move or even think. It was as though someone had pushed a reset button inside of me, or as though I were a computer that had just been rebooted and was in the process of coming back online. Awareness of my surroundings returned first with self-awareness slowly following.
"Blake," my dad's voice shouted from the other side of the door, "we heard a loud noise... What's going on?"
When I didn't answer, he called for me again, this time more urgently.
"Blake?" mom's voice appeared next, along with a loud pounding on the door.
A minute later, they kicked the door in and rushed inside, stopping to stare at me in surprise. "He's had his twist," dad exclaimed, sounding both worried and excited at the same time.
"Are you all right Blake?" mom asked, shaking my body. By this time I could wiggle my fingers a little but not much else. Fortunately they noticed this and took it as a good sign. "Let's move him to the bed."
Once I'd been moved to my bed, mom and dad stood by and said a few comforting things. However, I could tell that they were both nervous and a bit uncomfortable. They were treating me almost like I was a stranger rather than their own son, but I supposed I was for the moment. They didn't know how much the twist might have changed my personality. Of course, I had absolutely no idea how I'd been changed either, and at the moment, I was feeling a little too emotionally numb to care much.
"It's hard to believe this is Blake," dad said, then quickly left the room, perhaps worried that he might say some things that he shouldn't. Due to the nature of his twist, he didn't always have a lot a lot of tact or the ability to keep things to himself when he should. It had hurt my feelings a few times growing up, but I'd learned not to take his comments too personally. After all, he only said what everyone else just thought.
"Everything will be all right," mom said, sounding as though she didn't quite believe it herself. "The worst of it is over. You've just got a new body that you need to adjust to is all."
I just grunted at that, feeling a little pleased that I was able to do so. I didn't want to think about how I'd changed so focused instead on moving my hand. I was able to do it now, but it wasn't very easy. My ability to move was coming back at a frustratingly slow pace. It almost felt like I was having to learn how to move my body all over again, and perhaps I was.
"So this is what the loser looks like now," Kim said as she strolled in and gave me a steady look. "Maybe he'll be more interesting now..."
"Enough of that," mom glared at her and ushered her from the room.
I couldn't see Kim anymore, but I could hear her telling mom, "I wasn't down anywhere near this long after my twist..."
"But your twist wasn't physical like Blake's," mom pointed out in a cold voice. After Kim was gone, mom muttered, "Sometimes I really miss the old Kim..."
It took more than half an hour before I had enough control over my body where I could sit up in bed and speak again. "A mirror," I said, my voice weak and sounding strange to my ears. I might be able to talk again, but it felt a little strange and clumsy.
Mom only nodded and reached for a large hand mirror that she had apparently brought into my room when I wasn't paying attention, having known I would want to see myself. Before handing it to me, she hesitated and then cautioned, "You've changed a lot."
When mom held the mirror in front of me so I could get a good look at myself, I stared into it silently. I was still too emotionally exhausted to get very excited, but I was still stunned to see a girl's face staring back at me. Specifically, it was the face of a very beautiful, even sexy looking sixteen year old girl. Further use of the mirror and mom's confirmation told me that the rest of my body matched my new face. I had become a girl.
"I know it's quite a change," mom said cautiously. "It can take awhile to get used to yourself again after you get twisted so drastically."
I didn't say anything to that at first, and when I finally did speak it was to ask mom, "Can you leave me alone for awhile..." I paused, licking my now full and kissable looking lips as I concentrated on forming the words clearly, "I think I want some privacy."
"Of course," mom responded with a forced smile, leaving the mirror with me as she left my room and closed the door behind herself.
I held the mirror up again, finding that I had to use both hands to keep it steady. My motor control and ability to move right still hadn't returned all the way. I stared at my reflection for several minutes, absorbing nearly every detail and nuance of my face. It was beautiful, somehow looking seductive. I noticed that my eyes were a little odd, with one of them being green while the other was an almost silvery gray. This was strange since I had brown eyes before this. And then there was my hair, which was now long and crimson colored with streets of a bright golden blond.
"Distinctive," I said after a minute.
I sat up a little more, which took a little effort, then looked down at my body straight on. I immediately noticed the breasts on my chest, clearly visible since my clothes seemed to have vanished during my twist. They were high on my chest, round and perfectly shaped. If I'd seen them on some girl, I would have said that she had the perfect rack.
"I look like I could be one of the models on the disk," I said in slow realization, glancing over at my computer which now looked blackened and melted. It seems that having my twist right next to the computer wasn't very good for it. That wasn't exactly normal, but strange things were known to happen around people who were being twisted.
But as I thought about exactly the kind of pictures I'd been looking at before this happened, I felt a sinking in my gut. My staring at those pictures was what had triggered my twist and probably caused my specific transformation. There was a saying among the twisted, though it was actually a warning that parents gave to their kids who would one day undergo their own twist. It was be careful what you do because it might become much more than just a habit. Like most kids, I'd just shrugged that off as another tool that parents tried using to control their kids. It was just too bad that I had to learn better after it was already too late.
I put the mirror down and avoided looking at it for some time, until I felt strong enough to get up. I carefully dropped my feet over the edge of my bed and cautiously shifted my weight onto them. I felt wobbly and unbalanced, but I could stand again. It didn't take too much longer before I was able to slowly make my way around my room, as long as I had something to grab for balance.
Once I was up and walking around, the rest of my mobility and control came back pretty fast. Within just a few minutes I was able to walk around without using anything to support me, as long as I took it slow and careful. Unfortunately, my balance was still off but that was due more to the fact that my entire body had been transformed and I wasn't used to my new balance yet.
While I was walking around my room, I couldn't help noticing the charred spot on the carpet where I'd collapsed. There was even ash and tiny pieces of badly singed remnants of my clothing scattered about there as well, making me wonder what would have happened if I'd been touching someone else when it happened. I shuddered to think about it. Then again, I shuddered to think about a lot of things at the moment.
It was more than obvious that the twist had drastically altered my body, but I was well aware that it could have changed more than that. I closed my eyes and tried taking a mental inventory, deciding that there weren't any obvious gaps in my memory and I didn't feel any sudden compulsions. As far as I could tell, my mind hadn't really been changed, but I couldn't really be certain just yet.
"I guess it could have been worse," I said, trying to be positive which wasn't easy.
Then I looked down at my transformed body and let out a long sigh, feeling a strange sense of relief. I wasn't very happy with how I had changed, but I couldn't help but feeling relieved that it was finally done and over with. I'd had my twist so now I wouldn't have to dread it coming anymore. I wouldn't have to stay awake at night, thinking about all the horrible things it could do to me. For good or bad, all those fears could finally be put to rest.
"Now I just have to get used to this," I muttered, knowing that it would probably be much easier said than done.
To say that I had strange dreams while I slept would be a vast understatement. They were filled with wild images and swirling masses of emotion which left me dizzy and confused, unsure if they were nightmares or something else entirely. And to make them even worse, I couldn't remember a thing about them when I woke up. The details slipped from my memory like fine grains of sand through my fingers.
"What a night," I grumbled as I sat up in bed, shaking the remnants of my dreams from my mind since I was unable to recall anything about them beyond vague impressions.
Once most of the cobwebs had been cleared from my head, I was immediately struck by the overwhelming feeling that something was seriously wrong. It took me several seconds before I remembered the events of last night and several more before I convinced myself that it hadn't just been some dream. I really had been twisted.
"Just great," I grumbled, climbing out of bed and looking around for something to wear. As I'd discovered last night, none of my clothes really fit me anymore, nor was I conveniently the same size as Kim or mom. For one thing, I was bigger in the chest than either of them, which was a source of embarrassment for all three of us.
Fortunately, the problem of clothes wasn't quite the problem I was making it out to be, at least not at the moment. I just grabbed the things I'd found to wear last night after my transformation, one of my old sweaters and a pair of mom's jogging suit pants. Add the fuzzy pink slippers Kim gave me, not having worn them in over a year, and I was ready to wander around the house.
After I was dressed and presentable, I left my room and went down the hall to the bathroom. I grimaced as I reminded myself to sit down, knowing that it was going to take a while to get used to doing it this way. It felt like I was taking something simple and making it needlessly complicated, but that was a side effect of my new biology I would have to accept.
"Yeah right," I muttered.
I finished my business without making a big deal of it, trying to act as though I was just doing things like normal. Of course, from now on this probably would be normal for me, though I tried not to think about that too much.
A few seconds later, I stood in front of the bathroom mirror as I washed my hands. I stared at my reflection, feeling strangely detached as I did so. I had a hard time associating the hot looking girl there with ME, at least emotionally. I suppose that might come in time.
"If I had to turn into a girl," I mused, trying to remain positive, "at least I turned into a good looking one."
As I stared at the girl in the mirror, I couldn't help but thinking how hot she'd look dressed up and posed like one of those girls on the disk. I knew that she'd look absolutely incredible in some skimpy bikini or something a little kinkier. Then I paused, remembering that those pictures were probably why I'd turned into this hot babe in the first place.
On a sudden impulse, I stuck my tongue out at my reflection and then laughed. It was strange seeing this stranger mimic my actions so perfectly. I couldn't resist making a few more faces at the girl in the mirror, finding that it somehow made her seem less distant and a little more relatable.
"Look at me," I shook my head with a sigh, "The next thing you know I'll be flirting with myself too."
I stared in the mirror for just a few more seconds, then turned and left the bathroom, heading to the living room where the rest of my family was already up and gathered. Even Kim, who normally avoided spending too much time with the rest of us anymore sat there, waiting for my arrival with undisguised curiosity.
"What do you feel like for breakfast?" my mom asked with a nervous smile.
For a brief moment, I wondered what she was up to. After all, asking me what I wanted for breakfast was definitely not normal and her behavior was a little suspicious. Then I realized that this was a test. She was trying to see if I wanted the same thing as always or if my tastes might have changed. None of them were really sure how much my personality might have changed during my twist and they were carefully probing me to find out.
"I'll just have a beer," I responded, earning a look of surprise from mom and one of interest from Kim. Then I grinned, "Just kidding... I'll just have my usual cereal."
"At least your sense of humor hasn't changed," dad said, "I really don't know what to think of you looking like this... You look like some kind of..."
"Well," mom interrupted, giving dad a bit of a glare, "I'll get your breakfast ready."
"I'd better leave before I say something I really shouldn't," dad announced with a sigh.
"It's okay," I told dad with a sigh. "I know what I look like."
"Wicked hair," Kim nodded to me with a bit of a smirk.
I instinctively raised my hand to touch my hair, realizing that it certainly did stand out. There weren't many people who had bright crimson hair, and then there were the golden blond streaks to make it standing out even more.
"It's very distinctive," mom told me carefully, suddenly clamping a hand over dad's mouth at the same time and making me laugh.
"Distinctive," I sighed. "Yeah..."
We continued talking while I ate my breakfast, though the conversation was still a little careful as they continued to probe me for personality changes. By the time I finished eating, I was feeling a bit like a lab rat and wondered if every twisted had to go through the third degree like this.
Since I was getting tired of this treatment, I decided to change the subject and announced, "I guess I've got a lot to do today."
"What's that?" mom asked.
"For one," I gestured down at the clothes I was wearing, "I think I'll need to get some clothes that will fit me."
"Damn," dad winced as though realizing that for the first time. "That's going to get expensive. We'll probably have to skip our vacations this year..."
"We'll manage dear," mom assured him, then said, "She is right you know. She'll need a whole new wardrobe, as well as other things."
Just a minute later, mom was coming up with a list of everything she thought I would need now while dad complained about how much it would cost or how he didn't think I really needed it. Kim just sat there, looking half amused and half annoyed. I think she was a bit jealous over the fact that I was getting all this attention and she was virtually ignored at the moment, but she only made a few bitter and cynical comments, not nearly as much she might normally.
"All right, it's settled then," mom announced, standing up and looking at the clock. "I'll take you shopping just as soon as I get back from my workout."
"You think she'd be able to skip the gym for one day," Kim snorted.
"You know she's nearly as likely to do that as dad is to tell a lie," I grinned at her.
"I'm just glad she gave up on trying to drag us the fuck along." Kim grimaced while I nodded my agreement.
Mom left the house a few minutes after this, nearly running out the door as she rushed to do her favorite activity...exercising. I sometimes wondered what she would have been like if she'd never been changed by the twist. Would she still be short and scrawny, or would she have started exercising on her own eventually? Of course, I wondered if it bothered her that she liked exercising only because she was twisted. Then again, I might as well ask Kim how she thought about being into piercings because of it too.
"Thank God, Goddess or whoever that I didn't get an obsession like that," I muttered to myself. That kind of thing had been one of the big reasons I'd always been so terrified of going through my twist. "And this is another," I sighed, staring down at my changed body and shaking my head.
I went to my room and began to undress, deciding to take another long look at my body, partly out of curiosity and partly because I thought it might help me get used to it faster. However, as I was beginning to do this I couldn't help but thinking that I might as well take care of some practical business while I was at it. Specifically, I really needed a shower and it would be a good idea to take care of it before my mom got back.
A minute later, I was standing naked in the bathroom with the door locked behind me. I stood in front of the bathroom mirror again, this time taking in all the details of my body without clothing on. I had to admit that I felt a strange mixture of frustration and pride. Even though I didn't want to be a girl, I couldn't help but being pleased that at least I was a good looking one.
"Hell," I muttered with a faint smirk, "I'm probably the hottest girl in my school now." But after a moment of consideration, I decided that there was no 'probably' about it. I was the hottest girl, or would be as soon as I went back. "Then again," I reminded myself of my odd colored hair and mixed eyes, "I'm also a little weird looking."
I cupped my large breasts, thinking that they were heavy and felt massive. Of course, I knew that they weren't quite as large as they felt to me, but I wasn't used to having any weight on my chest like this. I also knew that I'd eventually get used to it because I wouldn't have much other choice.
"Damn nice body," I sighed. "Tight, sexy and curvy. A totally killer babe." It was just too bad that this was all me.
After several minutes of just continuing to stare at myself and examine my body, I decided to get on with it. I turned on the shower and climbed inside, gasping slightly as the water hit my breasts and revealed just how sensitive they now were. My whole body felt more sensitive than before, a fact that I hadn't really noticed until I started washing it. I wasn't sure whether to consider that a good thing or bad.
While I was washing up, I couldn't help noticing some of the details of my new body, such as the fact that the top of my head wasn't the only place I had crimson colored hair. I didn't dwell on that though as I continued on and slowly examined the rest of my body to see what else I might find. I didn't really find anything though, not even a single scar, mole or major blemish. It was as though my skin was smooth, soft and perfect.
I have to admit that I kind of enjoyed washing my body and getting a better feel for it, but washing my hair proved to be a pain in the ass. I have so much hair now that I had to use a lot of shampoo to lather it all, nearly half the bottle it seemed. And then since I had so much hair, that meant more time and effort scrubbing it. But as annoying as that was, it was nothing compared to drying my hair. I had so much hair that I tried drying it for five minutes with a towel and it still stayed a wet mess. It was only then that I remembered mom used a blow dryer to take care of hers and went in search of it.
Once I was all clean and dried, I put my clothes back on again, wishing that I had some clean ones instead. However, I wasn't in any position to be picky at the moment. And since I couldn't very well go out in public with a pair of fluffy pink slippers, I put on several pairs of socks and then my old shoes which were now a little too large for me, though the extra socks did help with that.
"No wonder it takes so long for girls to get ready in the morning," I muttered as I tugged my hair and sighed. I could only imagine how much worse it would have been if I was putting on makeup and the like.
I didn't have to wait much longer before mom came home, having cut her workout short. She came through the door, six and a half feet tall with muscles like a body builder. This was actually fairly small compared to how she normally looked after a workout.
"It felt pretty good," mom grinned, flexing one of her arms and smirking. "But I'll probably go ten miles tonight and hit the weights in the basement to make up for cutting my workout short."
I stared up at mom, always feeling a little intimidated when she bulked up like this. That was why I was thankful she usually did her thing during the day while I was at school. Normally, by the time I got home she had already shrunk back to her normal size.
"You might want to wait until you shrink back a bit before we go out," I told her.
Mom looked down at herself and the workout clothes she normally wore when she went to the gym. They were not only oversized, but stretched pretty well for when she grew larger. Unfortunately, they weren't very stylish and she would want to wear something a little more normal while shopping. She nodded agreement at my suggestion then went back to her bedroom to get cleaned up while she waited.
By the time mom was cleaned up, dressed and ready, she was back to her normal height of 5 foot 11. She gave me a careful looking over, then called out to dad and Kim that we were leaving. Dad just wished us luck and told us not to waste too much money on things we didn't need, while Kim had vanished to her room so may not even have heard.
"So where to?" I asked mom as we got into the car. "The mall?"
"No," she responded with a thoughtful look. "It's convenient having everything in one place, but to be honest, the prices there are a little higher than we need, especially when we're going to be buying a lot. Besides," she winked at me, "your dad would throw a fit if we spent a lot more than we needed to."
"And he's not exactly good at hiding it when he's mad," I grinned.
We arrived at a large department store a short while later and mom immediately went straight for the lingerie department. I felt more than a little awkward walking around the ladies underwear, especially when people kept staring at me. I wasn't even sure if they were staring at me because they thought I looked sexy or because of my odd clothes. I couldn't help but feeling even more self-conscious and embarrassed at that.
"It's bad enough going out in public like this," I muttered, wishing that I could just turn invisible for awhile.
"It's not that bad," mom told me. "Now we need to find your cup size..." A short time later I learned that I was a D cup bra size, but as mom warned me, "At your age you might still grow a little larger."
"Just great," I muttered under my breath.
Mom grabbed a few panties and bras that were in my size, but I was less than interested. They were plain white things, practical without being fancy. I had to keep from yawning and asking if we could go check out the sporting goods department, which would at least be more fun than this, not to mention less embarrassing.
But as mom was looking at another pair for me, the saleswoman said, "How about these ones?" She gestured to a matching set of bra and panties that were all black and sort of lacy, making them look very sexy. "If I had your figure," she told me, "I'd definitely wear something like that. It would look so sexy on you."
I stared at the pair of bra an panties she had shown me, not sure why but suddenly knowing that I wanted them. If I was going to be wearing girl's underwear, this was the kind I wanted to wear. I could just imagine how sexy it would look on my body. The thought was nearly enough to make me drool.
"I want these ones," I told mom, who stared at me in surprise.
"Are you sure?" mom asked skeptically, "They're a little more feminine than I thought you'd be willing to wear."
I nodded, confused by what I was feeling but knowing that I had to have them. I wanted to wear those sexy things and see how they felt against my skin. I was almost getting a little turned on by the thought. "Yeah," I told her, then pointed to a similar pair in red just a short distance away. "And these ones too."
Mom just continued to stare at me for several more seconds before picking up the black pair and saying, "Let's just get these ones for now, and if you like them we can see about getting more like this later."
I felt a little disappointed but nodded my agreement. As the black bra and panties went into the cart, I felt a tiny surge of triumph, followed by one of confusion. I shook my head, still not sure why those things had caught my eye so much but feeling glad that we were going to get them.
Next we went over to the shirts section where I began trying on various T shits and blouses, most of which bored me. However, shirts that caught my attention were the ones that showed my navel or revealed a bit of cleavage...the sexy ones that showed off my assets...the ones that I would have expected to avoid at all costs. I couldn't explain why, but these were the shirts that I wanted to wear, not the plain and boring ones that tried to hide my figure. Mom gave me an odd look the entire time, especially when I told her which ones I'd decided on, but she didn't say a word about my choice.
After this we went to look at pants where I tried on some slacks and jeans, deciding that I really liked one tight pair that really showed off my ass. Then I saw a black mini-skirt that I knew would look awesome on me and grabbed it, "How about this?"
For a moment, mom just stared at me again, then she cautiously said, "You know, no one would blame you if you dressed as a tomboy for awhile. There's no need to rush into wearing extremely feminine clothes..."
"I know," I responded defensively, "but I like it..."
I looked at the skirt and frowned slightly, knowing that I had a very attractive and sexy body, so it only made sense to wear sexy clothes and show it off a little. But even as I thought this, I couldn't help but realizing that I shouldn't be thinking like that at all. Knowing myself the way I did, I knew that I should be extremely uncomfortable with the idea of people staring at me and seeing my new body. I should be trying to wear boy clothes and cover up my new body out of shame, but that wasn't the way I felt at all. I was a little startled to realize that I actually wanted to look sexy and attractive.
"Oh," I gulped in realization, "I guess I got twisted more than I realized..."
This was one of the things that I'd feared most about being twisted, having my mind altered, my very likes and dislikes changed so that I was a stranger to myself. So far, I knew that my sense of fashion had been turned completely upside down from what it had been, but I had no idea what other changes awaited me. Would my favorite food now disgust me? Would I find my favorite movie completely boring and chick flicks exciting? I didn't know. I didn't even know who I was anymore.
"It's okay," mom told me, putting a gentle hand on my shoulder. "I know it's confusing, but it will get better in time. You just have stop thinking about how things used to be and accept them as they are now. You can't take your old opinions for granted anymore."
"Just great," I groaned with more than just a little bitterness.
"Just think of it as a chance to try things over again for the first time and find new things that you may like." Mom gave me a sympathetic smile. "Before my twist, I never understood how anyone could enjoy exercising, but now I can't imagine not doing it every day. Trust me, before long it will be perfectly normal."
All I could do was nod my head at that, knowing that she was right. After all, not only had she adjusted to a whole new perspective, but so had Kim. I might not like it, but it wasn't like I had much of a choice.
We continued our search through the store for things I would need now, but I found myself second guessing my every thought and opinion. Whenever I saw something, I tried to think about what I thought and felt about it now compared to how I used to. For the most part though, I didn't really notice much difference other than in my taste of clothing.
A few minutes later we hit the shoe department and I came away with a pair of tennis shoes, a pair of nice shoes with a slight heel, and a pair of high heels that I clutched possessively and had mixed feelings about. On one hand, I felt self-conscious and a little embarrassed to be buying them, but at the same time, I was eager to get home and learn to really walk in them. These strange new emotions of mine were enough to give me a migraine.
Once we'd picked out most of the clothes I'd need, I went into one of the dressing rooms and changed into them. I felt much better now that I was dressed up in real clothes rather than the leftovers that happened to fit me. I also suddenly felt a lot more confident and less worried about people staring at me. In fact, I kind of hoped that they did stare.
Mom examined me once I was through, nodding with an look of satisfaction. "Your hair could use a little work though," she said. "I suppose I can teach you about proper hair care when we get home and schedule you for an appointment at the salon..."
Our next stop was to the jewelry department, where mom announced, "Every young lady should have at least one nice piece of jewelry, so consider this my present to celebrate your twist..."
"Okay," I said less than enthusiastically, until I looked into the jewelry case and gasped. My normal reaction to jewelry was boredom and disinterest, but this time I suddenly found it more...interesting. I felt a tiny surge of excitement, especially as I thought of how much nicer I would look with some of that... "I can have one?" I looked up to mom, "Really?"
Mom nodded while I just stood there, dazed and confused by my own emotions. What I was feeling was completely different from what I was expecting, from what I normally felt and largely thought that I should still feel.
"It's okay," mom told me quietly, giving me an understanding look. "Let's get you a nice necklace. How about this beautiful pendant...? It's gold and has this little ruby in it so really goes with your hair."
"Thanks mom," I told her as we walked away with the pendant just a few minutes later. I stared at it, admiring it's beauty though still being shaken by my own emotions. "This is pretty weird," I said, my voice quivering just a little. "I don't even know who I am anymore..."
"You'll learn," mom assured me with a gentle smile. "Besides, I think that most of the old Blake is still there."
"I hope so," I said, not at all convinced.
"Let's go take a look at the makeup counter," mom suggested, watching me for my reaction and probing me like she had been at breakfast. "I need to pick up a few things."
I just sighed and went with her, knowing from the way I'd reacted to the clothes and jewelry that I could probably expect to find myself interested in makeup from now on too. I was a little surprised to find myself still bored by the sight of all the various tubes and containers, though that changed a little when the sales woman started going about how she could 'enhance' my appearance.
Once I started thinking about how makeup might be able to make me look even sexier, I found that my interest had been caught.
Before I realized it, I was sitting in a chair while the sales woman gave me a free makeover, paying careful attention as she described everything she was doing and why. I was a little amazed at myself for being so curious and paying such close attention, but I was quickly learning that my interests were changing...whether I liked it or not.
After the sales woman had applied foundation, mascara and light blush, she reached for the lipstick and mom gasped, "Crimson? Isn't that a little...?"
"Daring?" the saleswoman responded with a grin. "Normally, but it goes perfect with this hair..."
Mom looked a little skeptical, "Well, I guess it's better than that glow in the dark, neon stuff that I see so many girl's her age wearing these days..."
"Or I could wear black lipstick like Kim?" I teased mom, looking into the mirror and deciding that I liked the look of the crimson lipstick, though it felt odd to wear and tasted strange. "But what about my nails?" I held my hands up and wiggled my fingernails.
The sales woman giggled and reached for a bottle of crimson polish, "I'd better take care of that then..."
By the time we left the department store, I looked and felt fantastic. I knew that I should feel ashamed at looking so feminine and sexy, that I should try to avoid any attention, but that wasn't at all how I felt. Being all dressed up and everything like this somehow filled me with a strange confidence. And when guys stared at me with looks of admiration and lust, I actually felt pleased by it. I was filled with conflict at this, knowing that it was completely against everything I should be feeling as a former boy, but I enjoyed the attention nonetheless.
Mom watched me with a nervous expression, especially looking tense after a man about her own age walked past and gave me an appreciative look. For a brief moment, I could almost hear her thoughts as she wondered if she'd just created a monster. I was tempted to tease her a little, but after the amount of money she'd just spent on me, I thought she deserved a break.
As we loaded all the bags into the car, mom told me, "Your dad is NOT going to be pleased by how much we spent." She shook her head and sighed, "Sometimes I really regret that he can't just lie and tell me that he doesn't mind."
"That would be convenient," I grinned at her.
"Well, I wasn't expecting to buy multiple pairs of shoes, makeup or the necklace when we came," mom chuckled. "So I have to admit that I spent a bit more than I was expecting to as well..."
I felt a little guilty at that since all that money went to buying me things, so I told her, "I can get a job and help pay for some of this..."
"Well, it wouldn't hurt for you to get a job," mom laughed. "But don't worry about this."
When we got home a short time later, dad and Kim met us at the door, both of them staring at me with looks of stunned disbelief. But as fun as that was to watch, it was nothing compared to the strange colors dad turned when he saw just how many bags we had. Kim looked jealous, not having been given the same kind of treatment after her twist, but for her it was only her fashion sense that had changed, not her body.
Before dad could make a big deal about how much we'd spent, mom went on the offensive. "I've decided that I'm going to start taking clients and be a personal trainer again," she stated, then quickly went on, "They've been asking me about it for awhile at the gym, and there are a lot of people who've come up to me and asked for my services..."
It didn't take mom long to convince dad that once she went back to work it would really help cover the extra expenses of my twist, as well as a few other things. And by the time she was done talking, he may even have forgotten that he was going to get mad about the bill in the first place.
While mom and dad were busy talking, Kim came up to me and looked me over, staring for nearly a minute before finally saying, "I didn't expect you to go all out like this."
I blushed at that, then told her, "It seems that weird compulsions and stuff run in the family."
"Fucking great," Kim snickered. "My loser brother's turned into my bimbo slut sister." Then she turned around and walked away snorting, "If nothing else, this'll be interesting."
I just stared at Kim with a grimace, realizing that at least one thing hadn't changed. I was still annoyed as hell by Kim and her obnoxious attitude. If that had somehow changed in my twist, then I'd really know I was in big trouble.
I looked over the outfit I was wearing, carefully making sure that everything was perfect. I was currently wearing a sexy red halter top that showed off my firm and flat stomach as well as a little cleavage, and a pair of tight jeans that really made my ass stand out. I would have preferred to wear the mini-skirt, but that was against the school dress code. I also would have preferred to wear my high heels, but even after practicing in them last night, I wasn't confident enough in my ability to keep my balance while wearing them for a full day in school, not when the price of falling on my face could be eternal ridicule.
"You know that you don't have to go back to school today," mom told me with a nervous expression. "It's only been two days since you changed. You might want to get a little more used to your new self first..."
"I'll be fine," I tried to assure her as I got ready for school.
Dad took one look at me and scowled, "I don't think I like you going to school like that. You look far too sexy and boys are likely to get the wrong idea."
"I'll be fine," I repeated with a roll of my eyes. "Most girls wear clothes like this if they have the body for it, and I certainly do. I can't wait to show off how hot I look now."
I suddenly paused and bit my lip, glaring at my dad. I hadn't intended to say that but it had just come out on it's own, so it was obvious that dad was using his little trick on me. The thing that frustrated me the most about my dad was that since he was forced to tell everyone the truth all the time, he felt absolutely no guilt in making everyone else do the same for him.
Mom and dad were both staring at me with looks of disapproval, but I continued, "Besides, I have to get back to school. We're having that big English test next week and I don't dare miss anymore class or I'll completely fail it."
That last argument pacified my folks a bit, but my dad pushed a little more, "Have you thought about what your friends will think of you when they see you like that?"
"Either that I'm a slut or a babe," I answered, still under the effects of dad's trick. "Depending on whether it's a girl or boy of course." That answer didn't make dad very happy but he could see that I was going to school whether he wanted me to or not, and I don't think that any parent could force their kid to stay home when they actually want to go. I think it's genetic or something.
Once dad had given up and walked away in disgust, I turned to mom and hesitantly asked her, "Can you help me with makeup?"
Mom stared at me in surprise, "Are you sure that you want to wear makeup on your first day back? What will your friends say?"
I just blushed, feeling extremely awkward about making this kind of a request. It was difficult dealing with things that I felt and wanted, yet knowing at the same time that they were the exact opposite of how I felt before. It was even worse since a large part of me was sure that I should still feel that way and felt guilty when I didn't. "I know, but I want to look good."
Mom sighed, "Okay, but we'll keep it light."
We went to my room and pulled out all the makeup that we'd bought yesterday, then mom went to work on me, making sure I could see what she was doing in the mirror and describing each step. I paid close attention, still a bit shaken at the fact that I was taking makeup lessons from my mom. That was something that I would have NEVER expected in a million years. The makeup was a little lighter than what the sales woman had put on yesterday, but still enough for me to tell it was there.
"What about the lipstick?" I asked when mom seemed to be done, having missed that obvious bit.
"I don't think you need crimson lipstick to go to school," she said, looking a little uncomfortable. But as she stared at me, she sighed, "I guess it does go with your hair, nails and outfit." She frowned, then reluctantly put it on. "You'll have to learn how to do this yourself soon."
"Thanks," I told her once we were done. "But I think I should get going before dad sees me like this."
"I think you're right." She shook her head. After I'd picked up my bag, she said, "Hold on, I'll drive you today. I don't like the idea of you walking by yourself when you look like that."
I wasn't sure that I liked the idea of having my mom drive me to school, but it was better than walking. And even though I didn't really want to admit it, I was nervous as hell and her presence was a bit comforting.
Once we were in the car and pulling out of the driveway, mom hesitantly said, "I think you should start taking a self-defense class."
"What?" I blinked in surprise.
"The gym offers a good one," she quickly added. "And with the way you look now, I think it would be a good idea for you." Then she sighed, "Some boys could get the wrong idea..."
"I know how boys think," I reminded her with a grimace, and because I knew how some guys at school could get, I sighed, "I'll think about it."
That seemed good enough for mom, at least for the moment because she let the subject drop. When we arrived at my school a few minutes later, she pulled into the parking lot, gave me some worried advice for my first day back and wished me luck. Then as she left, I turned and made my way into the front entrance, well aware of all the eyes that were watching me. I couldn't help feeling a faint tingle of excitement and pleasure in response.
"Jeez," I muttered to myself, feeling a bit embarrassed at my own emotions. "It's like I'm turning into some kind of attention whore."
As I walked through the school hallway, I noticed most of the boys who saw me were staring with looks of interest and attraction, while a number of girls glared or were too obvious in pretending that they didn't see me. There were also more than a few looks of curiosity as no one at the school would remember seeing me there before. A large part of my new self absolutely loved all this attention and I found myself instinctively sticking out my chest and strutting a bit more in response, while the old me sort of cringed in embarrassment and confusion, wondering what everyone would say if they knew who I really was.
Several boys and one girl called out as I passed, asking me for a date or if I was taken. As much as a large part of me was enjoying all this attention, I didn't really know what to do with it all. Then one of the guys had the courage to actually approach me, standing in my way so I would have to stop for him.
"Hey, you're gorgeous," the tall and athletic jock grinned at me. "I'm Devon. Let me welcome you to our school."
I just stared at Devon, knowing very well who he was. After all, he's the same guy who'd punched me in the gut last year just because I said something he didn't like. He hadn't hit me since then, though he'd made more than a few rude comments whenever he saw me.
"No thanks," I told him with a scowl. "I'm not new here and I'm already more than aware you're an asshole."
There were a lot of laughs and joking comments at that from the people around us while Devon just stared at me with a look of annoyance and embarrassment. Then I walked around him and hurried to my first period class, wondering just how much more of this I could expect during the day.
Once I reached my first period class, I took a deep breath and went inside, noticing that nearly all conversation stopped at my entrance. I pretended not to notice or care as I made my way to my own seat, earning even more curious looks as a result. Finally, the teacher Mr. Byron said, "Excuse me young lady, but I believe you have the wrong class."
"No, I'm in the right class," I told him with a self-conscious sigh. "I'm Blake... I just went through my twist."
Everyone in the class gasped at once and several of the boys who'd been giving me such admiring looks now appeared disgusted or horrified. A few girls sat there with smug looks on their faces, smirking at me and the boys who had been so openly lusting at me. And then there was Jeke, who was sitting in the seat beside me, staring at me in stunned disbelief, looking as though he wasn't sure to be horrified or not.
"Blake?" he gasped, his eyes wide as he stared at me with an intensity that almost made me think his eyes would pop out of their sockets.
"That's what I said," I told him, trying to smile and act like everything was fine. "By the way...my eyes are still up here."
"Class," Mr. Byron called out, trying to get everyone under control again. "Everyone sit down and pay attention. I'm sure that you'll have time to talk to Mr...Ms. Tyler about her twist after class."
It took Mr. Byron a few more minutes to get everyone settled so he could start the class. By then, everyone had gotten over their initial shock of me, though I still kept getting odd and curious looks. Still, it would have been much worse if I'd gone through a twist somewhere else. As it was, there were already three other people in that class who'd been twisted, and at least one more who was still waiting for hers.
I felt a little awkward sitting in class as I was, especially because Mr. Byron and the other students all kept sneaking looks at me. One boy even waved at me as he tried to catch my attention and I had to fight back the sudden impulse to wave back. As much as I might like and even crave attention now, I had to remind myself that class was not the time for it. In fact, class was the best time to avoid attention.
I tried to ignore the strange looks, deciding that I MUCH preferred the looks of admiration and attraction. To distract myself from them, I focused instead on Mr. Byron's lecture, something which I usually didn't pay too much attention to due to the high boredom factor. After a while, I was a little surprised to realize that he must be doing something different to spice it up today because he was actually fairly interesting.
When class ended, I was suddenly bombarded with questions and comments from half the students in the class. Some where asking me just how much I'd changed, if I'd developed any cool tricks, or if I was interested in guys now. Another twisted wanted to congratulate me for finally joining the club. I just shrugged them all of since there was only one person that I really wanted to talk to at the moment.
"My God," Jeke exclaimed, staring at me with a stricken expression. "How did this happen?"
"You remember that disk you lent me?" I asked him quietly. When Jeke gasped and nodded weakly, I continued, "Well I was looking through it when my twist happened."
"Oh shit," Jeke gulped, "I'm so sorry... I didn't mean for..."
"It's not your fault," I shrugged. "I was the one who was looking at it. Besides, if it wasn't that it would have kicked in on something."
Jeke just stared at me, still looking extremely nervous and uncertain. Of course, the reasons were obvious. For one, I now looked like a hot and sexy chick, which would have made him extremely nervous about talking to me by itself, but then there was also the fact that he didn't know how much I might have changed. He didn't know if I might have twisted into some sort of psycho, or maybe a manipulative bitch. For all he knew, I might be a virtual stranger to him now.
"So..." Jeke started, uncomfortably. "Just how much did you change?"
He looked me over, his eyes lingering a little on my breasts. I had mixed feelings about that, sort of enjoying the appreciation but feeling annoyed at the same time because he was my best friend. Or at least I hoped he still was. My transforming like this could very well mean we weren't friends anymore. That was a depressing thought.
"Well, my body obviously," I sighed, looking down at myself and frowning slightly. I frowned, deciding to be honest, then tapped my forehead and said, "And I got a little messed up in here too."
"How much?" Jeke asked nervously, taking an instinctive step back.
I hesitated a moment before answering, "Mostly my fashion sense." I gestured down at my clothes, "I kind of like wearing this kind of stuff now." I felt a little odd realizing that I was much more embarrassed about admitting this out loud than I was about wearing the clothes.
"You're kidding?" Jeke gasped in surprise.
I just shrugged, "Do you honestly think anyone could have made me wear this stuff if I didn't want to? Trust me, my whole fashion sense is totally screwed up. You wouldn't believe what it was like shopping yesterday and buying clothes that I never would have been caught dead in before. I look at something and the old part of me screams no way, while this new part just loves it. It's enough to drive me nuts."
"I can't imagine it," Jeke shuddered with a look of horror on his face.
"Remember," I told him with a sigh, "I grew up knowing that I was going to get twisted some day. And trust me, as weird as this is, it's a lot better than some of the things that could have happened to me." After all, I should know since I spent more than enough time imagining those things in great detail. Somehow though, I'd never imagined I would be turned into a girl.
"I guess," Jeke admitted, though he didn't look too sure about it. "But you turned into...into that."
"Well most of the old me is still in here," I snapped, beginning to get annoyed at this feeling of having to defend my friendship. "I've got to get to second period. I'll see you later."
With that, I hurried down the hallway, feeling a little hurt and disappointed at the reaction I'd gotten from Jeke. I knew that I should have expected it, that as far as he was concerned I might be a complete and total stranger. Still, I guess I had sort of expected that my best friend would immediately accept me in spite of my changes. I guess that wasn't very realistic of me.
When I went into my second period class, the reaction was a much toned down version of what had happened in first period. Since a third of the students had been in my first period, it wasn't too surprising that I didn't get quite the same shock, though the look on my teacher's face was hilarious. I thought she was going to faint right there on the spot.
"Nice hair," Shiv smirked when she saw me. "For a moment, I almost thought you had a head wound and were bleeding all over the place."
I looked back at Shiv, knowing that this was just her way of testing me to see how I'd react. "Look who's talking," I responded with a snort. "Your hair nearly blinded me. You might want to unplug it when we're in class."
"Enough of that ladies," the teacher said, looking a bit uncomfortable to be using that term on me. "I won't tolerate any fighting in my class."
I stuck my tongue out at Shiv and she responded by flipping me the bird. However, from the grin on her face I could tell she wasn't upset. Instead, she seemed to have decided that I was alright.
The rest of the class was pretty uneventful, except for Dan Lawrence trying to cop a feel and Shiv calling me a 'skanky looking slut bitch' as we were leaving. I called her a 'tattooed whore freak' back and that was the end of it as we went our separate ways on almost friendly terms.
Before I realized it, I was sitting in English class, my least favorite class of the day. I'd shared a friendly insult with Shiv as we were coming in, but since we didn't sit together there was no chance to talk. And since Jeke wasn't in this class with me, I wasn't able to talk with him...even if he was still willing to talk with me. I was no longer sure about that.
At first, I did what I normally do in English, which is just sit back and zone out while the teacher lectures monotonously. But after a while, I slowly found myself listening and then even paying attention. It wasn't that the teacher was less monotonous than normal or any less boring in his delivery, but for some reason the material itself just seemed a little more interesting. It wasn't until class was over and I felt a faint disappointment because of it that the alarm bells began to go off in my head. However, I quickly pushed those aside and hurried out of the class with everyone else, eager to get to lunch since I was beginning to get pretty hungry.
When I got to the lunch room and sat down at my usual table to eat, I expected Jeke to come by and join me just as he always did. But when finally saw him, he wasn't coming to our table. Instead, he gave me a nervous look, as well as one of admiration before rushing over to some other table. I remained where I was, feeling hurt and abandoned.
"Just great," I grimaced, realizing that my twist might very well mean that I'd have to get new friends. It was hard to imagine getting a new best friend though, especially since Jeke and I had been buddies for years.
I didn't have much time to dwell on Jeke's abandonment of me because one boy asked, "Is anyone sitting here?" Then he dropped down into the seat beside me before I could answer, regardless of the fact that there were a number of other open seats. However, those quickly filled up as well, all by boys who seemed to enjoy sitting close to me and watching me eat.
"Just great," I sighed to myself again. Sure, I enjoyed the attention they were giving me but it was pretty damn weird having a bunch of boys watching me while I ate my lunch. It felt downright creepy.
Once I was done eating, I was surprised to realize that I still felt hungry. I frowned at that, thinking that girls were supposed to eat less than guys, not more. I couldn't help looking around at the guys surrounding me, or specifically, looking at their lunches. One of them noticed my attention and offered me his brownie. And since the other's didn't want to be outdone, they started offering me things too. Before I realized it, I had enough extras for a second lunch.
"Much better," I licked my lips once I was finished eating for the second time. One boy was staring at me so hard that he looked as though he were about to pass out from lack of blood to the brain. I felt mixed emotions about that, as I did about nearly everything now.
Since I was done, I took my time standing up, making sure to lean forward and give the guys a bit of a show. I felt a tingle of excitement as they all stared at me even harder. I still found it hard to believe that I got such a kick from people staring at me and admiring the way I looked, but I couldn't deny that I did. It seems that I not only like that kind of attention now but actually crave it as well. I wanted more of it which was why I started walking out of the lunch room with as sexy a strut as I could manage.
I was well aware of the fact that a large number of boys in the cafeteria were staring at me as I walked past, including some of the teacher. I was eating it up, loving every bit of the attention yet feeling a little guilty for doing so. One girl even muttered, "What a slut," as I walked past, probably due to the fact that the boy sitting beside her was nearly drooling as he stared at me.
After I left the cafeteria, I was a little uncertain about what to do with the rest of my lunch time since I normally spent it bullshitting with Jeke and that wasn't possible now. I frowned, then decided that I might as well walk around a little and see if I could get some more guys to lust over me. Again, I felt guilty for having those thoughts since I knew they would be complete anathema for the old me, but at the same time I got a thrill from imagining the looks on people's faces and knowing the kinds of fantasies that would run through their minds.
"I am an attention whore," I grimaced, not sure what that said about me now.
Just then, I noticed Devon walking straight towards me with one of his friends at his side. I saw the intense scowl on his face as he glared at me and suddenly had a very bad feeling about this. I quickly glanced around for a quick way out of here but it was too late because he was already there.
"I bet you thought it was funny making me look like an idiot this morning," Devon spat at me.
"It didn't take much effort," I responded with a forced grin.
"Why you little bitch," Devon's friend Kase snarled from beside him.
"I heard about you and your little twist," Devon sneered, positioning himself to look even bigger and more menacing. "So you think it's funny to flirt with me in front of a bunch of people just so you can laugh at me, do you?"
"That's not the way I remember it happening this morning," I said defensively, taking a nervous step back. Devon was really getting worked up and Kase was only making things worse.
"She made you look like some kind of punk," Kase told Devon. "I mean, he tricked you into thinking he was a girl."
"I am a girl now," I argued, hoping desperately that this fact might save me from a beating. "It's not my fault, but that's what I am now..."
Devon snorted, "And you really think I'm not gonna kick your ass just because you look like a girl?"
"Yeah," Kase added, "show her that no one makes fun of you..."
"I aim to," Devon suddenly grabbed my arm, squeezing it painfully and slamming me up against the lockers on the wall. "I shouldn't have let you off so easily last time you little punk."
"Hey, leave her alone," another voice suddenly yelled out from down the hall. I looked over and was surprised to see Jeke running our way.
Devon glared at Jeke, "Keep out of my way and you won't get hurt too. I've got to teach this prick not to make fun of me."
"But it's so easy," I said, the words just slipping out of my mouth before I'd realized it. That didn't do anything to improve Devon's mood.
"But she's a girl," Jeke said, trying to change tactics. "I mean, what are people going to say about you if you go around hitting girls?"
"I don't care what this fucking prick looks like," Devon snorted, "he's still the same moron he's always been."
"Don't worry," Kase grinned, walking towards Jeke. "I'll have fun with this guy while you're teaching her a lesson."
I just glared at Devon and Kase, feeling angry and frustrated. There never seemed to be a teacher around when you really needed one. It was like they knew trouble was going to happen so they vanished to stay out of it themselves. That way, they'd be able to come in after the fact and act all smug and superior, pretending that they actually had the answers when the truth was they couldn't be bothered to help you when you really needed it.
As I stood there, pinned up against the lockers, I felt a strange tingly pressure building up inside of my body. I'd never felt anything quite like it before so had no idea what it could be. However, I was too focused on Devon and his painful grip on my arm to really worry about it at the moment.
"You're in trouble now smart-ass," Devon told me as he pulled back his other arm, making a show of the fact that he was about to hit me.
"Better than being a dumb-ass," I told him, bracing myself for the punch.
"WHY YOU...!" Devon yelled and began to throw his punch.
Suddenly, the pressure inside of me exploded outward. At the same time, there was a flash of blue light and Devon went flying backwards, hitting the ground and shaking for just a few seconds before clutching his hand and yelling in pain.
"What the fuck?" Kase yelled, staring at me in horror. Other students who were all gathered in the hall all stepped back as well.
"Blake?" Jeke asked, looking at me nervously. "Are you all right?"
I stared at Devon for a moment then looked down at myself and hesitantly answered, "I think so..." I didn't seem to be hurt at all. In fact, I felt pretty good, and looking at Devon on the floor only made me feel better.
"What the hell just happened?" Jeke gasped. "What did you do to him?"
"What the fuck did you do?" Kase demanded, but he kept his distance as he helped Devon back to his feet.
"I have no idea," I whispered, my mind racing. Then again, I did have a good idea. It looks like I might have gained some sort of trick during my twist. Being able to do that to Devon was certainly one hell of a trick all right.
"Look what you fucking did to me," Devon snarled, holding up his hand. "I can't feel it... It's fucking numb."
"Just like your brain," I couldn't resist snapping back, pleased to notice that he didn't come towards me again. He glared at me, then hurried away, muttering something about, "Fucking twisted bitch."
"Damn," Jeke said, "You might want to watch your back around him from now on.
"Like I didn't already," I muttered, staring down at my own hand and trying to figure out exactly what I did.
But just then, one of the teachers finally showed up. He came storming down the hall with an imperious expression that teachers tend to have when they're about to exert their authority. I scowled, annoyed that he was nowhere in sight while Devon was about to beat the hell out of me, but now he showed up ready to declare judgment.
For a moment, I considered making a run for it before he could grab me and decide I was the guilty party and in need of detention, then I grinned as I had a different idea. Instead, I gave my best 'poor little girl' look, something which I hadn't ever practiced before and hoped I got right. I'd seen enough pretty girls slip out of trouble by playing this card and I wanted to see if I could do it too.
"Did you see that," I gasped, trying to look scared and helpless but sexy at the same time. I had no idea how well I succeeded, but the teacher froze with a dazed expression on his face. "I've only been a girl for a couple days and some jerk already attacks me. Where were you guys? I mean, I got assaulted right here in the school hallway and no one did anything..."
"That sounds like a lawsuit," Jeke offered helpfully, making the teacher go even more pale.
"I'm sure there's no need for that," the teacher stammered nervously, obviously afraid of being connected to a lawsuit against the school.
It didn't take much effort on my part to not only talk my way out of trouble but to convince him that I was the victim of a horrible assault. When the teacher left, he swore that Devon would be spending a lot of time in detention for what he'd tried doing to me, and I had little doubt that if I'd wanted I could even have gotten Devon expelled. I was amazed at just how easy it had been.
Once the teacher and most of the audience were gone, Jeke stared at me and licked his lips nervously, "I'm sorry about earlier." He looked a little uncomfortable. "It's just that you're so different now and I don't know how much of you is the same."
"I know," I sighed. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have gotten all mad like that. It's just frustrating because everything else is different and I guess I'd just assumed that you and I would still be the same."
"Well," Jeke said hopefully, "I'd like to at least try to still be friends."
"Me too," I held out my hand.
Jeke stared at my hand for a moment, "You're not gonna do to me what you did to Devon, are you?"
"I don't think so," I frowned. "I mean, I've touched other people like this and nothing happened. I think that was only because I was really mad."
The two of us shook hands and I let out a sigh of relief, feeling some of the tension leaving me. I felt a lot better now that I knew Jeke was back in my corner again. He was my best friend and it would really suck to lose him just because I'd gone through my twist.
I let out a long sigh of relief when I finally got home from school. It had been such a weird day, and not just because of what happened with Devon or the way everyone now treated me different. There were other things too, such as the fact that every one of my classes now seemed more interesting. I know that the teacher's couldn't have all changed the way they were doing things, but I don't think I wanted to admit the only other thing it could be.
When I went inside and saw my mom, standing 6 foot 2 and wearing loose clothes, I knew that she'd gotten back from the gym just a short while ago. It was always kind of interesting to watch her swell into a massive amazon while working out or slowly shrink back down afterwards.
"So how was school?" mom asked me with a broad smile that didn't quite hide her worry.
"It was...interesting," I said, not sure exactly how much to tell her.
"Oh?" dad asked as he came over, making me nervous. I hoped that he didn't use his trick on me because there were some things I didn't feel like telling my parents.
"Well," I said slowly. "I found out I have a trick."
"Really?" mom asked with a look of interest. I knew that she and dad would be interested in that, and so would Kim if she'd bother to come out and show herself. After all, everyone is interested in what tricks a twisted might have and it's frequently one of the first questions people ask about us.
I took a deep breath and concentrated on that strange tingly pressure that I'd felt while being threatened by Devon. I'd practiced this several times during the day, between classes and the like as I tried making sense of what I'd done to him. And after a few attempts, I'd finally figured it out. The pressure built again, though not nearly as strong as then. It channeled into my hand and suddenly blue sparks shot between my fingers, making both my parents jump back in surprise.
"I think it's like some kind of taser or something," I said with a grin, feeling rather pleased with myself. After all, it was a pretty cool trick and it had already proven useful against Devon.
"You haven't used it on someone, have you?" my dad asked with a worried look.
"Only on some guy who jumped me in the hallway," I responded, then bit my tongue, silently cursing dad and his trick.
"You used it on someone?" mom gasped in horror.
"Not on purpose," I answered truthfully, still under the effects of dad's trick. "I didn't know I could do it until it happened and he ended up on the floor..."
"Did you hurt him?" dad demanded, looking upset.
"He's twice my size and tried beating the crap out of me," I snapped in annoyance, "and you're more worried about him? Thanks a lot for your concern." The sarcasm was thick and I spat out, "No, the jerk's fine. He just got a bit of a shock is all."
"Well enough about that," mom announced, trying to diffuse the situation. She smiled at me, "We have a hair appointment at the salon for you in an hour."
"Hair appointment?" dad gasped. "He needs to go see a doctor for a checkup, a specialist for his trick, and there's a lot of paperwork that needs to be done. I hardly think that a hair appointment is the top priority."
"That's she now, not he," mom corrected dad patiently. "And as for priorities, a lovely young lady like her needs to look her best at all times. Besides, we've already got an appointment with the doctor this weekend, and it won't be a problem to schedule one with the trick specialist right afterwards."
Dad wasn't exactly happy but he couldn't argue much with that. When he tried to, his real feelings came out and he spouted, "I don't want my son...daughter looking any more feminine and sexy than she already does." Mom just smiled and reminded him that since I had my own built in taser, there was hardly a need to worry about me not being able to take care of myself. Dad still wasn't happy about that but it was the end of the conversation.
A short while later mom and I were on our way to the salon and I was filled with mixed feelings. I'd never been in one of those places before, which had always seemed a haven for all things feminine. It was the kind of place that I normally would have avoided at all costs, or at least the old me would have. The new me was a bit different and that would take a bit to get used to. I was nervous, but at the same time, I knew that it would make me look even better and I absolutely loved the idea.
When we arrived, mom talked with an employee named Sarah for a minute then ushered me to a chair where the Sarah looked me over. "Not bad, but a little trimming and styling could certainly help," she mused. She looked at my mom, "Should we dye her hair as well?"
"I don't think so," mom responded. "It's very distinctive this way, but it's your choice." She looked at me as she said the last.
I thought about it for a moment, then decided, "Leave it this color...or colors. I kind of like it."
Sarah picked up my hand and looked at my fingers for a moment, "Very nice. It looks like you've had a manicure recently."
"No," I blinked. "We only put some polish on them."
"They come that way naturally from her twist," mom told Sarah with a look of amusement. "We should probably take care to keep them that way though since they're very nice."
Once everything was decided, Sarah went to work. She leaned my chair back over a sink and washed my hair with some nice smelling shampoo that would have made me immediately run away had I still been a guy. I still felt the urge to do that, though I held that impulse in check with the reminder that I was a girl now and could get away with perfumed shampoo and the like. Still, it was hard to forget the old instincts.
While Sarah was washing my hair and then cutting it, she cheerfully chatted on, "So, you've just had your twist? That's great. I remember when I had my twist. I lost over fifty pounds overnight, gained a cup size and this trick where I can change the TV channel without a remote."
Sarah continued talking the entire time and I learned a lot more about her and her life than I really wanted to. Perhaps it was just her way of easing the tension and making me feel more comfortable with her, but I found it just a little odd that she'd just open up and talk like that to a complete stranger. Then again, she and my mom seemed to know each other.
When Sarah was finally finished with me, I was allowed to see the results in a mirror. All I could do was stare, feeling impressed at just how good I looked. My hair was about an inch shorter than it had been, but it was styled a bit and more luxurious, making me look wild and sexy.
"Oh dear," mom said, looking amazed. "You look gorgeous."
"Normally I would have seen about a manicure as well," Sarah said cheerfully, "but you obviously don't need one."
"I think we're fine with this for now," mom told her with a smile.
"That was a little different than I expected," I admitted to mom after we'd left.
"What were you expecting?" she asked me with an amused look.
I shrugged, "I guess I'm not really sure."
"Well, let's get home so we can have dinner," mom told me. "Your father isn't bad in the kitchen when he puts his mind to it."
We arrived home a short while later and I saw our neighbor standing out in the yard and watching me with a look of curiosity. Belinda Bounce would definitely have been considered an odd neighbor anywhere other than Spiral. She was a stripper with a pair of breasts that were literally the size of beach balls. But since she never had any problem moving with her back or moving around with them, I was pretty sure that having them be immune from gravity was one of her tricks.
Belinda might have been our neighbor, but I normally only saw her once a month or so, due largely to the fact that she was up till the early hours of the morning working and then spent most of the day sleeping. Because of this, I didn't know her very well but I had heard that before her twist made her into a big breasted exhibitionist, she had been a very conservative religious girl.
"So that's what you look like now," Belinda said as she looked me over with an appraising expression. "Very nice shape..."
"Um...thanks," I responded, a little uncertain about how to take being complimented by her. Sure, I loved attention from guys, but this was from a professional stripper. Then again, she wasn't giving me quite the same look of interest. Belinda was looking at me with more of a professional eye, as if wondering how well I might do in her business.
"You've got a great figure," Belinda said with a grin, then she added, "But if you ever want a little more up top, just let me know."
I gulped at that, knowing that Belinda was referring to her trick. She could cause girls and women to have a growth spurt that could make their breast size anywhere from one to four cup sizes larger, though she apparently didn't have control over how much anyone grew or didn't. This made her very popular among some of the girls in Spiral who were looking for a natural and cheaper alternative to implants.
"Anyway," Belinda said, "I've got to get going. I have to be at the club in half an hour and I'm already running late."
After I waved good-bye to Belinda and went inside the house, I couldn't help but thinking about her and her twist. I felt a faint chill as I realized how similar the two of us were in the way we'd been twisted. We'd both been turned into sexy babes who loved attention, though from what I understood, her exhibitionist streak was quite a bit stronger than mine. I was just a little afraid that when I looked at her, I might very well be looking at my own future.
"I bet she gets a lot of attention though," I mused to myself, thinking about how many men she must have staring at her while she danced. "And she actually gets paid to have people watch her." Then I realized where my thoughts were heading and shook them off.
When we sat down to dinner a short time later, Kim stared at me with a sneer for nearly two minutes before finally saying, "I hear you picked up a trick."
"Yeah," I nodded, having wondered how long it would take her to get to the point. I closed my eyes and concentrated on letting that strange pressure build inside of me, at least a little bit, then releasing it into my hand so that sparks shot out between my fingers.
"Not bad for a loser," Kim said, though she was obviously more impressed than she was acting.
"No showing off your taser touch at the table," mom said with a roll of her eyes.
"Then I guess I'll just have to show it to Kim in private," I teased her with the veiled threat I never actually ended to carry out. It was just fun watching her get a little nervous of me for once. This was payback for all the times she'd insulted and threatened me since her twist.
As soon as dinner was over, I rushed to my room, took off my shoes and put on the stiletto heeled ones so I could get more practice walking around in those. I couldn't wait until my balance was good enough for me to wear those out in public without fear of falling down. I got excited just thinking about how hot and sexy they made me look and feel.
I practiced walking in the stiletto heels for a short while before sitting down to do my homework, keeping the shoes on. In history class we had been talking about Nia Clarence and how she fought for the civil rights of the twisted just after we first started appearing. It had actually been really interesting to hear her story today in class so I was actually eager to learn even more. I pulled open my history book and went to work reading, getting so caught up that I read twice the amount we were assigned to before I finally stopped.
"I guess I should get the rest of my homework out of the way," I sighed, putting my history book to the side with a vague feeling of regret and reaching for my math book.
It took a little longer than normal to do my math homework than normal, but that was because I actually did the problems myself rather than looking to the back of the book or the calculator for an answer. Since I'd actually been paying attention in class today, I understood how to work these problems for a change. Since that was such a rare occurrence, I decided that I might as well take advantage of it while I could.
My homework took a little longer than normal to finish, but that was only because I wasn't rushing through it and putting down answers I knew were wrong. I took my time and did it right, finding that it wasn't too hard since I'd been paying attention in class all day. It was amazing what a difference that little thing made.
Once I was done with my homework, I decided that I was on a roll so turned my attention to an English assignment that I'd been putting off for some time. I picked up a copy of the book Moby Dick, which I was supposed to read by next week and do a book report on in class. I hadn't even started the book yet, nor did I have any real intention of doing so. After all, why waste all that time reading through a huge book like this when you could just go and get the Cliff notes?
"Let's see," I mused as I opened the thick book and began flipping through the pages. I didn't intend to read it, just to glance through it a little. Then I found myself looking at the first page and the famous opening line that even I'd heard of before. I started reading the first line, curious to see how the full line actually went. Then I found myself reading the whole first paragraph, then the first page, getting more and more engrossed in the book. Before I realized it, I was completely caught up in the story and unwilling to put it down.
About an hour after I started reading, mom called out for me, annoying me at the interruption. I stuck my finger between the pages I was on, then went to go see what mom wanted, nearly tripping since I'd forgotten I was wearing the high heels. I scowled in annoyance, then left my room a little more carefully.
"I wanted to see if you could," mom started, then paused as she saw the book in my hand. "What's that?"
"That English project," I sighed, "You know, Moby Dick. I started it after finishing my regular homework."
Mom stared at me for a moment, then at the book with a look of surprise. "And you started that today?"
"Yeah," I responded impatiently.
"Is that where you're at?" she asked, pointing to where my finger was between the pages. "Is that how far you've gotten?"
"Yeah," I eyed her suspiciously, wondering why she was making such a big deal of this. After all, she'd been nagging me to start reading the book for the last two weeks so I thought she'd be happy I finally started it.
Mom just stood there for a moment with a strange expression on her face. Then she cautiously said, "You just started reading Moby Dick a couple hours ago and you're already halfway through it?"
I blinked in surprise, then looked at where my finger was placed. It was indeed halfway through the book, perhaps even a little more than halfway. I went pale at the sight and quietly said, "I started it an hour ago..."
"I've never seen you read a book that fast," mom was commenting, "In fact, you usually avoiding reading anything at all..."
"I know," I responded quietly, suddenly remembering some of my own strange behavior during the day. I'd been paying attention in every class and I'd even gotten caught up in reading a novel I would normally have avoided at all costs. When I had started craving attention and sexy clothes, that had been obvious and something I couldn't ignore. But this...this had been much more subtle and had completely snug up on me. "Oh shit..."
"Are you okay?" mom asked with a look of concern.
"Yeah," I forced a smile, "I just keep surprising myself is all."
Mom just nodded, then told me, "Well, if you picked up the ability to speed read in your twist, I'd call that pretty lucky."
"Yeah," I sighed, turning around and going back to my room, both of us forgetting about why she'd called me out in the first place.
"Just great," I sighed, dropping the book onto my desk with a scowl of annoyance. Finding out that the only reason I enjoyed reading it was that my personality had been changed took the pleasure out of it. "First my twist turns me into some kind of attention whore, now it's turning me into a nerd too."
I plopped down on my bed, shaking my head and trying to make sense of who I was now and who I was becoming. It was all so confusing, especially since none of my previous experience and opinions seemed to count anymore. I no longer had any idea of who I was, and just when I thought I was getting a clue more just got thrown into the mix.
After just sitting there and brooding for awhile, I found my thoughts turning back to the book. I couldn't help but thinking about what I'd already read and wondering what was going to happen next. I told myself no, that I refused to give in to that entirely out of stubborn pride of nothing else, but eventually found myself picking the book back up. I just had to know what happened next...
It was strange going back to school in the morning, especially since all my homework was done right, I was caught up for all of my classes and even ahead in several assignments. This was probably the first time I was actually prepared for all of my classes in as long as I could remember, and I felt somewhat uncomfortable about that. It just wasn't normal, at least not for me.
I was well aware of the irony, that I felt more shame and embarrassment about actually being ready for school and prepared than I did about wearing sexy clothes and trying to attract men. I was able to tell Jeke about my love of dressing provocatively, but not about wanting to pay attention in class. The whole thing was so odd that even I almost found it funny.
There was one thing I knew though and had been reminded of countless times while growing up, and that was that it was easier to go with the flow. Over half of all twisted had been altered mentally to one degree or another, many of whom had been given compulsions or new interests of one form or another. Both of my parents fell into that category and they warned me that it could very well be my fate as well. Because of that, they had always told me that it was easier to just accept your changes and adjust to them than to try fighting them and yourself all the time, unless of course those compulsions were either illegal or immoral. It might be easier to just go with the flow, but it was still a bit uncomfortable when you were flowing in the opposite direction you were used to flowing.
When I stepped into my first period class, I was well aware of my new tendency to pay more attention and I decided to actively fight it. I actually tried to zone out and not pay attention, but I quickly discovered that it's more difficult than it sounds. It isn't easy to completely ignore someone when they're saying something that you actually find interesting. I tried fighting myself for most of first period before I finally just gave up and went with the flow.
Since I couldn't really fight my own compulsions and interests, I decided that it would be smart to at least learn exactly what they were. Because of this, I spent the next several classes carefully scrutinizing my own emotions and reactions to just about everything, trying to figure out what sparked my interest and curiosity and what bored me to death.
It didn't take me long before I began to notice a pattern in my new interests and desires. So far I hadn't found anything that actually bored me, but other than looking sexy and attracting attention, it seemed that I had a fascination for learning new things and reading just about anything I got my hands on. In English, I finished the reading assignment in two minutes, even though everyone else spent half the period on it, then I found myself reading through the rest of the book as well. If this continued, I knew that I might very well end up getting straight A's in all my classes, which would give Jeke license to tease me forever. That was why I decided not to tell him about this.
Eventually lunch arrived and I went to the cafeteria, making sure to reserve a seat beside me for Jeke. Since my twist, there were a lot of boys who wanted sit next to me, or even just close to me. A lot of them didn't have the nerve to come up and talk to me directly but still liked to be near me. I was delighted by the attention, yet found it a little annoying as well since it meant I didn't get much privacy.
"Is it too much of a good thing?" I couldn't resist asking myself, even as I smiled and posed to look even sexier.
Then I pulled out my lunch and earned a few looks of surprise and amazement. Not only had I bought a school lunch, but I'd brought one from home as well. Ever since my twist, my appetite had increased when I would have thought the opposite would happen. I couldn't help but being a little worried that eating more food might make me gain weight and ruin my perfect figure. And the idea of dieting wasn't a pleasant one either.
"I never thought I'd have to worry about that," I muttered as I bit into an apple.
I had barely even started on my lunch when I suddenly noticed Devon walking in my direction along with his friend Kase and Tom McGuire. I felt a faint chill run down my spine as I saw them, especially as I stared at Tom and saw the nasty way Devon was grinning.
Tom was 6 foot 4, heavily muscled and the star player of the school wrestling and football teams. He was one of the biggest and probably the strongest guy in the entire school, which still amazed me a bit. Back when he was Tommy McGuire, he'd been a scrawny nerd, but that was before he'd been twisted into some sort of super jock. He could have had a bright future in athletics if it wasn't for the fact that just about every professional sport banned the twisted from competition.
"There she is," Devon sneered, gesturing at me. "The bitch that zapped me yesterday."
I just remained where I was and gave a charming smile and an innocent 'who me?' look. I'd practiced it in front of the mirror, having noticed just how well such a look usually worked for getting girls out of trouble.
"Hey," Tom nodded at me with a pleasant smile, not at all threatening like I would have expected. He stared at me for a moment before nodding appreciatively, "I guess you twisted pretty good."
"It happens," I shrugged, letting my guard down a little.
"Maybe we'll see each other again sometime," Tom winked at me as he continued on his way.
An annoyed Devon quickly followed after Tom, grumbling, "You were supposed to scare her, not flirt with her."
But Tom just chuckled, "Why would I want to do that?"
"There are definitely advantages to being a pretty girl," I grinned as I watched Tom walk off, thinking about just how bad it could have been for me if he'd decided to beat me up or something. Fortunately, Tom didn't seem to have anything against me, even if I had zapped his friend.
Just then, Jeke sat down beside me, asking, "Did I just see Tom McGuire hitting on you?"
"Something like that," I admitted, feeling a little embarrassed at that.
Jeke stared at me for a moment with an odd expression, then he blurted out, "Do you like guys now?"
"What?" I blinked, not having expected that question from my best friend.
"I mean," Jeke quickly went on, "if you like guys now instead of girls, I guess that's cool..."
"I...I don't know," I admitted after a moment of surprise. "I guess I've been too busy to think about it..."
Jeke continued to stare at me with that odd look for a moment, then realized that I wasn't very comfortable with this topic and changed the subject. "Did you hear about that new movie coming out? They're making a big one about some twisted girl who becomes a super hero."
"Really?" I asked in surprise, then snorted. "I bet that will go over well with the religious crowd."
"Yeah," Jeke nodded. "There's already a bit of controversy and all, and they haven't even started filming yet. It should be fun to watch though, especially if they get some real twisted chick to star in it. I mean, think how easier it will be to do the special effects if they've actually got a real twisted using her trick..."
"That could be pretty wicked," I agreed. "I just hope it's better than that disaster movie about the Antarctic Flu coming back that came out last year. I mean, it breaks out and suddenly there's a bunch more twisted around trying to take over the world... Get real..."
"I know," Jeke laughed. "But it was kind of funny. I mean, they had that once character whose trick was to make other people do the chicken dance..."
I groaned at that, "It's things like that which keep giving us twisted a bad name."
"And here I thought it was the nut cases who kept trying to say you weren't human anymore," Jeke grinned. "And you remember that senator that kept saying the twisted are really being possessed by some aliens from another dimension..."
"How could I forget." I rolled my eyes. "My dad got so mad at that he threw a lamp at our TV and broke it."
Jeke and I continued talking through the rest of lunch, but I couldn't help thinking about the question he had asked me. Did I like guys now? Sure, I loved getting their attention and having them look at me, but I liked having girls admire me too so that didn't necessarily mean a thing. The scary part was...I honestly didn't know anymore. It's a frightening thing when you don't know yourself and probably the worst thing about being twisted.
When Jeke and I went our separate ways, I walked down the hall to my next class enjoying the attention I received but constantly asking myself, "Is he cute? Is she?" This question of my sexuality was one that I wanted answered as soon as possible, though it was a little more difficult to figure out than I would have guessed.
I was relieved once I got to history class and the teacher started the lecture. We were still learning about the early days of the twisted and what it meant for the world at large, which I found completely fascinating. I was so caught up in the class that I even forgot about my earlier concerns, breaking my concentration from the lecture only long enough to pose a little and enjoy the admiring looks that a few boys were giving me.
After class was over, I wandered into the hallway, still thinking about the lecture and the early twisted. I couldn't help but shuddering as I thought about how hard things were for the first ones, about the persecution, the outright attacks and violence. Mom and dad had both talked about it a little, but neither of them really liked to think back on those old days. It just made me more thankful than ever that I lived in Spiral where that kind of thing wasn't really a problem, even if it still was to some degree in the outside world.
I was so caught up in my thoughts that I almost didn't notice someone standing by my side. When I did, I was surprised to see Janine Taylor standing there, trying to get my attention. Janine was a pretty hot looking brunette, but she was also a notorious lesbian who hit on just about every attractive girl in school. I'd never really talked to her before since she avoided guys whenever possible, but I was obviously no longer a guy.
"Um...Janine," I blinked, realizing that I should have been expecting this. Since I had turned into a hot looking girl, Janine was bound to come and try hitting on me sooner or later.
"Hey," Janine nearly purred as she came up close to me, looking me over with a very admiring expression. "Damn, you look good..."
"Thanks," I responded, not sure how to react to Janine but still feeling pleased by the compliment. I felt a little more confident as I asked, "What's up?"
"I heard about your twist," she told me, backing up a little and looking just a little embarrassed. "I've seen you around a few times and thought that you look completely hot and sexy."
I just smiled at that, feeling pleased in spite of myself. I knew that I shouldn't let myself get flattered so easily, but I just couldn't help it. The new attention seeker part of me just loved the compliments and hungered for more.
"I was wondering," Janine said hesitantly, "if your twist changed your perspective." She paused to look me over and sighed, "With the way you're dressed, I'd kind of guess so."
"Yeah," I admitted. "My perspective got twisted a bit." It wasn't like I could deny it with the way I was dressing and showing off every chance I got.
Janine nodded, then gave a weak smile before hesitantly asking, "I was wondering if you still liked girls." There was a hopeful look on her face that surprised me a little. She was acting a bit shy and nervous about this, not as forceful or aggressive about her flirting as she normally was when I saw her.
"I...I don't know," I admitted, feeling extremely embarrassed about the question when it came from her. It was one thing when my best friend asked me, but I barely even knew Janine and I knew that she had a very personal reason for asking. Of course I could have lied, but after growing up with my dad around I wasn't very good at it.
"You don't know?" Janine blinked in surprise. "How could you not know something like that?"
"Because I just changed," I answered defensively, "and I've been too busy dealing with everything else to even think about it."
"Sorry," Janine apologized. "It's just surprising..." Then she paused for a moment, biting her lip before suddenly grinning, "Maybe this will help you figure it out..."
Before I realized it, Janine threw herself against me and planted her lips right into mine in a kiss. I was stunned as she kissed me, and also delighted. It felt good... It felt really good. I'd only kissed a girl once before, and I hadn't gotten this kind of spark shooting through my body. My nipples began to harden and I thought that I might even be getting a little wet further down.
"Wow," Janine giggled when she pulled away. "From the look on your face, I guess you have your answer." She looked quite pleased with herself, even smug as she stepped away from me. Then with a wink, she turned and started off down the hall, cheerfully calling back, "I'll see you later..."
I just remained where I was for a few more seconds before finally whispering, "Wow..." I could hardly believe that I'd just had a hot looking girl come up to me in the hallway and give me a kiss like that. That kind of thing had NEVER happened to me back when I'd still been a guy. And I was even feeling all turned on by it. "Wow..."
Then I grinned, still feeling a bit stunned by my encounter with Janine, but relieved as well. This meant that I finally had my answer. I did still like girls. I was especially relieved since I didn't know if I could handle any more changes to my mind and behavior, especially not with something as fundamental to my self-identity as that.
"It looks like there's going to be a lot of disappointed guys around here," I giggled, looking around at several boys who'd actually seen the kiss and were still staring at me. "I just hope this doesn't chase them away..."
After a moment I gathered my wits and continued on to my next class with a broad grin on my face and a sexy strut in my step. Somehow, I felt even sexier and more attractive than before as I walked down the hall, thinking about Janine and looking forward to seeing her again.
After school was over and I made my way home, I couldn't help feeling both giddy and tired at the same time. It was a strange combination of emotions, but that seemed to have become my trademark since my twist.
My mind was still wandering over Janine's kiss, but at the same time, I was a little drained from a talk I'd just had with Jeke. He'd heard about me and Janine kissing and had confronted me with that, demanding to know if the rumors were true and we were dating now. I didn't really know how to respond to that, especially when I saw the look of jealousy in my friend's eyes. I hadn't realized until just then that Jeke had been secretly hoping that the two of us might start dating.
"What am I gonna do about Jeke?" I asked myself with a sigh.
He was my best friend but things had just gotten so complicated. Of course, I should have realized that Jeke thought I was totally hot, especially since every other guy did. I just hadn't thought that he'd ever think of me as possible girlfriend material. I mean, we were best friends...almost like brothers at times. Then I sighed, remembering the look of disappointment in his eyes once I'd confirmed that I did indeed still like girls.
"I hope he gets over it," I muttered.
When I reached home a few minutes later, I immediately started for my room but my mom stopped me with a suspicious look, "What are you up to?"
I was about to tell her that I was just going to play some video games, but instead I found myself saying, "I'm just going to do my homework then read a book I checked out from the school library." I winced at the effect of my dad's trick.
My mom just stood there with her mouth open, giving me a look of stunned confusion. Dad stood there with a similar look, obviously wondering if his trick was still working on me. I took advantage of their surprise to hurry past them to my room.
"Dad and his stupid trick," I grimaced, knowing that I'd been embarrassed or in trouble because of it more times than I could count.
I sighed as I began taking out my homework and setting it down on my bed, along with the book that I'd told mom about. It was all about the twisted, specifically, about the various physical and mental changes we can go through during our twist and the kinds of tricks that we can develop as well. Considering what I was going through, my interest in the subject had greatly increased as of late.
"Maybe I can learn a thing or two," I mused, though I suspected that I was already very familiar with most of the things in the book. However, it had been written by some guy who was twisted himself so it probably wouldn't have the 'twisted are sick individuals' tone that a lot of books written by normals did, and he'd been through it himself so knew what he was talking about.
I got comfortable on my bed and began to scan through the first pages of the book, finding it fairly dry but still interesting anyway. I was just starting on the second chapter when I heard Kim talking outside my room. Out of curiosity, I put the book down and went to go check it out.
"I'm going to the mall," Kim was telling mom as she walked to the door.
"Can I go with you?" I asked hopefully.
Kim gave me a look of annoyance and asked, "Why?"
I knew that she meant, 'why should I take you?' but instead I told her, "I was thinking of going to get my ears pierced." I figured that this would go over with her a little better than saying I just wanted to show off and get a little attention. Of course, as soon as I said it I realized that getting my ears pierced was a good idea. I'd be able to wear earrings and look even better.
"Whatever," Kim rolled her eyes, looking a little interested in spite of herself. "Come on..."
As soon as we arrived at the mall, Kim immediately rushed off, completely ignoring me and leaving me to my own devices. She hadn't even said anything about what time we were to meet up again in order to go home, leaving me with the fear that if I didn't get back to her in time I might be left to walk home. Then again, I could only imagine how much trouble she'd be in if dad used his trick when asking her why she didn't bring me back. Still, I didn't want to push it and made a mental note to find her in time.
"Let's see," I mused as I looked around, noticing several guys already looking at me with appreciative expressions. I smiled at that and walked past them, savoring every bit of that attention.
I didn't have any specific plans for in the mall so just walked until I noticed a lingerie store. I felt a surge of excitement and went inside, thinking of those sexy lace things I'd talked mom into getting me a couple days ago and knowing that I wanted more. However, after a little window shopping I was disappointed to note that a lot of the things I really wanted were a little out of my price range.
"Damn," I cursed to myself, knowing that I was going to have to get a job if I wanted to buy the things that I liked now. It was a hell of a lot cheaper being a guy.
After careful consideration though, I decided that I could afford several pairs of lacy black panties, even if the matching bras would be a little much at the moment. I felt an odd mixture of pride and nervousness as I went up to the counter with them, more than half sure they would call me some kind of pervert or something. However, the lady at the counter only complimented my hair and 'exotic' eyes, not saying any of the things I'd feared.
"I just hope I don't feel that nervous every time I have to buy girl things now," I muttered as I left, trying to reassure myself that I was a girl now and had every right to go into that kind of place. However, a large part of me was still the same boy I'd always been and felt out of place.
A few minutes later I wandered towards the shoe store, not planning to buy anything even if I could afford it, but just wanting to look. Since I was a girl and doing the whole shopping thing, it seemed like the logical next step. Besides, I wanted to try out a pair of those stiletto heeled boots that I hadn't been able to try on in front of my mom.
Just as I was about to go into the shoe store, I suddenly noticed Janine coming out of the store beside it at the same time. I was a little startled to see her in the mall after what had happened at school today and didn't know what to do. I didn't know if I should go over and say hi or pretend that I hadn't seen her. The choice was taken away from me as Janine saw me just a few seconds after I'd spotted her.
"Blake," Janine said as she walked over to me, looking a bit nervous. "I'm sorry if I came on too strong earlier..." She looked down at the ground, blushing brightly, "Sometimes I just can't help myself."
"Um...it's okay," I responded just as nervously, not sure what to say now.
"I didn't mean to embers you or anything," she quickly added. "It's just that I sometimes act before I think when it comes to girls I like."
"Oh," I blushed, feeling excited that she liked me. I'd never really had a girl say she liked me like that before, especially not one as pretty as she was. "But you don't really know me," I protested weakly.
Janine frowned, "But we've gone to school together for years..."
"You never even talked to me before this," I said, gesturing down at myself, wondering why I was making such a big deal of this.
"I'm a little uncomfortable around guys," Janine admitted with a sigh, then quietly added, "It's part of my twist."
"Twist?" I blinked in surprise. "I didn't know you were twisted..."
Janine gave me a self-conscious smile, then hesitantly told me, "I didn't always like girls. I used to be straight."
"Really?" I asked.
"Yeah," Janine sighed, looking as though she was unsure of whether to tell me more or not. She finally continued, "About two years ago, my best friend and I were talking about guys we liked and what it would be like to kiss them. One thing lead to another and we decided to practice our kissing skills on each other so we'd be ready when we finally had a chance to do it for real. That was when my twist kicked in and the next thing I know I'm trying to tear her clothes off..." Then Janine sighed with a sad look, "She never even talked to me again after that."
I winced, "Harsh."
"Just part of being twisted," Janine sighed, then gave me an odd look, "You know how it is."
"Yeah," I admitted, looking down at myself and sighing as well. "It's taking a bit to get used to."
Janine nodded knowingly, "I'm sorry for coming at you so fast... I know you just changed so you don't need me throwing myself at you like that..."
We both just stood there feeling embarrassed for a minute before I hesitantly asked, "What else did your twist do to you?"
"Just a few mental changes," she shrugged. "I like girls now instead of guys, I'm impulsive when I'm attracted to someone, and I'm uncomfortable around guys. That's pretty much it. In fact, I've been like this for so long now that I can't really remember what I was like before my twist. This is just...me."
"So your twist didn't make you that beautiful," I said, then immediately bit my tongue in embarrassment. I hadn't really meant to say that aloud, but this time I couldn't blame my dad for it.
Janine's eyes widened in delight, "You think I'm beautiful."
"Of course," I mumbled, "just about every guy in school does..."
"But I don't want every guy in school," Janine exclaimed, suddenly throwing her arms around me and giving me another kiss, "I want you."
"Wow," I gulped, definitely liking that kiss even it wasn't as strong as the one at school.
"I'm so sorry," she gasped as she stepped back, "I did it again..."
"I didn't exactly mind," I gave her a weak smile.
Janine nodded but looked embarrassed, "But I'm coming at you too fast, aren't I?" She took a deep breath, then asked, "Do you think that maybe we could try... I mean, do you think that maybe we could try to be friends, get to know each other better and see if it goes anywhere?" She gave me a hopeful look.
I just stared at Janine for a moment, thinking about how beautiful she was and how great that kiss had felt. I didn't really know her very well, but from what I'd seen at school she'd always seemed like a nice person. She just had a few personality quirks, and Heaven knows my twist had given me some as well.
"That sounds good," I said after a moment, giving her a nervous smile.
Janine grinned and quickly gave me a kiss on my cheek this time. I was a little disappointed that it hadn't been a bit more, and I think she realized that because she grinned wider. It looked like her plan to take things a lot slower might not be all that easy on me, which just might be her plan.
"So what are you doing here at the mall?" Janine abruptly asked.
"Just picking up a few things," I said as I held up my bag, hoping she didn't ask what I'd bought. Then I realized that it had the store name right on the front so she probably didn't have to ask. I quickly added, "And I was going to go get my ears pierced."
"Really?" Her eyes lit up. "I think some earrings would go great with that necklace you're wearing."
"You think so?" I asked a little hesitantly.
Janine nodded, "Oh yeah... A few extra sparklies can always make a girl look a little more attractive."
It was as though Janine really knew me well because she had just pushed my magic button. In an instant, I was even more interested in getting my ears pierced and finding some nice earrings. It was beginning to seem like more and more of a good idea with every minute.
"I'll come with you," she told me with a grin.
With that we turned away from the shoe store and went for a new destination, a body modification shop on the other side of the mall that did tattoos and piercings as well as sold the jewelry for the latter. When I stepped inside, I wasn't surprised to see Kim standing there, though I was a little startled to notice that she was talking to Shiv Martin.
"Hey," Shiv called out when she noticed me come in. Then she noticed Janine beside me and looked a little startled, perhaps guessing from Janine's presence that we were an item or something. Then again, that might not have been too far off the mark.
"Hey," I called back, glancing at Kim who was silent but giving me a curious look.
"You in here for a tat or something?" Shiv asked with an almost eager expression.
"Just to get my ears pierced." I glanced at Kim again, then to the woman who seemed to be the person who took care of that.
"Cool," Shiv nodded. "I'm here learning how to do tattoos." Then she gestured to my sister, "This is Kim..."
"I know," I responded as deadpan as I could, "she's my sister."
"What?" Shiv gasped in surprise while Kim snorted, "Not by choice."
"She's your sister?" Janine asked beside me. "I think I've seen her around school."
"Yeah," I told Janine, "She used to be pretty decent until she twisted into a bitch."
"Whatever," Kim rolled her eyes, "You gonna get your ears pierced or what?"
I looked at the woman who ran the shop and she grinned, "Don't worry... Kim is the best employee I've ever had for this kind of thing."
"Employee?" I blinked in surprise, looking at Kim who actually seemed a bit embarrassed.
"It's part time," she snapped defensively. "And if you tell mom and dad I'll kill you."
I just nodded at that, grinning slightly as I realized that this could be great blackmail material later. "How did you keep something like this from dad?"
"He never asked," Kim responded with a shrug, gesturing for me to sit down in a chair. "This will only take a moment."
I sat down and braced myself for the pain as Kim pinched my ear between her fingers and then brought a little piercing gun to it. I felt the punch as the little gun punched a small hole through my ear lobe, but to my surprise, it didn't hurt in the least. I didn't even feel the a slight sting.
"I thought that was supposed to hurt," I blinked in surprise.
"That's my trick," Kim smirked at me, looking quite pleased with herself. "I can get rid of pain when I want to."
"Wow," I responded. "I didn't know you could do that."
Kim just continued smirking, looking as though she were actually in a good mood. "I can always not do it for your other ear so you can see the difference..."
"No thanks," I quickly told her, "I think I prefer the no pain thing."
"I thought you might," Kim grinned. "Little wimp."
I thought that she might very go ahead and make me feel the pain just to spite me, so I held my fingers up and let sparks shoot between them. "I feel pain," I grinned at her, "you feel pain..."
Kim didn't seem bothered by the threat as she finished piercing my other ear as well. Once she was done with that, she said, "While you're here, you might as well go for a little more than just this... I mean, one hole in each ear is so...boring."
"How about a navel ring," Janine suggested, winking at me as she added, "They're so sexy."
My eyes lit up at that and I had to admit that navel rings did look pretty sexy, though I'd never thought of getting one until right then. Of course I loved the idea of looking even sexier, and with Kim's trick I wouldn't even have to worry about the pain.
Kim suddenly burst out laughing and told Janine, "I think you just pushed her buttons..."
"What do you mean?" Janine asked blankly.
"My dear little sis here," Kim put a hand on my shoulder, "got some kind of compulsion or something in her twist to always look as sexy as she could."
"Really?" Janine asked, looking even more interested.
Shiv just grinned, looking down at the tattoos on her arms and saying, "I can understand that."
"And to think," Kim teased, "she used to be a boy..."
"Just shut up and give me the navel piercing," I snapped in annoyance, bringing an even bigger grin to Kim's face.
Kim went to work on my navel, neutralizing the pain and then punching my skin with that little gun before inserting a gold ring. I looked down, thankful that I didn't have to feel the pain from that and admiring just how good it looked. I couldn't resist smiling at the sight before I lowered my shirt, regretting that I wasn't wearing a halter top or something that would show it off.
"Very sexy," Janine told me with a grin, obviously pleased to know about my craving for attention and just how easily it was to use it.
"How about a few more?" Kim asked, looking as though she was really getting into this. She gestured to my chest, "A couple rings there..."
"No," I told her, "I think I've got enough for now..."
"But it'll look really sexy," Kim teased me, trying to urge me into it.
"No," I told her, thankful that my little quirk wasn't so overwhelming that I'd agree to anything someone suggested as long as they said it would be sexy. That would really suck. "I'm done for now."
"Okay," Kim said, suddenly turning almost professional. "I put fairly plain studs in your ears for now. Once the holes heal up enough you'll be able to take them out or replace them with something a little fancier. The same thing goes for your navel piercing, though you'll want to use this cream to keep it from getting infected at first." Then she grinned and added, "Oh yeah, my trick wears off after a couple hours so you can expect to feel it tonight..."
"Great." I gave her a forced smile. "It would have been nice if you'd told me that before I got this last piercing..."
"But where's the fun in that?" Kim asked me.
"How about a tattoo while you're here?" Shiv asked almost hopefully.
"Let me guess," I asked her. "You have some trick where you can give people tattoos just by touching them."
"I wish," Shiv sighed. "As far as I know, I don't even have a trick. And since I'm under eighteen, I'm not even legally allowed to give regular tattoos to people yet."
I just nodded at that, then told her, "No thanks. I don't think I want a tattoo right now." Kim glanced to the clock on the wall then told me, "I'll only be here for another half hour or so before going home."
"Okay," I told her, "I'll be back here before then."
I turned around to leave, but Kim said, "Forgetting something?" She gestured to the cash register, reminding me that I still had to pay.
"I almost forgot," I blushed, taking out my money to pay.
The piercings and rings cost me just about all of the allowance money I had left, but I left the shop thinking that it was probably well worth it. I hadn't had any compliments on my new adornments yet, but I did feel a bit sexier.
"So that was your sister," Janine said after we'd left, "It was kind of funny that she and Shiv are friends, and Shiv didn't even know."
I just nodded at that, a little startled by the fact that Shiv and Kim were hanging out together, though I knew I shouldn't be. After all, they both went to the same school and had been twisted in very similar ways. Kim came out of her twist with a love of piercings while Shiv had one for tattoos. Since they were both into body modification like that, it only made sense that they'd hang out in some of the same places.
"Well," Janine told me, "you've got half an hour left here and I don't have any time limits, so what do you want to do?"
I knew what I really wanted to do, but it wasn't as though the two of us could do it in such a public place. The really scary thing was that I knew Janine would be more than eager to have a little hanky panky, so I was the one who thought that would be going a bit far at the moment.
"How about we just look around," I suggested, knowing that there were a number of stores I could go into now but that I never would have dared to before.
Janine and I spent the next half hour wandering from store to store and talking with each other. I got to know her quite a bit better in that short time and was really enjoying her company. I was quickly becoming convinced that as well as being a hot looking girl, she was really a nice person to be around as well.
When it was time for me to go, Janine and I said good-bye with a quick kiss. It wasn't long and passionate or anything since we were trying to take things slowly, but it spend sparks to all the right parts of my body. There was no longer any doubt in my mind that it was going to be difficult to keep taking this relationship slow and easy.
Kim watched our good-bye with a bit of a smirk, so I glared at her, "If you tell mom and dad about Janine, I'll tell them about your part time job."
"Deal," Kim grinned, pleased that she now had a little leverage on me as well.
I woke up feeling sore in all the places I'd been pierced yesterday, especially my navel. I could easily have gone to Kim and asked her to do that pain removal trick again, but I didn't want to give her the satisfaction. I grimaced, deciding that I'd just deal with it normally, the same way everyone who didn't have a sister who could remove pain had to do.
With a sigh, I made my way to the bathroom and used the spray anesthetic on my stomach. There was a cool sensation just before the pain faded away. It didn't go away entirely, not the way that Kim's trick would make it do, but it served it's purpose for the moment and I knew that it wouldn't take long before it wouldn't feel sore or tender at all.
After I was done with my morning shower, I just stood and stared at my reflection in the mirror for some time. I was definitely becoming quite a narcissist, though I told myself that it wasn't my fault. It was part of my twist. I eventually shook myself away from this to get dressed and practice putting on makeup, which involved a lot more sitting in front of the mirror.
Eventually, I moved onto other things, such as sitting on my bed and reading through my book on the twisted. I'd barely had a chance to start in it though when mom came into my room and gave me an odd look, especially staring hard at the book in my hands. However, she quickly smiled and said, "I think it's time you and I had a talk honey."
"About what?" I asked, setting the book down and looking more closely at mom.
Mom hesitated a moment before responding, "About the birds and the bees..."
I nearly choked at that, then quickly told her, "We already had sex ed class in school. I know about my new body..."
"But not from your new perspective," she pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "And perhaps even more importantly for the moment, I think there are some things you really need to learn about hygiene."
"Hygiene?" I blinked in surprise, then paled when I suddenly realized what she meant.
"I never expected to be having this talk with you," mom admitted, looking a little uncomfortable as well. "I thought that once I'd had it with Kim that was all I had to worry about. But things change." She shrugged, then sat down beside me, "I don't know when you'll start your period...or if you'll even have one for sure, but there are some things you'll really need to know ahead of time..."
The next hour was one of the longest in my entire life, worse even than the time dad had given me the birds and bees talk. I couldn't wait for it to be over, yet at the same time, I was well aware that this was important information I would probably need so I couldn't help but pay very close attention to every word mom said. But once she was finally done and left, I let out a sigh of relief.
I shook my head and picked up my book again, muttering, "Maybe next time I should pick up one on human biology." It wouldn't hurt to have some kind of owners manual for my new body.
Just as I was beginning to get back into the book, mom stuck her head back into my room and reminded me, "Don't forget you have your doctor appointments today. And dress nicely..." She paused then, realizing just how silly it was telling me to dress nice.
I read through a few chapters of the book before deciding that I might as well get ready for my appointment. Then I grinned, suddenly deciding that it might be fun to follow mom's suggestion about dressing nice, or at least nicer than I had been for school. I nearly drooled at the prospect of going all out and making dad's jaw drop in horror.
With that goal in mind I went to work. I brushed my hair out until it was silky smooth and got dressed in my sexiest clothes, which consisted of a short skirt, pantyhose and a halter top shirt that would show off my new navel jewelry and a glimpse of cleavage. To top it off, I put on my stiletto heeled shoes, having practiced walking in them enough that I now felt confident in going out in public. In fact, I was pretty excited about the idea of finally being able to wear them in front of other people.
I admired myself in the mirror, something I was doing quite frequently of late, especially just how great the stiletto heels made my legs look. They did wonders for my legs and ass, neither of which really needed it. I was feeling extremely confident of my ability to draw male attention at the moment. After all, I used to be a guy just a few days ago and knew very well that I'd be drooling at the babe in the mirror.
Of course, I realized that there were a few more touches that I had to take care of. I had been practicing quite a bit with my makeup but I considered this my first test of the real thing. I was very careful about putting it on, feeling a tingle of excitement as I finished it off with the crimson lipstick and a fresh coat of crimson nail polish.
"Very sexy," I smirked as I looked at my nails and admired my reflection yet again. "Now there's only one thing missing." And with that, I added the gold pendant necklace that mom had bought for me. It was the perfect final touch.
Once I was finished, I braced myself for a confrontation with my parents, then went out to see them. The reactions I got were close to what I expected, with dad staring at me in shock, on the verge of forbidding me to even leave the house. At the same time mom beamed with a look of pride. Since I hadn't told mom and dad about my navel piercing, they got to see that for the first time as well. I knew that they couldn't really say anything about it since Kim had something like a dozen more piercings than I did, but I wasn't quite expecting the reaction I did get.
"That's great," mom exclaimed in delight. "It looks fantastic on you. I remember that navel rings were real popular when I was growing up too. I guess it's one of those fads that comes back every decade or two."
"Fads do that," dad said, still eyeing me warily and saying, "I'm not sure I like the idea of my son going out in public like that."
"Daughter," mom corrected him absently, then continued, "You remember those Rubik's Mobius Rings that used to be huge? I spent hours on mine and could never solve it."
"Me too," dad admitted. "I finally got so frustrated that I tore mine apart then reassembled it with all the pieces in the right places. None of my friends had been able to solve theirs so they were all jealous when they thought I had."
"Isn't that cheating?" mom asked in surprise.
"Yeah," dad agreed with a grin. "But it was also before my twist so I didn't have to tell them that."
I let out a sigh of relief, thankful that dad had been distracted from the subject of my clothes. Of course, I had a feeling that mom had done that intentionally since she knew how dad could get.
"Well, let's get going," dad said after a few minutes, finally remembering that we needed to get to my appointment.
"I'll go ahead and take her," mom told him with a smile, pulling out her car keys.
"I thought you were going to the gym," dad responded.
"I already went for an eight mile run first things this morning," mom mused thoughtfully. "I can hold off on hitting the gym until later this afternoon."
"Okay," dad threw up his hands in defeat, "I understand. You want some mother daughter bonding time..."
Mom rolled her eyes but didn't say anything since she was well used to dad's quirks. He couldn't exactly help the fact that he'd blurt out whatever he was thinking most of the time, though it could get a little annoying and offend people who didn't know him.
A short time later mom and I arrived at the Spiral Clinic, a special medical center dedicated exclusively to the twisted and the unique problems we dealt with. I had an appointment for the clinic itself, but knew that in practical terms I would be seeing several different specialists.
First I was taken into an examination room with Dr. Franklin, a middle aged woman with green eyes...solid green and glowing. She looked me over, then pulled a folder that contained pictures and medical information on the old me. I'd come into the clinic for an examination once a year since I'd turned twelve, just like a lot of other kids who had twisted parents. The reason was so that they would have something to compare us to after we'd twisted ourselves.
"I see that you were a boy before," Dr. Franklin said as she looked through my record, not seeming surprised or bothered by this in the least.
"Yeah," I responded just a little self-consciously.
Dr. Franklin looked at me again and smiled faintly, "From the way you're dressed, I'm assuming that you've had a few personality alterations."
I just nodded at that, "Yeah..."
Dr. Franklin nodded slightly. "I'll be focusing more on your physical changes than your mental ones."
Then she began to ask me a few questions, simple at first and then more personal. She even asked me if I'd had sex with a boy since my transformation, a question which really surprised me. After this she started the actual physical, testing my blood pressure, heart rate and a number of other things. Finally, she asked me to undress.
I hesitated, feeling a little embarrassed about getting naked in front of a stranger, then I reminded myself that she was a doctor, took a deep breath and removed my clothes. Once I was standing there naked, I expected to feel completely embarrassed and self-conscious, but to my surprise...I didn't. I knew that I SHOULD feel that way, but I didn't...not really. I didn't feel any shame or embarrassment about being naked at all. Surprisingly, all my discomfort came more from the knowledge that I should feel these things, that I was expecting to and didn't.
"Are you all right? Dr. Franklin asked me with a look of concern.
"Yeah," I told her. "What now?"
Dr. Franklin had me climb onto an examination table which looked a lot like a tanning bed. Once I was laying down, she lowered the top over me and asked me to remain still while it hummed and bathed me in purple light. About five minutes later, she said that it was fine for me to get out and get dressed again.
"Trust me," Dr. Franklin told me, "this is much preferable to the old gynecological exams that we used to perform."
"I'll take your word for that," I sighed as I began to put my clothes back on, wishing for the first time that I'd just dressed in something simple like a jogging suit.
While I was getting dressed, Dr. Franklin sat behind a computer monitor, staring at it intently, pushing buttons and making thoughtful noises. Then she did something and a holographic image of me naked appeared in the air in front of us.
"You appear to be in great health. And physically, you are indeed fully female now," Dr. Franklin said professionally, "This goes all the way down to your DNA and a pair of X chromosomes. You have a uterus and ovaries, which appear to be fully functionally and in good health."
"Oh," I responded numbly as Dr. Franklin did something to the hologram so that everything vanished except the organs she was talking about and they increased in size.
"I believe that you can expect your first period within a month," Dr. Franklin told me thoughtful, "and that you are fully capable of becoming pregnant and having a child."
"Oh," I gulped, not really having thought much about that aspect of my new biology, or at least not thinking about it seriously. Suddenly, mom's little lecture this morning seemed a whole lot more relevant.
Dr. Franklin continued changing the holographic image as she talked about my body and how I seemed to be a perfect normal human female, with only a few exceptions. These, she pointed out, were probably tied to my trick.
"You have a much higher than normal metabolic rate," Dr. Franklin told me, "which should explain your increased appetite. It doesn't seem to be at all harmful to your physiology and is probably beneficial, perhaps providing the energy to this trick you told me about. I'm not an expert on tricks however, so I can't be certain. One positive about your metabolism," she chuckled, "it should also make it very easy for you stay thin, no matter how much you eat."
"Thank God," I sighed in relief, having been a bit afraid that my bigger appetite would lead to me ruining this sexy body. I was glad that I wouldn't have to worry about that.
After I'd been given a clean bill of physical health by Dr. Franklin, I was sent to another room with Dr. Pierce, a fairly attractive black woman in her mid to late thirties. She looked pretty normal so unlike Dr. Franklin, I couldn't tell if she was twisted or not. About the only thing I knew about her was that she was a specialist in psychology or something, specifically on the kinds of mental changes that a lot of twisted go through.
"I have some questions I'd like you to answer to start with," Dr. Pierce told me, having me sit down at a computer monitor. "It will ask you a number of questions and I want you to answer them honestly."
"Oh joy," I sighed, knowing that this was basically a personality test. I'd taken the same test every year when I took my physical. This way, she'd be able to take the results of my last test and compare them with this one to see how much I might have changed.
There were two hundred questions in the test, some of which seemed pretty redundant while others were just downright weird. However, I knew that there was probably a specific reason for every question, so I did my best to just get through them. I finished up a bit faster than Dr. Pierce had expected, then sat back while she looked through the results.
"So," Dr. Pierce asked me, her eyes scanning my clothes, "have you noticed any changes to your mental state or behavior since your twist?"
I had to keep from rolling my eyes at her question since the answer was pretty obvious. Instead, I took a deep breath and told her, "Definitely. I've become extremely interested in looking good and getting attention. I pay attention more in class now and I like reading when I didn't before. I even read really fast now and remember things a lot better. I think I might have gotten smarter or something." Then almost as an afterthought, I added, "Oh...and I don't think I get embarrassed about other people seeing me naked now. I'm not really sure though."
Dr. Pierce nodded, looking pleased that I'd been so honest with her to start with. Apparently a lot of people denied that they'd changed mentally or gained compulsions out of embarrassment. And some people didn't even notice that they've changed. Still, she asked me a lot of questions, being polite and interested, acting almost like a good friend to make me more comfortable talking to her. A lot of her questions dealt with how I felt about my changes and how other people were treating me because of them. A lot of her questions were also a bit personal, but I did my best to answer them honestly.
After about an hour of talking and asking questions, Dr. Pierce finally told me, "You probably haven't gotten any smarter, though I can't be positive without further testing. Much more likely, it's just because you're more interested in learning new things. When you're interested in something, you're much more likely to learn and remember. Your records say that you were bright before but that you just didn't apply yourself much. Now you are. I think that is the difference."
"Oh," I responded, not really sure what to think about that.
A moment later, she continued, "You seem to be adjusting to your situation quite well. In fact, you seem to be adjusting faster than most. A lot of twisted who go through mental changes fight them and suffer a lot of stressful internal conflict."
"My whole family's twisted," I told her self-consciously.
Dr. Pierce nodded, "I see that your mother went through both mental and physical changes during her twist, your father gained a compulsion and your sister underwent mental changes as well. I can see why growing up in that environment might make it easier for you."
I was a little uncomfortable talking about all this mental stuff so was eager to be done with it. Fortunately, Dr. Pierce decided that I wasn't a threat to myself or others and I was able to leave her office and go see the next specialist I was scheduled to talk with. This was the one that I was actually looking forward to.
Dr. Rothschild was an odd little man, standing barely 5 feet tall but projecting a presence as though he were much larger. His features were Asian and he looked like he was in his twenties or maybe early thirties, but his hair and eyebrows were all pure white. Add to this the fact that he had pointed ears and it created a sense that he might have come from Middle Earth or some other mythical place. He was also an expert in the tricks that many twisted could perform.
"I understand that you have a trick to show me," Dr. Rothschild greeted me with a pleasant smile and a gleam in his eye that somehow gave me the feeling he was amused by some joke that only he understood.
"Yeah," I responded a little nervously. I took a deep breath and forced the pressure to build within me, then held up my hand so he could see a few sparks fly between my fingers. "I think it's like some taser, but I've only used it on one person." Then I quickly rushed to add, "I didn't even know I could do it."
"Interesting," Dr. Rothschild said. "Tell me a little more about the effects of what happened, and how it feels when you use that ability."
I told him about the incident with Devon, though I left out the details of the conflict and what led up to it. Then I told him about the pressure I felt when I used my trick and answered his next dozen or so questions as well. He listened carefully, nodding occasionally and seeming extremely interested in every detail about my trick.
"Now," Dr. Rothschild told me after a while, "I think we need to take a closer look at this. I need to examine you a little, then I'll need you to perform a few exercises..."
With that, he had me lay down on a table that was very much like the examination table Dr. Franklin had used on me, though this time I didn't need to get undressed. He scanned me with that, then attached several small scanners to my skin and had me perform a variety of exercises with my trick, such as just building the pressure, letting the sparks fly between my fingers and even touching and zapping a dummy. He seemed quite interested and even a little excited, which left me wondering if that was a good sign of bad.
"Let's see," I said, taking a deep breath and pouching the dummy again, releasing my taser zap into it for the fifth time. Dr. Rothschild kept having me repeat that particular exercise with my trick, then examining the results on his computer.
"Are you feeling at all tired?" he asked me, scratching at his white hair.
I shook my head, "Not really. No."
Once Dr. Rothschild finished having me go through all his tests, he sat back and looked at the results, looking rather pleased. He grinned and told me a few jokes while he worked, then he paused to stare at them in silence for a minute.
Finally, he told me, "Your trick is indeed very much like a taser, but kept at just the right frequency and power level to stun a person but not actually harm them. It is the perfect self-defense mechanism considering the other aspects of your twist." He looked me over and teased, "Sometimes the extra attention you seek to draw might be a little too...aggressive."
"I've noticed," I responded with a sigh, thinking again of Devon and knowing that there were other guys out there that might not like the fact that I was nothing more than a tease.
Dr. Rothschild nodded, "Your metabolism and increased appetite are more a side effect of your trick than powering it as was previously suggested. If you were to go without using your trick for a week or two, I believe your metabolic rate would slow down to a more normal level, at least until you used it again. However, I don't think that your current metabolism is harmful to your body in the least, so you don't need to worry about that."
"That's good to know," I smiled weakly. "But Dr. Franklin said that said that eating a lot was what powered my taser."
"No," Dr. Rothschild frowned slightly. "Though it is easy to see why she might conclude that since it would make more sense as far as ordinary physics go. However, this isn't quite normal physics. You draw all the energy you need for your trick from the Darrington Field...the quantum energy field that every twisted is linked to. That is why you don't get weak or tired from using it multiple times."
"Okay," I responded, not knowing much about twisted physics or the Darrington Field but feeling quite interested anyway.
I was expecting Dr. Rothschild to continue about the Darrington Field and how the different physics affected me directly, but instead he said, "As you probably know, over eighty percent of twisted have some form of trick, even if it is so subtle that they might not think of it as such. Between twenty and thirty percent have more than one trick. I myself have two..."
"Really?" I asked, "What tricks can you do?"
Dr. Rothschild suddenly grinned, "For one, I can transfer my mass into the Darrington Field." With that, he suddenly began to shrink, even his clothes, until he was only six inches tall. He looked tiny, like some sort of doll. A moment later, he grew back to his normal height, which was still much shorter than average. "It's a small trick," he winked at me.
"That's cool," I exclaimed. "I bet you can get into all sorts of places."
"It does have its uses," he admitted with a sly grin, not going any further. Then he quickly added, "My second trick is merely the ability to sense when someone nearby is tapping into the Darrington Field. That has its uses as well, such as telling me when someone is about to undergo a twist or when they are using a trick."
I knew that Dr. Rothschild's second trick might not sound impressive, but it could certainly be useful. It was like a radar that could tell him if people were twisted, or warn him if someone was going to use a trick on him. I couldn't help wondering if that particular trick might have something to do with why he became a specialist in twisted physics and tricks.
"To get back on subject," Dr. Rothschild told me with a slight chuckle, "the reason I am telling you this is that after these tests, I believe that it is quite likely you possess more than one trick."
"I might have a second trick?" I blinked in surprise and a bit of excitement.
"I can't be certain," he cautioned me, "but it is a possibility I want you to be aware of. I want you to be careful and pay attention so you don't accidentally harm yourself or others if a new trick develops."
"I'll be careful," I promised, thinking about what had happened with Devon and knowing how bad I would have felt if I'd accidentally killed him with my trick. Tricks could definitely be dangerous, especially if you didn't even know what yours could do.
Dr. Rothschild and I talked for a while longer before I left, thankful to not only have a much better understanding of my trick, but also a list of several books he recommended to give me a better understanding of twisted physics and the Darrington Field. He had been quite pleased to realize how interested I was in the subject, though I don't know if he realized that my interest was due to my twist as well. Either way, I couldn't wait to find these books and read them.
When I returned to the front office, I saw mom sitting there and suddenly felt a stab of guilt. She'd been waiting for me for several hours, which must have been extremely boring for her. She also looked a little...uncomfortable. I'd seen that look before, which usually meant she was eager to get some exercise. Mom was like a nicotine addict in that she'd get a bit jittery if she went too long without having some sort of strenuous exercise.
"It looks like I'm done with everything," I told mom. "Dr. Rothschild said I'm good to go too."
"Good," mom said, standing up and letting out a sigh of relief. "I can't wait to get to the gym. I mean..."
"I know," I told her with a chuckle, "Let's go home."
Mom nodded and quickly headed for the door saying, "Good idea."
Almost the moment we got home, mom raced right back out the door for the gym. I just stood there and shook my head, amazed that anyone could be addicted to working out at the gym. Sometimes her cravings for exercise were stronger than others, and it looked like today was going to one of those days.
"There she goes again." Dad shook his head. "I'm just glad that she's given up on dragging me to the gym with her. There's almost nothing more humiliating than having my wife lift a lot more weight than I can in front of a bunch of other people. And when her growth spurt kicks in...wow."
"Good thing we live so close to the gym," I told him.
Dad just nodded, "That's one of the main reasons I bought this house, though your mother almost made us buy the house right next to the gym."
I just nodded, knowing exactly how mom was. She could get a bit insistent when it came to going to the gym or getting exercise. I remember the time she'd refused to go on a nice vacation just because the hotel didn't have good enough gym facilities for her. At the same time, like dad, I was grateful that she'd given up on pushing us all to join her.
Then dad gave me a concerned look and asked, "How was your appointment?"
I hesitated for a moment then told him all about it. I left out a few of the more embarrassing details, thankful that he wasn't using his trick on me at the moment. I really didn't think he needed to know that I seemed to have lost my sense of modesty about getting undressed in front of complete strangers, but he was interested when I told him that I might possibly have a second trick. A second trick wasn't uncommon, but it was pretty cool.
After this, I grabbed a late lunch and was heading to my room to do a little reading when I suddenly thought better of it. Since I was dressed so hot and sexy, it would be a real shame to hide away where no one could appreciate it. What I really wanted to do was go out and show off a bit more.
"I'm going to see Jeke," I told dad as I left, not lying since that was exactly where I planned on going. I couldn't wait to see the look on his face when he saw me wearing this outfit.
I took my time as I strolled down the sidewalk, knowing better than to go too fast in a pair if stiletto heeled shoes. I was well aware of the various people who paused in their yards or in their cars to stare at me. One man who was out doing his gardening stood there with his mouth open and a noticeable bulge in his pants. I just giggled in delight, loving the fact that I could cause such a reaction from guys without even trying. The thought of giving guys fantasies about me just made me all warm and gooey inside. I guess it said something about how well I was adapting since I didn't freak out at feeling this way.
"It's not like I'm hurting anyone," I told myself, "I'm just giving them something to look at. Besides, I'm making them happy as well as myself. And it's not like I can't take care of myself now with my trick."
When I arrived at Jeke's house, his dad opened the door then froze, starting at me in surprise and more than a little appreciation. His eyes immediately went down to my chest, taking in the full view but I noticed the way he was looking over the rest of my body as well.
I couldn't resist messing with him a little and purred as seductively as I could, "Is Jeke home...?" Then as he started to choke, I decided to ease up on him and said, "It's me...Blake."
"Blake?" he blinked his eyes, looking extremely embarrassed as he stammered, "Jeke told me about your twist..."
As I stepped inside, I saw Jeke's step-brother Ian sitting on the couch. He was only 12 years old but he was well over 6 feet tall. Ian was also skinny enough that I knew kids at his school had to call him Stork, Beanpole or some similar nickname.
"Hey Ian." I waved to him, amused as his eyes went wide at the sight of me.
"You remember Blake," Jeke's dad told him with a forced smile. "He's...she's just been through her twist."
"Wow." Ian blinked. "I'm sorry for you..."
"Don't be," I shrugged, walking past and heading to Jeke's room.
Jeke just stared at me when I came through, his eyes going wide as he took in every detail of not only my sexy body but just how sexily I was dressed. Then he shook it off a bit and nervously told me, "Damn you look hot."
"Thanks," I grinned, pleased by the compliment.
"I thought I'd come over so we could play some video games," I said as I sat down on the edge of Jeke's bed, in the same place I usually did. He gave me a nervous look.
"Do you still like video games?" he asked me hesitantly.
"I...I don't know," I admitted with a frown. "I mean, I haven't played any since my twist, and my own computer is fried. Dad promised to buy me a new one next week, but until then..." I shrugged and picked up the video game controller. "It feels kind of weird using this with my nails."
"Well let's see then," Jeke grinned, grabbing the other controller. "I'll kick your ass in Deathmonger Four."
"You're on," I grinned and turned my attention to the screen.
It didn't take long to discover that neither my interest in video games or my skills in playing them had been lost in my twist, though my longer fingernails made playing just a little more awkward. Still, I managed to hold my own against Jeke for the next hour or so, enjoying myself the entire time. Eventually, Jeke looked at me and hesitantly asked, "What's it like...being twisted I mean?" Then he added, "Being a girl too I guess."
I thought about it for a moment, frowning as I did so. I wasn't sure how I could really explain this to someone who didn't have quite the same frame of reference, but Jeke had been my best friend for a long time so I was going to try.
"Before my twist," I said slowly, "it felt like I had this big weight over my head, waiting to come down smashing me. I mean, it's scary knowing that something big is going to happen to you but not having any idea what it is. So when it finally happened, it was actually kind of a relief."
"You're relieved to turn into a girl?" Jeke blinked in confusion.
"Not specifically," I sighed. "It's just that at least now it's over and I don't have to be afraid of it anymore. It is pretty weird though turning into someone else and having everyone look at me differently. The hardest part isn't being a girl, and it's not looking into the mirror and seeing someone else's face. It's looking into my own mind and seeing someone else's thoughts and feelings. It's hard, not even knowing what I like and don't like anymore. It's like suddenly being a stranger to myself, not knowing all the things I used to take for granted. It's kind of scary knowing that I don't think or feel the way I used to, but at the same time, it's making it easier for me to adjust to the rest of it."
"Weird." Jeke shook his head. "I'm glad that I'm not twisted." Then he quickly added, "No offense."
"None taken," I sighed. "I used to wish I wasn't twisted either, but at least now it's over with so it's not so bad. I've figured out most of the things that are different and the same." I tapped my head. "Now I just have to get used to it."
"You seem to be doing fine with that," he told me with a shrug.
I just smiled, "Thanks. I've been trying."
After another minute, Jeke cautiously started, "About you and Janine..."
"I ran into her again last night at the mall," I admitted, blushing a bit. "We kind of hit it off and might start dating." I hesitated for a moment while Jeke stared at me, then I gave him a nervous smile, "I guess I still like girls."
"Janine," he said, shaking his head then smiling at me. "She sure is hot. I guess you're kind of lucky then because half the guys at school would jump on her if she wasn't gay."
"I know," I reminded him with a chuckle. "I was in on that locker room conversation if you remember..."
"Oh yeah," he blushed. "I guess you can't go in there anymore though."
"No," I winked at him. "But I get to go into the girl's locker room now and no one thinks twice." Then while Jeke was staring at me in shock and perhaps a little jealousy, I teased him, "I'll bet that I'm the topic of a few conversations in the old locker room now." Jeke's guilty expression was enough to tell me that I was right. "Don't worry," I laughed, "I kind of like the idea of guys talking about how hot I am in the locker room."
"You like that?" Jeke gasped, his eyes darting to my chest and making me giggle.
"I know it makes me sound like a slut or something," I told him with a shrug, "but it's one of the things I got from my twist. I love being the center of attention. I know that I shouldn't feel this way, that the old me would be humiliated...but I can't help it. That's just the way I feel now."
Jeke shook his head yet again, something which was almost becoming a habit for him, "Better you than me."
"I told you some of my thoughts had been twisted," I shrugged again.
Jeke and I continued talking for awhile longer, about what it was like to suddenly be a hot babe as well as other things. The whole time I was well aware of the way he kept looking at me and I even felt pleased by it. Of course it was a little odd since he was my best friend, but that didn't seem to matter so much since I enjoyed the attention anyway. However, I didn't really notice the way he kept sliding closer to me, not until he suddenly bent forward and kissed me on my lips.
"What the hell was that?" I demanded as I jerked away from him.
"I'm sorry," Jeke stammered. "I...I thought..." He gulped in embarrassment, "You're so beautiful..."
I just glared at him for a moment before snapping, "I've got to go." With that, I turned and stormed out of his room.
"Blake..." Jeke called out from behind me, but I was in no mood to listen.
"How could he do that?" I demanded as I hurried home, "How could Jeke kiss me like that?" I grimaced, nearly shaking as I thought about what had just happened. I was more than a little upset at both Jeke and myself, and not just because he had suddenly kissed me like that. What upset me the most was the fact that I'd actually enjoyed it, that my body had begun responding and getting excited. And this was just after I'd concluded that my sexuality hadn't changed and that I still like girls. Now I was feeling confused again and didn't know what to do.
"Do I like guys?" I demanded of myself. "Or is it just my body reacting to Jeke?" I shook my head. "I don't know..."
Then I couldn't help wondering if Dr. Pierce had learned that I liked guys now during her tests. If she had, she sure as Hell hadn't told me. Of course, she might not have known, but with all those tests I kind of doubted it. More likely she either thought I already knew or that I'd be better off learning on my own.
"Just great," I grimaced. "Another mental twist that I didn't know about. How many of these damn things am I going to trip over?"
When I got back home, dad gasped, "What's wrong?"
"Jeke just kissed me and I think I like boys," I answered in spite of myself.
"What?" dad gasped in surprise.
Kim just smirked and said, "I bet your girlfriend will be happy about that..."
"Girlfriend?" dad repeated, looking at me for an explanation.
I glared at Kim, "How's your job doing? Are they going to give you a raise?"
Kim gasped at that and glared at me angrily, but before she could say anything dad turned his attention to her and demanded, "What's this about a job...?"
Since dad was momentarily distracted, I quickly made my escape, leaving Kim to be interrogated by dad and his trick. I hurried to my room and slammed the door behind me, making sure to lock it before throwing myself on the bed. I cursed as I hit chest first, reminding me yet again that my new anatomy was quite different from my old.
"Damn it," I grimaced in frustration.
Just when I thought I'd figured my twist out, when I thought I was finally understanding who and what I had become, I suddenly have something else like this pop up on me. It wasn't that I now seemed to like guys since I'd considered that possibility earlier, it was that I thought I'd understood my sexuality and what I liked and didn't...only to find out that I didn't know anything. It was incredibly frustrating to not even know myself anymore.
It was strange going back to school on Monday, especially considering everything that had happened over the weekend. I was still reeling a bit from what had happened with Jeke, and it hadn't been made any better by the fact that my folks had interrogated me about both that and Janine. Add the fact that Kim was still pissed at me for ratting her out about her job and my home life wasn't exactly the most comfortable at the moment.
Of course, my weekend hadn't all been bad. Janine had come over yesterday, which led to me having the awkward experience of introducing her to my mom and dad. Fortunately, Janine wasn't overly pushy and we just spend the day hanging out together and getting to know each other. I wasn't sure what to tell her about Jeke so settled on not saying a thing.
I smiled as I thought about seeing Janine again here at school, but that just reminded me that Jeke would be here too. I gulped at the thought of him, not sure what to think, say or do. He was my best friend...or at least he had been. I wasn't really sure about that anymore. After he kissed me and the way I freaked out, I wasn't sure that our friendship could survive.
As I walked down the hall to my first period, I looked around the hallway, staring first at a cute girl that I'd always had a bit of a crush on, then at a boy I now found equally attractive. I didn't know if I'd ever get used to finding boys cute like that. Ever since Jeke had made me aware of my new attraction to boys, I couldn't help but noticing them. I might very well have been looking at boys and considering whether they were cute or not before Jeke's kiss, but at least then I hadn't thought about it.
"It's thinking about things that makes them awkward," I told myself, remembering something that Janine had told me just yesterday. This had to be a lot like what she went through after her twist. The big difference was that I still liked girls and didn't feel compelled to act on my attraction to boys, other than to show off that is. "But I like to show off to everyone," I muttered defensively.
Of course, my new attraction to boys wasn't any different than my other personality changes. Eventually, it would be so natural and normal to me that I doubt I'd think twice about it. I'd probably even wonder how I ever could have NOT liked boys. In fact, it wasn't even that which bothered me so much as it was what it meant for my relationship with Jeke and my other guy friends. Most of them had been kind of avoiding me and vice versa since my twist. I guess they just didn't know what to make of the new me, which wasn't a surprise. Twisted often find themselves with a whole new circle of friends after they go through their twist.
"I'd just hoped that I could keep Jeke," I sighed, knowing that it couldn't have been that easy. When I reached my first period, I tried to stop thinking about these things and focus on the class, which was much easier to do than I would have expected. Soon everything was almost normal, or at least the new normal with me paying attention, trading insults with Shiv and even briefly talking with her about how she'd met Kim at the body mod shop Kim worked at.
I saw Jeke several times during the morning, though we did our best to avoid each other. Whenever I glanced at Jeke, I'd quickly look away and pretend that I didn't see him there, blushing a bit as I remembered the way he'd kissed me. It was pretty awkward but I didn't know what I could say to him now. He obviously felt the same way.
During lunch, I didn't see Jeke at all, which wasn't real surprising. Since he was avoiding me, he would know exactly where to avoid going. I could have gone out of my way to avoid him during lunch, but instead I went about my normal lunch routine, or at least as normal as I could without him there. Perhaps a part of me wanted to run into him so we could talk.
Since Jeke wasn't there to talk with, I spent my lunch gulping down my double lunch and silently looking around at the various boys who were sitting nearby and trying to attract my attention. I didn't fight the urge to look at them and think about whether they were cute or not. There was one that was especially cute, and it amazed me that I hadn't noticed it before. However, I didn't flirt with him anymore than I did anyone else.
Eventually, Janine came over and sat down beside me, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek as she did so. From the look in her eyes, she wanted to do more but held herself back. The fact that she didn't do anything besides kiss me probably wouldn't matter to the boys around me and I suspected it wouldn't be long before they were spreading stories about Janine and I making out on the lunch room table.
"How's it going?" Janine asked me with a grin.
"Not bad," I told her with a shrug.
Janine stared at me for a moment then asked, "C'mon...what's wrong?"
I let out a sigh, "It's just..." I glanced around the table at the audience, at the half dozen people or so who were listening to us intently while pretending that they weren't. "I'll tell you a little later."
Janine nodded, "Okay..." Then she grabbed a cookie off my tray and popped it into her mouth, "By the way, I was thinking of heading to Morgan Beach this weekend and wanted to know if you were interested in coming."
"Morgan Beach?" I blinked in surprise. I'd never been there, but I'd heard that it was a really nice beach. However, it was an hour drive out of Spiral and I wasn't sure my folks would be up for me going that far away from Spiral without their presence. "I don't know," I told Janine with a sigh, "I'll ask my folks and see."
"Okay," she responded, sounding just a little disappointed.
I quickly added, "I'm pretty sure they'll let me. I mean, I've got a cool trick to defend myself with if anything happens." Of course, I wasn't as sure about my folks saying yes as I indicated, but I was confident in my ability to take care of myself. Besides, the idea of parading around the beach in a sexy bikini was just irresistible.
Janine brightened up and talked excitedly about Morgan Beach and how cool it was, though I suspected a large part of her interest was the fact that there were always a lot of scantily dressed women there. She undoubtedly went for the same reason a lot of guys did, to watch those women.
Once Janine and I were finished eating, we made our way out to the hall where she once again asked, "So what's up...besides the obvious? I mean, you look kind of bummed."
I hesitated for a moment, not sure how she'd take this. "I found out," I said slowly, trying to keep my voice down, "that I like guys." Janine stared at me with a stricken expression, looking horribly worried. I quickly added, "I still like girls...but I guess I like boys now too."
"Oh," Janine said, looking a little relieved but still uncertain.
"It's weird," I told her, then bit my tongue as I remembered she knew this even better than me. "It's just hard getting used to the idea."
"I know what you mean," Janine chuckled. "It took awhile before I accepted that what I used to like and what I like now are two completely different things."
"And then there's Jeke," I told her, feeling a bit guilty.
"Jeke?" Janine blinked. "Your best friend? I remember him from a few of my classes, though we've never really talked or anything."
I nodded, "Yeah..." I sighed, "Well...I found out I like boys now when he kissed me."
"What?" Janine gasped, suddenly looking jealous.
"He did it the way you did the first time," I quickly explained. "He kissed me before either of us realized it. I was kind of shocked to realize that I liked it." Then I let out a long sigh. "But I kind of freaked out and now Jeke and I aren't exactly talking..."
"That sucks," Janine told me sympathetically. "It sounds a bit like what happened to me and my best friend after my twist. But at least Jeke likes you..."
"Just a little too much," I shook my head. "I mean, we've been best friends for years and now I think I really like him...in a different way."
"Oh," Janine responded quietly.
"I just don't know," I told her with a grimace. "I don't really know what to do, but I thought it was only fair to tell you."
Janine looked at me thoughtfully before hesitantly asking, "Do you still like me?"
I didn't even need to think about that before answering, "Yeah... Definitely. I just think I like Jeke too..."
Janine responded with another, "Oh..." She frowned, "And you two aren't talking? Bummer."
"I'm so sorry," I told her. "I know we're trying and then I do this..."
"It's not your fault," Janine sighed. "I know what it's like getting twisted like that. And if you still like me..."
She grinned, then bent forward and kissed me. I immediately started kissing her back though we had to break apart because we were still standing in the middle of the school hallway and drawing attention.
"I'll take what I can get," she winked at me and then ran off for her next class.
I stood there for a minute, shaking my head and trying to make sense of it all. At the moment, it was hard keeping track of myself and what I was thinking or feeling from day to day. I couldn't wait until I got used to the new me enough that I wouldn't keep surprising or confusing myself. Things were so much easier when you at least knew what you wanted.
"Jeke or Janine," I sighed. "What in the world am I going to do?"
Fortunately, my next class started in just a few minutes so I was soon able to distract myself and forget about my problems. I was able to completely absorb myself in the class and all of the great history that was being taught. Everything was just so...interesting. I knew that this was just my twist talking, but I couldn't help how I felt.
However, there was one major downside to class today, which I'd forgotten all about until I went inside. Unfortunately, it was the day of the big test. So instead of a nice lecture or being able to read the class book, I had to sit back and take a test instead. I'd always hated taking tests and that hadn't changed too much.
Once the test was over and all the papers were graded, I sat back and impatiently waited for the ax to fall. I hated tests and this was one of the reasons why, waiting to see just how bad I did. But to my complete surprise, the teacher announced to the whole class that I was the only person there to receive a perfect grade.
"Just great," I winced, imagining the other kids calling me 'teachers pet' and the like. If this kept up, I was going to lose my hard earned reputation as a slacker. "Maybe I should just drop my shirt and distract them all..." And to my amusement, I was actually half serious about that.
I was relieved when history was finally over and eager to get to my next class. Since we'd only had a test and reviewed it without learning anything new, the whole thing had felt almost like a waste of time. The only thing that had made the class bearable was leaning forward to let some of the boys get a glimpse of my cleavage or posing a bit in my chair so that my chest stuck and drew even more attention.
Just as I was going down the hall to my next class, I was surprised to suddenly find myself standing nearly face to face with Devon. He stood in front of me blocking my path, though he quickly stepped back just out of my reach. Still, he continued to glare at me with a hostile look. A quick glance around me revealed his sidekick Kase standing just a short distance away with a bit of a smirk on his face.
"Get out of my way," I snapped in annoyance.
"I don't think so you little freak," Devon told me. "No one messes with me and gets away with it. I'm going to make sure everyone knows what kind of a fucking tease you really are."
"Just leave me alone," I scowled. "And if you remember right, you're the one who keeps messing with me."
"C'mon," Kase laughed. "Everyone knows you're a complete slut. Why don't you just suck us both off and we'll forget all about what you've done."
I stared at them both in shock, then spat out, "Fuck you..."
"If you insist," Devon grinned, looking quite pleased with himself.
"Get the hell out of my way," I hissed, holding my hand up to let a few sparks fly between my fingers. But instead of getting afraid and backing away, Devon just smirked. "Don't make me zap you again."
"Like you really have the guts to do it again," Devon laughed. "You're not just a cock-tease slut...you're an ugly one too."
I froze, suddenly feeling pissed off. How dare he call me ugly? I couldn't believe how pissed off that made me. It was as though he knew exactly which buttons to push, which surprised me since I didn't even know I had that button to push until that very moment. I grimaced, clenching my fists so tightly my nails drew blood.
Devon's eyes suddenly lit up, "I don't know why everyone looks at you anyway," he taunted me. "You're just a butt ugly freak..."
I snarled and was about to jump at Devon, intending to give him a zap he'd never forget. But just as I was about to charge, a hand grabbed my shoulder and said, "No!" I turned around, more than a little startled to see Kim standing there with an angry grimace. Sure, the two of us go to the same school, but we have completely different classes and different lunch periods so we almost never see each other.
"What the hell?" I demanded, wondering what Kim wanted.
Kim glanced at me for a moment before glaring at Devon again. "Don't go after him," Kim told me with a grimace. "This fucking prick wants you to use your trick on him again."
"Why?" I asked in surprise, looking at Devon and realizing that he really had been taunting me on, as though Kim were right. It was like he was trying to get me to give him a taser shock.
"Because," her eyes narrowed, "if you use your trick on him now, he can get your ass expelled."
I stared at Kim, realizing that she was right. The look of annoyance that Kase and Devon shared just confirmed what she'd said. The first time I'd used my trick on him, it had been both an accident and a matter of self-defense, at a time when I didn't even know I had a trick. But if I used my trick on him this time, both knowing what it did and without him attacking me first, I was bound to get kicked out of school for certain. He might even be able to have me charged with assault and sent to jail.
"A friend of mine overheard them planning it," Kim told me, "and I'm not about to let these fucking losers mess with my little sister."
"This is none of your business," Devon snarled. "Don't make us teach you a lesson too."
Kim glared at him as though she wanted to hit him herself, but then she suddenly smirked and told me, "Why don't you use your other trick on him. That one's harder to prove."
"Other trick?" Devon asked, suddenly looking a little nervous.
I had no idea what Kim was talking about, but she quickly went on, "Yeah, Blake can make guys go completely impotent. She discovered it when she accidentally zapped my lousy boyfriend. That fucker hasn't been able to get it up since."
"Oh shit," Kase exclaimed, looking almost afraid.
I grinned evilly, deciding to play along with Kim's bluff. "That's a great idea," I told her. "I'll zap them so hard they'll never get it up again, and no one will be able to prove a thing..."
"You're lying," Devon responded, but he didn't sound very certain of that. He and Kase both stared at me for a moment longer before turning and leaving as fast as they could.
"Thanks," I told Kim, a little surprised that she'd come to my rescue like this. I would have expected it from the old Kim, but not from the person she'd become since her twist.
"You might be a loser bitch," she told me with a smirk, "but you're still my little sister."
"Actually," I pointed out, "you're the bitch."
She thought about it for a moment before grinning, "I guess you're right." Then she added almost as an afterthought, "I'm still pissed about you blabbing to dad about my job. He went and asked me if there was anything else I didn't want him knowing about."
"Ouch," I winced, knowing just how brutal dad's interrogations could be. "But you did tell them about Janine."
"I guess," Kim shrugged, giving me the feeling that she now considered us even for that. However, as she turned to leave, she called back, "Don't forget you owe me one..."
"Just great," I sighed, having a feeling that Kim was going to use this against me somehow. But at least I didn't get expelled like I would have been if she hadn't shown up.
The rest of my school day was pretty uneventful, except for the fact that stories about my encounter with Devon had made it around. Apparently, so did the rumor that I could make any guy I was upset with go completely impotent. Fortunately for me, it didn't stop the guys from staring and admiring me, though they did seem to keep their distance just a little more.
When the final bell rang, I let out a sigh of relief, eager to get home and relax. Of course, I couldn't resist loitering around the entrance for awhile first so the other students could see me as they left. The attention I received from the departing male students did a lot to improve my mood. I was finally getting ready to leave myself when I heard someone cough behind me. I slowly turned around, bracing myself to deal with Devon and Kase again, but instead I found myself staring at Jeke. He looked uncertain as he stood there.
"Um..." he stammered, unwilling to look me in the eyes. "Janine said you wanted to talk to me."
"She did?" I blinked in surprise. It looked like Janine wanted me to deal with my relationship to Jeke, even if she had to give it a little push. That sounded just like her.
"I'm sorry about the other day," Jeke quickly told me. "You're so beautiful now that I just got caught up in the moment... I'm sorry. I know you don't like guys or anything..."
I giggled, then quickly told him, "I guess I just overreacted..."
"What's so funny?" he demanded, looking a little insulted.
"It's just that," I said slowly, unsure how to proceed. "I do like guys."
"What?" Jeke gasped, staring at me surprise.
I blushed deeply, unable to look him in the eyes as I admitted, "Just didn't realize it until then. It was kind of...shocking."
"You're kidding," Jeke responded, looking as though he thought this was some big joke with him as the victim.
I took a deep breath, then stepped forward and surprised Jeke by kissing him on his lips. Sparks seemed to jump through me and I could feel my body beginning to respond. Jeke was frozen for a moment, obviously shocked by this, but he responded and began to kiss back.
When I stepped back, I gasped, "Do I look like I'm kidding?"
Jeke could only stare at me, looking dazed and confused. He even had a sort of giddy expression on his face that made him seem even more cute. Obviously my kiss had an even better effect on him than I'd hoped.
"But...but...," he stammered, unable to speak clearly.
"I like you," I told him quietly, "and not just as a friend. God help me, you're my best friend and I've been thinking about jumping your bones."
Jeke nearly choked at that, looking even more dazed than before. He was obviously having a hard time absorbing all this, which was fine by me since I kind of liked that reaction. It also had the side benefit of keeping him quiet so I could say what I wanted.
"My twist turned me bisexual," I explained with a sigh. "I like boys now just as much as I like girls, but I didn't realize it until you kissed me. You have no idea how much it freaked me out to realize that I liked it...to realize that I like you like that."
"Wow," Jeke finally said, "I can't believe this...""
"Me either," I sighed, "but I'm getting used to it."
"I always liked you as a friend," Jeke told me, "but now you're so hot and sexy..." He blushed deeply, unable to meet my eyes again. "I've kind of been having fantasies about you."
I actually felt pleased by that, sort of excited that I could get that kind of interest from him. However, it wasn't as simple as having us both be attracted to each other, even if we've known each other for years. "The thing is," I said carefully, "I'm attracted to boys and I like you...but I really like Janine too. I just don't know what to do."
"I understand," Jeke responded quietly.
"I've got to think about this," I told him, not knowing what I could say or do. I couldn't look him in the eyes at the moment as I quietly added, "I've got to go... I'll talk to you later."
"Yeah," Jeke responded, still looking a bit dazed. "I'll talk to you later..."
As soon as I got home from school, I went to my room and locked the door behind me, trying to focus on my homework in order to distract me from my problems with Jeke and Janine. Unfortunately, it did little good as I couldn't stop thinking about them or how nice it felt kissing them. This eventually led to a long masturbation session where I submerged myself in fantasies of both. I only hoped that dad never asked me what I'd been up to in my room.
Nothing had really changed as I walked through the school hallway on Wednesday, except perhaps for the fact that my new reputation had continued to form and evolve, due in part to my encounters with Devon. It also hadn't gone unnoticed that I was doing good on tests, getting all my homework done on time, and was always prepared for class, regardless of which class it was. The other kids probably would have started calling me a 'teachers pet' if it wasn't for the fact that I was also developing a reputation for being the biggest tease in school. Unfortunately, I was well aware that both of those reputations were being well earned.
I knew that I had been developing a bit of a reputation around school, but I didn't realize just how much until I overheard two of my teachers talked about me. They were standing just inside of an empty classroom and I was walking past on my walk to lunch when I heard my name mentioned and couldn't resist stopping. Fortunately, neither of them realized I was close enough to hear.
"Ever since her twist, Blake pays attention, she turns in all her work on time and she even seems genuinely interested in class," my first teacher was saying. "She's almost become the perfect student, except for the fact that she's an almost constant distraction for the other students..."
"Especially the boys," my math teacher sighed. "She went up to the front board to solve a problem for the class, but it turns out the reason she volunteered was so she could drop the marker, then bend over to pick it up and get all the boys to stare at her behind. It's to stay annoyed at her though when she actually got the problem right."
"I know what you mean," my first teacher responded.
I continued eavesdropping for a few more seconds, then decided that I had better leave before they caught me. It could have been pretty embarrassing if they did, but that didn't mean it was easy to just leave when they were still talking about me behind my back. I couldn't help wondering though, if this was what the teachers were saying when I wasn't around then what were the other students saying? Of course, I could easily guess.
A few minutes later, I was just sitting down to lunch in the cafeteria when Tom McGuire approached my table. I was a little nervous at first, afraid that Devon and Kase might have talked him into messing with me. But after a moment, it became clear that he wasn't looking to start any kind of trouble, though he did look a little nervous.
"I know you used to be a guy," Tom started out, "but I was wondering if you'd be interested in going out with me some time."
I blinked in surprise, "You want a date?"
"Yeah," Tom responded, giving me a self-conscious smile that seemed so different from the confident attitude he'd had since his twist.
I just stared at Tom for a moment, my eyes lingering over his thick muscles. They seemed so appealing now, drawing my attention in the same way that a great pair of breasts would. Tom certainly was cute and I could feel the attraction to him. I could especially imagine running my hands over those muscles, though I quickly cut off that budding fantasy.
"Sorry," I told him, deciding to be a bit nicer than I had been with Devon and several other guys. "You seem like a nice guy, but I've already got a few too many romantic problems to even consider adding to them right now."
Tom looked a bit disappointed, but not angry or insulted. "Thanks anyway," he told me with an apologetic and embarrassed smile before he turned and left.
Once Tom was gone, I let out a sigh, feeling just a little regret that I hadn't been able to take him up on his offer. With those muscles... Then I shook my head, reminding myself that he was a jock and we had absolutely nothing in common other than both being twisted. We wouldn't have a thing to actually talk about. And of course, I had been absolutely honest about having too many romantic problems as it is.
As I thought about Jeke and Janine, I couldn't help but suddenly feeling like Archie from those old comic books. Like him, I was caught trying to decide between my own Betty and Veronica. But at least Archie could turn to his pal Jughead for a sympathetic ear. Part of my problem was that in my case Jughead and Betty were one and the same.
"I'm doomed," I groaned, knowing that I would have to make a decision sooner or later.
Neither Jeke or Janine would wait for much longer, nor should they have to. Unfortunately, it wasn't easy to decide when I liked both of them a great deal and there would be problems either way I chose. No matter which of them I chose, there was a good chance I might end up losing Jeke as a friend in the end and I didn't want that either.
Over the last few days, Jeke and Janine had both been a lot more patient than I had any right to expect. They were both giving me the room to make a decision, but at the same time they both clearly wanted me to choose them. The way it was going, I was going to lose them both.
Just then, I was distracted from my thoughts by the sight of Devon walking past a short distance away. He noticed I was looking at him and paled, especially when I gave him an evil smile and waved. Without a word, Devon sped up and hurried past as fast as he could, making me laugh to myself. It was fun having that kind of power over him.
"I just hope he doesn't figure out I was bluffing about having an impotence trick," I muttered to myself.
This line of thought suddenly reminded me of what Dr. Rothschild had said about possibly having a second trick. If I did have one, I sure wish it would show up soon. But knowing my luck, there was either no second trick or it would turn out to be something completely stupid. I was playing around with the idea of following after Devon and hinting that I'd just used that supposed impotence trick on him when I noticed Janine coming straight towards me. To my surprise, Jeke was with her, following immediately behind. Both of them had serious expressions which made me gulp.
"Not good," I muttered.
"Can we talk to you in private?" Janine asked, looking around the busy cafeteria and all the curious boys sitting close by. I nodded and got up with a sigh, having a bad feeling about this as I followed them both out of the cafeteria and into an empty classroom. Then Janine said, "Jeke and I have been talking and we came to a decision."
"I know you like both of us," Jeke said, sounding almost as if he'd rehearsed this speech, "but I don't like not knowing where we stand. I mean, we've been friends for a long time, but I don't even know if I'm your boyfriend or just your friend now..."
"But..." I started, knowing that this was bound to happen sooner or later. They were giving me the ultimatum to choose between them. I still didn't know if I could choose.
Janine put her finger on my lips and cut me off, "Let us finish first."
"Yeah," Jeke nodded. "We've both been thinking a lot about this."
"I like you," Janine told me with a serious expression, "I really do. And it's not just because I have the hots for you. I think you're nice and fun to be around too. But I thought we were going somewhere and now I feel like we're starting to go backwards."
"So," Jeke glanced at Janine, looking a little nervous, "we came up with a an idea to fix this."
Janine nodded, then smirked, "We agreed to share you."
"What?" I blinked in surprise. This was the LAST thing I expected to hear.
"Sure," Janine continued excitedly. "You can date us both. I know you like guys and girls, so this is perfect...just as long as I'm the only girl you date."
"And I'm the only guy," Jeke added.
"You're kidding," I gasped.
"Nope." Janine shook her head. "I mean, I'm willing to share you and so is Jeke."
"But..." I started again.
Jeke licked his lips and said, "It's not like it's the twentieth century or anything. People date several people all the time these days."
I could only stand there and silently stare at both of them as I absorbed their solution. Janine bit her lips nervously as she waited for my response while Jeke had his fingers crossed. It was actually kind of cute and I had to try to keep myself from giggling.
After a moment, I realized that they were right. I'd been thinking that I could only be with one of them, but that was pretty old fashioned. Things were a lot different than that nowadays, especially here in Spiral where people were more open minded about things. Then I grinned, suddenly thinking that this was like having my cake and eating it too.
"That sounds great," I finally said, grabbing Janine because she was the closest and giving her a long and passionate kiss. My body was tingling with excitement when we broke apart and I made it tingle even more by grabbing Jeke and kissing him just as passionately. "I'm willing to try it."
"Great," Janine grinned excitedly, then she added, "Just don't expect a threesome. I might find you unbelievably hot," she gestured to Jeke, "but he's a total turnoff."
"Fair enough," I agreed, seeing a flash of disappointment cross over Jeke's face.
Then just for the Hell of it, I gave each of them another kiss, longer and more passionate than before. I was sure that my nipples were poking out for the whole world to see while I was going to just soak my panties. But at the same time, I was grinning broadly, deciding that this could definitely work out.
I shifted slightly in my bus seat, clutching Janine's hands in one of mine and Jeke's in the other. We were getting a few odd looks from the other people on the bus, mostly from the older people, but most of the passengers didn't pay us much attention.
"We're almost there," Janine exclaimed with a broad grin.
I nodded and stared out the window at the passing scenery, feeling both nervous and excited at he same time. We were nearly to Morgan Beach where Janine and I had been planning to come a week. To my surprise and delight, she had even asked Jeke to come with us. Since Janine was a bit uncomfortable around guys, asking Jeke to come said quite a bit about how seriously she took our relationship.
It was still just a little odd thinking that I was part of a threesome instead of a couple, but it seemed to be working out pretty well so far. Both Jeke and Janine had been showing they were willing to share me without either of them acting all jealous or anything. All that they asked was that I give them each some alone time with me as well, which worked quite well since I wanted some one on one time with each of them too.
I glanced at both my boyfriend and girlfriend, giggling slightly as I thought about my parents reaction to my dating them both when they found out. Dad had gone on about how relationships used to be only between two people when he was growing up, but mom just shrugged it off without a problem. Of course, I think dad was ranting more for the sake of doing it than anything else because he quickly came around too, giving me a warning to be careful but not much more. Of course, most people in Spiral tend to be pretty open minded, even old folks like my parents.
As we got closer to the beach, I felt myself becoming just a little more tense. I was a bit nervous about being here, away from Spiral, though I didn't want Jeke or Janine to see that. Spiral was safe, full of other twisted and people who understood us, but out here things might very well be different. I'd never spent much time outside Spiral though and wasn't going to turn back from having fun just because of a little nervousness.
As I looked out the bus window, I saw a hover car go past. It was the third one I'd seen in just the last couple minutes, which was pretty odd for me since I normally saw only one or two of them a day in Spiral. Then again, Spiral was a little old fashioned in some ways compared to the outside world, in spite of the more open mindedness, a fact that I was reminded of when I saw a fourth hover car go past.
"Here we are," Jeke exclaimed as the bus pulled up in front of the beach, giving me a broad grin and winking. "I can't wait to see you in your swim suit."
"You won't have to wait much longer," I laughed.
"What about me?" Janine teased him. "Don't you want to see me in my swim suit too?"
"Well..." Jeke stammered, looking a little flustered. "Yeah, but... I know you don't like guys or anything so..."
Janine just laughed, then winked at me, "I have to say that I'm with Jeke though. I can't wait to see you dressed up either."
We arrived just a minute later and I hopped off the bus, immediately pausing to take a deep breath and soak up the atmosphere. Then I pointed to the changing stalls and exclaimed, "Last one there pays for ice cream." I immediately took off running as fast as I could, with Jeke catching up and even passing me while Janine came in last.
"I guess I'm paying for ice cream," Janine told me after we went into the women's changing room. "Don't I at least get a consolation prize?" She gave me a pouty look that sent me laughing.
"I guess," I winked at her, taking off my top and bra, letting her get a good look at my chest. She stared with a hungry expression that made me think she was about to pounce on me. Somehow, she managed to hold herself back, which disappointed me a little.
"You don't know what that does to me," Janine told me a moment later, "even if I have my own."
"Of course I do," I smirked as I reached into my bag to pull out my bikini. "I used to be a guy and I still like girls."
"And you still flashed me like that?" she asked in disbelief.
I just grinned at her mischieviously, "Of course. I love getting that reaction."
Janine chuckled, "You have no shame."
"Nope," I shrugged, "I lost it during my twist."
I finished undressing, then stood there completely naked for a minute, making sure that Janine got a good look at me. She was trying hard not to stare but not succeeding very well, which made me giggle. I couldn't resist showing off and posing a bit more, just to encourage her reaction. I loved getting this kind of attention, especially from her.
"You know," Janine told me, "you are evil."
"Maybe," I teased her, "but you know you like it."
We kissed passionately for a minute and might have gone a bit further if it wasn't for the fact that two more women walked into the changing room. Both of them gave us odd looks before hurrying to the other side and into stalls where we couldn't see them. I had to keep from giggling.
After this, we both finished changing into our swim suits without playing around. I had a very sexy looking crimson two piece bikini. I thought it did wonders for my figure and I especially liked the way Janine kept looking at me. I stood in the mirror admiring myself for several minutes before she drug me away with the reminder that we didn't want to leave Jeke waiting too long.
We went out and joined Jeke a minute later. He was standing around outside in his swim trunks, looking impatient. However, the moment he saw us he froze, his eyes darting from Janine to me, back and forth. His eyes finally locked on me, especially on my chest.
I giggled, "Like what you see?"
"Um...yeah," Jeke blushed, making me laugh even more.
Since I was feeling particularly mischievious, I decided to have a little fun with Jeke. I pulled up my bikini top to flash him a clear look at my bare chest...as well as several other guys who happened to be looking. Jeke gasped, nearly drooling as he stared. I just smirked as I put my top back on, casually telling Janine, "It's only fair that he gets a look since you did."
"But we're in public," Janine protested weakly, "I mean, everyone can see..."
"I told you," I shrugged, "I don't seem to have sense of modesty anymore. In fact, I get turned on by people staring at me like that. Mentally, I know I should feel uncomfortable...but I don't."
"Lucky me," Jeke grinned. "Want to do it again?"
"Maybe if you're especially nice," I teased him, deciding that maybe it would be a good idea not to draw too much attention, no matter how much I enjoyed it.
We were soon down in the water, splashing around and having fun in spite of how cold it was. And while diving under the water, I even briefly lost my bikini top, though it wasn't quite as accidental as I pretended. Still, once I realized that there were kids present on the beach and in the water, I was much better at behaving myself.
Eventually we ended up back on the beach, laying back on our towels and drying off in the sun. I smiled, well aware that a number of passing guys were giving me a second or even third look. Of course, I knew that some of that was from my brightly colored hair, but I was pretty confident that most of the attention was from my great body. I might be a little vain, but I figured it was well deserved.
"You know," Jeke grinned at Janine after awhile, "I believe you owe us all ice cream."
"And what makes you think that?" Janine asked.
"Because you lost the race to the changing rooms," I reminded her with a grin, earning a tongue stuck out at me in response.
Janine looked back towards the snack bar near the changing rooms and frowned thoughtfully. "Okay," she asked, "what kind do you two want?"
Jeke gave her a triumphant grin as he announced, "Chocolate ripple if they have it...or just plain chocolate if they don't."
"Okay," Janine responded, turning to me and grinning, "we've heard from the peanut gallery, but what do you want?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "I mean, I'm not sure if my taste in ice cream changed or not so I'd better come along so I can sample some just in case."
"I guess I'll go too," Jeke sighed, looking as though he didn't particularly want to get up at the moment but doing so anyway.
A few minutes later we were walking back with ice cream cones in hand. Jeke was happy since he'd gotten his chocolate ripple, Janine was satisfied with some fruity sherbet, while I was licking on a toffee cream chunk that was just as good as I remembered. This was the perfect snack for a great day on the beach.
Just then, Jeke suddenly froze. "What?" I asked.
"Look at that dog," Jeke pointed to a large dog that was standing about twenty yards away, looking straight at us. It was big and black, one of the largest dogs that I'd ever seen. And at the moment, I didn't see any sign of an owner nearby. "He's a monster."
"Careful," Janine teased him, "he might come over and bite your jewels off."
Jeke winced at that and protested, "That's not funny."
"Losing them isn't that bad," I teased him as well. "Besides, he's probably just interested in our ice cream."
"I'm sure it tastes much better," Janine stuck her tongue out at Jeke.
I chuckled at that and we continued on our way, taking only one more glance at the dog before continuing back to our spot. After we settled back down to soak up the sun, I looked around for the dog again, but this time there was no sign of him. I let out a faint sigh of relief, having imagined a few dog attack scenes inspired by Janine's joking comments.
Just minutes after we had settled back into our spot, I noticed a small group of guys standing a way off and staring at us. I smiled faintly, enjoying the attention as always, though these ones did seem to be staring just a little hard. Finally, they noticed me staring back and started to walk in our direction.
"It looks like we're about to have company," I told Jeke and Janine, wishing that they hadn't decided to come over. It was one thing to enjoy attention, but I didn't want to actually have to deal with these guys while I was on a date with my boyfriend and girlfriend.
"Oh great," Janine spat, almost sounding disgusted.
I frowned slightly as the four guys came closer, giving me a better look at them. One of them was tall and thin, with long dark hair and a bit of a goatee. The second one was fairly short, just over 5 and a half feet tall, but he was also heavily muscled and could almost be a body builder. The third was an athletic looking black guy with all sorts of lasek tattoos all over his skin, the kind made with that new tattoo ink that glows in the dark. The last of the four was a tall and athletic looking guy with a pleasant smile and a pair of glasses. The glasses were actually kind of cute since I knew it would have been easy to just go into nearly any doctors office and get most vision problems short of blindness fixed in just an hour or so.
Jeke scowled, "Why do I have the feeling I'm about to get sand kicked in my face?"
"Hey," the guy I'd mentally named Glasses greeted me, giving me and Janine both a pleasant smile while completely ignoring Jeke. "You two ladies are pretty good looking."
"And a little young for you," Janine pointed out quickly. "We're still in high school."
"I only got out two years ago myself," Glasses shrugged, apparently not bothered by this.
"We're also taken," I said, feeling mischievious as I put my hand on Jeke's. I knew that these guys would assume that Jeke was dating both of us and hoped they'd start thinking a bit better of my best friend.
"By him?" Skinny asked in surprise. Muscles snickered while Tattoo burst into laugher. "I think you two ladies can do much better."
"I assure you," Glasses said, "we can show you a good time..." He stared at me for a moment, looking me in the eyes and then going pale. "Your eyes..."
"She's got freaky looking eyes," Tattoo exclaimed in surprise.
"Ah fuck," Skinny sneered in disgust, "she's one of those twisted freaks."
All four of them suddenly backed off at that and started looking at me as though I was a leper or something. I winced at those expressions, enjoying attention but not that kind. Their looks almost made me feel dirty somehow.
"So what if I am?" I snapped back.
"Keep away from me you freak," Glasses said, his expression filled with disgust, "I don't want anything to do with your kind."
"Ditto for me," Skinny said.
Muscles scowled, "Xerox that..."
Tattoo shook his head, "I can't believe they let those freaks walk around with normal people."
"She is NOT a freak!" Jeke exclaimed, jumping to his feet and glaring at the four with a furious expression. I'd never seen him look that pissed off before...NEVER. "She's not!"
"Whatever," Glasses said, turning to walk away. Then he muttered, "They should be sterilized or something..."
Jeke snarled and suddenly jumped at Glasses, grabbing him from behind. Muscles and Tattoo immediately grabbed Jeke and pulled him off while Glasses started screaming profanities. Janine and I both jumped to our feet in horror, but not before they started punching Jeke.
"Leave him alone!" I screamed, rushing to Jeke's side as he rolled around on the ground in pain. He had a bloody nose and looked like he was going to have a black eye as well. "You fucking bastards."
"Fuck off you twisted freak," Muscles exclaimed.
"I'm twisted too," Janine spat at him. "Are you going to hit me too?"
"Get away from us," Glasses snarled, grabbing me by the shoulder and shoving me.
I probably would have hit the ground, but I grabbed his arm to keep my balance out of sheer instinct. That only resulted in him slapping me across the face which did knock me to the ground. Janine screamed and rushed to me, but Skinny grabbed her and shoved her to the ground as well.
"You jerks," Jeke grimaced as he tried to get back to his feet.
"You're the one who jumped me," Glasses pointed out, punching Jeke again.
I glared furiously at Glasses and his friends, filled with fear and rage. I was afraid for myself, but also for my friends. And more than that, I was seriously pissed off that that these guys would suddenly go from hitting on me to absolutely hating me, just because I happened to be twisted. Who the hell did these ass-holes think they were, hating me and my friends because we were different? The growing rage was building inside me, and not just the rage. The pressure was as well...
"You want me to be a freak?" I snarled, "I'll show you what a twisted freak can do..."
With that, I grabbed hold of Glasses and let loose with my taser touch. The pressure shot out of me and into him in a burst of sparks and he went flying backwards, hitting the ground with a loud grunt. He remained there for a moment, shaking as though he was going through having a seizure.
"What the fuck?" Skinny gasped. "What the hell did you do to him?"
Tattoo dropped to his knees to check on Glasses, but the other two were coming towards us, looking more pissed off and determined than ever. Before this, it had all been about them disliking twisted, but I'd just made it personal for them. They were coming straight for me and didn't even seem to care that I might to do them what I'd done to Glasses.
"Oh shit," I gulped, not knowing if I could pull out another taser shock like that much less three more.
Suddenly, there was a loud growling sound and the large black dog we'd seen earlier jumped between me and the guys coming towards me. I immediately stepped backwards in fear while they all stopped and stared nervously at the dog. It took me a moment to realize that the dog was ignoring me and growing only at the guys.
"Blake," Janine called to me with a nervous expression, her eyes darting from the guys to the dog, trying to decide which was the bigger threat to us. Since the dog was ignoring us at the moment, I was more concerned with the boys.
Just then, the dog let out a loud bark and jumped at Muscles. He stopped before he touched the muscular guy, but he and Skinny both jumped back. With a look of terror, they grabbed Glasses, who was sitting up on his own now and hurried away from here as fast as they could carry him.
The dog slowly turned around to face us, making each of us step back nervously. Jeke held his bloody nose in his hand and hesitantly said, "Good doggy... Nice doggy..."
To my complete and utter shock, the dog snarled, "I'm not a nice doggy..."
"Holy shit," Jeke exclaimed, "it can talk..."
I stared at the dog, feeling speechless and confused. Our eyes met and I noticed that his eyes were blue, looking much more like human eyes than those of a dog. Then it suddenly dawned on me, "You're twisted..."
"Yeah," the dog responded, sniffing the air, "as you can see, I got a severe case..."
"Oh my God," Janine whispered.
"Um...thanks," I told the dog. "Thanks for chasing them away."
"Trust me," the dog snorted, which was a very odd sound coming from a dog, "it was my pleasure. I would have bit the hell out of them if it wouldn't have gotten animal control sicked on me."
I just continued staring at him for a moment, feeling extremely relieved that my twist hadn't hit me that hard. He'd not only lost his old self, but his very humanity as well. I couldn't imagine what it had to be like living life as an animal.
"You kids are from Spiral, ain't ya?" the dog asked, looking back and forth between us.
I nodded at that while Janine responded, "Yeah..."
The dog nodded in a very human manner before saying, "I've been heading there myself, but it's been taking awhile. It's not easy traveling across country when you can't even hitch a ride."
"Ugh," I winced, looking at his thumbless paws. I couldn't help but feeling sorry for this guy.
"I'd say you could come with us," Janine shrugged self-consciously, "but we came on the bus."
"And they don't let dogs on the bus," the dog responded bitterly. "I just figured once I got to Spiral I'd be treated a little more like I was human."
"Yeah," I sighed, "but as those jerks proved, this isn't Spiral."
"My name's Jeke," Jeke said, holding out his hand and then looking rather embarrassed.
"I don't do tricks," the dog snickered, then added, "Then again, I've played the well trained dog a few times. You'd be surprised how much nicer people are when they think you're a dog than they do when they know you're not." He hesitated a moment, then said, "You can call me Marcus."
Janine and I introduced ourselves then we just stood there and talked with Marcus for awhile as he told us a bit of his life story. He didn't go into much detail, but it basically came down to the fact that after he'd gone through his twist, he'd been treated as a freak and animal, even by a few other twisted. He'd spent years pretending to be a real dog, then he finally decided to make his way to Spiral where he hoped he'd be more accepted.
After about ten minutes though, Jeke pointed out, "I think we should get going. We're getting some odd looks."
I looked around and realized that Jeke was right. There were a lot of people looking at us nervously, and it wasn't the kind of looks that I liked getting. There were suspicious and hostile looks from people who had either seen or heard about our encounter with those guys. I had little doubt that they were blaming the whole encounter on us twisted, which seemed to be normal in the news.
"Let's get going," I said nervously, deciding that it would be better to avoid further trouble.
Marcus nodded, "I'll watch your backs until you're safely on your bus."
"Thanks," I told him, feeling grateful for the offer. "But how are you going to get to Spiral?"
"The same way I made it this far," he snorted. "I've got four good feet and I'll make it there in no time."
We packed up our towels and went back to the changing rooms while Marcus stood guard outside, just in case Glasses and his friends decided to come back. Fortunately, there was no trouble of that sort, but I did get a glare from a woman who hurried out of the dressing room the moment we entered, even though she obviously wasn't completely ready.
"Damn," I told Janine, "if it's this bad now, I can't imagine what it had to be like for the first twisted."
"We're lucky we live in Spiral," she told me with a knowing look.
Janine and I stood there staring at each other, realizing that the mood had been broken. I didn't feel the least bit romantic at the moment and neither did she. Those guys and the dirty looks we'd gotten on the beach had certainly taken care of that.
"Who would have thought," I sighed. "I guess I don't like getting as much attention as I thought...at least not when it's this kind."
Once we were fully dressed, we left the women's changing room, joining Jeke and Marcus outside. None of us said a word as we made our way to the parking lot to catch the next bus. We were all eager to just get away from this place. Somehow, I thought it would be a long time before I felt like coming back to Morgan beach.
While we were walking across the parking lot to where the bus would pick us up, I noticed Glasses and his friends standing by a car with the trunk open. Unfortunately, they noticed us too and gave us a look that made me extremely grateful that looks couldn't kill.
"Not these guys again," Jeke groaned, looking as though he was about to suggest running. Then one of them grabbed a crowbar from the trunk, which seemed to be all that the others needed to follow his lead. They started grabbing things they could use as weapons from the trunk as well, but Glasses reached through the passenger side door and came out holding a gun.
"Oh shit," I gulped, clutching Janine's hand tightly.
"We have to teach these twisted freaks that they can't go around messing with normal people," Tattoo said to his friends who came towards us with grim looks of determination.
"Oh shit," I repeated, my eyes locking on the gun in Glasses' hand. From the look on his face and the way he was raising it to point at us, I had no doubt that he was willing to use it.
I grimaced, feeling the fear and anger returning, not that they had really gone away completely. At the same time, I could feel the pressure building inside me again as well, though my little taser trick wouldn't do any good from a distance. This time, there wasn't anything I could do against Glasses and his friends, and they seemed to have figured this out by the fact that they were standing back with their weapons ready and angry looks on their faces.
"I can't believe people let these twisted bastards run around," Muscles exclaimed.
"No kidding," Skinny added, "they ought to be quarantined before they cause another Antarctic Flu outbreak."
Glasses didn't waste time talking to his friends. He glared at me with an expression of pure hatred, largely fueled with a thirst for revenge after what I'd done to him. There was no hesitation in him, only a look of satisfaction as he pointed the gun straight at me and pulled the trigger.
As soon as Glasses shot his gun, I felt a sudden explosion, not of the bullet hitting me but of the pressure I had built rushing out all at once. There was a burning sensation through my body and a blue glow that filled my vision. It took me several seconds to clear my head enough to realize what was going on, and when I did, I could only gasp and stare with my mouth open.
There was a wall made of glowing blue light just a few feet in front of me, or at least that was my first impression. I quickly realized that it was closer to a dome or gigantic bubble with Jeke, Janine, Marcus and myself inside of it. Glasses stood on the other side, staring at me with a look of disbelief and firing the gun over and over again, though nothing seemed to get past the wall of light.
"Holy shit," Jeke exclaimed, looking around in a near panic. "What the hell is this?"
Janine looked around with a mixed expression of relief and confusion, then she stared at me with a strange expression before gasping, "I think Blake's doing it..."
"It's my second trick," I whispered in realization, feeling a combination of excitement and nervousness.
I glanced through the glowing wall at Glasses and his friends, seeing that they all looked scared and were backing away...except for Glasses who continued to shoot at the wall in vain. I gulped, glad that I had this strange glowing wall but having no idea how long it would last or if it would keep Glasses and his gang away long enough for us to do something.
"I can't believe it," Jeke gasped, "you've got a fucking force field."
"Interesting trick," Marcus stated calmly, sounding only vaguely interested.
Just then, the glowing bubble around us began to flicker. I could feel it weakening, even as blue sparks shot across it's surface. Finally, even Glasses turned and ran with his friends, perhaps fearing that I was going to do something horrible to them. Fortunately for us, they didn't realize we were actually losing our protection instead. Then in one big flash, the entire force field collapsed and faded, leaving sparks and small bursts of electricity to fly around us for a moment before fading as well.
"Did you see that?" Jeke gasped. "No fucking way..."
"I think," Janine responded nervously, glancing in the direction the guys had run off in, "we should get out of here NOW." I agreed with her completely.
We didn't stay there long enough to catch the bus but instead hurried away from the park until we came to a bus stop just as the bus was arriving. Thankfully, it was a bus from the same route so we wouldn't have to transfer over. The bus driver stared in surprise as Marcus climbed onto the bus after us and snapped, "No dogs allowed."
"I'm not a dog lady," Marcus snapped, causing the bus driver to gasp in complete shock. "I'm just severely deformed. You don't want to discriminate against the handicapped do you?"
The bus driver looked as though she wanted to argue, though she apparently decided that it would be easier and less troublesome to just let us all on the bus. After all, if she let us on and just pretended none of us existed for awhile, then she wouldn't have to deal with the threat of a potential lawsuit.
I let out a sigh as soon as we crossed the city limits back into Spiral and I wasn't the only one. It was as though we were instantly safe again and perhaps we were. This trip had driven home the point about just what a safe haven Spiral really is for us twisted. Most other places, even ones as close as Morgan beach weren't nearly as welcoming or accepting of us. It was a hard fact, but one I would have to accept since I was twisted in a world that was often hostile towards us.
Once the bus finally came to a stop, Marcus immediately leapt out the door. He self-consciously admitted, "I'm not used to riding in vehicles anymore, especially not with a bunch of people who know what I really am."
"Things should be easier for you here in Spiral," I told him.
Marcus nodded, "I hope so kid." Then he looked at all three of us before saying, "I've been trying to come here for some time so I'm gonna go take a look around. I hope I see you kids again." Then he turned and ran off.
After Marcus was gone, I let out a sigh, "I'm glad that's all over with. Those guys scared the shit out of me."
"Me too," Jeke scowled.
I stared at Jeke for a moment, especially at the dried blood around his nose. "Thanks for standing up for my honor," I told him, "it was really brave." Then I bent forward and gave him a kiss. Once I was done with the kiss, I slapped in the back of the head and said, "Just don't be such a dumbass again."
Jeke looked a bit embarrassed while Janine laughed at the look on his face. I smiled faintly, thankful that we were all back home safe and sound but wondering how I was going to tell my dad about my new trick...and how I'd discovered it. Somehow, I had a feeling that it wasn't going to be a fun conversation, especially not after he'd warned me about how dangerous it could be for twisted outside of Spiral. Still, I'd rather face my dad than Glasses and his goons any day.
I awoke in the morning with my guts suddenly feeling like they'd been twisted in knots or as if I had a ferret gnawing on my insides. I grunted in pain, barely able to move my blankets aside, and then only seeing the blood all over my covers. At that sight, I did what anyone would do and screamed.
"What's wrong?" mom demanded as she burst through the door a minute later, huge and heavily muscled as she'd obviously just returned from the gym. She paused to take everything in, then gasped, "You're having your period..."
"Period," I grimaced, suddenly hating the word like never before. I'd been expecting this, or at least expecting that I would have a period soon but I'd never imagined it could be so painful.
"Come on out of bed," mom told me with a sympathetic look, but when I could barely move she sighed, "Quit being a baby. Women go through this every month and you'll have to get used to it too."
I grimaced and sat up, trying to get out of bed in spite of the fact that my insides were hurting like hell. Mom helped me to the bathroom and got a wet rag to help me clean up the mess I'd made of myself, but she frowned as he did so. After I was clean, she said, "Something's not right."
"You think," I spat out bitterly.
"You're flowing more heavily than normal," mom told me, looking a bit worried.
"Well," I grimaced, "I'd hardly call any of this normal."
"It is from now on," Kim snickered as she joined us. She stood there and looked at me for a moment with an expression of smug satisfaction, then she sighed and touched my arm. Suddenly the cramps faded away almost entirely until they were little more than a dull ache and I could let out a sigh of relief. "That should help you for a while."
"Thanks," I told her, suddenly very thankful for Kim's trick.
A short while later, I was dressed and wearing a pad, thankful that it was that rather than a tampon. Unfortunately, it soon became clear that I was still bleeding too much for it to be as effective as mom and Kim thought it should be. In fact, mom was getting more and more worried.
Finally, mom said, "This isn't normal. We're taking you to a doctor."
An hour later, we were at the clinic seeing Dr. Franklin in an emergency appointment. Dr. Franklin immediately rushed me into her office for a private examine, even putting me on that weird scanning table again. Unfortunately, Kim's trick was beginning to wear off so the cramps were returning, though they hadn't gotten back to the level they were when I woke up. Still, it was enough to make this examination even more uncomfortable.
"There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with you," Dr. Franklin finally told me, looking serious as she looked through my scan results. "It is true that you're having a more severe period than is normal for women, however, it looks like this is normal for your body."
"Just great," I grimaced, wincing at the idea of not only having to go through a period every month, but one worse than normal girls go through.
Dr. Franklin gave me a steady and sympathetic look. "I believe this is another side effect of your heightened metabolism. Your periods will be much more severe than normal, but at the same time, they should end much sooner as well. In fact, I expect that this one will end within two days. You should still be on a monthly cycle though so you won't have to deal with this any more frequently."
"Two days?" I gasped, horrified at the idea of feeling like this for two whole days. I was hurting like hell and bleeding in places no one should. I couldn't live like this for two days, especially not every month.
"Look at it this way," Dr. Franklin told me with a faint smile. "Most women have to go through their period for five days every month while you only have to deal with it for two."
"Lucky me," I spat out bitterly.
Dr. Franklin nodded then told me, "I'm going to prescribe you a few things that will help ease your symptoms and your discomfort some. However, I don't think we have anything as effective for removing the discomfort as your own sister's trick."
I just groaned, hating the idea of relying on Kim for the next two days much less several days every month. For that matter, I don't think that she'd be willing to hang around helping me out that much either. I could just imagine Kim making me pay for that kind of service with my whole allowance or something worse. No, I definitely wasn't going to count on Kim for relief.
When we left the clinic a short time later, mom seemed to be partly relieved and partly concerned. I guess she was happy there wasn't something really wrong with me, but at least she was sympathetic for what this would be like. Kim almost seemed amused by the whole thing, though at least she used her trick on me one more time to ease my cramps.
At home, I settled down to watch TV while trying to ignore what was going on with my body. It wasn't easy though and was so distracting that I couldn't even focus on reading the book I'd been meaning too. I just wish I could have seen this coming. Of course, I had known I would get a period eventually, but it almost seemed abstract. I hadn't even given it a second thought when I'd started feeling nauseous during my date with Jeke last night. I'd just shrugged it off as coming down with a cold, not the start of something much worse.
I was still sitting back like this when Janine arrived several hours later. My mom let her into the house and she came to see me with a grin, which only made my bad mood even worse. If I was stuck feeling this miserable, why should anyone else love company? I'd never understood how women could be like that during their period until that very moment.
"What's wrong?" Janine asked, noticing the look on my face.
"I'm having my first period," I snapped at her, "and I'm stuck wearing a stupid diaper."
Janine blinked in surprise, then shrugged, "I don't know whether to say congratulations or offer my sympathies." Then she added, "I know wearing a pad isn't the most comfortable, but you'll get used to it."
I just glared at her, "I'm not wearing a pad. I'm wearing a diaper... literally."
"What?" Janine's eyes went wide as she sat down beside me, "You're kidding me."
I shook my head at that, "I wish. My weird metabolism means I've got a really nasty period. I'm leaking too much for a pad so the doctor said I should wear an adult diaper. It's damn humiliating..."
"Ugh," Janine winced at that, giving me an extremely sympathetic look. "So you've got to wear a diaper for five days or so?"
I shook my head again, "The doctor said it'll probably be over by tomorrow night. Something about my metabolism making the whole thing just run its course a lot faster than normal."
"At least that's something," Janine tried comforting me, though I wasn't really in any mood to be comforted, even by her.
Janine and I sat there and talked for a while before she realized that I wasn't very good company at the moment, especially not with the effects of Kim's trick rapidly wearing off. I was getting grumpier and grumpier, finding it harder to be nice and pleasant due to the heavy cramping.
Finally, Janine said, "I guess I'll go and let you rest then." She looked disappointed, "I guess you won't be up for going out tonight either." She was even more disappointed at that, making me wish I did feel up to going out with her.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think so," I told her with honest regret.
"I'll see you later then," Janine told me as she left. "I'll warn Jeke not to come over for a while, and I really hope you feel better soon."
"Thanks," I told her, feeling simultaneously guilty and relieved that she was leaving. But after a few minutes, I settled back down into my misery and self-pity, wishing that this whole thing would just end. The fact that I would only have to deal with it again next month was more than I could bare at the moment.
I walked through the mall with a smile on my face and a spring in my step, feeling utterly fantastic. It had been two days since my period had ended, about the same time Dr. Franklin had predicted, and I was still in a great mood that it was over. In fact, the only thing that could really ruin my mood was the knowledge that it would all happen again next month, though I was trying hard not to think about that.
Throughout my period, I'd been hurting so much and in such a bad mood that even my mom had commented on it, saying that I was normally friendly and flirty but had been acting like a cast iron bitch, snapping at everyone. All the stress had even caused my trick to kick up a few times, accidentally zapping Kim during one of them. I felt a little bad for that, but it encouraged her to keep using her trick on me so it didn't happen again.
At the same time, I felt guilty for the way I'd treated Janine when she'd come to visit me. I hadn't been outright rude or insulting, but I sure hadn't made her feel like I was glad to see her either. Thankfully she'd warned Jeke to stay away so he didn't have to see me like that. However, I felt that I owed both of them an apology, which was why I was meeting them here at the mall so we could all go see a movie together.
"Where are they?" I glanced at my watch, knowing that I was a bit early for our meeting.
I wandered around the mall for a while, finally ending up at body modification ship where Kim worked. My sister wasn't there at the moment, but Shiv was. She was helping the tattoo artist by providing the inks and such, but she paused long enough to wave at me, then catch herself and give me the finger instead. I gave Shiv the finger back, then left to continue looking at some of the other shops.
"There's some really nice shoes in this one," I mused, feeling a little shiver go through me at the thought of wearing the stiletto heeled, thigh length boots that were shown in the window. Of course, those were far out of my budget and there was no way mom would spring for something like that. "I guess I'll have to get a job."
I frowned slightly as I thought about getting a job, glancing down to my crimson painted nails. This was something I'd thought about quite a bit lately since it wasn't cheap keeping me in makeup, sexy clothes and even books. The problem was in finding a job that wouldn't bore me to tears while I was doing it.
"If I could find something that appeals to my interests like Kim did," I mused thoughtfully.
Of course, the problem was that there weren't a lot of jobs available that could appeal to my interests, at least not for high school girls or twisted. I knew that I'd probably get a huge kick of being a stripper or model of some sort given my love of attention, lack of modesty and exhibitionist streak, but I also liked reading and learning things now so might be able to handle working in a library. Then again, "That wouldn't get me much attention."
I considered the whole job situation for a while longer, eventually realizing that I'd probably have to get a job at a fast food restaurant or something. After all, the goal was to make some extra spending money, but I'd still love to find a job that tickled my interests and quirks while I was at it. Fortunately, there wasn't any real hurry so I'd have time to keep looking, even if I had to take some fast food grunt job in the meantime.
Just then, I noticed Devon coming out of one of the stores, this time without Kase following him around. I stared at him for a moment, briefly wondering if I should turn around and avoid him entirely. However, he saw me before I could make my decision.
"Damn," I muttered, bracing myself to call up my tricks if I needed to.
Devon took a look at me, paled slightly and then hurried away down the hall. I just stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing. It didn't take much to guess that he still bought Kim's bluff about my being able to make guys impotent as my trick, which could make things rather interesting.
"I wonder if he'd still run away if his friends were with him," I mused. "At least he's easier to deal with than that Glasses jerk at the beach."
Eventually I made my way back to the spot where I was supposed to meet Jeke and Janine, and to my delight, Jeke was already there waiting. I ran up to him with a grin and surprised him with a long and passionate kiss which drew attention from just about everyone nearby. I heard a few people giggling at our display but I didn't care. God this felt good...
"So," I winked at him, "how's my best friend been doing?"
Jeke blinked as he gathered his wits, then gave me a goofy grin. "A lot better now."
"That's good to hear," I smirked, feeling quite pleased with myself and just how easily I'd managed to daze him. I'd never been able to get that kind of reaction from him before, but then again, I certainly hadn't tried or wanted to either.
Jeke gave me an odd look, then cautiously said, "Janine told me you were having your period. What's it like?"
I grimaced, "It's like being sucker punched on the inside, bleeding nonstop and having rats gnaw on me at the same time."
"Ugh," Jeke looked like he was going to be sick.
"Tell me about it," I snorted. "It's the nastiest, most disgusting thing I've ever been through in my entire life. I wished I would just die and get it over with."
"Janine said you've got some kind of super period or something," Jeke commented, looking embarrassed to be talking about this. I knew exactly what he meant since I'd never thought I'd be talking about my period with my best friend. That was the kind of thing girls do. Then again, I definitely fit into that category now.
"Yeah," I sighed, "it's a lot worse than most girls get, but at least I get over it faster too."
It was then that Janine made her appearance and came towards us. I grinned, giving her the same greeting I gave Jeke. Not only did it seem fair, but it was fun as hell, especially since she kissed back even more passionately than Jeke. Hell, if we weren't in the middle of the mall she probably would have torn my clothes off and done a lot more, or at least that was the impression I got.
"Glad to see you're feeling better," Janine grinned at me once we pulled apart. "And while I'm thinking about it, congratulations, you're now officially a woman."
"Gee, thanks," I rolled my eyes. "Do I get a membership pin or something now?"
"No," Janine giggled. "But you do have to pay monthly membership fees." I just groaned at that.
After this we made our way over to the movie theater, though none of us paid much attention to the actual movie. Instead, we spent most of it making out in the dark, which was quite an experience since I had to go back and forth between Jeke and Janine, who sat on each side of me. Of course, that was a whole lot more exciting than the movie ever could have been.
While I was taking turns kissing Jeke and Janine, I couldn't help thinking about just how good this felt and how right. I loved the delicious things that just kissing them did to my body, and I was suddenly struck with a realization. I suddenly knew without a doubt that it wouldn't be long before we moved to the next level, before I gave myself to them fully and we had sex. The idea made me even more excited than I already was.
I knew that Janine would be more than pleased if we moved our relationship to the next level sooner rather than later. She'd been controlling her impulsiveness quite admirably and taking things slowly, even accepting Jeke in our relationship in spite of her normal discomfort around boys. But there was no doubt in my mind that she was ready and willing to go to the next level.
Jeke however, I was a little less certain of. I'd been his best friend for a long time, and in spite of his bragging, I knew that he'd never been with a girl before. I knew that he was still a virgin, just like I was. He'd was more willing to take things slowly, to wait until we were both ready, though I didn't think I'd be willing to wait much longer. I smiled in eager anticipation as I thought about being his first, about us being each other's first... I could hardly wait.
I continued thinking about this all through the movie and on the trip home. I loved the idea of seducing them both, or at least seducing Jeke and letting Janine seduce me. Something of what I was thinking must have shown because Janine asked me what I was thinking about.
I looked around and realized that there were still people nearby that I didn't want hearing this, so I bent forward and licked her ear, whispering, "I'll tell you later." Jeke looked a little jealous, so I licked his ear too, earning a bright blush.
When we arrived at my house a short time later, I hoped that we could continue our little make out session up in my bedroom where we had a little more privacy. I was just thankful my dad wasn't home because I didn't want to explain my motives and intentions under the influence of his trick. I blushed brightly as I thought about how embarrassing that would be.
As soon as we stepped into my bedroom, Jeke stared at the thick book on my bed that I'd been reading just that morning. He picked it up and looked at the bookmark that was a quarter of the way through, his eyes going wide. "You're reading War and Peace?" He stared at me in disbelief, almost as though I were crazy.
"Wow," Janine blinked in surprise, staring at the book and then me. I'd already told her about my speed reading and cravings to read new books, but I don't think she took it seriously until just then. "You're really reading this?"
I shrugged, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Yeah," I admitted, "I started it last night." Then, because they were still looking at me as though I had to be crazy to actually read it, I explained, "Kim gave it to me as a joke when she found out I like reading now. I started reading it just to spite her, but now I'm caught up in it and have to find out what happens."
Jeke shook his head, "And to think...you used to just use Cliff Notes instead of reading the books assigned in literature."
Janine just laughed, "When you're done, you'll probably be one of only five people or so in the entire world who actually read it."
"If you go spreading this around school," I teased Jeke, "I'll hit you over the head with it." That earned a good laugh from everyone.
We all settled down to talk and play some games, the romantic mood broken for the moment. However, I was well aware that it would come back. When the time was right and I was alone with one of them, I'd make my move. I just didn't know which one would be my first time, though that was something to think about later.
Jeke found my deck of cards and asked, "So, what should we play?"
"How about strip poker," I suggested sincerely, earning a gasp of surprise from Jeke and a giggle from Janine.
"I'm in," Janine grinned, giving me an obvious once over with her eyes. However, she glanced a little more hesitantly at Jeke.
"Me too," Jeke nodded, giving me almost the same look that Janine had a moment earlier. He also looked at her a lot more appreciatively than she had him.
"You know," Janine said as she took the cards from Jeke and began shuffling them, "your total lack of modesty is a lot of fun."
"You can say that again," Jeke grinned. "You're a lot more fun to play with than you used to be."
"And better looking too," I boasted.
Just as Janine had dealt the first hand, there was a knock on the door and my mom stepped through, ducking so she didn't hit her head. She was huge and muscular at the moment, towering over all of us and revealing that she'd just returned from the gym. Her hair was still dry so she hadn't even had her shower yet.
Mom looked at us a little suspiciously, though not too much, then she gave me a particularly odd look before hesitantly saying, "There's a...dog at the door asking to talk to you."
"A dog?" I blinked, then gasped, "Marcus." I hadn't seen him in nearly two weeks, not since the day we'd met him on the beach.
I hurried out of my room with Jeke and Janine following close behind me. When I reached the living room, I saw my dad and realized that he must have come home while we were goofing off in my room. At the moment, he was watching Marcus with an expression of curiosity while Marcus just sat in the middle of the living room floor, looking almost like any other dog.
"Hey Marcus," I greeted him, "I'm a little surprised to see you here. I mean, I never told you where I lived..."
Marcus chuckled, which sounded a bit odd coming from a dog, "Yeah, but I caught your scent and followed it here. I thought I'd say hi since you kids are the only ones I know here in Spiral."
"Nice seeing you again," Janine told him.
"Marcus," dad mused. "So this is the dog...person you met at the beach." Dad looked at him for a moment, this time a little more seriously, "It's nice to meet you. Thank you for helping my daughter out."
"Glad to help," Marcus said, looking to me. "So how've you kids been doing?"
"Not bad," Jeke answered. "What about you? I mean, you ran off as soon as we got to Spiral..."
"I guess I got a little ahead of myself with my enthusiasm," Marcus chuckled. "I've been running around, finding a place to stay and looking for work." He shook his head. "It's not easy finding a job when you look like this, even in Spiral." He sounded disappointed at that, as though he had been expecting otherwise.
"That's sad to hear," mom said as she came into the room.
Marcus remained frozen where he was, looking up at mom and seeming a bit intimidated. I doubt he'd ever met anyone as big or muscular as my mom was after one of her full blown workouts. But after seeing that the rest of us weren't bothered by her size, he relaxed a bit.
"I guess it shouldn't be a surprise." Marcus forced a chuckle. "I never finished school and had to drop out after my twist, and since I don't have hands I can't exactly do a lot of manual work either."
"That's terrible," dad exclaimed, giving Marcus a sympathetic look. Then he abruptly asked, "How much like a dog are you?"
Marcus hesitated, as though he didn't know whether to be offended or not. Then he carefully answered, "Pretty much all the way physically."
Dad looked a little more interested, "Do you have the same kind of sense of smell as a dog?"
"Sure," Marcus responded, "I've got great hearing too, though my eyesight isn't the best."
Dad just sat there looking thoughtful for a moment, then he said, "I've got some friends in the police department, and I think they'd be interested in someone like you."
"What?" Marcus asked suspiciously.
"They use trained dogs for a variety of things," dad explained. "They use dogs to find drugs, explosives, and people. But their dogs aren't flexible enough to shift around or smart enough to make judgment calls. If you've got all the abilities of a dog and the intelligence of a man, you'd be absolutely invaluable to them."
Marcus snorted, "Yeah right..."
"He isn't lying," I pointed out. "My dad can't lie. It's part of his twist." This made Marcus look at him with a new interest, even considering what dad said.
"Of course they'd probably do a background check on you and the like," dad continued. "But they're pretty flexible here in Spiral. They used to have me there to help during interrogations. Still, even if the police aren't interested, I can pretty much guarantee that the security office in my company would be interested in someone whose both security guard and guard dog at the same time."
"Police work and security," Marcus mused to himself, giving a strange dog grin. "I'd never thought about doing that kind of thing before, but I think you're right. I'd be a natural."
At this point, dad and Marcus were talking so intently to each other that the rest of us were completely left out. They started off talking about what kind of jobs Marcus could do, something that really excited him and made him happy, then they shifted to other things such as politics and eventually even sports. The rest of us drifted away while their conversation continued for several hours. I had a feeling that I'd just introduced my dad to his new best friend.
That night Jeke, Janine and Marcus were all invited to stay for dinner. Marcus was surprised when we offered him an actual place at the table, along with a real plate to eat off instead of automatically assuming he'd eat off the floor. He didn't say anything about it, but I could tell he was extremely happy to be treated as a person instead of a dog, which was something he couldn't get much in the outside world.
Eventually Jeke, Janine, and I returned to my room where we had some privacy again, but with Marcus and my parents in the other room we didn't dare try anything too serious. Instead, we turned on my small TV and cuddled up together on my bed to watch it and make out a little. It was extremely pleasant since I was in the middle with one arm around Jeke and the other around Janine.
While we cuddled together, I thought about Marcus and was glad that everything was finally working out for him, but I was even more thankful that things were working out so well for the three of us as well. Since I hadn't been able to make up my mind, our relationships could have been shattered and I never would have had this...had both of them and everything that came with that.
I smiled dreamily as my mind drifted back to the thoughts I'd been having earlier. I looked at both Jeke and Janine, feeling a trill of excitement fill me. My body was already responding to my thoughts, making it even more clear that I wasn't going to wait much longer. I licked my lips in eager anticipation, thinking of all the good things I'd gained since my twist and how many more were to come. Of course my tricks were great and I absolutely loved all the attention I now drew, but the best thing my twist had given me were Jeke and Janine. I wouldn't have had either of them without it.
The outside world could be a hostile place for the twisted, a fact that Glasses and his crew proved to me. But things were different here in Spiral. Here, I was surrounded by friends and family, by people who cared for me and accepted me for who and what I was...even when I didn't always know what that was myself. But I knew who I was now, or at least I was quickly learning. I was a sexy young woman with an exhibitionist streak, a bisexual with two soon to be lovers, a girl with some wicked tricks, and I was now even an enthusiast of reading and learning. And in spite of In spite of how much I'd changed body and mind, I was still Blake Tyler. I might not have chosen to become any of these things, but this was who I now was and I was happy with that. After all, that's just life for a twisted.
Mark is adopted and finds out in the most shocking way that his birth parents left him with a Twisted legacy.
This story takes place in Morpheus's Twisted universe.
"Go long," I called to my friend Cody as I threw a football as hard as I could. Cody ran down the length of the long yard beside my house, missing the ball and earning a few good-natured insults. "What's the matter?" I teased him. "Wash your hands with butter again?"
"No Mark, you just need to learn how to throw better," Cody called back with a broad grin.
Cody and I were best friends, having known each other since we were both in elementary school. He even lived just across the street from me so we spent almost every day hanging out together. Lately we'd both been spending a lot of time playing football, hoping that we'd be good enough to join the school team next year. Our chances were fairly good, in large part because we lived in a small town that didn't offer a whole lot of competition.
I grinned as Cody came back to me with the ball in hand. He was fifteen, the same age as me though he was just a little taller. And where my hair was really dark, his was a sandy blonde. I was also a better athlete than him, a fact that I loved to tease him about on occasion.
"So," I grinned, "you want to try again? I can try throwing a real long pass..."
"Or I could pass to you," Cody shrugged. "That way you could show me how badly your hands are buttered."
"Maybe," I laughed. "Or maybe I'll show you how bad you really are."
"So," Cody asked after a moment, "I know your birthday is in a couple weeks. Have your folks said anything about having a big party?"
"No," I shrugged. "It's not really my birthday anyway. You know that."
"Oh yeah," Cody blushed, "I forgot about that..."
I frowned and thought about my birthday, or my unbirthday as it were. I had no idea what day I was really born or even what my real name was since my birth mom had abandoned me at an orphanage when I was only a couple months old. Fortunately, I hadn't been there for even a year before my new parents came and adopted me. I was eternally grateful to them for that since I didn't know who or where I'd be without them.
"So," Cody asked, changing the subject, "are you going to ask Lisa Cartright out? I know you've been drooling over her for months."
"Maybe," I blushed, "I'm just waiting for the right time."
"Uh huh," Cody nodded, "Sure you are." Then he grinned, "She sure has filled out over the last year. You remember a couple years ago when she was completely flat chested..."
"Yeah," I grimaced, remembering an unfortunate incident where I'd teased Lisa about never being big enough to wear a bra. I just hoped that she didn't remember it. That would surely blow my chances for a date with her to hell.
Just then, I heard a low humming sound and turned to see a sleek looking car going past on the road. The bottom of the car was a full foot above the road, which wasn't too surprising considering that it was one of those new hover cars. They weren't exactly new, having been around for nearly ten years. However, they were fairly expensive so we didn't see many of them around town.
"Damn," Cody whistled, "I'd love to drive one of those."
"Me too," I agreed, thinking about how much a car like that would impress Lisa and just about every other girl.
Then Cody looked down at his watch and grimaced, "Damn. I've gotta go."
"There's a bush you can go behind over there," I teased.
Cody just rolled his eyes, "My folks volunteered me to go over and help Reverend Jack paint his shed."
"Ouch," I winced, remembering Cody complaining about that earlier.
"You want to come and help?" Cody asked hopefully.
"No thanks," I told him with a look of mock disappointment. "My mom has some chores she wanted me to do around the house."
I said good-bye to Cody and waved to him as he hurried across the street to his house, then I grabbed my football and went back to mine. As soon as stepped in the door, I was assaulted with the smell of fresh baked bread. I was nearly drooling at that but knew that I've to be patient and wait for my mom to offer it.
Then I turned my attention to my sister Grace who was sitting in the middle of the floor and playing with her dolls. Grace wasn't my biological sister but I loved her just the same as if she was, though I'd never tell her that. She was seven years old and as my mom said, cute as a button... whatever that means.
"Hi Mark," Grace waved to me. "You wanna play dolls with me?"
I looked to her small collection of dolls, all of them those blonde Barbie's with dimensions that were impossible for real women. They were all wearing pink outfits, which happened to match the pink plastic car and the pink playhouse Grace had for them. The very sight made me feel nauseous.
"No thanks," I told Grace. "I'm a guy. I don't play dolls. I play football." I held up my ball for her to see.
"Please," Grace begged with those puppy dog eyes that made it hard to say no.
"I told you no," I snapped.
Just then my mom stepped into the room and gave me one of 'those looks'. It was the kind that said she wasn't angry but that she was about to get very insistent about something. I'd seen her use that same look a number of times, including last week right before she had me and my dad spend the whole day cleaning out the garage. It usually wasn't a good sign.
"Mark Leland Brown," she said using my full name, which was an even worse sign. "You sit down and play with your sister. You two don't spend enough quality time together."
"But mom," I protested with a sinking feeling in my gut.
"No buts," she told me with that look that brooked no arguments.
However, I did try to argue and protest for another minute, but in the end I ended up doing my mom said, just as I knew I would. I sat down on the floor beside Grace, letting out an exasperated sigh as I looked over her collection of girlie toys. She had a half dozen of the dolls with all their pink accessories.
"Don't these things come in anything other than pink?" I asked Grace as I picked up a bright pink toy boat.
"Pink's pretty," Grace said insistently, giving me a look that had hints of my mom's look in it. I had a feeling that one day her look would be fully developed and she'd terrorize her own kids with it.
"Whatever," I rolled my eyes, knowing that it was pointless to argue about something like that.
"Here," Grace said, handing me one of her dolls, "you play with this one..."
I accepted the doll with a sigh of, "Just great."
The doll was the same as all the others with the blonde hair and well developed figure. This one was also dressed in some sort of pink business suit that even included a pink briefcase. I supposed that at least it was better than the one in the pink ballerina outfit which Grace seemed to like.
"I'll be the mommy and you be the little girl," Grace told me, pointing to our dolls.
"This doesn't look like a little girl to me," I told her with a smirk.
I rolled my eyes, wondering how I could have possibly ended up playing dolls on the floor with my little sister. This was humiliating and I knew that I'd just die if Cody or anyone else found out. I grimaced as the sudden thought that my mom might take a picture of us and use it as blackmail material later on.
Fortunately, mom didn't come in with a camera, though she did come and check on us several times, or at least checked on me to make sure I was still with Grace. I was really regretting my decision not to go help Cody. Painting a shed might be work, but at least it wasn't embarrassing.
Suddenly, I felt a strange tingling rush through my body like a wave that came out of nowhere. I gasped as every hair on the back of my arms stood on end, as though I was caught in a bunch of static electricity. Then it all exploded through my at once, filling my body with fire and making me feel like I'd just been struck by lightning. The raw force of it was indescribable and I think I screamed though I wasn't sure. Everything went black a moment later.
I awoke some time later, still laying on the floor and looking up at the ceiling. My body was tingling and felt very strange but it didn't hurt. I gulped in fear, wondering what was wrong with me. Did I just have a stroke or something? I was way too young for something like that but it was the only thing I could think of unless I actually had been struck by lightning. That wasn't too likely though either since the sky had been clear.
"What...?" I blinked, finding myself too weak to move much.
"You're awake," my mom exclaimed, coming over and standing above me. She stared at me with a strange expression but didn't bent over to get any closer. "Mark...?"
"Yeah...," I responded weakly. My mom's eyes went wide and she gulped visibly.
Then both my dad and Doctor Grissom came to stand over me, making me realize that I must have been out of it for awhile. Dad had been at work while I was playing with Grace and Doctor Grissom worked on the other side of town. I suddenly felt even more terrified than before. Dad just stood there, staring down at me with an unreadable expression. He didn't say a word though which only made me more worried, which I wouldn't have thought possible.
"What's wrong with me?" I asked weakly, my voice sounding strange to my ears.
Doctor Grissom didn't answer, but he did bent over to look at me a little more closely. He put a hand on my forehead, grimacing as he did so. Then he looked me over, obviously not pleased with what he saw.
"What's wrong with me?" I asked again, this time forcing myself to sit up a bit. It was much harder than I ever would have thought and I became aware of a huge weight on my chest. I stared down at myself, gasping in shock to see my chest swelling out into two huge bumps.
"What happened to him?" my dad finally asked grimly. "What the hell happened to Mark?"
"He was just playing with Grace," mom blurted out tearfully. "Then Grace screamed and..." She shook her head and then stared at me, "He turned into this..."'
"There's only one thing it can be," Doctor Grissom said, looking down at me with a look of extreme distaste. "He's Twisted."
"Twisted?" mom gasped in horror.
"Twisted?" I repeated, feeling horrified myself.
There was no way I could be Twisted... Everyone knew that the Twisted were complete freaks, that they were unnatural mutations and monsters. Everyone knew that. And the only way you could even be Twisted was if your parents or grandparents had survived the Kinkaid Virus...the Antarctic Flu...
"No," I gasped in shock, remembering that I had absolutely no idea who my biological parents were. For all I knew, they could both be Twisted. "NO!"
I struggled to sit up more and get a better look at myself. All I could see though were the two large mounds growing from my chest. I had been covered with a blanked that hid my lower body but I didn't even want to think about moving it yet. I just stared down at my chest, slowly realizing that the two mounds looked like boobs... It looked like I had boobs like some girl. Big ones too...
"How can he be Twisted?" my dad demanded angrily.
Doctor Grissom scowled. "The way other people are Twisted. It's a side effect of a genetic mutation caused by the Kinkaid virus. I never suspected that Mark could be one of them..." He shook his head. "I've never seen a real Twisted before..."
"Is there anything we can do?" mom demanded. "Can we cure him?"
"There is no cure," Doctor Grissom stated, giving me a quick glare as though this was all my fault. "Fortunately, being Twisted isn't contagious."
I could only sit there, too shocked to say anything. In fact, I could barely even think. This was just too much. It was too shocking. It was a nightmare. That's it, I decided. I was having a nightmare. I'd wake up and everything would be back to normal. I kept willing myself to wake up but it didn't do any good.
Doctor Grissom and my parents continued to talk as though I wasn't there while I remained where I was, too stunned to join the conversation even if they did want to include me. All I could do was stare down at myself, trying to make sense of it all. I felt myself getting a little stronger and I could move more easily, but at the moment I didn't really want to move. The only movements I wanted to make was to curl up into a little ball, or maybe get up and run away from myself as fast as I could.
I held my hand up and stared at it, gulping as I did so. It looked like a girl's hand. It looked all feminine and I even had long fingernails. The very sight was enough to make me stare at my chest again, feeling a knot in my stomach. I shook for a moment, beginning to realize how I had changed and not liking it one little bit.
While Doctor Grissom and my parents were occupied with themselves, I slowly slipped one hand under the blanket, feeling my legs and finding that they were now soft and smooth. I felt sick at that and even more so when I felt my crotch. It was flat and empty. The only thing I could feel there was...was a slit. I felt as though I was going to empty my stomach.
By this time, I thought I felt well enough to stand up. I wrapped the blanket tightly around me, even lifting it up high enough to cover my chest. I blushed horribly as I did this, then I stood up. I was weak and shaky and my legs felt something like rubber, but I managed to get to my feet and stand. That action finally caused Doctor Grissom and my parents to notice me again.
"Is that really you?" mom asked me with a look of stunned disbelief, even as she stared at my face.
"I think so," I whispered, not sure what else to say. I felt so wrong and uncomfortable. Then I turned to Doctor Grissom, "Can you fix me...?" I pleaded with him. "Is there any way to put me back to normal?"
Doctor Grissom stared at me for a moment, finally showing the first look of sympathy that I'd seen from him today. "I'm afraid not," he told me. "There's no cure for the Twist. It's all genetic."
"There must be something we can do," dad insisted, giving me a strange look.
Doctor Grissom shook his head. "There's nothing more I can do except suggest you read up on the Twisted."
After this Doctor Grissom had a few more words for my parents and then he left. I turned to my parents, both of whom looked extremely uncomfortable around me. I winced at the looks on their faces, feeling horribly hurt. But I understood exactly how they felt. I sure as hell didn't want to be some kind of Twisted freak. I didn't know what to say to them or what I wanted them to say to me.
Just then, Grace came into the room, staring at me with a look of stunned disbelief and worry. "Are you really Mark?" she asked quietly.
"I told you to stay in your room," mom snapped at Grace, who only winced but continued looking at me.
"I...I don't know," I winced.
While mom was ushering Grace back to her room, I hurried to my own room and locked the door behind me. I threw myself onto my bed and just lay there, refusing to look at my transformed body. I could feel the differences. Everything was just...wrong. I wanted to scream but knew that it wouldn't do any good.
While I laid there, I eventually became aware of something else. I felt...antsy. I couldn't think of how else to describe it. It was as though I wanted something...even craved it. Unfortunately, I had no idea what this thing was. I was getting more and more uncomfortable because of this as well as my new body. It was enough to drive me insane.
"Please change back to normal," I begged my body. Unfortunately, it did no good. Nor had I really expected it would.
Eventually I sat up and looked myself over without the blanket in the way. I single look was enough to tell me that I looked completely like a girl, though I already knew that much. I had long legs, a thin waist and big boobs that seemed surprisingly firm. I didn't know what to make of my new body though I knew I wanted my old one back.
"This isn't me," I grimaced in frustration.
After looking my body over, my curiosity got too strong. I had to see what I looked like. I wrapped myself up in the blanket again and left he brief safety of my room, hurrying the short distance across the hall into the bathroom. I locked the door behind me and then turned to face myself in the mirror, gasping as I did so.
The reflection in the mirror was not me by any stretch of the imagination, or at least not anything that I associated with 'me'. It was a girl my own age but much more developed than any I'd ever seen in real life. I had long, golden blonde hair that went down to my ass. I ran my hands through it, finding it surprisingly soft and smooth. My face was gorgeous, with big blue eyes and pouty lips. I already knew from my self examination that I had a killer body, but seeing it was something else entirely.
"Holy shit," I exclaimed, suddenly reminded of Grace's Barbie dolls.
I did look a lot like one of Grace's dolls, or at least as much as a human could. I had big breasts that I knew where too firm and high for any real woman of that size to possess. I had an hourglass figure with a waist so thin it looked like I was wearing a corset. And my legs were just a bit too long to be normal. These traits weren't quite as exaggerated as they were in the dolls, but they were there enough for me to notice.
"I've become a human Barbie doll," I cried out in horror.
I continued staring at myself and examining my body with a strange sense of horrified curiosity. I dreaded what I saw but I had to look at it anyway. My body seemed completely alien to me as I looked it over but I couldn't stop.
"I'm a Twisted freak," I winced as I said it, knowing it was true. Nothing but being Twisted could possibly explain why I had changed like this. If my parents...my real parents really were Twisted, it was no wonder they got rid of me. Who'd want a kid they knew was going to be a Twisted freak?
I looked over my body, noticing a number of strange things, mostly in that it seemed a bit too perfect. I didn't have a single hair on my body below my neck. I was completely smooth, even in my nether regions. I didn't even have any flaws in my skin. I didn't have any scars, moles, or blemishes of any kind. It truly was like I had become some kind of living doll.
"I think I'm gonna be sick," I grimaced.
Unable to help myself, I forced a smile, seeing that even my teeth all looked perfect. They were all straight, even, and white. I ran my tongue inside my mouth, well aware of just how different they all felt. I missed the small gap between my front teeth that was no longer there. In its place I had a perfect smile that sent chills down my spine.
"At least I'm not the size of a doll," I told myself, trying to think of the bright side. I shuddered at the thought but it didn't really cheer me up.
I left the bathroom a minute later, still in shock from all my changes. At the same time, I was still feeling that strange craving for something. It was driving me insane, especially as it grew stronger. I wanted something... needed something. And I didn't even know what it was I wanted so bad.
When I stepped into the hallway, wrapped once again in my blanket, I saw Grace standing there. She was staring at me with a look of amazement, as well as one of concern. It was strange seeing more concern for me from my little sister than from either of my parents, but somehow more appropriate too.
However, my eyes immediately locked not on Grace but on the pink jacket she was wearing. My eyes went wide and I gasped to realize that this was what I was craving... Her jacket looked so pretty... That color was so soothing and calming. I ached to just grab it immediately. At it was, I put my hand on Grace's shoulder, having to touch that pink with my own hands.
"I'm sorry Mark," Grace said tearfully, "I didn't mean to change you..."
"It's not your fault," I said absently, thinking about that soothing pink. On an impulse, I asked, "Can I hold your jacket?"
Grace looked at me with a confused expression but took off her jacket. She handed it over to me and I sighed in relief as I clutched it tightly in my arms. If it would have fit me, I would have immediately put it on in order to be closer to the color. It was absolutely perfect...
"But it's pink," I said after a minute, confused by my own emotions. I hated pink...but not when I looked at it. In fact, the very thought of pink made me smile faintly. I knew that I hated it intellectually, or at least that I had. But my emotions said something else entirely. It was as though pink had suddenly become my favorite color. "What's happening to me...?"
I tried to give Grace her jacket back but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I just had to keep this lovely pink. I wanted...no...I NEEDED the pink. It was the perfect color. All my worries seemed to slip away as I clutched her jacket. Pink was the perfect security blanket.
"Can I borrow this for awhile?" I asked Grace, my voice shaking as I did so. I didn't know what I'd do if she said no.
"Okay," Grace responded with a look of confusion.
"Thank you," I told her with a sigh of relief.
"But you're too big to wear it silly," Grace told me.
"That's okay," I told her, hurrying back into the safety of my room.
Now that I had the comfort of Grace's pink jacket, I was able to relax a little. Things didn't seem quite as bad, though of course they were still absolutely horrible. But the pink security blanket of her jacket was comforting enough for me to at least be able take a few breaths and think things through.
I had no idea what I was going to do now. I had no idea of what was going to happen to me. Hell, I didn't even understand who I was and what had already happened to me. I had suddenly become a stranger in my own skin. But as I sat there clutching Grace's jacket, I remembered Doctor Grissom's advice about reading up in the Twisted.
"What else can I do?" I cried, wiping the tears from my cheeks though they continued to flow.
I went to my computer, thankful that my dad had decided I was responsible enough to have one in my own room last year. It had even been his birthday present to me. I sat down in front of my computer with the jacket on my lap and began to search for information on the Twisted.
"Holy Shit," I gasped as my search brought up a long list of information sources.
I spent the next hour looking through the various sources of information, finding that most of them weren't really helpful. There were a few that seemed to be written by religious leaders claiming that the Twisted were either transformed because of their sins or were possessed by some sort of devils. I did find one that suggested the opposite, that the Twisted were actually blessed by God.
"Not what I need," I said, hoping I could find something a little more practical.
Then I found a bunch of stuff from a Senator who claimed that the Twisted were actually being possessed or at least controlled by beings from another dimension. I'd heard those rumors before, especially around town. I'd even heard my dad talking about them once or twice, which made me glance to my bedroom door nervously.
Eventually though, I found a site from some guy who claimed to be a Twisted himself. He gave all sorts of information about the Twisted, giving all sorts of scientific references and quoting personal experiences. I didn't know if this was any more real than the other things I'd read, but at least this one made an attempt to be scientific about it.
The site started off telling me what I already knew, about the Antarctic Flu epidemic that swept over North America about fifty years ago. It infected a lot of people and killed 60% of those infected. However, it also did something to the DNA of those who survived so that their kids and grand kids ended up becoming Twisted.
There was all sorts of fancy scientific jargon about what the Twisted really were but I just glossed over that since it didn't make much sense to me. For the most part, it basically came down to the Twisted being like antennas that touched a quantum field...whatever that was. That was what changed them.
I soon came to the part that really caught my attention. It said that the first time someone touched this quantum field, the energy would rush through them and transform them in some way. The said this was called the Twist. But the way he described it sounded almost identical to what I'd gone through.
"So I went through a Twist," I said bitterly.
What I read next sent chills down my spine again. It said that the Twist could change people in body, mind, or even soul...though he referred to the last as personality. It seemed the same thing to me though. My body had definitely been changed but what about my other things? I didn't think my personality had been changed but I couldn't be sure.
"Then there's this," I said, looking at the pink jacket.
I'd never liked pink before but now I couldn't get enough of it. It was like I had actually become addicted to a color. It made no sense to me at first, but then I kept reading from the web site and realized what it was. The guy said that a lot of Twisted had some sort of compulsion, and this was obviously mine.
"Just great," I winced in disgust, "I've got a compulsion that makes me addicted to pink." It seemed like the most ridiculous thing in the world, especially when I said it aloud like that.
There were other things on the page too, such as it saying that most Twisted have at least one kind of power due to this connection to the quantum field. Except he didn't say power. He referred to these powers as tricks. I didn't think I had any kind of weird powers, or at least I certainly hadn't noticed any. It would have been nice though to have at least gotten something cool out of this whole situation.
The last piece of information made me clench my fists in anger, even though my nails dug painfully into my palm. It said that when you went through the Twist, what you were doing at the time usually played a large part in how you were changed. I'd been playing dolls with Grace, so I had been turned into some sort of human doll. And since the dolls all had pink accessories and clothes, that seemed to explain my new fondness for the color.
"No," I grimaced, desperately wishing that I'd been doing something else, even working with Cody. "It's not fair... It's just not fair..."
I went and curled up on my bed for several more hours, alternating between checking out my body again and completely ignoring it. I even ignored the knocking on my bedroom door and the calls to come out for dinner. Mom and dad didn't try to get my attention too hard though so I guess they didn't really want to face me like this any more than I wanted to face them. I eventually went to sleep there, still clutching Grace's pink jacket.
I didn't sleep very well which was no surprise. I had a hard time getting comfortable, especially when my new boobs kept getting on the way. I couldn't sleep on my stomach like I normally do and sleeping on my back only made me more aware of the weight on my chest. Then once I did get asleep, the dreams were far too strange to ever describe not to mention more than a little embarrassing.
When it was time to climb out of bed, I didn't know whether to be frustrated or thankful. Sleep hadn't been very rewarding to me but it still seemed better than getting up and facing reality. Of course, once I did climb out of bed I was faced with several new problems. One was that I didn't have a single piece of clothing that still fit me, leaving me stuck in my room unless I wanted to go out wrapped in a blanket.
"Just great," I grumbled as I sat up and cupped my breasts. I winced at the very sight, well aware of the irony that I'd normally kill to get my hands on a pair of boobs like this. I just never thought that I'd be the one with them. "I was hoping it was just a nightmare."
I was trying to think of what I could possibly do when there was a hesitant knock on my door. I ignored it but then Grace's voice called, "Mom said to tell you it's breakfast..."
"Breakfast," I muttered, realizing that I was feeling pretty hungry. I'd been too ashamed to come out for dinner last night though that hadn't really changed. "I don't have any clothes," I called back through the door. Hopefully mom would bring something for me to eat. Then again, I wasn't sure I wanted her to see me like this again, even if she has already.
Several minutes later there was another knock on the door. This time it was mom, saying, "Open up... I've got something you can wear..."
I hesitated a minute, then opened the door enough for her to hand the clothes in. I quickly snatched them and closed the door again. When I looked at the clothes, they were a pair of dad's sweat pants and one of his shirts. I sighed, knowing that they probably still wouldn't fit me very well but at least it would be something to wear for now.
When I put the pants on, I found that there wasn't really as much extra leg to roll up as I would have guessed. Then again, my legs were a bit longer in proportion to the rest of me than most people's. But just because the pants were long enough, that didn't mean they stayed up without a belt. The shirt wasn't much better. It was long in the sleeves but tight across my chest. It was kind of embarrassing to wear but certainly better than nothing.
It didn't take me very long to get dressed but I still didn't come out of my room for another half hour. I gulped, feeling my chest move with every step. I was so embarrassed to let anyone see me like this, even mom and Grace. But I took a deep breath and forced myself to go to the kitchen anyway. My hunger was great motivation.
"Mark," mom gasped when she saw me.
Grace had already finished her breakfast but she sat at the table with one of her dolls. I glared it with a feeling of raw hatred, as though it were the doll's fault that I'd been transformed like this. Then I looked back and mom and blushed brightly, unable to meet her eyes.
"Is that Grace's jacket?" mom asked with a confused frown.
I looked down to where I was still holding the jacket in my hand, feeling embarrassed at it. "Um...yeah," I admitted, not sure how I could tell her about my new fondness for pink. That was nearly as embarrassing as my body.
I didn't say anything about the jacket as I sat down and placed it in my lap. Mom gave me an odd look but didn't say anything either while Grace just giggled and played with her doll, pausing several times to look at me. She finally said, "You look just like my dolly..."
"I know," I responded with a grimace, trying to keep the frustration from my voice. I failed completely.
Breakfast was quiet but filled with strange looks, mostly from mom. I tried very hard not to look at her or Grace, but I knew that they were both staring at me quite a bit. Mom looked extremely uncomfortable and unsure about what to do with me. I couldn't blame her. Nor could I help but think that she probably regretted ever adopting me in the first place. After all, they didn't bargain for something like this.
"I suppose," mom said uncertainly, "that we'll need to get you some new clothes."
"I suppose," I reluctantly agreed. Then I looked around and quietly asked, "Where's dad?"
"At work," mom told me with a weak smile. I just nodded at that, not bothering to point out that it was dad's day off.
The rest of the morning was extremely awkward but I was stubborn enough not to go back into my room. I stayed out in the living room, more to shove my changes in her face than anything else. She was obviously extremely confused by the whole situation as well, but nowhere near as much as I was.
Grace was a bit confused by my transformation, but she seemed almost good natured about it. In fact, I think she was actually fascinated by how much I now resembled one of her dolls, though I tried not to take it personally. It was nice that at least she didn't look at me as though I might have suddenly become a monster.
Eventually though, mom hesitantly pointed out, "If we're going to go get you some new clothes, you might want to wash up first."
I looked down at myself, wincing at the idea of taking a shower in my new body. Unfortunately, I would have to do it sooner or later and I wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of being gross and grungy. I nodded and made my way to the bathroom, feeling nervous as I did so.
"Okay," I set Grace's jacket to the side. I was all right if I wasn't holding it as long as it was near enough to see. Just being able to see the color pink helped me relax. "It's such a nice color..."
I quickly got undressed and was about to climb into the shower when mom called through the door, "You'd better use the conditioner... With your hair you'll need a lot of it."
I grunted in response to that but made a mental note to follow her advice. I climbed into the shower and let out a gasp as the water hit my skin, especially the skin on my boobs. It all felt so sensitive now. However, I refused to dwell on that and washed myself as quickly as I could, using a pink wash cloth that I'd found in the cupboard. I hesitated a little about washing between my legs but finally braced myself and did that too. It just felt wrong there without my normal equipment.
Once I was done, I turned my attention to my hair. Now that it was wet, it was actually kind of heavy. I grimaced and reached for the flowery shampoo my mom had as well as the conditioner. Since I had so much hair, it seemed like I went through half the bottles. It was also a lot more work than I'd ever spent on my hair before, making me decide to cut it shorter at the first opportunity.
As soon as I was finished in the shower, it was time to dry off. I used an extra large pink towel to dry my skin off but found that my hair was a bit more complicated. It was so long and so wet... I tried using a towel but quickly became convinced that it would never get dry. I finally remembered the blow dryer in the cupboard and used that. It was hot on my head but seemed to do the job, especially when I grabbed a brush and ran it through my hair at the same time.
"I can't believe it takes so long," I grimaced impatiently.
When I was done, I ran a hand through my hair which was not only dry but soft, smooth and silky. I didn't seem to have a single tangle in it. In fact, it even fell right into position as though I'd intentionally brushed it to look nice. Something seemed just a little wrong with that, especially when I remembered my mom and several girls at school complaining about their hair taking a bit more work to get it right. However, I didn't waste much thought in that.
I soon came out of the bathroom dressed in dad's clothes again. It seemed kind of silly putting the same clothes on again after just taken a shower, but it wasn't like I had a lot of options at the moment. Of course, the goal was to change that in a little while.
"I guess I'm ready," I told mom, who just stood there and stared at me.
"You have such gorgeous hair," she said with a bit of envy in her voice. Then she gave me an odd look, obviously remembering exactly who I was.
We left the house a short time later with me wearing my mom's tennis shoes. As embarrassing as it was, my feet were now a little smaller than my mom's so I actually had to wear an extra pair of socks to get the shoes to fit right. It was also somewhat surprising since I was still taller than her, not having lost any height during my change.
I would have said something about feeling like a freak, but the truth was that I was a freak. I had huge breasts, long legs, a tiny waist and small feet. I was a living doll and not at all pleased by that fact. In fact, right now I'd probably even sell my soul if it would get me back to normal.
When we arrived at the store, mom took a look at me and shook her head, "Leave your sister's jacket behind... I don't know why you keep dragging it around..."
"But I need it," I whined, clutching the jacket possessively.
"What?" mom looked at me as though I were completely insane. "It's far too small to ever fit you..."
"You don't understand," I grimaced, hating myself for having to admit this. "It's pink... I need something pink to hold onto or I'll go crazy... I'm addicted to the color pink."
"That's absolutely ridiculous," mom snapped in annoyance.
"So's this," I snapped back, gesturing down at myself. "It's part of my stupid Twist. I've got some kind of compulsion where I have to have something pink around..."
Mom shook her head in disbelief, "I am not going to have you embarrass me by dragging Grace's coat around. Leave it in the car."
I started to protest, but mom gave me that look. I winced and set the coat down, reluctantly leaving it as I closed the door. As soon as it was out of sight I began to feel uncomfortable and nervous. It was like I was going through withdrawal already. Mom didn't seem to notice though and continued into the store, leaving me no choice but to follow behind her.
As uncomfortable as I was before, it grew even worse once I was inside the store. I was immediately aware of just about everyone turning and staring at me. Every guy was staring at my chest with obvious attraction while all the women were glaring at me with envious looks. I never would have imagined getting this kind of response from people.
When I walked past, I heard one man exclaim to his friend, "Did you see that rack? It looked like a pair of volleyballs..."
I blushed horribly at that, knowing that I'd be staring too if I was in his shoes. However, that didn't make me more comfortable with the attention. Not in the least. I heard a few other whispered comments though I tried hard to ignore them. It was easier to ignore them than it might have been otherwise because I kept thinking about the lovely pink jacket I'd left back in the car.
Then I saw it, a flash of pink from a shirt that was hanging on a rack. I immediately rushed to it, much to my mom's surprise. I grabbed it, not even caring if it was my size. It was pink and that was all that was important. I let out a sigh of relief while my mom stared at me as though I were completely insane.
"I need it," I insisted. "Such a lovely color..."
Mom continued to stare at me as though I were a complete and total stranger, and a crazy one at that. She finally gulped, looking a bit shaken as she suggested, "Maybe we should find one your size first..."
"It's pretty," Grace agreed from behind us.
I nodded reluctantly but kept hold of the shirt I already had. They didn't have a shirt like it in my size, but we did find another one in a bright pink color that fit me. It had kittens all over the front but I didn't care. All that mattered was that it was pink. After this, we continued looking around for clothes, finding that there were few things in my size.
"Just great," mom muttered in frustration. "They don't carry bras here in your size so we'll have to go to a real specialty shop." She shook her head and muttered something about strippers that made me blush uncomfortably.
"I don't want a bra," I grumbled, knowing full well that with knockers my size I'd probably have to have one.
We spent several hours trying to find enough to fit me and when we finally left, it was with a pair of pink tennis shoes in my size, a couple pink shirts, a few pairs of capri pants and even a skirt. There were a few other odds and ends, including some pink nail polish and lip stick. I hated the idea of wearing makeup, but if it was pink makeup it somehow seemed different. That was perfectly fine.
Mom continued to give me the odd looks all the way home, as though even more sure that there was something seriously wrong with me. I knew that there was something wrong with me but I didn't like my mom treating me that way. I knew I was a freak, but that didn't mean I wanted to be treated like one.
"What is wrong with you?" mom finally demanded once we got home. "This obsession you're getting with pink is just..."
"Twisted?" I snapped back angrily, all my frustration at my condition finally bursting out in a mass of tears. "You think I want to be this way? Do you think I want to be some kind of human Barbie doll with an addiction to pink? Well I don't. It's not my fault I'm stuck like this..." I gestured down at myself, tears running down my cheeks.
"Then whose fault is it?" mom demanded, as though I had intentionally turned into this...
I glared at mom as I furiously spat out the word, "YOURS!"
"WHAT?" she gasped.
"That Twist thing changes you by what you're doing when it hits," I nearly yelled, remembering what I'd read last night. "You made me play dolls with Grace. That's why I got stuck like THIS!" I gestured down at myself.
"It's my fault?" Grace whimpered, having come up while I was yelling at mom. She stared at me with those puppy dog eyes then burst into tears. "I'm sorry..." She turned and ran into her room as fast as she could.
"I didn't mean," I gasped, feeling a stabbing pain of guilt through my heart. I hadn't meant to hurt Grace.
Mom stared at me with a horrified look on her face, then she winced, "I...I'm sorry. I don't know what this has to be like for you..." She shook her head, looking guilty as well. "I'll try to be more understanding..."
I just nodded at that, then turned and hurried after Grace. I found her in her room, sitting on her bed crying. I put my hand on her shoulder to comfort her, not sure what I could say. "It's all right," I finally told her after a minute, "it's not really your fault. I don't blame you for this..."
Grace sniffled and looked at me with those puppy dog eyes. "I'm sorry," she told me, grabbing me and holding me tingly in a hug.
"It's not your fault," I told her again, this time even more gently.
"Yes it is," Grace admitted with a guilty expression. "I told mom I wished she'd trade in for a sister who'd play with me..."
I stared at Grace for a minute, caught between the urges to laugh and cry. I finally just hugged Grace tighter. "It usually doesn't quite work like that." I forced a smile and joked, "If it did, I would have traded you in for a brother a long time ago."
"Meanie," Grace said, sticking her tongue out at me. However she was smiling again and seemed to be over her bad mood.
"I try," I told her with as much pride as I could force into my voice. She just laughed at that, sticking her tongue out at me again.
I let Grace go after another minute and left her room, glad that I'd patched things up with her a bit but wondering how I was going to deal with mom and dad. I didn't want to face mom again after that little blow up we'd just had, so I turned and went into my room instead.
"And what am I going to tell Cody?" I gulped at the idea. I was not looking forward to showing him what had happened to me.
I remained in my room for awhile, undisturbed by my mom or anyone else. It was easier for both of us this way since neither of us really knew what to say. I felt a little guilty at snapping at my mom and blaming her for this. It wasn't her fault that my real parents must have been Twisted. Still, she had kept pushing me and the memory of that still made me a bit mad.
"At least I've got some clothes now," I told myself, trying to look on the bright side. It wasn't really much of a bright side except that most of what we'd bought was pink. Now I wouldn't have to keep dragging Grace's jacket around. "Too bad they don't have much that really fits me."
I frowned, knowing that even the shirts I could wear weren't really my size. They were more overweight women, not ones with big hooters. If I wanted clothes that would really fit me and my new body, I would have to go to a specialty store or something. Or, I realized with a faint smile, I could just go online.
Since I didn't really have anything else to do at the moment, I got on my computer and began searching the net for more information on the Twisted and for clothes that were a bit more my size. A sale woman at the store had estimated that my breast size was about a G cup, which didn't really mean much to me. All I knew was that they were huge but surprisingly firm for their size. At the very least I might be able to find some clothes that fit me and my new body a little better.
After just a little searching I found that most of the clothes out there for my size seemed to have been designed with strippers in mind. All the tops were skimpy, sexy, and designed to show off cleavage. The very idea of wearing most of that stuff was absolutely ridiculous and there was no way I would wear it.
"But that one's nice," I mused as I looked at one item that was nearly identical to one I'd completely discounted a few seconds earlier. The only difference between the two was that this one was pink. For some reason, these clothes weren't really that bad when they were pink.
I stared at the clothes for a minute, feeling a mixture of emotions. They were too revealing...but they looked so lovely in pink. I finally rationalized it with the fact that I needed clothes that would really fit my new body comfortably, even if they weren't the style I might otherwise choose. I then went ahead and ordered some of the clothes using the credit card my dad had given me 'for emergencies only'. Of course I could have just gone out and asked my mom, but I didn't feel like talking to her much at the moment and this was much easier, not to mention less embarrassing.
Once I was finished with my online shopping, I leaned back and tried to think of what I could do now. I didn't really want to do anything but keeping myself occupied like this at least distracted me from what was going on. Even shopping for new clothes kept me from thinking too much about how strange I now felt.
Since I didn't have anything else to do at the moment, I decided to search for more information on the Antarctic Flu and the Twisted. I spent several hours searching the net for everything I could find, though I was quickly learning that most of the stuff available was mixed-up and contradictory. It seemed that most of the people who posted this stuff didn't really have a lot of facts about the Twisted, just a lot of strong opinions.
"At least some of the stuff is useful," I eventually muttered to myself. Unfortunately, it wasn't easy separating the true facts from the made up ones which seemed to be all over the place. As much as I hated to admit it, I had to wonder just how much of what I previously 'knew' about the Twisted was accurate and how much was garbage.
When I got tired of doing research, I hesitantly left my room to face the rest of my family. Grace was playing with some of her dolls, the sight of which made me go pale. Mom was busy making dinner and intentionally ignoring me. And dad, who had finally come home, took one look at me, gave me a dirty look, and then ran out to the garage to 'fix something'.
"Just great," I muttered bitterly, wondering how I was ever going survive like this. After just a few minutes, I turned around and went back to the sanctuary of my room where at least I didn't have to face the looks my parents kept giving me.
It was my second morning waking up as a Barbie doll bimbo and it didn't get any better the second time. Again, I had a hard time sleeping because of my new assets though at least this time I knew better than to hope it had all been a dream.
"Another day, another nightmare," I grumbled as I made my way to the shower, once again cursing my long hair.
Before long I was all dressed up and ready to face the day, or at least as ready as I could possibly get. I even put on some of the nail polish that we'd bought at the store yesterday. I never would have imagined that I'd put nail polish on under any circumstances...but it was pink. I loved the way it made my nails look, even though I was disgusted with myself for feeling this way at the same time.
My dad was home from work today and took one long disapproving look at me before rushing off to find something to do. I winced as he left, knowing that our relationship would never be the same again. As it was, I had the feeling I was lucky he hadn't just thrown me out of the house for being a freak. Even though he hadn't actually said anything, I knew he regretted ever adopting me in the first place. That thought hurt almost as much as what I had become, though I tried hard not to show it.
I sat down in the living room, more because I was sick of the inside of my room than for any other reason. I liked being able to lock myself away and hide like I had been doing, but I was also getting a bit claustrophobic. I turned on the TV, wincing when I saw it was a movie about a Twisted plot to take over the world.
"I don't think so," I grimaced as I turned the TV back off.
"Maybe you should get out and get some fresh air," mom suggested hopefully. I glared at her and she shrugged, "Or maybe not..."
Grace came up and hesitantly asked, "You wanna play dolls with me?"
I nearly choked at that, but before I could say anything mom gently ushered her away with the comment, "I really don't think Mark wants to play dolls right now..."
"That's an understatement," I scowled, looking down at myself and my huge boobs. It was bad enough looking like a doll that I certainly had no intention of playing with them again, especially when that was what caused me to turn into this in the first place. "Why couldn't I have been playing football instead...?"
Mom came back in a short time later and cautiously told me, "You know, you can't stay in the house forever..." She gave me a strange look that seemed to wordlessly say the opposite, that I should hide and keep others from finding out about what I'd become.
"Maybe not," I responded with a scowl, "but I can certainly try."
Mom shook her head at that and left, but an hour later she came back and handed me some money. "We're out of milk and butter," she told me with an almost apologetic expression, "Go down to the store and pick some up."
I took the money but stared at her in horror, "Do I have to...?"
"It didn't kill you to go out yesterday," she sighed in exasperation, "and you have some real clothing to wear this time. Now go on... You can get yourself a snack too if you want."
I didn't bother arguing with mom though I certainly wanted to. I had a feeling that if I protested too much, she'd give me 'the look' and I'd end up going anyway. I figured that I might as well avoid the trouble since the outcome was a given, but that didn't mean I was happy with it. In fact, I imagined all the smart ass things I could have said but didn't while I walked down the street to the store.
When I reached the store, I was immediately aware of every pair of eyes on me. Guys and even the girls were all staring at my chest and I heard more than one whispered comment along the lines of "Those can't be real..." I blushed horribly and tried my best to ignore them, but it didn't do much good. The fact that I knew who half these people were only made it more embarrassing.
"Milk, butter, and a snack," I reminded myself, more as a distraction from the whispers around me than because I needed a reminder.
Then as if to make things worse, I saw Jake Bartley walk into the store. Jake was a year or two older than me and had a reputation for being a bit rowdy. Of course, the fact that his uncle Cal was the local sheriff seemed to ensure that no matter how rowdy he got, he never seemed to face any real consequences. It was a fact that I was made well aware of when he'd actually taken his neighbor's car on a joy ride and didn't face any jail time for it.
"Wow," Jake exclaimed when he saw me, making me wince. I'd been hoping that I could get out of the store before he saw me. "I've never seen you around here before. Are you visiting someone?"
"You could say that," I responded grimly, moving to step around him.
Unfortunately, Jake didn't let me get away that easily. He stepped in my way again and gave me what he probably thought of as a 'charming' smile. It just made me want to puke since I knew what he was up to and didn't like it one bit.
"What's your name?" he asked me with a cocky grin. "I'm Jake."
"Leila," I responded with a grimace, not about to tell him my real name or announce that I was a Twisted freak. Leila just happened to be the first name to come to mind.
"Leila," Jake said with the same cocky grin. "That's a nice name."
"I've got to get going," I told him, managing to move around him and to the counter. Jake didn't follow me but I was well aware of him staring at my ass. I grimaced and tried not to show my anger.
When I got to the counter, I saw old Milt standing there. He was the old guy who'd been running the store since long before I was born. I usually stopped and talked to him when I came here but I doubt he'd recognize me at the moment. He took a long look at me and then finally looked down at the things I wanted to buy.
"I don't remember seeing you around here before," Milt commented as he rang up my purchase. "Visiting someone or just passing through?"
"Visiting," I mumbled, turning bright red. Milt had known me for my entire life and he didn't recognize me. Of course I was actually grateful for that since I didn't want to be recognized like this.
"That's nice," Milt nodded, giving me a pause to say more. When it became clear that I wasn't in a talkative mood, he nodded, "Come back sometime."
I nodded at that and started to hurry out of the store, but not before I heard Jake talking to someone else. "Did you hear her voice. It was like honey... Like velvet..."
Some woman snorted, "She sounded like some kind of bimbo or porn star to me..."
"Oh great," I turned an even brighter red as I hurried away as fast as I could go. "Now I not only look like a porn star but sound like one too..."
I was not in a good mood when I got home and a single glare was enough to keep mom from asking too many questions. I silently dropped the groceries onto the kitchen table and then ran off to hide in my room for awhile. Going out in public like that was completely humiliating and I didn't want to ever do it again. Unfortunately, I knew that I probably wouldn't have that luxury, but at least I could pretend for awhile.
I stayed in my room for an hour before finally coming back out. As much as I liked being able to hide away where no one else could see me, I was still feeling claustrophobic from spending so much time in there. I made my way back out to the living room where I turned on TV and mindlessly watched some game show.
"I wish we had one of those virtual reality systems," I complained to mom. "Those new VR movies just don't transfer well to the old screens..."
"You know those things are too expensive," she told me with a shake of her head. Then she smiled faintly, "But it would be nice if we could afford one..."
"You just want to watch those VR soaps," I teased her.
After this, I relaxed a little, feeling almost like things were back to normal. I was sitting back and watching TV while Grace was coloring some pictures with her crayons on the floor. What could be more normal than that? Unfortunately, my long hair and the weights on my chest kept reminding me that things weren't exactly normal and never would be again. Still, this brief period of illusionary normalcy was nice, even if I did have the feeling that it was the calm before the storm.
Just a few hours after I'd settled down, our doorbell started to ring. Grace immediately ran for the door, giggling, "I'll get it..."
A moment after the door opened, I heard Cody's voice saying, "Hey squirt. Is Mark here?"
"Oh shit," I gasped, jumping to my feet with my heart racing.
I stared at the door in horror, wanting to turn and run to my room but finding myself unable to move. This was a moment I had been dreading since my transformation...since my Twist. I had been trying hard not to think about it, but I'd been worrying about what Cody would say.
"Mark's in here," Grace pointed into the living room and at me.
Cody stepped into the house and turned to stare at me with a look of blank confusion. His eyes immediately scanned my body, lingering for a noticeable length of time on my chest. There was a lot of obvious attraction in his face but not a single ounce of recognition.
"Um...hi," Cody said shyly, then quickly whispered to Grace, "I thought you said Mark was in here..."
"That is Mark," Grace exclaimed. "He got Twisted..."
Cody stared at me with his mouth open, looking as though he was sure Grace had to be joking. But just then, my mom stepped back into the room, saying, "Mark dear, what do you think about...?" Then she paused at the sight of Cody. "Oh, Cody..." She looked back and forth between him and me with an uncertain look in her eyes.
Cody stared at me again, this time with a look of shock and horror on his face. "Mark?"
I squirmed uncomfortably, staring at the floor. I couldn't bring myself to meet his eyes. "Yeah," I whispered in embarrassment, not what I could say. "I...I..."
"Mark got Twisted," Grace exclaimed almost cheerfully. "I've got a big sister now..."
"It seems his birth parents must have been Twisted," mom quickly explained to fill the silence.
"No way," Cody gasped.
"It happened the other day," I winced as I said it, gesturing down at myself and then looking at Cody again. "I didn't know..."
"My God," Cody exclaimed, staring at me with a look of complete and utter revulsion. I suddenly felt as though I'd grown an extra head...a vulture's head or something. He was looking at me as though I had suddenly become the most hideous and disgusting thing to walk the planet. "No way," he shook his head, stepping backwards. "You're not Mark... You can't be..." His voice was shaking as he said it and there was a look of near hysteria in his eyes.
"It is Mark," mom tried to assure him. "I was there when he suddenly changed..."
"You're NOT Mark, "Cody insisted vehemently, almost yelling.
"Cody," I pleaded, hating to see my best friend staring at me like that. "Please..."
"NO!" he screamed, turning and running out the door.
I stared to run after him, "But Cody..."
I stopped just outside the door to watch him run across the street as fast as he could. I winced and started to chase after him but was suddenly stopped by a painful jerk on my scalp. The screen door had closed behind me and trapped my long hair in it. I screamed in rage and frustration, looking at Cody running and bursting into tears.
Mom opened the door and released my hair, then hesitantly asked, "Are you all right...?"
I just stood there for a moment, turning to see Dad standing just outside the garage, staring at me with a grim expression. Then he suddenly turned and walked back into the garage, making me cry even harder. I didn't even answer mom as I rushed past her into the house.
"Mark," mom started, but I ignored her.
I was ready to burst from all the emotions that where swirling around inside me, none of them pleasant. Rage, frustration, horror, guilt, shame, and some others I couldn't even identify all threatened to explode at once. I was a freak, a horrible Twisted freak. My best friend ran away in terror and even my own dad didn't want anything to do with me. I wanted to scream. I wanted to lash out and hurt something.
After a moment, I turned around and grabbed my long hair which had been caught in the door. I glared at it with hatred, as if my hair were somehow to blame for my problems. If nothing else, it provided a convenient target for all my bottled emotions.
"What are you doing?" mom yelled at me as I rushed into the kitchen, "Mark...?"
I didn't say a word as I grabbed a knife, ignoring the look of terror in mom's eyes. I turned it on my hair and began hacking and cutting, dropping tons of long blonde hair onto the floor. I cut it all down to about shoulder length, knowing that it had to look absolutely horrible but not caring in the least. In fact, I actually found that perfect.
"Your hair," mom cried out, grabbing huge handfuls of my hair from the floor. "Your beautiful, perfect hair... No split ends at all and you destroyed it..."
I dropped the knife to the floor and stared at mom, not sure if she was more upset about my hair or how torn up I was. I couldn't bear the thought of asking her, especially after seeing the way both Cody and dad turned their backs on me. Instead, I just ran to my room and locked the door behind me before curling up on my bed to cry myself dry.
I sat in the living room with a bowl of cereal, watching TV while having a snack. At least I was trying to have a snack. My long hair kept getting into my cereal, making me curse and pull it out of the way time and time again.
"Maybe I should cut it off again," I grimaced, knowing that it wouldn't do a whole lot of good.
The impromptu haircut I'd given myself three days ago hadn't lasted for very long. In fact, I woke up the next morning with my hair back to its previous length. Even after having chopped most of my hair off, it was down to my ass again and getting in the way. Mom didn't say anything but I could tell she was sort of pleased by that since she kept staring at my hair with an envious expression.
"If I cut it off," I muttered to myself, "it'll probably just grow right back again..." That made the idea of cutting it short even more tempting. I wouldn't have to keep the bad haircut for very long at all.
However, I didn't bother thinking about my hair for long. I just leaned back and let out a long sigh of boredom. I hadn't left my house in several days, not since the incident with Cody. After that and what had happened at the store, I was in no hurry to leave the house no matter how claustrophobic and bored I was feeling.
Then I looked out to the driveway where dad's car was normally parked. The space was empty at the moment which was no surprise since he was at work. But it seemed that even when he wasn't at work the space was empty. And when he was home, I still didn't see him much. I had no doubts that he was avoiding me. He was ashamed of me and couldn't bear the thought of what I'd become. I winced at that, thankful that at least mom wasn't avoiding me.
Just then mom came into the living room with a couple boxes and a frown on her face. "Some packages just arrived for you in the mail..." She gave me a suspicious look.
"Oh yeah," I blinked, remembering the order I'd placed for clothes a few days earlier. "It's just some clothes..."
"Clothes?" mom blinked. "How'd you pay for them...?"
"With the emergency credit card you gave me," I admitted, quickly snatching up the boxes and hurrying to my room before she could say anything.
When I was in my room though, I remembered the items I'd ordered and blushed, wondering how I could possibly wear some of that stuff. But as soon as I opened the first box and saw the lovely pink color, my doubts vanished. This stuff would look great on me, especially with all that pink. It was so nice... I sighed as I dug through he boxes and pulled out everything I'd ordered.
"And I've even got bras that should fit me," I sighed, not sure whether that was a good thing or bad. So far I hadn't really seemed to need one in spite of my generous size. Because of that, I would have just ignored the bras entirely if not for the fact that they were a delicious shade of pink.
I dug through the box, pulling out several pink shirts, some of which were very revealing and a few pairs of pants that I thought should fit me more comfortably. It hadn't been easy finding some for a woman with my long legs and hip size, but I'd managed. They even had them in pink too which made me sigh in relief.
"I can't believe I'm going so crazy over the color pink," I growled at myself, knowing that I should hate the color but not feeling that way at all. It was such a pretty and soothing color that I couldn't bear to be without it.
I quickly got dressed in my new clothes, letting out a long sigh of relief at just how well they all fit. They sure fit better than the stuff mom had gotten me at the store. Then again, the store didn't exactly carry my sizes so I had to just make due with what they had. I even put on the bra, more because it was pink and I liked it next to my skin than because I actually seemed to need it.
"There," I said as I looked down at myself and my new clothes. I was wearing pink shoes, pink pants, and a pink halter top shirt with a bit of cleavage revealed. I might normally have been horrified at the idea of wearing something like this...but it was pink and I loved it.
As I went to the bathroom and looked myself over in the mirror, I suddenly felt much better. My whole mood had lighted and I actually smiled. I wasn't sure why I was in such a good mood other than the fact I was surrounded by so much pretty pink. With this much pink, it was hard being upset.
"Mark?" mom gasped when she saw me. Her eyes went wide and I could tell she wanted to say something though she couldn't quite form the words.
"You look pretty," Grace exclaimed as she came up, suddenly putting me at a loss for words too. Then she held up one of her dolls which was dressed all in pink, "You look just like she does..."
"Thanks," I grimaced, not wanting that reminder of what I looked like.
Mom finally forced a smile, "Isn't that a little...daring for you?"
"Yeah," I admitted with a blush, "but I like it anyway... Isn't this the prettiest pink?"
Mom's eyes widened and she hesitantly agreed, "Yes, it's very lovely..."
Since I was in such a good mood now, I decided to get out of the house and get some fresh air. I'd been cooped up long enough that I could certainly use it. And a nice walk around town might be just what I needed. I left the house while mom just watched me go with a nervous expression.
I walked down the street to the store where I saw Milt standing out front and smoking a cigarette. He took one look at me and then began to scowl. A moment later, he turned and hurried back into the store. Another man stuck his head out the door to stare at me with a strange expression that made me uncomfortable. I quickly decided that it might not be a good idea to go in there at the moment.
I continued walking down the street, quickly getting to the downtown section about a block later. This is where most of the local businesses tended to be set up and it was a pretty busy area. There were a lot of people walking around, many of whom I'd known for most of my life. It was strange being out in public and around so many other people in my new form, and somewhat uncomfortable.
People were staring at me, which wasn't at all unexpected considering the reactions I'd gotten the other times I was in public. However, after a few minutes I began to notice that these reactions were different. People weren't just staring at my chest and leering at me like before. This time, they were staring at me with looks of fear or disgust. Several people even crossed the street to avoid me. A cold chill went down my spine as I realized what this meant.
"They know who I am," I gulped fearfully, "they know I'm Twisted... How...?"
Then I winced, knowing that there were several people who could have spread word about what had happened to me. Cody could have blabbed to everyone, so could Doctor Grissom. In fact, for all I knew, it could have been my own dad. How they knew didn't matter nearly so much as the fact that they obviously did.
"This isn't good," I whispered to myself, my good mood broken with the increasing nervousness that I felt. I could feel the hostility in nearly every pair of eyes that looked at me. It was all I could do not to just turn around and run home as fast as I could.
For some reason though, perhaps just sheer stubbornness, I continued walking. I stepped into the video rental store I'd gone to nearly every week for the last few years, hoping that the familiarity would help. But the moment I stepped in, the middle aged woman behind the counter who'd always had a smile and a cookie handy snapped, "We don't want your kind in here."
"What?" I gasped in shock. This was Pat, the same woman who asked me for my opinion on names for her new dog. I never would have expected her to talk to me that way.
"Get out of here," Pat snarled at me, a look of fear and menace in her eyes. I winced, feeling a stab of pain go straight to my heart. "I said GET OUT!"
"But," I started to protest. Pat started to reach behind the counter for the baseball bat I knew was there and that was enough for me. I turned and hurried out the door as fast as I could.
I shook in shame at the way I'd just been treated, hardly able to believe that someone I'd known for years had done it. I couldn't believe that Pat, who'd always been so nice to me and everyone else had suddenly treated me as though I was some kind of monster. I cringed as I remembered the look in her eyes and realized that she'd actually been afraid of me.
"But I didn't do anything," I groaned in confusion.
I had barely gone twenty feet further when I felt a sudden pain in my elbow. I cried out in surprise and grabbed my arm, only to have something suddenly hit my shoulder. I looked around and saw two kids standing a short distance away with rocks in their hands. One was a boy of about eight and the other was a five year old girl. I vaguely remembered seeing them around town before though didn't really know who they were.
"Stop that," I snapped as the boy threw another rock at me, this one hitting me in my large chest with a painful impact that made me cry out again. "STOP THAT!"
Suddenly, a woman...their mother came out screaming, "DON'T YOU DARE YELL AT MY KIDS!" She glared at me with an expression that made me glad looks couldn't kill. Then she spat at me, grabbing her kids and pulling them away, "Come on," she told them forcefully, "we're gonna get you a bath so you don't get infected..."
"But they were throwing rocks at me," I called after her in my defense, though she didn't seem to hear or care. Then more quietly, I added, "And I'm not contagious..."
I stood there for several minutes, about ready to burst into tears again. This really wasn't going very well. Not in the least. I took a deep breath and started walking back home again, wishing that I'd never left the house in the first place. It seems that nearly everyone hated me now because I'm Twisted. It wasn't my fault but no one seemed to care. The tears began to come on their own, no matter how hard I fought them back.
When I reached the store where Milt worked, I thought I was home free. I only had a single block left to go to get home. However, it seemed like fate has a cruel sense of humor...as though I hadn't already been learning that. Jake stepped out of the store just as I was going past and saw me.
"YOU!" he spat out with a look of hatred. I stepped back just from the look in his eyes, "I can't believe you tricked me you freak..."
"Just leave me alone," I said fearfully, "I don't want any trouble..."
"It's too late for that," Jake snarled as he came towards me with his fist clenched. "You shouldn't be messing with normal people..."
I backed away more, growing more and more afraid. Jake had a reputation for messing with people and for occasionally getting a little carried away. He'd sent me home with a bloody nose more than once but at the moment he looked angrier than I'd ever seen him. I was actually terrified of what he might do.
"You don't belong here," he told me with a look of hatred in his eyes. "What are you trying to do, infect everyone else?" Then his eyes narrowed. "I bet that's it... You're trying to turn everyone else into freaks too..." He snarled and came at me with even more menace in his eyes though I hadn't thought it possible until then.
But right before Jake reached me, a man's voice called out, "Stop that right now."
Jake and I both turned to look at the source of the order. He was tall and thin with dark hair and a beard that was sprinkled with gray. I immediately recognized Reverend Jack. He stood there with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face as he looked at us.
"Go on now," he told Jake in a firm voice that somehow reminded me of my mom's 'look'.
"But this freak..." Jake started to argue.
"Now," Reverend Jack insisted, "I'll take care of this..."
Jake grimaced for a moment, momentarily looking as though he wasn't sure what to do. However, Reverend Jack was one of the few people he'd listen to at all, so he turned to me and snarled, "I'll see you later..." And with that he turned and walked away.
I stood there fearfully while Reverend Jack silently looked me over, afraid that he would suddenly burst out with the declaration that I was bound to Hell for being Twisted. But instead, he smiled gently, "Are you all right?"
I nodded hesitantly, "Yeah..."
Reverend Jack nodded slowly, shaking his head and carefully asking, "You are Mark Brown, aren't you?"
"Yeah," I blushed brightly, staring at the ground in embarrassment.
Reverend Jack nodded again, then said, "I heard you were going by Leila now..."
"What?" I gasped in surprise. The only one I'd used that name with was Jake, and that was only because I hadn't wanted him to know who I really was. Obviously he'd been talking, though I wasn't sure that I wanted to know what it was he'd been saying about me. I squirmed uncomfortably, "Sort of..."
Before I could explain, Reverend Jack continued, "Well...Leila...I would imagine that this hasn't been easy for you."
"No," I admitted shamefully, not sure what I could say. "I'm a freak..."
"Perhaps," Reverend Jack put a gentle hand on my shoulder, "Perhaps not. People tend to judge such things far too easily so you shouldn't listen to them. The important thing is, do you think you're a freak?"
"Obviously," I grimaced, getting upset again.
"I think you judge yourself too easily as well," Reverend Jack told me with a sad smile. "I also think that God has a reason to test you like this. You have to have faith that things will work out."
"Maybe," I said grudgingly, not about to tell him what I really thought about that. There are some things that you just don't say to preachers.
"If you want to talk," Reverend Jack told me, "I'm always ready to listen. You know where to find me."
"Yeah," I nodded.
"Good," he smiled faintly. "Now why don't you head on home for now. Hopefully people will come to their senses soon."
I nodded and went home, thankful that Reverend Jack had saved my butt from being kicked, but still not very comforted by his words. He might think that this was some kind of test that God had given me, but I had a hard time having any faith in a God that would do something like this to me. The truth was, I don't think anything could comfort me much at the moment, especially not some arbitrary God.
"Damn," I grimaced, shifting in my seat uncomfortably. My whole body was sore and achy, generally feeling like shit. I'd felt like this for the last several days and it didn't seem to be getting any better. "I hate this..."
When this extreme discomfort had started several days ago, I just thought that I was coming down with something or that my Twist had seriously messed up my health. However, mom immediately recognized the symptoms and told me exactly what she thought the problem was. I laughed her suggestion off, being too repulsed by the idea to even consider it, but then I started bleeding from between my legs and was horrified to realize mom was right. I was having my period.
"I hate being a girl," I snarled bitterly, glaring down at my boobs and then the rest of my body. I'd been in a bad enough mood before this started and the period certainly hadn't improved it any. If anything, it made my mood bad enough that even Grace didn't want to be near me.
"It's going to be all right," mom reassured me as she came into the living room with a glass of juice for me. "It should be over in just a couple days..." Then she looked at me hesitantly before adding, "If you're like a normal young woman..."
"Normal?" I grimaced, knowing that there was hardly anything normal about me anymore. "I'm a freak... I'll probably have it for a month..."
"You're not a freak," mom tried to tell me but I could see that she didn't really believe it herself. Her voice and expression gave it away.
"Come on," I snapped angrily. "I can't go out in public without getting lynched and Cody won't even talk to me anymore..."
"Maybe you should try calling him again," mom suggested hopefully. "You've been friends for so long that it would be a shame to throw it away..."
"He won't answer when I call," I snapped, staring at the floor in shame. "It's him that doesn't want to be friends anymore, not me..." Tears were coming to my eyes again but I tried to fight them back.
Mom gave me a sympathetic look, "I'm sorry..." Then she paused to exclaim, "You cut your hair off again..."
"It was getting in the way," I snapped defensively, reaching back and feeling my now shoulder length hair. "Besides, it'll grow back by tomorrow so I don't see what the big deal is..."
"It looks sloppy like that," mom scowled. "Normally it's so lovely..."
"So what?" I snarled, "It's not like I'm trying to impress anyone..."
Mom took a step back and shook her head. She continued staring at me for a moment before turning and walking away. And though she didn't say anything to me, I thought I heard her mumble something about Grace's dolls not being nearly this much trouble.
I grimaced and shifted positions again, grumbling, "Stupid girl body..."
I was still in a bad mood and grumbling over my period when dad came home, throwing open the door with a series of loud profanities. "Some bastard vandalized my car..."
"What?" mom gasped in surprise.
"They spray painted all over the damn side," dad snarled.
In spite of my discomfort, I got up and followed mom outside to take a look. Dad was right when he said the car had been vandalized, though I felt my blood turn cold when I saw it. Someone had spray painted the word freak across one side of it and the word Twisted on the other.
"But you're not the one who's Twisted," mom said in surprise.
Dad just snarled and cursed some more, careful not to even look at me. I cringed back in shame, knowing that it was my fault since I was Twisted. I knew he blamed me too, which only made me feel worse. I took another long look at his car before I hurried back into the house.
I was curled up on the couch, trying to avoid dad's attention when they came back in a minute later. Mom was shaking her head, "First all those threats and insults in the voice mail and now this..."
"It'll blow over," dad said firmly, as though his saying so made it a fact. I wasn't nearly so confident.
I winced, half expecting dad to turn and remind me that this was all my fault because I was Twisted. However, I didn't give him the chance, getting up and hurrying to my room where I promptly locked myself inside. At least in here I didn't have to worry about how everyone else saw me, only about how I saw myself.
"I hate being like this," I grimaced, thinking more about my period and the cramps that came with it than anything else. "It's so disgusting..."
Then I picked up my football which had been neglected lately. My hands had changed enough that I couldn't even hold it properly now, at least not well enough to throw a decent pass. I had the feeling that my nails would probably get in the way of catching it as well. Still, I clutched the football tight as though it were a security blanket, or at least a reminder of everything I had lost.
"Now if only it were a lovely pink," I mused quietly, absently wondering how difficult it would be to dye a football.
The rest of the day seemed to drag on forever since everyone in the house was in a bad mood. I was having my period, mom was worried about everything that was going on and dad was just mad. Even Grace got in on it by throwing a tantrum at bath time. It was a relief when the day was finally over.
Unfortunately, the next day started off just as bad. First I had to deal with my continuing period and changing my disgusting pad. Then I found out that the vandals had come back and struck our house this time. I didn't know if they were the same vandals but the results were about the same. Our yard had been TP'd, a garage window had been smashed in and there was graffiti spray painted onto the sides of the house, including the warning, "Get out of here freak."
Mom was virtually in tears, pacing back and forth across the carpet, "I can't believe someone would do this... We have to call the Sheriff..."
"Sheriff Cal won't do a damn thing," Dad exclaimed, having stayed home from work in order to deal with this. He was furious, clenching his fists angrily and looking as though he wanted someone to punch. "We've already filed complaints for the phone harassment and my car yesterday..."
Dad went off on a rant, using every profanity I knew of and some I'd never heard before. He insulted Sheriff Cal, the people who vandalized our house and even some people I'd never even heard of. But when he turned around and looked at me, there was something dark in his eyes that made me cringe in fear and shame. I knew that he blamed me, that he wished they'd never adopted me. I immediately turned and ran to my room in tears, wishing I could do something to make this all just go away.
"Why can't I just be normal?" I cried to myself, "Why did I have to be Twisted?" Of course there were no answers and I hadn't expected any.
I spent most of the day sunk into a morass of depression and selfloathing, which seemed to be a common state for me anymore. After awhile though, it slowly turned to anger instead. Who were these people to hate me like this? Weren't these the same neighbors who'd always liked me before? The more I thought about it the angrier I became. If nothing else, the anger took my mind off my own shame.
Eventually, I made the decision to stop hiding in my room...to stop hiding in my house. I was going to go out where I wanted to, regardless of what other people thought of me. The decision was based more off of spite and stubbornness than anything else. At the moment though, I had a chip on my shoulder and I wanted to dare someone to knock it off.
I was a little surprised at myself for feeling this way, from going to depression to anger so suddenly. I couldn't help wondering if it might be because of my period, which wouldn't surprise me. I'd been in a bad mood in just about every way possible since my Twist and even more so since my period started. But regardless of the reason, I left my house to go take a walk.
"I need the fresh air," I told myself with as much determination as I could muster. However, I wasn't quite determined enough to go back downtown. Instead, I planned on just staying in my own neighborhood for the moment.
Just being outside again took the edge off my anger and determination, making me a little nervous. But I continued to walk, feeling a bit more relaxed at the same time. I'd really been feeling cooped up in the house like that so it was good to get out. And when I walked past the pink house at the end of my street, I even stopped to admire it.
"I want a house that color," I said with a smile. "I want everything pink..."
That thought made me smile again, especially as I imagined a pink bedroom with pink curtains and bed spread. I hadn't been able to bring the subject up to my dad though since I knew how he felt about me and my odd love of pink. In fact, I still had a hard time believing just how much I loved that color myself now.
Of course, I immediately thought about Grace and her dolls. Everything the dolls had seemed to be pink, including the toy cars and houses that came with them. I frowned, knowing that my own life might very soon be very much like that if I had my choice. I absolutely loved the color pink, even if it did make me more like her stupid dolls.
"Stupid Twist," I grumbled to myself, knowing that no one else could possibly understand. I didn't even fully understand it myself. I only know what I felt.
After a minute, I turned away from the house, absently cursing my mercurial moods which seemed to be bouncing all over the place. I'd gone from depressed, to angry to cheerful, all in a matter of an hour. I was sure that it had to be my period and the mood swings. Now that I know what it's like, I deeply regretted ever making fun of the women for having them. This was something I never would have understood before and desperately wished I still didn't.
I had just gone a short distance when I suddenly heard an angry shout of, "Hey you!"
I quickly turned around to see Jake coming towards me with a grim look on his face. I was much more surprised to see that Cody was coming right beside him, looking just as hostile. I felt a chill of fear run down my spine as they quickly caught up to me.
"I thought I told you to get your freak ass out of town," Jake snarled, making me take a fearful step back.
I looked around fearfully, trying to find an opening to escape. I knew that I could just turn and run, but my new body wasn't as fast as my old one and I was still a bit uncoordinated from my altered center of gravity. I'd never be able to outrun them.
"Just leave me alone," I said, trying to hide my fear.
"Just leave me alone," Cody mocked me with my own words.
I stared at Cody, "Why are you doing this? We're friends..."
"We're not friends," Cody spat out bitterly, "I'd never be friends with a Twisted... You people are just plain sick..."
Cody was staring at me with an expression of anger and disgust, making me step back just from the sheer vehemence in his gaze. I'd never imagined my own best friend would look at me like that, not even after they way he'd reacted to my change. It was as though he took my Twist as some sort of personal betrayal of him, as though I had somehow stabbed him in the back by becoming Twisted.
"Let's teach her...it a lesson," Jake urged Cody on. "Let's get rid of this piece of filth..."
Cody hesitated for a moment, a faint look of doubt crossing over his face. Then he took another look at me and his expression hardened again. A moment later, he lashed out and punched me in the face.
I gasped in pain as my nose seemed to crunch and explode into a spray of blood. I felt the warm blood pouring down my face as I staggered back, grabbing at my face and crying out. It hurt so bad I was sure Cody had just broken my nose.
"Did you see that?" Jake laughed in delight. "And I thought her blood would be green..."
I grimaced at that, growing furious at the way Cody had just attacked me. I would have expected something like this from Jake, but not the guy I'd grown up with. Not the guy who'd stood by my side and refused to say a word against me when a neighbor demanded to know who'd sent the baseball through his window. This betrayal stabbed me straight through he heart, hurting far worse than the smashed nose.
With a growl that held all the rage and frustration of the betrayal, I threw my own punch at Cody, trying to hit him as hard as I could. Unfortunately, my balance was still off and this was the first time I'd gotten into a fight in my new body. My punch didn't hit quite where I intended, nor with nearly the force.
"You punch like a girl," Jake laughed again.
Then Jake came at me, shoving me back. I turned to run even though I knew it was futile. That only gave him leverage to shove me from behind, driving me ace first into the ground. My face hit with a painful impact and my boobs hurt too since they'd hit even before my face. But that wasn't all. One of them started grabbing my hair and pulling while putting a foot on my back to keep me from getting up. I screamed in pain, tears pouring down my cheeks.
"We told you to get out of here you freak," Jake yelled.
A foot stomped down on my hand and I screamed, not knowing if the bones were broken or not. I looked up to see Cody sneer just before he lashed out and kicked me in the ribs. A series of kicks followed from both of them, smashing into my sides and stomach. I cried out but that only seemed to encourage them to do more.
"Are you going to leave now?" Jake demanded, bending over to spit in my face.
I was hurt, my whole body feeling like one big bruise. But I still had enough in me to lash out with my uninjured hand, tearing several deep gouges across his cheek with my nails. Jake scrambled back with a yelp of pain, grabbing his cheek and then staring at the blood that came away on his hand. If he wasn't furious before, he certainly was now.
"I'm gonna kill this freak," Jake snarled as he launched into another series of kicks and punches, trying to hurt me as much as he possibly could. Cody just stood back and watched while I curled up into a ball and tried to protect myself as much as possible.
After what seemed like an eternity, Cody finally exclaimed, "Stop... That's enough..."
"I'm gonna kill this bitch," Jack growled while I just lay there, to hurt to even defend myself any more.
Cody stared at me, this time with a look of pity in his eyes. Then he told Jake, "You're gonna have to get that cleaned up..."
Jake reached up to his cheek again and nodded. Then he gave me one more kick in the side before he turned and walked away, calling back, "I'd better not see you around here again freak..."
I remained where I was for several minutes, hurting too badly to get up. I opened my eyes though and looked at the house across from me, seeing Mister Edwards standing outside his front door and staring at me. He'd seen the fight, if it could be called that, and hadn't done a thing to help. He saw me laying there all bloody and bruised and he still didn't do anything to help. Instead, when he saw that I noticed him, he turned and quickly went back inside. I wondered how many other neighbors had seen this... How many had seen me getting beaten up but couldn't be bothered to interfere? How many were peaking out their windows even now, watching me just lay there in pain?
"How many...?" I whimpered tearfully, feeling completely and totally abandoned. "How many...?"
It took another ten minutes before I was finally able to get back and onto my feet, though the process of doing so was extremely painful. I slowly staggered back home, wincing with every step. From the corner of my eyes, I saw several neighbors peeking out their windows. Not one of them came out to see if I was all right.
The trip home wasn't a very long distance but it was still a long, slow, and painful walk. When I stepped through the door, mom stared at me with an expression of horror then snapped to Grace, "Go to your room. NOW!" Only then did she demand, "What happened?"
I didn't answer mom which only made her more worried. She ushered me to the kitchen and had me sit down while she quickly went to work trying to clean me off. I just sat there, still in shock from the attack. How could I tell her that Cody, the same boy she'd invited over for dinner all the time had done this?
"I need to call Doctor Grissom," mom said as she tried washing my face with a wet cloth. "I need to call Sheriff Cal..." Then she demanded, "Who did this to you?"
"Nobody," I muttered in shame. Then she gave me 'that look' and I quietly admitted, "Cody... Cody and Jake Bartley..."
"Cody?" mom gasped in disbelief. "He wouldn't..."
I just grimaced and got up to go lick my wounds in my room. I came back a few minutes later to grab the rag again since my nose still hadn't quite stopped bleeding and I heard mom on the phone.
"No," she snapped angrily into the phone, "I'm telling you that your son Cody did it... WHAT?" Then she growled, "He hung up on me... I can't believe he said that..."
Mom was angry and sounded completely shocked. From the sound of it, she'd been calling Cody's dad to tell him what had happened and it hadn't gone well. I could have told her that it wouldn't. Cody's dad had always been nice to me before and he'd even taken me fishing a few times. However, I'd also heard him say some pretty nasty things about the Twisted, which was probably where Cody got his views.
I didn't bother talking to mom about it, knowing that she'd never understand what I was going through. No one could. I limped back to my room and just sat there in depressed silence, not even comforted by the fresh pink blanket I wrapped around myself. I felt hollow inside, as though I was empty of hope or had a hole through my heart.
"They hate me," I whispered tearfully, "everyone hates me..."
I'd already known this fact before but this had just removed all doubts. Everyone in town hated my guts. Who knows how many had watched me get beaten up and hadn't done a single thing to help. These were my neighbors, the people I'd grown up with and had gone to picnics with in the summer. They had all turned their backs on me, hating me for being Twisted. It wasn't my fault but that didn't matter.
Cody had always been my best friend, there whenever I needed him. We stood together whenever we got in trouble and told each other our greatest secrets. Even Cody had turned on me. Even Cody looked at me as though I was the most disgusting creature to live. He had not only turned his back on me, but had stuck a knife in mine and then twisted it. His betrayal hurt far worse than any of the bruises he'd given me. I would have taken twice that to keep his friendship and it hadn't meant a thing to him.
"Cody hates me," I whispered, slipping further into a dark depression.
My birth parents had thrown me away, probably because they didn't want to raise a Twisted kid either. The fact that at least one of them had to have been Twisted themselves only made it all the worse. Even other Twisted didn't want me...
Then there was my family, the one I'd always thought of as my real one. Mom and dad had adopted me, had given me a home and made me one of them. They'd always treated me with love and I loved them more than I could possibly say because of it. But even they couldn't handle me like this. I'd seen the look in dad's eyes when he stared at me. It was shame and disappointment. Now he wished he'd never adopted me. And mom... Even though mom was trying to be supportive, I knew that she had to wish the same thing. No one could want someone like me around.
"I'm only making things worse for them," I said softly.
Ever since I'd become Twisted, the house and car had been vandalized, our answering machine had been loaded with horrible messages and threats, and mom and dad had both been insulted constantly. Their friends wouldn't talk to them anymore and dad may be about to lose out on a promotion at work.
"They'd be better off without me," I grimaced, knowing it was true. They would be better off without me. If I wasn't around, there wouldn't be any more vandalism or harassment.
Then it came to me. I could run away. That would solve their problems. But after a minute, I realized that this wasn't a very good solution either. It would solve my family's problems but not mine. I'd still be a freak girl living in a world where everyone hated me. I had no idea where I'd go or what I'd do. I didn't even have any money I could use. I'd probably end up living on the streets as a prostitute or something.
"Maybe that's all I deserve," I spat out bitterly.
I sank down into a dark morass of depression and self-loathing, thinking about how everything had been torn away from me since my Twist. It was like a quicksand which only drew me in further and further. I felt as though I was going to suffocate under it all and knew that I couldn't live like this.
"I wish I'd never been born," I whispered darkly.
I remained where I was for the rest of the day, nursing all my pain, both the physical and emotional. Dinner came and went and I made no move to leave. Mom pounded on the door, wanting to know if I was ready to talk and I ignored her. I wasn't in any mood to face anyone at the moment.
Eventually, I got up and left my room, but that was only because I had to go to the bathroom. I was just leaving it when I suddenly heard the sound of glass shattering, followed by dad yelling profanities. When I went to the living room to see what was causing this, I saw the main window was shattered with glass scattered all over the inside.
Dad was standing there with a brick in his hand, furiously yelling through the destroyed window. "Fucking bastards," he snarled, "I'm calling Sheriff Cal again... This is going too far..."
"It hasn't helped so far," mom admitted.
Dad just dropped the brick to the floor, "I swear to God that I've had enough of this. This has got to stop..."
I stared at dad for a moment before slowly turning and going back to my room without either of them seeing me. I collapsed back into my depression, staring into the dark hole inside myself and surrendering. All I did was bring pain and misery to everyone...including myself. I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't keep living like this. With that, I silently surrendered to the only option I had left.
Once my decision was made, it was hard to wait, but wait I did. I sat there for two more hours, feeling a mixture of fear and anticipation. Then once my parents went to bed, I started to act. I would finally end this... I would end it for good.
I went to the bathroom and locked the door behind me, then I began filling the sink with water. I wasn't exactly sure that I was doing this right since I'd never done anything like this before, but I didn't have to get it perfect. I only had to get it done. Then I reached into the cabinet for a razor blade and stood there staring at it for a minute, my heart pounding loudly in my chest.
I had a hard time holding the razor blade in one hand since it wasn't working quite right, not since it had been stomped on. I couldn't close it at all which made me think the bones might even be broken. But that didn't matter much now. I could. still do this with my good hand.
"I can do this," I insisted, tears beginning to run down my cheeks again, "I have to do this..."
With that, I bit my lip and slashed the razor blade across my wrist. I cut deep, nearly to the bone. It only stung a little at first, then the pain began to come. I closed my eyes and stuck my arm into the water filled sink, having heard somewhere that this will help the blood flow easier.
I stood there for a minute, feeling sick and weak. It was hard to stand, but I wasn't sure how much was from blood loss and how much was from all my previous injuries. I was terrified but forced myself to remain where I was, knowing that it would soon be over.
Just then, there was a knocking on the bathroom door and mom's voice came through, "Mark? Are you almost done?"
I was so startled that I jumped a little, splashing the bloody water on the floor. I blinked, trying to ignore mom and looking at my wrist. Maybe I hadn't thought it would take so long. Maybe I need to make another cut on the other wrist... I was scared...terrified, but I was also stubborn enough to go through with my decision in spite of that.
I turned to shift position and grab the razor again when suddenly my feet came out from underneath me and I hit the bathroom floor with a painful thud. Mom immediately called, "Mark? Are you okay in there...?" When I didn't answer, she started to pound on the door and scream my name louder.
I just lay on the floor, completely dazed and not sure that I could respond if I wanted too. I'd hit my head while falling and now my entire body felt completely numb. I couldn't move at all, nor did I feel any real urge to do so. Instead, I just stared at the bloody water on the white tiles, noticing that at all looked sort of pink. Pretty...pretty...pink...
A strange humming sound filled my world, slipping into my dreams and infecting everything there. I dreamed of old prop airplanes, flying saucers and giant weed wackers that jumped over fences. Eventually though, the humming drew me out of these dreams and back to the waking world.
I opened my eyes and slowly looked around, discovering that I was in a small but clean looking room that somehow looked familiar. I couldn't place it at the moment though and had no desire to think overly much about it. There was a fan beside my bed, obviously the source of the humming.
"I'm alive," I whispered, not sure if I was relieved or disappointed by this.
Strangely though, I felt weak and tired...but I didn't hurt at all. I'd been covered in bruises and probably even had a few broken bones, but I didn't feel any of that. Nor did I feel any of the cramps or discomfort from my period. I opened and closed the hand that had been stomped on, doing so easily and painlessly. This was definitely strange.
When I finally tried moving, I discovered that I my arms were strapped down to the sides of a bed. I was a narrow hospital bed with rails, which finally reminded me of where I was. I was in Doctor Grissom's clinic. I'd only been in the back room with the hospital bed once before, and that was back when I'd broken my leg as a kid.
I slowly sat up as much as the straps on my arms would allow me. I felt strangely numb as I looked down at myself, seeing that I was wearing one of those blue hospital gowns but nothing else. I felt a surge of anxiety as I realized I didn't have anything pink on me. In fact, I didn't see anything pink in the entire room... I tried to ignore that for the moment and looked at my wrist. To my surprise, there wasn't a bandage on it, nor was there a scar or any sign at all that I'd slashed it open.
I grimaced, tying to decide if I was happy to be here or not. I was definitely in a better mood now that I was no longer hurting, but I still felt that big knot of darkness inside me and didn't see much hope for my future. Mostly though, I just felt numb. I was still thinking about it when Doctor Grissom came in a few minutes later.
"You're awake," Doctor Grissom said, sounding relieved. But when he looked at me, there was obvious disapproval in his eyes. "Good."
"Why am I tied up?" I asked suspiciously, thinking about movies where mad scientists and evil doctors experimented on people against their will.
"So you don't try to hurt yourself again," he told me with a deep scowl. "If you promise not to try anything, I can take them off."
I stared at him for a moment before finally saying, "I won't hurt myself." I silently added a, "right now," to the end of that.
Doctor Grissom nodded and undid the straps on my arms. Then he asked me, "How do you feel?"
"Why did you save me?" I demanded, ignoring his question.
Doctor Grissom scowled even more deeply. "Because your father frantically called me in the middle of the night and begged me to save you."
I snorted at that, more than a little doubtful dad would ever get frantic or beg for anything. "But you hate the Twisted," I said bitterly, "Everyone does... No one wants to even touch me now..."
"Well you're not contagious," Doctor Grissom responded, staring me straight in the eyes. "And I'm a doctor. It's my job to help people, regardless of whether I like them or not." Then he stood up and crossed his arms, glaring at me, "And for the record, I don't hate the Twisted. I'm just well aware of how dangerous and unpredictable some of you can be."
I just stared at Doctor Grissom and stubbornly insisted, "I'm not dangerous or unpredictable."
Doctor Grissom snorted at that and pointed to my wrist, "Your actions tell a different story. How could you do that to your parents?"
"They'd be better off without me," I whispered bitterly, trying to fight back the tears that were forming. "They don't want me anymore..."
"Bullshit," Doctor Grissom snapped. "Is that why they've been sitting outside that door crying all night?"
I stared at him in surprise, "What?"
"They've been worried sick," Doctor Grissom growled. "How could you do that to them?"
I just stared at Doctor Grissom, sure that he had to be making it up or exaggerating. But he opened the door and my mom came in, her eyes red and teary. Dad came in right behind her, and to my surprise, he looked as though he'd been crying too. Dad NEVER cried.
"Mark!" mom exclaimed, running to me and throwing her arms around me tightly, "Thank God you're all right... I can't believe you... I was so worried..." She was crying as she hugged me with an iron grip, as though afraid I was going to get away.
Dad just came over and stood beside me, staring at me with a teary eyed look of sadness. He reached out and grabbed my hand, holding it tightly and revealing that his hand was shaky. "Why...?" he finally asked, his voice as shaky as his hands. "Why did you do it...?" He stared at me, his eyes begging for an answer.
I suddenly felt so guilty that I couldn't look mom or dad in the eyes. I just tried to wipe my tears away but it didn't do much good. "I'm a freak," I whispered, "everyone hates me... No one wants me..." My voice was shaking just as much as dad's was if not worse.
"But we want you," mom insisted in an almost pleading tone.
I still couldn't believe it though and bitterly argued, "You never would have adopted me if you knew I was Twisted..."
"Don't you EVER say that," dad growled, clenching my hand tightly. I looked at him in surprise, seeing a firm look in his eyes. "We love you and have NEVER regretted adopting you. I'd never had a single regret about adopting you... Not once!"
"But," I started to argue, cringing with shame at the look in dad's eyes.
"I know I haven't been here for you," he told me quietly, suddenly looking ashamed. "I was so shocked... I just didn't know what to do... I've always hated the Twisted, and then..." He shook his head sadly, then looked me in the eyes, staring for a long moment, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
Tears began flowing down dad's cheeks and I could only stare in stunned silence. I'd never seen dad cry before, ever. He'd always been the strong silent type, the guy who'd told me that men didn't cry. But here he was, crying right in front of me and not seeming bothered by that at all.
"You're my son... my child," dad told me insistently, choking up a bit. "I'm sorry I ever made you think I didn't love you anymore. And I'm even more sorry it took something like this to remind me..." With that, dad grabbed me into a firm hug that made mom's seem like a brief touch in comparison.
I didn't know what to say to this so just burst out crying and hugged both my parents as hard as I could, relieved beyond description that they still loved me. Even dad who'd been avoiding me still loved me. This meant more to me than I could ever describe.
"I'm sorry," I said tearfully, feeling horribly guilty for scaring them like that. I hadn't been thinking much about how they'd feel, just that I wanted to end my own misery. "I'm sorry..."
We all remained locked in a group hug, drawing what comfort we could for awhile. But when Doctor Grissom came back in, dad stood up and quickly wiped away the tears, trying to regain some sense of his usual dignity. Mom looked a bit self-conscious as well, but she gave me a comforting smile and gently squeezed my hand.
"What did you do?" dad asked Doctor Grissom, sounding quite impressed. "How did you do this...?" He gestured to me. "He...she had black eyes and bruises all over last night..."
"And my wrist," I pointed out quietly, gesturing to the smooth skin that didn't even have a scar.
"I didn't do anything," Doctor Grissom admitted with a scowl. "She healed on her own."
"What?" mom exclaimed in surprise.
"Some Twisted have strange powers," Doctor Grissom suggested cautiously.
"They're called tricks," I corrected him quietly, remembering what I'd read about the Twisted.
"Tricks," the doctor nodded agreement. "I think that this might be hers." He looked at me. "She must have some kind of rapid healing ability..."
"But her bruises," mom exclaimed. "She was hurt all day yesterday without getting better, then it all goes away overnight..."
"My hair grows back when I'm sleeping too," I pointed out, thinking that it was strange that did all that growing while I was asleep but didn't seem to grow at all during the day.
Doctor Grissom stared at me thoughtfully for a moment before saying, "Perhaps that's it... Maybe it only happens when you're asleep..."
"That doesn't make much sense," dad scowled.
"Actually," Doctor Grissom mused, "I think it does. Sleep is all about letting the body and mind rest and recover." He looked at me again. "It seems to me that sleep just lets her recover much better than normal." He seemed a bit impressed by that. "Imagine what that could do for the health care industry... It could put me out of business entirely..." He didn't seem all that horrified by the thought though.
"Then you should be grateful that not everyone can heal like that," dad pointed out.
"Yes," Doctor Grissom nodded, "of course... But while you're hear, we should do a full examination..."
After this, Doctor Grissom had mom and dad fill out a bunch of paperwork while he gave me a medical exam. It was humiliating to have him look at my tits, and even more so when he peeked between my legs. Only the fact that mom was there reassuring me that it was all right kept me from punching him as hard as I could.
"You certainly seem to be entirely female now," Doctor Grissom announced once he was finished.
"Of course she's female now," mom snapped in annoyance, "she's having per period..."
"Really?" Doctor Grissom stared at her in surprise. "I didn't see any sign of it." Then he stared at me for a moment, making me squirm uncomfortably, "Have you noticed any of the symptoms?"
"Um...no," I blushed brightly, realizing that I hadn't felt any of the cramps or discomfort since before I... "I was having it yesterday though... Maybe it's just over..."
"Perhaps," Doctor Grissom said cautiously. "But it might be that when your body was healing all your injuries, it went ahead and took care of that as well. It makes a strange sort of sense when you realize that your body was already restoring itself to its most healthy state. Something like completing your menses should be very easy compared to everything else."
"But it will return next month?" mom asked carefully.
"I would expect so since she had one this month," Doctor Grissom answered. "But I don't know enough about Twisted biology to be certain, especially not without more thorough tests. I have noticed several anomalies though, besides her unusual proportions."
I gulped, not sure that I liked the sound of that. But mom held my hand comfortingly while I sat there, squirming as I looked around for something pink. I was getting quite uncomfortable without anything pink in sight though I tried to force myself to be patient for a little longer and to pay attention to what Doctor Grissom was saying.
"She has a slightly odd and strong musculature in her back and supporting her breasts," Doctor Grissom said thoughtfully. "I think it's an adaptation to her large breast size."
"And what does that mean?" dad asked, looking uncomfortable with the subject but giving me a protective look.
"I can't be certain," Doctor Grissom answered slowly, "but I think that between that and her sleep healing, she should be well protected from the back pains and sagging someone of that size would normally have to contend with. It's as though her Twist took her...proportions into account and designed her body to be perfectly natural and comfortable like this."
"Joy," I sighed, not feeling too enthusiastic. Of course, I knew that in the long term, heavy back pain and bad sagging could be a real problem for a woman with breasts like mine, but at the moment I was more concerned with the short term of just surviving like this and getting used to it. I also had one more short term need that was even more urgent, "Do you have anything pink around here?"
"Pink?" Doctor Grissom blinked in surprise.
"She's addicted to the color pink," mom shook her head. "She has to have something pink around her at all times..."
I nodded at that and stared at him hopefully, "Do you have anything?"
"No," Doctor Grissom shook his head, "I'm afraid not."
"We'll be home soon and you have plenty of pink clothes there," mom pointed out. "I just wish I'd thought to bring some clothes along..."
"Me too," I grimaced as I looked down at my ugly hospital gown.
Just as we were getting ready to leave, Doctor Grissom put a hand on my shoulder. "One more thing," he told me with a grim expression. "Promise me you won't try anything like that again."
I stared at him for a moment before nodding, "I promise."
Doctor Grissom let out a faint sigh of relief, as did both of my parents. "Come on," dad said as he urged us towards the door. "Maybe we'll stop off and find you something pink on the way." I smiled self-consciously at that but somewhat eagerly as well.
"They have pink ice cream at the ice cream shop across the street," my mom pointed out with a forced smile as she tried to lighten the mood.
"Why don't you go get us some," dad told her, "we'll wait here."
"Okay," mom responded, giving dad a strange look before she turned and left.
Once mom was gone, dad turned to me and put a hand on my shoulder. "I know things have been hard on you lately...harder than I could even imagine." I nodded at that. "And God knows, I haven't helped any..." He looked ashamed at that, but gave me a steady look. "But no matter how hard things get, you can't give up. You have to keep fighting. From now on, I'll do everything I can to help. Just don't give up." He looked as though he was about to get teary eyed again.
"I won't," I promised him, feeling ashamed I'd ever doubted that he loved me.
Mom came back with three ice cream cones a minute later and handed me a pink one. I had no idea if it was strawberry, cherry, bubble gum or something else, nor did I really care. At the moment, it was the prettiest ice cream in the world because it was pink. I just hoped it tasted half as good as it looked.
Just then, someone exclaimed, "There you are." I looked up to see Reverend Jack coming towards us.
"Reverend," dad greeted him cautiously.
Reverend Jack stared at me for a moment, looking both relieved and confused at the same time. "I'd heard Leila attacked yesterday..." Then he looked over my hospital gown, becoming even more confused.
"Leila?" dad blinked in confusion, then looked at me, "Oh. Why didn't you tell me you started using a new name?"
"But," I started to protest that I hadn't chosen that name...not really.
However, mom blurted out angrily, "Those two punks should be locked up. And Cody..."
"Then the stories are true," Reverend Jack gasped in horror. Then he looked at me, "But you don't look injured..."
"Doc Grissom says she has some sort of healing power that kicks in when she's asleep," Dad told him cautiously, carefully not mentioning my suicide attempt. "We found out when she woke up all healed."
"Those monsters broke her nose," mom exclaimed.
Reverend Jack stared at me with wide eyes and gulped, "I'm truly sorry to hear about this." Then he glanced around nervously before saying, "I'm afraid it's only going to get worse. I heard some talking from some of the adults that they're thinking of doing the same thing."
"WHAT?" dad exclaimed angrily. "Who?"
"Mostly just talk for now," Reverend Jack said quickly. "But I don't know how long before someone gets drunk or just decides to go ahead with it. I'm afraid for Leila."
"Those bastards," dad snarled, looking as though he wanted to attack someone right now. "Give me some names Reverend. I want to know whose after my son...daughter."
Reverend Jack shook his head sadly. "There are a lot of people upset by Leila. These are good people, but their fear is getting the best of them. I've been trying to calm everyone down but I don't know how much good I can do."
"Everyone's been so rude since Mark became Twisted," mom exclaimed. "But this... I mean, kids attacking her is one thing..."
"I'm afraid," Reverend Jack said quietly, "it might be a good idea to find someplace safe for awhile." He hesitated for a moment before asking, "Have you heard of a place called Spiral?"
"It's a town for Twisted," I said. "I read about it after I changed..."
"I've never heard of it," mom said.
"I have," dad nodded grimly. "They say everyone in town is Twisted."
"Not quite," Reverend Jack said with a forced smile, "but there are a lot. I've actually been to Spiral myself a few times and it's actually a very nice town with a lot of open minded people. It's a little strange, but that's to be expected. It was founded by a group of Twisted and their families, so the people there are very tolerant of Twisted."
"And you think we should go to Spiral?" dad asked suspiciously.
"It's just an idea," Reverend Jack told us with a frown. "Just in case things become too hostile around here." Then he shook his head sadly, "I never thought the people around here could act like this to one of their own... Hopefully they'll calm down soon."
"People do surprising things," dad told him grimly. "I haven't been handling his...her change very well myself, but I'll be damned if I let someone else lay another finger on her."
Reverend Jack nodded. "Just let me know if there's anything I can do to help." Then he turned to me and smiled, "God bless," before he turned and left.
"Let's get going," dad said, looking around and making me notice that several people were watching us. I grew even more self-conscious of this fact when I remembered that I was wearing nothing more the hospital gown.
We hurried to the car and were just climbing in when the air was suddenly filled with the loud yell of police sirens. Flashing lights in the corner of my eye caught my attention and I snapped around to see the police car that had just pulled in behind our car, blocking us from leaving.
"What the hell is going on?" dad demanded angrily as he climbed back out of the car.
Sheriff Cal Bartley stepped out of his cop car and stepped towards us with a deep scowl. He was a big man, several inches taller than my dad and quite broad shouldered. His hand rested on his gun holster as he looked us over, his eyes locking on me. His expression turned even darker and I felt as though he was dissecting me with his eyes.
A moment later, Deputy Porky climbed out of the passenger side of the cop car and stood beside Sheriff Cal. Deputy Porky hadn't earned his name from being overweight, which he wasn't, but from the fact he had a bad stuttering problem. Because of that, he tended not to speak much which seemed to suit Sheriff Cal just fine.
"You're under arrest," Sheriff Cal snarled at me, his hand on his holster as though waiting for me to make the slightest move. Deputy Porky mimicked his actions, looking as though he was ready to shoot as well. "For assault, battery, and attempted murder," Sheriff Cal continued with a sneer.
"What's the meaning of this?" my dad demanded furiously. He probably would have punched Sheriff Cal if it wasn't for the fact that the sheriff was armed.
"This little freak of yours attacked my nephew Jake and tore up his face pretty good," Sheriff Cal growled. "He had to go get stitches and will probably be scarred for life."
"Your nephew attacked her," mom nearly yelled at Sheriff Cal.
"Jake and Cody jumped my girl and beat the crap out of her," dad snarled menacingly, "All she did was try defending herself, for what little good it did."
"She looks just fine to me," Sheriff Cal sneered as he looked at me, not seeing all the injuries I'd suffered yesterday.
"You can't do this," dad insisted, "your boy attacked her without reason..."
"Shut up," Sheriff Cal snarled at him, his hand tapping the gun in his holster, "If you say one more word, I'll arrest you for obstructing justice..."
"Justice?" mom gasped in horror. "If there was any justice, you'd lock that monster nephew of yours up..."
Sheriff Cal just glared at her, then snarled at me, "Turn around and put your hands behind your back. NOW!"
"But," I started to protest, staring at the sheriff in horror.
But before another word could come out of my mouth, Deputy Porky grabbed me and slammed me up against the car so hard I was sure it would leave bruises. He grabbed my arms, pulling them painfully as he handcuffed them behind my back. Dad started to move but Sheriff Cal drew his gun and pointed it straight at dad.
"This is a nice little town," Sheriff Cal snarled, "and we're not gonna let little freaks like this run loose and ruining it."
"You can't do this," mom screamed at him in near panic, "you know she didn't do anything..."
"We'll see what my good friend Judge Bennet says about that," Sheriff Cal smirked.
Dad just stood there glaring at Sheriff Cal, giving me the feeling that if the Sheriff hadn't been holding that gun dad would have jumped him. But as it was, dad stood still, hate filling his eyes. He looked to me, his eyes filled with apology for not being able to prevent this.
"We'll get you out," dad promised me as Deputy Porky pushed me to the cop car and shoved me into the back seat.
Deputy Porky had twisted my arm and left several bruises on me, but I still hadn't fought him. Still, Deputy Porky said, "I...I...I...I....I think w...w...w...we got her for resisting arrest too...."
"You bastard," mom screamed, about to charge them herself if dad hadn't held her back.
"You won't get away with this," dad snarled.
Sheriff Cal pointed his gun straight at dad and demanded, "Was that a threat?" When dad didn't respond, he snorted, "I didn't think so."
A minute later the sheriff and deputy climbed back into the cop car while I was stuck in the back, scared and angry. I couldn't believe that I was being arrested... I was the victim... I was the one who'd been attacked and hurt...but I was the one going to jail. I grimaced, burning with resentment at just how unfair this was. But that was the way everything seemed to be in my life anymore.
Then as we drove off to the jail, Sheriff Cal told me, "You're mine now you little freak..."
I sat on the hard and uncomfortable cot, shivering a bit though not from the cold. I was stuck in a small jail cell with ugly gray walls and an open toilet that gave no privacy, not to mention the fact that I was still wearing the hospital gown. But as bad as all that was, the worst thing was that there wasn't anything pink in sight.
"I need pink," I whimpered, feeling as though I was going to jump out of my own skin. My heart raced and I looked around, desperate to find something pink. I wanted....needed it. I was going through withdrawal, but unlike any other addict, I knew I wouldn't eventually get over it. My addiction was something else entirely. "I need it..."
It had only been three or four hours since they'd thrown me in jail for the crime of being beaten up and I was already going crazy. A large part of it was the fact there was nothing pink around, but I was also scared. I'd never imagined I would be locked up in jail or that I'd be facing prison time or worse. I had a growing fear that I might not make it to trial, especially not with the way Sheriff Cal looked at me every time he came in.
"Damn," I grimaced, looking down at my arms which were bruised. Deputy Porky had been pretty rough while arresting me and Sheriff Cal had been even worse while throwing me into the cell. They seemed to take some kind of delight in hurting me, which only made me more fearful of my position.
My cell was in the back of the jail along with several others. There were only three other prisoners besides myself, and they were in separate cells since the sheriff said even they didn't deserve to have me locked in with them. One was a woman who'd been accused of breaking into a house to burglarize it, one was a guy accused of selling drugs, and the last was a guy who'd gotten drunk and pissed off Sheriff Cal. None of the other three would talk to me but they all took turns staring.
After awhile, I tried distracting myself by getting up and going to the bars. It wasn't much, but there wasn't much I could do being stuck in this small cell. I could faintly hear Sheriff Cal talking to Deputy Porky in the next room and it seemed to be about the Twisted. I struggled to make out what they were saying.
"I'll be the big hero once everyone finds out I got that freak off the streets," Sheriff Cal was saying. "Everyone knows those Twisted are controlled by aliens in another dimension. They're dangerous..."
"Hey you," one of the other prisoners called out to me. It was the dug dealer.
"Yeah," I responded cautiously.
"I heard you Twisted all have freak powers," he said, staring at me with a look that made me cringe.
"I wish," I grimaced. Of course, I had that weird trick where I could grow my hair back and heal from injuries when I was unconscious, but he didn't need to know that.
"C'mon," the drunk laughed. "Surely you can blow a hole in the wall, or maybe shoot death rays from your eyes."
"Do you think I'd still be here if I could do something like that?" I asked bitterly.
"Damn," the drunk exclaimed.
"It was worth a shot," the drug dealer shrugged, then turned to the drunk. "Pay up. I told you the freak wouldn't be able to do anything cool..."
The drunk grumbled at that, "I never shoulda bet you..."
I scowled and turned away from the prisoners, not sure I liked being the target of some bet. I'd already looked them over and none of them were wearing pink, not even the woman, so they had nothing to interest me. Instead, I tried listening in on Sheriff Cal again.
"You heard about that Twisted guy in the news last year?" Sheriff Cal was going on. "Yeah, that kid who went on a rape spree... They say he got thirty women and two dogs before they caught him... Those Twisted fuckers are all sick and should just be put down..."
"Just great," I winced, feeling even more sick to my stomach than I already did. Maybe listening to Sheriff Cal's rants wasn't the best idea.
I frowned and sat back down on the hard cot that served as a bed. The thin mattress barely did anything to make it more comfortable, though I was too focused on my other comfort to care much about something like this. I needed something pink soon... I needed it now... I closed my eyes, trying to imagine the color pink to see if it might help. It didn't help much.
I spent the next several hours squirming in misery and discomfort. My need for something pink only seemed to grow stronger with time. I curled up on my cot, shaking with that need and feeling as though I was going to die. I alternated between silently cursing my Twist and praying that I'd get something pink soon.
Sheriff Cal came in several times to check on the prisoners and to gloat. I begged him to get me something pink. "Please," I pleaded tearfully, "I need something pink...anything..."
"Shut up you freak," he snapped in response each time.
I was shaking with my need for something pink, growing more and more desperate. I was starting to wish that my attempted suicide had succeeded so at least I wouldn't be suffering like this. I was nearly going insane from this need.
"She's on something," the drug dealer prisoner whispered to the others as they all watched me nervously.
Eventually Deputy Porky came with dinner, though I didn't care anything about that. I wasn't hungry, at least not enough to eat. There was only one thing I wanted and food wasn't it. "Here you go you f...f...f...f...f...freak," Deputy Porky said, spitting into my tray of food before shoving it into my cell.
"Pink," I gasped, staring at him with a wild eyed desperation that caused him to step back, "I need...pink... Please..."
Deputy Porky stared at me nervously, then glanced to the front office where Sheriff Cal was probably waiting. I was making him nervous, which wasn't any surprise considering the way I was acting. I was getting to the point that I'd do ANYTHING for something pink, including things I'd normally never consider.
"Sh...sh...shut up," Deputy Porky snapped.
At that moment, I suddenly felt a pressure build up inside of me, created by all the desperation and need. It flowed and burned all at once, making me feel very much like I had at the moment of my Twist. However, that pressure only lasted a few seconds before it suddenly exploded, sending waves of pink light out from my body.
The pink glow washed over everything around me, transforming everything it touched to the color pink. The horrible gray walls of my cell be came a soft and comforting pink. My uncomfortable cot and the hospital gown I was wearing became pink as well. But the effects spread out beyond my cell, changing the paint color on the cells beside me and even the color of Deputy Porky's uniform. His uniform was now a bright neon pink.
"PINK," I exclaimed, feeling deliriously giddy from all the pink that now surrounded me. I grinned stupidly, loving that lovely color. I soaked it all up, laughing with delight.
"Sh...sh..sh...CAL," Deputy Porky yelled with a look of shock and horror on his face.
Sheriff Cal came rushing into the room, exclaiming, "What the hell...?" Then he froze, staring at the now pink walls and clothes in shock. His eyes immediately went to me and he snarled, "YOU!"
"Pretty pink," I giggled, still a bit dazed by all the lovely color.
My stupid grin only infuriated Sheriff Cal, who unlocked my cell and stepped inside, backhanding me across the face and sending me sprawling backwards. My nose exploded in pain and blood, feeling almost exactly like it had yesterday when Cody had hit me. The pain sobered me up immediately and I cried out, grabbing my broken nose.
"You dirty freak," Sheriff Cal snarled, pulling out his baton and then hitting me with it. "I'll teach you what happens when you mess with real people..."
Sheriff Cal hit me with the baton several more times, taking great delight in doing so. I screamed as he beat me, then began kicking me. This was far too much like what Cody and Jake had done to me yesterday, except that this time it was a cop doing it to me. Sheriff Cal stopped after just a minute, then turned and stepped out of the cell, gesturing for Deputy Porky to lock it again.
"Go and change your uniform," Sheriff Cal ordered Deputy Porky with disgust. Then he glared at me before he turned and stormed out of the room.
"Holy shit," the female burglar exclaimed, staring at me with a look of sympathy. The drug dealer seemed to have enjoyed the show while the drunk just looked a bit sick to his stomach. I ignored them as I slowly climbed back onto the cot, wincing at all my new bruises and blood. I hurt like hell but that was nothing new. I'd felt the same way yesterday. But this time, I comforted myself with the knowledge that I'd feel better in the morning. And at least now, I had all this lovely pink to help me feel better.
"I have a new trick," I stared at the pink wall and whispered in realization. I smiled as I realized I might never have to go without pink again. If I could learn to control this, I could make my own pink whenever I wanted... That thought made me smile more and almost forget about how much I hurt. Almost.
After this the prisoners watched me with a new expression in their eyes... fear. They'd seen me use a power that none of them possessed, had seen me do something completely unnatural. The fact that all it did was to change the colors of thins to pink seemed to be irrelevant. They were really afraid of me now.
A short time later, Deputy Porky came in wearing a new uniform which disappointed me a bit. I thought the neon pink one was so much nicer. He only glared at me but didn't say a word as he went and led the drunk out. Apparently the drunk was being let loose. I just wished the same could be said for me since I had no idea how long I was going to be locked up.
When Deputy Porky came in the next time after this, I was a little startled to see that he had Reverend Jack with him. Reverend Jack took one look at me and paled. "What did you do to her?" he demanded of Deputy Porky.
"I...I...I...I...," Deputy Porky shook his head in annoyance at his stuttering. "She tried using some weird power to escape."
"Dear God," Reverend Jack whispered in horror. His eyes went over the pink walls and then settled on me. They were filled with both anger and pity. "Are you all right?"
"No," I grimaced, fighting back the urge to demand if he thought I looked all right. Reverend Jack scowled, then turned to Deputy Jack, "May I have some privacy with her..."
"I...I...I...I can't do that," Deputy Porky scowled back.
But Reverend Jack narrowed his eyes and calmly said, "You've heard of the sanctity of confession... How would you feel if everything between me and my people became public?"
Deputy Porky went pale for a moment before snapping, "All right. Just a couple minutes..."
After Deputy Porky had left the room, I said, "I thought confessions were a Catholic thing..."
"It is," Reverend Jack smiled. "If he came to church more he might know that." He turned to look at the two remaining prisoners, frowning as he did so. Even without Deputy Porky we didn't have much privacy.
"Where...where are my mom and dad?" I asked him quietly, worried since I hadn't heard from them since I was arrested. I'd expected them to come see me but they hadn't.
"They've been trying to get in with a lawyer," Reverend Jack told me with an angry scowl, "but Sheriff Cal won't let them or the lawyer in. They tried going to the judge, but Judge Bennet is suddenly unreachable."
"Shit," I winced, then realized to whom I was talking to, I quickly said, "Sorry..."
"Perfectly understandable," Reverend Jack told me. "We can probably get you out legally, but it will take awhile to get to the right people." Then he looked around carefully and whispered, "But I'm afraid you might not have that time."
"What?" I gasped.
"Shhh," Reverend Jack cautioned me, then continued quietly. "I fear Sheriff Cal may be intending to have you shot while escaping. He thinks he's saving the normal people this way..." Reverend Jack shook his head sadly to let me know what he thought of that.
"But..." I gulped.
"I've already talked to your parents and they agree we have to get you out of here before then," Reverend Jack told me, looking to the door again to make sure Deputy Porky or Sheriff Cal weren't coming in. "I've already called a friend of mine for help. We'll get you out of here as soon as we can."
Before I could ask Reverend Jack for more details, Sheriff Porky came back in and he didn't look happy. "Time's up," he said simply.
Reverend Jack nodded, then told me, "I'll pray for you," before he turned and followed the deputy out.
I slowly sat back down on the cot and frowned thoughtfully. I couldn't help thinking about Reverend Jack's warning about Sheriff Cal's plans to shoot me. Normally, I would have laughed that away as complete paranoia, but after what I'd been through lately at the Sheriff's hands...I no longer doubted it. In fact, I only wondered why I hadn't thought of it myself.
"I'm in deep shit," I grimaced, clenching my fists tight enough for my nails to dig into my flesh and draw blood. And though Reverend Jack had assured me he was doing everything he could, I didn't have a lot of hope. What could a preacher do against an armed sheriff and deputy? Still, I remembered my promise to dad and refused to give up again. It might not be a lot of hope, but it was all I had.
I stared at my newly pink breakfast tray, smiling in satisfaction. Since I didn't have anything else to do, I'd been trying to figure out how my new trick worked. It had taken a bit of effort but I was sure that I'd finally figured out how to use it. The tray was proof of that.
Then I turned my attention to the toilet in my cell which had remained untouched by my trick yesterday. I took a deep breath and focused on the color pink and how much I wanted it. The strange pressure quickly built up inside me along with the energies that all Twisted tap into. After a brief moment, I pushed it towards the toilet. A wave of pink light came out of my hand and hit the toilet which quickly transformed into a brilliant pink color.
"Yes," I grinned, taking pleasure where I could find it. I didn't exactly have a lot to be thankful for but this was something. "I never have to be without pink again..."
With that, I remembered something else I was thankful for...my other trick. When I'd woken up a few hours ago after a night of poor sleep, I had been quite pleased to find all my injuries gone again. My bruises had all faded away and my nose didn't show any sign of having been broken twice. It was nice to be free of the pain from being beaten, especially since it was happening so often lately.
When Sheriff Cal came in with breakfast and saw me healed, he'd been pretty upset. In fact, I thought he was going to charge into my cell to beat me again. Fortunately for me, he seemed to decide against it and left without a word. For some reason though, that just made me more worried. Maybe he was waiting for the chance to do more than just beat me.
"God, I hope dad can get me out," I grimaced fearfully. I couldn't stop thinking about Reverend Jack's warnings and his promise of help, though I'd been trying hard not to. Every time I remembered his words or saw Sheriff Cal, I worried about what he was going to do. "I didn't even do anything wrong..."
Deputy Jackson came in after awhile, making sure not to even look at me. I hadn't seen him around much since I'd been arrested but wished that he'd replace Porky. After Deputy Jackson only refused to acknowledge my existence, which was a far cry from the looks of hatred and the stuttered insults I got from Deputy Porky or the sheriff.
"Come on," Deputy Jackson told the burglar woman as he unlocked her cell, "Your bail's been posted." He turned and led her out of the room, leaving me with just the drug dealer for company.
"Oh shit," I whispered, suddenly having a bad feeling about this.
If Sheriff Cal really did want to kill me while 'escaping' like Reverend Jack thought, then he'd probably wait until there weren't any witnesses. Or at least, he'd probably wait until there weren't any that he couldn't control. At the moment, the only witness left was the drug dealer. The moment he was gone, I'd be left alone with Sheriff Cal and his deputies, and they'd be able to claim whatever they wanted.
I waited impatiently, hoping from a visit from my dad or Reverend Jack. Unfortunately, there were no visitors and I was left wondering if they'd ever be able to get me out. So far I hadn't been given a chance to talk to a lawyer or even the one phone call I was supposedly allowed. When I'd mentioned getting either to Sheriff Cal yesterday, he'd only snapped at me to shut up. I had a feeling that asking again wouldn't be any more effective.
Eventually, Sheriff Cal came in again and paused in front of my cell to glare at me. He smirked, "Don't worry freak, you won't be in here for much longer." His tone was more than a little sarcastic and sent a chill up my spine.
I glared back at him, more than a little tempted to turn his uniform pink the same way I'd accidentally done to Deputy Porky. The only thing that stopped me was fear and the realization that it would be a bad idea to antagonize him further. My only chance was to drag things out until dad and Reverend Jack could find a way to free me.
Sheriff Cal turned to the drug dealer and said, "Come on. You've got an appointment with Judge Bennet."
"And I thought no one could reach him," I grimaced, remembering Reverend Jack's words. I gulped and watched silently as the sheriff started leading the drug dealer from the room.
"We'll have a talk when I get back," Sheriff Cal sneered at me before leaving with his prisoner.
"Shit," I gulped, shaking with fear. Now I didn't have anyone here to keep Sheriff Cal from just getting rid of me. "Please don't let me die," I prayed, amazed at how much I wanted to live when I'd been so determined to kill myself just two days earlier.
I sat in my jail cell for another hour, shaking with fear that slowly turned to anger. Who the hell did these people think they were? These were supposed to be the law enforcement people, and they sure as hell weren't following the laws themselves.
"I was never read any rights," I reminded myself angrily, "never given a phone call, a lawyer, or anything... Shit, I didn't even do anything and he knows it..."
I clenched my fists at Sheriff Cal's hypocrisy. And if he killed me like I thought he was going to, than that just proved he was nothing more than a kidnapper and murderer. His deputies were certainly no better. I was hard thinking this about the people that I'd always thought of as the 'good guys', but I now realized they were anything but.
"Those bastards," I grimaced, deciding that if Sheriff Cal was going to murder me like that, I was at least going to fight him any way I could. I might not be able to do much, but I wouldn't go down without at least some kind of fight. "I'm not gonna give up again..."
About an hour after Sheriff Cal left with the drug dealer, the door began to open as someone came in. I jumped to my feet, prepared to yell, scream, use every profanity I knew, and even turn Sheriff Cal's uniform pink. I prepared myself to be shot, terrified but braced up by my anger fueled courage.
To my surprise, it wasn't Sheriff Cal or even one of the deputies who came in but my dad, followed by Reverend Jack and some guy I'd never seen before. All of them looked grim and serious, though I couldn't be quite certain about the stranger. He looked half asleep and even yawned loudly.
"Mark," Dad exclaimed in relief as he saw me, "or Leila..."
"Dad," I gasped, feeling both relieved and confused.
"We don't have much time," Reverend Jack said firmly, glancing to the still yawning guy with him. Then I noticed the keys in his hand, "Where's the lock...?"
"Oh my God," I blurted out as I realized that this was a break out. Then I blinked and pointed to the control unit on the wall that unlocked and opened various cells. "There..."
"Good," Reverend Jack nodded and rushed to the control unit, sticking the key in it to unlock it then using the electronic controls to open the door to my cell.
"C'mon," dad said, grabbing me and pulling me out of my cell. He clenched me in a tight hug for a moment gasping, "I'm glad you're all right..." Then he pulled away and looked at all the pink in my cell with a look of surprise.
"We have to hurry," Reverend Jack said firmly.
I nodded but asked, "Who's he?" I pointed to the half asleep stranger.
"I'm," the stranger yawned, "Greg." Then he smiled at me with a sleepy look. "I'm Twisted too..."
"You're Twisted?" I asked in surprise, fighting my old urge to immediately step back. I knew I didn't like that kind of treatment and it would be extremely hypocritical to treat others the same way. "I've never met another one," I told him feeling a little uncertain. Then I asked dad, "Why's he here?"
"I've got a trick," Greg yawned loudly. "I put people to sleep."
"So can my teacher," I joked weakly, earning a faint chuckle from Greg.
Reverend Jack looked a bit impatient but sighed, "Now isn't the time for explanations but I see you have a lot of questions..."
"Yeah," I nodded, glancing around nervously as I expected Deputy Porky or Sheriff Cal to rush in at any moment.
"Have you heard of the underground railroad?" Reverend Jack asked me with a frown.
I blinked in surprise, "The subway?"
"No," he shook his head impatiently. "Don't they teach you anything in history?"
"Schools aren't what they used to be," dad said.
"Back before the Civil War," Reverend Jack told me, "there were people who helped slaves escape to where they'd be safe. Nowadays, there's a different kind of underground railroad that helps Twisted who are in trouble. I'm one of the stops on it. I help Twisted like you get away to places were they'll be safe." He gestured to Greg. "I helped Greg some years back and I asked him to come help me get you out of here."
"Glad to help," Greg yawned again.
"Oh," I blushed in embarrassment, "that underground railroad. I remember hearing about that..." Then I looked at Reverend Jack in surprise, never having imagined that he'd be involved in something like that.
"No time for more explanations," he told me crossly. "We have to go before they wake up..."
"Before who wakes up?" I asked in surprise.
Reverend Jack didn't answer as he led the way out of the cell block and into the main jail. Deputy Porky and Deputy Jackson were both sound asleep at their desks, much to my surprise. I glanced at Greg and realized that he must have done this. This was why Reverend Jack had asked him to come.
Suddenly there was a loud crashing sound as a rock flew through the front window. The sound caused both deputies to suddenly jump and wake up. "What the hell?" Deputy Jackson exclaimed while Deputy Porky looked around in confusion, then gasped as he saw us.
"Damn," dad exclaimed, throwing open the door and rushing out of the jail.
As soon as I stepped outside, I was shocked to see about a dozen protesters standing around with signs, yelling to the jail. The signs all said things like, "Twisted aren't human," and worse. It was damn near a lynch mob that seemed to angry that normal people had been locked up with me. They were all angry and were even throwing things at the jail.
"Oh God," I gasped in horror, suddenly noticing both Jake and Cody among the group. I saw one sign on the ground that had been trampled all over and was a bit torn, saying, "Twisted are God's creatures too," but there was no sign of whomever had been holding that one. I suspected that the other protesters had chased the ones like that away.
"Ignore them," dad said grim. "Let's just get out of here...."
Unfortunately, the group of protesters had all seen me come right out of the jail and they seemed angry about it. Loud yells and insults started to be aimed towards me, along with a few thrown objects.
"Stop this," Reverend Jack exclaimed, trying to calm down the protesters. "There is no call for this kind of behavior..."
Deputies Porky and Jackson burst out of the jail just a moment later with guns drawn, "She's trying to escape!" Deputy Jackson yelled, which only got the protesters angrier. They looked as though they were about to charge straight at is, though Reverend Jack was holding them back...barely.
"Is this the kind of behavior that you want your children to see?" Reverend Jack yelled at the crowd angrily. "Go home and think about this..."
Deputy Porky was trying to talk but no one could hear what he was saying. He angrily fired a warning shot into the air, then pointed his gun at me with a furious look in his eyes. Deputy Jackson had his gun in hand too, though he was pointing it at the ground rather than at me. He had a slightly haunted expression on his face, as though he realized what they were doing to me wasn't right.
"What are we going to do?" dad demanded of Reverend Jack, stepping between me and the deputies as though to block me from any shots they might make. He glared at them dangerously, as though silently threatening them with horrible things if they laid a single finger on me. I suddenly felt a surge of pride for my dad and wondered how I ever could have doubted him.
Then, as though God himself were determined to make things even more difficult for us, Sheriff Cal ran up, "What the bloody hell is going on?"
Sheriff Cal stopped to stare at me with a look of pure rage. Then as he reached for his gun, I saw a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes. He was going to shoot me while escaping and he'd have a bunch of witnesses that I was trying to do just that.
"Don't you dare!" Reverend Jack exclaimed, stepping between me and Sheriff Cal. "She's unarmed... Are you a murderer now as well as a kidnapper?"
"Kidnapper?" Sheriff Cal snarled furiously. "She's under arrest..."
"When she didn't do anything illegal," Reverend Jack yelled back, "you didn't read her rights and you didn't fill out the paperwork either... You know good and well that means her arrest was completely illegal... What you've gone is nothing short of kidnapping..."
"I don't need freak loving preacher to tell me about the law," Sheriff Cal spat out angrily.
"Well someone should," Reverend Cal glared back at him. "You're breaking enough of them as it is..."
Sheriff Cal snarled, looking as though he was about though he was going go shoot me right through Reverend Jack. However, he glanced at the protesters and realized that it wouldn't be a good idea to shoot an unarmed reverend in front of them. He might be able to get away with killing a Twisted freak, but he'd never get away with that.
"You're under arrest," Sheriff Cal growled at him, stepping closer.
"You bastard," dad snarled, clutching my hand protectively and glaring at the sheriff. "I thought you were a law man, not a monster... Obviously I was wrong..."
"You're under arrest too," Sheriff Cal smirked as he turned the gun on my dad.
"NO!" I exclaimed, terrified that he'd shoot my dad. "Just leave my dad alone..."
Sheriff Cal grinned evilly and quickly pointed his gun at me now that I'd stepped out from behind my dad. Now was his chance... I was terrified, but I'd rather it was me than my dad.
Suddenly, the sheriff's gun tore right out of his grip and went flying through the air. Curses from the deputies caused me to turn and see that they'd lost their guns the same way. Then I looked and saw another man I didn't know standing in the street with a ski mask over his face. He had bits and pieces of metal clinging to his body, including the guns.
"My friend Edward is somewhat magnetic when he wishes," Reverend Jack whispered to me with a smirk.
Just then all the bits and pieces of metal that were attached the man with the ski mask....to Edward, all fell off of him to the ground around him. Sheriff Cal was about to charge straight at him, until Edward bent over and calmly picked up one of the guns. He didn't aim it anyone, but he didn't need to either.
"Let's get out of here," Reverend Jack said grimly, glaring Sheriff Cal and the protesters with a look of disgust on his face.
"You can't go," Sheriff Cal snarled furiously. "You're all under arrest..."
"And you're an asshole," I snapped back, sick and tired of him and people like him.
Then on a sudden impulse, I lashed out with my new trick, sending waves of pink energy out towards Sheriff Cal. My first impulse had just been to turn his uniform pink, but I was pissed off and decided to go one step more. The pink light washed over his skin and hair, turning that all neon pink along with his costume.
"What the hell?" Sheriff Cal screamed in panic as he looked down at himself.
The protesters all began to scream and run away in a panic but I hardly paid attention to that. Instead, I reached out with my power and hit Jake with it, turning his skin and hair bright pink. Right after him, I hit Sheriff Porky as well. I damn well remembered what all three of them had done to me, but there was someone else who'd hurt me even more.
"Cody," I whispered, staring at my former friend with tears in my eyes.
Cody stood there with a look of horror and shame on his face, though whether it was because he was ashamed of what he'd done to me or because he'd once been my friend, I didn't know. All I knew was that his betrayal had hurt far worse than all the bruises and broken bones. His betrayal had cut me to my very soul.
"Mark, no..." he gasped with a pleading look in his eyes.
I glared at Cody, wanting to lash out at him the same way that I had Jake, Sheriff Cal and Deputy Porky. The only thing that held me back was the memory of the friendship we'd once shared. That friendship was obviously dead and gone, but the last gift I had for my old friend was to just let him go.
"But remember," I spat at him angrily, "I'm not Mark... Not anymore." Then I turned my back to him and started to walk away with my dad, "I'm Leila now..."
"I'll take care of them," Greg yawned loudly, waving his hand towards the few people who remained. Suddenly, everyone who was still there collapsed to the ground, completely asleep. I even heard snoring coming from Deputy Porky.
"Is... Is that pink permanent?" dad asked me a moment later.
I turned to look back at Sheriff Cal and admire his beautiful new skin color. I had no idea if my color changes were permanent or if they'd wear off, but they showed no signs of doing so yet in the jail cell. Truthfully, I hoped it didn't wear off. But even if it did, I thought those three bastards would all get a very good taste of what it's like being a freak. They deserved far worse than that.
"I have no idea," I finally told dad with a grin.
Dad shook his head, then said, "Come on..."
Just then I noticed dad was pointing at an RV that was parked just down the street. Dad and Reverend Jack were going straight towards it while Greg kept gesturing at everyone else he saw and putting them to sleep.
As soon as I climbed inside the RV, mom suddenly threw her arms around me. Tears were pouring down her cheeks as she exclaimed, "You're all right... Thank God you're all right..."
"Hi mom," I smiled weakly as I hugged her back.
Then I looked over and saw Grace, looking nervous but relieved at the same time. As soon as I let go of mom, Grace rushed over and gave me a hug. "I missed you," Grace told me wide eyed. "I was worried..."
"Me too," I told her honestly, deciding that she didn't need to know just how worried I'd been.
Once everyone else was on board, Greg climbed inside while Edward hopped behind the wheel. The RV pulled out and started driving before I'd even realized it. Then Edward pulled off his ski mask, revealing that his face was gray and looked a bit metallic. It was no wonder he wore the mask in town. In this town, it's better to be thought a burglar an a Twisted.
"I'm glad you're all right," mom told me again. "When Reverend Jack told us of how they'd been treating you..." She shook her head then clutched me tight again.
"Thank you," I said, not sure who I should be thanking for my rescue. Everyone had come and saved me from Sheriff Cal and his plans.
"So what next?" dad asked Reverend Jack while giving me a reassuring smile.
"We'll switch vehicles in a short while," Reverend Jack said, "then we'll head somewhere safe...."
"Like Spiral?" I asked, remembering that town for Twisted.
Reverend Jack nodded. "That is where we send most of the Twisted who are in trouble. It's probably the best place in the whole country to be Twisted. We've got some friends there who can help you all get set up." Then he sighed, "I'll have to come with for now. It seems that it may no longer be safe for me here either."
"I don't think Sheriff Cal will let that go," mom agreed with a furious expression.
"He's gonna have troubles of his own soon," Greg yawned loudly. "Besides just being pink."
"What do you mean?" dad asked.
"We'll be having a few lawyers coming down on this police department," Edward called back with a chuckle. "Trust me, they've violated enough civil rights to be tied up for a long time."
"The most important thing now," Reverend Jack told us with a smile, "is to get you all safely to Spiral. Trust me though when I tell you it won't be any problem. We have enough friends helping us that we'll all be there safe and sound within two days."
"That'll be good," dad said, smiling at me though I could tell he was a little nervous as well.
"Spiral," I whispered, not sure how I felt about going to a town with so many Twisted.
The idea of being in a place where I was surrounded by Twisted once would have filled me with terror. I'd always heard such bad things about them, about how they lost their humanity and went insane. I know that I'd been changed pretty drastically, not just in my body but in my mind, or at least with the strange way I now craved pink. I could only imagine how much worse it had to be for others.
However, I now had a much different view on the Twisted. I still thought that they...that we were freaks, but I was okay with that. We were different, but we were still human and wanted to be treated as such. We wanted to be left alone to live our lives and be who we were. At least that was what I wanted and I suspected that most other Twisted were the same way.
"Spiral," I whispered again, deciding that maybe it would be a good idea to live in a place like that. I couldn't be considered a freak but just another girl. It would be strange, but at least it would be better than the living hell I'd had to endure here with the self-righteous normals. The more I thought about it, the more I was beginning to look forward to Spiral.
After awhile though, I realized something. "Isn't it going to be hard just leaving the house and everything?" I asked dad, thinking about everything my parents were giving up by coming with me like this.
"We packed as much as we could," mom said, gesturing to some boxes in the back of the RV. Then she shrugged, "But we did have to leave so much..."
"Don't worry about it," Dad reassured her, looking to Grace and me and adding, "we have everything important. Everything else can be replaced...."
It was a touching moment and we all gathered together for a family group hug. I smiled, feeling quite happy. I might have just lost everything I owned and been run out of town, but I was with my family and I no longer had any doubts at all that they loved me. I only wished that they didn't have to give up so much because of me.
"Don't worry too much about it," Reverend Jack chuckled. "Once you're all settled into Spiral, we've got people who can help retrieve the rest of your belongings and even sell your house. Our little network has had some experience in these kinds of situations before."
"That's good to know," dad told him. "And if there's anything I can do to help..."
"If there is," Reverend Jack told him, "we'll let you now. For now though, getting your family safe and settled is the important thing."
I just sat there and listened as dad and Reverend Jack continued to talk about how we were going to get to Spiral and get settled in, though it was fairly boring. I looked over at Grace and saw that she was even more bored than I was. And since she didn't have any dolls with her at the moment to play with, I thought she could use a little distraction.
"You want to see something cool?" I whispered to Grace.
"Yeah," Grace grinned eagerly.
I grinned at her, then pointed to her shirt which suddenly transformed from white to pink. She gasped in delight then giggled, "It's really pretty..."
For a moment I just sat there, admiring the beautiful color of her shirt and then her wide open smile. I suddenly felt extremely proud to be her big sister and decided that I'd do the best job I could. I'd even play dolls with her on occasion if it would make her happy, in spite of how bad things had gone the last time. After all, I was a girl now and girls could play with pink things and dolls.
"I'm glad you like it," I told her with a grin of my own. Then I leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, "Pink is such a pretty color, don't you think?"
"Yeah," Grace exclaimed with a broad grin, "Pink's pretty... It's my favorite color."
"Mine too," I winked at her as I quietly turned dad's shoes pink and making her giggle even louder, "Mine too..."
Jon always knew he would be come Twisted, but when his twist occurs even he is surprised at the form it takes...and keeps on taking.
This story takes place in Morpheus's Twisted universe.
School was finally out for the day and I let out a long sigh of relief. Schools in the town of Spiral were different than schools anywhere else because of all the Twisted everywhere and the cool tricks you could see at any time. But regardless of that, no matter where you were, a school was still a school and it was always great to finally leave at the end of the day.
My name is Jon Andrews and I'm a pretty normal sixteen year old, though the word normal usually does have a somewhat different meaning in Spiral. Still, I'd probably be considered pretty normal anywhere other than Spiral as well. I'm 5 foot 10, have brown hair and pretty ordinary features. If someone were to describe me to the cops, about the only really noticeable feature they could give was the fact that I had a nice scar on my chin from a childhood accident.
Spiral is a strange town filled with strange people. There were Twisted all over the place, many of whom had tricks that were like super powers in the old comic books. I'd grown up in Spiral though and lived here most of my life so all this weirdness was fairly normal for me. Like I said, 'normal' was a bit different in Spiral.
I was pretty normal by Spiral standards, though perhaps not quite so much everywhere else. There was only one thing about me that was odd, but that would have been considered a huge thing outside Spiral. In Spiral, no one gave it a second thought or even cared. The fact was, my mom was Twisted and my dad was a normal guy.
The doctors say there's a very good chance that I'll become Twisted like my mom, but they don't know for sure. Going through your twist isn't something that most people look forward to because you never know what will happen to you or what you'll become. In fact, it scares the hell out of a lot of kids in Spiral, though most don't want to admit it. I don't usually waste much time worrying about it though. If I am Twisted, nothing I do can change or prevent my twist. If I'm not Twisted, I'd just have worried for nothing. I prefer to just live one day at a time, and if anything does happen, I'll worry about it then.
At the moment though, the only thing I wanted to worry about was getting home from school before it started to rain. I live close enough to the school that I wasn't allowed to take the bus. And though that wasn't a problem most of the time, it got to be a real pain in the ass when I had to deal with the weather. Fortunately, it hadn't started raining yet but I wanted to get home before it started.
I was just about to leave the school grounds with my backpack slung over my shoulder when I suddenly heard someone cry for help. I looked around and saw one of my friends being shoved around by a larger guy. That was NOT something I was going to just let stand.
"What the hell are you doing?" I demanded as I ran to help my friend Jason.
The larger boy who was bullying my friend was Simon Casche, a kid I knew from around school but didn't know personally. At the moment, it looked as though he was just pushing Jason around but hadn't actually hit him yet. Simon glared at me, as though that look was enough to make me back away and let him continue with his fun.
"This isn't any of your business," Simon told me with a scowl.
I just stood my ground and grinned, "You know, I could always tell your little sister that you were picking on girls..."
Simon glared at me but there was a tinge of fear in his eyes. Then he let Jason go and glanced at his watch. "Damn, I've got to go..." He glared at me, "You're both lucky I don't have time to kick your asses now..." With that, he turned and walked away.
"You okay?" I asked Jason who just nodded.
Jason was one of those guys who looked several years younger than he actually was, thanks to the fact that he was both short and thin. He tried making up for that by not shaving and trying to grow some facial hair, but so far it was so sparse as to be barely noticeable and then it only looked a bit patchy.
"Thanks," Jason told me with a scowl. "You know I could have kicked his ass..."
"Yeah," I grinned, helping to cover his bruised ego, "but why would you want to do that when you can make him run away instead..."
"Bastard wanted to copy my homework," Jason scowled. "Doesn't he realize I'm only a C average student? Shouldn't he have gone after one of the A students or something...?"
"Yeah," I shrugged, "but I guess he isn't that bright. I mean, to an F student even a C student looks smart..." The truth was, I had no idea what kind of grades Simon got, nor did I really care.
Jason just laughed, "I guess so."
"Normally he's pretty harmless," I said thoughtfully, thinking about Simon. "More bark than bite. In fact, I kind of feel sorry for him..."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Jason demanded. "Why the hell would you feel sorry for him?"
"Didn't you hear?" I asked in surprise. "A couple weeks ago his little sister went through her twist. Apparently she turned into some kind of amazon and has been beating up on him since."
"Damn," Jason stared at me in disbelief.
"Yeah," I nodded agreement, "Simon used to just talk tough but never did anything. Now..." I shrugged, "I guess he's trying to prove he's a tough guy or something..."
"Man," Jason shook his head, then smirked, "getting beat up by your little sister..."
"Well anyway," I told Jason, "I've got to get home."
Jason nodded, then looked around and cursed, "Damn, I missed the bus. I guess I'll have to walk."
"Where do you live?" I asked. Jason and I were friends at school but had never hung out afterwards.
"Over by Lomax Avenue and Third," Jason told me.
"Really?" I asked in surprise. "That's only a couple blocks from my house. In fact, you'll probably walk right past my place going home."
"Cool," Jason nodded.
With that we started walking home together by silent agreement. We spend most of the short walk to my house complaining about school in general and sharing the gossip, though neither of us called it that. When we reached my house, I invited Jason inside, kind of eager to show off my room and my prize video games. I never got to show that stuff to my friends at school, most of whom didn't even know where I lived.
When we entered my house, we were met with a pretty girl who looked to be the same age as me. She had long brown hair and was dressed just like a lot of the girls in my school, with tight pants and a shirt that exposed her midriff, including the navel ring.
"Hey Jon," she greeted me, "how was school?"
"Hey Tina," I responded with a sigh, "it was about the same as always."
Tina nodded, "Cool." Then she looked to Jason with a curious expression.
"This is Jason," I told her, gesturing for Jason to follow me back to my room.
"Nice to meet you," Jason grinned at her before following me. Once we were in my room with the door closed, he exclaimed, "Damn your sister is hot."
I winced at that and grimly told him, "Tina's not my sister... She's my mom."
"YOUR MOM?" Jason gasped in surprise.
"It's her twist." I plopped down on my bed and let out a sigh. "It made her stop aging. I guess she didn't even realize what it really did to her for a couple years until she noticed that she wasn't getting any older."
"But your mom," Jason shook his head, "she doesn't look anything like a mom...
"Why do you think I call her Tina instead of mom?" I asked with a shrug. "Calling her mom when she looks like she's the same age as me is just too weird..." I didn't mention that Tina wasn't bothered at all when I stopped calling her mom several years ago and started using her first name instead. In fact, I think she preferred it that way.
"She certainly isn't dressed like a mom," Jason said, obviously uncomfortable with the fact that he thought my mom was hot.
"She dresses professionally and puts on makeup to make herself look a little older when she goes to work," I told Jason, "but when she's at home she's always dressed like she is really a teenager..."
"It's kind of cool if you think about it," Jason grinned at me.
"Yeah," I snorted, "but you've never had your mom come to your school and hang out pretending to be one of your classmates."
"You're kidding," Jason stared at me in disbelief.
I shook my head. "She likes doing that kind of thing. Once I was about to get a date with Katie Miller and Tina came up pretending to be my girlfriend... Kind of ruined that one in a hurry."
"Ouch," Jason winced, giving me a sympathetic look.
"It's not all bad," I admitted. "You remember my old girlfriend Lita? Tina was the one who introduced us and talked her into giving me a chance."
Jason shook his head at that, probably wondering if I was telling him the truth or making it up. However I was being perfectly honest... this time. I have told a few whopping stories in my time, but this wasn't one of them.
"It must be kind of weird for your dad," Jason pointed out, "I mean, with your mom looking like a teenager and all..."
"Yeah," I scowled, not sure how I could tell this or if I even should. "He couldn't exactly handle it..."
"Oh?" Jason asked.
I hesitated a minute, then said, "My dad's a normal...not Twisted or anything. They had me right out of high school and I guess he didn't care about Tina's twist then. But after a few years, he got older and she didn't and he started seeing her more and more as too young for him. I guess it started to make him feel like a pedophile or something because he left about eight years ago and neither of us has heard from him since."
Jason winced, "Damn... I guess it kind of says something about the guys her own age who would date her too..."
I nodded at that, deciding not to tell Jason any more about Tina. The truth was, I was pretty sure her twist had locked more than just her age at sixteen. I was pretty sure it had done so with her mind or emotional state as well. Then again, maybe it was the teenage hormones she still had and the fact she never had a chance to grow up the same way other women did. Either way, I was pretty sure she still thought of herself as a teenager deep inside which was why she was more comfortable with me calling her Tina than mom.
"Man, that's got to be weird though," Jason continued, not noticing that I wasn't quite as talkative. "I mean, someday people are gonna think she's your daughter..."
"I know," I shrugged, "it's pretty weird. But hey, this is Spiral. The guy next door not only has fun watching the grass grow, he makes it grow faster just by staring at it."
"I guess you're right," Jason grinned. "My dad's completely and totally obsessed with watching sports...and I don't even think that's part of his twist."
I just laughed at that. "So what is his twist?"
Jason shrugged. "He's just got this HUGE appetite, but he never gains any weight from it. I once saw him eat an entire Thanksgiving turkey by himself...then go for dessert." He shook his head, then grinned, "My mom just has this compulsion to start dancing whenever she hears music. It's pretty funny actually..."
We just sat there and continued talking for another half hour, mostly about various Twisted people we knew and what kind of twists they had. It was always interesting to hear about the different ways people could be changed by the twist, both physically and mentally. Eventually though, Jason had to go.
"I wish I could stay a bit longer," Jason told me, "but I'm already really late getting home..."
"I understand," I told him. "Maybe you can come over again sometime..."
Jason grinned, "Sure." Then as he was leaving, he waved to Tina and said, "See you later Mrs. Andrews."
As soon as Jason had left, Tina turned to me with a look of disappointment, "You told him?"
I rolled my eyes. "C'mon Tina... You can't keep flirting with my friends like that."
Tina looked at me with a pouting expression that made her seem even younger than she already looked. Then she exclaimed, "It's damn unfair if you ask me." The sad thing was, I didn't even know if she was serious or joking.
I leaned back in class, watching the teacher Mr. Lawson writing notes on the digital board in the front of the room and feeling bored. Not only was math my least favorite subject, but Mr. Lawson was probably the most boring teacher in the entire school. The only thing at all interesting to happen so far was that the battery on Mr. Lawson's laser pen went dead and he continued to write some formula on the board for nearly half a minute before realizing there was nothing there.
I glanced to the clock, annoyed that it wasn't quite the end of the class yet though it was getting closer. It looked like I was going to have to do something to keep myself awake. The problem was, what could I do?
Mr. Lawson provided my opportunity a moment later by pointing at the formula he'd written on the board and then the legend he'd written beside it to remind us what all the symbols meant. He had a habit of doing that regardless of the fact that we already knew what all the symbols mean which was one of the things that made him such a boring teacher.
"This," he pointed to one symbol in the formula and then the corresponding one on the legend, "is the sine symbol..."
"If it's a sign," I asked, trying to keep a straight face, "what does it say?"
There were a few snickers from other students but no real response, other than for Mr. Lawson momentarily glaring at me. He was used to me being a smart ass when I got too bored. It was my way of staying awake in class and paying attention, though most teachers didn't seem to understand or appreciate that.
"This one is pi," Mr. Lawson continued.
"No," I called out, "a pie is round and has good tasting fillings..." That one brought about some open laughter as well as Mr. Lawson's full attention.
"Mister Andrews," Mr. Lawson glared at me, "I think you'll need to stay after school in detention."
I rolled my eyes, annoyed but not surprised. It seemed that I ended up in detention once every couple weeks because of my comments in class. If it wasn't Mr. Lawson, it was one of my other teachers. Still, I wasn't all that happy about it.
"Are you going to call my mom for another parent teacher conference?" I asked with a straight face.
Mr. Lawson glared at me and went pale, making me chuckle while the rest of the class just sat there confused, not in on the joke. Mr. Lawson liked to overreact and had demanded my mom come in for a talk with him about my behavior earlier in the year. But when Tina showed up, dressed in the same casual outfits she normally wore at home, he thought she was a student there to hit on him for a better grade and threw her out none too politely. Afterwards he had to deal with the principal who wasn't happy when Tina called to complain about HIS behavior.
The rest of the class flew by pretty fast now that I was awake and entertained. I wasn't sure the detention was worth it, but it was too late to worry about it now. Still, I was more than happy when the bell rang and I was free to go to lunch.
"Ah lunch," I exclaimed, "the most precious time of the day..."
I soon had my tray of semi-edible food substitute, the stuff that used to be called mystery meat in days past, and took my accustomed seat beside Jason. I wasn't sure how Jason always beat me to the cafeteria, especially since my last class was closer to it than his. If it wasn't for the fact that he hadn't gone through his twist yet I would have assumed he had a trick he was using.
"I heard about you getting detention again," Jason told me with a grin.
I groaned at that. "How the hell did you hear about that? It just happened like fifteen minutes ago."
"I have my sources," Jason said mysteriously, then added in a side tone, "one of the girls in your class was talking about it when she walked by, before you sat down."
"Damn the gossip in this school is thick," I shook my head in amazement.
"You've got to stop being such a smart-ass," Jason told me with a grin.
"It's better to be a smart-ass than a dumb-ass," I told him cheerfully, earning a chuckle from not only Jason but someone else sitting close enough to overhear.
A moment later I saw another friend coming over with her tray of food. "Hey Pinkie," I waved to her.
Leila was the new girl in school, having moved into Spiral for the first time just a month ago. She was an incredible looker with proportions that were just barely believable. It was like she was a cartoon figure or Barbie doll come to life. She was tall, long legged, VERY busty and appropriately blonde. She also had this weird thing about wearing pink. EVERYTHING she wore and seemed to own was pink. The obsession with pink and her rather extreme body were both parts of her twist and the reason I'd nicknamed her Pinkie.
"Don't call me that," Leila said as she sat down across from me.
I just stared at her impressive chest rather obviously, desperately wishing I could get her to date me. Unfortunately most of the guys in school had similar ideas about her, though she'd made it very clear that she had no interest in dating anyone at the moment. When I'd befriended her on her first day here, she'd also made it pretty clear that she had no intention of dating me...EVER. It was the first time I'd gotten the 'just friends' speech before the first date.
"Stop staring at my chest," Leila warned me with a look that seemed to be a cross between amusement and annoyance. "Or you can keep it up if you want to wear pink for the rest of the day."
I winced and immediately looked up to her face. Leila had this little trick where she could change the color of things to pink and she'd used that power more than once to turn the clothes of boys who annoyed her pink. She usually liked doing it early in the day so they had to go through school all day with pink clothes. She'd done it to one of my shirts once and I'd had to throw it away because it wouldn't change back.
Then as if to prove she wasn't really mad or uptight, Leila grinned, "How many blondes does it take to replace a light bulb?"
"How many?" I asked.
Leila had a good collection of 'dumb blonde' jokes. Being blonde herself, she seemed to hear every one of them and usually came and repeated them for me and Jason. Most of the time her jokes were bad, but occasionally a few good ones came along.
"None," Leila responded with a grin, "we don't have to. We just stick out our chests and give a little pout," she demonstrated quite impressively, "and some guy goes and does it for us..."
Jason and I both chuckled lightly, giving credit for the effort rather than the actual joke. Still, her little visual display that went along with it made it all worthwhile.
"You know," Jason said, "I think I preferred the blond and the light bulb one you told us last week... You know, the one where she didn't change the light bulb because she just thought her eyes were shut..."
"Maybe," Leila grinned, "but I like this one better." She stuck her tongue out at Jason.
"How can you tell when a blond has been using your computer?" I asked.
"How?" Leila asked.
"She tells you it's broken because she can't pull the clothes she ordered online out of the holographic display." I grinned, knowing it was a bad one even as I said it but enjoying the groans I got even more than the laughs a better joke might elicit.
"That's one I won't bother repeating," Leila teased me. "My little sister can tell a better joke than that and she's just a kid."
"Okay then," I chuckled, "how can you tell when a red head has been using your computer?"
"There's a hammer through the hologram projection plate?" Jason asked.
"Damn," I muttered, annoyed that he'd gotten the punch line, even if it was an obvious one. "Okay then," I shrugged, "then how do you tell when...?"
I stopped when I suddenly felt a strange static tingle rush across my entire body. I felt confused for just an instant until I realized what this was...what this had to be. Then I felt a surge of terror. I'd heard this described too many times not to recognize a twist when it was starting to happen to me.
"Oh shit," I exclaimed right before it hit me with full force, blasting me with such force that I felt as though I'd been struck by lightning.
I was completely overwhelmed with raw and powerful sensations though a tiny part in the back of my mind was aware enough to realize what was happening to me. I was going through a twist...I was becoming Twisted. However there wasn't enough of my mind of my mind free from the sensations to actually feel any more worry over this.
Becoming Twisted doesn't just happen at random. It's a genetic thing, a legacy of the Antarctic Flu and what it had done to the survivors. Thanks to my mom and the genetic quirk I'd inherited from her, I was somehow becoming an antenna and tapping into some strange quantum field that all Twisted were connected to. And like all Twisted, the first moment I connected to that quantum field I was being reshaped and transformed...twisted into something different.
These thoughts all passed through my mind in the flash of an instant, right before my conscious mind was submerged in the onslaught. Time, space, my physical body, and even sense of self were completely overwhelmed and ceased to have any meaning. Eventually, even the powerful sensations vanished, leaving me to crash into darkness.
I woke to the certainty that things were different...that I was different. I knew for a fact that I had just gone through my twist, yet I had absolutely no idea as to how I had twisted. I had no idea of what...or even WHO I had become. Strangely though, I didn't really feel bothered by this. When I opened my eyes, I saw that I was in the school nurse's office. The hideous yellow color of the walls was unmistakable. I started to sit up before someone gently pushed me back down onto the padded table.
"You're awake," the school nurse said with a nervous smile.
"Good morning," I said cheerfully, giving her a broad grin.
Then Tina leaned over me, dressed in her professional looking work clothes rather than the ones she wore around the house. They must have called her as soon as I went through my twist in the cafeteria. She was staring at me with a strange expression that I couldn't quite read, though there was definitely worry and nervousness there.
"How...how do you feel?" Tina asked carefully.
"Fine," I responded with a smile, slowly sitting up. This time no one tried to stop me. "Kind of funny though."
"I'd imagine," the nurse muttered.
That just made me more curious so I looked down at myself to see the damage. I had a blanket over me that had fallen down when I sat up, giving me a good look at the two orbs of flesh which grew from my chest. They were immediately recognizable as a woman's breasts, probably around a C cup though I didn't know enough to be sure. Then I reached between my legs, finding exactly what I expected...the absence of my equipment. Instead of my normal male equipment, I had the female equivalent.
"I'm a girl," I exclaimed in glee, though I wasn't sure why I was happy about that. I just was. Then I grabbed my new breasts and proudly exclaimed, "I've got boobs now..."
"What?" Tina gasped, staring at me as though I'd grown a second head or something. Then she looked over to the nurse who was writing something down on a clip board.
"I think we can say," the nurse said cautiously, "that he...that she went through some personality changes as well as physical."
"Really?" I asked cheerfully. "What kind of personality changes?"
The nurse gave me an odd look and then forced a smile, "Well... Most people wouldn't be so pleased about a gender change..." Then she glanced at mom, "Not unless they had gender identity issues beforehand..."
"Nope," Tina shook her head, "Jon was always all boy..."
I nodded at that, knowing she was right but not feeling bothered with it. I was just in such a good mood that I didn't think I could feel bothered by much at the moment. "Cool," I grinned, looking down at myself and touching my new breasts. I couldn't wait to look them closer and play with them...
"Don't do that," Tina said, pulling my hands away and looking embarrassed.
"Wow," I responded, eager to get a better look at myself. "Do you have a mirror?" I asked the nurse hopefully.
The nurse nodded, "Of course. If you can stand up..."
"Sure," I grinned, standing up and feeling off balance. I had to grab Tina to keep from falling over. That just made me notice her height compared to mine, "Hey...you got taller..."
"No," Tina reminded me, looking faintly amused, "you shrunk."
"Really?" I asked, not sure if that was a good thing or bad. I frowned for a moment, then shrugged, "Okay." Then I looked at Tina again and then down at the floor, "Wow...the floor looks a little closer...."
"Definitely some personality changes," Tina said, giving me a strange look that just made me giggle. That made her give me an even stranger look.
"So how tall am I?" I asked eagerly, trying to guess but not really being sure. Tina was 5 foot 6 and she looked a little taller than me now, though she was wearing high heels.
"Let me measure," the nurse said, having me stand against a measurement chart on the wall. "You're 5 foot 5."
"Okay," I nodded, trying to figure out how much height I'd lost. "I'm seven inches shorter..."
"You're only five inches shorter than before," Tina pointed out, giving the nurse a worried look.
"Okay," I shrugged it off, "can I see the mirror now?" The nurse gestured to the large mirror on the wall and I went straight to it. I stopped and stared at my reflection for a moment, my eyes going. "Holy shit," I exclaimed with a grin, "I'm a hottie..."
Tina nearly choked at that, then smiled, "Yeah, you are."
"Well," I smirked, feeling oddly proud of my new body, "if I'm gonna be a girl I might as well be a good looking one."
"Definitely," Tina admitted with a chuckle.
The girl in the mirror was a real looker with a nice rack. I had a thin waist, great legs and an overall killer body. Sure, I couldn't compete with Leila in the curves department and there were several other girls in school who were hotter than me, mostly as a result of being Twisted, but I thought I was probably in the top five.
My face wasn't at all bad either. In fact, I was downright beautiful without looking overly sexy. The scar I've had on my chin since I was a kid was gone, my eyes had changed to a silvery gray, and my hair was a silky blond that went down to my shoulder blades. It was definitely a nice face, though there was nothing of the old Jon visible in it.
"Damn, I look good." I shook my head in amazement.
Even as I admired myself in the mirror, feeling quite pleased with what I saw, a part of me knew that this was strange. I should be completely freaking out over my changes, not being happy about them. But I did feel happy and not just about my changes. I was just in a good... no...GREAT mood. It's hard to freak out or worry about anything when in such a happy and cheerful mood.
"Just great," Tina mused with a faint smile, "she's been a girl for less than five minutes and she's already spending a lot of time in front of the mirror. I can see that this is going to make sharing the bathroom a bit more difficult." I just stuck my tongue out at which earned a laugh.
"Hey," I exclaimed in realization, "if I'm gonna be a girl, I need a girls name..."
"Isn't it a little early to be thinking about that?" Tina asked in surprise.
"Why?" I asked with a grin. "It would be kind of silly for people to call me Jon now." I giggled at the thought of it and what people would think.
Tina blushed, then asked the nurse, "Are we good to go home now?"
"She should be," the nurse said, giving me a careful look. "Keep a close eye on her though and make sure you take her to the doctor for a thorough checkup..." She handed Tina a pamphlet. "There's a list of things you'll need to take care of now that she's gone through her twist."
Tina nodded. "I've been expecting something like this...or at least that she'd be Twisted." She shook her head, "Fortunately, I've had a long time to prepare..."
"You'll need something to wear home first," the nurse said as she looked me over.
I looked down at myself. "Oh yeah... I'm naked." I giggled, wondering how I could have forgotten that little detail. When someone goes through their twist, their clothes are usually destroyed in the process I was obviously no exception.
"We have some spares for these kinds of situations," the nurse said, pulling several large boxes out from a closet and opening them. They were full of clothes in various sizes so I'd be able to find something to fit me until we got home.
I was all dressed in borrowed clothes a few minutes and was leaving the school with Tina. Since it was in the middle of a class period, the halls were nearly empty. I saw one guy I knew and waved, only to have him stare back with a confused look.
"You shouldn't do that," Tina warned me, "he'll think you're flirting with him."
"Oh," I responded, not having thought of that. "I guess I don't want to do that..."
When we reached the side door, I tried to push it open but it remained stuck. I scowled but Tina asked, "What are you doing?"
I shrugged, "It's locked." Tina shook her head and pointed to the sign that said 'pull to open'. "Ooops," I giggled as I opened the door the right away. "I guess I didn't see it..."
Tina stared at me as we went to her car, then she finally stopped and asked, "What were you doing when your twist hit?"
"I was joking around with Jason and Leila," I told her, knowing what she was getting at. "I was just telling jokes..."
"What kind of jokes?" Tina asked suspiciously.
I shrugged, "Dumb blond jokes."
Tina shook her head and muttered, "Figures... Damn, this isn't going to be easy..."
I just climbed into the car, knowing exactly why she'd asked me that question. When someone goes through their twist, our transformations aren't always as random and unpredictable as they appear. In fact, most of the time our changes are somehow related to our environment or what we were doing at the time. I don't really understand it, but that's the way it works.
The drive home was a strange one, especially with the fact that I obviously made Tina uncomfortable. I wasn't quite the same person I was before and she didn't know what to think of the new me yet. Hell, I didn't know what to think of the new me yet either, but I wasn't worried. In fact, I was somewhat amused by just how nervous Tina was around me. I felt an urge to go 'boo', just to see if I could get her to jump.
"You know," I said abruptly, "since we're out and about, we should probably go get me some new clothes...." I giggled at the thought of how good I could look if I had the right clothes to go with my body.
"Tomorrow," Tina told me with a shake of her head, looking as though she wasn't sure to be horrified or amused. "You've just turned into a girl and you're already talking about shopping... Somehow, I don't think we're going to have any problem with you adapting..." She chuckled at that.
When we got home Tina let out a loud sigh of relief and began taking off her work jacket and blouse, revealing that underneath she was wearing a T shirt with the logo of a popular ziprock band. I was somewhat amused by her wearing that shirt since I was the one who'd introduced her to their music and had since lost interest in them.
"You know," I said in realization, "I bet we could share clothes now..."
"Maybe," Tina admitted as she looked me over. "We look about the same size, though I think you're probably a little larger up top."
"Really?" I laughed, "I've got bigger boobs than my mom... How weird is that?"
"It's hilarious," she rolled her eyes, obviously not all that pleased by it. Then she grinned, "On the plus side though, I'll be able to raid your closet too... This just might work out."
I laughed at that, "No problem. Maybe that will encourage you to get me some new clothes faster..."
Tina stuck her tongue out at me and said, "You brat..."
"Like mother like son," I teased back, then remembered, "or like daughter..."
After this I went to my room and quickly climbed out of my borrowed clothes, then looked myself over. Now that I was alone, I could examine my new body a little more closely. I was humming rather cheerfully as I looked over every inch of my new skin, admiring just how nice it all was. Before my twist, I would have killed to date a girl who looked like this.
When I heard Tina moving around outside my bedroom door, I called out, "Guess what...?"
"What?" she called back.
I just grinned and proudly called back, "I'm a natural blonde..." I heard a groan and then nothing more which made me burst into giggles.
Once I finally finished with my self-exploration, including checking out the sensations my new body gave me, I was even happier about my transformation than before. Intellectually, I knew that I shouldn't be thinking like this...that I shouldn't be so happy. But I couldn't help but being cheerful. I knew that my good mood was the result of my personality being twisted, but I didn't care.
"I might as well get used to it," I winked at my reflection in the mirror. "I'm going to be like this from now on."
I awoke in the morning, feeling somewhat different than I had the night before, though I couldn't quite explain it. I curled up under my covers, feeling nervous and a bit afraid. I slowly ran my hand over my new body and shuddered, not wanting to face it. I wasn't me anymore. I wasn't me...
"What's wrong with me?" I whispered, glancing around my room cautiously.
Then there was a loud knocking on my door with Tina called out, "Are you up yet?" She didn't wait for an answer before coming in.
"Don't look," I gasped out, trying to cover myself with my blankets.
"What?" Tina stared at me in surprise. "Yesterday you didn't have any problems..." Then she paused, staring at me with a strange expression.
"Leave me alone," I told her quietly, trying to bury myself under the covers.
"What's wrong with you?" Tina pulled the covers back. "Your hair..."
That didn't sound good at all and I gulped, "What's wrong with my hair?"
"You were blond yesterday," Tina pointed out, "you aren't anymore."
"What?" I asked, worried about what this might mean though I had no idea.
Tina stared at me again and shook her head, "You're acting like someone else entirely..." She grabbed me and pulled me from the bed. "Come on..."
Tina pulled me into the bathroom and stopped me in front of the mirror. I stared at my reflection in surprise and embarrassment. I couldn't believe that I looked like THAT... I cringed at the idea then forced myself to look again. I looked exactly the same as I had when I went to bed last night, except that my hair had changed color from blond to a very plain looking brown.
"Mousy brown," I whispered, which seemed appropriate since I felt like a mouse. I felt small and skittish at the moment, though I couldn't explain why, especially since I'd been so happy and cheerful about my transformation yesterday.
"It looks like there's more to your twist than we thought," Tina said as she looked me over, making me feel even more self-conscious.
I squirmed uncomfortably, wanting to just cover up and hide. I didn't even want to see myself. However Tina didn't give me that option and pulled me into the kitchen for breakfast.
"We've got to go to the clinic and get you new clothes," Tina told me, pulling out a checklist of things we needed to take care of because of my twist. "Then there's lots of other stuff to do too..."
"But I don't want to go out," I whined quietly, not wanting anyone to see me like this.
"You don't have any choice," Tina told me cheerfully, though I could see a bit of nervousness in her eyes. She obviously didn't know what to about my new body and personality any more than I did. "You need new clothes and an exam. I've already made the appointment." She stared at me smugly.
I frowned but didn't bother complaining. It wouldn't do any good and I didn't want to make her mad. I thought about the way I was thinking and acting, knowing that it was just as much out of character as the way I'd been yesterday, but I couldn't help it. I just felt so vulnerable at the moment. After breakfast I went back to the bathroom and looked into the mirror for a moment before turning away. I couldn't quite bring myself to look at it...at the way I'd changed. And when I climbed into the bath tub, I washed myself as fast as I could, avoiding my body as much as possible.
"Yesterday I had no problem with this," I muttered quietly, "now it's just too much to handle..." I shook my head, afraid of what this might mean for me. "Maybe I'm going crazy..."
Once I was cleaned and dressed in my borrowed clothes, Tina said it was time to go. I was extremely reluctant to leave the house and glanced back longingly as I climbed into the car. I couldn't stop thinking about the way I was feeling. I'd never felt like this before.
"So," Tina said as we started to drive away, "have you decided what new name you're going to use yet?" I nodded at that but didn't say anything. "Well?" she urged me after a minute.
"Jennifer," I said quietly, giving a self-conscious smile. "I chose it last night because everyone can call me Jen and it sounds a lot like Jon..." I held my breath, hoping that I'd chosen a good name. I'd been so sure of it yesterday, but now... I shook my head, not sure I could trust my own judgment.
Tina glanced at me for a moment before returning her eyes to the road. "Jen..." She shrugged, "That works... But at the moment, you seem a little more like a Jenny."
"Oh," I sighed.
"Don't worry...Jenny," Tina told me with a reassuring grin, "the exam should be pretty easy, and a I bet they've got lots better ways of doing it than when I went through my twist."
I just nodded at that, not really feeling much like talking. We arrived at the clinic a short time later and went inside where they were waiting for me. I was introduced to Doctor Anders, a middle aged black man who couldn't have been more than 5 feet tall. I was relieved at that since he was smaller than me and didn't seem nearly as threatening as everyone else. Since my twist even Tina was taller than me now...even though it was only an inch.
"Right this way," Dr. Anders told me, his voice sounding a bit deeper than I would have expected from someone so short.
"Jonothan Andrews," Dr. Anders said my name as he glanced through my medical records. He smiled and gave me a cheerful wink, "Did you notice that our last names are rather similar."
I nodded at that and quietly responded, "Yeah..."
"Have you decided on a new name yet?" Dr. Anders asked me gently. "Most of those who go through such extreme twists choose to do so..."
"Jennifer," I responded self-consciously and forced a weak smile, "Jenny..."
"Well Jenny," Dr. Anders told me, "can you please undress so we can examine you..."
"Undress?" I gulped in sudden terror. I couldn't do that...not in front of a complete stranger. I started to blush horribly at the very thought.
"It is required for the examination," Dr. Anders said. "If you'd like, I can get your mother in here to make sure I don't do anything inappropriate..."
I just blushed brighter, wishing I could curl up and hide. Just then I felt a strange tingling rush through me...similar to what I'd felt right before my Twist though much weaker. It was faint and quickly turned to a sort of tickling sensation along my skin.
"What...?" Dr. Anders blinked in surprise and stepped back. He stared at me with a strange expression that broke into a grin, "Very interesting...."
"What?" I gasped in surprise, staring down at my hand which had somehow become extremely blurry and hard to see.
"It seems that you've already discovered your trick," Dr. Anders told me with an amused look. "However I'm specifically trying to examine your physical body at the moment, so could you please turn it off..."
"I don't know how," I cringed, not sure what I could do.
"It's becoming worse," Dr. Anders told me gently. "Please try to relax. I'm not going to hurt you. I promise."
I nodded and took several deep breaths as I tried to relax. After a few seconds, the tickling on my skin faded away and my hand didn't look blurry anymore. I let out a sigh of relief while Dr. Anders nodded.
After this the physical exam went much easier and faster than I would have expected. I had to stand on a platform while it scanned me, then I got to get dressed again while Dr. Anders looked over the results. His proclamation at the end was that I was a perfectly healthy young lady with all my parts where they were supposed to be.
"You can expect to have periods and even children like most woman," Dr. Anders told me as he finished. I shuddered in horror at the idea of either.
My physical examination was finished, but I knew that I'd only started. My appointment at the clinic was for three different doctors, of which Dr. Anders was the first. The other two would deal more specifically with my being Twisted.
Dr. McNalley was my next doctor, a specialist in Twisted and tricks that we can develop. She was in her thirties and about four inches taller than me, but skinny to the point of looking anorexic. I would have thought she was starving to death if it wasn't for the fact that she had a whole plate full of junk food in front of her that she kept munching on.
"I have an extremely high metabolism," Dr. McNalley explained as she offered me a donut. "My body requires a large amount of sugar to keep functioning properly."
Dr. McNalley looked over my chart and the notes Dr. Anders had put in it. "It says you've changed hair color and personalities between yesterday and this morning." She looked at Tina for confirmation. "And Dr. Anders said that you manifested a trick during his examination."
"Really?" Tina asked, giving me a look of interest and envy. "The only trick I ever developed was not aging...and I don't have any control over that."
"Can you demonstrate what you did for Dr. Anders?" Dr. McNalley asked me gently.
I nodded and tried to remember what I'd felt and done. To my surprise, I felt the same tingling and tickling come up with ease. My hands looked all blurry again, as did the rest of my body. Dr. McNalley watched with interest and then had me stand against the wall. The blurriness around my body changed color to the same color as the wall.
"You're like a chameleon," Tina exclaimed, "you blend right in..."
"Very interesting," Dr. McNalley mused, "a form of near invisibility..."
After this Dr. McNalley had me climb into a scanning platform very similar to what Dr. Anders had used on me. I wasn't sure what the differences were or why I needed to go through two of these, but I didn't voice my questions. Instead, I meekly went along with her directions.
"You're so quiet," Tina whispered to me. "Normally you'd be making all sorts of smart ass comments."
"I guess," I responded quietly.
"Your chameleon field seems rather interesting," Dr. McNalley said when she'd finished looking over the data. "You're bending light around you to a limited degree. It's not true invisibility, but if you stand up against something and remain motionless, you'd be extremely difficult to see."
After this Dr. McNalley started asking me about my changes in hair color and personality between yesterday and today. I didn't really know what to say to that and kept glancing to Tina for help. Dr. McNalley was patient though until she had everything she wanted.
"I want you to consciously change your hair color again," Dr. McNalley told me.
I tried doing as she asked for several minutes before finally giving up. "I can't..."
Dr. McNalley nodded. "It seems that it isn't a conscious change, though I would expect it to happen again. I don't think that this is a normal trick so much as an integral part of her twist." She shook her head. "Reoccurring specific changes isn't too uncommon. One of our patients grows taller and more muscular every time she exercises, then slowly returns to her normal size when done. This seems like something similar, though I don't know what the trigger is or if the change is random."
Once Dr. McNalley was done with me, I had a somewhat better understanding of my chameleon field trick, though I still had a lot of questions about what I was going through. It didn't seem that Dr. McNalley had many answers either and suggested I come back in a week once I'd had a bit more experience to work with.
The next specialist was Dr. Nobu, a slender Asian woman who wasn't even Twisted. She was the psychiatrist who would check to see if my twist had given me any odd compulsions or made me at all dangerous. Though she wasn't Twisted and didn't have any tricks, I felt more nervous around her than either of the other two. In fact, I even started using my trick to blend into the environment without even meaning to.
"You're like...going chameleon," Tina pointed out, looking as though she didn't know whether to be amused or irritated by that.
"Sorry," I said quietly, forcing myself to turn visible again.
"Why don't you wait in the next room," Dr. Nobu told Tina, "I think we need a little privacy for this..."
"Okay." Tina rolled her eyes then left the room with a sigh of disappointment.
"If I didn't know better," Dr. Nobu admitted with a faint smile, "I'd think she really was a teenager."
I relaxed a little at that and smiled back, "Yeah..."
"Why don't we start off by you telling me what you've noticed about your changes," Dr. Nobu told me. "I want to know all about how you felt yesterday compared to the way you were before your twist, and how you feel today."
I tried telling her but it was extremely difficult. I was so selfconscious that the last thing I wanted to do was talk about myself like that. Several times during the conversation I caught myself fading back into my environment. That chameleon field thing might be great for hiding from people, but it was a bit awkward while trying to talk with them.
After Dr. Nobu and I had been talking for a little bit, she had me go onto a computer and fill out a big questa ire. It didn't take me long at all to realize that it was a personality test and that she was trying to determine what kind of personality I had now. I already knew the answer to that one. I had the personality of a mouse and hated it.
When I was finally done with Dr. Nobu and all her questions, she invited Tina back in. "Jenny is very shy and lacks confidence," she stated, giving me a gentle smile. "And I haven't seen anything to suggest she's gained any compulsions. Normally, I'd say that she's no threat to herself or anyone else. However..." she gave me a careful look, "this changing personality thing you told me about has me more concerned."
"What do you mean?" Tina asked.
Dr. Nobu frowned. "I'm certain that her current personality isn't dangerous, but I can't speak for any other one. If her personality and emotional state changes again as you said it did during the night, I have no way of knowing how she'll react." She looked worried, then told Tina, "I want to schedule a follow on appointment for next week just to be sure."
"I guess that makes sense," Tina said hesitantly while I cringed back in my seat, wishing I was invisible. With that, my trick kicked in and made me nearly so.
Dr. Nobu handed Tina a card. "Here's the number of a good therapist. I strongly suggest you take Jenny to see her. She specializes in helping Twisted adjust to their new personalities and sense of self."
"I'll think about it." Tina gave a forced smile, glancing at me and frowning slightly. "Thanks."
We left the clinic a few minutes later with neither of us really saying anything. I heard that going to the clinic for the after twist exam that most Twisted went through was usually a bit rough. It helped us understand how we'd changed but it also forced us to face things about ourselves we might not be comfortable with. I wasn't sure what to think of this and neither was Tina.
Finally Tina exclaimed, "Okay, enough moping. It's time for a shopping trip."
"Shopping?" I squeaked out. "Do I have to...?"
Tina shrugged, "You were eager enough yesterday..."
"That was yesterday," I told her quietly, cringing back into my seat and fading into it like a chameleon.
When we reached the store Tina half pulled me to the front door. Just as we were about to enter, I felt a slight tingling rush through me. I blinked, then snatched my arm away from Tina and glared at her in annoyance.
"Come on," Tina told me with a sigh.
"Stop treating me like I'm a little kid," I snapped at her.
Tina stepped back and stared at me in surprise. Her eyes went wide and she said, "Your hair changed again..."
"What?" I scowled, reaching for my hair and taking a good look at it.
My hair had definitely changed color again though it hadn't gone back to being blond. Instead I'd become a red head. My hair wasn't the bright orange that some people call red, but more of a darker and richer red. I stared at it for a moment then let it drop again.
"I'm a red head," I said unnecessarily.
Tina hesitated a moment before asking, "How do you feel?"
"Fine," I shrugged. "Let's just get this shopping done and over with..."
"Okay," Tina responded, looking a bit confused.
I knew that my personality had changed each time my hair color did and I didn't blame Tina for wondering about it this time. However I didn't feel like talking to her about it at the moment. Still, that didn't mean I didn't think about it myself. As we walked through the store, I tried thinking about what I thought and felt. I wasn't all shy and afraid anymore, but I wasn't all giggly and happy either. Instead, I felt something, else. It took me a few minutes to realize what it was. I felt on edge.
"Let's start with the shoes," Tina suggested, already walking to the shoe department.
There were lots of shoes, some of which I had absolutely no intention of ever trying on. Strangely enough, I'd actually been eager to try out the high heels last night. But then again, as a blond I'd been so happy and eager about everything. I wanted to dive right into the whole girl thing. When my hair was brown, I'd wanted to run and hide from it instead. But now... Now I wasn't sure what I felt. I felt fairly centered now, a bit like my old self except for that 'on the edge' feeling.
We spent more time in the shoe department than I thought was natural, but we did find me two new pairs of shoes. One was a pair of sneakers that would be great for ordinary everyday wear. The other was a nicer pair of shoes that was noticeably more feminine. Tina had insisted on these ones, saying it would be great for me to have some nice shoes and ones with heals. I was annoyed at the idea of wearing them and nearly snapped her head off when she insisted we buy them.
After the shoes came the lingerie department. I was suddenly extremely thankful that I didn't have either the blond or brown hair anymore. If I was still blond, I'd probably look for the sexiest lingerie I could find and I'd enjoy every minute of it. If I'd still had the brown hair, I'd probably go chameleon and hide in embarrassment. At least now I was in my right mind...or at least I thought I was.
A few minutes later a little girl was playing hide and seek with her brother and ran right in front of me, nearly causing me to trip over her. "Watch where the hell you're running!" I nearly yelled at her, having gone from perfectly fine to angry in just an instant.
"Jenny," Tina tried to calm me down without much success.
"It's Jen," I snapped at her, "Jenny sounds like a little girl..."
Tina stepped back, looking at me with an expression of worry and perhaps a little fear. That caused me to catch myself and realize what I was doing. I was pissed off over nothing. Ever since my hair had turned red, I'd been on the edge and getting annoyed at nothing. Now I was getting pissed over something small.
"Shit," I grimaced, realizing what the problem was. "I'm a red head..."
I had behaving like the stereotype of a red head, bad temper and all. I was on the edge all right, my emotions snapping to anger at the drop of a hat. I took several breaths to calm myself down, not sure if this was better or worse than the other ways I'd been. I imagined that Dr. Nobu would have something to say about this latest personality.
"I think," I said carefully as I tried to stay calm, "I think I've got a nasty temper this time..." I was a bit afraid of myself as I said it, afraid that I might lash out in a tantrum and hurt someone like Tina. That was the last thing I wanted.
"I noticed," Tina responded carefully.
"When I was blonde," I tried explaining, "I was all ditzy and giggly... When I had plain brown hair, I got all shy and mousy... Now that I'm a red head..."
"You're acting like a red head," Tina finished for me. Then she frowned, "You said you were telling dumb blonde jokes when you twisted..."
I nodded weakly, "I think I told a red head joke too..." I shook my head. "I guess I've turned into a real life version of those jokes." I snorted in annoyance, "Great... I'm a living joke. A walking hair color stereotype."
"I guess it could be worse," Tina tried to comfort we with a forced smile. "I mean, it could be you skin color changing and you could be stuck acting like stereotypes of that..."
"Yeah," I winced, grinning back, "that could really get me into a lot of trouble."
After this we continued shopping but Tina kept a close watch on me to make sure she didn't push my buttons. I tried to keep out of trouble too but I still kept feeling little surges of annoyance that came out of nowhere and vanished as quickly. We eventually managed to leave the store with everything I needed at the moment and without any more incidents.
The moment we got home I rushed to the nearest mirror to get a look at myself. Other than my hair now being red, I looked exactly the same as before. The only other difference besides my hair color was the way I was carrying myself. I had been slouching and sort of withdrawn this morning but not anymore. I guess my personality changes were reflected in my body language.
I then went to my room and started putting my new clothes away. It wasn't completely happy about everything we'd bought, but at least they were clothes I could fit into. I wasn't happy about my new body, about losing my gender and getting suck as a girl, but I'd always been realistic enough to deal with things as best I could when they came.
When my dresser became too full to fit the last shirt into, I burst into a stream of profanity and threw the shirt across my room. Afterwards, I was embarrassed about my little tantrum and decided not to tell Tina about it. After all, that little lapse in my temper was none of her business.
I sat down on my bed and sighed, not sure what was more bothersome... my new body or these new emotions I kept feeling. I wasn't happy about suddenly turning into a girl, but I'd always known I could very well become Twisted and become someone else entirely. I'd been mentally preparing for it for a long time. But having my own personality change was a bit different. I didn't know who I was anymore, and since my personality kept changing every time I blinked, I didn't know if I'd get a chance to find out.
"Just great," I grimaced, looking down at myself with a sigh. I didn't need to explore it at the moment since I'd done more than enough of that yesterday, but my perspective on things was a little different since then. "At least I'm not hiding under the covers again."
I was still sitting there thinking about my situation when Tina knocked on my door an hour later. "You in there?"
"No," I responded sarcastically, "the room's empty."
"Ha ha," she responded as she opened the door and stuck her head in. "You're not gonna bite my head off or anything, are you?"
I pretended to think about it for a moment before shrugging, "Nah... I need to leave some room for dinner."
Tina chuckled, then asked, "Do you feel up for some company?" At my blank look, she said, "A couple of your friends are here to see you... I told them that I didn't know if you were ready to see anyone yet." She gave me a questioning look.
"Friends?" I frowned, trying to figure out who it could be. The only one from school who really knew where I lived was Jason. "Sure..."
I followed Tina into the living room where Jason and Leila were waiting. I was a bit surprised to see Leila, as was Tina who kept giving her odd looks that were part envy and part something else. From the questioning way she looked at me, I suddenly realized that Tina thought Leila might have been my girlfriend or something.
"Hey," I greeted my friends a little self-consciously. I was thankful they hadn't come this morning or I would have been too embarrassed to even face them. I didn't try hiding my body and stood there so they could both get a good look at what I had become and get it over with.
"Jon?" Jason gasped in surprise, staring at me with a wide eyed look. "Damn..."
"Are you okay?" Leila asked with a strange expression.
"Do I look okay?" I asked her with a scowl, feeling myself on the verge of anger. "I turned into a fucking girl..."
"Jen," Tina cautioned me.
"Jen?" Jason blinked.
"My new name," I told him and Leila with a blush, forgetting about my annoyance. "I can't very well keep calling myself Jon when I look like this."
"You could have used Joan," Leila pointed out with a grin.
"Ugh," I winced, "I don't think so."
Then I gestured for them to follow me into my room. Tina might be really cool for a mom, but she was still a mom and it just didn't seem right to include her in this. She pouted a bit as we left her behind and I knew it wouldn't be long before she found some excuse to come in and join us.
"We just wanted to come over and make sure you were all right," Jason said hesitantly. "I mean, after the way you twisted in the lunch room..." He shuddered. "Damn, I am NOT looking forward to going through my twist."
"It's no fun," Leila and I said almost as one, then we burst out laughing.
Then on a sudden impulse I threw my arms around both Jason and Leila in a group hug and even kissed Leila on the cheek. They both stared at me but I shrugged, not feeling at all guilty about my impulsive behavior. I was just so excited.
"What was that for?" Leila asked, wiping her cheek and giving me a curious look.
"I don't know," I shrugged, "I just wanted to."
They both stared at me for a moment, realizing for the first time that my personality must have been twisted along with my body. That kind of thing was pretty common, but it made dealing with people after they've twisted pretty complicated and awkward.
"What?" I snapped in annoyance, feeling as though my friends were rejecting me. I felt hurt and that made me angry.
"Nothing," Jason quickly responded, stepping back, "I mean..."
"The way you've changed," Leila said cautiously.
I nodded, taking a deep breath and trying to calm down. "I've kind of got a temper problem now," I admitted, giving an embarrassed smile.
"Did you get any compulsions?" Jason asked.
"No," I shook my head, "just some really weird tricks..."
"Yeah?" they both asked in surprise.
"My hair keeps changing color on its own," I told them with a sigh, reaching up and grabbing it. "And every time it does, my personality keeps changing too..." They both stared at me and I continued, "You remember how I was joking around when it happened...?" When they nodded, I sighed, "Well, when my hair was blond I became a ditz, and when it was brown I got all shy. Now..." I gestured to my hair.
"You're a red head," Leila nodded in understanding.
"Damn," Jason grinned, then winked at me, "they say redheads are really passionate lovers too..."
I just blushed at that, somehow having the feeling that he just might be right. I was on the edge with emotions that wanted to jump to the passionate extremes at the drop of a hat. It wasn't until that moment that I realized this, that it wasn't just a temper I'd developed but a strong passion.
"Damn," I muttered, more out of embarrassment than anything else.
"Was that...was that really your mom?" Leila asked, gesturing to the other room. "She looks our age..."
I glanced to Jason who'd obviously told her about Tina and nodded. "Yeah."
Leila shook her head. "It must be pretty weird having Twisted parents."
I just blinked in surprise, "Um...aren't yours? I mean, you're Twisted... so that means your parents were."
"No," Leila shook her head, then quietly said, "not exactly..." She hesitated a moment before saying, "I'm adopted. My mom and dad are both normals. I don't even know who my birth parents are."
"Must have been difficult for them when you twisted then," Jason pointed out, "I mean, if they've never been through it themselves."
"Worse than that," Leila snorted in a very unladylike manner. "They had no idea who my birth parents were either, so it was a complete shock to ALL of us when I did. I didn't even know I was Twisted until..." She shuddered, looking extremely pained.
"Damn," Jason and I both gasped at once. It was hard enough to be Twisted, but not even know it until... I couldn't imagine how horrifying it would have to be when you weren't expecting it and had no idea of what to expect.
Deciding to change the subject to something a little nicer, I exclaimed, "I didn't show you my trick..."
"You're gonna change your hair color for us?" Jason snorted, not sounding too impressed.
"No," I snapped in annoyance at his sarcasm then bit it back down. "I can't control when that happens or anything. But I've also got this chameleon field thing that lets me sort of turn invisible."
"Invisible," Jason's eyes went wide, "invisible is cool."
"Not quite invisible," I shrugged, "but more like a chameleon..." Then I concentrated on making it happen again, smiling when I felt the tingle.
"Whoah," Jason exclaimed.
"You're not invisible," Leila pointed out with a smirk.
"What?" I asked, looking down at myself and seeing that she was right. I wasn't blurry or fading into my surroundings, but I was glowing red. I had a faint red glow all around my body.
"That's weird... I went all chameleon before..." I looked around me and frowned in confusion, "I don't see anything red..."
"Figures," Jason snorted.
"Shut the fuck up," I snapped at him, jumping to my feet furiously. How dare he make fun of me... I clenched my fists, about to punch him when he scrambled back with a look of fear on his face. That was enough to shock me to my senses and regain control. I took a deep breath and said, "Sorry about that..." I was still angry, but it was under control.
"Damn," Jason exclaimed, looking at me nervously.
I sat back down and took several deep breaths to calm down. It helped and my anger quickly started to withdraw again. After a minute, I thought I was more or less reasonable again.
"Sorry," I apologized again, embarrassed about my lack of control, "I keep going off like that...at least since I became a red head."
"I sort of know what it's like," Leila blushed, "I've got this thing about pink... I absolutely LOVE that color and I can't help it."
I looked to her entirely pink outfit and nodded in understanding. As far as compulsions went, hers wasn't too bad. Some people ended up with compulsions that made them a danger to themselves and everyone else, such as starting fires or killing people. Needless to say, some Twisted actually have to be locked up for the rest of their lives to keep everyone else safe. Those kind are one of the big reasons the public is so afraid of Twisted in general. A craving for pink or even just a bit of a temper was pretty mild compared to that.
"Since you're not invisible," Jason said cautiously, trying not to set me off again, "what's with the red glow?"
"I...I don't know," I admitted. "The other times I did this I sort of went all chameleon...."
Jason reached out to touch the red glow around my body and suddenly yanked his hand back with a yelp of pain. "Fuck," he grimaced, clutching his hand with a look of pain, "damn that hurts..."
"Jason," I exclaimed in horror and guilt, dropping my red glow.
"Are you okay?" Leila asked.
Jason took several deep breaths, then held out his hand. His fingers looked a bit red where he'd touched my glow, but he didn't look like he was really hurt. I was confused by his reaction as much as I was by how my chameleon field was acting. Tina and Dr. McNalley had both touched it without any problem.
"It's fine now," he said, flexing his hand. "It burned...like I was touching a hot stove or something." He stared at his hands. "But it doesn't hurt now..."
"Holy shit," I exclaimed in confusion. "It didn't hurt anyone else..."
"Maybe it's not the same trick," Leila pointed out hesitantly. "Maybe this is a different one..."
"A different trick?" I gasped. "Oh man, I don't know whether to be excited or freaked out..." I stared at Jason, "I'm sorry... I didn't know."
On an impulse I suddenly grabbed Jason in a powerful hug to comfort him. Then I reached over and grabbed Leila as well, making it into a group hug. Both of them seemed surprised by this though Jason obviously enjoyed it. From the broad grin on his face, being hugged by two girls was enough to make him forget the pain.
"Sorry," I gave a self-conscious smile when we were done, "I guess I keep getting carried away..."
"I like this a lot better than the yelling," Jason grinned.
I nodded. "I wanted to show you the chameleon thing... Stand back because I'm going to try again..."
I closed my eyes and concentrated on bringing back my chameleon field, but when I thought I had it...I was only glowing red again. I tried it again and again, growing more and more annoyed by every failure. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't get that chameleon field again...just this red glow.
Finally I snapped, "GOD DAMN!" I kicked my dresser as hard as I could and then grabbed my clock and threw it against the wall. It exploded on impact. "Fuck... Why won't it work...?"
Jason and Leila both jumped up and got back, watching me in amazement as I threw my tantrum. Of course I didn't think of it that way. I was just really pissed off and wanted to lash out at something. After a few minutes, I calmed down again and then winced at the way I'd been acting. My emotions were so volatile right now that I just kept exploding. I was really starting to hope my hair color changed again soon.
Once I'd calmed down again and my friends were convinced I wasn't going to do anything more, Jason hesitantly pointed out, "Maybe you get a new trick when you change hair color too..."
I frowned and thought about his suggestion. I only started doing the chameleon thing when my hair was brown and I hadn't done it since. Maybe he was right. Maybe I had a different trick along with a different hair color and personality. It would certainly explain why it was all acting so weird.
We talked about my weird trick for a few more minutes before Jason brought up the subject I'd been dreading but knew was coming. "What's it like turnin into a girl?" Leila frowned, staring at him with a strange expression on her face.
"It's...weird," I responded, looking to Leila, "no offense... I'm just not used to this...yet." Then I laughed. "I keep reacting different too depending on my hair color. After I first changed, I was all happy about it. When I woke up this morning, I could barely bring myself to look in the mirror. Now, I'm just trying to control my temper."
"I mean, what's it feel like?" Jason asked curiously.
"Why?" Leila teased him, "are you hoping to turn into a girl too when you twist?"
"No," Jason blushed brightly, "nothing like that...."
Leila and I both burst out laughing at the look on his face. I made a mental note to bring that subject up again. It would be a fun way to mess with him later on.
I tried to explain what it was like transforming into a girl for Jason, but it wasn't easy. For one thing, I didn't know how to possibly describe what its been like for me. And for another, a lot of it was pretty personal and I had no intention of telling him everything. Leila just nodded along, giving me odd looks and scowling occasionally.
"At least you knew something was coming," she said bitterly, reminding me that her twist had caught her completely by surprise. Still, I didn't see why she was so bothered by getting big boobs and a killer body. A lot of girls would love to get that kind of twist.
Eventually though Jason said, "I've got to get going... We're having my favorite for dinner tonight..."
Leila had a faint look of relief and announced, "I'll stay a bit longer." Then she winked, "You know, we can do girl talk and all..."
"Ugh," Jason winced, "I'd better get out of here before you start that..."
Leila and I walked him to the front door and I even gave him a big hug as I said good-bye. Once Jason was gone, Leila said, "You sure are expressive now..."
"You certainly are," Tina agreed as she came up, looking at me with a curious expression. Then she abruptly asked, "You guys want a soda or something?"
"No thanks," I told her.
Leila glanced at Tina, then quietly told me, "I need to talk to you...alone."
Tina overheard and suddenly became much more interested. "Is it something I should know?" She was watching us curiously, then asked, "Jon didn't get you pregnant before he changed, did he?"
Leila and I both nearly choked at that before Leila gasped out, "No...nothing like that." She was blushing bright red. I was too, though not nearly as surprised. I had a lot more experience dealing with Tina and her sense of humor.
Tina was just grinning mischieviously and I had a feeling that she was going to try pushing some more buttons. "It's just some talk about school," I quickly told Tina who didn't believe me.
"Come on," I grabbed Leila and pulled her back into my room.
Once we were safe in my room with the door closed, I asked Leila, "What's up?"
Leila hesitated a minute, suddenly looking extremely uncomfortable. She licked her lips and said, "I never told you guys about what I was like before my twist..."
I thought about it for a moment and shrugged, "Nope."
Leila blushed brightly as she stared at the floor and half whispered, "I used to be a guy too..."
"What?" I asked in surprise.
Leila nodded. "I went through a sex change too..." She sat down, obviously uncomfortable with the topic. "I was playing dolls with my little sister and the next thing I know..." She gestured down at herself with a sigh. "I've only been a girl for a couple months and I'm still getting used to it too..."
"Wow," I exclaimed, staring at her in amazement, "I never would have guessed..."
"I know I don't act much like a boy anymore," she snorted. "I mean, I always wear pink and usually a lot of sexy clothes too..." Then she grabbed her generous breasts. "And then there's these... Most guys don't really look past this and the pink."
I stared at her for a moment, then asked, "Why didn't you say anything? I mean, it's not like we're the only ones who've gone through a sex change at school..."
"I was too embarrassed," Leila admitted. "I just wanted to start over again here and didn't want to think about everything I lost."
I nodded at that, "Okay..."
"Just don't tell Jason or anyone else," Leila warned me with a steady look. "I don't want everyone to know..."
"Okay," I shrugged, "I don't tell..."
"Good," Leila nodded, looking relieved. "I just figured that since I'm going through the same thing, that I might be able to help you a bit. I've got a couple more months experience..."
I laughed at that, "Good idea." I felt a strange sense of relief at the knowledge that I wasn't the only one going through something like this. Of course I knew that other people went through sex changes during their twists, but I didn't really know any of them personally... at least not well enough to feel comfortable confiding in. "Nice to know I'm not alone..."
Leila grinned, then started telling me about herself before her twist...and what it was like afterwards. I gasped in horror as she told the story, suddenly feeling extremely thankful that I lived in Spiral where I wouldn't have to deal with that much crap. We also compared our experiences at first discovering how we'd changed and what we thought.
Leila and I talked for nearly an hour, losing all track of time until Tina knocked on my bedroom door. She opened it up and stuck her head in, grinning, "Dinner's ready. I ordered a pizza..." She looked at Leila. "Come on and help yourself..."
We went out to the living room but just as we got there I felt a faint tingle run through me. I remembered feeling the same thing earlier so looked into the small mirror that hung on the living room wall and giggled at the sight of myself with blond hair again. "Cool," I grinned cheerfully, "now I can have a lot of fun tonight..."
Tina and Leila both stared at me for a moment with Leila being the one who was surprised. "Now if only you were blonde too," Leila teased Tina who only laughed.
"Yeah," I grinned broadly, "after all, everyone knows that blondes have more fun..."
I was in a pretty good mood as I walked through the mall, which wasn't surprising since I was always in a good mood as a blonde. In a way, I think that I'd rather be blonde than any of the other hair colors I turn into. After all, it's much nicer being happy and carefree than shy or bad tempered, especially when I'm with other people.
I'd woken up with the brown hair again this morning, though that only lasted for an hour or so before my hair changed color again. I'd expected my hair to turn red since that's the color it changed into after being brown yesterday, but I went blond again...even though I was blond when I went to bed last night. I guess this proves my hair color changes are more random than taking turns in a cycle.
At the moment I was going through the mall with Leila who insisted on helping me adjust to my new gender. I'd suggested bringing Jason along, but she quickly shot it down and insisted that this be a 'new girls only' trip. So there we were, two good looking blondes walking through the mall and attracting attention.
"This is kinda fun," I giggled as I looked around, noticing how guys were paying attention to me.
"It still creeps me out a bit," Leila admitted, "I mean, getting those kind of stares.... But trust me, it's a LOT better than having them want to lynch you or something..."
"I bet," I grinned.
She stared at me for a moment, "I can't believe you're so happy all the time... It's kind of creepy..."
"I'm sorry," I grinned cheerfully which only made her laugh.
"At least you're not losing your temper," Leila grinned. "Still, I can't wait to see you with that brown hair you told me about..."
"Oh yeah," I exclaimed abruptly, "I discovered a new trick after you left last night..."
Leila stared at me in amazement, "That's three tricks...not counting your hair changing color. Damn..."
I just grinned proudly and flipped the mental switch that activated my tricks. Since I got the chameleon field when I had brown hair and that pain field when I had the red, I'd decided to try it out again last night after I'd gone blonde. The results weren't quite as impressive, but I was pretty happy with them, not surprising since I was in my happy blonde mode. I began to glow with a golden color that reminded me of sunlight.
"Wow," Leila laughed, "you turn into a night light." She stared at me for a few seconds, smiling as she did so. "I don't know why, but it's kind of nice looking at you..."
"Tina said the same thing last night," I giggled as I turned off the glow.
Leila shook her head and blinked, "Not very impressive, but neither is being able to turn things pink... Then again, you've also got those other tricks."
"I seem to have a different one every time I change my hair color," I told her pleasantly. Then I shrugged, "Tina wants me to go back to the clinic and get checked out again since they only got to test my chameleon field. As it is, I've already got an appointment with the counselor tomorrow."
"I'd imagine a shrink would have fun with you," Leila smirked. "I mean, the way you keep changing personalities around..."
"That might be fun," I giggled, hardly able to wait. I couldn't wait to see the look on the counselors face when they found out about my constant changing.
A minute later Leila and I were looking at a kiosk that sold silk scarves. I don't think they were real silk, though they certainly were light and smooth. Leila was looking over a few of them, frowning slightly as she did.
"I don't see any pink ones," Leila muttered. At that moment the scarf she was touching suddenly turned pink. "Oops," she muttered, looking around in embarrassment, then adding, "it's much prettier..."
"What did you do?" the woman working there gasped as she saw the scarf change colors at Leila's touch.
"It was an accident," Leila quickly apologized, "I'll pay for it..." She looked at the scarf longingly, quite a different response from the way she'd looked at it before the color change. "I don't know if I have enough though..."
"You made it change colors," the woman exclaimed, staring at Leila for a moment. "Is that your trick?"
"Yeah," Leila admitted with a blush, "it's not much...and I can only turn things pink..."
The sales woman nodded, looking more curious than mad at Leila's inadvertent 'vandalism'. "How long does it last..."
"It's permanent," Leila said, gesturing to her shirt, "I made this pink last month... I can't change it back..." She gave another appreciative look at the scarf.
"You know," the sales woman mused, "I have several scarves that won't sell because people hate the colors... If you can change them all to pink the same way you did that one, you can have it for free."
"Really?" Leila's eyes went wide with delight.
"Great," I grinned, "she'll do it." Leila glared at me for making her decision for her, but I stuck out my tongue and made her laugh.
I stood there for a minute, watching cheerfully as Leila changed a dozen or so scarves from various colors to pink. She did so with no effort at all and was quite happy to walk away with a free scarf when she was done. "It's such a pretty pink," she sighed almost dreamily. It was kind of weird, but that was one of Leila's quirks, the same way I had mine about changing hair colors and personalities.
Then I suddenly felt it again, the strange tingling that passed over me when my hair changed color. Once that had passed, I felt different again, though I couldn't say exactly how. I no longer felt all cheerful and happy, but I didn't feel either shy or on edge either.
"Jen?" Leila asked with a cautious expression.
I blinked a moment and tried to take inventory of what I felt and thought in order to get a feel for my new personality. Strangely, this was almost like going through my twist again. I had no idea who I was anymore, though when I looked at my hair I at least knew it was raven black.
"Black hair," I mused, trying to think of what kind of personality that might indicate.
"Are you okay?" Leila asked me, then gave a weak smile, "you're not going to freak out or anything, are you?"
"I don't think so," I smiled at her in vague amusement.
"Let's just go," I said, feeling a strange sort of confidence I'd never felt before.
As we continued walking through the mall I became even more aware of the way the men were looking at me and found myself enjoying the attention. It was strange, and not quite the reaction I had when I was blonde. Then, I just thought of it as some sort of game, but this time I found myself enjoying...even wanting the attention. It wasn't that I was interested in the guys looking at me, only in the fact that they were admiring me.
By the time we left the mall I finally had a word to describe how I felt. Sultry. I felt all sexy and sultry, confident in my looks and what it could get me. It was strange but I knew this was true. I didn't feel particularly horny or interested in sex, though I did feel an excitement merely in thinking of how good I looked.
"I think this new personality might be rather interesting," I mused with a faint smile of amusement. Leila gave me a questioning look which just made me satisfied. I saw no reason to share everything with her just yet.
"You're moving a bit different," Leila finally said, "I mean, your body language is different..."
"Oh?" I encouraged her to continue.
Leila stared at me for a moment, looking rather uncomfortable. "I don't know... It's like you're moving a bit more like a woman... You almost look like you're flirting or something..."
"Do I?" I asked with mock innocence. I hadn't realized that I was doing that myself, though I didn't really doubt her now that she'd pointed it out.
"What's it like?" Leila asked after a minute, "I mean, having your personality change like this all the time..."
"Pretty weird," I admitted, still smiling in amusement. "But I don't know how much of my personality actually changes. I think I'm still me for the most part. It's just my emotions and the way I look at things that changes..."
"That's called your personality," Leila told me with a chuckle.
I shrugged at that. "I think it may be a bit more like a flashlight..."
"A flashlight?" Leila asked skeptically.
"Before my twist I was just a normal flashlight," I said, trying to think of how I could put this into words. "Now whenever my hair changes color, it's like I get a different lens put over it... One time I have a blue lens, the next a red one... The color from the flashlight seems to change each time, but underneath it all it's still the same flashlight. That's sort of how I see it."
Leila stared at me for a moment. "Okay..." She didn't sound completely convinced. "So what's it like this time?"
"Now," I said, my voice shifting into a half purr, "it's a whole new lens."
I smirked, enjoying the look of annoyance she gave me. I knew that wasn't the kind of answer she wanted, but I didn't really feel like going into details. But after considering it for a moment, I decided that it might be nice having her owe me some answers to personal questions.
"It's difficult to explain," I finally said, "my hair color only just changed awhile ago so I don't even know much about what I'm like when I'm like this. But I think I'm probably more...feminine. I feel sort of sexy and sultry and I'm proud of it."
"I thought you were sexy when you were blond," Leila frowned as she tried to absorb this.
"Actually," I smiled faintly, "I'm just extremely cheerful and optimistic as a blond. And maybe a bit ditzy. I don't feel particularly sexy or think about things like that any more than normal."
"And now?" Leila asked.
"I'm not sure yet," I responded calmly, "I still trying to figure it out myself."
When we got back to my house Tina gave me a look of surprise and commented, "I see you've decided to change your hair color again..."
"Decided?" I raised an eyebrow questioningly. "I don't seem to remember using any hair dye..."
"I don't think you'll ever need it either," Tina responded with a grin. "Now if you could only keep one hair color longer than a few hours..."
She gave me a curious look, obviously wondering how my personality had changed this time. I decided not to tell her just yet. It was more interesting to watch her trying to figure it out.
"Jen's pretty flirty," Leila finally said, earning a glare from me. "I swear she was trying to get the guys at the mall to look at her."
I didn't feel at all embarrassed by her comment though I knew I probably should. It was probably one of the quirks of my current personality. God knows I've developed enough personalities lately, and all of them seemed to have a lot of quirks.
Tina stared at me for nearly a full minute before nodding slightly, "Your body language is definitely different..."
Leila nodded at that and gave me a smug look that seemed to say, "I told you so." Then she abruptly asked, "Did you get any new tricks with this hair color?"
"I don't know," I responded with a shrug, feeling somewhat amused by eagerness. I was tempted to leave her waiting for awhile, at least until I found out what I could do myself. However I warned her and Tina, "Stand back."
Once Tina and Leila were both away from me I flipped the mental switch I used to turn on my chameleon field, the pain field, and that golden light field. I felt it my trick activate the same way it had the other times, but when I looked down at myself I didn't see anything. There was no glow, blurriness, or anything else to indicate I had a trick.
"Are you going to try it?" Tina asked impatiently.
"I am," I frowned slightly as I stared at my hands, "I can feel it on but I'm not seeing anything..."
"I just hope it's not a death touch or anything," Leila said with a scowl. Then she abruptly reached out and grabbed my arm. I was afraid she'd scream in pain or something, but she pulled her hand back with a shake of her head. "Nothing. I sort of felt a little static, but that might have been my imagination."
"So this trick is useless," I mused disappointedly. I'd rather hoped it would turn out to be something useful, though I shouldn't have been surprised. I couldn't see much use for glowing golden either unless I wanted to be my own night light or something.
"You've already got several tricks," Tina pointed out with an envious look. "Don't complain that you don't have another."
"That whole chameleon thing could probably be real useful," Leila smirked, "when you're playing hide and seek..."
"That reminds me," Tina exclaimed, "I called the clinic earlier and Dr. McNalley wants you to come back to check out your other tricks." Then she frowned thoughtfully, "There's something else... Oh yeah, don't forget you have an appointment with the shrink tomorrow."
"I so look forward to it," I responded with a roll of my eyes.
Since my new trick seemed to be more of a trick on me than anything else, I turned it off and continued talking with Leila and Tina. We talked for about a half hour more before Jason showed up.
"Wow," Jason exclaimed when he came inside and saw my new hair color, "I didn't know you could do that color..."
"Neither did I," I told him as I watched him carefully.
Jason was looking at me with an appreciative expression though he was trying hard not to seem as though he was. His eyes kept wandering over my body and pausing on my breasts. For some reason, this pleased me. I was a little confused by this since I didn't feel attracted to Jason in the least, but I definitely enjoyed the fact the he was attracted to me. It made me feel sexy... It made me feel....powerful. Without giving it much conscious thought, I stretched my body out a bit more to see if I could make him more interested and was delighted when it worked.
"Stop that," Leila gently punched my arm, then told Jason, "she's been a bit odd since this latest change..."
"She's been odd long before her twist," Jason responded with a laugh that Leila and Tina both joined in on.
I felt a little annoyed at having lost that little leverage I had over Jason but I knew how easy it would be to get it back. However it probably wouldn't do much good right here in front of Leila and Tina. Not only was Leila better built than me, but both of them were too jealous to let me play with Jason the way I wanted.
I frowned as I realized where my thoughts were going and wondered just how far I might end up going. I knew that I had absolutely no interest in sex with him, but the idea of leading him on seemed appealing. I shook my head and tried not to think of Jason in those terms but it was just so easy to pull his strings... There was no doubt in my mind that this new personality could get me in a lot of trouble if I wasn't careful.
"Are you okay?" Jason asked me with a worried look.
"I'm fine." I smiled pleasantly at him, adding a wink to it almost absently. Tina and Leila exchanged worried looks which only amused me.
"Oh yeah," Leila burst out, "Jen's got a new trick..."
"Two new tricks," I bragged, then admitted, "but neither is very impressive...especially the one I just got."
"New tricks?" Jason's eyes went wide.
"She can glow when she's blonde," Leila told him.
Tina smirked, "And not do anything at all when she's like this..."
I glared at Tina and then turned on my new trick again to see if it worked any differently than before. Leila and Tina were still laughing but Jason was now staring at me with a look of obvious interest. He wasn't even trying to hide it anymore. I kind of liked that but it made me curious.
"Are you okay?" I asked Jason.
"I'm fine," he responded with an almost dreamy voice, "you're so beautiful..."
"What?" Tina gasped, staring at Jason.
"Stop joking around," Leila punched his arm, though it didn't really do much. Jason was still looking at me with that expression.
I just stared back at Jason and mused, "Interesting..."
Then it suddenly came to me and I knew what was happenig. I still had my trick turned on...the one that seemed to do nothing at all. I turned it off and Jason suddenly blinked and looked at me again. This time though, his expression was more normal though perhaps a tiny bit confused. I smirked, feeling quite pleased at myself.
I hadn't really given it much thought before, but it seems that my tricks I get with each hair color compliments my personality. When I'm all bright and cheerful, I get a glowing aura that's all bright and cheerful. When I'm shy, I get an aura that lets me fade into the background. When I'm short tempered, I get an aura that causes pain. And now...
"Very nice," I smirked to myself.
Now it seems that I've got an aura that makes men much more interested in me. That alone made me understand my new personality much more clearly. I was a sultry and seductive temptress. That description somehow felt right to me and actually made me feel proud. Of course I knew that I'd probably be horrified when my personality changed again.
"Sorry," Jason blushed in embarrassment, having no idea that I was responsible for his extra attention. I had no intention of telling him either.
"It's not nice to stare," Leila warned him with a glare. "How would you like to grow a pair and then have guys start staring at your chest?"
"I didn't mean..." Jason started to stammer which only amused me a great deal.
"Just because Jon turned into Jen doesn't mean you have to tease her about it," Leila warned him.
Tina smirked, "Personally, I think it's kind of funny... I mean, it's always interesting to watch how people get treated by their friends after they go through their twist..."
"It's more interesting to go through your twist yourself," I pointed out with a casual shrug, "though interesting isn't always a good thing..."
"Now you're making me worried about my twist," Jason said, looking nervous for a moment before he covered it up.
"You know," Tina said, her eyes gleaming with mischief, "I bet if we started dressing you up and putting makeup on you, it might trigger your twist... That way you'd get it done and over with..."
"And with makeup and girls clothes," I smirked, "I think there'd be a good chance you'd turn into a girl too... Then we could make this a girl think..."
Jason stared at me in horror and then quickly looked at Tina and Leila, both of whom were grinning. He went pale as he considered the idea. "You wouldn't...."
I leaned back and smiled, thinking about turning my field on and 'convincing' him to go along with it. With my new ability to really grab his attention, I had no doubt that it would be easy. I could wrap him around my finger with no effort at all... Then I paused, reminding myself that he was my friend and I couldn't just do something like that to him...even if it would be both easy and amusing.
"Of course we wouldn't," Leila told him, frowning as she did so and giving Tina a quick glare. This might have hit a little too close to home for her.
"I've got to get going," Jason abruptly said, getting up and backing away. He gave us each a nervous glance, as though afraid we might ambush him and forcibly put makeup on him. "I've got dinner waiting and all..."
"I'll see you later," I half purred at Jason, giving him a suggestive wink before he rushed out the door.
"That was mean," Leila told Tina though she still chuckled.
"I thought it was hilarious," I said, absently gesturing to the door, "did you see the look on his face..."
"Yeah," Leila agreed, looking a bit embarrassed, "but you know he's still worried about what his twist is going to be."
"Of course" I smirked, "that's why it was so funny..."
Tina snickered, "I almost feel bad about that... Almost." Then she abruptly turned to Leila. "Since you're still here, would you like to stay for dinner?"
"Sure," Leila answered. "What's for dinner?"
"Whatever you decide to make," Tina answered with an expression of mock innocence, "the kitchen's that way..."
"What?" Leila blinked in surprise at that answer.
"Come on," I pulled Leila towards the kitchen, "Tina likes getting our guests to do the work if she can..." I was somewhat amused by Leila's reaction and was tempted to play with her a little myself. However I took control of that thought and instead told her, "We have several frozen dinners if you'll help me get them out to cook..."
While we were getting things set up, Leila shook her head, "You sure have a weird mom."
"You have no idea," I grinned, "You have no idea..."
I sat in Dr. McNalley's office in the Twisted clinic, feeling extremely annoyed and on edge. This wasn't just because I was a red head at the moment either, but because this was my second trip to the clinic today, and I'd come last night as well. I was getting sick and tired of coming here to be poked, prodded and scanned, just so they could see how different I was with each of my hair colors and how different my tricks were.
"Please be patient a little longer," Dr. McNalley told me with a forced smile, trying to keep me calm. I'd already lost my temper and yelled at her a short time ago after she'd asked me to the same stupid questions she had that morning when I was blonde.
"Just hurry up," I snapped, fighting the urge to yell at her for wasting my time. At least this was a little less annoying than the interviews with Dr. Nobu. I'd literally scream if she made me take that personality test again. Four times with the same tests were more than enough for anyone so I didn't feel the least bit of guilt for tearing up some of the papers and throwing them at her.
"I've compared the tests from each of the tricks you've demonstrated," Dr. McNalley told me in a calm and professional voice. "It appears that in spite of your appearing to have multiple tricks, it's actually only a single trick manifesting in different ways."
"Can you say that in English?" I asked, trying to fight back the annoyance.
Dr. McNalley nodded, "Your trick is an electromagnetic energy field that you can form around you and responds in different ways depending upon your personality."
"I thought it might be something like that," I responded, having noticed that it was always some sort of aura or glow around me even though it looked and acted differently with each hair color.
Dr. McNalley nodded again. "When you have your shy personality, it bends light around you. When you have your cheerful personality, it not only glows but releases a spectrum of light which can release endorphins in those who see it, causing a feeling of happiness."
"And it does something similar when my hairs black," I said thoughtfully, no longer feeling quite on edge now that I was distracting myself with this.
"Very similar," Dr. McNalley agreed, absently biting into a cookie while she looked at my records. "The light spectrum isn't nearly as visible and only seems to effect chemicals in the male brain. You could consider it a visual form of pheromones."
I nodded at that, not sure what to say. I still blushed a bit when I thought about how I'd used that to mess with Jason yesterday. It was an interesting trick but one that could also get me into a lot of trouble if I wasn't careful.
"And in your current state," Dr. McNalley continued with a scowl, "it's set at the same frequency as nerve impulses, so any contact with your aura interferes with those impulses and is registered as pain." She gave me an extremely serious look as she finished, "It doesn't cause any physical damage, but long term exposure to others can have harmful effects. This aura can have serious physical, psychological and legal repercussions if misused."
I gulped and nodded, "Okay... I'll be careful with it."
"You should be careful with all your tricks," Dr. McNalley cautioned me, "in spite of being called tricks, they aren't toys to play with."
"I'll be careful," I promised.
Dr. McNalley nodded again, looking relieved. "Dr. Nobu said that she's a little more concerned about your personalities though..."
"I know," I grimaced, feeling the edge of annoyance spark up again. "I've already got an appointment with a shrink in about an hour..."
"Good," Dr. McNalley smiled.
After a few more minutes I left the clinic filled with relief that it was over. They'd seen all four of my hair colors and personalities so didn't have any need to test me again. However that didn't mean I was in the clear. Dr. Nobu had been insistent that I seek professional help since my current hot tempered personality could possibly be dangerous to myself or others. Of course I was already going to see a shrink but that didn't mean I liked being told I needed to go.
Tina was waiting for me outside, having known how long it would take from my three previous trips. She was getting pretty tired of hauling me to the clinic as well, though I think she liked the excuse to take off from work.
"So, what's the verdict?" Tina asked.
"That I've really only got one trick that just acts different when I change," I told her with a shrug, "and that I need to take anger management classes..." Tina nodded in agreement but wisely didn't say anything.
"But they cleared you to go back to school tomorrow?" she asked, watching me carefully in case I took offense to that or something.
"I guess," I responded, feeling a little annoyed though I couldn't think of why.
Tina let out a faint sigh of relief. "Good. Just make sure you don't kill anyone... In fact," she grinned, "if you can arrange it you should probably be blond at school."
"I'll try to do that," I responded sarcastically.
"Hey," she laughed, "blondes are popular..."
"And ditzy," I snapped, "at least I am. I get so ridiculously happy that I don't really think..."
Tina grinned, "How's that any different from normal?" That earned her a glare which only made her snicker more.
Since we still had a little time to kill before my scheduled appointment with the shrink, we just drove around for a bit. We took a few roads around Spiral that I normally didn't see and eventually ended up at the building across the street from the clinic. Since it was an appointment with just me this time, Tina left and told me to call her for a ride back when I was done.
"Here goes nothing," I grimaced as I went to the door, already bracing myself to hate the shrink. I was on edge and ready to get angry at the drop of a pin. That was pretty common though when I had this hair color.
When the door opened and I saw the shrink, I blinked in surprise. She was in her late twenties or early thirties and was obviously Twisted. On the left side of her body she was Caucasian with blonde hair, but her body was split right down the center and on her right side she looked Asian with black hair.
"You must be Jennifer Andrews," she said with a smile, holding out her hand. "You can call me Amy. I don't believe in using titles."
"Um...hi," I responded, then told her, "I'm using Jen...not Jennifer."
"Okay Jen," she smiled, "would you like to come in and have a seat?"
I nodded and went inside, surprised by the office. It didn't look anything like what I would have expected a shrinks office to look like. Sure there was a desk, but it was moved to the corner. I didn't see one of those famous shrink couches anywhere, but there was a small table with several chairs. This was where she was gesturing.
"Can I get you something to drink?" Amy asked politely, going to a small fridge and opening it, "I have tea, bottled water, soda..."
"I'll have a soda," I told her, pointing to the brand I liked.
She set the can on the table along with a cup filled with ice, then sat down herself with a cup of tea. "I find that a casual setting is better for getting to know people."
I nodded and sat down, feeling more relaxed already. This was more like a tea party than going to see a shrink. Of course that was probably the whole idea.
Amy took several sips of her tea, then smiled, "I suppose I should tell you a little about myself. As you can see, I am Twisted." She gestured at herself.
"So what were you originally?" I asked curiously. "Asian or White?"
"Black," she responded with a grin that made me think she was joking. I couldn't be sure though she continued, "I moved to Spiral as a teen, right before I twisted."
She continued talking about herself and her life for a few minutes, inviting me to make comments and ask questions. Once she was done, I knew it was my turn and I felt sort of obligated to answer all of her questions as well.
"I've heard a bit about your personality issues from Dr. Nobu," Amy said with a gentle smile. "It sounds complicated. It must be confusing having your own personality change every few hours..."
I nodded, "Yeah... It's kind of weird..."
It was so easy talking to Amy that I almost forgot she was a shrink. It felt more like I was just having a friendly chat with some friend of the family, which made our hour together go past before I even realized it.
"I'm not sure how much is new personality and how much is just an overlay over your core personality," Amy told me as we finished up. "I'll help you figure that out. I have to admit, I'm looking forward to seeing your other personalities..."
"I'll try to bring one of my other ones next time," I snorted. It wasn't like I was able to change my hair color and personalities at will. I know. I've already tried.
Amy just smiled. "I do think you might want to work on controlling your emotions a little so you can keep your temper in check and control that shyness you've been telling me about... Next time I'll show you some mental exercises that might help..."
When I left a few minutes later I let out a long sigh of relief. Going to the shrink hadn't been nearly as bad as I'd feared. Hell, Amy hadn't even brought out my temper even once during our conversation and I'd expected to be pissed off the entire time.
"I think I can work with her," I decided with a grin. I just wondered if I'd still feel that way when I had a different hair color.
It was strange going back to school after my twist, especially with the way everyone kept looking at me. Even though Twisted were extremely common, all the students and teachers kept staring at me, obviously wondering about how much I'd changed. It was always that way after someone you knew went through their twist.
Fortunately I'd woken this morning with raven black hair and the best personality I could have for returning to school. I walked down the halls with a calm confidence and an amusement at the way everyone looked at me. I knew that with this kind of attention, I could probably find a way to use it to my benefit. I just had to figure out how.
I could only imagine how horrible it would have been if I had my mousy little brown haired personality. I probably would have been so selfconscious that I'd have hidden away and cowered all day. I scowled at the thought of that, dreading the time when I'd eventually be forced to use that personality at school.
"Having my emotions change like this all the time is quite annoying," I told Jason, being careful not to flirt with him too much lest he get the wrong idea. It took a constant reminder that I couldn't just use him as a toy without paying the consequences later. Fortunately, there were plenty of other people around school who wouldn't present that problem. "I can never be certain WHO I'm going to be from hour to hour..."
"Yeah," he responded uncertainly, obviously not sure how to handle me changing from hour to hour either. Still, he was trying and I had to give him a lot of points for that. "It must be weird..."
"Very," I smirked.
"Has anyone made a big deal about it yet?" Jason asked.
"Not yet," I responded, "at least no one at school. Just about everyone seems to have heard about me going through my twist in the middle of the cafeteria, but no one knows about how I keep changing. It won't be long before words are out about that too..."
"That should be...interesting," Jason pointed out cautiously while I just smiled with faint amusement.
"Well I should be getting to class," I told him with a shrug, "I don't want to be late on my first day back..."
Jason nodded, "Okay... I guess I don't want to be late either." He turned and started leave, calling back, "See you at lunch..."
I absently waved back at him before starting towards my next class. I was a little short of time but I didn't bother hurrying. If I was late I was late and the teacher would just have to deal with it. I smirked, knowing very well that I had ways of taking care of annoying teachers. In fact, I just might use them anyway for my own amusement.
I was just about to my next class when I saw Simon off to the side pushing a smaller boy around. I scowled in annoyance, not sure if I should watch for the entertainment value, mind my own business and leave, or actually interfere. Normally I wouldn't have had to think about it much, but the first two options were both much more appealing at the moment...especially the first one. Still, the third choice won out.
"You know that's not very nice of you," I half purred to Simon in order to see his reaction. It was definitely priceless and made this whole thing worth it. "You must be quite a wimp if you can only pick on people smaller than you..."
Simon stared at me for a moment with a mixed expression. He looked as though he didn't know whether to stare at me in admiration or glare at me for interfering in his fun. He decided on the second, ignored the other boy as he came over to intimidate me.
"I know who you are," Simon snarled, trying to look menacing but not succeeding very well. "I don't care if you are a girl now... I'll still beat you up..."
I rolled my eyes, already knowing that this was just bluster. Simon might be a bully, but he'd never been one to hit girls. I thought about pushing him a little further and then threatening to tell his sister he was picking on girls. However it just didn't seem right to bring his sister in on this when there was no need.
Instead I smiled pleasantly turned on my special aura. As soon as I started using my trick, the expression on Simon's face began to change. He stared at me with a look of incredible attraction, no sign of threat remaining. I was well aware of the fact that nearly every other guy in the hall was starting to stare too, but my attention was on Simon for the moment.
"I don't think you want to do that," I purred to him. "Do you?"
"No," Simon blinked, "I'm sorry... I didn't mean..."
"Shhhhh," I put a finger to his lips, "I don't want any excuses. Now why don't you go and think about what you've done..."
"But," Simon started. I gave him a steady look and he gulped, looking as though he were about to start drooling. "Okay... I'm sorry..."
"Yes you are," I mused as he turned and left. Once he was no longer a threat, I turned off my attraction aura and looked around at the guys in the hall, feeling quite amused by their reactions. I might have to try this again sometime when I had more time. "Shoo," I waved to all of them. "Don't you have classes to go to?" Then I continued to my next class, smiling the entire way.
When I walked into the class room and slipped into my seat, there were more than a few starts and quiet mutterings. Twisted might be pretty common in this school, but it still drew a lot of attention whenever anyone went through their twist, especially when their changes were as extreme as mine. I just smiled in amusement and pretended not to notice.
"What's it like turning into a girl?" one boy asked me.
"Did you get a trick?" a girl on the other side asked.
"Several of them, actually," I responded a little smugly.
There were some gasps at that and some excited questions about what my tricks were and if I could show them. One girl snorted in skepticism when I refused to demonstrate a trick, suggesting that I'd made that up.
"What tricks I can do keep changing," I finally said. Then I lied, "I don't seem to have one at the moment, but that will probably change in a few hours..." I looked up at the clock, knowing that I'd be due for another shift before long. I just hoped I didn't turn into a mousy brunette.
"She's lying," the one girl grimaced, "she doesn't have any tricks..."
I stared at her for a moment, more than a little tempted to use the one I did currently have to mess with her a little. After all, I'd make her extremely jealous if every boy in class started paying attention to me and only me.
But just then the teacher called out for quiet since she was about to start class. I sighed in disappointment at losing all the attention, though I knew I'd be able to get it back soon enough. With my attraction aura I could get the attention back anytime I wanted. I felt rather smug with that knowledge.
Class went by pretty fast, though there were several times other students whispered various questions and comments to me. For the most part I just gave them an enigmatic smile and continued paying attention to the teacher...or at least pretending to. Soon enough though class was over and I was on my way to the next one in order to repeat the experience.
Next was Mr. Lawson's math class again. He gave me a suspicious look when I took my seat, as though I'd intentionally gone through my twist just as an excuse to skip his class...and the big test. However he didn't say anything and did his best to ignore me though he still kept giving me odd looks, obviously wondering how much I'd changed.
I quickly grew bored of Mr. Lawson's lecture, which was no surprise since I nearly always did. It seemed that my new personality hadn't changed that, nor had it changed my idea of how to stay awake. I smiled with amusement as I turned on my aura and waited to see how long it would be before the guys started to look at me.
"Aha," I mused when I finally saw Mr. Lawson's attention lock on me much stronger than before. It was almost enough to make me laugh out loud and certainly kept me from being bored. In fact, messing with Mr. Lawson this way was probably the most fun I'd ever had in his class. "But I don't want to push it too far," I reminded myself, reluctantly turning my aura back off.
I sat through the next fifteen minutes fighting back the temptation to turn on my aura again. I managed to control myself as far as that went but couldn't resist sticking out my chest and winking at any boy who happened to look in my direction. It wasn't quite as entertaining as musing my trick, but it wouldn't get me in trouble either.
But just ten minutes before the end of class things changed. Or more precisely, I changed. I felt the tingle rush through me that indicated I was going through another hair color change and absently wondered which color I'd get. I still hoped it wasn't mousy brown. But when it finished and I felt my perspective shift, I realized that I felt... different.
"Fuck," I snapped in annoyance, perhaps a little too loudly as it drew Mr. Lawson's attention...and that of most of the class.
"Do you have a problem Andrews?" Mr. Lawson asked, then paused to stare at me, "Your hair changed color..."
"No shit," I snapped, "it does that..." His eyes went wide.
I scowled, feeling annoyed and on edge like I did when I was a red head...but different. I didn't really feel angry, just annoyed and resentful. After all, who the hell did Mr. Lawson think he was looking down on me like that? I glared at him, tempted to give him the finger. Instead, I reached up to look at my hair. It was an electric blue. For some reason, I kind of liked it. It was different and stood out.
"Great," I grimaced, "now I've gotta go to that fucking clinic again..." I scowled. "The hell with that..." I saw absolutely no reason to waste my time going back there just because I had another hair color.
"Andrews...?" Mr. Lawson started again, looking a bit concerned.
"What?" I snapped as I glared at him, daring him to make a big deal out of my new hair color.
Mr. Lawson's eyes went wide and he just stared at me, obviously unsure of what to do next. He'd been a teacher in Spiral long enough that he'd probably had a lot of his students go through their twists and then change. However I don't know if he'd ever had one change again after their twist right there in the middle of his class.
Then for the hell of it, I sneered and pushed the mental button that activated my twist. I had a faint blue glow appear around me but nothing seemed to happen, much to my disappointment. Mr. Lawson gasped, as did several of the students, but there was nothing else to indicate it was even on. Then again, the same could be said for my pain aura too. After a moment, I turned off my new aura, still curious about what it did though.
Mr. Lawson took a deep breath, "Is there something about your twist that I should know?"
"It's none of your damn business," I snapped defensively, resenting that he thought I should tell him everything about me just because he wanted to know. "I'm outta here..." And with that, I left the class with Mr. Lawson and all the students starting after me in surprise.
Once I was outside the classroom I paused and scowled in annoyance, more than a little tempted to just leave school right then and there. I didn't need to spend a whole day stuck in a place with a bunch of knowit -all teachers telling me what to do. Just about anything would be better than that.
Then I took a deep breath and told myself to calm down. I'd never been that much against school before or the teachers in it. I knew that my new personality was definitely something else. It was really doing a number on my emotions. I felt so...on edge. That's about the only way I could think of it. I was on edge and completely resentful of anyone telling me to do.
"So that's it," I said after a moment of consideration, "I'm rebellious now..." I looked at my electric blue hair, "Figures..."
I just stood there for a minute, still tempted to leave school but quashing that idea a bit. I felt like leaving but intellectually I knew it might not be such a good idea. That won out at the moment, perhaps partly due to the fact that lunch was about to start in just a minute. And with that thought, the bell rang and everyone else began pouring out of their classes.
"Shit," I grimaced, turning and rushing to the cafeteria. I was pissed at myself for missing the chance to get there first. If I had to stand around waiting in line, I had a feeling that someone was going to get hurt. I didn't exactly feel patient enough for waiting at the moment.
When I got to the cafeteria I was lucky enough to be fairly close to the front of the line so there wasn't much of a wait at all. I glared in disgust at the food on my plate and made a rather rude comment about it, then took my seat anyway. It might be shitty cafeteria food, but it was at least something to eat at the moment.
It didn't take long before my friends to arrive. Leila showed up first, staring at me with a look of surprise and sitting down very cautiously. She looked a bit uncertain as she stared at my hair, obviously wondering how my personality had changed this time. Before either of us could really say anything, Jason showed up as well.
"You've changed hair color again," Jason said unnecessarily.
"Really?" I responded with a sarcastic snort, "I hadn't noticed..."
"Sarcasm is a good sign," Leila responded with a grin.
"Yeah," I shrugged, "I'm feeling pretty sarcastic right now..."
"So how's that different from normal?" Jason asked.
I snorted, "Fuck you..."
"Your language is a bit rougher than normal," Leila observed, earning a faint glare. "I guess that says something about you."
"Do you have another new trick?" Jason asked hopefully though he sort of backed away from me.
"Yeah," I shrugged, "I just can't tell what it fuckin does yet..."
Lunch was an interesting experience for once, especially since neither Jason or Leila knew what to make of the new me. I was sure they were getting tired of trying to figure me out every time I got a new hair color, though at the moment I didn't particularly care if they liked the new me or not.
"At least my favorite foods don't really change," I said as I finished up. "What I like I still like and what I hate I still hate. Like this crap..." I shook my head. "Just imagine how fucked up it would be to grab something I love and then find out I hate it now... Shit, I'd have to figure out what foods I liked and didn't again every time I shifted..."
"That would suck," Jason agreed without much enthusiasm.
"Maybe," Leila added with a grin, "but think of it this way... Whenever they give you something you don't like, you just have to wait until you do like it."
"I could get pretty damn hungry that way," I grumbled, unable to even imagine liking stuff like liver or asparagus, no matter how much my tastes changed.
We continued joking around as we ate though both Leila and Jason kept glancing at my hair and giving me odd looks. I was getting used to that kind of reaction every time my hair changed color again. To be honest, I actually found it quite amusing at the moment that something as simple as a hair color change could cause such a reaction.
"I wonder," I mused, imagining what kind of reactions I could get if I went and dyed my hair a bunch of different colors. I smirked at the idea of how confused they'd be then.
Once we were all finished eating we got up to leave the cafeteria and have a little more privacy while we talked. It was hard to really talk to my friends about anything important when there were other people listening in. At the moment, I was especially annoyed by the idea of other people butting in on my privacy.
Just as we were about to leave I saw a gorgeous cheerleader verbally tearing apart a small skinny guy. I immediately recognize the girl as Maddy Sawyer, one of the hottest girls in school. At least she was now. Last year she was just Madelein Sawyer, an unattractive and unpopular nerd girl. Of course that all changed for her when she went through her twist. She came out of it incredibly gorgeous...but also a complete bitch who would do anything to get what she wanted.
"She might be great to look at now," Jason muttered, "but I think I liked her better before..."
I nodded and watched as Maddy continued to viscously assault the boy. "What in the world makes you think I'd EVER go on a date with some loser slime like you...?" she snarled with a cruel vehemence.
It took me a moment more to realize that the cringing boy was the same one I'd saved from Simon just a few hours ago. I felt annoyed that I'd gone through the effort of pulling his ass out of trouble and he immediately jumped in it again. He should have known that someone as hot as Maddy would be way out of his league, and it wasn't like it was any secret that she was a snotty bitch either. As far as I was concerned, the punk probably had this coming to him.
"That's Zach Moore," Jason exclaimed, providing a name for the boy. "She's really tearing into him."
"What a bitch," Leila gasped with a look of sympathy. She started towards them with the obvious goal of stopping Maddy's verbal assault.
I just frowned, annoyed at Leila for getting us involved. I'd planned on just minding my own business, but now that I thought about it, it just might be fun to mess with a snotty bitch like Maddy. Someone needed to bring her down a peg or two and I'd rather liked the idea of it being me.
"Leave the little fuck alone," I sneered as I walked up to Maddy with Leila, "your voice is getting on my nerves..."
"WHAT?" Maddy gasped, staring at us in surprise. Then she sneered, "Mind your own business, bitch."
I hadn't really cared about this too much before, but with that insult I suddenly became much more personally involved. I really disliked this snotty bimbo now. Then with a grin, I turned on my new blue aura, thinking that it might make for a nice bluff.
"Don't make me hurt you," I sneered, "I don't want to waste my time bashing some fucked up little slut into the ground..."
Maddy glared at me with pure fury in her eyes. Ever since her twist last year, just about everyone did what she wanted. If she couldn't get her way with her great looks and new popularity, she got it with her trick. It had probably been months since anyone had seriously stood up to her like this so it made me even more pleased to be the one pushing her buttons.
"You little tramp," Maddy snarled, suddenly flinging her hand out and slapping me as hard as she could. Strangely enough though, I didn't feel it at all, in spite of the fact that she was shaking her hand as though it stung.
"Jen," Leila warned.
Some boy who was watching loudly called out, "Cat fight," suddenly bringing the attention of the entire cafeteria on us. I grimaced, knowing that now I was really going to have to clean her cage. I wasn't about to come off looking weak in front of half the school.
"Now I'm really gonna have to fuck you up," I grinned evilly.
"Look out," Jason cried.
A moment later I saw what he meant as Maddy raised her hand with a ball of glowing silver light in the palm. This was the trick she'd used to get her way when her looks weren't enough. It was a powerful ability that I'd seen in action once before and heard of several times. She could throw that ball at people and it would explode as some sort of concussion that would sent them flying halfway across the room. And by the time I saw she had it ready, it was too late for me to avoid it.
"Take that," Maddy exclaimed smugly.
The ball of silver light hit me straight in the chest, but I didn't go flying back like I expected. Instead, I remained where I was wondering why I was still standing there. Her silver ball had been a dud. Nothing happened. She stared at me with a look of surprise then I grinned in sudden realization. My blue aura... My new trick was a force field.
"This can be useful," I mused to myself with a smirk, more than pleased by the look of fear and confusion that passed over Maddy's face.
Just then a teacher came charging in, demanding, "What's going on?"
"Nothing," I sneered, immediately feeling hostile towards him. I knew that the dislike for authority that seemed to come with my new personality could really get me in trouble so I tried to keep it from showing. I don't think I was very successful though, nor did I care enough to try harder.
"Maddy tried using her trick on her," one girl called out to the teacher, her voice filled with awe.
"Is this true?" the teacher demanded, glaring at Maddy.
I knew that I could easily get Maddy in trouble for using her trick on another student like that, but instead I snorted, "If she'd used that on me I'd be on the other side of the fucking lunch room..."
The teacher paused, knowing that what I said was the truth. Of course he didn't know about my force field and I'd turned my aura off the moment I saw him approaching. I doubt he even got a look at me while I was still glowing blue. "There's no fighting allowed..."
"Do we look like we were fighting?" I sneered, growing even more annoyed. "There's a difference between arguing and fighting so maybe you should look it up. Neither of us laid a finger on the other..."
"She's telling the truth," Maddy said, giving me a look that was half glare and half thanks.
"I don't like your attitude," the teacher glared at me.
I just snorted, "It's my fucking twist... Are you gonna discriminate against me because my twist makes me swear?" I glared at him, daring him to make a big deal about this. Sure, discriminating against students because of their twists was a big no no in this school, but trying to hide behind that rule in this case might be pushing it.
"I don't want to hear about any more fighting," he said, obviously deciding not to push the issue.
After the teacher left Maddy gave me another glare before turning and walking away as though I didn't exist. I glared at her in annoyance but was glad she'd left. I didn't know if this was over between us for good or if she'd just pretend I didn't even exist from now on, but at the moment I didn't really care.
"I can't believe you kept her out of trouble," Leila gasped, "you could have had her so expelled..."
"Thanks," Zach said with an eager grin and appreciative look over my body. I'd forgotten he was even there until then.
"Whatever," I shrugged, not interested in talking to him.
Zach stared at me for a moment with his eyes going wide. "You're the same girl who saved me from Simon..."
"What of it?" I demanded. Then I looked at the clock, "Damn, I've got to go..." I looked to Jason and Leila, "See you guys later..."
"Um...thanks," Zach called to me as I walked away, having almost forgotten about him again already. I just snorted and continued, absently thinking about beating him up a bit myself.
As I walked down the hall I was tempted to just ditch school for the rest of the day. After all, I didn't exactly see any real purpose in sticking around this place. Then again, I'd probably be bored stiff at home. And at least I had people like Simon and Mr. Lawson to mess with here at school. That would keep me entertained if nothing else. I knew that this like of reasoning was mostly self-delusion in order to keep myself under control and out of trouble, but it worked and that was what counted.
I stuck around school for the rest of the day, suffering through the constant annoyance of listening to all those know it all teachers. It was hard but at least I got some amusement from their confusion when dealing with me. None of them really knew the full details about my twist, but they'd heard enough to be wary. I like making teachers nervous.
At the end of the day I went home and surprised Tina with my new hair color and personality, though to my annoyance, she actually seemed to approve of both. I'd wanted to shock her and get her disapproval, just for the fun of it if nothing else. Tina never had been like other parents though, a fact which I appreciated even more in my current state. Since I'd never really seen her as an authority figure, I didn't have that strong resentment towards her that I'd expected. Even more strange was the fact that we got along even better than usual that night.
I leaned back and watched my shrink Amy with some amusement. She was turned to the side while typing something on the computer so all I could see was her blonde haired Caucasian side. It wasn't until she shifted position that I could see the Asian half of her body that made her look so eccentric.
At the moment I was in my raven black hair mode so felt a bit smug and self-indulgent. It was so easy to find amusement at other peoples expense, even at that of my shrink. Of course she was quite aware of my current mood and didn't seem bothered at all by it.
"I'm sorry about that," Amy apologized and gave me her full attention. "Have you been practicing those meditation exercises I gave you?"
"Of course" I responded absently, "but you already asked me that when I saw you the other day."
"True," Amy responded with a smile, "but it's important that you follow the exercises. The meditation will help you control your shifting emotional states so they don't dominate you. We can't really stop your emotional states from shifting, but you can learn to work through them so you'll be more balanced."
"That would be nice," I agreed, thinking about how difficult it was to deal with people when I wanted to run away and hide or tear their heads off. As it was, my current personality might be my most selfish, but it was also the easiest for avoiding trouble.
"Have you experienced the blue hair again?" Amy asked me curiously.
I nodded slightly. It had been nearly a full week since I'd first turned into my rebellious blue haired self, and I had only gone through that hair color again twice since then. I wasn't going through that hair color nearly as frequently as my other ones, though I didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed at that. There was something oddly refreshing about that persona.
"This morning," I told Amy with a slight frown. "I woke up with the blue hair this morning but changed to blonde right before school."
Amy nodded, looking interested. I stared at her for a moment, briefly thinking about how I could tell her a nice story about some fictional mischief I got into. It could be quite amusing to play with her that way and see how she'd react. I wonder if I could get her really shocked? But then I reminded myself that she was a shrink and probably wouldn't fall for it. That didn't mean I stopped thinking about what I could tell her though.
We continued talking about my various personality shifts and the problems they've caused me for the next fifteen minutes. I exaggerated a few things just to push some buttons, but Amy caught on quick and wasn't fooled.
Then it happened again. Appropriately enough my hair suddenly changed color and my personality shifted with it. I felt on edge and immediately knew I was a red head again. Amy gasped, staring at me with interest. This was the first time she'd actually seen me shift like this.
"Okay, so I've shifted," I snapped in annoyance, "you can stop staring at me..."
"Sorry," Amy apologized, "it's just the first time I've actually seen it..." I snorted at that and she gave me a pleasant smile, continuing, "I have a few more mental exercises that should be particularly helpful in learning to control your temper..."
I grunted at that but listened as she described what she wanted me to do. I had a feeling that she was waiting for me to come back as a red head specifically before she gave me these anger management tricks to work on. I just hoped they really worked because I knew I could get myself into a lot of trouble with my temper if I wasn't careful.
Amy was all right, especially for being a shrink, but I was glad when our session was over and I could go home. I said a quick good by and rushed home as fast as I could, eager for dinner and a chance to relax with some video games. I only hoped I didn't lose my temper again. The last time I played games as a red head I lost my temper and threw the controller against the wall which left it in pieces. Fortunately I had a couple spares.
When I got home I was surprised to find Leila there waiting for me. "She came over to see you," Tina told me with a grin, "so we've just been talking while she waited for you to get back." I stared at Tina, suddenly having a bad feeling about that. I glanced to Leila who was snickering and groaned. Tina must have been telling some of those embarrassing stories from my childhood.
That was one of the few things that always reminded me that in spite of her apparent age, deep down inside she was still my mom.
"At least tell me you didn't break out the baby pictures," I groaned.
"You looked cute as a kid," Leila snickered, "I like the picture of you in the leotard..."
"That was a Halloween costume," I defended myself, "I was going out as Peter Pan..."
"Maybe you should go as Tinkerbell this year," Tina suggested with a smirk.
I rolled my eyes, knowing that I could retaliate with mention of a certain night where she'd come home drunk and wearing some kinky leather clothes. However she'd paid me good money to make sure I never mentioned that incident again and a deal is a deal.
I was already getting annoyed with this topic of conversation and the fact that Tina would try embarrassing me this way, though I quickly locked that down. It was a little easier using a trick Amy had taught me.
"You know," I said with an evil grin, "I think I still have a picture of you dressed as a toddler for Halloween..."
Tina went pale, "You know that was a bet..."
"Yeah," I grinned, "but you looked so cute..."
Tina shook her head. "I think I'm going to go check on dinner..." And with that she got up and left the room. Leila and I looked at each other and burst out laughing.
"You really have pictures of her in a toddler outfit?" Leila asked, still laughing.
I nodded, "Yeah... Sometimes I need leverage with her." Then I sighed, "Trust me... With her I need it..."
"I don't know," Leila grinned, "she seems like a cool mom..."
I shrugged at that. "For a mom yeah... But most of the time she's more like my big sister. An ANNOYING big sister," I added in a louder voice so she might hear from the kitchen.
"I heard that," Tina called back from the kitchen, causing me and Leila to both laugh.
After this Leila and I made our way to my bedroom where we could have a little privacy. She waited until the door was closed before asking how I was adjusting as a girl. I was a little surprised by the question since she'd been there to see how I was doing.
"I'm adjusting," I responded slowly, pushing back the surge of irritation that made me want to snap at her for asking such a stupid question. I actually felt proud of myself for not letting it show. Thanks to Amy, I was getting better at not losing my temper over nothing. "The girl part is easy. It's the new personalities that's tough..."
"I'd imagine," she nodded, giving me a sympathetic look.
"But on the plus side," I grinned, "I've got a great excuse whenever I do something stupid... I can blame it on my twist..."
Leila laughed, "I think you might be using that one too much at school..."
"Maybe," I agreed, thinking about the various incidents since I'd returned to school.
The true nature of my twist and how I changed personalities with my hair color was now a well known fact around school. In fact the principal had even issued a cheat card to all the teachers that listed my various hair colors and what they could expect from each one. It actually took some of the fun out of it.
Then I felt a surge of anger rise in me as I remembered Mrs. Krevitz, who'd taken advantage of that knowledge to keep asking me questions and drawing attention to me in class when I had my mousy brown hair. I was so timid that I spent most of the class cowering while she and the other students laughed at me. Of course she hadn't been nearly so amused when I came to class the next day as a blonde and wasted most of the time cheerfully asking stupid questions.
"Are you okay?" Leila asked, noticing my anger.
"I'm fine," I snapped, then took a deep breath, forcing myself to reign in my emotions. "Sorry..."
"It's okay," Leila told me with a cheerful grin, "I'm getting used to your mood swings."
"They're a pain in the ass," I sighed with a shake of my head.
Leila stared at me for a moment then changed the subject, "Have you seen the new Peregrine sports car? I saw one on the news the other day and they look wicked... I want to get one some day... A pink one..."
"Of course" I grinned, glancing over her bright pink clothes. "What other color would you get?"
"Well, there are different shades of pink, you know," she told me defensively.
"You wouldn't be so fond of pink if it wasn't for your twist," I reminded her.
Leila just shrugged, "I know. But I still like it."
I thought about the car Leila had just asked about and didn't remember what it looked like. I turned on my computer and my holographic display unit immediately hummed to life. A few seconds later I was staring a picture of a sleek new hover car that was probably more expensive than everything I'd ever make in my entire life added up.
"Damn that's sweet," I agreed. "Too bad neither of us will ever be able to afford one..."
"Maybe," Leila responded doubtfully.
I grinned and pulled up a picture of another car right beside the one of the Peregrine. This one was a bit of an old cluncker, with a faded pink paint job. Then I asked Leila, "Which would you rather have?"
"That one," Leila immediately pointed at the junk car. She glared at me, "That's not fair though... I could always make the Peregrine pink..."
We both laughed, then sat back and talked about a variety of things for the next hour. It was strange how Leila and I had actually become closer friends since my twist, while Jason didn't hang out with me quite as much as before. It wasn't that he was avoiding me, but more that we didn't have as much in common anymore.
It amazed me to think about just how much Leila and I had in common. Now that I knew she used to be a guy too, we had a lot more to talk about than we did before. If anyone really understood what my suddenly gender switch was like, it was her. That certainly made it easy to talk to her about things.
While I was thinking this I looked Leila over, struck as I frequently was by her appearance. She had a very sexy body in an exaggerated, almost cartoonish way. Still, she was very attractive and I had to force my mind away from the thoughts that wanted to form at the sight of her. Then again, that was nothing new either and was something I did quite frequently when I was near her. The fact the fact that I wasn't her type and we were just friends made it much easier most of the time.
Just then I was suddenly struck by the realization that the conversation had gone completely silent...and that Leila was staring at me with an expression of obvious attraction. She saw that I noticed and quickly turned away with a bright blush on her cheeks.
For a brief moment I was frozen in surprise, my mind swirling in realization. I'd always known that there was no chance of anything happening between me and Leila. She'd made that perfectly clear when we first met and that was one of the things that had made it possible to become friends. But now... Now I knew that Leila used to be a guy too and that she was probably still into girls. That meant...
"Oh..." I whispered, my eyes going wide as I stared at her.
One thing about my current personality was that some of my emotions are very raw and volatile, a fact which kept people on their toes around me when I was a red head. I was almost always on edge like this and could become completely furious and enraged in an instant, losing control in the river of my own emotions. But as a red head, anger wasn't the only emotion I was prone to and I was suddenly overwhelmed with a powerful surge of passion.
I was filled with desire and acted out of pure emotion and impulse, the same as I did when I lost my temper. I didn't even think about it as I grabbed Leila and gave her the most passionate kiss I could. She didn't respond at first, being shocked by my actions, but then she began to kiss back and seemed to be enjoying it.
"Wow," Leila gasped when we pulled apart.
I stared at her, my whole body aching for more...much more. I wanted to throw her down on my bed and get wild with her. It was only her look of surprise and confusion that allowed me to regain some control over myself. I mentally ran through one of the exercises Amy had showed me to control my emotions and it worked...a little.
"I'm sorry," I apologized, blushing brightly. I couldn't bear to loot at her as I added, "I couldn't help myself..."
"You kissed me," Leila gasped, staring at me with a strange expression. Then she admitted, "And I guess I kissed you back..."
"Yeah," I grinned in spite of myself, fighting back the impulse to grab her and do it again.
"We...we kissed," Leila said again as though she couldn't quite believe it.
"I'm sorry," I apologized again, feeling guilty for doing something that could completely destroy our friendship. "I didn't mean..." I stared at the floor, feeling a mixture of excitement and shame. "I just lost control..."
Leila and I sat in an uncomfortable silence for nearly a minute before she hesitantly asked, "What does this mean?"
I blinked at that and forced a grin, "It means you're hot... You know how my emotions are when I'm like this..." I touched my hair to remind her of the hair color and the volatile personality that came with it.
Leila blushed, "I knew you thought I was pretty.... Most guys do, and I should know." Then she sighed, "I guess I got used to being friends..."
"I'm sorry," I apologized yet again, "we can pretend it never happened..."
"But it did happen," Leila insisted. "I don't know...."
Leila grabbed my bed cover with her hand as she stared at the floor, not even looking at the bed cover as it turned into a bright pink color. I don't think she even intended to use her trick on it. She was just so emotional that she wasn't controlling it very well at the moment.
"You're pretty," Leila abruptly said, still not looking at me. "I thought so ever since you twisted... But this is kind of weird..."
"Yeah," I agreed, "so what are we gonna do?"
"I don't know," Leila said as she got to her feet. She stared at me, blushing brightly again as she quickly blurted out, "But I kind of liked it..."
"You did?" I asked hopefully.
She nodded, "God, I don't know what to do... This is the first time that I really liked someone since my twist, and it's my best friend... This is just too weird for me..."
"We can still be friends," I reminded her, then on an impulse I suggested hopefully, "maybe even friends with benefits..."
Leila paused to stare at me for a moment, making me since as I realized I must have pushed it too far. "This is too weird... I've got to think about it..." Then Leila left my room, saying, "We'll talk later," as she rushed out of my house.
I remained where I was for a minute, feeling horribly guilty for ruining our friendship. It was just so hard to control myself when I was like this... At least that was what I told myself. The truth was I didn't know how much of this was the real me and how much was the mood swings I got with the hair color. That thought scared me almost as much as the one of losing Leila.
"Damn," I grimaced as I kicked my dresser, causing red sparks to fly as my trick came on by itself. I grabbed the clock on my dresser and threw it across the room, smashing it against the far wall. Being angry was easier to handle at the moment than the other things. "DAMN!"
My bedroom door was thrown open as Tina rushed in, stopping in the door way to ask, "What's wrong? Leila just ran out of here..."
"Nothing," I snapped angrily, though the anger broke enough for the tears to come rushing through.
"Jen?" Tina asked gently, "are you okay..."
She stared at me for a moment, obviously surprised since this was the first time I'd acted anything like this as a red head. Then I felt the tingle rush through me that indicated my hair had changed color again. I didn't need to look in order to know that I had mousy brown hair again. That made it feel natural to grab onto Tina and cry on her shoulder.
For one of the few times in my life, Tina acted like a mother and held me tight. She didn't say a word, only hugged me and offered me a shoulder to cry on. I had a feeling I may pay for this later, but at the moment I didn't care. This was what I needed.
I was quite nervous as I walked down the sidewalk with Jason, fighting back the impulse to turn on my chameleon field so that other people couldn't see me. It was hard going out in public when I was this shy, but that was the whole point of why I was doing it right now.
"I can do this," I tried convincing myself, mentally running the exercises that Amy had showed me in order to keep my shyness and selfconsciousness in check. It wasn't easy to fight my own twist induced fears, but it was working. I was able to control my emotions enough to keep walking without fading into the background.
"How are you doing?" Jason asked me gently, well aware of how skittish I was at the moment.
"I'm managing," I forced a smile, "thanks for coming with me... It's easier to go out when I have someone else along..."
"No problem," Jason shrugged, a bit embarrassed to be thanked for just walking with me. "I'm a little surprised you didn't ask Leila... I mean, you two have been hanging out together a lot since..." He gestured at me, not needing to vocalize the reminder of my gender change.
I frowned at that and stared at the ground, too self-conscious to even look at Jason. My first instinct was to just be quiet and avoid the uncomfortable subject. The topic of Leila was definitely an uncomfortable one at the moment.
I hadn't seen or talked to Leila since the awkward events of last night, and since she didn't come to school today, it looked like she was really avoiding me. I felt a surge of guilt at that and desperately wished I hadn't screwed up our friendship the way I had.
The strange thing was, I'd never really thought of Leila in a romantic way before last night. I'd usually just thought of her as a good friend who happened to be a good looking girl with an odd obsession with the color pink. But now that I was thinking of Leila like that, I couldn't stop. She was in my thoughts and fantasies almost constantly now. At first, I'd thought it might have just been my passionate red headed nature at the time, but I had the same feelings about her regardless of which hair color I had.
I could understand why Leila was so shaken up by my kiss though, and the fact that she was attracted to me. In spite of the fact that I was physically a decent looking girl, she'd gotten to know me as a guy and probably still thought of me that way. On the other hand, I'd first gotten to know her as a girl and even after learning the truth, I still thought of her as a girl.
"Are you okay?" Jason asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.
I began to withdraw even more, then caught myself and ran the mental exercises Amy had taught me again. I forced a smile and quietly told him, "I'm just thinking..."
"That's a first," Jason grinned, earning a faint glare from me which was all I could muster as a comeback. It was pretty pitiful, but about the best that could be expected with my current personality.
Jason seemed to have forgotten about the subject of Leila, for which I was thankful. I didn't want to talk about it but if he pushed I didn't think I had the guts at the moment to refuse. Instead we just continued walking with no particular destination in mind. The point of this was for me to get out and about, not to go anyplace in particular.
We continued walking in mostly silence, my thoughts shifting back to Leila and how good it had felt to kiss her. I blushed brightly at the thought, knowing that I'd never have the courage to do that again with my current personality. I felt so embarrassed at having done so yesterday, but at the same time, I really wanted to do it again.
I was startled out of my thoughts though when Jason abruptly stopped and exclaimed, "What the hell...?"
I immediately became nervous and apprehensive, looking around carefully until I saw what had made Jason stop. It was the school bully Simon Casche, standing in a driveway of what I assumed to be his home. I shuddered, instinctively calling on my trick to call up my chameleon field and grabbing Jason's arm for support. I hated myself for acting like this but I couldn't help it.
"Let's go back," I whispered fearfully.
"That might be a good idea," Jason admitted reluctantly, probably thinking about how Simon had given him a hard time at school on a few occasions.
Then I noticed something strange... Simon looked almost...afraid. I stared at him in surprise, noticing that his clothes and hair were all roughed up and stained. He had a look of fear and shame on his face, with tears running down his cheeks. I was completely shocked by that, as was Jason. This was nothing like what I'd expect from the school bully.
A moment later a girl came storming out of the house...if she could be called a girl. She was nearly seven feet tall and bulging with powerful muscle. The sight of amazons wasn't unheard of in Spiral where there are lots of twisted women. Tina told me that there's one personal trainer at her gym that gets big and muscular every time she exercises. However the sight of this particular amazon was particularly frightening...perhaps because she looked so young and childish which contradicted her size and obvious physical strength. What truly made me shudder and want to be invisible was the nearly evil grin she had on her face as she marched towards Simon.
I'd heard rumors that Simon's little sister had gone through her twist and become a physical powerhouse, and I could now see with my own eyes that it was much more than just a rumor. I suddenly felt sorry for Simon.
"Let's get out of here," Jason said, though neither of us could quite turn and leave the scene before us.
"Leave me alone," Simon demanded of his sister though it sounded much more like pleading.
"What's the matter big brother?" she smirked down at him, "afraid of your little sister?" She laughed in delight while he cringed with obvious fear.
"C'mon Suzie," Simon said, obviously trying to sound calm and in control but failing miserably. "Just leave me alone..."
"I'm Big Sue now," the amazon exclaimed with a proud smirk, "that's what everyone at school is calling me..." Then she glared down at Simon, "And you can't tell me what to do anymore..."
And with that Suzie or Big Sue as she called herself grabbed Simon's shirt and lifted him off the ground with hardly any visible effort. He gulped, his face going pale with fear. Big Sue just grinned, obviously enjoying his reaction. Then she easily threw him to the ground a short distance away, giggling like a little girl with a favorite toy as she did so.
Big Sue came at Simon with a mischievious grin that made me want to run and hide, and I wasn't even the target of her attention. I could only imagine how horrible and humiliating this had to be for Simon to get picked on and bullied by his little sister like this.
"No Suzie," he cried out as she quickly grabbed hold of him before he could run away, then gave him a nasty wedgie that looked like it hurt. She laughed in delight while Simon just looked completely humiliated.
"You can't tell me what to do," Big Sue snapped almost angrily, "I guess I'm gonna have to teach who you who's in charge now..."
"Come on, Jenny," Jason tugged on my arm to pull me away. He looked as though he was going to be sick at the sight of this.
Big Sue got even rougher with her brother while he struggled and pleaded more pitifully. I wanted to leave and hide, to make sure she couldn't do something like that to me. But as I stared at Simon, I couldn't help but feeling something else... He might be a jerk and a bully, but he didn't deserve something like this. I'd always hated seeing people picked on bullies and this was no different. I began to feel something strange...at least strange for when I had brown hair. I began to feel a stirring of anger.
"Jenny," Jason tried getting my attention though I remained fixed on the scene before me. The anger I felt suddenly exploded into the kind of fury I could only get as a red head. I barely even noticed the change in my hair color and personality as I marched straight towards Simon and Big Sue.
"Jen," Jason called out in surprise and a little worry, though I ignored him.
"Hey you," I called to Big Sue, getting her attention. She stared at me in surprise and confusion as I walked straight up to her and demanded, "what the hell do you think you're doing? Leave him alone..."
"What?" Simon stared at me blankly from where he lay on the ground, looking almost as though he thought he was imagining this.
"Mind your own business," Big Sue snapped at me in annoyance, then shoved me and knocked me to the ground.
Now I was really mad. I got back to my feet, furious enough that I was seeing red...literally. I'd instinctively reached for my trick and now had my glowing red pain field on. Without a word, I walked straight to Big Sue, planning on punching her though she made her move first. She grabbed me by my shoulder, digging in painfully with her powerful hand. However that was nothing compared to the pain she felt as she suddenly yanked her hand back with a loud agonizing scream.
"MY HAND!" Big Sue screamed, clutching it tightly and staring at me in fear. She was crying as well, which I took as a good sign.
"Picking on people smaller and weaker than you," I spat out vehemently, glaring at her as I stepped closer. "What kind of chicken shit is that?" Then I snarled, "I hate bullies," emphasizing this by poking her with a single finger. She jumped back as though I'd just stuck her with a red hot iron, which I might as well have. It probably would have felt the same.
"Leave me alone," Big Sue cried, backing up in fear, staring at me with tear filled eyes.
"Isn't that what he asked you to do?" I gestured at Simon, who was staring at me with his mouth wide open.
I just stood there for a moment and stared at Big Sue, realizing that she was only about twelve or thirteen. She was big enough that it would be easy to mistake her as older, but she behaved childish enough that I could also mistake her as being younger. It was strange seeing someone so much bigger and stronger than me actually backing away in terror.
Of course I had no idea how much Simon might have picked on her over the years, and she probably viewed this as just payback. But that didn't change the fact that she was hurting and humiliating Simon in ways that were completely and totally uncalled for, making his life a living hell that was probably far beyond what he'd ever even imagined doing to her.
"I hate bullies like you," I spat at Big Sue, tempted to grab her and give her a big bear hug with my pain field on. Only the reminder of her real age and a quick mental exercise to give me some self-control held me back. I glared at Simon who'd done more than his share of bullying, then back at his sister. "If I catch you beating up him or anyone else smaller than you again, I just might have to come back..."
Big Sue stepped back in terror, suddenly looking much more like the Suzie that Simon had first called her. She took one more look at me, nodded tearfully, then turned and ran back into the house. I even heard the door slamming and smiled faintly.
Simon stared at me in disbelief, the shame and relief both clearly visible on his face. He was obviously humiliated at having his classmates see what his home life was like, and I didn't blame him. He finally whispered, "Why...?"
I was still burning with anger and felt another surge of it as he spoke, reminding me of some of his behavior. Once again I performed the quickly mental exercise that helped me keep my temper under control. I silently counted to five, then grimly responded, "I hate bullies..."
With that, I turned and walked back to Jason who was shaking his head. "Damn Jen," he exclaimed, "I can't believe you did that..."
"Don't touch me," I snapped at him, forcing myself to stay under control and turn off my aura. I didn't think he'd want to touch me when I had that thing going, nor could I imagine ever being angry enough to do something like that to him. I shuddered slightly at the thought of intentionally causing that kind of pain for anyone.
I started walking back towards home with Jason silently walking beside me. Neither of us said a word for several minutes as I worked on calming down. Once my anger had subsided as much as it ever does when I'm like this, I allowed myself to grin and laugh. There was a certain thrill in being able to stop someone so much bigger and stronger than me with so little effort.
"I can't believe you saved Simon," Jason said with a shake of his head, "I mean, after all the trouble he's caused."
I shrugged at that, "I don't like seeing anyone get treated like that..."
Jason reluctantly admitted, "I guess... I guess it's a good thing you changed hair colors right then too..."
"Yeah," I nodded agreement, "it was pretty lucky..." And though I didn't say it aloud, I thought that it was too lucky. It was too lucky to be mere coincidence.
"Oh yeah," Jason suddenly changed the topic, "you never did tell me what's up with you and Leila?"
"None of your business," I snapped in annoyance, realizing a moment later that I should have just stayed calm and denied everything.
"So something is going on?" Jason asked, watching me with a curious expression.
"Don't make me hurt you," I told him, threatening to poke him with my finger even though my pain field wasn't on.
"Okay okay...jeez," Jason responded in mock fear, holding his hands up in surrender. "You know...for someone who hates bullies so much, you sure are good at doing it yourself."
"Thanks," I grinned at Jason cheerfully, "it's a talent..."
The world was a warm and wonderful place so I hummed cheerfully as I filled out my history test. I was confident that I'd do absolutely great on it, even though I'd done no studying at all. And if I didn't do very good, that wasn't a problem either.
"Let's see," I mused, swirling a strand of blonde hair around my finger as I made some cute doodles on the corner of my test.
Once I was finished drawing a rabbit, I decided to go ahead and turn in my test paper. After all I had several sheets of blank paper I could doodle on and there was a lot more free space to draw. I smiled proudly at my work, hoping that the teacher liked it. She just rolled her eyes when I turned it in and complimented me on my nice drawing. I wasn't sure if she really meant it or if she was just being nice, but I felt happy anyway.
When I sat back at my desk I absently wondered if I should try the exercise Amy had taught me for when I'm blonde. However I quickly discounted it as it as boring and seemed pretty silly. In fact, the trick she showed me mostly consisted of counting to five and thinking about possible consequences before I did anything, which was pretty similar to the directions she gave me for my other hair colors. In fact, now that I thought about it, it seemed that she had some kind of an obsession about making me stop and count to five. I wondered if maybe that was part of her twist... I'd have to ask her about that the next time I saw her.
I looked back at the teacher who was scowling and going over tests. She looked pretty unhappy so I decided to help cheer her up. I grinned and used my trick, surrounding myself with a warm sunny glow. The teacher looked at me with a scowl that quickly softened and even turned into a smile. I could almost feel the tension leaking away from her and the other students who looked at me. I was quite happy with what I'd come to think of as my happy aura. It was so nice being able to make other people happy that easily.
"You know you're not supposed to use your tricks in class, Jen," the teacher reminded me with a pleasant smile. "But I don't think I mind so much this time..."
"So she's a night light," the girl next to me said with a grin, "big deal..."
I looked to the girl who was a normal and usually not so polite. I'd always suspected she was really jealous of us twisted and some of the cool tricks we get, though she usually showed this by being rude and insulting. I'd discovered that my trick had a great tendency to mellow people out and put them in a good mood. It might not be a really impressive ability like being able to make people to scream in pain just by touching them, bit it was certainly a lot nicer to use. And it helped make a lot more friends.
When the class was over I made my way to the girl's bathroom to relieve myself. It was still kind of strange having to use the girls bathroom as well as the fact that no one thought anything strange about it. Sometimes I still expected some girls to yell at me for going into the wrong bathroom or something. But that didn't happen too much anymore. I guess I was really getting used to this whole girl thing.
Once I was done relieving myself I washed my hands and admired myself in the mirror. I was dressed kind of sexy today, which was pretty common when I got dressed as a blond. My views on being a girl tended to shift along with my hair color, though most of the time I just thought of it as something to get used to. But when I was a blonde, I thought that being a girl was fun and exciting. I wanted to take full advantage of my new gender and everything that came with it.
"I love this shirt," I beamed proudly, ignoring the fact that I'd been ashamed to have been caught wearing it last week when I had the brown hair. It showed a nice bit of cleavage which made me feel more feminine. I liked feeling like that when I was a blonde...and when I had black hair too. I wasn't quite as enthusiastic at other times, but I was adjusting pretty well. "I need to get some shoes to go with it..." I looked down at my plain shoes and imagined wearing some sexy high heels. I giggled at the thought.
"What are you?" one girl asked as she saw me staring into the mirror, "Narcissistic?"
"Something like that," I agreed cheerfully. "It's really fun being a girl, isn't it...?"
The girl blinked, stared at me strangely before shaking her head, "I guess..." Then she asked, "You're twisted, right?"
"How'd you know?" I asked with a grin.
She rolled her eyes, "Lucky guess..."
"Wow," I responded, feeling somewhat impressed, "you're good..."
A few seconds later I tore myself away from the mirror and went to where I usually met up with Jason, sure that he wouldn't mind waiting a few extra minutes for me. Since we shared the next class we usually met up on the way and went together.
Jason was right where I expected him to be, looking just a little annoyed. Then he took one look at me and grinned, probably relieved that I wasn't in one of my less sociable moods today. He always got so crabby when I was a red head.
"Hey Jason," I grinned cheerfully, "we had a surprise quiz in English today... Isn't that great? I love surprises..."
"Well I've got one for you," Jason told me, "you remember what happened with Simon yesterday?"
"Yeah," I nodded, "boy he has a big sister... I wonder what it would be like being that big and strong... I bet it's really cool..."
"Yeah, probably," Jason agreed, then quickly added, "but did you hear about Simon?"
I blinked, trying to remember if I'd heard anything about him. I felt a tiny worry that his sister might have gone at him even worse after I'd left, but that quickly faded under the cheerful certainty that everything would work out fine. After all, why wouldn't everything be great?
When I shook my head no, Jason quickly blurted out, "Bryan Kramer...you know that big guy who got kicked off the football team last year? Well, he was messing with this kid and Simon...SIMON stopped him... I mean, Simon actually came and saved this kid..."
"Really?" I grinned in delight. "Good for him..."
"At least that's what I heard," Jason quickly added, "but I overheard him actually apologizing to some other guy for messing with him last week... It was kind of weird..."
I just grinned proudly. "I knew Simon had it in him..." Actually, I hadn't thought anything of the sort, but it seemed the right thing to say.
"Man," Jason shook his head, obviously having a hard time believing this, "you must have really shook him up last night Jen..."
"Maybe," I grinned, "or maybe he's really a nice guy deep inside..."
Jason just froze and stared at me in disbelief before shaking his head again. "Man, that blonde hair really is doing a job on you..."
We walked to the classroom, then as we were going in Jason asked, "Oh yeah... You know Zach Moore..."
"Who?" I asked blankly.
Jason rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "The guy you saved from Maddy last week..." Then almost as an afterthought, he added, "And from Simon..."
I frowned thoughtfully as I tried to picture the boys face. Of course I remembered the incident, and I'd even thought about Maddy a few times since, mostly when she walked past me in the hall and pretended extremely hard that I didn't exist. But the boy...Zach hadn't really been all that memorable and I couldn't say that I'd given him a second thought since.
"Oh yeah," I grinned, feeling proud of myself for finally remembering what he looked like. "What about him?"
"Well," Jason grinned, "I heard some teachers talking about how he wasn't in school today because he twisted last night..."
"I hope he got something good," I said cheerfully. I didn't really know the guy but I wished him good luck with his twist.
"Who knows," Jason shrugged as he went to his seat, "I guess we'll find out how it went soon enough."
"Yep," I agreed cheerfully as I took my own seat beside him. "Twists can be really surprising... Did I mention that I love surprises?"
The rest of the class was much the same as my last one, with the teacher rolling his eyes at me and trying to pretend I wasn't there. At the same time some of the other students were snickering and quietly making fun of me for being an air head, but that was all right. I didn't mind at all. In fact, it was kind of neat because I was getting all the attention, which made the teacher pretty annoyed. But that was pretty funny too.
When lunch finally came I went to the cafeteria, eager to meet up with Jason and Leila. I felt just a little apprehensive about running into Leila, but that was covered with that warm fuzzy feeling of well being that came with being blonde. I grinned cheerfully, then waved at Leila when I saw her on the other side of the lunch room.
Leila looked at me, then blushed. She turned and hurried the other way before I could get to her. I was a little confused and wondered why she kept avoiding me like this. Of course I knew it intellectually, but my emotions had a hard time accepting that at the moment.
"Wow," Jason said as he came up beside me, "Leila is really avoiding you... What the hell went on between you two?" He glared at me as though it had to be my fault.
If Jason had asked me that when I had any other hair color, I probably wouldn't have told him a thing. I would have evaded the question, lied, or flat out refused to tell him anything. But as a blonde, I wasn't great at keeping secrets. So I just grinned, "We kissed the other day and she's kind of freaked out about it."
"WHAT?" Jason gasped, staring at me with wide eyes.
"She'll get over though," I told him confidently. "She really liked it..."
"You kissed Leila?" he gaped... "But you're a girl now..."
"Yeah," I grinned cheerfully, "but Leila still likes girls so that's not a problem..."
Jason just stared at me with his mouth open, making me realize that I'd probably told him more than I should have. That was all right though. He was our friend and if we couldn't tell him things like that, who could we tell? I was about to tell him that Leila used to be a guy, when Jason suddenly grabbed my arm and pointed to the side.
"It's Simon," Jason hissed nervously.
I looked and saw Simon walking straight towards us with a dark expression on his face. He stopped in front of me and just stared at me for a moment before his eyes lowered and stared at the floor instead.
"Thanks for last night," he said quietly, sounding ashamed. He forced his eyes to look up and meet mine, then he repeated it louder and more firmly. "Thanks... I mean it. I know you don't like me, so I really appreciate your doing that..."
"You're welcome," I told him happily while Jason just gaped with his mouth open.
Simon looked as though he didn't know what to say, then he took a deep breath and stated, "I owe you... I owe you big... If you ever need anything... ANYTHING... just let me know." With that he turned and walked off, looking almost as though a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
"Did you see that?" Jason gasped.
"Of course I saw it," I grinned at him, "I was here, wasn't I? That certainly was nice of him..." Then I turned and went to get my lunch, humming cheerfully as I did so. Boy this was a great day.
I slowly walked down the school hallway with a calm confidence that came from the surety that I was in control. I watched my fellow students with a faint amusement, knowing that it would be easy to bend them to my will...that I could easily get them to do what I wanted. All I had to do was use my little trick.
"It would be so easily," I mused to myself, absently running a hand through my raven black hair.
I was more than a little tempted to use my trick, to get the students near me under my spell. However I remembered Amy's advice and willed myself not to go down that path. It would be far too easy and would cause far too much trouble. As much as I might enjoy it, I knew that it would come back to bite me later on and that was something I certainly didn't want.
"At least I can keep out of trouble when I'm like this," I mused, looking at a strand of my black hair.
I frowned in annoyance as I remembered how Maddy Sawyer and her friends had tried messing with me after lunch. Since I'd been blonde at the time, I'd been gullible enough that I nearly let her make a complete and utter fool of me with some silly prank. If I hadn't been blonde, I never would have allowed myself to get anywhere near that situation.
Fortunately for me a rather ironic hero had appeared just in time to save me from both Maddy and my own stupidity. I'd been shocked when Simon himself showed up and warned Maddy to leave me alone, though I'd also been pretty confused a the time, not realizing the danger I was in. It was only afterwards that Simon explained that he'd overheard Maddy's plans, which would have resulted in my being half naked and humiliated in front of the entire lunch room.
"It seems he was quite serious about owing me," I smirked, absently wondering if I might be able to use that somehow.
I tore my thoughts away from such a direction and mentally performed the exercises that Amy had given me. She said that I would have to learn to control my self-absorbed tendencies when I was like this, but I didn't really see much of a problem with them. Not at the moment at least. After all, they kept me out of trouble much more than with any of my other personas. In fact, it might be quite beneficial for me if I could stay like this permanently.
"I should probably get even with Maddy for even attempting something like that," I thought aloud, wondering what I could do to her that wouldn't get traced back to me and end me in trouble. "I need to discourage her and anyone else from ever messing with me again..."
I was still considering possible revenge plans a minute later when I found myself face to face with Leila. She stood there with a determined expression on her face, staring at me intently. She didn't say a word, perhaps waiting for me to speak first.
"Leila," I said with a faint nod, immediately thinking of our shared kiss and just how nice it had been. Her presence in front of me evoked other emotions, soft and gentle ones that didn't quite mesh with my current persona.
"Jen," she said cautiously, forcing a nervous smile. She glanced to my hair and sighed, "I'm not sure this is the best hair color to catch you with."
I smiled with some amusement, "You could always wait a few hours until it changes again." I felt a faint tinge of nervousness that probably would have been much greater had my hair been some other color.
Leila gave a very unladylike snort. "Watch it or I'll turn your hair pink... I wonder what that would do for your personality."
I took an involuntary step back which made Leila laugh. I shuddered to think what pink hair might do to my personality, though to be honest, I didn't know if Leila's artificial change to my hair color would have any effect at all. However that wasn't an experiment I wanted to risk trying.
Leila giggled, "I was just messing with you..."
"I kind of gathered that from your giggle," I told her with an embarrassed smile.
"I've been thinking about...about the other day," Leila said carefully, her expression going more serious again. "I've been thinking about it ever since..."
"Me too," I admitted cautiously, my heart beating a little faster in spite of myself.
"I liked it," Leila blushed, "and I like you. I like you as a friend..."
"So this is the 'just a friend' speech," I said with a wry smile, not wanting to show the disappointment I was feeling.
"Will you shut up and let me finish," Leila told me, giving me a steady glare. "You and Jason are my best friends right now...but I've had bad luck with best friends in the past. I just really don't want to lose you as a friend, but then I realized that I'm losing you anyway..."
"I don't know what to say," I responded honestly
"Then don't say anything," Leila told me with a self-conscious smile, "this is hard enough to say as it is." She took a deep breath. "Like I said... I like you as a friend...and I'm really turned on by you now." She blushed brightly at that which looked quite nice on her.
"You're quite pretty when you blush," I said with an amused smile, earning another blush. Pushing her buttons this way was quite enjoyable, though I forced myself to bite my tongue and let her continue.
"I'm having a hard time getting over the fact that you used to be a guy," she told me with a sigh. "I know I used to be one too, but it's different... You've never known me as a guy...only a girl. I grew up in a real conservative town, so this whole thing about liking a former guy is hard to accept..."
I stared at Leila, feeling a little apprehensive. She seemed to be dancing around the subject, offering one excuse after another about why this would never work out between us. I decided that it was time to take matters into my own hands and remind her why they just might.
With that, I grabbed Leila and kissed her on the lips. She resisted slightly at first, but only for a moment before she began kissing back. We kissed for nearly a minute straight with it growing more passionate the entire time. When we finally broke it off, several boys who'd been hanging around school were cheering.
"I think we should talk somewhere a little more private," I whispered into her ear.
"Yeah," Leila blushed, looking a little shaken. "That was...nice."
"Nice?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Okay," she blushed even brighter, "it was fucking fantastic. You've got me all wet now..."
"Really?" I asked in amused delight, only to earn a faint nod and a blush so bright that I thought she was turning into a lobster.
"You didn't need to do that," Leila told me with a nervous smile, then quietly added, "but I'm glad you did..." She put her arm around me and kissed me again. "I was trying to say that this wasn't easy, but I want to give it a try. I want to keep you as a friend...and maybe more."
"Friends with benefits?" I asked with a wink, loving the look of embarrassment on Leila's face.
Leila punched me in the arm and I noticed that my shirt had suddenly turned pink. "Something along those lines," she told with a selfconscious grin, "though I was thinking of something a little nicer."
"Something nicer," I mused, hiding the delight I felt inside, "I like the sound of that."
"I'm going to try hard to think of you only as a girl now," Leila pointed out, then surprised me by grabbing my breasts, "fortunately these help..."
"You know," I reminded her with a blush, "there are people still watching..."
Leila giggled at that, "Then lets find someplace a little more private to...talk."
"You know," I smirked, looking over Leila's body and admiring her slightly exaggerated curves, "Tina is working late tonight so we should have plenty of privacy at my house to...talk."
Leila blushed but nodded, "Lead on Jen..."
I just smiled in smug satisfaction as I we started off towards my house hand in hand. I hadn't really expected anything like this from Leila, but this was working out quite well for me. Quite well indeed.
I hate school, especially all those arrogant know-it-all teachers who are all over the place. If I had my way, I wouldn't come to school at all, or at least not when I was in my current blue haired persona. Coming to school always got on my nerves when I was like this, so I guess it's a good thing I don't get this particular persona very often.
The biggest reason I even bothered to come to school this morning had nothing to do with school itself, but with the fact that this was where my friends happened to be. Or to be more specific, this was where Leila was.
I smiled as I thought of Leila, feeling a little more cheerful. So far Leila and I had only been going out as more than just friends for a couple days, but things were going all right so far. Things hadn't really changed as much as I would have expected, though now there was a lot more touching and kissing. I was certainly a lot more aware of her looks and body than I used to be, even when I'd still been a boy.
A few deliciously naughty thoughts passed through my mind, making me grin in anticipation. So far Leila and I hadn't gone beyond a lot of making out, but I didn't think it would be long before we did. We were taking our time as we got used to our new relationship, but there was no doubt in my mind that we both wanted it.
Once Jason got over his initial shock, he became supportive of our relationship, which was a lot better than being jealous which is what I'd feared. I only wished he'd stop trying to take credit as a match maker, though it is kind of funny.
Then I saw Leila standing in the hall and my mood improved a hundred percent. Even being surrounded by all the pushy teachers in this school didn't bother me at the moment, though I still felt the constant irritation at them and all other sources of authority.
"Leila," I grinned, grabbing her in a hug and giving her a long passionate kiss. Then I turned and glared at a couple students who were staring at us, snapping, "What the fuck are you looking at?"
"Easy Jen," Leila laughed, "you need to stop being so irritable..."
"Maybe the next time I shift," I responded with a chuckle. "I think I'm due to go blonde again... Damn, I hate being a fuckin blonde..."
"What's wrong with being blonde?" Leila asked with a grin, fingering her own golden blonde hair. "Besides, I thought you liked being blond."
"Only when I am blonde," I snorted with a roll of my eyes. "Sure, I'm all happy all the time... But I'm like some kind of fucking idiot..."
"You're not that bad," Leila assured me, "just a little ditsy at times."
"Whatever," I shrugged, running through the mental exercise to keep my irritation under control.
It was kind of ironic that I was using the mental tricks Amy had shown me since I felt suspicious of her and her motivations at the moment. That happened whenever I got into my current persona. However she'd made a pretty good argument that I couldn't ignore about how I should at least listen to whatever advice and information others gave me and then decide what to do with it on my own. She'd pointed out that if I could use something for my own benefit, it shouldn't really matter where it came from. And though I resented being told what to do by a shrink, it did help me keep from screwing things up with Leila and that was important to me.
"This being on edge all the time is fucking annoying," I told Leila, "I'm almost looking forward to switching again...even if it is blond."
Leila gave me a sympathetic smile, "I can't imagine what it's like changing like that every couple hours... It was hard enough just changing the one time..."
"I'm getting used to it," I shrugged. It wasn't like I really had a lot of choice though. "But it's been a lot easier learning how to be a girl though..."
I winced the moment the words came out of my mouth and glanced at Leila. After we finally got together, the last thing I wanted to do was remind her that I'd been a guy up until a couple weeks ago. I didn't want her to start freaking out about it again. But to my relief, Leila didn't seem bothered by the reminder.
"I wonder when Jason's going to twist," Leila abruptly said, then grinned, "I wonder if we can get him to turn into a girl too..."
"That would be funny," I chuckled, "but he might end up as some snobby bitch, and that would totally suck..."
"But he could end up getting tall and muscular instead of turning into a girl," Leila reminded me, a tone in her voice making me think that she wished that was what had happened to her. I didn't blame her, though I tried hard not to think about what might have been myself, only on what was. "Maybe I should cross my fingers for him..."
"C'mon," I smirked, "misery loves company and all that... We should hope he turns into a girl too..."
Leila laughed at that, then grinned, "That's funny... I don't really feel all that miserable, though I sure did at first..."
"You can get used to anything," I shrugged, "especially if you grow up knowing it could happen."
"I didn't," she reminded me with a sigh, "I had no idea my real parents were Twisted. I was shocked as hell when I went through my twist..." She shook her head and sighed again, looking unhappy as she thought about her life before coming to Spiral. She'd told me a little about it and what few things she'd said sounded rough.
"Well you know now," I told her with a snort, "so quit worrying about it... It's not like you have to worry about going through your twist again..."
"I guess you're right," Leila responded and gave me a quick kiss. Then she abruptly said, "Talking about snobby bitches..."
I looked to where Leila was pointing and saw Maddy Sawyer coming down the hall. I immediately glared at her, not forgetting about what she'd tried pulling on me a couple days ago. I still haven't gotten even with her for that and was definitely going to. With my current persona, I especially wanted it to hurt.
Maddy glared at me for a moment, though there was a hint of fear in her eyes a she remembered the last encounter she had with me when I had the blue hair. Then she quickly looked away in an obvious attempt at snubbing me, though I wasn't bothered by in the least.
"What's the matter Maddy?" I called out to her with a smirk, "too afraid to look me in the eyes..." She didn't respond, but she did start moving down the hallway a little faster.
"You know you shouldn't mess with her," Leila snickered, "it's not her fault she's a snotty bitch... It's part of her twist."
"Maybe," I shrugged skeptically. I probably shouldn't have been so skeptical since my own personality kept getting shifted around by my twist, but I couldn't help but thinking that it would be extremely easy for someone to blame anything they did on their twist. "That still doesn't mean I'm forgetting what she tried to do."
Leila and I started walking down the hall again when a couple of girls walked past us. They were both very pretty and so excited that I couldn't help but noticing them.
"I can't believe how great he is," one of the girls gushed to the other. "I am SO in love with him..."
"No way," the second girl exclaimed, "I love him more... He's going to be mine..."
The two girls continued to argue over which of them loved this boy more before one of them hit the other. Suddenly they launched into a full fight, punching and scratching at each other. One boy immediately yelled out, "CAT FIGHT!"
"Watch it," Leila snapped as one of the girls was shoved into her.
I just stood where I was watching the fight with more curiosity than anything else, until the other girl was thrown into me. I activated my trick, turning on my force field aura just in time to keep from feeling the impact. But I was getting really getting annoyed now and tempted to kick both their asses.
When one of the girls tumbled towards Leila again, Leila managed to dodge her but grabbed the girl and turned her clothes all pink in retaliation. Neither of us left he scene of the fight though and by the time a teacher arrived, the other girl had bright pink hair. Leila smirked as they were both hauled off by the teacher for fighting like that in the hall.
"Her hair is MUCH better that way," Leila told me with a smirk. "I turned my own hair pink a couple times, but it always wears off for me when I go to sleep." Then she smirked almost evilly, "She'll have to either dye hers or grow it out..."
"Nasty," I told her in appreciation.
Leila just shook her head, "What the hell got into them?" Then much more quietly so only I'd hear, she whispered, "I would have loved having two girls fight over me like that back before my twist."
"I did once," I scowled, earning a surprised look from Leila. Then I added, "They were fighting over which one was going to be stuck with me as a lab partner in biology..."
Leila laughed, then grabbed my arm. "C'mon... We're gonna be late for class..."
I grimaced, not at all enthusiastic about sitting in a boring class and listening to some arrogant teacher droning on and on. But I let out a sigh and went with Leila anyway. It wasn't like I had anything else to do while I was stuck here at school.
Class passed pretty much as I expected, with the teacher droning on and on. The only thing I could do was keep myself from getting bored silly by making a few comments. I thought they were clever but the teacher obviously didn't. The only thing that kept me from getting up and walking out was the fact that Leila was in class with me.
Once the class was over Leila and I had to separate and go in different directions, since we didn't share our next class. "Why don't we skip and have a little fun?" I asked her.
"You know I can't do that," Leila told me with a roll of her eyes, "besides, you know you'd regret it later on if you did."
"Maybe," I grumbled reluctantly, though I had to admit to myself at least that she was right. When my personality shifted again, I probably would regret it. That was one of the biggest things that kept me out of trouble when I was like this, but it sure was boring.
"I'll see you later," Leila told me, giving me a quick kiss before running off.
I just stood where I was and watched Leila, shaking my head, "Damn she has a nice ass..." Of course the rest of her was pretty nice too. Then after a minute I reluctantly turned and started for my next class.
I grumbled to myself and glared at nearly everyone I passed as I walked down the hall. I wasn't happy to be here and I was going to make everyone else miserable too. I shook my head, wondering why in the world anyone would come to school. Of course I knew the reasons, but I was always like this when my hair was blue. It was no wonder most people were relieved I didn't shift to this hair color as often as the others. Shit, I even got on my own nerves.
When I got to my next class I saw another similar scene with two girls talking about some guy, though this time one of them seemed confused. "You're kidding? HIM?"
"He's great," the second girl gave a dreamy sigh to which the first girl shook her head, looking even more confused. "He's so perfect..."
"You're nuts," the first girl exclaimed, "what about Ryan? I mean, you've been dating him for..."
I listened to the two of them talk for another few seconds before I went into the classroom. The last thing I wanted to waste my time on was listening to a couple girls talking about their crushes. In fact, the only thing I could think of that was worse was listening to the teacher lecture on. Unfortunately I was going to be facing that in just a short time.
The only good thing was that my teacher for this period was Thylan, who was less boring than most of the teachers and not quite as obnoxious. It wasn't Mr. Thylan or Ms. Thylan because Thylan was a fully functional hermaphrodite with blue skin. Obviously, Thylan was twisted, as were a number of the teachers at school. However Thylan was much more obvious about it than any of the others.
I glared at Thylan in annoyance, just because he/she was my teacher. But when he started his lecture, I had to bite down on the comments that threatened to come and perform the mental exercise that Amy had shown me. Even though Thylan was a teacher, I normally had more respect for him/her than any of the other teachers in this school.
I stared at Thylan, looking over his/her androgynous appearance and absently wondering if he/she was originally male or female. Of course I couldn't ask him/her. Among the twisted it was considered rude to ask about what you were like before your twist. It wasn't a hard taboo or anything, but more like asking a woman about her age...or perhaps closer to asking someone about the first time they had sex. It was something you might talk about with a close friend or someone you knew well, but not usually with a casual acquaintance.
Thylan started his lecture on physics and I bit back my impulses and forced myself to stay under control. It wasn't easy when I had no respect for him/her at the moment, but I knew I'd regret it later if I did something now. Fortunately, Thylan didn't believe in giving lectures when a demonstration would work so soon he/she was demonstrating the effects of gravity by dropping various items on the floor, ranging from a sponge to a bowling ball. There were a few nice crashes in the process.
"Remember," Thylan reminded us gently, "the constant for gravity on Earth is 9.81 meters per second...regardless of the object..." Then he/she paused to give us a mischievious smile, "Of course there are exceptions..."
At this point, Thylan dropped the bowling ball again, but instead of falling straight down, it just started dropping slowly...almost in slow motion. I along with most of the class stared in surprise, then I realized that Thylan had to be doing this with some twisted trick.
"Wicked," the guy next to me exclaimed in delight.
"Fucking suck-up," I sneered at him, though I was impressed by the demonstration as well. However I was also curious since Thylan always had a point to his demonstrations.
"You see," Thylan mused with a gentle smile, "as the very existence of the twisted prove, even the iron clad laws of nature have exceptions. The explanation for these exceptions often lie in areas that we have yet to fully understand."
"But we know you've got a trick now," I pointed out skeptically.
"True," Thylan answered, seemingly unbothered by my interruption. "But do you understand how a human being can possibly alter something like the effects of gravity with nothing more than a thought?" He/she raised an eyebrow. "Even the most brilliant of scientists still don't fully understand the quantum field that we twisted tap into... You should all remember that you can't take things for granted. Even when you think you understand the way things work, there are always other elements and unknown forces which effect them and could change the outcome."
"And your point is?" I asked with a strong note of sarcasm.
Thylan wasn't bothered by my attitude. He/she along with all the other teachers had learned what to expect of me since my twist. In fact, most of them were pretty understanding. There were a lot of odd things to get used to in Spiral and the teachers saw most of them when they first appeared.
"My point," Thylan looked around the class, "is that you can't know and understand everything, no matter how much you know. Physics is not merely a list of natural laws... It is the process of discovering them and how they interact." He/she looked around again. "Just remember that you can't take anything, even something like gravity for granted."
After this tangent Thylan went back to his lecture on gravity, giving a few more demonstrations of what he/she was talking about. This was actually pretty normal for him/her though, giving demonstrations and going off on philosophical tangents. Thylan's classes were never boring which was why he/she was one of the most popular teachers in the school.
When class let out I hurried out with of the room with a sigh of relief. Thylan might not be as bad as most teachers, but I'd still been sitting in class thinking about other things I could be doing. Unfortunately school wasn't done for the day.
I had barely left Thylan's class when I saw more girls going ga-ga over some guy. But this time it was Maddy Sawyer gushing about it to her friends. She had the same dreamy lovesick look as the other girls I'd seen and it sent a shiver down my spine. There was something really weird going on here and I didn't like it. Not one bit.
"As long as it leaves me the fuck alone," I grimaced.
I was always irritable and on edge when I had blue hair, but today was worse than normal. I kept seeing girls who'd suddenly developed a new crush and were acting all love-sick. Normally I'd mind my own business and ignore them...or maybe make a few side comments. But I couldn't escape the feeling that something nasty was just around the corner. I was getting more and more paranoid about this as the day went on.
When I met up with Jason between classes I saw the grim look on his face and immediately felt even nastier. "What's wrong?" I demanded, not even bothering to keep the angry tone out of my voice.
"It's Leila," he blurted out with a pale expression.
"What about her?" I asked in an almost deadly tone. I might not have the temper I did as a red head, but I was more than a little on edge and ready to lash out at someone. Unfortunately for Jason, he was the only one in front of me at the moment.
Jason cringed back a little, then took a deep breath. "She's acting weird..." He gulped, glancing around nervously. "Really weird..."
"She says she's in love," Jason almost whispered guiltily, "with some guy... I...I've never seen her like this."
"Some guy?" I grimaced, that sinking feeling in my stomach getting much MUCH worse.
With the trouble Leila and I had hooking up because I was a former guy, I had no doubt that she'd ever be interested in one who was still a guy, much less in love. I clenched my fists, now absolutely positive that something was seriously fucked up. I might have overlooked most of it before, but now someone was fucking with me and mine and that made this personal.
"Where is she?" I demanded with enough viciousness in my voice that Jason took another nervous step back.
Jason hesitated a moment before saying, "This way..."
Jason started down the hallway without even waiting for me to follow. Of course he didn't need to wait since I was right on his tail, about ready to snap at him to move even faster. I had no room in me for patience at the moment, even for one of my closest friends.
Jason led me through the school until we stopped at a spot where there were more than a dozen girls gathered around and gasping in delight. The girls were all going on at once so I couldn't make much of what was being said, but they all looked completely love struck. What was more surprising was that Leila was one of them.
"Leila," I exclaimed, though she didn't seem to hear me.
Then I finally noticed that all the girls were surrounding a single guy. He was tall, athletic looking and somewhat handsome. There was also something vaguely familiar about him though I couldn't place it.
"Leila," I grabbed my girlfriend's shoulder, "what the fuck is going on?"
"Isn't he perfect?" Leila exclaimed with a dreamy look on her face.
I stared at her in shock, hardly able to believe I was hearing this from Leila. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with you?" she demanded, suddenly angry. "You're just jealous..."
Sure, I was jealous, but I was more pissed off at what was going on, even if I had no real idea of what that was. Still I knew that HE was involved. I turned my attention to the guy and shoved several girls out of the way, determined to give him a good piece of my mind and perhaps a few good injuries.
"Who the fuck are you and what the hell did you do to Leila?" I demanded, trying to stay focused instead of just flying completely off the handle. It wasn't easy but at least I didn't attack him...yet.
The boy stared at me with a look of surprise and then delight. Then he grinned, "It's you..."
"Yeah it's me," I snapped, "but who the hell are you?"
"You don't recognize me?" he asked in delight, then smirked, "I guess I have changed... I mean, I just had my twist and all..."
He flexed his arm, looking rather proud. The girls surrounding us oooed and aaaahed, even though one of them had muscles that were twice the size of his.
I glared at him, more than a little annoyed at this guessing game. Then I suddenly realized who he was. It was Zach, the same scrawny guy I'd saved from both Simon and Maddy. That's why he looked familiar. Jason had told me a couple days ago that he'd gone through his twist, which explained why I hadn't recognized him. It also explained what was going on.
"You're using your trick on them," I gestured to the girls, feeling even more angry. This offended me to my very core, and not just the part with my current rebellious persona. I also felt a little guilty because I realized his trick must be similar to the attraction aura I had when I had black hair. "Stop it...NOW."
"Why?" Zach asked, looking almost surprised that I'd ever suggest such a thing. "This is great... I mean, the girls always ignored me before, but now..." He smirked, looking more than pleased with himself.
"You fucking prick," I snarled, clenching a fist to punch him.
But before I could throw my punch, Jason cried out, "Watch out Jen..."
Suddenly several girls had grabbed me and where holding me back. "How dare you threaten him," one of them hissed in my face. It took me a moment to realize that it was Leila. She had a manic obsessed look in her eyes that actually frightened me.
"You just don't understand Zach," another girl cooed, "he's so wonderful..."
"You're fucking nuts," I spat into her face, "he's brainwashed you..."
"Don't be like that," Zach said, actually looking hurt. "I like you... You stood up for me when no one else did..."
I spat in his face, "And now I'm gonna kick your fucking ass..."
I struggled with the girls who were holding me, trying to get loose. I was about to turn on my force field to see if that would help, when I suddenly felt a strange cold chill on my arm. It was only then that I noticed Zach had reached out and touched me there. He had an almost eager grin on his face.
"I'll make you like me again," Zach said insistently.
"What are you...?" I started, then froze with a gasp as I felt my emotions swirling inside me and shifting to something unnatural. I turned on my force field and pulled back away from the girls, but it did no good. It was too late...
I staggered back, awash in new emotions. It was much like the first time I shifted to a new hair color and persona, except that this time I'd already seen the girls around me with the same one. I looked at Zach, suddenly realizing how cute he was. He was so nice and sweet....
"Jen!" Jason cried out with a look of horror on his face.
"NO!" I screamed, fighting against that swirl of new affection for Zach. I wanted to strangle him....to kick his ass. I wanted to kiss him and caress him. I hated him. I loved him. These new emotions and thoughts were quickly gaining ground, pushing aside my bad attitude.
I tried to think of a way to fight this but all I could think of were the mental exercised Amy had taught me to control my emotions. I grabbed onto that, trying to perform the mental exercises, trying to distance myself from my emotions and focus on what made sense from a logical point of view.
"NO!" I cried out again, tears rushing down my cheek as I fought the nearly overwhelming urge to throw myself on Zach's mercy and beg him to forgive me. I didn't deserve his love, but I still craved it. He was so perfect...so dreamy. I bit back on my emotions again, then used all the willpower I had left to turn and run as fast as I could, hoping that distance might weaken his hold on me.
"JEN!" Jason called out behind me, though I paid no attention to him. I was too intend on the emotional war that was being fought in my own mind.
"She'll come back soon enough," Zach exclaimed proudly and I knew that he was right. I couldn't stay away from my one true love...
I ran as hard as I could, shoving people in the hallway out of my way. I had no concerns for them, just the emotions swirling inside me. If it wasn't for the fact that I was used to shifting emotions and that I had those mental exercises to handle them, I would have lost already. As it was, I was barely hanging on.
I was halfway to the other side of the school before I final collapsed to my knees in the middle of the hallway, not sure that I could run or fight a moment longer. I so wanted to go back to that perfect man... I wasn't even sure why I was fighting this anymore, though I still was for some reason. It felt so nice to love Zach... But still, a small part of me held on...
Then I felt the familiar sensation of my hair color and personality shifting again. In an instant, I felt absolutely calm and clear headed. It was a complete opposite of the emotional storm that filled me just moments before. My love for Zach hadn't completely vanished, but it was faint and distant...almost detached.
"Interesting," I mused as I slowly got back to my feet, absently noting that I had taken on another new personality.
I considered my emotions, or at least the forced emotions that Zach had given me. From my new perspective, I could examine them almost as though they belonged to someone else entirely. And though they had seemed completely overwhelming just moments before, I now saw them to be weak. Whether they were caused by some empathic power, pheromones, or some other emotion manipulation trick, I could see them for the false constructs they were. And with that realization came the power to erase them with little more than a thought.
"I'm free of Zach's influence," I stated simply, a little confused by the fact that I didn't feel excited by this. Intellectually, I knew that I should be celebrating my victory over Zach's trick, but I didn't feel excited. I suppose I felt a vague excitement, but as with the forced emotions it felt vague and detached.
I knew that I had taken on a whole new persona, but I didn't yet know what color my hair had become. With only a faint curiosity, I reached for my hair and took a long look. It was pure white, the same color as fresh snow. I let it go and considered what my next move should be.
"My trick," I thought aloud, knowing that my trick always shifted along with my personality and hair color.
I looked around the hall to ensure that no one was close to me...just in case, then I activated my trick. I had no bright glowing aura around me, yet I could sense that it was indeed there. In fact, I could suddenly sense a great deal.
For several seconds I just stood there motionless, absorbing all the information that came to me from my aura. It was as though I could see in every direction around me at once. I could see in other spectrums than just that of visible light. I could even see that one student who walked past me had an extra heart, in spite of the fact that nothing on the outside gave the slightest hint of this.
"Fascinating," I mused with a faint stirring of excitement deep inside. However what remained on the surface was that calm clarity I'd felt since shifting.
I considered for a moment that it was extremely fortunate that I shifted to this particular persona when I did. Calm and clear thinking were what I needed to control my emotions. This was the perfect personality to fight off a trick that controls people's emotions. However it was far too fortune to be coincidence.
This wasn't the first time that I'd shifted persona in such an overly coincidental manner. When I'd watched Big Sue beating up on Simon, my own anger seemed to have triggered my shift to my redheaded persona, one much more suitable for dealing with the situation. When Leila had run away from me, I had shifted to my brown haired persona...one that could cry and seek comfort more acceptably. It seemed that my shifts weren't entirely random as I'd thought, but that my environment and emotional state could influence them as well.
"Interesting," I mused, realizing that if this was the case then I might one day learn to control when and how I shifted. That could be quite useful.
Since I was thinking about useful things my thoughts turned back to my new sensory field and all the new information it was providing me. I stretched my senses out a little more, finding it difficult to manage so much mental input at once. Then I wondered if I could turn my senses inward. I concentrated on what I could sense from the inside of the field and found myself bombarded with more information.
"Too much," I winced, feeling a faint stirring of fear though it didn't reach the surface. I shifted my focus until the information was easier to manage.
With my new internal senses I became away of things in my body that I had never before noticed. I could see that my first period was due to start within the next week. I could see a tiny knot of tissue in one breast that had the potential to become cancerous one day. I would have to have it removed before then. Then I became aware of other more important things.
I realized that my new awareness extended beyond the mere physical. I could sense other things as well, though much more vaguely. One thing I became aware of was that my twist wasn't quit what I thought. My various shifting personas were not just my becoming the stereotypes I held of those hair colors, but were actually aspects of my own personality coming to the surface. What that said about my various personas was something I would have to talk with Amy about.
I felt surprised, or at least a stirring of it deep inside as I realized that I also had two more personalities which had yet to emerge. Up until this point I had assumed that I'd already discovered them all. Of course my latest one proved that theory wrong so I shouldn't have assumed it was the last.
My awareness of these two new personalities were rather limited and I had to focus my new senses in order to learn more than just that they existed. Even that only provided a limited amount of information though.
The first of these personalities somehow gave me the impression of being very caring and compassionate. I also had a vague sense of the color green, though whether this was my hair color, the color of my aura, or both I didn't know. With a little more concentration I picked up enough to guess that my trick would have something to do with healing... Considering the nature of that persona, I suspected it might be a healing aura that would let me heal injuries that came in contact with it. However this was pure speculation based on my understanding of how my tricks worked with each persona.
My second hidden persona was even more vague than the first, feeling almost slippery and mercurial in my mind. The only things I could truly sense about it were the color violet and a strong feeling of mischief. I didn't even have a clue as to what my special aura might do. It would also seem that this persona was much less stable than the previous one, making it harder to understand. I had a feeling that it could also get me into a great deal of trouble if I wasn't careful.
"I'll have to speak with Amy about learning to control myself before then," I considered aloud.
I actually felt a vague relief at learning what my two remaining personas were. I could very well have gained one that left me sociopathic or with a suicidal depression. Other extremely bad possibilities came to mind, making me realize how lucky I actually was.
After a minute I turned off my sensory aura and blinked as my senses returned to a more normal level. After that experience I almost felt blindfolded in comparison.
It was only then that I remembered why I had been running and fighting my emotions in the first place. I'd been so distracted by my shift and the sensory overload of my new trick that I'd almost completely forgotten about Zach and Leila. I felt a faint stirring of anger and urgency, but I wasn't going to let that drive me to doing something rash.
I couldn't help but briefly thinking that Amy had been teaching me to control my emotions, to make decisions based on careful consideration instead of what I felt at the moment. It seemed that my current persona exemplified that. I wondered what she'd say about this.
Of course I didn't have time to consider such things when I still had to deal with Zach. My emotions might currently be weak and distant, but I was still worried about Leila. When I thought about what Zach had done to her, my emotions grew strong enough to almost break through to the surface. However my calm held for the moment.
A moment later I started walking back towards where I'd encountered Zach and Leila. A little voice in the back of my mind demanded more urgency, but I ignored it. I might not have a plan, but I didn't want to rush into things either. That was how you made mistakes.
Of course I knew that time could be very important in this situation. I had no idea how Zach's trick really worked. Was his touch permanent? With the ease that I'd broken it, I doubted that. However it was possible that the longer someone was under its influence the harder it would be to remove. My best option at the moment was the hope that Zach could actually turn it off...and that I could convince him. I wasn't foolish enough to believe it was that easy however. I would need to find some form of leverage first. And to do that, I would have to get closer to him.
Zach wasn't quite where I left him, though I had no problem finding where he went. I could hear the voices of girls talking excitedly a short distance away and knew exactly where to go. I quickly found him, still surrounded by a dozen or so girls. I wasn't sure, but I thought that at least one or two of them might be new additions.
I saw Jason as well, though he was well back from the group and just watching them. "Jen," he exclaimed when he saw me, staring at me nervously, obviously afraid that I'd fallen under the same spell as Leila. "Your hair changed again...."
"I know," I responded simply, not taking my eyes off of Leila and the lovesick expression on her face. I'd come extremely close to having the same expression on mine. If I'd been more connected to my emotions that probably would have made me sick and disgusted just thinking about it.
Zach looked over and saw me, then grinned in delight. "You came back..." His expression turned smug as he added, "I knew you would."
"Now you know how great he is," Leila beamed, causing me to feel a faint swirling of emotion that would have been overwhelming had I been in any of my other personas.
"I know that he's using a trick to make you feel that way," I said simply, realizing as I said it that this might not be the most effective tactic. It might have been better to pretend I was under his spell as well until I could discover a way of freeing Leila. However it was too late to worry about that now.
"What?" Zach stared at me in confusion and disbelief. I was probably the first person to have shaken off the effects of his trick.
"Release them all from your control," I told him calmly. "You know there are laws against using your trick on people in this way."
"So what?" Zach glared at me, angry that I wasn't under his spell.
"There are consequences to your actions," I pointed out, thinking that these people he was controlling all had friends and family who'd want revenge as well. I counted myself among those. "Do you honestly think you can get away with doing this?'
Zach's glare grew even more furious. "I finally have something good happen to me and you want to take it away..." His eyes narrowed dangerously. "I thought you were different... But you're just like them... You're just like everyone else, trying to tell me what to do?"
"How could you?" Leila demanded, staring at me with a look of anger and betrayal. "He liked you and you betray him like this..."
"You'd better get out of there Jen," Jason called from behind me, sounding extremely nervous. "I think things are about to get nasty..."
Before I could do anything, several of the girls jumped at me. I struggled to pull away from their grabbing hands, almost feeling guilty when I had to push Leila in order to get away from her. However she wasn't in her right mind and I had no doubt that she'd eagerly tear me apart if Zach asked her to.
I turned on my trick sensory aura in order to gain some advantage, but it backfired and I gasped as I was overwhelmed with more sensory input that I could handle. I turned it off again but was dazed and confused for a moment as I tried to regain my footing. The girls took that moment of distraction to swarm over me. I was held tightly by a dozen girls.
"Let her go!" Jason yelled, rushing to my aid and trying to pull the girls off.
One of the girls was pretty tall and muscular, though not nearly at the level of Simon's sister Big Sue. However she was at least five inches taller than Jason and much more muscular. She shoved him and send him flying back without much trouble. Then she stood between him and the other girls with a look of determination.
While I was held tight and Jason was unable to come to my assistance, Zach took the opportunity to come closer again. He paused to stare at me with a smirk before touching me again. I suddenly felt the effects of his trick again, the growing swirl of love and obsession towards him.
"It must have stopped working when you changed hair colors," Zach said, stepping back with a smug look.
I just stared at Zach with a calm expression, then calmly erased the emotions he'd tried forcing onto me. It was even easier than it had been the first time. With my current persona I was virtually immune to his trick. Unfortunately the trick that came with this particular persona was great for gathering information but useless for actually defending me. At the moment, it would have been extremely useful to have my pain field or even my own attraction aura.
I realized that I'd made yet another mistake when it came to dealing with Zach. Instead of coming back to confront him, I should have gone to some teachers for help. Unfortunately emotional control doesn't equal clear thinking.
My mind raced as I quickly tried thinking of something I could do. There wasn't much I could do against more than a dozen girls, several of which had useful tricks. Nor could I do much against Zach who was physically larger and stronger than me now. I would have to find another option. It took me a moment but I quickly came up with a plan. Maybe it wasn't too late to rectify one of my mistakes after all...
I changed my expression and tried to give the same kind of dreamy grin that the other girls around me had, though I wasn't certainly how successful I was. Without close contact to my emotions, it was hard to really fake them.
After a few seconds, I gasped, "Wow... You're so smart..."
I was sure that my acting was bad, but it was good enough to fool Zach who grinned smugly and ordered the girls holding me, "Let her go... It worked..."
The girls all let me go though a couple of them gave me skeptical looks. It didn't seem to matter if they believed my acting or not, just as long as Zach did. They weren't about to disobey him or question his orders.
"NOOOO," Jason cried out in horror.
I couldn't warn Jason that I was just playing along, so I continued with my fake smile. "Isn't he wonderful..." Most of the girls around me nodded agreement while Jason looked even more horrified.
"I'm glad you've realized that," Leila told me with a happy grin.
"No Jen," Jason called to me, "remember who you really are..." He stared at me for a moment longer before turning and running down the hall away from us as fast as he could.
"I guess he chickened out," the big muscular girl smirked, almost looking disappointed that she'd missed her chance to beat him up.
"That'll teach him not to try messing with me," Zach bragged, as though Jason had actually been afraid of him. Then again, Zach was a lot taller and more muscular than he had been so perhaps Jason was afraid. However I doubted that kind of fear was what drove Jason to flee.
"Look at him run," Leila snickered, though there was a faint look of doubt in her eyes for just a moment. It seemed that Zach's trick wasn't enough to make her forget about her past loyalties entirely.
"Too bad my trick doesn't work on guys," Zach muttered, more to himself than anyone else. Then he brightened up. "Then again, it might get kind of weird if guys were all over me like this."
I just smiled and nodded while absorbing his comment. I'd already suspected that his trick only worked on girls since I'd only seen girls fawning all over him. This confirmation merely gave me more confidence in his ability to be stopped.
Just then Zach grabbed me and surprised me with a kiss to my lips. If this had happened at nearly any other time, I would have been overwhelmed with anger and disgust. I had absolutely no interest in kissing boys and would normally react quite strongly to this. However my current persona was a bit more reserved. I felt those emotions in the background, but they didn't erupt to the surface or even show. I kept the same dreamy expression and showed no sign of what I really thought.
I knew that I would really regret this later, that I'd be disgusted at myself. But I was driven by something other than my emotions at the moment and I continued playing along, looking for my opportunity. I only wished that I had a better idea as to what that opportunity would look like.
Seconds later I heard Jason's voice yell, "There he is...!"
I turned and looked down the hallway where I saw that Jason had returned, but not alone. He stood beside Mr. Edwards, a short and squat man who I immediately recognized as the school music teacher. He certainly wasn't a person that I'd consider as useful in stopping a mind controlling megalomaniac with plans for school conquest, but beggers can't be choosers.
"What's going on here?" Mr. Edwards demanded in a less than threatening voice. In fact, his soprano voice might be great for singing, but it made Zach and all the girls near him burst out laughing.
"You leave Zach alone," the muscular girl snarled as she moved towards Jason and Mr. Edwards.
I had no idea of Mr. Edwards had any tricks that could be useful, nor did I intend to wait and find out. I recognized this opportunity and took immediate advantage of the distraction, turning and slamming my knee right into Zach's groin. He let out a loud yelp of pain before collapsing to the ground, curled up in a ball and crying.
"I fully understand how much that hurts," I stated calmly and without sympathy as I dropped my fawning mask.
"You...you hurt him," one girl exclaimed, staring at me with a look of blank confusion.
Several girls looked angry for a moment, but most of them were just dazed and confused. Leila stared at me with a look of confusion as well, as though not sure she should be angry with me or something else. I felt a faint fluttering of hope deep inside.
"You bastard," Zach squeaked out, a look of anguish on his face.
"You're the bastard," Leila suddenly snarled, kicking Zach in the ribs as hard as she could while he was still on the ground. Now there was no doubt as to her expression. She was pissed. REALLY pissed. And so were all the other girls as they began regaining control over their own emotions.
"It seems your trick wore off," I told Zach, not sure if it was the pain or if just being distracted was enough. However the fact that the girls were all free from his control was undeniable.
"What's going on here?" Mr. Edwards demanded, looking confused.
I looked at Jason and Mr. Edwards for a moment before gesturing to Zach. "Zach Moore has been using his new trick to control the minds and emotions of various girls around school, myself included."
"You fucking bastard," the muscular girl snarled furiously, taking her turn to kick at Zach.
"No," Zach gasped as all the girls started to kick him, eager to take their revenge on the boy who'd emotionally raped them.
"Don't touch him," I warned loudly, though they all ignored me until I added, "he might infect you again..." That was enough to have all the girls back away, though several of them continued to spit on him.
"Is this true?" Mr. Edwards gasped, staring at Zach in horror. The accusations were severe enough that he didn't even seem to care that the girls were taking their anger out on Zach.
"He made me love him," one girl exclaimed while the others began to echo similar statements.
"My God," Leila grimaced, looking disgusted, "I can't believe I felt like that for him..." She looked at me, her eyes going wide, "Oh God Jen...I'm so sorry."
"Quite understandable," I answered simply, earning a strange look from Leila.
"Your hair..." she started, cautiously touching out to touch my white hair.
"My new persona is...calm," I explained, "I don't feel much emotion at the moment."
"Really?" Jason asked as he came up. "You sure did a minute ago..."
"No," I shook my head. "I was pretending in order to get close to him. Right now, I'm effectively immune from his trick."
"I wish I was," Leila grimaced, turning to glare at Zach once more.
Zach was getting to his feet by this time, though all the girls were keeping back. One of them warned Mr. Edwards that Zach had to touch a girl in order to manipulate her emotions. He just glared at Zach with barely contained anger. These accusations were quite serious and enough to not only get Zach expelled from school, but possibly facing criminal charges as well.
My emotions might have been dimmed, but I was suddenly thankful that I hadn't used my attraction aura like that. That kind of power would be far too easy to abuse, as Zach had just shown. I could have gotten myself into the same kind of trouble and still might if I wasn't careful. It was a good thing that I'd kept the existence of my attraction aura quiet.
Suddenly Leila threw her arms around me and gave me a kiss on my lips. It was enough to spark my hormones if not all my emotions. My emotions might be dimmed at the moment, but I could still feel something from the kiss, even if not as much as normal.
"Thanks," Leila told me, shaking a bit as she did so. "I can't believe what..." She clutched my hand for comfort while glaring hatefully at Zach. "That weasel..."
"I didn't do anything," Zach protested, looking as though he might be bruised all over his body now, though not in nearly as much pain as a few minutes earlier. "They're lying... She's out to get me..." He pointed at me.
Leila lost it at that and suddenly punched Zach as hard as she could, which was quite a bit harder than I would have expected of her. His head snapped back and a spurt of blood burst out of his nose. However Leila wasn't quite done and a moment later Zach's skin all turned a bright...almost neon shade of pink.
"He made me love him," Leila hissed to Mr. Edwards, daring the teacher to make something of Leila's use of her trick on another student. He wisely decided not to make an issue of it.
"Look what she did!" Zach cried out with a look of horror and near panic on his face as he held up his hands, staring at their new pink color.
"Come with me," Mr. Edwards ordered Zach.
"NO!" Zach yelled, "you're all out to get me... You're just jealous..."
Zach suddenly lunged at me and Leila, but before he'd even covered half the distance he suddenly collapsed to the floor. He shook and spasmed a little, but made no more threatening moves. In fact he reminded me of nothing so much as a fish flopping around on dry land.
"I can't move," Zach gasped, his voice shaky and weak, not to mention filled with fear and confusion.
"My trick," Mr. Edwards resounded grimly. "If you'll behave and come with me, I'll let you move again. If not, you can stay here until the police arrive..."
"I'll testify against him," the muscular girl told Mr. Edwards, "we all will..." The girls all nodded agreement and I could see the eagerness to get even in nearly every one of their eyes.
Jason, Leila, and I watched as Zach reluctantly nodded agreement to Mr. Edwards and then was allowed to get back to his feet. He looked at the girls surrounding him, his eyes filled with a mixture of fear and desire. I could almost see the temptation to reach out and start touching them again. The only things keeping him from starting this all over again were the facts that the girls were all keeping out of arms reach and Mr. Edwards was there with the threat of his trick.
Once Mr. Edwards had led Zach down the hall in the direction of the principals office Leila threw herself against me again and gave me a passionate kiss on my lips. "Thank you... Thank you so much..." She had tears in her eyes as she said this.
Before I could think of anything to say in response, the other girls started patting me on the shoulder, saying things like, "Thanks a lot girl..." and "I owe you big time..."
"The way you took him out," the muscular girl shook her head, looking at me in admiration. "That was priceless..."
"I knew you were fooling," a purple haired Asian girl grinned at me before walking off, "you're not much of an actress..."
The girls all drifted off After this many of them heading towards the school office so they could give their statements, or at least leave their names. The muscular girl was the last one to go and she nodded to me before leaving, "If you ever need me for anything, just let me know..." Then she paused for just a moment to look at Jason with an expression of embarrassment, "Sorry about that..."
Once they were all gone, Jason exclaimed, "You had me worried..." He shook his head, "I thought he'd gotten you..."
"He had," I pointed out. "I broke his hold though."
"How?" Leila demanded, looking more than a little jealous, "I knew what he did and I still didn't even want to be free..."
"And now here you are acting as calm as can be," Jason snorted.
I shrugged, "It's the nature of my current persona." I touched my white hair, "I'm calm... Calm and controlled. I barely feel any emotions at all like this, which was how I was able to break free of his control. He only controls emotions."
"Nasty," Leila shuddered, "you do know I'm jealous..."
"Of course," I answered, earning a glare and then a chuckle.
"At least tell me more about this new hair color," Jason urged, trying to change the subject, "I mean, do you have a new trick?"
"Of course" I answered as though it was the most obvious thing.
"Well?" Leila gave an exasperated sigh as she put an arm around my shoulder, "what is it?"
I looked back and forth at the two of them for a moment, considering the idea of changing the subject and reminding them that we all had classes to get to. However I could see the looks in their eyes and knew that they would continue pestering me until they got answers.
"Very well," I finally answered, already walking towards my next class while my friends came with, "I'll tell you everything I know about the three new personas I've discovered..."
"THREE?" Leila and Jason demanded as one. Both of them stared at me as though sure I was joking.
A small voice in the back of my mind was absolutely delighted with their reactions and urged me to drag this out. However I ignored that and began to calmly tell them everything, as though this and my final two personas were nothing unusual or important. In hindsight I later realized that this behavior got to my friends even more than if I'd intentionally teased them.
It was a nice day with near perfect weather. The sky was mostly clear and it was warm without being too hot. In short, it was perfect weather for a fair. And a fair in Spiral was unlike a fair anywhere else.
I stood back and sniffed the air, catching scents of popcorn, cotton candy, and a thousand other scents I couldn't identify. Some of them weren't nearly as pleasant as popcorn, especially since the petting zoo area was a short distance away. Still I was surrounded by the unmistakable scent of a fair, the same scent that lingered around every fair regardless of where it was.
There were other things though that were more distinct to Spiral. There was a fortune tellers tent, probably occupied by a Twisted with a trick to read minds or see the future for real. Another tent had a woman who promised a 'natural' means of breast enlargement using her trick. Only in Spiral could you find stands like that.
"All right," Tina exclaimed with a bright and eager grin. Her eyes darted around. "I'm going to have an elephant year... I love elephant ears. I used to get them all the time when I was a kid. Then I'm going on that ride," she pointed at one that stuck out in the distance before finally winking to Leila, "Then I'm going to go looking for some cute boys..."
"Take it easy," I warned Tina, "you don't want to overdo it... And you should probably put on some sun block too..."
"Yes mom," Tina responded with a roll of her eyes, causing Jason and Leila to both burst out laughing.
"You are acting kind of motherly," Jason pointed out with a smirk.
"It's not my fault I care," I responded, feeling a little hurt. They all laughed again.
I sighed and absently ran a hand through my green hair, wondering when I was going to shift again. Several hours ago Tina had accidentally cut her finger in the kitchen and I was so worried that I shifted to my green haired persona for the first time. Suddenly I'd become extremely caring about other people...and as Tina kept pointing out...very maternal.
Fortunately my latest persona came with a nifty trick. I could create a glowing green aura around my body and then heal minor injuries in other people just by touching them. I quickly took care of Tina's cut, then sat around worrying about her since.
"You are a bit of a stick in the mud," Tina told me with a shake of her head. "But at least you have a useful trick..."
I frowned, reluctantly having to agree that Tina was right. I was a bit of a stick in the mud right now. I cared so much about everyone else, spent so much of my thoughts wanting them to be safe and okay that I didn't have much left for myself. I was acting like a mother and I couldn't really help it. It was the personality that came along with my new hair color, much to my annoyance.
"It could be worse though," I added, then absently reached over and plucked a piece of lint from Leila's shoulder. She stared at me for a moment and giggled. "I'm sorry..."
I let out a long sigh, wishing that I could just shift back and forth between personas at will. It would make things so much easier for me. Of course I was trying. Ever since I'd discovered my white haired persona and realized that I had the potential to control my shifts, I'd been meditating and working with Amy just so I could. So far there hadn't been a lot of progress, but I was still pretty hopeful.
"I've been trying for two weeks and I still can't control it," I muttered to myself with a sigh.
"You'll get there," Leila assured me with a grin.
Just then a little girl went running past us, laughing and giggling as she pulled a balloon behind her on a string. She hadn't gone much further though when she tripped and fell face first onto the ground. Her balloon slipped loose and floated away, and whether it was the loss of the balloon or whether she hurt herself, she suddenly burst into loud tears.
I felt an immediate surge of sympathy and ran to the girl before I'd even thought about it. "Are you all right?" I asked her as I gently helped her to her feet, trying to see if she was okay. Her knees were scraped up, making feel want to take care of her even more. "I'm Jen..."
"I'm Nina," the girl responded tearfully, looking oh so sad and pitiful.
"Are your parents around?" I looked around but didn't see anyone who seemed to go with the girl. Then I looked down at Nina's scraped knees and knew I had to take care of that. "Let me help you..."
I took a deep breath and turned on my healing aura. A faint green glow sprang up around me, causing Nina to gasp in surprise. I gently assured her that everything would be all right and put my hand to one of her knees. I felt a strange tingling where my aura touched her knee and when I pulled my hand back, there was no sign of an injury on that knee. I quickly turned my attention to the other knee and healed it as well.
"It doesn't hurt anymore," Nina said a little more brightly. She gave me a nervous smile as she touched her knees.
"Good," I smiled in relief, "I'm just sorry I can't do anything about your balloon..."
"Nina!" a woman's voice suddenly cried out. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"She's all right," I quickly assured the attractive woman who came running up with a worried look on her face. "She just scraped her knees a little and lost her balloon..."
"Hi daddy," Nina grinned up at the woman. I was a little startled that Nina would call the woman 'daddy' instead of 'mommy', but this was Spiral and there were lots of strange twists. "She made my knees not hurt..."
Nina's 'daddy' gave me an appreciative look and said, "Thank you so much," before she pulled Nina off, saying, "let's get you a new balloon...okay..."
"Wow, you were like a natural," Tina said with an impressed look as I came back.
"If I didn't know better, I'd swear you were the mom here," Leila teased me and Tina both.
Tina just responded by sticking her tongue out at Leila, then shrugging, "She's welcome to the job if she wants it..."
I blushed at that, not sure what to say. It was kind of embarrassing to be so emotional and everything. In spite of all that had happened to me, I still thought of myself as a guy deep inside and probably always would to some degree. But at least I wasn't dangerous to anyone when I was like this.
A moment later Tina broke out in a huge grin. "Oooh... I just saw a really hot boy I'm gonna go talk to..." She winked at me. "I'll see you later MOM...." And with a loud laugh, she hurried off.
"Be careful," I called out after her, only to get even more laugher from Jason and Leila.
"Man, it's a good thing you didn't have this one come out after Zach touched you," Jason exclaimed, "he would have had you wrapped around his fingers..."
Leila and I both shuddered slightly at that, though she was the one who glared at Jason. It had been two weeks since that encounter with Zach, and I still had nightmares at the thought of just how close I'd come to being his love slave. It was hard to believe that the skinny guy everyone picked on had become one of the biggest threats in the history of the school. And in Spiral, that's really saying something.
"At least you stopped him before he really got going," Leila reminded me, "imagine if he got all the girls in school... We would have been like an army for him... No one would have been able to get close..."
"I could have taken him," Jason bragged, then more quietly admitted, "if I could have gotten close..."
"I rest my point," Leila smirked. "No guy could get near him..."
"The poor guy," I sighed, feeling sorry for Zach in spite of myself. I knew I shouldn't feel sorry for him, that I should be really pissed at him instead. But at the moment anger wasn't an emotion I was really in touch with. Instead I was caring and nurturing. "He must be so lonely..."
"I felt sorry for him before he turned into a lunatic," Leila grimaced. "I mean, give him a little power and it goes right to his head..."
"What do you expect?" Jason shrugged. "I mean, one day just about everyone was picking on him, and the next he can make people like him for a change... Of course he's gonna do it..."
"You would take his side," Leila glared at Jason again, "you weren't the one under his control..."
"I just feel sorry for him being locked up," I told them, also thinking of the fact that his skin had been permanently turned bright pink. Neither Leila or Jason looked very sympathetic though.
After Zach had been removed form the school he'd been put into the local detention center and kept away from all girls. From what I'd heard they planned on keeping him there for a bit longer, making him go to counseling until they were sure it was safe to release him.
"I guess that's one of the downsides of Spiral," Jason scowled, looking almost depressed. "I mean, some Twisted are dangerous and some really get nasty twists..." He shook his head and asked, "You remember David Lucas from last year?"
"Yeah," I shuddered at the memory.
I hadn't really known David personally, but I saw him around the school. He'd been a fairly popular guy who played on a few sports teams, at least before his twist. After he went through his twist he became a severe masochist, obsessed with hurting himself. The last rumor I'd heard was that his parents took him away and had him locked up in a padded room where he could be protected from himself.
"Who?" Leila asked with a blank look. The whole David thing had happened long before she moved to Spiral and our school so she had no idea who we were talking about.
"Zach isn't anything like that though," Jason said with a forced smile, "I mean, he just needs to learn a little self control and all... After this people know what to look for when he's using his trick. He'll never be able to get away with something like that again. You know the school takes precautions..."
"Like having teachers with wicked tricks?" Leila asked with a wry grin, obviously remembering how easily the non-threatening looking Mr. Edwards had dropped Zach.
"He'll probably be back in school in a month or two," Jason shrugged.
I suspected Jason was probably right. Of course since all the girls in school now know about Zach's trick, they'll be avoiding him even more than before.
"Well," Jason grinned, "since we're at the fair, we should probably find a good ride..." Then he looked at me and grunted, "I just wish you were a bit more fun at the moment..."
"He does have a point," Leila admitted. "You do tend to worry too much like this." She gestured to my green hair.
I just nodded at that, biting down the comment about how it might be too soon after eating lunch for fast rides. I knew that wouldn't be appreciated just as well as I knew that I'd hate myself later for saying such thing. But at the moment I couldn't help but being concerned about those I cared for.
"I'm sorry I'm ruining your fun," I apologized, feeling bad for the way I was making them feel. I just wanted them to have fun here at the fair and I wasn't doing anything to help it.
Then I suddenly felt it, the familiar tingle that meant I was going through a persona shift. A moment later I suddenly felt light and free. I grinned automatically, feeling amused though I didn't know what I was amused by. What I did know was that this felt different. This felt new.
"Your hair," Jason exclaimed unnecessarily.
I reached for some of my hair so I could get a better look at it, already knowing what I'd see. My hair was now a sort of violet color. I'd just unlocked my final hair color and persona. I grinned with amusement, feeling rather mischievious as I saw the look on Jason's face.
"I wondered when this one would come out," I laughed, feeling so carefree.
I closed my eyes, trying to get a better sense for what I felt...for who I now was. I felt amused and somewhat excited, not to mention a bit mischievious. That seemed to define my current persona. I felt mischievious. Of course I'd already had a vague sense of that from when I'd sensed deep within myself as a white haired bore, but feeling it myself was different.
Without warning I grabbed Leila and gave her a long and passionate kiss which she returned just as passionately. I'd surprised her with that move and I think I liked that reaction almost as much as I liked the kiss. It was definitely amusing to surprise her like that. I wondered how else I could surprise them...
I turned to Jason with a grin, then exclaimed, "God I want to kiss you..." Jason and Leila both gasped in surprise and Jason almost staggered back away from me. I burst out laughing, "Just kidding..."
"Thank God," Jason muttered with an embarrassed expression, "I don't want to deal with that kind of problem..."
"And you'd better not be interested in him if you know what's good for you," Leila warned me with a grin.
I just grinned back in delight, musing, "You know, I think this is much better for the fair..." He stood there and grinned, thinking about how perfect the timing was for my latest shift. "I think I might be starting to get some control over this..."
"What about your trick?" Jason asked.
I thought about it for a moment but decided it might be more fun to surprise them with it later on. Of course I had no real idea of what it was myself and was looking forward to finding out. In fact, a little anticipation just might make the discovery all the more interesting. Besides, it might be a good idea to wait until there were less people around before I tried it out.
"It'll wait for now," I grinned, enjoying the exasperated looks of impatience they gave me. "Come on... We're at the fair... Let's go have some fun..."
"I'm all for that," Jason grinned, "I think I like this new personality of yours..."
"Me too," Leila winked at me, still pleased from the kiss I'd surprised her with.
I grabbed Leila's arm and started leading her towards the biggest and most exciting roller coaster. If nothing else, this new persona seemed a perfect match for the fair. I was going to have a blast, of that I had no doubt.
As we went to the ride I couldn't help but thinking about how much fun it would be to take Tina on it with us. Of course I also thought about how much fun it would be to catch up with her and show off my new hair color and persona. Who knows, by the time we catch up with her I might even have my new trick ready to show off as well. I grinned at the thought of surprising her with something interesting.
"The new me is definitely interesting," I mused, "my whole life is..."
My life was strange and chaotic, even by the unusual standards of Spiral. I had no idea who I'd be from hour to hour or what my personality would be...but that was okay. I was getting used to it and suspected that I'd get bored now if I had to stay the same all the time.
Life was pretty strange, especially for us Twisted. A simple bad joke could lead to a massive transformation and a change in everything about your life. But as well as being Twisted, I was also human and one thing that the people have proven time and time again is that humans can adapt to almost anything, no matter how strange.
As strange and twisted as my life was, I wouldn't give it up for the world. My twist might have turned me into a girl, given me more personalities than I know what to do with and left me unsure of what I'd think and feel from one minute to the next, but that was all a part of who I was now. All that baggage came with a lot of good thins too, such as a variety of interesting tricks, an ability to see things from new and exciting perspectives, and a great new girlfriend in the form of Leila.
In spite of living a life full of constantly changing hair colors and emotions, I was quite happy with the way things were. Perhaps my current persona was influencing my perspective, making me see interest and excitement where I would otherwise see problems and difficulties. But I doubted it. I'd been having these thoughts for some time, through a variety of different hair colors and perspectives. With all my passing hair colors and personas, there were some things that remained stable and solid, such as the real me...my core personality that the others were reflected from. Even in that part of me, I was happy with who I was.
Then I got close to the roller coaster and broke into an excited grin. Enough thinking about such sappy things. Today was a day for fun and excitement. I pulled Jason and Leila with me to the line, eager to get on and squeeze every bit of excitement out of today that I could. After all, today was a great day, if for no other reason than that it was the first day of the rest of my life.
By
Morpheus
Simon goes through his twist and unleashes a dark new self. This story takes place in my Twisted Universe.
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The tension was thick as I stared across at my two opponents, one of whom had just drawn a magic sword. This was a free for all fight so she could attack either of us, but unfortunately, my other opponent had a shield out. That made me the easier target.
"And now you die," Gayle exclaimed, choosing to come after me just like I'd expected.
"Oh no I don't," I responded with a grin, slapping a card down onto the table. On it was a picture of a gorilla monster with a mace in one hand and a shield in the other. "I summon my guardian ape and block your attack."
"But you can't do that," Gayle protested, glaring at the card I'd put down right across from her card with the image of a sword on it. "You can't summon monsters in the middle of battle..."
My other opponent and friend Chad just laughed at that. "Sorry Gayle but Simon got you on this one. That card he put down a couple turns ago lets him do just that."
Gayle looked at the other card that Chad had pointed out and scowled. Then she put her card off to the side and grumbled about it not being fair. Gayle loved playing this collectible card game with Chad and me but she still didn't understand all the rules. However, she learned fast and was already starting to beat us on occasion.
We continued playing our game for another ten minutes before Chad pulled a move that caught both Gayle and me by surprise and won. We began putting our cards away while still talking about things we should have done differently during the game. I kept pointing out that if I'd played one card that I'd originally wanted to, I could have stopped Chad's move and perhaps even won the game myself.
I leaned back and watched my friends as they argued over another move. Chad was sixteen, the same age as me, but where I was slender and somewhat nerdy looking, he was bulky and looked almost like he could have played on the school football team. Of course, he probably could have if it wasn't for the fact that he didn't care for most physical sports. Gayle was a good bit shorter than him with a slender and nicely shaped figure. And of course, at the moment she was Asian. Gayle was twisted though not in a personality kind of way...at least not most of the time.
About fifty years ago there was a nasty virus called the Antarctic Flu which killed over two million people. Those who survived the disease had been permanently changed by the experience, though that wouldn't be known until years later when their children began to hit puberty. The descendants of the survivors carried something in their DNA, something that would usually awaken sometime during the hormonal upheaval of their teenage years and could twist their very being…body, mind, and soul in different ways.
Gayle had gone through her twist a couple months ago and had become some sort of ethnic chameleon, changing ethnicities about once a week. This week she looked Asian but last week she'd appeared to be Hispanic. It was a fairly harmless twist but I know she was annoyed by it at times since every time she changed, all the makeup she had that went with her skin tone ended up becoming useless and she had to start over trying to find a new look.
Whenever I considered Gayle's twist, I always felt a mixture of jealousy and fear, though certainly not fear of her. It was more a fear of what unknown fate the future would hold for me. Like Gayle, my parents were both Twisted which meant that sooner or later I would go through my twist as well. I had absolutely no idea what it would be or how I would be changed and that really scared me, especially since my very personality could be altered. I could literally become someone else entirely. Gayle was lucky that her personality had come through her twist intact.
"Shall we play another game?" I asked, interrupting Chad and Gayle. I was already shuffling my cards.
"Sure," Chad responded with a grin. "I can't wait to kick your ass again."
"Dream on norm," Gayle teased him.
Chad didn't even blink at being called 'norm', a somewhat derogatory term that some Twisted use when referring to normal people. However, Gayle was just teasing and Chad knew it so wasn't bothered much.
In most of the world, the Twisted were a vast minority and were often treated with fear and suspicion. However, here in the town of Spiral, there were so many Twisted that normal people were the ones in the minority, though admittedly not by much. Some Twisted took advantage of this to have their own bit of revenge against normal people by treating them with contempt. This kind of thing was frowned on since Spiral was supposed to be a place where Twisted and normals could live together peacefully, but it did sometimes happen and left people a little sensitive.
Just then, my Mom came into the room, greeting me with, "Hey Simon, I hope you don't forget to get your homework done."
"I won't forget," I responded with a roll of my eyes while my friends both snickered.
“Hey Mrs. Goodwynn,” Gayle said.
I just glanced at my Mom, thankful she was actually wearing a shirt for once. That was actually kind of an unusual occurrence around the house and was often reserved or when we had company she was trying not to shock.
My friends always told me that my Mom was hot, though I certainly didn’t think of her that way. She had long blonde hair and boobs that were each the size of basketballs. In spite of their size, they were nice, round and firm, as though gravity had never really touched them. Her entire body was pretty nice and she looked at least ten years younger than she actually was.
Of course, my Mom was twisted and her large breasts were a direct result of her twist, along with her exhibitionist personality. Mom had almost no modesty at all and was happiest when she was showing off her curves. In fact, she even made a living as a stripper which seemed to be the perfect career for her. It was hard to believe but I’d been told that before her twist, she’d actually been small chested and very shy.
"Would you three like a snack?" Mom asked us pleasantly. "We have some nice brownies..."
"Sure," Chad answered while Gayle simultaneously said, "No thank you. I'm trying to cut down on sweets..."
Mom just laughed at that. "Don't worry about that," she told Gayle with an amused look. "My husband Leonard made them."
"Oh," Gayle responded, her eyes going a little wide. "Of course... I'd love some..."
I grinned at that, not at all surprised by Gayle's reactions. My Dad was a pastry chef who ran Guilt Free Desserts, the most popular bakery in all of Spiral. The secret to my Dad's success wasn't his skill, which was pretty good, but was actually due to his twist.
My Dad's twist was pretty subtle compared to the ones most people went through and you'd almost never guess that he was actually twisted. He'd never gone through any of the physical changes that so many Twisted do nor had his personality changed very drastically. Most Twisted seem to develop some sort of personality quirk, obsession, or a compulsion, but the only thing along those lines that he'd gained was a fairly strong sweet tooth. He loved eating anything sweet or sugary which is why he'd become a pastry chef.
The thing that really made my Dad stand out as a pastry chef and which made him so successful was his trick. A trick is what we call the super powers that the Twisted often develop. His particular trick was that he could remove all fat, cholesterol, and calories from food without altering the taste or texture. Of course, any food that he did this to also lost all nutritional value as well and became good for filling you up but would neither help nor harm your body. As a result, people all over Spiral rushed to his bakery where they could scarf down large amounts of rich and delicious desserts without ever having to worry about gaining a single pound.
A minute later, there was a large plate of brownies set in the middle of the table, preventing us from really continuing our game at the moment though that hardly mattered. Each of us dove into the delicious brownies with glee. I absently wondered what it was like for other people who had to worry about getting fat from eating this kind of thing. That had never really been a concern around my house where I'd grown up on a steady diet of this kind of food. In fact, my entire family was thin, especially my Dad who frequently used his powers on accident when he was trying to eat real food.
“Just make sure to leave a few for your sisters,” Mom said before leaving the room.
"Your Dad has the best trick ever," Gayle told me as she took a bite from her brownie. "You know, I was thinking of giving my sister a bunch of regular brownies and telling her they were ones from your Dad's shop. It would be funny seeing the look on her face after she pigged out and then learned the truth."
I just laughed at that. "That would be a good one."
Once we were finished eating, I asked my friends, "So, are you guys up for another game?"
"No, I've got to get going," Chad said with a sigh. "I promised my folks I'd be home early enough to babysit my brother..." He shook his head and muttered, "Toddlers..."
"I should get going too," Gayle told me. "My Dad will kill me if I don't get my homework done again..." She shrugged. "Or at least he'll make a lot of noise about it. He's actually a big softy."
With that, my friends got up to leave though Chad did grab one more brownie from the plate before doing so. I just let out a sigh, sometimes wondering if the only reason they ever came over was because of my Dad's baked goodies. I already knew for sure that was one of the main reasons a couple of the neighbor ladies liked to come over and talk with Mom. After all, the way she usually walked around half naked would have scared them away otherwise.
When Chad and Gayle had gone, I began putting away all my cards and even cleaning up the rest of the mess we'd made. I knew my mom would have cleaned up the empty brownie plate and all the crumbs without saying anything but I would have felt bad about it. I always felt bad for making other people go out of their way for me which was why my sisters liked to tease me about being a pushover.
"I'm going to go for a walk," I told my Mom when I was done cleaning up. "I'll take care of my homework when I get back."
A few minutes later, I was outside and walking down the sidewalk, having no particular destination in mind. I just wanted to stretch my legs a bit and get some fresh air. I usually went on a walk like this every couple days since it was a good way to clear my head and let the stress just sort of fall behind.
I had only gone about a block or so when a car pulled up alongside me and a woman stuck her head out. "Excuse me," she called out. "I'm lost and was hoping you could help me..."
"Sure," I responded, going up to the car window so I could hear her better.
The woman was gorgeous with nice sized breasts and dark hair that was pulled back into a pony tail. She stared at me through a pair of dark sunglasses for a moment while giving me an obviously forced smile. There was something off about this woman but this was Spiral and there were a lot of people who were a bit off. That was one of the problems with living around so many twisted, you never knew what kind of obsessions or compulsions they might have.
"I think I've seen you around," she said. "Isn't your father the owner of that bakery?"
"Yes," I responded carefully, having a bad feeling about this but thinking it would be rude to just walk away now. After all, it wasn't like she'd actually done anything.
"Then your mother is a dancer at the Barber Pole strip club," the woman continued, smiling a little more genuinely but it wasn't a nice smile. "And both of your parents are twisted?"
"Yeah," I answered, feeling even more nervous and backing away from the car. "How did you know that?"
The woman just stared at me through her glasses for a moment more before saying, "Just one more question. Have you gone through your twist yet?"
"Not yet," I admitted suspiciously, wondering why she was asking these questions.
Suddenly the woman pointed a gun at me from the car window and I felt pain in my chest. I looked down and saw two darts sticking out of my chest. I pulled one out but my hand was starting to feel numb. I staggered two steps and then fell to the ground, unable to move.
The woman climbed out of her car and came to stand over my body, looking quite pleased with herself. She bent down and said, "Thank you, that was all I needed to know." A moment later, everything went dark.
--------------------
I woke up in a situation that seemed straight out of a nightmare. I was inside a cage that was about five feet across on each side. Through the bars I could see that I was in some sort of dungeon, or at least that was what it looked like.
The walls were made of cinderblocks though much of the walls were covered with large red curtains. From the parts that were visible, I saw several shackles hanging from the wall. There were also multiple machines around the room that looked like a cross between exercise machines and torture equipment.
Once I’d looked over my surroundings I looked down at myself. While I’d been unconscious, someone had removed my clothes and dressed me in some sort of black latex fetish costume that included a leather collar and wrist bands, all of which had metal rings on them.
I was shocked and terrified at my situation and looked around in a near panic, trying to make some sense of things. The last thing I remembered was that woman shooting me with those darts.
After getting over my initial horror and confusion, I tried opening the cage door. As I expected, it wouldn’t open. After all, I didn’t think that someone would put me in a cage and then leave the door open. However, I had hoped.
I struggled with the door for awhile before giving up and just sitting in the cage. I wish I could claim to be coming up with some sort of brilliant escape plan, but unfortunately, all I could do was think of all the horrible things that could happen next.
About twenty minutes after I woke up, I heard a loud cracking sound and looked up in surprise. The source of the cracking was a leather whip that was being snapped into the air. The whip was being held by the woman from the car.
The woman had been dressed in a fairly casual way when I’d seen her before, though now she was dressed in a way that was anything but casual. She was wearing some sort of kinky black fetish costume that covered everything from the neck down. The costume included a corset, thigh high stiletto heeled boots and gloves that went up to her elbows.
She was no longer wearing the sunglasses I’d seen her in earlier though she was wearing dark mascara and crimson lipstick. Her hair was no longer pulled back in pony tail either but was hanging loose. All in all, she looked very intimidating in a sexy sort of way.
“So you’re finally awake,” the woman said in a cold voice, snapping the whip again.
“Let me go,” I demanded, trying to hide my fear with false bravado.
“SILENCE!” she ordered, snapping the whip at me and causing me to jump back in the cage as much as I could. “You will only speak when spoken to.”
“Fuck you,” I responded rebelliously, only to have her snap the whip at me again. This time it got through the opening in the bars and stung my arm.
“I see you need to be properly trained,” the woman told me coldly. “You will learn to obey.”
Being rebellious was almost becoming a game to me, or at least a way to keep my fear at bay. “If my parents can’t make me obey, what makes you think you can?”
The woman just bent down in front of the cage and stared at me with an evil smile. “You won’t be able to help yourself,” she told me. “You’ll be completely obedient…the perfect submissive slave.”
She glared at me as though daring me to talk back again. This time I kept my mouth shut, feeling more confused than ever. She seemed satisfied with that at the moment so stepped back and set her whip down on one of the torture devices.
A moment later, my dominatrix kidnaper opened a silver cigarette case and removed an all white cigarette. She casually lit it and took a long drag, blowing the smoke out only then turning her attention back to me.
“The rules are simple,” she explained, taking another drag of her cigarette. “You do what I say without question or hesitation. You will address me as either Mistress or as Mistress Caitlyn. And you will endeavor to please me in all ways.”
“You’re crazy,” I told her. “Let me go and I won’t tell the police…” Of course, I was lying and would tell them about her the moment I got a chance. “Please, let me go…”
“Silence slave,” the so called Mistress Caitlyn snapped at me. “You’re still resistant but that will change once you twist…”
I just stared at her in shock, suddenly realizing exactly what she was after. I couldn’t help but feeling sick to my stomach, not to mention even more terrified.
When someone went through their twist, they had no conscious control over what form it took. However, it was well known that their subconscious mind influenced it to some degree. It seemed that the part of the brain that dealt with absorbing new experiences was tied to whatever controlled the twist because most people who went through theirs did it when they were trying something new or different. Whatever they were doing at the time could direct how they changed, like how my Mom had been trying out a stuffed bra and pretending she had big breasts in front of a mirror when her twist kicked in.
When it happened, it often happened without warning but could be triggered by strong emotion. It was obvious now that Caitlyn was trying to make me go through my twist as well as trying to control what form it took.
I was absolutely horrified of going through my twist now and becoming what she wanted me to become. Of course, I’d always been afraid of what form my twist might take but there had also been a certain hope as well. Among the children of Twisted, going through your own twist was something to look forward to…a rite of passage. It was the coming of age which helped determine who you were going to be for the rest of your life.
Since it was well known that your twist usually kicked in when you were doing something out of your normal routine, kids in Spiral would often attempt to trigger their twists in ways that they’d want. They’d play new sports, lift weights, try modeling, or whatever else they thought might result in some cool tricks. Most of the time this failed to work at all and their twists would come instead when they weren’t expecting it. What Caitlyn was trying to do certainly wasn’t a new idea though the idea of her controlling how I twisted was definitely a horrific one.
For most of those who were the children of Twisted and who had yet to go through their own twist, we looked on it with mixed emotions. Most of us were a bit afraid of how we would change and what we would become. After all, you could very well lose your entire identity and sense of self. But on the other hand, we looked forward to it in a strange way as well. Among the Twisted, going through your twist was a coming of age as well as your rite of passage.
“Not like this,” I whispered fearfully. “Not like this.”
Caitlyn took another drag of her cigarette while she watched me with a calculating look in her eyes, obviously planning on what she could do to trigger my twist. Since she’d already told me how she wanted it to turn out, my imagination was going wild.
“We’ll begin our lessons soon, slave,” Caitlyn said before she turned and left the room.
“I’ve got to get out of here,” I blurted out, my heart racing in dread.
I struggled with the door to my cage but it seemed pretty solid. I reached for the lock and tried to see if there was something I could do to pop it open. I had a brief thought about picking the lock, but unfortunately, not only did I not have anything to pick it with, I also had no idea of how to do so.
“They always make it look easy in the movies,” I muttered in frustration.
I looked over the cage again, desperate for a way out. When I looked back at the door, I suddenly realized that I was approaching it the wrong way. Instead of focusing on the bars and the lock, I needed to focus on the hinges.
I’d once played a practical joke on my Dad by pulling the pins on the hinges and removing his bedroom door. It didn’t matter if the door was locked if you could get the hinges off. And to my delight, these ones weren’t welded in place. I only needed something I could use to pry them loose.
“Too bad I don’t have a screwdriver,” I whispered as I looked around for something else. Then I saw one of the metal rings on the wrist bands I was wearing. I used the ring like a screwdriver to pry the hinge apart and then grinned when it came loose. “Yes…”
A few minutes later I’d removed the door from its hinges and was free…at least from the cage. Unfortunately, I still had to escape from this dungeon and the rest of wherever the hell I was.
“One step at a time,” I reminded myself, starting for the door where Caitlyn had left through.
Suddenly, Caitlyn appeared in the doorway, exclaiming, “Very clever…and very naughty.”
I gasped in surprise and then noticed that she was holding something in her hand. My eyes widened as I realized that it was a taser. She must have been watching me somehow and knew what I was doing. However, I didn’t have time to consider this for more than a moment before she used the taser and I had collapsed helplessly onto the floor.
Before I knew what was going on, I was tied to some sort of rack in a bent over position. My wrists were tied to one side and my ankles were tied to the bottom, leaving me bent over with my ass exposed.
“You need to be punished for attempting to escape,” Caitlyn told me, suddenly slapping me across the face…hard. “You will learn to obey, just as you will learn to enjoy the pain and humiliation I offer…”
“Let me go you fucking psycho,” I yelled at her, struggling to get loose.
Caitlyn slapped me across the face again, then held up a large dildo which made me gulp in terror. She obviously enjoyed my fear because she smiled cruelly. This was definitely one sadistic bitch.
Caitlyn didn’t do anything more immediately but instead left me stuck in that position, marinating in my own fear of what she was going to do next. She lit a cigarette and took several deep drags before she abruptly put it out on my arm. I bit my lip so I wouldn’t yell at being burned.
Next, Caitlyn began to hit me across the backside with a whip. It stung with each strike and I did my best to keep from crying out, but unfortunately, I couldn’t keep it up for long.
Just then, I felt a strange pressure building up inside of me. There was a split second where I realized what was happening and felt a surge of dread but then everything ended with an explosion that shot through every fiber of my being and ending in utter darkness.
--------------------
I had no idea how long I’d been unconscious. When I came to again, I was struck with the immediate understanding that absolutely everything was different.
“My twist,” I whispered with a cold certainty. I’d just gone through my twist.
Several facts came to me a moment later such as the fact that I was on the floor and no longer tied up to the torture device. The floor itself was charred and blackened with some burnt pieces of latex scattered around me. It was the ruins of the fetish costume that Caitlyn had dressed me in, apparently having been destroyed by the raw energies that were released during my twist.
Then I slowly got to my feet, fully aware that my body felt completely different. My sense of balance was way off as well. It wasn’t until I was standing again that I really looked down at myself.
The first thing that I saw were the two mounds pushing out from my chest, two round spheres of flesh that were firm and perfectly shaped female breasts. That gave me a good idea of what I’d see with the rest of my body.
I scowled as I looked over the rest of my body, seeing that it was as I’d expected. I had definitely become female…and a very shapely one at that. I had a firm but sexy body with long legs, a slender waist, nice breasts, and firm muscle tone. I hadn’t even seen how my face had changed yet but I could tell I was a total babe.
My hair had obviously grown much longer during my twist as well, a fact that I couldn’t miss since it was hanging down my shoulders and dropping into my face while I was bending over for a better look at myself. My hair had been light brown before but was now raven black.
I felt a strange mixture of emotions as I examined myself. I felt a little stunned, though not nearly as much as I might have expected. Instead, I felt curiosity and resignation more strongly.
Once I was done looking myself over, I was able to spare some attention to look around me. Caitlyn was on the ground a short distance away, looking as though she’d been caught in the energies of my twist and had been thrown back and knocked out as well.
“No less than you deserve,” I said with a cold anger.
For a moment I just stood there, staring down at Caitlyn and scowling. My eyes narrowed as I thought about what she’d done to me. That bitch had kidnapped me, humiliated me, and tried forcing my twist to activate.
“Well you got what you wanted,” I spat out, suddenly grabbing Caitlyn and slapping her hard across the face. The impact of my blow woke her up but I hit her with a second slap before she was aware enough to do anything about it.
“It worked,” Caitlyn exclaimed, shoving me back and getting to her feet. “You’ve turned into my perfect slave…”
“I’m nobody’s slave,” I responded coldly, meeting her stare with my own.
Our eyes remained locked in a silent battle of wills. After a moment, I could feel her willpower…her resistance to me. I just snarled and felt her willpower beginning to recede. There was a sudden look of fear in her eyes and she suddenly lashed out with her hand, ripping her nails right across my cheek as though they were claws.
“You bitch,” I spat out, feeling the sting on my cheek as well as more angry. How dare this bitch hit me? How dare she do any of this to me?”
But just then, the sting began to fade from my cheek, and to my surprise, scratches suddenly appeared on Caitlyn’s cheek. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought that I’d been the one to scratch at her.
“Interesting,” I mused, realizing that this had to be a trick that I’d developed. I smiled coldly, looking forward to finding out exactly what my trick could do.
“You WILL learn to obey me,” Caitlyn exclaimed, grabbing her whip off the floor and then glaring at me with a determined look. “I will teach you your place…”
She snapped at me with her whip, catching me across one of my breasts. I looked down and saw a bright red mark where she’d struck me. But as I watched, the red mark faded and she gasped and grabbed at her own breast.
“Very interesting indeed,” I thought aloud. It seemed that my trick allowed me to push any injury she gave me back on her.
Caitlyn hesitated, apparently realizing that hurting me would only hurt her. While she was caught in indecision, I stared her in the eyes again and pushed back just as I had a few minutes ago. Her willpower began receding even faster while she gasped and began to cringe in front of me.
“Surrender,” I ordered her, shoving back the rest of her willpower until there was no longer any resistance to me. “Submit!”
Caitlyn collapsed to her knees and let out a gasp, staring up at me with a dazed expression. I reached down and grabbed her face with my hand and continued staring into her eyes. There was no resistance there at all, none. I could feel it.
“Submit,” I told her coldly.
“Yes,” Caitlyn responded quietly.
“Yes what?” I demanded.
“Yes…mistress,” Caitlyn whispered.
I let go of Caitlyn and stood up, feeling a surge of triumph and excitement as I looked down on her. I could hardly believe what had just happened but I absolutely loved it.
In just a minute, I’d somehow turned Caitlyn from a domineering bitch into this submissive thing. It had been so easy, just willing it to happen. Of course, there was only one explanation. I obviously had another trick.
A lot of the twisted have a trick though certainly not all. There were even some twisted that had two separate tricks and it seemed that I was one of those. But just as amazing as that was the fact that I’d discovered both tricks within several minutes of each other when it could sometimes take years for a twisted to discover even one trick.
“You kidnaped me,” I said to Caitlyn coldly. “You tried turning me into your perfect little slave…” Then I suddenly kicked her in the face, sending her flying back. It probably would have done a lot more damage if I’d been wearing boots. “Now it’s my turn.”
“Whatever you command, mistress,” Caitlyn responded from the floor.
I grinned at that, absolutely loving the sound of it. However, I certainly wasn’t going to forgive this miserable piece of shit just because of a few pretty words.
I grabbed Caitlyn and strapped her onto the very same torture frame that she’d previously tied me to and then I went at her with the whip. I felt a surge of excitement with each lash that hit her back, and strangely enough, I was feeling turned on as well.
For the next several minutes, I was so caught up in punishing Caitlyn that I didn’t even bother to worry about the fact that I was completely naked, much less that I’d been turned into a girl. Once I was satisfied though, I left her tied up where she was so I could deal with the other issues.
“You be a good girl and wait her for me,” I told Caitlyn as I walked away.
“Yes mistress,” she responded weakly, bringing a faint smile to my face.
I left the dungeon through the only door, finding that there were stairs going up on the other side. I went up the stairs and found myself in what seemed to be a normal house, though one that was larger than my own home and more nicely decorated.
“So I’m a girl now,” I finally said, looking down at myself again.
I’d already looked myself over but now I took my time, running my hands over my skin as I did so. It was a bit strange to consider the fact that I had a smoking hot body, but for some reason, I couldn’t help but feel an odd sort of pride as well.
“If I’m going to be a girl,” I mused aloud, “at least I’m not an ugly one.”
Of course, this just made me realize one important fact, that I still had no idea of what my face looked like. I was definitely going to have to rectify that.
I looked around for a minute and found what I assumed was Caitlyn’s bedroom. There was a large walk in closet though I wasn’t concerned with that. My attention was on the large mirror that covered much of one wall.
The girl in the mirror was definitely gorgeous with a killer body and black hair that went down to her mid back. Her eyes…my eyes were a silvery gray color that helped give my features a sort of hard beauty.
“So this is me now,” I mused, posing a little to admire my figure.
Then I turned away from the mirror to find some clothes I could wear. Fortunately, there was a large walk in closet that surely had something I could use.
But as I started for the closet, I noticed something on the top of Caitlyn’s dresser that caught my attention. There was a silver cigarette case much like the one I’d seen earlier.
On a sudden impulse, I opened the cigarette case and removed one of the all white cigarettes. I’d never had any interest in smoking before, and in fact, I’d always thought it was a gross habit. However, at the moment I wanted one and that was all that mattered.
I lit the cigarette without hesitation, taking a long draw almost as though I’d done this a thousand times before. I’d always imagined that cigarettes would taste nasty but I actually found the taste rather pleasant instead. A moment later, I blew the smoke out to the side with a vague feeling of satisfaction.
After taking a second drag from my cigarette, I considered my own actions and just how out of character they were. In fact, absolutely everything I’d done since going through my twist was out of character. However, that was hardly surprising. I’d just gone through my twist so it was obvious that more than just my body had been changed.
When I woke up, instead of taking the opportunity to escape like I should have, I’d used it to go after Caitlyn instead. I’d not only used a trick I didn’t even know I possessed to turn her from a dominatrix into a submissive little thing, but I’d been completely turned on by it. And now, here I was smoking and casually looking through Caitlyn’s closet.
I knew that being turned into a girl should have freaked me out, but I didn’t feel freaked out in the least. Instead, I actually felt strangely calm and in control.
A part of my easy acceptance probably came from the fact that I’d known my entire life that I would eventually become twisted, that my body and mind could be transformed in surprising and unexpected ways. I knew that I would be changed, just not how, and had been somewhat prepared for it. However, I also realized that it was probably more than just that.
I still considered this as I looked through Caitlyn’s walk in closet. One side was filled with normal clothes that she could easily wear in public while the other side contained clothes that were obviously meant for her hobby. There were fetish outfits, stiletto heeled boots, and even a few whips…all the accessories for her play room downstairs.
Intellectually, I knew that I should just put on something quick and casual so I could leave, but instead, I found myself reaching for the fetish gear. These were the clothes that caught my attention, the ones that called out ‘wear me’.
A short time later, I was dressed in a black and red costume that was sexy and very naughty looking. It had a built in corset which made my already thin waist look even thinner. It came with a pair of gloves that went up past my elbow and then there were the stiletto heeled boots.
I stood up and found it a bit difficult to stand in these boots. They looked absolutely killer but I wasn’t used to trying to balance in them. These were the kind of books an expert would probably be wearing, and unfortunately, I was a complete and total amateur when it came to walking in heels.
However, I refused to let a pair of shoes beat me and slowly walked back and forth across the room to get the feel for walking in them. I began to improve quickly, probably too quickly. That just made me wonder if perhaps an improved sense of balance might have come along with my new body.
Once I was more confident in my ability to walk in the boots, I looked myself over in the mirror again. I had to admit that I looked gorgeous and dangerous. The only thing missing from the look was a little makeup.
I considered the makeup for a moment, realizing that at the moment I could probably pass for being eighteen without much problem. If I used the right makeup, I could pass for being twenty one.
“Very nice,” I purred, loving the way I looked. These clothes definitely suited me. They felt…right.
I lit another cigarette and sat down on the living room couch, taking a drag as I thought about the nature of my twist. My thoughts and emotions were just as new to me as my body so I didn’t even know who I was anymore. However, I was quickly making sense of them and was beginning to get an idea.
Caitlyn had been trying to control my twist, to intentionally turn me into some kind of submissive slave. However, it was obvious that her plan hadn’t worked out like she’d intended. Instead, it had backfired on her in a big way.
“Oh yes,” I smirked, thinking of the way I’d left her tied up downstairs, her willpower and resistance destroyed so she had nothing left but submission. I thought of how much I’d enjoyed whipping her, of being the one in absolute power. I licked my lips and smiled cruelly. “I’m pleased they worked out this way instead.”
It was now clear to me that my twist had somehow used Caitlyn as the role model for my twist, turning me into a reflection of her. In fact, now that I thought of it I could even see the resemblance in the way I looked. I looked a little like a younger and sexier version of her, perhaps like a younger sister. And of course, my new personality seemed to mimic hers as well.
“Of course,” I mused, thinking that it made sense.
Since my twist, I’d enjoyed hurting Caitlyn and proving that I had complete and total control. I’d begun smoking and even seem to have developed a fashion sense much like her own. Even my tricks, the ability to give my injuries to others and to dominate her completely served to support this.
Of course, my twist took certain liberties when turning me into a parody of Caitlyn. I suspected that it only gave me what I knew of her, that it used my own impressions of her as the model rather than copying from her directly.
Once I was done with my cigarette, I decided that it was time to go see to Caitlyn again. I went back down to the basement dungeon and found her right where I’d left her. I smiled faintly when I saw her, though I knew it wasn’t a pleasant smile.
“Hello slave,” I said, enjoying the sound of that.
Caitlyn looked up and stared at me with an expectant look, as though waiting for direction. I could see the submissive look in her eyes…could feel it radiating from her. It also excited me and I suddenly felt like a shark who’d caught the smell of blood in the water.
“Oh yes,” I purred, running a finger over Caitlyn’s cheek. “You are indeed my slave now…mine to do anything I want with…”
“Yes mistress,” she responded quietly.
I released Caitlyn from her restraints, seeing no reason to keep her tied up any longer…at least not at the moment. I couldn’t help but having a quick fantasy of her being tied up to my bed. However, there would be time enough for that later.
“Those clothes,” I told Caitlyn in a cold tone. “They don’t suit you anymore. Take them off.”
Caitlyn began removing her dominatrix outfit without protest and just a minute later she was standing in front of me, completely naked. I looked her over in silence, admiring her firm and sexy body. Then I slowly walked around her, taking my time to examine her.
I felt somewhat amused by the irony of the situation. I was a teenage boy…girl and she was a grown woman but there was no doubt that I was the one with all the authority. Thanks to my twist, I’d effectively turned her into exactly what she’d tried turning me into.
Then I grabbed Caitlyn’s face in my hand and held it firmly as I stared into her eyes. A smirk formed on my lips before I bent over and gave her a kiss.
“I think I like this much better than what you’d intended,” I told Caitlyn, grabbing one of her breasts and then rubbing her nipple until she began moaning. “I like this much better.”
My own thought and emotions still surprised me a little. I’d never had sex with a girl, never even made it to second base, yet here I was taking Caitlyn without hesitation. All I knew was that I wanted her so I took her. Nothing else really mattered.
Caitlyn didn’t resist me, not in the least. In mere moments, I had her on the ground, writhing in pleasure as I played with her tits and fingered her. I’d already shown that I had the power to make her feel pain and now I was demonstrating my power to make her feel pleasure as well.
Once I’d made Caitlyn orgasm several times, I slapped her on the ass and told her, “Simon says…no…SIMONE says pleasure me.”
“As you wish Mistress Simone,” Caitlyn responded submissively.
I’d always wondered what it felt like getting a blow job, and to a lesser degree, for a woman to get eaten out. It looked like the first experience was now lost to me forever but I was certain to enjoy the second. I was quite pleased to soon discover exactly how right I was.
--------------------
I sat back on a large comfortable chair that almost felt like a cross between a recliner and a throne. I was dressed in a sexy black dominatrix outfit that felt perfectly comfortable and had my legs crossed in a feminine manner which somehow felt natural and appropriate.
“Here is your drink mistress,” Caitlyn said from where she stood in kinky maid outfit just a few feet away. She even held a tray in her hand that held a drink.
I just looked Caitlyn over, admiring how nice the costume looked on her. I was tempted to take her again right then and there, though decided to hold off on that for a little longer. After all, I could have her anytime I wanted and as often as I wanted now.
It was hard to believe that it had been two days since my twist, and in that time, I hadn’t even left this house. I no longer thought of it as Caitlyn’s house but as my house. After all, it might legally be in her name but for all practical purposes, anything that was hers now belonged to me.
After I’d had Caitlyn pleasure me long and hard for the first time, I’d explored the house and found a nice collection of toys which I’d made good use of since. I’d also found another wardrobe down in the dungeon, one full of clothes for Caitlyn’s expected submissive. There were male and female clothes stored there including the kinky maid outfit I now had her wearing.
I took the glass of wine that Caitlyn had brought me and took a sip. Ever since my twist, my taste in beverages had changed along with my taste in clothes and virtually everything else. I found that I now enjoyed red wine, nice scotch, and a few other things that I’d found in my new liquor cabinet.
Caitlyn stood back awaiting my orders though I ignored her for a few seconds, instead taking another drink of my wine and then reaching for my cigarette case. Once I had a cigarette in hand, my eager servant quickly held out a lighter so I could light it.
Blowing a stream of smoke out to the side, I turned my attention back to Caitlyn. “I expect dinner promptly at six. You’re dismissed for now.”
“As you wish Mistress Simone,” she responded before departing.
It still amused me to see just how completely and totally I had her in my power. Of course, I’d discovered that her willpower and more dominant nature would slowly return so I had to push it back down. I’d had to push her willpower back down twice more, though I had noticed that each time it took even longer for it to return.
“Eventually,” I mused to myself, “it will be completely and totally permanent.” In fact, I fully intended to ensure that this happened. It was appropriate considering what she’d intended for me.
I just leaned back in my chair, taking another drag of my cigarette and then another sip of wine. I couldn’t help but smiling as I thought of my new life and just how easy it had been to slip into my new role.
“Perhaps too easy,” I thought aloud, frowning slightly as I did so.
The fact that I'd slipped into my new role and life so easily was certainly no surprise, not considering the extent and nature of my twist. In fact, all I'd been doing was following my own nature and going with the flow. That, I realized was what was bothering me.
Every person who goes through a twist is twisted in a different way, changing their bodies, minds, and even their very personalities in ways that can be unlike any other. Some Twisted were lucky in that their old personalities were left untouched while others, like myself, could be altered completely and totally, leaving them a completely different person than who they'd been before.
There was absolutely no doubt that I was indeed a different person than I had been before, different in nearly every conceivable way. Simon had been an easygoing teenage boy while I was a very confident and aggressive young woman. I didn't look like Simon, think like Simon, or even feel like Simon. For all practical purposes, Simone was someone completely and totally different. In fact, the only thing that I had in common with that boy were my memories. I still remembered everything from my life as Simon. I remembered being him quite clearly, however, there was an emotional disconnect with those memories. If anything, I felt a sort of vague contempt for that boy.
Nearly every twist was different and this often resulted in unique problems that the Twisted had to face. One of the largest problems that the Twisted had to deal with was the fact that many of us became defined by our twists. The nature of our twists could determine or at least strongly influence our careers, our relationships, and even the smallest aspects of our lives. In many cases, our twists became the only thing that people saw about us so we ceased being real people and became almost caricatures or parodies. It was rather stunning for me to realize that I was no different.
There were good reasons why so many norms were afraid of the Twisted, more than just because we were different. As much as the Twisted might try to deny it, most people knew that every Twisted could be a potential time bomb.
Some twists gave people extreme personalities, obsessions, and compulsions...ones which could be extremely dangerous to other people. Several serial killers and even the world’s most famous were created this way. The public didn't forget this no matter how much the Twisted might wish they would.
Of course, there was also the fact that many Twisted had dangerous powers that seemed to defy physics. There were few things as frightening as a man who could set anything on fire just by looking at it, especially if he also happened to be an uncontrollable pyromaniac. We Twisted tried to soften this fear by calling these abilities tricks rather than powers, trying to make them sound harmless, but it didn't really change what they were or what some of them could do.
I took a slow drink of my wine as I considered the fact that I was now one of the dangerous Twisted, one of the ones that people would be afraid of. After all, I not only had a strong desire to dominate, enslave, and hurt others, but I also possessed two tricks that would allow me to do so with ease.
I felt a dark delight in this though I also realized just how dangerous it was to me as well. People tended to hate and destroy that which they feared. For my own safety, I'd have to keep the nature of my twist quiet. Only a few people could truly know what I was now, a few like Caitlyn whom I had complete and total control over.
I snubbed out my cigarette and then scowled deeply as I considered my situation. Just a short time ago I'd been completely satisfied with my twist and the new life I saw laid out before me. I was enjoying being a sexy woman and dominating my lovely new slave. I had even been looking forward to acquiring some new slaves, to tormenting and breaking them to my will. But now, now I realized that I owed absolutely everything that I was to my twist. I owed not only my body but every thought and feeling I had to the nature of my twist.
Caitlyn had failed miserably in her attempt to turn me into a submissive slave, but she did direct what form my twist took nonetheless. I'd become a twisted reflection of her so she still influenced everything I thought and felt. I was more confident and powerful than ever before in my life, yet the truth was that I was still a slave to my own nature...a slave to my twist.
The irony of my situation didn't escape me. My twist had made me feel sexy, confident, and in control. I loved what I'd become and just how powerful it made me feel. But at the same time, the very nature of my twist made it so that I couldn't just blindly accept becoming nothing more than a reflection of what Caitlyn had been.
"What choices do I have?" I asked myself thoughtfully, not in self-pity but as I began to actually consider my real options.
The first option was the obvious one, the easy one. I just accepted that this was what I was now, who I was and move on from there. Of course, I'd already reveled in the fact that I'd become a domineering and sadistic bitch and had been doing so for the last two days. This option was the one that I'd already begun taking. The fact that this was the easy and natural choice was what concerned me. It felt like I was just surrendering to what fate had decided for me rather than making a decision of my own.
The second option was absolutely ludicrous and I nearly laughed as it even occurred to me. I could go back to my family and pretend that nothing had ever changed. Of course, I'd have to make adjustments to my new gender, but I could pretend to be the same old Simon inside that I'd always been before. A mere moment of consideration was enough to know that there was no way in hell that I could stand that. In fact, the very idea nauseated me.
A darkness now lived inside of me, a hunger for power and control, a desire to make others writhe in pleasure or pain upon my merest whim. I actually had sexual fantasies that left me wet and horny, fantasies of having my own harem of obedient slaves who lived only to serve my whims. Perhaps some of this had already existed inside of me and was merely brought to the surface and amplified by my twist, though I had a hard time believing that.
As Simon, I'd been raised to believe that many of the things I now thought and desired were wrong. I was supposed to treat other people with respect and to avoid intentionally hurting them. Now, that philosophy seemed quaint and silly. After all, how could other people possibly be more important than what I wanted? Still, I knew that it was what I myself had believed until before my twist. In a way, I suppose that made it a more true belief since it hadn't been imposed on me by an outside source.
Those thoughts just made me consider my family and imagine how they'd react to the new me. I smirked as I imagined the looks of shock and even horror over what I'd become. It was a darkly amusing imagining, though a little strange since I'd barely thought of my friends and family at all during the past two days. They'd been irrelevant, part of my old life that had been left behind with my twist.
To my surprise, I suddenly realized that I still had some feelings for my old friends and family. I missed them a little and even felt vaguely guilty for not contacting them and letting them all worry about what must have happened to me. My first impulse was a surge of annoyance and the thought that I had to crush that weakness. However, a moment later I realized that this meant the old Simon might not be quite as gone as I'd thought. Some of him still remained, though I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or bad.
I finished my wine and then stood up, scowling intently as I did so. These self-doubts and second thoughts were not in my new nature and I actually had to fight back a strong impulse to just shove those doubts aside and continue as I had.
“There is a third option,” I pointed out to myself.
I slowly walked through my new house, listening to the click click of my stiletto heeled boots against the floor. I let my thoughts continue to simmer in the background as I distracted myself with other things.
After a minute, I found myself in front of a large mirror that hung on the wall. I felt pleased as I saw my reflection though that only brought my attention back to my little problem.
“I need more practice,” I thought aloud as I looked over the makeup I was currently wearing.
I’d tried my hand with makeup in order to emphasize the look I wanted to give, though unfortunately, I hadn’t suddenly gained the skills to apply it properly. There was absolutely no way I could ask Caitlyn for advice. That just wouldn’t be at all proper. However, I had a lot of determination and had spent several hours practicing in front of the mirror, figuring out what worked and getting to the point where I could do a fairly passable job. Still, it wasn’t good enough.
But as I stared in the mirror, I took a good long look at myself, at what I’d become. Where I had felt only satisfaction before, I now felt a new determination. I was not going to just surrender everything I used to be in order to become some twisted copy of the old Caitlyn.
“That little slut has no power over me,” I spat out coldly.
The third option was starting to make more sense to me in spite of the fact that it actually went against my instincts. That was how I knew it was the right choice to take.
Being who and what I now was felt fantastic but I knew intellectually that it could lead to serious problems. Innocent people would be hurt and enslaved, something which brought a smile and left me feeling turned on. However, everything I knew from my old self said that this was wrong…that I shouldn’t do these things.
As hard as it was, I was going to listen to what the old Simon whispered from the back of my mind about right and wrong. I was going to control myself and keep my own dark nature on a leash. If I didn’t, then I could foresee a future where I’d be nothing more than a puppet to my own twist.
“I’ll be damned before I become a slave to anything,” I stated firmly. “Even to myself.”
With that, I turned away from the mirror and went back to the living room. I lit another cigarette and took a deep drag, smiling once again. Now that I had a plan, I felt my confidence return just as solid as before. One way or another, I was going to be in control of my own destiny.
--------------------
I looked myself over in the mirror, not at all happy with what I saw. I was wearing a pair of tight jeans that made my ass look good and I was wearing a blouse that showed a bit of cleavage without being too daring. My stilettos had been discarded in exchange for a pair of light to moderate sized heals that weren’t quite as sexy. All in all, I knew that I looked good but dressing like this made me feel frumpy.
“Unpleasant,” I thought aloud. “But necessary.”
It was strange to feel so uncomfortable wearing these clothes, something that I knew was entirely due to my compulsion to wear dominatrix gear. However, I didn’t have to give into each and every urge I felt. I wasn’t that weak.
“Caitlyn,” I called out.
“Yes Mistress Simone,” she responded, immediately rushing to my side.
At the moment, my little pet was dressed in a very skimpy outfit that had a few pieces of latex and a lot of metal loops and chains. It was a very kinky outfit, especially as her breasts were fully exposed. Of course, I liked it.
I put a hand on one of her breasts and pinched her nipple, delighting in the gasp that escaped her lips. “I think I’ll have you pierced,” I thought aloud. “A ring through each nipple.”
There was a moment of hesitation before she answered, “Whatever you say mistress.”
I stared at Caitlyn for a moment, realizing that her willpower had crept back up just a little bit. Of course, I couldn’t have that so pushed it back down as hard as I could.
“I will be leaving for now,” I told her firmly. “You will perform the tasks I have already given and will wait for my return.”
“Yes mistress,” she responded, completely and totally submissive to me. It was such a turn on that I had to put a hold on my impulse to throw her across the table and have my way with her.
With that, I picked up the purse I’d set aside and left the house. This was the first time I’d actually left this house since my twist though I felt no hesitation or reluctance. This merely happened to be the first time that I had a reason to leave.
I made the walk home to my old house, knowing that I could have taken Caitlyn’s car, or at the very least, had her play chauffeur for me. In fact, that appealed to me but not at the moment. At the moment, I wanted some time to fully prepare myself for what I was about to do.
There was no way I could go back to being Simon, nor would I do so even if I could. However, I’d realized that I couldn’t just fully submit to my new desires, not without losing my own sense of self and pride. As difficult as it would be, I would have to find some sort of balance.
When I reached my old home, I went to the front door and gave a loud knock before opening the door and stepping inside. I only had to wait a second before someone came into the room to see who was at the door.
My twelve year old sister Erin froze at the doorway, staring at me with a look of surprise and confusion. “Who are you?” Erin demanded, nervously stepping back. “MOM!”
A moment later, Erin’s twin sister Ellie rushed in and froze as well, giving me a look of confusion. However, before she could say anything, my Mom came into the room as well.
“Who are you?” Mom demanded. “What are you doing in my house?” Then she told Erin, “Call the police…”
“Don’t,” I told Erin, reaching out mentally and lowering her willpower. I had just begun to do so when I caught myself and clamped down on this, feeling something strange inside of me. It took me several seconds to realize what it was. Guilt, or at least a stirring of it.
I felt a strong temptation to target my Mom, to reduce her willpower and bend her to my will. To turn her into my servant which was only right and proper. In fact, the very thought left me feeling excited which made it even more difficult to control myself.
“No,” I whispered, realizing that as tempting as this was, it was the very kind of thing that I was trying to avoid. This was one of those things that the old Simon would have definitely said was wrong. That meant that this was something I couldn’t do.
“Call the police,” Mom repeated, glancing at Erin who’d stopped when I hit her with my trick. “Go to your rooms and lock the door…”
“Don’t you recognize me?” I asked with a faint smirk. “I’m Simon…or at least I was.”
Mom and my sisters all froze at that and stared at me with their mouths dropped open. Obviously, they had more than a little trouble believing that I was who I claimed to me, not that I really blamed them though it did annoy me. Once again, I was tempted to use my trick in order to make this easier.
“I went through my twist,” I explained calmly.
“Simon?” Mom exclaimed. “You...” Then she paused and took a deep breath before demanding, “Where the hell have you been?”
I scowled in annoyance at the tone she was taking with me, more than a little tempted to take care of that. I was not going to be talked to like that, not by anyone.
“Listen Sharon,” I said, using her first name since it just felt wrong calling her ‘Mom’ now. Calling her ‘Mom’ suggested that she had an authority over me that I no longer recognized. “Let’s sit down and talk about this.” Then I turned to Ellie and told her, “Go get some drinks.”
Ellie hesitated a moment but I stared at her and she gulped and went to do as I told her to. I felt a little smug at that since I didn’t even have to use my trick.
Mom…Sharon had obviously been thrown off balance by my behavior and I was more than happy to take advantage of that. Ellie returned with enough sodas for all of us and then she took a seat on the couch next to Erin.
“You can’t be Simon,” Erin said defiantly. Ellie just nodded agreement though didn’t say anything. Of course, that was nothing unusual as Erin had always been the more outgoing of the two. “No way are you my brother.”
“No, I’m not your brother,” I responded calmly. “I’m your sister now.”
“No way,” Erin blurted out. “You can’t just change into a girl…”
I looked down at myself and cupped my breasts before responding, “I do seem to have all the right parts.”
Sharon was taking a long drink from her soda, still trying to absorb this. “Where were you?” she finally asked, giving me a hurt look. “We were so worried…”
I picked up my own soda and sniffed at it with disdain. I used to like this, but now, it just seemed so childish and unappealing. Unfortunately, I couldn’t just send Caitlyn to get me a glass of scotch. That just let to the thought that I could still break these three in. It would be so easy…
“I was…disoriented,” I lied, giving a forced smile. “A woman found me and helped me get my head on straight.” Then I gestured down at myself and added, “And she gave me some clothes that fit.”
“I…I can’t believe you’re Simon,” Sharon responded.
“I think Simone is more appropriate now,” I told her, fighting to keep control of my annoyance at having to deal with these questions.
Sharon nodded and cautiously said, “You might be right.” Then she hesitantly asked, “How much have you changed?”
“A great deal,” I stated simply. “And not just physically. I have some new personality traits and compulsions that you will find difficult to accept.”
Then to prove my point, I reached into my purse and pulled out a cigarette. I casually lit it and took a drag, blowing the smoke off to the side while my family stared at me in shock.
“I want to make it clear,” I said calmly. “I am NOT Simon anymore and I refuse to act as though I still was.”
Erin and Ellie stared at me with looks of shock while Sharon let out a resigned sigh. “I remember how my own parents reacted after my twist. They didn’t take it well when I first began walking around topless…” Then she smiled faintly and told me, “I’ll try to be understanding. But there are still going to be rules you’ll have to follow. For one, no smoking in the house. If you have to smoke, you can do it out on the patio.”
I frowned, about to tell her that I would smoke where I pleased. However, I reminded myself that I would need to follow rules if I wanted to fit in with society. If I wasn’t willing to do that much, I might as well just give up this whole idea and give into my nature completely.
“Very well,” I agreed, putting my cigarette out.
Sharon let out a sigh and shook her head, muttering, “This is going to take some getting used to. I suppose I should call Leonard and let him know what happened.”
Erin and Ellie both gave me suspicious looks as I got up and went to my room. I took one look around it and scowled, suddenly thinking that this would not do at all. I much preferred my bedroom at the other house, the one that used to belong to Caitlyn. This room was far too small and definitely no longer suited me.
“I’ll have to make some changes,” I mused, wondering how I could do that without enslaving my family to my will. That might make things easier but the part of me that used to be Simon screamed that such a thing was completely out of the question.
While I was considering how I could redecorate to make my room to make it more appropriate, Sharon called Leonard and let him know about my returning and about my twist. I smiled coldly as I imagined his reactions on seeing me when he got home. Of course, there would be an even bigger impact if I was wearing something a little more comfortable, but somehow I imagined that my family wouldn’t accept my wearing fetish gear very well.
Then the doorbell rang and Sharon went to answer it, revealing a teenage girl with dark brown skin. It took me only a second to recognize Gayle, though she’d changed ethnicities since the last time I’d seen her. She now looked as though her ancestors came from Africa.
“Um, hi,” Gayle greeted Sharon a little awkwardly. “I was wondering if you’ve heard anything about Simon…”
“As a matter of fact, I have,” Sharon told her with a wry smile. “He came home just a little bit ago…sort of.” She gestured for Gayle to come in.
“Simon’s a girl now,” Erin exclaimed smugly.
“I prefer Simone now,” I stated as I came into view so that Gayle could see me.
Gayle froze just inside the door, staring at me with her mouth open. “Holy shit,” she finally blurted out. “You got twisted good…”
For a moment, I just stared at her, a part of me considering the idea of turning her into a pet the same as I’d done Caitlyn. After all, a pet who could change her ethnicity every week or so was one who could remain interesting. Then I shoved that thought aside, knowing that I couldn’t give in to it.
“More than you realize,” I told her simply, realizing that interacting with Simon’s old friends and family was going to be even more difficult than I’d expected. Of course, I certainly wasn’t about to just give up. That was definitely not my nature.
Gayle gave me a nervous smile and said, “Congratulations on going through your twist.”
She was obviously a bit uncertain about me at the moment, having no idea of how much my personality had changed or what compulsions I might possess. Interacting with a friend or family member for the first few times after they’d twisted was always a bit awkward because you had no idea of how much of the old them was still left. It had been that way a bit after Gayle had gone through her twist as well.
“Come,” I told Gayle, gesturing for her to follow me to my bedroom where we could speak in relative privacy. “We can discuss my twist if you’d like.”
Sharon, Erin, and Ellie all watched me with strange expressions, obviously all wanting to discuss my twist as well. It was quite clear that none of them had any idea of just how much I’d been twisted and I fully intended to keep it that way. There was no need for them to know just how much of a dark side I’d acquired.
“Chad is going to freak when he sees you,” Gayle said once we were alone.
“He’s a norm,” I told her dismissively. “He wouldn’t understand…”
“He’s your friend,” Gayle pointed out awkwardly. “He might not be twisted but he’s been around us for most of his life so I think he has a pretty good idea of what it means. I mean, he’s your friend and that isn’t going to change unless you make it.”
“Perhaps you’re right,” I responded carefully, biting back the urge to tell her not to contradict me.
Then Gayle abruptly started laughing and when I glared at her, she said, “Sorry… I was just imagining how everyone at school is going to react. I bet Mike Randall never calls you ‘nerd boy’ again.”
“No,” I stated simply, thinking of the school football player and bully who liked to mess with people. My eyes narrowed dangerously as I added, “He won’t.”
Gayle continued listing off our various teachers and classmates, suggesting how she thought they’d react to my changes. I just listened and frowned, my thoughts being on something else.
Dealing with family, friends, and those idiots at school while keeping control of my own dark impulses was going to be very difficult indeed. I thought of Caitlyn and strongly wished I was back at the house, fucking her beautiful brains out and reminding her yet again who it was who had all the power. I would have to stay in character around everyone else, but at least Caitlyn gave me an outlet for my desires, one that I could use without having to feel guilty about. After all, even the old Simon would have to admit that she deserved it completely.
--------------------
I stepped into the school ground and slowly looked around with a deep scowl. Everywhere I looked, there were students and teachers, each and every one of them crying out to be enslaved to my will. The very thought of so many potential slaves in one spot was enough to make me very horny.
“Too bad,” I mused, knowing that as much as I wanted to do this, I couldn’t afford to do so. Turning classmates and teachers into slaves might fulfill my desires, but it would go against everything that I was trying to do. “Besides…it would draw too much attention to me.”
Chad and Gayle stood beside me as I returned to school for the first time since my twist. They were there to offer their support and encouragement, though I suspected that they were staying close to me more for the opportunity to see how other people reacted to the new me, not that either of them actually had any idea of who the new me really was.
It had been two days since I’d returned home, and yesterday had been extremely busy getting prepared for this. Sharon had taken me shopping, much to my disgust, since none of the clothes I could buy were ones I really wanted to wear. I was forced to wear tight pants and shirts that revealed some nice cleavage but which weren’t too daring.
“I can’t believe you’re comfortable wearing that stuff,” Chad told me, staring at the way I was dressed.
I just snorted at that, feeling like I was dressed like some kind of frumpy housewife. What I really wanted to wear was my dominatrix gear with the stiletto heels. However, that would doubtlessly draw more attention than I wanted at the moment so I was forced to make do and play the game.
“This must be how Sharon feels,” I mused, realizing that it must be the same way for Sharon whenever she had to wear a top and cover herself up.
Before I was allowed to come back to school after my twist, I’d also been required to be examined at the clinic. I’d gone there yesterday and they’d done personality tests on me as well as tested my trick to make sure that I wasn’t dangerous to myself or others. Of course, I’d misled them as to some of my personality changes and had completely neglected to mention the trick which allowed me to subvert other people to my will.
I reached into my purse and pulled out my cigarette case, removing a cigarette from it and lighting it. I took a nice long drag and then noticed that Chad and Gayle were both glaring at me.
“Those things are disgusting,” Gayle exclaimed. “I can’t believe you started smoking…”
“Well, she won’t be able to smoke here at school,” Chad told Gayle.
“I have a waiver,” I pointed out with a faint smile, earning looks of surprise.
The school rules were pretty clear about students not being allowed to smoke, but of course, a school which catered to Twisted had to be flexible. They would try to work around students who had odd compulsions and needs in order to make them feel more comfortable. I thought of my fondness for cigarettes as more of something I liked doing rather than a compulsion, but as long as I could use that to get what I wanted I was fine claiming that I had no choice but to smoke.
“I’m allowed to smoke in the teacher’s smoke area,” I pointed out. “Between classes only of course.” Then I absently wondered if maybe I could claim I had a compulsion to drink scotch as well… That would certainly make my lunch period more tolerable.
I was just thankful that with all of this going on, I’d been able to see Caitlyn last night for a few hours. It was only in that house that I could relax and be my true self, fulfilling all my desires and needs. Having that outlet for my desires made it easier to deal these people who I couldn’t allow myself to enslave.
After putting out my cigarette, I went to my first period class where the teacher had obviously been notified about me. Mr. Kester was a tall and skinny man with an overly large mustache that was the subject of many student jokes. He was also a norm.
“You must be Simone,” Kester said when I came into the class.
He gave me an awkward look, obviously uncertain of what to make of me though I certainly hadn’t been the first of his students to ever go through a twist. Then again, that was probably why he was uncertain. He had experience in how different the Twisted could be from before their twist.
I took my normal seat and got a few curious looks from other students while one or two of them gave me knowing looks. I completely ignored them since they weren’t worth the effort to consider. I fact, I felt contempt as I looked around the room, thinking that most of these people wouldn’t even be worth the effort of breaking to my will.
“Class,” Kester announced once everyone was present and seated. “Some of you may have noticed the young lady sitting in Simon Goodwynn’s usual seat. Simon went through his twist several days ago and is now called Simone.”
With that, Kester went right into his lecture and didn’t say another word about me, leaving the rest of the students to whisper among themselves and guess. I knew anyone who went through their twist was going to get a lot of attention at first as everyone tried to figure them out, not to mention guess what tricks they might have. However, their attention would fade once they thought they knew enough about me or they were distracted by something else.
One boy who sat beside me kept sneaking a look at me so I caught his eye and stared back, giving him a cold glare. He suddenly paled and looked away, much to my delight. I hadn’t even had to use my trick on him.
When the class ended, most of the students immediately rushed out of the class though a few stayed behind to talk to me. I scowled in annoyance, not wanting to waste my time on those worms. They had nothing to offer me. However, I reminded myself to stay in character and play nice.
Chris Atkins was the first of the other students to actually approach me. He was an almost stereotypical jock being tall, good looking, and muscular. Of course, as of last year, Christine Atkins had been almost the exact opposite. Her twist had changed her from a nerdy young woman to one of the top football players in the school.
“Hey, I know the whole gender change can be rough,” Chris told me with a smirk and appreciative look. “Tell ya what… You can tell me all about it. I mean, I understand what you’re going through…”
I gave Chris a cold look and said, “That is by far the worst pickup line I’ve ever heard. Being a former woman, I would have thought that you’d at least have some better ones.” Then I walked past him and out the classroom door while several other students who’d remained behind laughed.
I shared my second period class with Chad and Gayle, both of whom had arrived and taken their seats before me. I saw some looks from other students as well as frantic whispering so knew that word of my twist had already reached their ears.
The teacher for this class was Mrs. Levitz, a short woman who weighed almost 400lbs, with very little of it being muscle. She was one of Leonard’s best customers, buying two dozen donuts from him every morning. However, no matter how much she dieted, she couldn’t lose weight. It was a part of her twist the same way her ravenous sweet tooth was.
Walking past Levitz, I took my normal seat. The girl who was sitting beside me gave me an envious look and then blushed before looking away. Just six months ago, Rebecca had been busty, outgoing, as well as a bit of a bimbo. Then she went through her twist, one that was almost the exact opposite of Sharon’s. She’d lost both her curves and her outgoing personality, becoming flat chested and shy instead. However, her twist had given her an increased IQ to make up for it, though I suspected that she would have preferred to keep her curves and popularity.
“How are you doing?” Gayle asked me quietly. “I know the first day back after your twist can be pretty weird.”
“I’m doing perfectly fine,” I assured her, turning to glare at a boy who was staring at me. He grinned rather than looked away so I used my trick to push on his willpower, lowering it a great deal until he looked away. Unfortunately, he’d probably be back to normal in just a day or two. “Unfortunately, there are too many who can’t mind their own business.”
“Ouch,” Chad laughed. “If we weren’t your friends, I’d almost think you were trying to burn us.”
“Of course not,” I said with a forced smile, feeling a faint stirring of guilt which reminded me that some of the old Simon still remained. “After all, you are my friends.”
The class began much like the last one with Levitz telling everyone who I was and who I used to be. I was annoyed at that but kept silent, distracting myself with thoughts of what I’d do to Caitlyn once school was out.
Once the class was over, I pushed past my curious classmates and went to the restroom, pausing at the two doors to look back and forth between them. With a shrug, I turned and went into the women’s restroom, having no doubt that I was a woman now and this was the appropriate one for me.
Inside the restroom, there were three girls already present. Two of them were smoking but all of them were trying to look tough. I thought that they just looked like children trying to play at being adults.
“What are you looking at?” one of the girls demanded, glaring at me.
I was just going to ignore them and do my business but I wasn’t about to take that. I turned my full attention to the one who’d spoken, the one who I immediately knew was their leader. She was the kind of girl who was obviously trying to be the alpha bitch.
“Give me one of your cigarettes,” I ordered, ignoring the fact that I had my own pack with me. That wasn’t the point. The point was to let them know who the real alpha bitch was in here.
The girl just laughed, as did her friends. “And who the fuck do you think you are?”
“The one who tells you what to do,” I said simply.
I stared into her eyes and felt her willpower, then I began pushing it down. I felt her willpower crumbling before me though I didn’t bother removing it completely. I wanted her bent to my will, not licking my pussy. At least not right now.
A moment later, the girl gave me her entire pack of cigarettes. I took one out and then tossed the pack onto the counter, noticing that her friends were staring at me with wary looks on their faces. I lit my cigarette and then went into the stall to do my business. By the time I came back out, all three of the girls were gone.
When lunch came, I went to the cafeteria and paused at the door to look across the room. I scowled intently as I took in the sights, looking at all the other students.
“Very nice,” I mused as I saw one busty girl, thinking that I’d love to have her bent over a table and ramming a dildo up her ass. I realized the irony of that fact that before my twist, I wouldn’t have the balls to even speak to her, yet now that I had no balls, I wouldn’t hesitate to approach her. The only reason that I didn’t was the fact that I was trying to behave here at school.
I grabbed some food and then sat down at a table next to a busty girl with long pink hair, who happened to be dressed entirely in pink clothes. I remembered that she was a senior named Leila and that she had some sort of trick that let her change the color of things to pink. I remembered that mostly because of an incident when she got upset at some guy who kept hitting on her after she said she wasn’t interested, and she changed all of his clothes to bright pink. I’d actually seen the guy afterwards and had laughed about him with my friends.
Leila glanced at me and then paused to give me a second and longer look. Then she abruptly asked, “You’re Simone Goodwynn, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” I responded, staring at her suspiciously.
“I heard about your twist,” she told me with a smile.
“I assume that just about everyone has by now,” I stated.
Leila shrugged. “Mostly those who are interested in twists like yours.” Then she grinned and added, “There are few of us who know what you’re going through…who know what it’s like going through a sudden sex change.”
I stared at her, feeling vaguely surprised though not much. “So you used to be a boy too.”
Leila nodded at that. “That was a long time ago. It was a bit of a shock at first, but you’ll get used to it.”
“Actually, getting used to it isn’t much of a problem,” I told her with some amusement. “I feel perfectly comfortable being female. In fact, it’s the thought of being male that feels wrong.” Then I smiled faintly and added, “It’s all part of my twist.”
“That should make it easier then,” Leila told me. “But I imagine you still have a lot to learn. I mean, all the things that girls grow up being taught but boys never pay attention to…”
I continued talking with Leila while I ate, though the entire time I fantasized about having her tied up to my bed and then making her scream with pleasure, begging me for release. In fact, my nipples hardened and I grew very wet as I thought of this. It was with an effort of incredible willpower that I kept from using my trick on her right then and there.
“I’ve got to get going,” Leila said once she was finished eating. “I need to meet up with my friends. It was nice talking to you.”
“Likewise,” I told her as she left, thinking that it might be best for her if we didn’t talk again. After all, I might be trying to keep from giving into my every impulse, but there was definitely the temptation.
When I was done, I got up to leave but then heard a boy calling, “Hey Simone…”
I looked and saw Chris Atkins sitting at the next table over along with several other jocks. He had a cocky grin on his face as he waved for me. I scowled, annoyed that he was such a jock stereotype, though I knew I shouldn’t blame him. He had no more choice in that than I did about being a bitch. It was what our twists made us.
Then another of the boys next to Chris called out, “I heard Simple Simon had his twist… But damn, look at those fucking tits…”
I glared at the speaker, Mike Randall, one of the more obnoxious guys in school. Like Chris, he was a bit of a stereotype, but unlike Chris, he didn’t have the excuse of being twisted. Mike was a norm. He was an extraordinary asshole, but it was all natural.
“I didn’t give you permission to speak to me, dog,” I said before I turned to walk away.
There were gasps of surprise from the other people nearby who heard and Chris exclaimed, “She burned you dude…”
“What the fuck did you say?” Mike demanded, jumping to his feet and coming towards me.
Mike obviously intended to intimidate me with his larger size and strength but I just met his eyes with my own and didn’t flinch. I wasn’t about to be afraid of a little worm like this and he was an idiot if he thought that I’d bow down before him. I didn’t cower before anyone.
“Turn around and walk away,” I told Mike coldly, warning him away. “NOW.”
“I don’t think so bitch,” Mike exclaimed, suddenly grabbing my arm firmly.
A cold rage suddenly burned in me at the thought that this dog would dare touch me. I didn’t cry out in fear or pain like he must have expected but instead reached out with my free hand and grabbed his balls, squeezing them tightly.
“Listen here dog,” I snarled, squeezing them even more tightly so that he gasped in pain and looked like he was about to collapse. I held him firmly in hand, letting him know who was the one with all the power here. I stared straight into his eyes and said, “I gave you the chance to walk away but you didn’t take it.”
“Holy shit,” Chris blurted out, staring at me and Mike, though everyone else around us was staring as well.
“Simone says…bark like the dog you are,” I commanded Mike, not even having to push with my trick. All I had to do was squeeze even harder and he was whimpering. “BARK!”
Mark was gasping in pain but tried barking. It was a pitiful sound but enough that I was satisfied. I let go of him but continued staring him in the eyes.
“If you ever speak that way to me again,” I told him in a cold but quiet voice. “You’ll wish I’d just torn your balls off.”
With that, I turned and walked away while the other students stared at me in shock. I heard several whispers of ‘bitch’ and ‘psycho’, though I took that more as a compliment than as an insult.
That encounter with Mike had been exactly what I needed to remind me of who I now was. Sure, I had to behave and follow the rules, but that didn’t change who I now was inside.
I smiled as I stepped out of the cafeteria and pulled out a cigarette, knowing that it wasn’t a pleasant smile. Dealing with Mike that way had really left me turned on, though unfortunately, there was nothing I could do about it just yet.
“Just wait until school is over,” I said, thinking about my pet Caitlyn. I was going to enjoy not only satisfying my lust on her but also taking out my frustrations from the day on her as well. “I can hardly wait…”
--------------------
I sat at the table with Chad and Gayle, playing the card game that we so often had before my twist. This was actually the first time that we’d played since then and I’d discovered that it now seemed boring and childish to me. There were much more interesting things I could be doing…and much more interesting people. However, I held my tongue and continued to play, just to keep them satisfied if nothing else.
There was a plate of cookies sitting on the table between Chad and Gayle, though I hadn’t touched any of them. As part of my twist, it seemed that I’d lost any taste for sweets. Leonard had been disappointed when he found out since it meant that I wouldn’t bother eating any of the desserts he was so proud of making.
Chad and Gayle each had a can of soda sitting next to them as well, though I had a glass of brandy instead. Yesterday, Sharon and Leonard had caught me helping myself to the liquor cabinet and they’d both been a bit surprised when I didn’t flinch or back down. After a short discussion, we’d come to an agreement. I could drink as long as it was in moderate amounts and I didn’t get drunk. It amused me to consider just how much I could get away with when I used my twist as an excuse.
“I attack you with my black skull rat,” I told Chad, gesturing to one of my cards on the table. Then as he used one of his own creature cards to block my attack, I pointed out, “My rat’s special ability is to infect your monster with rabies. Now he’ll get weaker every turn until he dies.”
“Damn,” Chad muttered in annoyance. “Too bad I already used my balm from the heavens or I’d be able to cure all poisons and diseases.” Then he paused to grin. “Unless of course, I have another one.” And with that, he played another card.
Just then, Gayle let out a loud gasp and grabbed hold of the table with her hands. She grimaced and then she began to change right before my eyes. I immediately recognized what was happening even though this was the first time I’d seen it with my own eyes. Gayle’s trick had activated and she was changing her ethnicity again.
“Ten bucks says she becomes Latino,” Chad told me, watching Gayle with a fascinated expression.
Gayle’s skin and hair color both started to become lighter. Her dark brown skin quickly became a dark tan and it continued to lighten further. At the same time, her black hair went to a dark brown and eventually stopped at a light brown color. When she stopped changing a mere thirty seconds later, she looked Caucasian again. In fact, she looked the way she did before her twist.
“Did that hurt?” I asked, not completely sure if it was just curiosity or an actual eagerness on my part.
“No,” Gayle shook her head, staring down at her arms as she did so. “It doesn’t hurt but it does feel really weird. “ Then she grinned and exclaimed, “I’ve already got all the makeup I need for this skin color…”
“How fortuitous for you,” I responded wryly.
“That was awesome,” Chad exclaimed with a broad grin. “I kind of wish I was twisted so I could get a cool trick like that…”
Then Gayle gave me a curious look and asked, “What about you? Do you have any tricks?”
“I do have one,” I said, still keeping the existence of my second trick a closely guarded secret. “But you wouldn’t want me to demonstrate it.”
Chad grinned even more at that, staring at me with an eager expression. “Come on,” he half begged and half demanded, “Show us.”
I stared at him with an evil smile and responded, “Very well. But remember, you asked for it.”
Suddenly, Chad gasped in pain and grabbed his stomach, “My guts… What the hell did you do…?”
“Your trick is to give people stomach aches?” Gayle asked in surprise.
“No,” I responded, taking a sip of my brandy and then watching Chad with amusement, thinking that he really was a wimp for reacting like that. “I can transfer injuries from myself to others. I don’t have any actual injuries at the moment, but last night my period started.”
“I’m not sure whether to give you my congratulations or my condolences,” Gayle told me with a wry smile. “I guess that really means its official. You really are a girl now.”
“You gave me your period?” Chad gasped, staring at me in horror.
“Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that,” I mused. After all, I’d certainly tried giving my period away. However, as it was a natural part of my body’s biological process, my trick had very little effect on it. The most I could do was to transfer my cramps to someone else for about half a minute. “All I can do is give you a small taste.”
I took a sip of my brandy, knowing that my period was one of the reasons Sharon had given in on my drinking so easily. After all, I knew quite well that she liked to chase her cramps away a little with some booze as well. I scowled as I thought about last night when it had started, thinking of how this was the first time since my twist that I truly felt that I had absolutely no control over something. I absolutely hated that feeling and it only sparked my anger and determination not to show just how uncomfortable I actually was.
By now, I could see that Chad was no longer feeling my cramps. I actually felt vaguely disappointed at that. The old saying that misery loves company has a certain truth to it, though admittedly, my sadistic streak made me enjoy the pain if others even more.
“I’ll never tease a girl about PMSing again,” Chad swore. “No wonder you girls can get so bitchy.”
“I don’t think Simone can use that as an excuse,” Gayle said, giving me a strange look. “No offense, but you’ve been a bit bitchy since your twist. Sometimes, you can be downright mean. I mean, what you did to Mike in the lunchroom the other day… You completely humiliated him.”
“And he still hasn’t learned,” I mused with a scowl.
The obnoxious jock had been careful not to get too close to me since then, but he had been talking about me behind my back and occasionally calling out insults from a distance. I felt nothing but contempt for the little dog and knew that if anyone at school could temp me to fully give into my dark side, it would be him. As it was, I knew that I would seriously enjoy causing him pain and humiliation. The only thing that had held me back so far was that I was trying hard to live by Simon’s rules as much as I could. That and the fact that Mike hadn’t given me an opportunity.
“She’s got a point,” Chad admitted reluctantly. “You’ve gotten kind of scary since your twist.”
I stared at him and met his eyes then calmly asked, “Are you scared of me?”
“Sometimes,” he admitted. “I mean, just a little bit.” Then he grinned and added, “But I know that you’re still the same old Simon underneath your twist and all.”
“You do get a little intense,” Gayle agreed.
For a moment, I just watched my friends, thinking about what Chad had said about my still being Simon inside. I couldn’t help but feeling a little contempt at the idea and wanting to deny it completely. However, since returning home, I’d realized that there was even more of the old Simon left than I’d thought. The more time I spent around my friends and family, the more I noticed some of my old emotions were still there. In spite of my new perspective, I did still care for them all.
“And where do you keep going?” Gayle abruptly asked, staring at me with a curious expression. “I mean, you disappeared for a couple days and when you come back you’ve gone through your twist. Now you keep taking off every day after school and I know you’re not just going home.”
I met Gayle’s eyes and for a brief moment I considered telling her the truth. However, one of the reasons I’d kept so much secret was because I didn’t want to lose everything that I’d had as Simon. If I scared Chad and Gayle off with the truth, then that would defeat the purpose of my attempts to control myself.
“You shouldn’t ask questions that you really don’t want the answers to,” I told her with a faint smile.
Chad and Gayle shared a look but neither said another word about my attitude or about where I went for the rest of the game. When we finally finished, I downed the rest of my brandy and absently thought about how nice it would be get a slave for the house who could fetch more for me. But unfortunately, I’d sworn off taking more slaves, no matter how much I wanted to. That was the kind of thing that Simon would have frowned on.
When it was time for Gayle and Chad to leave, I reminded Chad, “I seem to remember you betting ten dollars that Gayle was turning Latino…”
“Funny,” Chad responded with a grin. “Your twist must have messed with your memory.” Then he hurried out the door before I could say anything else.
“Don’t worry,” Gayle said with a wink. “I’ll remind him.” And then she too was gone.
I stepped outside for a smoke and then went back, scowling in annoyance at my clothes. I couldn’t wait for the opportunity to get out of them, preferably into something a little more comfortable though I’d be satisfied to lounge around in my room in nothing at all.
“Are you okay?” Sharon asked when she saw me tugging on my collar.
“Fine,” I told her.
Sharon stared at me for a moment with a moment before saying, “You’re tugging on your shirt the way I usually do…” She gestured down at herself, pointing out the fact that she was completely topless at the moment. “I’ve noticed before that you don’t seem very comfortable most of the time so I’m guessing you’re having issues with your clothes.”
I frowned, a little surprised that Sharon would be so observant. Then again, if anyone would notice that I was uncomfortable in my clothes it would be her.
“My twist left me with a minor clothing compulsion as well,” I admitted, sitting down on the couch.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Sharon asked in surprise. “You know I’d understand.” She chuckled slightly at that.
“Because the clothes I feel most comfortable wearing now are…inappropriate,” I said carefully.
Sharon gave me a wry look and gestured own at herself again. “And this isn’t?”
“You do have a point,” I agreed.
“I know there are things about your twist you aren’t saying,” Sharon said cautiously. “I don’t even know what you were doing during those days you were missing... But I promise I’ll try to understand.”
I stared at her with a flat expression, knowing that as open minded as she was, even she couldn’t really understand. Still, perhaps it would be nice to be able to relax a little more.
“At the very least, you can at least try wearing whatever clothes you’re most comfortable with,” she told me with a smile. “After all, I work in a strip club. You’re not likely to surprise me.”
“Good,” I responded wryly. “I can finally pull my clown clothes from the back of my closet.”
Sharon gasped at that while I got up and walked away, smiling faintly as I considered that there was more than one way to torment a person.
------------------
Math was the first class after lunch and I was sitting back in my seat, only half paying attention to the teacher. My thoughts were occupied with other matters as I slowly looked around the room, considering what each of the students might be like either in bed or as a slave. I immediately discounted most of them, though there were a few possibilities, not that I’d allow myself to do anything about it. I was determined to keep my private life and needs as far away from school as possible, at least for now.
My eyes locked on a cute blonde who looked as though she’d really be a looker in a few years. I thought that she might be a worthwhile investment, though it would take some time and effort before it really paid off. There was a shy nerd girl as well, one who didn’t look like much but who was among the Twisted, though her twist had yet to occur. I couldn’t help but thinking that her twist might yet turn her into a babe.
Then my eyes went to Bobby Rhyman a few seats away. He was a slender and athletic in a skateboarder kind of way, and I found myself imagining him tied to a rack with nothing on but a cock ring. Though I was still mostly attracted to girls, I’d discovered that some guys were appealing to me as well, or at least that my sexual fantasies easily included them. Before my twist, I would have shuddered at the thought of ever finding a guy attractive, but now it barely fazed me. Instead, I’d already decided that before long I’d have to seduce a guy just to see if reality matched my fantasies.
Just then, the teacher called out, “Simone, how would you solve this equation?” She stood up front, pointing to an equation that she’d written out on the digital board. I saw the answer almost immediately but wasn’t about to go up to the front of the class and do the work in front of everyone like she obviously wanted. Instead, I just stared back at her with an intense look that made her pale slightly and say, “Never mind…” She looked to a boy in the front row and asked, “Alex?”
I watched the teacher for a few more seconds with a sneer of contempt, thinking that she was a weak and pitiful thing. She’d backed away from my gaze like a kicked puppy, without my even having to use my trick. Of course, normally that kind of thing was a bit of a turn-on for me now, but certainly not with someone so old and unattractive.
After a few seconds, my thoughts shifted back to last night when I’d caught Erin and Ellie sneaking into my room and snooping around. It wasn’t the first time they’d invaded my privacy like that since my twist and I’d warned them already. I was furious at the intrusion and was just about to hit Erin when I caught myself and realized what I was doing.
“I’m sorry,” I told her, surprise to realize that I really meant it. I also felt a little ashamed of how I had acted towards my sisters.
Ever since my twist, I very rarely felt any guilt, shame, or regret and when I did, it was always with my friends and family. This was yet more evidence that the old Simon still existed within me, overshadowed by my twist but not gone. A part of me felt contempt for these emotions and thought them a weakness that I should eliminate. Yet at the same time, I was aware that these weakened remnant emotions were probably all that was keeping me from being classified as a psychopath. These emotions were the things which kept me from fully becoming one of the dangerous Twisted that so many norms were afraid of…for good reason.
“That way lays disaster,” I reminded myself yet again, knowing that giving into my twist completely would not end well for me. It was a very self-centered reason to control myself, but of course, these remnants of the old Simon and my family helped add further motivation.
When class was over, Gayle came over to me and said, “I can’t believe the way you intimidated Mrs. Feeney…” Her assigned seat was on the opposite side of the classroom as my own but she’d obviously seen me stare down our teacher.
“It wasn’t difficult,” I responded with a faint sneer. It was so easy that there had been no challenge to it…no thrill.
“You do realize that everyone at school is calling you a stone cold bitch?” Gayle pointed out. “Especially after you had that cheerleader in tears yesterday…”
“All I did was point out what everyone in school knew,” I responded with a faint smirk.
Yesterday, one of the cheerleaders had decided to ‘teach me my place’ in the social hierarchy of the school. She’d confronted me with a couple of her friends, assaulting me with ego and bluster. To her surprise, I didn’t just back down in the face of her superior social standing. Instead, I’d actually laughed in her face and then pointed out that even her own boyfriend thought so little of her that he’d slept around with a bunch of other girls, including a few who were rather unattractive. Then I suggested she get tested for some STDs before I turned and walked away, leaving her mortified at the way I’d just humiliated her in public.
Of course, the stupid bitch didn’t realize that I’d actually let her off quite easily. I had been more than a little tempted to use my trick on her, to bend her to my will and have her lick my shoes right there in front of everyone instead.
“Besides,” I told Gayle with a grim smile, “she did ask for it when she decided to fuck with me.”
“Remind me not to make you angry,” Gayle said with a weak smile.
I just gave her a faint smile and asked, “Why? Do you need a reminder?”
Gayle paused for a moment and then shook her head. “Well, I’ve got to get going to my next class. Unfortunately, we’re getting assigned lab partners in biology and if I’m late, I might end up stuck with Chad.”
We both laughed at that, knowing that she’d end up working with Chad anyway. In spite of looking like a dumb jock, he was a pretty sharp guy and would make sure they got a good grade.
I waved goodbye to Gayle and then started on my way to my next class, reaching into my purse for my cigarettes. There wouldn’t be enough time to actually smoke one before the class started, but I didn’t really care. Class could wait a few minutes.
When school was over a few hours later, I was more than happy to leave. After all, I needed to get to my other house so I could relax and relieve a little stress. I was sure my pet slut Caitlyn would be more than happy to assist. Then again, she didn’t exactly have a choice.
Just then, a pair of hands grabbed me from behind. Before I could fully absorb this, another pair of hands grabbed me as well, holding me while a third person sudden came around to my front and surprised me with a punch to my face. My nose suddenly exploded in pain and blood, and only then did those who were holding me let go.
I snarled in anger, glaring at the teenage girl who’d sucker punched me, thinking that she looked familiar though it took me a second to remember from where. She was the girl I’d confronted me in the bathroom a few days ago and who I’d been forced to teach a lesson. Obviously, once my trick wore off she had decided to get even with me and to regain some of her status in the eyes of her friends, the two girls who’d held me.
“Listen bitch,” the girl exclaimed angrily. “I think we need to have a little talk.”
“Yes we do,” I said with a cold anger. Then I gave her a cruel smile before activating one of my tricks. Suddenly, my nose felt much better while she let out a scream and grabbed at her own nose which was now broken. “You shouldn’t have attacked me. You see, my trick is to push any injury back on the person who gave it to me…” Of course, that trick was a little more flexible than that, but for now it made it sound a little more like this was merely self-defense rather than revenge. “You REALLY shouldn’t have pissed me off…”
“Simone,” Chad yelled out as he came rushing up with Gayle beside him. He glared at the girls who’d attacked me and exclaimed, “We saw you three jump her…”
“I’ll handle this,” I told Chad and Gayle as they stepped forward to help me.
I stared at the girl who’d punched me, smirking as I did so. I couldn’t help but feeling more than a little excited by her pain and the further humiliation that was about to follow. I even licked my lips as I considered what I was about to do to her and her friends.
“Fucking bitch,” the girl in obvious pain yelled while blood ran from her nose. “I’m gonna fuck you up…”
“You’re welcome to try,” I pointed out with a sadistic glee. “If you’re stupid enough to attack me again after I demonstrated my trick, then you deserve every ounce of the pain I’m about to give you…” Her friends gulped and backed away.
Before I could do anything more though, another voice added to the mix, demanding, “What the hell is going on here?” I looked up to see the vice principal Mr. Decker coming towards us. He was an imposing man who was tall, a bit stocky, and completely bald. He was twisted, though from what I understood, the only thing about his twist was that he was bald and couldn’t grow any hair anywhere on his body. It was a pretty minor twist, all things considered.
“She hit me,” the other girl lied, pointing to me. “She attacked me for no reason…”
Decker glared at me, apparently believing her since she was injured and I was not. I met his eyes and didn’t look away, giving him a cold glare that obviously made him uncomfortable.
“She’s lying,” Gayle burst out, “I watched her and her friends jump Simone…”
“Then how come I’m the one bleeding?” the other girl screamed. “She hit me…”
“The stupid slut is lying,” I stated simply, sneering as I did so. “My trick is that if someone injures me, I reflect the injury back at them. It’s on record.”
“Regardless, you’re still suspended for fighting,” Decker said.
I just sneered in contempt that this stupid little man dared to think he had the right to judge me. It seemed that he was going to need a lesson as well as the bitch who’d attacked me. It took a great deal of effort to control myself and only push on his willpower a little.
“I see,” I said coldly. “I didn’t throw a single punch or make any offensive moves at all, yet you want to punish me. I was physically assaulted on school property and you did absolutely nothing to prevent it. Now it seems that you’re trying to cover it up and blame me instead…” I gave a wicked smile as I added, “Thank you. The lawsuit from this should pay for all of my college bills and then some…”
“What…?” Decker gasped in surprise.
“I was the victim of gross physical assault by three people on school grounds,” I pointed out coldly. “There are multiple witnesses to this. That makes this a criminal matter now so the police will need to be involved. And of course, you are violating my rights by punishing the victim of the assault… That makes this a matter for a civil lawsuit as well… And of course, there’s all the bad publicity that will result…all thanks to you…” I pushed on his willpower a little more, enjoying the looking of squirming discomfort on his face.
“You can’t…,” Decker stammered, obviously shocked at having a student threaten him like this.
I stepped a little closer to him and then whispered so that only he could hear. “Fuck with me on this and I’ll not only have your job, but I’ll have every cent of your life savings as well…”
Decker paled at that and then took a nervous step back from me. He quickly tried protecting his pride by saying, “I suppose this doesn’t deserve suspension, I mean…not if you were just defending yourself.” He gulped and said, “Just don’t let this happen again…” And with that, he turned and hurried away as quickly as he could.
I turned to look at the girls who’d jumped me, giving them a shark’s smile for a moment. All three turned and hurried away, apparently having decided that they no longer wanted to mess with me. That was probably the smartest decision they’ve made in quite some time. Of course, that didn’t mean I was just going to forget about this, not in the least.
“Holy shit,” Chad exclaimed as he and Gayle rushed to my side. “I can’t believe you did that…”
“You actually made Mister Decker back down,” Gayle added with a disbelieving shake of her head. Then she cautioned me, “He might hold it against you though in the future.”
“If he does,” I pointed out calmly. “I’ll deal with it then.”
Chad just stared at me for a moment before saying, “You’ve got bigger balls as a girl than you did as a guy.”
“Thank you,” I responded with a scowl. “I think.”
“She probably deserved that,” Gayle said, looking in the direction that the other girls had run in. “But you were kind of harsh with Mister Decker…”
“Harsh?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. “I don’t think so. He was going to try suspending me…” I snorted in disdain at that.
Gayle just gave me a wary look before responding, “Okay…”
Chad gave a slightly forced grin and asked, “So, you guys wanna hang out? I’ve got that new virtual reality game that I’ve been wanting to show you…”
“Not right now,” I responded grimly. The encounter with those girls and with Decker had really stirred my dark side and I wouldn’t trust myself around my friends until I’d had a chance to satiate it a bit. As it was, I was starting to have fantasies about them, ones that they’d be horrified of if they found out. “I’m afraid that I have things I need to take care of tonight.”
Chad looked disappointed at that so Gayle told him, “Maybe we can come over tomorrow…”
After I’d said goodbye to my friends, I immediately started towards my other home, the one where I could revel in all my dark urges and satisfy these desires that most people wouldn’t understand. I was already feeling very horny and was looking forward to having Caitlyn eat me out.
As soon as I arrived, I stepped through the door and called out, “Caitlyn...”
“Yes mistress,” she responded, immediately running into the room. She was dressed in a slutty fetish costume with lots of rings built into it, perfect for bondage games.
I stared at my pet for a moment, noticing that her willpower had barely increased at all since I’d seen her yesterday. At this rate, I’d only need to push her willpower down in a week, and then only a couple times more after that before it became completely irreversible.
“Have you completed the tasks I gave you?” I asked.
“Yes mistress,” she responded submissively. “I bought the supplies you commanded and got the tattoo…”
“Show me,” I ordered. Caitlyn didn’t hesitate before showing me the tattoo on her ass cheek that said ‘PROPERTY OF MISTRESS SIMONE’. I nodded at that and then told her, “Pour me some scotch while I get changed.”
A minute later, I was in the bedroom, stripping off these frumpy clothes I had to wear in public and letting out a loud sigh of relief. I was grateful that I could finally get into something comfortable. I realized the irony of that even as I put on the black corset and knee high stiletto heeled boots. I was soon dressed in my favorite dominatrix outfit and feeling much better.
“This is more like it,” I said with a sneer, grabbing a whip and then going back into the living room where my slave met me with a glass of scotch.
I took a long drink of the scotch, and without having to say anything, Caitlyn was holding out my silver cigarette case. Caitlyn lit the cigarette for me and didn’t even blink when I blew the smoke into her face.
“Now,” I mused, looking her over and trying to decide if I wanted to tie her up and whip her for a bit or if I wanted to just have her go straight to eating me out. Of course, I was still on my period and that would be pretty disgusting, but that was her problem, not mine. “This is the way things should be…”
I felt deep sense of satisfaction as I considered what I was about to do with Caitlyn, when suddenly, my mood was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing. I glared at the door, annoyed at the interruption.
“See who it is,” I ordered Caitlyn.
Caitlyn looked through the peep hole on the door and then told me, “Mistress, it’s a teenage girl…”
I stared at the door with my eyes narrowing with a sudden suspicion of who it was. “Let Gayle in,” I said.
Caitlyn opened the door and I saw that my suspicion was indeed correct. Gayle was standing in the doorway, staring at Caitlyn with her mouth open. However, she noticed me a moment later and let out a loud gasp.
“I knew you were too curious for your own good,” I told my stunned friend. “I shouldn’t be surprised that you followed me…”
“Holy shit,” Gayle gasped, still staring at me. “What the hell is going on Simone? Why are you dressed like that?”
“Don’t presume to make demands of me,” I snapped at her, pausing to bite back on my own impulses. The one place where I could let loose of my dark nature was no longer quite as safe for that. Then I asked, “Would you like something to drink? Scotch? Brandy? Wine?”
“Um…wine?” Gayle responded hesitantly.
“Get her a glass of wine,” I ordered Caitlyn. “Red.”
“Yes mistress,” Caitlyn answered before she rushed off.
Gayle stared after Caitlyn and then at me again, obviously looking extremely nervous. That touch of fear was stirring my desires and I had to keep them clamped down.
“I can’t believe you’re walking in those boots,” Gayle blurted out. “I’d be afraid of breaking my ankles…”
I just smiled faintly, then gestured to the couch, “Sit down.” I sat down in my chair, taking a sip of my scotch and then a drag from my cigarette. A large part of me was enjoying Gayle’s discomfort, but another part felt sympathy for her. “It seems that I need to explain.”
“You think?” Gayle responded. “I knew there was more to your twist than you were admitting… But this…” Then she gestured to Caitlyn who was coming back with a glass of wine. “And what’s up with her?”
“This is Caitlyn,” I said with a smirk, grabbing Caitlyn’s ass and startling Gayle even more. “She’s my obedient little pet…” Gayle nearly choked at that. “Aren’t you?”
“Yes mistress,” Caitlyn agreed.
I looked back at Gayle and considered what I was going to say. I hadn’t wanted any of my friends or family to find out about this part of me, about this second life I was living. I’d been trying hard to keep my two lives separate, but it seemed that was no longer to be the case.
“The story behind my disappearance is that I was kidnapped,” I told Gayle rather calmly. “Caitlyn kidnapped me, tied me up, and tried to dominate me completely… Her intention was to trigger my twist and force me to become her own ideal submissive slave…” I gave Gayle a wry smile as I added, “Obviously, things didn’t go quite as planned.”
“How…?” Gayle asked awkwardly, staring at Caitlyn. “Why is she like that?”
“As you can see,” I pointed out, “I became the exact opposite of what she intended. Instead of a submissive slave, I became a dominatrix. To be completely honest, I became a bitch with a strong sadistic streak, not to mention a taste for domination and bondage.”
“Oh shit,” Gayle whispered, now looking afraid.
“I’ve been trying to keep my desires under control,” I explained with a faint sneer. “I’ve been trying very hard to play nice with others. Trust me, it isn’t all that easy with the way my thoughts and emotions work now. This,” I gestured around us, “is my outlet…where I can come to satisfy my darker nature without hurting anyone.”
“What about her?” Gayle demanded, pointing to Caitlyn.
“Caitlyn is a…special case,” I said carefully. “As I said, she kidnapped me. Unfortunately for her, one of my tricks is that I can…bend people to my will.”
“Mind control,” Gayle whispered, giving me another look of fear. “Are you going to do that to me?”
I actually considered it for just a moment before shaking my head. “No. I’ve promised myself that I won’t do that to anyone who doesn’t really deserve it. Trust me, Caitlyn does. I gave her exactly what she gave me. I won’t do this to anyone who doesn’t deserve it, especially not my family or friends. I promise…you’re safe from me.”
“This is a bit to take in,” Gayle told me, not looking very comforted. “I don’t really even know you anymore, do I?”
I let out a sigh at that and then put out my cigarette. “I can’t argue with that,” I admitted. “I’ve been trying to keep this part of myself quiet so that I wouldn’t scare you all away.” I paused for a moment, trying to consider how I could explain this. “My friends and family are the only things that keep me from giving into this part of myself entirely. You have no idea how tempted I am by that.”
“Yeah,” Gayle said, taking the first sip from her wine and looking as though she didn’t enjoy the taste. “I guess I can understand that. I mean, this is a bit much to take in.”
“Will you keep quiet about all this?” I asked, trying to control myself so that I didn’t just demand her silence.
Gayle hesitated a moment before answering, “Yeah… I’ll keep your secret.” Then she cautiously said, “But you’re going to have to tell your mom and dad sometime… I mean, you can’t hide this forever.”
“You might be right,” I admitted. “But I’d rather not take the chance of scaring them off when they realize the full nature of my twist.”
Gayle smiled nervously, though it was the smile of a kid who was about to do something naughty. “So…can you tell me more about your other life here?”
I grinned back, though my smile wasn’t nearly as innocent. “Very well, but it might be a little more than you’re comfortable with. It might be easier just to show you…” She paled at that while I just laughed. As I’d already told her, she was perfectly safe from me, no matter how much she was tempting me. Still, that didn’t mean that I couldn’t at least have fun by embarrassing her.
--------------------
It was just after fifth period and I’d just left the classroom with Gayle and Chad. This class had been particularly slow and painful today, and though I was a sadist, I wasn’t a masochist. I was just as glad to be out of there as everyone else.
“So, you guys want to come over and play some cards after school?” Chad asked. “I got a cool new card yesterday that I was going to add to my deck…”
“I’m not in a cards mood today,” I told him after a moment.
“Maybe my new VR game,” Chad said. “You seemed to like it the other day…”
“Maybe after dinner,” I responded with a faint smile. “I have some things I need to do after school…”
“I promised I’d help her practice with her makeup,” Gayle quickly added though she’d made no such promise.
It had been several days since Gayle had discovered my secret and she’d kept quiet about it just like she promised. And though she hadn’t said a word to me about my other life since, she had been providing interference to keep Chad and others from finding out as well. I appreciated her assistance, especially as I’d never asked for it.
Chad frowned, looking a little jealous at being left out now that he was the only guy in our group. I wonder if Gayle used to feel that way when it was Chad and I outnumbering her.
“Well, we can talk about it later,” I pointed out with a wry smile. “We don’t want to be late for class again.”
Then I smirked faintly, thinking that it probably wouldn’t do for me to push a teacher again…no matter how much I enjoyed it. In fact, that was the reason I had to keep from doing so.
“Later then,” Chad agreed reluctantly before he and Gayle left for their next class together.
I had barely started down the hall when I saw Mike coming towards me again, an arrogant smirk on his face. I scowled in annoyance, wondering what it would take to make that guy get the hint.
After I’d humiliated Mike in the cafeteria, I thought that he’d stay away but that had only worked to a degree. He hadn’t come too close but he’d been spreading rumors about me and following me around. It was time to do something about this.
“Hey babe,” Mike greeted me.
“Are you looking to get hurt?” I calmly asked Mike in a cold voice, giving him a steady glare.
“You know, you’re totally hot when you’re angry,” he responded with a smug grin.
I continued glaring at him for a moment, taking several deep breaths to control myself so that I didn’t do something that I’d regret later…not that I regretted much anymore. Still, this was an exercise in self-control.
“You do know that I used to be a guy,” I reminded him, thinking that this fact alone should have kept him and most other boys away. Then again, this was Spiral where even the norms tended to have more open minds.
“But you’re obviously not anymore,” Mike said, staring at my tits with a hungry grin.
Mike’s persistence was really starting to annoy me and I was more than a little tempted to give him a reminder of what had happened when he’d fucked with me in the cafeteria. In fact, the urge to break him to my will…to hurt and humiliate him right here in the hallway was very strong. It took a great force of effort to keep from doing what I so wanted to. Even so, I might still have given in if wasn’t for the fact that I’d been trying even harder to avoid that kind of attention ever since my encounter with Decker.
“So what do you say?” Mike asked, smirking even more. “Wanna go out with me?”
I stared at him flatly for another moment, giving him a look that would have made most people take a step back though he seemed completely oblivious. Then I slowly smiled, though it wasn’t a pleasant one. If he couldn’t take a hint then maybe it was time to give him exactly what he was asking for.
“Very well,” I finally responded, seeing a faint flicker of surprise on Mike’s face though he quickly covered it up. “Tonight.”
“Great,” Mike started though I cut him off.
“Come here alone,” I told him, writing down the address of the house I’d acquired from Caitlyn. “If you don’t show up, you won’t get another chance. If you tell anyone about this, I’ll deny it and you won’t get another chance.” Then I handed him the paper and said, “I’ll see you tonight,” as I turned and walked away.
“I promise I’ll be on my best behavior,” Mike called to me, sounding even more smug than before…if that was even possible.
I just smirked to myself and mused, “Maybe…but I won’t.”
--------------------
I stood in front of the large mirror, looking myself over and feeling quite pleased by what I saw. I looked sexy and dangerous which was exactly how I felt.
At the moment, I was wearing a new outfit that I’d had my pet order for me, one that fit me even better than the ones I’d acquired from her. This was a sleek black outfit that covered everything from the neck down. It had a built in corset, bustier, and stiletto heels.
My hair was pulled back into a long braid and I had my makeup done almost perfectly with dark eye shadow and crimson lipstick. Gayle had given me some makeup lessons, being quite good since she had a lot of experience matching different shades and styles to skin tone. I’d been practicing quite a bit and had become quite acceptable.
Once I was fully satisfied with my appearance, I reached for my cigarette case and lit myself a cigarette. I took a long drag, absently considering how I had once thought these things disgusting but now found smoking to be very pleasant. Of course, there were other effects of my twist which were far more extreme than just gaining a bad habit.
“Slave,” I called out.
“Yes mistress?” Caitlyn answered, immediately coming at my call.
She stood there waiting patiently for any command I had, having no resistance whatsoever. She seemed to accept her new status as my slave and pet completely and totally, much to my amusement. Of course, that was exactly as it should be.
“My guest should be arriving soon,” I told her with a smirk. “If he has the balls that is. You know what to do.”
“Yes, mistress,” she responded with a bow.
With that, I went and took a seat while I waited to see if that pathetic loser Mike actually came or if he chickened out. Of course, if he left me waiting for nothing, then he was going to be in serious trouble when I did get my hands on him. I hated wasting my time.
While I waited, I occupied my thoughts with what I’d do to Mike if he stood me up…and what I’d do if he didn’t. I also had a few pleasant thoughts of world conquest, one of the fantasies that kept coming back to me.
“I never would have guessed that I’d be looking forward to dating a boy,” I mused to myself, getting turned on as I once again thought of what I might do to Mike. I’d be able to satisfy my darker urges and deal with that obnoxious pest at the same time. Of course, he might not be very happy about things afterwards but that was hardly my problem.
Then the doorbell rang and I smirked at the sound but made absolutely no move to answer it. Caitlyn rushed to do that instead.
I heard Mike’s voice exclaim, “Holy shit,” as he saw Caitlyn, dressed in a fairly modest maid outfit that was still very sexy. I was in the next room over and out of sight at the moment but I could easily imagine the look on his face.
“I have been instructed to prepare you,” Caitlyn told him.
“Whoa,” Mike exclaimed. “A blindfold? This is kind of kinky…” He sounded a bit nervous as he realized that he was in over his head but he wasn’t about to admit that, especially when things were getting so interesting so fast.
I took a sip of scotch and waited patiently while Caitlyn prepared my date for me. After all, if I just walked into him like this without these precautions, there was a chance that I’d scare the boy off. I didn’t want that…yet. Not until after I’ve had my fun.
A few minutes later, Caitlyn returned and told me, “It is done mistress.”
“Then leave us,” I told her as I got up. “I’ll want some privacy for now.”
“Yes, mistress,” she responded before turning to leave the room.
I slowly walked down the hall to the guest bedroom and then paused at the door. There was Mike, blindfolded and stretched out on the bed with his wrists cuffed to the head while his feet were tied to the base. I was a little surprised that Caitlyn could get him to agree to that so easily without having to use force or drugs, but then again, she did have a bit of experience with this kind of thing.
“Are you comfortable?” I asked, smirking as Mike turned his head to listen to me.
“Simone?” he asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice. “This isn’t quite what I had in mind when I asked you out…not that I really mind…” He smirked, apparently thinking that this was just a game. However, he was about to learn that I didn’t play with safe words.
“No, but it is what I had in mind,” I said, feeling turned on at how helpless I had him at the moment.
Then I went to Mike’s side and put a hand on his cheek, holding him gently for a moment before I suddenly slapped him. The fact that he couldn’t see it coming meant that it caught him by surprise.
“What’s going on?” he demanded, once again sounding vaguely nervous. “I don’t like not being able to see…”
“Very well,” I said, reaching for his blindfold and lifting it enough so that he could get a good look at me. “After all, I did get dressed up for this date so you should at least see that…”
Mike stared at me with his mouth open, obviously shocked by my appearance. I let him take a good look while I gave him a cold stare.
“Simone…,” he started.
Without warning, I slapped him again, leaving a red mark over half his face. “That’s Mistress Simone,” I told him coldly. “Or just mistress.” His eyes widened at that.
“What the fuck?” Mike demanded. “This is getting a bit twisted…”
“Of course it is,” I pointed out calmly. “This is my twist.” I gave him a predatory look that made him gulp in realization.
Then I reached into the dresser beside the bed and pulled out a knife that I’d tucked in their earlier. I let Mike get a good look at it and savored the look of fear in his eyes. Only then did I put his blindfold back in place.
“Not a word,” I told him. “I do have a ball gag if necessary. Nod if you understand me.” He nodded while I smirked.
A moment later, I went to work cutting his clothes off, being careful not to cut him though I didn’t let him know that. I did poke him a little with my nails just to make him jump and realize how much he was under my power.
Once Mike was completely naked, I pulled my whip out of the dresser drawer and snapped it a few times in the air just to get him even more nervous. I then made sure to hit him in the chest with it a couple times before I removed his blindfold again.
Mike stared at me with a strange expression on his face while I just smirked at how much I had him under my power. Of course, I could just push at him with my trick and bend him completely to my will, but that would be too easy and not as satisfying as breaking him this way.
As it was, I was having real fun and getting very horny.
“You’ve been a very bad dog,” I told Mike, snapping my whip and catching him on the chest again. “I just might have to have you fixed…” He gave me a look of fear. I grabbed his balls and cupped them firmly, making it quite clear that I could crush them with ease. “Now beg me to spare you…”
“Please…,” Mike blurted out.
I squeezed just a little and said, “Please what?”
“Please…mistress,” Mike begged while I savored the moment.
“Now beg like you mean it,” I commanded him, holding up the knife so that he could see it. “Convince me to spare your miserable little balls…”
Mike began to beg and plead for me not to cut off his balls until I was satisfied, then I played a few more games with him, alternating between causing him pleasure and plain. I humiliated him further, getting more and more turned on as I did so.
Before long, Mike had surrendered entirely to this situation and my power over him. And then I looked him in the eyes and was suddenly struck by a realization that he was really getting into this…as if his hard-on wasn’t already a clue. I could see it in his eyes though… He was being turned on by this every bit as much as I was.
Suddenly, Mike’s persistence in coming after me made a LOT more sense. The reason I hadn’t chased him off after humiliating him in the school cafeteria was because I’d actually excited him instead. In spite of being a bully, he was actually a natural submissive and I’d just happened to stumble onto him.
“I know what you are,” I told Mike, excited by the realization.
“What am I…mistress?” Mike asked submissively.
“My dog,” I told him with a smirk. “My little pet dog. I’m going to have to get you a dog collar to wear…”
Mike hesitated only a moment before responding, “As you wish, mistress.”
But as I stared at my new pet, imagining him with a dog collar on and nothing else, I was suddenly struck with another realization. Until now, I’d never considered that there were people out there with urges and desires that were compatible with my own…people who loved to be hurt, humiliated, and dominated. Until now, I’d thought that the only way I could satisfy my desires would be to do what I’d done with Caitlyn, yet now I realized that wasn’t necessary. All I had to do was find other people who would want me to treat them like that.
The part of me that was Simon let out a sigh of relief from within. This meant that I could satisfy my darker hungers without breaking any of Simon’s morals or the rules that I’d set up. I couldn’t help but feeling excited by this realization, though I also felt a certain annoyance since I liked the idea of hurting innocent people.
“Enough time to consider that later,” I mused to myself, turning my attention back to Mike.
I was still pretty damn horny and decided that my new pet here would actually have the honor of eating me out. I was going to see if he had what it takes to make him worthy of actually remaining my pet or of my fucking him. I smirked and reached for my whip again, enjoying the look in his eyes as he stared at it.
“Come dog,” I told him with a snap of the whip. “Simone says…we’re only just getting started…”
--------------------
I sat at the small makeup table, staring at my reflection in the mirror as I finished up the final touches. Half a minute later, it was perfect.
At the moment, I was in my bedroom though it had been redecorated so that it no longer had much resemblance to what it had looked like when I’d been Simon. There was almost no hint that a teenage boy had ever resided here, and instead, it looked almost as though it belonged to an adult woman.
This room was much more to my new tastes but was still a bit subdued. And truthfully, I considered the room I’d set aside at the other house to be more of my true home, even though this was the one where I slept.
I looked into the mirror and smirked at myself, feeling quite pleased as I considered how things have been going for me lately. In fact, everything had been going just about perfect.
Gayle had continued to remain silent about my other life even though it had been a week and a half since she’d learned about it. She still didn’t talk to me about it but that was perfectly acceptable, as long as she didn’t talk to anyone else about it either. I chuckled faintly as I imagined what Chad would think if he ever found about my darker nature.
Of course, there was someone else who was quite aware of my second life, someone besides Gayle and Caitlyn that is. Mike had definitely experienced my desires first-hand…and more than once. In fact, he’d become my second pet…one whom I never even had to use my trick on.
My relationship with Mike had surprised even me since I never would have imagined having one with that obnoxious jock. However, the fact that he got off on humiliation and had submitted to me entirely of his own free will had made him quite interesting to me. After school, he was my pet and slave while at school he now left me alone and actively avoided me unless I instructed him otherwise. It was the perfect relationship.
I was a self-centered and sadistic bitch, all thanks to my twist, but there was more to me. Simon still remained within and ever since I’d come back to my friends and family, I’d been able to bring more of him and his emotions to the surface. However, it had been difficult balancing these two sides of myself, both satisfying my dark urges while not crossing the line I’d set for myself.
Ever since my twist, one of the things I’d been trying to do was find a sense of balance in my life, a way to live that would satisfy the urges and desires that came from my twist while keeping me from becoming a slave to them. Mike, as annoying as he had been at first, had done a great deal to help me find that balance, to find a way to satisfy my desires without crossing the line.
I was quite satisfied with the way my life was going at the moment, or at least I was for the most part. A large part of me was still disgusted that I was living with my old family, going to school, and holding myself back when I was capable of so much. However, I considered that as proof that I was doing well at living with the rules I’d established for myself.
“But I do need to do more,” I mused to myself, considering what I was about to do.
At first, I hadn’t wanted anyone to know about the true nature of my twist and what it was I now craved and desired. However, things had worked out quite well with both Mike and Gayle knowing about it so I decided to take it one step further.
With that, I stood up and looked down at myself and the dominatrix outfit that I was currently wearing. I smirked at the sight, feeling quite comfortable like this and knowing that it would create quite an impact on anyone who saw me.
A moment later, I stepped out of my room and walked down the hall to the living room, knowing that Sharon would be there, lounging around without a top on. Leonard was currently at the bakery while Erin and Ellie were staying the night with a friend, which meant that this was the perfect time to do this.
“Simone?” Sharon exclaimed in surprise when she saw me. Her eyes went wide. “What are you wearing?”
“Something comfortable,” I stated calmly, remembering a talk I’d had with her about my lack of comfort in normal clothes. She’d told me that I should go ahead and wear what I was comfortable with so I thought that I’d take her up on it, at least enough to let her know about my twist. Out of all my friends and family, she was the one most likely to understand.
Sharon just stared at me for a moment before nodding her head slowly. “I see,” she responded carefully, revealing that she really did. “This does make a bit more sense…”
“My twist and compulsions go a bit deeper than just the clothes,” I admitted, though I probably didn’t need to. “I won’t go into details.”
“I’d appreciate it,” Sharon told me with a shake of her head. “There are some things that a mother doesn’t really need to know.” She paused a moment before adding, “But I do appreciate your letting me know.”
“I don’t think Leonard or my sisters really need to know,” I told her with a smirk. “At least not yet.”
“Good decision,” she responded with a laugh. “I imagine that Leonard wouldn’t be thrilled and I don’t want to have that discussion with Erin or Ellie just yet…”
Sharon stared at me and then shook her head with a sigh. She got up and went to the liquor cabinet, poured each of us a drink and then handed me one before sitting on the couch. I sat down as well, taking a sip and watching her, feeling amused by her reactions.
“It could be much worse,” I pointed out with a smirk, deciding to make her a little more uncomfortable. “Just wait until Erin and Ellie go through their twists…”
“Damn,” Sharon muttered, taking a long drink from her glass. “Trust me, I’ve already been worried about that…” Then she paused to stare at me for a moment longer, her eyes going over my outfit and settling on my stiletto heeled boots before finally going back to my face. “The hell with it...” She gave me a naughty look and said, “Go ahead and tell me all about it…”
I just laughed at that, feeling pleased by my decision to tell Sharon about my other side. After all, she had at least some understanding of the kind of desires I felt and of the way most normal people would react. Fortunately, she was a lot more open-minded than most mothers would be.
“Obviously, I have a bit of a dark side,” I told her with a smirk, taking a long sip of my drink and thinking about my two pets. I was getting turned on just thinking about them. “It started when a strange woman pulled up beside me in her car…”
I told Sharon about my twist, even telling her about Caitlyn and enjoying the look of shock on her face. To my surprise, I actually felt a strange sense of relief as we talked, as though I’d finally brought the two sides of my life together and found a balance. Who knew I could still have a nice family life to go along with my dark side.
THE END
Author’s Note: I was halfway through writing this story when I was suddenly struck with inspiration to write my story the Changeling Chronicles. I put this story on hold until I was finished with the Changeling Chronicles, but then found that I couldn’t quite pick up my inspiration for this one again. I did finish it but the second half feels a little flat to me and lacks some of the details that I'd originally intended on adding.
By
Morpheus
Jerry feels trapped in his sisters shadow, and when he undergoes his own twist, it becomes even worse. This story takes place in the Twisted universe
--------------------
I sat at my desk, listening half-heartedly as my history teacher droned on about the Antarctic Flu, the virus that hit North America over fifty years ago. The rapid infection caused a lot of panic, resulting in some martial law, mass quarantines, and even other countries blocking Americans from entry. Before the virus ended, over two million people had been killed.
“As you all know,” Mr. Morgan said as he finished his lecture. “Those who contracted the virus and survived were later found to have had their DNA altered.” He paused at that and looked around the class full of bored sixteen year olds, his eyes settling on me. “The descendants of those survivors are the Twisted. Like young Jerry here.”
Every pair of eyes in class turned to look at me and I squirmed uncomfortably under the attention. I was the only person in class who was descended from one of those Antarctic Flu survivors, so I’d known when Mr. Morgan started talking about that topic that this would be brought up.
“Hey Jerry,” one of the other guys in class asked me curiously. “What’s it like being Twisted?”
“How should I know?” I responded with a roll of my eyes, having heard this very question countless times before. “I haven’t gone through my twist yet.” Then I paused for a moment before adding, “Besides, I don’t even know for sure if I will. I mean, my mom might be Twisted but my dad isn’t.”
There were a few more questions while Mr. Morgan just observed with an amused look. I gave him a quick glare, knowing that he’d set up this question and answer session as part of his lesson plan. Of course, I suppose that I couldn’t really blame him for taking advantage of the resources available. After all, my sister and I were the only Twisted…or at least possibly future Twisted in school. In fact, we were the only Twisted family in town.
After a few minutes, Mr. Morgan got everyone’s attention again. “Remember,” I called out. “Your thesis papers are due in a couple days.” He looked at me and added, “And Jerry, your sister turned in an excellent paper on this topic last year. I expect you’ll do well.”
I grimaced at the mention of my sister Shelly and muttered, “Yeah, right.”
It seemed that no matter what I did, everyone always compared me to Shelly, including all the teachers who had her last year. Nearly every one of my teachers brought her up at one point or another, usually with comments about how she’d done better in class or how I should ask her for tutoring. It pissed me off.
When class was over, I waited a minute for my best friend Rich, who’d been seated on the other side of the classroom from me. We used to sit next to each other but Mr. Morgan had separated us to keep us from talking to each other during class.
Rich was 5 foot 7, two inches shorter than me, but also a bit more muscular. He was on the school wrestling team so was always working out with weights and trying to get stronger.
“Dude, I bet you’ll do pretty good on the next test,” Rich told me with a grin. “I mean, with the topic being about the Antarctic Flu and all…”
I rolled my eyes at that. “Yeah, someone in my family once got sick.” Then I snorted and added, “That was ancient history. I don’t know any more about it than you do.”
Rich chuckled at that and responded, “Then you’re in big trouble, dude.”
“Don’t I know it,” I muttered with a sigh.
Rich and I started down the hallway towards our next class, but we were only halfway there when I spotted my sister Shelly standing to the side with several of the more popular kids in school. I paused, staring at Shelly’s best friend April, a hot looking blonde who all natural laws said should have been a cheerleader. The fact that April wasn’t a cheerleader went against nearly every stereotype for hot blonde high school girls.
“Damn,” Rich exclaimed from behind me. “Your sister is smoking…”
I nodded absently, knowing good and well that Rich had a crush on Shelly. It was no surprise since nearly every guy in school had a crush on her. Shelly was a tall, athletic, and gorgeous brunette. Not only was she probably the hottest girl in school, she was also one of the most popular. However, in spite of being pretty and popular, she was certainly no bimbo. Shelly had been the star player on the girls baseball team last season and she was a straight A student.
Shelly hadn’t always been like this though. Just a year and a half ago, she’d been plain looking, a little plump, and a total slacker. Then she went through her twist, and literally overnight, she became the smart and sexy overachiever that the other boys all crushed on.
I was still watching April, whom I had my own crush on, when I realized that Shelly was coming towards me. Rich stood up straighter beside me and tried to act as though he didn’t notice her. It was all I could do to keep from chuckling.
“Hey Jerry,” Shelly greeted me, giving Rich a quick nod as well. “Rich.”
“What’s up?” I asked Shelly suspiciously. I wasn’t in the same social circle that she now occupied so she usually avoided me at school unless she wanted something.
“I need you to tell mom and dad that I’m going to be home late,” Shelly told me. “After kickboxing, I’m going to April’s house to study.”
“Sure,” I responded with a sigh, not exactly happy about playing her personal messenger.
“Thanks,” Shelly told me before she left.
Once Shelly was gone, Rich asked me, “Why didn’t she just call home?”
“Because she doesn’t want to give my parents a chance to question her,” I answered with a shrug. “This way, they don’t get a chance to tell her to come home earlier and she can still claim that she let them know about it.”
Rich and I continued to our next class where we were able to sit next to each other. One of the other boys in glass glared at me but didn’t say anything, though I was used to that. Craig didn’t like the Twisted, and even though I hadn’t gone through my own twist yet, that meant he didn’t like me.
There was a lot of fear and hostility towards the Twisted, and though most Twisted didn’t like to admit it, there were good reasons why. When someone went through their twist, they connected to a powerful source of energy which could transform them body, mind, and soul. A plain looking girl could become beautiful and outgoing, but on the other hand, someone who was kind loving could become a psychotic serial killer with the power to turn flesh to dust. You never knew what the results would be until after it happened.
In spite of the fact that my family was Twisted, the only ones in the entire town, most people didn’t really make a big deal about it anymore. I used to get some shit about it when I was younger and I still did on occasion, but most people in school were fairly tolerant. And of course, they’d all become a whole lot more tolerant since Shelly had gone through her twist.
After Shelly suddenly became a knockout, most of the people who used to pick on her began to regret it. Now, no one even wants to try bullying me since they don’t want to take the chance that I might turn into a muscle bound brute with a grudge. It made things a lot easier on me since all I really had to deal with was the occasional snide comment, or worse yet, being compared to my sister.
A minute later, our teacher tried quieting everyone down and getting our attention. Mrs. Gatzby was an elderly woman of African descent, and when the class didn’t settle down immediately, she pulled out a whistle and blew it. The piercing shriek got everyone to immediately pay attention.
“Now then,” Mrs. Gatzby said, giving the class a grandmotherly smile that seemed to ignore the method she’d just used to get our attention. “I’m going to pass out the tests you all took yesterday so you can see how you did.”
“Nice,” Rich commented from beside me as he held up his paper with a smug grin, showing the A that was written on the top.
“Not so nice,” I responded with a sigh, looking down at my own paper with the barely passing grade.
“I know you can do better than this,” Mrs. Gatzby told me with a faintly disapproving look. “I know you’re an intelligent boy. You just need to start applying yourself more…like your sister.”
I just groaned at that and dropped my head onto my desk with a slightly painful thud. I had a feeling that it was going to be a LONG day.
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I was thankful to be out of school for the day but not quite as thrilled about being home. Our report cards had been released today and it was only a matter of time before my mom and dad checked them online and saw my less than impressive grades. But until they did so, I could continue to ignore that looming threat.
I was a little startled to find my mom sitting in the living room since she usually didn’t get home for another hour. She was an attractive woman with brunette hair that was currently waist long and tied into an intricate braid. At the moment, she was absently playing with her own braided hair while watching TV.
“You’re home early,” I said as a way of greeting.
“They were doing construction work near the building so I wasn’t getting many walk ins today,” mom explained pleasantly. “I decided to take off a little early because of that.”
“Besides that, how was work?” I asked her, not that I really wanted to know but more to distract her before she thought to ask me about school or how the big test in Mrs. Gatzby’s class had gone.
Mom gave me an amused look that suggested she knew what I was up to, but she answered me anyway. “I had one man come in because he passed out while drunk and his friends shaved him bald. I took care of that for him. And then there was my regular Catherine. Well, last week she had me give her a short bob cut and this week she wanted to do a long hair style…”
There was obvious excitement in mom’s voice as she talked about her day. She ran the most popular hair salon in town, which was due no doubt to the nature of her twist, and especially to her trick.
My mom’s twist was pretty focused, though fortunately it was something that let her live a normal life. She had a minor obsession with hair, which is what drew her to her chosen career in hair styling. Her own hair also grew at a rate of about a foot a day, which meant that she couldn’t style it and usually had to keep it cut short, in a ponytail, or braided. The irony of her owning the best hair salon in town but having her hair like this wasn’t lost on us, and was probably the biggest frustration in her life.
And then there was my mom’s trick. A lot of Twisted have tricks…what would be called super powers in the comics. These can vary from cute and harmless tricks like to being able to make explosions. These tricks were one of the things that made normals nervous about the Twisted, though my mom’s trick definitely fell into the harmless category. She had the ability to make people’s hair grow longer, something which was extremely useful in her career.
Shelly didn’t have a trick, as far as we knew, or if she did, it was probably something so subtle that no one had really noticed it. I personally suspected that she might have a trick that helped her succeed with everything she tried, though that might very well just be all her hard work and almost obsessive dedication.
“Is dad going to be home for dinner tonight?” I asked mom curiously.
My dad worked as a general contractor and often worked long hours when he was in the middle of a project. In fact, since he was in the middle of remodeling a house, I expected to see very little of him for the next couple weeks.
“Not exactly,” mom told me with a grin. “He isn’t working late tonight but the two of us are going to go out for a romantic dinner. I’m afraid that you and Shelly will be on your own for dinner.”
“Great,” I responded with a sigh, knowing that it was going to be just me for dinner. “Mac and cheese it is.”
“Oh, that reminds me,” mom said, giving me one of those ‘parental’ looks. “I know you have that thesis paper due in a couple days, and if I know you, you probably haven’t even started.”
“It’s not a problem,” I protested with a sigh.
“Tonight would be a good time to work on it,” she pointed out flatly. “And if you have any trouble, you should ask Shelly for help…”
“Mom,” I protested again, not wanting to hear where this was going.
“You know she aced that class last year,” mom added with obvious pride, making me want to puke.
With that, I went to my room and sat down in front of my computer. In seconds, the holographic display came up in front of me while the motion capture system would log my hand motions so I could use the virtual keyboard and move the cursor. I checked my email and then did a little surfing, ending up on one of my favorite sites.
“Damn,” I exclaimed as I looked over the picture in front of me, nearly drooling. “What a total package…”
The picture in front of me was that of the new Kia Razor, the latest and hottest sports car on the market. It was a sleek and smooth hover car with the lowest point being six inches above the ground while it was active. It had a maximum speed of holy shit and a cost of oh my fucking god. It was also my dream car, as in I could only dream of ever riding in one of those much less being able to buy one.
“When dad said I could look into buying a car, I don’t think he meant this,” I said with a sigh. Of course, dad really meant that he’d help me buy a cheap car with four wheels, not anything new or fancy, and especially not a sports car like that. “Well, a guy can always dream.”
After I looked up a few more realistic car choices, I switched my computer to video game mode, activating two more holographic displays on either side of me. I grinned as I slipped into playing my favorite game, the one thing that Shell didn’t have me beat on. Of course, that was probably just because she hadn’t played any video games since her twist, but I’d take what I could get.
I’d been playing for about an hour when I heard my dad calling me from the other room. “Jerry,” my dad called again.
“Coming,” I called back, halting my game and going out.
Dad was obviously back from work, and when I saw him in the living room with mom, I saw that he’d already cleaned up for their date. However, I also saw the look on his face as well as on my mom’s, which told me what was about to happen.
“We just got done looking at your report card,” dad said, obviously not happy about it. “You just barely passed most of your classes.”
“We’re very disappointed,” mom added with a sigh. “You used to get good grades. What happened?”
I didn’t answer at first as I was fully aware of the disapproval in their eyes. “I don’t know,” I muttered, staring at the ground.
“We know you can do better than this,” mom told me with a shake of her head. “You just need to put some effort into it…”
“No video games for a week,” dad told me with a scowl. “You can use the extra time to study and get your grades up.”
“But,” I protested, already knowing it was no good. Mom and dad were already starting towards the door.
Mom stopped before leaving and gave me one more look before saying, “I wish you’d try to be more like your sister.” Those words struck me as though it was a physical blow.
As soon as my parents were gone, I spat out bitterly, “Try to be more like your sister…”
I clenched my fists, angry at having to listen to that AGAIN. Ever since Shelly had gone through her twist, I’d been hearing variations of that. All I ever seemed to hear anymore was ‘Shelly is better than you’ and ‘why can’t you be more like Shelly’. It was infuriating, especially since they all seemed to have forgotten that the only reason Shelly was little miss perfect was because of her twist. Before that, she’d been the slacker with the poor grades, not me.
Then I looked at the shelf on the living room wall which held the trophy’s and ribbons Shelly had won since her twist. I especially glared at the ones for kickboxing and the MVP award for baseball. I couldn’t help but feeling a dark glee that she’d never be able to compete professionally. The Twisted were banned from competing in almost any professional athletics due to unfair advantage.
I felt a mixture of jealousy and bitterness as I looked over the trophies. Baseball used to be my thing. I’d started in little league and had played for several years. I’d been a decent player, though not great. Then after Shelly went through her twist, she became interested in playing and joined the girls team. She practiced until she became good, even better than I was. Before long, people seemed to forget that I’d been playing baseball for years and started to think that I’d only begun playing to follow in my sister’s shoes. And even worse, people told me I should go to Shelly for advice on how to throw and hit the ball better. It had been humiliating so I stopped playing completely.
After I’d dropped out of baseball, I started taking kickboxing lessons. I’d always been interested in martial arts and this seemed like a good time to start taking classes. I enjoyed the classes for the first two months, but then, Shelly decided that she wanted to learn self-defense as well. She joined my kickboxing class and practiced with fierce determination, quickly catching up to me and then overtaking me.
Our instructor thought it was amusing have us spar with each other but Shelly kept beating me more and more easily. I worked even harder so that I could beat her, only to discover that when Shelly faced direct competition, she became almost obsessively competitive. She practiced even harder until she humiliated me over and over again. I dropped out of kickboxing as well rather than continue to deal with that. Now, I didn’t bother getting involved with any activities besides my video games. Fortunately for me, Shelly no longer had any interest in beating me there.
I went back to my room, still grumbling to myself and looking for something to do for a distraction. But as I entered my room, my eyes were drawn to the small picture frame that was sitting on my desk. It was a picture of me and Shelly. The REAL Shelly. This was probably the last picture in the house of Shelly from before her twist, or at least the last one that was still set out where it could be seen. The rest of the pictures had slowly been replaced with pictures of the newer and more photogenic version.
In spite of my current relationship with Shelly, the two of us used to be very close. We used to hang out with each other and even spent a lot of time playing video games together. Not only had Shelly been my big sister, she'd also been my best friend. But that all changed when she’d gone through her twist. The real Shelly had died and this too perfect imposter had been left in her place. An impostor who couldn’t bother to spare even a minute for her brother, unless it was to prove that she was better than me.
Thinking about the old Shelly made me sad, but it also bothered me that I was the only person who seemed to miss her. I was the only one who actually mourned the loss of my sister. Everyone else seemed to prefer the new one, especially my parents who were so proud to now have a pretty, popular, and perfect daughter.
Dad may have grounded me from playing video games, but that didn’t stop me from going back on in order to distract myself. Once I’d calmed down again, I logged off my game and decided that I should probably take care of that thesis paper. I normally didn’t bother putting much effort into any of my classes since I’d learned that no matter how good I did, it was always pointed out that Shelly did better. However, I didn’t want to fail either, and this paper was a major part of my grade.
I grabbed my portable computer tablet and then went to the living room where I plopped myself on the couch so that I could watch TV while I worked. In spite of being bored in class, I had paid attention and knew most of the subject matter. However, I had no idea where to actually start with the thesis paper. I wasn’t even sure what topic I wanted to write it on.
“Damn,” I muttered in frustration, especially when I remembered the way mom had suggested I ask Shelly for help.
Whatever I thought about Shelly, she was definitely smart and knew her material. And since she’d aced this class last year, there was no doubt that she’d be able to help me. Of course, being able to help me wasn’t the same thing as being willing to do so. Even if she was here, I knew that she’d be too busy studying or doing something else to bother.
I grimaced as I remembered mom’s earlier words of ‘I wish you’d try to be more like your sister’, which only made it more painfully ironic when I muttered, “What would Shelly do?”
I suddenly felt a strange tingling through my body as all the hairs on my arms and the back of my neck seemed to stand up at once. I gasped in instant realization and horror, jumping to my feet and dropping my tablet to the floor. However, I barely noticed that as the world seemed to explode and go dark.
--------------------
I woke up to a splitting headache, an odd sense of wrongness over my entire body, and a nearly overwhelming feeling of dread. At first, I remained where I was, taking deep breaths and trying hard not to panic.
Even with my head pounding, I clearly remembered the strange feelings that hit me right before I’d lost consciousness. The tingling, the feeling of static electricity, and the pressure I’d felt building just a second before everything exploded. Those were the signs preceding a twist.
“Oh shit,” I whispered, sitting up and having a very bad feeling about this.
I slowly got to my feet, noticing that the carpet and couch were blackened and charred. My tablet was on the floor next to me, looking partly melted and completely ruined. There were even torn and burnt remnants of my clothes scattered about.
While I was looking around, I was trying hard to ignore my own body. Trying and failing. Everything felt completely wrong, and when I looked down, there were two bulges pushing out from my chest.
“Oh shit,” I said again with a cold hard knot of dread in my stomach.
I grabbed these softball sized mounds of flesh on my chest and gulped. I had breasts. Real breasts, just like a girl. That thought was enough to make me immediately reach between my legs, only to find little Jerry was gone.
For a moment, I just remained frozen where I was with one hand on my breast while the other was between my legs. I was stunned…shocked. I couldn’t believe it, but neither could I deny it. I’d become a girl.
I tore my hands away from my sensitive spots but continued to look myself over, seeing that I definitely had a female body. Everything about my body had changed, and every bit of it looked like it belonged to a girl rather than to me.
“I’m…I’m a girl,” I whispered, trying to absorb that simple fact. Then I gulped and added, “And I’m Twisted.”
The second part wasn’t nearly as shocking as the first since I’d always known there was a good chance I’d be Twisted like mom. However, since the odds were about fifty percent and Shelly had ended up Twisted, I’d sort of suspected that I’d probably dodge that bullet. Obviously, that wasn’t the case.
I stood there for a minute, staring down at myself in stunned disbelief and trying to wrap my head around this…and trying not to freak out. Then I took several deep breaths, knowing that I had to take this one step at a time.
“I went through my twist,” I told myself as calmly as I could, which took some effort. “I’m Twisted…and I’m a girl.” Then I closed my eyes and took another deep breath, feeling my breasts sort of rise in the process. When I opened my eyes, I poked at my breasts and let out a sigh, then muttered, “What the hell do I look like now?”
Since the only way to get a real good look at myself was to find a mirror, I went to my mom and dad’s bedroom. Mom had an antique full length mirror that she kept in there, and I knew that would give me my best view.
When I reached the mirror and saw the girl who was reflected back, I let out a loud gasp of shock. The girl was gorgeous, with dark hair that went down to her mid-back. She had a body that was curvy and athletic at the same time, having round and firm breasts and great muscle tone. However, she was also extremely familiar.
“Shelly,” I blurted out with a cold knot forming in my stomach. I looked exactly like Shelly. “No,” I exclaimed in growing horror. “No…”
I leaned forward and examined my reflection more closely, in spite of the fact that I wanted to scream and smash the mirror. There was no doubt that I looked exactly like Shelly. My ears were already pierced, just like hers, and I even had the exact same haircut, though admittedly, I needed to brush my hair.
I finally tore myself from the mirror and backed away, feeling as though I was about to start hyperventilating. It was bad enough to turn into a girl, but to turn into Shelly…
Then I remembered what I’d been thinking about when my twist occurred. I’d been thinking about Shelly, about how mom had wished I was more like her and I was even wondering how she’d go about that thesis project. I gulped, knowing that those thoughts were what had directed the nature of my twist.
When someone goes through their twist, the form it takes is usually patterned somehow off of what they are doing or thinking at the time it was triggered…especially if it was something new or different. In my case, looking to Shelly for any kind of guidance must have been enough.
“SHIT,” I exclaimed in frustration. “Why couldn’t this have happened when I was weight lifting? Or trying out kickboxing?”
I left mom and dad’s bedroom and went to my own, sitting down on the edge of my bed and trying to calm down. I couldn’t look like Shelly. I couldn’t. I’ve already had more than enough of people comparing me to her that I didn’t need this as well.
It was just a couple minutes later that I heard noise from the living room, followed by dad yelling, “What the hell happened here? What happened to the floor and couch?”
“Oh my God,” mom’s voice exclaimed a moment later. “JERRY?” Then she must have been explaining to dad as she added, “He must have gone through his twist…”
A moment later, I heard them both calling my name while running towards my room. I desperately grabbed the blanked from my bed and pulled it over me, trying to wrap myself in it and hide at the same time.
“Jerry,” mom exclaimed as she burst into my room, only to find me buried in blankets and hiding from her.
“Go away,” I snapped, not wanting them to see me like this.
“You did go through your twist,” mom said, obviously worried. “Are you all right?”
“Go away,” I repeated, feeling ashamed and even afraid. “Just leave me alone…”
“Your voice…,” dad gasped. Then his voice became much more firm as he ordered me, “Show us what happened?”
All I could do was shake with tears starting to form. “No,” I said, huddling up inside the blanked even more. “I don’t want you to see me…”
“Jerry Andrew Sinclaire,” mom snapped in her form ‘mother’ voice. “You come out from there right this instant.”
I hesitated a moment before reluctantly pulling the blanked away enough to show my face. Since I was completely naked beneath the blanked, I kept the rest of my body naked.
“Shelly?” dad asked in surprise a moment later.
“I’m NOT Shelly,” I exclaimed angrily.
Mom stared at me, her eyes going wide. “Oh Jerry…” Then she threw her arms around me in a hug and said, “I’m so sorry…”
“Unbelievable,” dad whispered, staring at me in surprise. “Is that really you, Jerry?” All I could do was nod my head weakly.
“I think,” mom said carefully, looking to dad. “Jerry and I need to have a little privacy.” Dad gave me an odd look and nodded before leaving the room. Then mom stared at me for a moment before carefully asking, “How much have you changed?”
“Everything,” I answered in a whisper, wincing as I did.
“Oh dear,” mom responded, giving me a sympathetic look. “Can you show me?” When I didn’t respond, she let out a faint sigh. “It won’t be anything I haven’t seen before. Now let me see.”
I hesitated a moment and then slowly dropped the blanket, letting mom see my body. I blushed brightly and couldn’t bring myself to even look at her since I knew she was staring at me.
“You really do look like your sister,” mom said in amazement. “If I didn’t know better, I’d swear that you really were Shelly.”
I winced at that and then bitterly muttered, “You did say you wished I was more like her…”
Mom didn’t respond to that other than to give me an odd look. After a few more seconds, she said, “Let’s get you something to wear and then we can try to figure out how much you’ve changed.”
I nodded at that, knowing that she had to be wondering what kind of personality changes, compulsions, or obsessions I might have gained during my twist. I gulped, not having thought about those until now. But I did still feel like myself in my mind, so I hoped that was a good sign.
“I don’t think your own clothes will fit you very well,” mom mused thoughtfully. “Stay here…”
With that, mom left my room and came back a minute later with Shelly’s silk bathrobe. Fortunately, it was her silvery white one rather than the pink one. I didn’t bother arguing as I put it on since at least it was something to wear.
“Have you noticed any odd thoughts or emotions?” mom asked me carefully. “I mean, anything different from how you’d normally feel?”
“Does feeling freaked out count?” I asked.
“I think that counts as normal under the circumstances,” she answered with a faint smile.
Mom asked me a few more questions then insisted I leave my room. I reluctantly went to the living room where dad was waiting, feeling extremely self-conscious. I didn’t like him and mom seeing me like this.
“I always knew you could be Twisted,” dad said awkwardly. “But even after Shelly, I’m still not sure what to think.”
“If we were in Spiral,” mom told me gently, “We’d be able to take you to the clinic for a full examination and testing. But as we found out when Shelly twisted, that isn’t an option here. Fortunately, we found other options, but we’ll worry about that later.”
“I can’t believe it,” I said awkwardly, holding up my hands and staring at them. Even my hands looked different. They were girl hands.
My nails were oval shaped and a little longer than normal, but not too long. Shelly didn’t let her nails get too long because they’d get in the way playing baseball or practicing kickboxing, but they were still well manicured and feminine.
Shelly returned home a few minutes later. As soon as she’d come into the living room, she saw me sitting on the couch and froze, staring at me with her mouth dropping open.
“What’s going on?” Shelly demanded, giving me a suspicious look.
“It’s Jerry,” dad said, giving me an odd look. “He went through his twist.”
“Jerry?” Shelly asked in surprise while I cringed.
“Um…yeah,” I responded self-consciously.
“You look like me,” Shelly blurted out.
“Think of it this way,” dad joked weakly. “Now you have your very own twin sister.” No one laughed.
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Breakfast was extremely awkward and was an experience I could have done without. After spending a very uncomfortable night in bed, not able to get to sleep because of the way I kept rolling onto my new breasts, I then had to get up and face my family again.
I felt very self-conscious as I sat at the breakfast table in some of Shelly’s clothes. I was less than thrilled by having to wear my sister’s clothes, regardless of the fact that they now fit me perfectly, and she wasn’t very happy about my borrowing her clothes either.
“I still can’t believe it,” dad said, looking back and forth between us.
“You two look…identical.”
That just made me cringe, especially since it was true. Last night, mom had insisted that Shelly and I stand side by side while she looked us over. I had grown an inch taller and was now 5 foot 10, the same height as Shelly. And we found that I had a scar on the back of my hand that was a match for the one Shelly had. Every detail seemed to be a perfect match, which only made this seem even creepier.
Shelly stared at me for a moment but didn’t say anything before frowning and turning her attention back to her breakfast. Shelly didn’t seem any happier about my transformation than I was.
It was strange eating breakfast with everyone on a weekday like this, but things were a little odd. Dad was going to work a little late while mom had cancelled all of her appointments so she could spend the day with me. Of course, I wasn’t going to school today, but Shelly still was.
Once we were done with breakfast, Shelly hurried out of the house without saying a word to me. I didn’t mind since I wasn’t sure what to day to her either. Dad gave me a hesitant hug before leaving just a few minutes later.
“Why don’t you go take a shower,” mom suggested, absently reaching up to brush my hair with her fingers. “When you wash your hair, make sure you use conditioner.”
I rolled my eyes as I responded, “Sure.” Leave it to mom to be concerned about my hair when that was the least of my worries.
A minute later, I went to the bathroom and stripped off the clothes I’d put on after waking up, then I climbed into the shower and tried to wash myself. It was extremely aware of my altered body and the way my chest…the way my breasts pushed out. The hot water on my breasts only made it more obvious.
While I showered, I noticed that my skin was all soft and smooth as well as more sensitive than normal. This seemed even more true of the skin on my breasts. It was weird, but what made it all the worse was the fact that my body was an exact copy of Shelly’s. I felt like I was invading her privacy and that I was being some kind of perverted voyeur.
“Better get used to it,” I told myself bitterly. “This is going to be you from now on.”
My first impulse was to rush through my shower as quickly as possible, but I knew that I couldn’t ignore these changes forever. And of course, if I didn’t deal with my long mess of hair properly, mom would probably throw me back into the shower to make me do it again.
I was used to having fairly short hair, so having hair this long was definitely strange. I had to use a LOT more shampoo than ever before, and it almost felt like I was using half the bottle. Then I had to go and do the whole thing over again with the bottle of conditioner. I’d never used the stuff before but was pretty sure that mom would notice if I skipped it.
Once I was finished with the shower, I dried myself off and carefully avoided looking into the bathroom mirror. Looking into the mirror now would have been like walking in on Shelly while she was in the shower. I knew that if I was going to be like this for the rest of my life, I’d have to get over that eventually. Just not now.
I was just about to put the clothes I was wearing before the shower back on when I heard mom call out, “I put some fresh clothes out on your bed.”
With a sigh, I wrapped myself in a towel the way I’d seen mom and Shelly do before, then I went to my bedroom. I looked over the clothes that mom had set out, thankful that she’d chosen a blouse and pants rather than getting too sexy a top or a skirt. However, I did pause when I saw the bra and panties sitting on my bed.
“Why aren’t you getting dressed?” mom asked when she came up behind me.
“I can’t wear Shelly’s underwear,” I blurted out.
“I know,” mom responded with a sigh. “But they are clean and we’ll go get you some of your own later today.”
Mom left me alone to get dressed, much to my relief. I hesitated for another minute before I decided to get it over with. I put on the underwear and then reached for the bra, hesitating again. For a brief moment, I considered calling mom to ask how to put it on, then I realized how obvious it was and slipped it on without any problems.
When I was fully dressed, I left my room, only to have mom take one look at me and shake her head. “You need to use a hairdryer,” she told me, gesturing to my hair. “You should have dried your hair before getting fully dressed. You’re getting your shirt wet.”
I grimaced, reaching for my hair which was still went, in spite of the fact that I’d rubbed and rubbed at it with a towel. It was kind of heavy and awkward.
“Can I cut this?” I asked abruptly, looking to my mom. I grimaced and said, “I don’t want to much hair…”
“It is a bit much to deal with if you aren’t used to it,” she agreed pleasantly. “Sit down in the dining room and I’ll see if I can find a style that works a little better.”
A minute later, I was sitting down while mom pulled out her styling tools. The first thing she did was use the scissors to cut her own hair off at shoulder length, then she went to work on my hair.
Mom cut my hair about shoulder length as well, which was still longer than I was used to but would still be a lot easier to deal with than the way it was before. But then I felt a tickling feeling in my scalp while mom simultaneously let out a loud gasp and stepped back.
“What’s wrong?” I asked nervously. I reached for my hair and noticed that it had grown back to the same length it had been before mom cut it. “Why’d you make it grow back?”
“I didn’t,” she answered, giving me a curious look. She ran her hands through my hair and added thoughtfully, “The new growth is dry…”
Mom cut my hair again, but then it quickly grow back to its former length a second time. This time, all of the wet hair had been cut off so my hair was now long again. A quick look in the hand mirror that mom held up showed that it had even grown back into Shelly’s normal style as well.
“I suppose that is one way to try your hair,” mom said, running a brush through my hair until she was satisfied. “But it looks like your twist isn’t letting you change the style.”
“Just great,” I spat out in annoyance, wondering what other surprises my twist held in store for me.
“We need to find out exactly what your twist entails,” mom told me thoughtfully. “Have you noticed any tricks or quirks?”
“Besides my hair growing?” I asked wryly. Then I shook my head.
“When Shelly when through her Twist, we found an online resource that helped a great deal,” mom explained pleasantly. “It might help.”
Several minutes later, I was back in my bedroom and logging into my computer. The online resource mom had been talking about was a website that had been created to help the Twisted determine what personality changes and obsessions they might have developed.
You were supposed to take a test every six months, then take one again after going through your twist. After comparing the new test with the most recent from before your twist, it would point out your psychological differences. I hadn’t taken the test previously, in spite of the fact that mom had urged me to do so a couple months ago, so I had nothing to compare the results to.
In spite of that, I took the test anyway and spent the next hour answering countless questions about my opinions and what I’d do in certain situations. I had to stop and think about a lot of them which made me consider if what I felt now was the same as what I would have felt on the same question before. When I was finished and saw the results, I was pretty confident that I hadn’t gained any personality changes or obsessions, or if I had, they were too subtle to find that easily.
“At least that’s good news,” I said in relief.
Having my body change was scary enough, but becoming someone else mentally as well would have been terrifying. At that thought, I suddenly felt sorry for Shelly, wondering what it would have been like for her when she’d gone through it.
When I went back to the living room, mom immediately started going over our plans for the day. “We’ll need to get you some new clothes,” she mused thoughtfully. “You can wear some of Shelly’s for now, but you will need some of your own. Fortunately, we won’t need to worry about finding out your sizes.”
Mom continued discussing her plans for the day while I just sat on the couch and sighed. I didn’t like the idea of going shopping for girl clothes, but I also accepted the fact that I didn’t have much choice. Whether I liked it or not, I was female now and none of my old clothes would fit me anymore. I wanted to deny that, but I was realistic enough to know that I couldn’t. I’d gone through my twist and I couldn’t undo it. All I could do is deal with what I’d become as best I could.
While mom was going on in a lot more detail than I cared about, I absently stared down at my breasts and past those to my hands. Then something suddenly struck me about my nails. Something about them seemed…off. I held my hands up and just stared at my nails for a minute before I realized what it was. They needed polish. Specifically, they needed dark red polish, though I wasn’t quite certain why they needed to be that exact color, only that they did.
“Jerry,” mom said, abruptly distracting me from my thoughts.
I gasped, suddenly realizing what I’d been thinking and feeling a knot in my stomach. I didn’t want polish on my nails and had absolutely no interest in putting any on. Yet when I glanced to my hands again, I had that vague feeling that my nails should have dark red polish.
“You were staring at your hands,” mom sad carefully, giving me a curious look. “What were you thinking about?”
“I was thinking about putting polish on my nails,” I admitted self-consciously, unable to meet mom’s eyes.
“Were you just wondering what they’d look like with polish?” she asked evenly. “Or thinking that you wanted to put some on?”
I hesitated a moment before quietly admitting, “The second one.” Then I quickly added, “But I don’t really want to…”
“It looks like you may have stumbled onto another part of your twist,” mom told me gently. Then before I could say anything about the online test I took a short time ago, she told me, “That test is probably good for finding large personality shifts or obsessions, but I think there is a lot that would slip past it.”
“Just great,” I grumbled, though I’d already known that was the case.
“Let’s get going,” mom told me gently. “If you’re still interested in getting your nails polished later, we can stop for a manicure.” From the look on mom’s face, I think she was likely to use that as excuse to get a manicure anyway.
I felt extremely self-conscious to go out in public for the first time as a girl. Intellectually, I knew that I looked like a pretty girl and that I was even wearing the right clothes. However, I kept feeling like people would point to me and laugh, though no one did so. Everyone in the store seemed to accept me completely as the female I appeared, which relieved my worries in one way but created new ones as well.
The sales guy at the shoe store was in his late teens and obviously took an immediate interest in me, much to my embarrassment. Mom seemed amused at the attention he was giving me but I just wanted to finish and go as quickly as possible. Fortunately, mom was satisfied with only two pairs of shoes, a pair of sneakers for casual and athletic wear, and a pair of black shoes with a low heel for nicer wear.
“This should do for now,” mom told me as we left the store. “If you need other shoes for some reason, you can borrow them from your sister.”
“Just what I always wanted,” I responded sarcastically. “To borrow my sister’s clothes.” Then I let out a sigh and asked, “Can we go get underwear next? That is definitely one thing I don’t want to ever have to borrow from her again.”
“Of course,” mom agreed with a laugh. “Honestly, I thought I’d have to drag you kicking and screaming for that one…”
I had expected to go to a store and just buy a few packs of underwear, but found that we’d gone to a lingerie store instead. It was the kind of store I’d never gone into before, one with panties and bras everywhere. Mom seemed perfect comfortable so I did my best to act like I belonged.
“I know Shelly’s sizes so you shouldn’t need a fitting,” mom told me. “Though you’ll still have to try a few things to make sure they fit.”
I just nodded and looked around, then on an impulse, I went to one rack on the side. I flipped through the bras on the rack and pulled out one of them, holding it up and silently examining it. With that size and this brand, I knew that it would be a perfect fit for me.
Just then, mom exclaimed, “Hey Shelly, look at this one. It’s it cute?”
“Shelly isn’t here,” I reminded her with a wince.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized with a chuckle. “It’s just that you look and sound so much like her that it’s easy to forget.”
With a snort, I said, “Well I’m not her.”
It was bad enough that I was stuck looking like Shelly, I didn’t want everyone to keep mistaking me for her too. Unfortunately, due to the nature of my twist, I had a bad feeling that I’d have to get used to that as well.
“What have you got here?” mom asked, snatching the bra from my hand. “Did you find something you liked?” She chuckled, seeming amused by that. Then she looked at the tag before pulling out a sheet of paper where she’d written down Shelly’s sizes. “You picked out the right size.” She seemed surprised by that. “You’ll have to try it on to make sure though.”
After I found a few more bras, I went into the changing room and tried them out. The one I’d picked out first was a perfect fit, while oddly enough, the one mom picked out for me next was just a little too snug.
When we were done, we walked out the door with three bras and a dozen panties. I was stunned and even a little horrified by just how much it had all cost. If all girl clothes were this expensive, I had no idea how I’d ever be able to fill my dresser back up.
“I was thinking,” mom said as we walked out the door. She gave me a thoughtful look before adding, “I think you might need a new name to go with your new look.”
I paused and looked down at my breasts and then let out a sigh. I’d known this was coming, though I’d expected another day or two before the subject was brought up.
“I know,” I finally said. Of course, that didn’t mean I had to like it.
“I was thinking Kelly,” mom suggested with a smile. I just groaned, knowing that she’d picked that name simply because it rhymed with Shelly.
“No thanks,” I responded. I might be stuck having to look like Shelly, but I didn’t want to play into the whole ‘twin’ thing. Rhyming names was just too much. “I was thinking of just changing the spelling. Make it Jeri with an I.”
“That would make it easier for you to answer to,” mom admitted, obviously disappointed that I wasn’t taken with her suggestion. “Jeri Anne Sinclaire. That could work.”
With that decided, we continued with our shopping trip, getting me everything else that mom thought I would need…and a few I probably wouldn’t. I just couldn’t believe how much money mom spent on me, nor did I think that dad would be happy once he found out.
And after we were finished with shopping, mom insisted on stopping so we could each get a manicure. I’d been a little hesitant, but after they put on the dark red polish, the faint itch I’d been feeling all day went away.
I had mixed feelings about having gone for a manicure and getting my nails polished. On one hand, it was more feminine than I was comfortable with yet, but on the other, it somehow seemed right as well.
As soon as we got home, I changed out of Shelly’s clothes and put on my newly purchased ones. I could have waited to do that but there was a definite difference between wearing my sister’s clothes and wearing my own, even if they were nearly identical.
“I know things are a little chaotic right now,” mom told me, almost apologetic. “But you do still have school work that needs to be done. I talked to your school and they’ll be e-mailing your classwork.”
“Great,” I grumbled in complain. “I turn into a girl and I still have to do homework.”
I wasn’t in the mood to do any school work at the moment, but I still got some of my materials out and made a show of it just to satisfy mom. While I was doing this, I realized that with my tablet destroyed during my twist, it would be a little more awkward doing some of this work. I’d have to do it on the computer in my room until I got a replacement.
Just then, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my finger, and when I looked at it, there was a cut with blood coming out. I gasped in surprise and looked for whatever I’d cut it on, but I didn’t see anything. I held my hand for a moment, just feeling confused.
“Damn,” I exclaimed, holding my hand up to show my mom. “I cut myself on something…”
“Well go put a bandage on it,” mom said with an exasperated voice.
I went to the bathroom and washed the blood off my finger and put a bandage on it. Getting cut and bleeding wasn’t a big deal, but the fact that I hadn’t been doing anything that could have caused it was. There hadn’t been anything sharp near me.
“Is ANYTHING ever going to feel normal again?” I asked my reflection in the mirror, still feeling shaken and a bit startled to see Shelly reflected back.
But as I stared at my reflection, it suddenly struck me that I needed makeup. Makeup and earrings. It was the very same certainty that I felt earlier about the nail polish.
“Not again,” I complained, looking away from the mirror, though the faint nagging desire to put on makeup and earrings remained. “It looks like I really did get some compulsions…” I grimaced at that, not at all happy about it. But at least they were minor compulsions, I told myself, knowing that it could have been worse. These ones might be annoying, but they weren’t dangerous and they were weak enough that I could try to ignore them.
After this, I would have distracted myself by playing some video games, but mom was quick to remind me that I was still grounded. Apparently, going through my twist and having my entire body and life forever altered wasn’t a good reason to make an exception. Because of that, I used my school work to distract myself instead.
I started with the reading projects, figuring that I’d just skim over those. However, when I was reading the pages that Mr. Morgan had assigned, I had a strange sense of deja-vu...a feeling that I’d read them before even though I was sure I hadn’t. Reading ahead of the class lessons was Shelly’s thing, not mine. When I was done glancing over the reading assignment, I filled out the quiz, surprised again by how easy the questions all were. I didn’t even need to cheat and look up any of the answers.
I finished the school work in record time, or at least everything but the thesis paper that I still needed to do. I was feeling proud of myself but also just a little worried. In spite of my grades and what my teachers and everyone in my family seemed to think, I wasn’t stupid. I knew that the quiz had been just a little too easy and wondered if that might have been tied to my twist as well.
“I wish my twist came with a manual,” I muttered, thinking about how much easier it would be if I had all the details of my twist spelled out clearly. Just stumbling across them on my own was a pain in the ass.
Shelly returned home from school just a short time after this, though to my embarrassment, she wasn’t alone. April came into the house right behind her, and the moment she saw me in the living room, she froze and stared at me with her mouth dropping open.
“You weren’t kidding,” April blurted out, looking to Shelly and then me.
“Unfortunately, no,” Shelly responded, giving me a look of annoyance as though it was my fault I now looked like her.
“You’re like…twins,” April exclaimed, looking amused by the idea.
“We’re not twins,” Shelly and I both blurted out at once. April burst out laughing at that while Shelly glared at me.
April walked up to me and then began looking me over. I felt extremely self-conscious as she examined me, and if it had been anyone else looking at me like that, I would have pushed them away or at least backed off myself. However, I still had a crush on April and this was the most attention she’d ever given me.
“Do you mind?” I asked awkwardly.
“Sorry,” April told me with a broad grin. “This is incredible… I mean, you two look exactly alike. If I didn’t know you were you, I’d never guess you weren’t Shelly.”
I winced at that and muttered, “Incredible isn’t the word I’d use.”
Suddenly, mom exclaimed, “Shelly…what happened to your hand?”
Shelly held up her hand, revealing that one of her fingers had a bandage around it. It was the same finger and place where I had my own cut. She shrugged and explained, “A beaker broke in chemistry and I accidentally cut my finger on it.”
I stared at Shelly’s hand, at the bandage on her finger and on her nails which were painted with a dark red polish. Her nails were nearly identical to the shade that I’d picked out for myself while getting my manicure. I gulped, then held my own hand up, showing that other than the brand of bandage, it was identical to hers.
“Wow, that’s just weird,” April said, looking fascinated by this.
“I want to try something,” mom said, rushing out of the room and calling back. “You two stay there…”
Mom came back into the room a minute later with her scissors and proceeded to cut my hair short again. And as with this morning, it immediately grew right back to the former length and style. April gasped in amazement while Shelly watched with a thoughtful look.
“Now for you,” mom told Shelly, who immediately backed away. “Don’t worry. I’ll fix your hair when we’re done.”
“Fine,” Shelly responded reluctantly.
Mom cut Shelly’s hair at shoulder length, and a moment later, I felt a tingling in my scalp. To my amazement, my hair shortened so that it was once again a match for Shelly’s. Mom then made Shelly’s hair grow longer, all the way down to the ground. Again, my scalp tingled and my hair grew until it was the same length as Shelly’s.
“We’re…synchronized,” Shelly exclaimed, glaring at me again. “Or at least she’s synchronized to me…”
I could only stare back at Shelly, feeling horrified by this discovery. Mom had wished that I was more like Shelly, and now her wish had been granted but I was the one who was paying the price…and would continue to do so for the rest of my life.
Not only was I stuck looking exactly like my sister, I couldn’t even differentiate myself with my own hair cut. And then there were the compulsions I was feeling as well. Being Twisted was turning out to be my worst nightmare come true.
--------------------
It was my second morning to wake up in my new female body and it wasn’t any better than the first. I’d had a poor night of sleeping, though admittedly it was a little better than the previous night. The best thing about climbing out of bed was finding that Shelly had already left for school.
I grimly remembered yesterday and the discovery that I was still somehow synchronized to Shelly and her physical state. We’d done a few more experiments on my condition, proving that if Shelly dyed her hair another color, my hair would change color as well. And if we dyed my hair, the dye would almost immediately vanish. It seemed that no matter what I did, I was cursed to remain a physical copy of Shelly. Mom thought that this was not only part of my twist, but was actually my trick as well.
“Yeah,” I muttered bitterly. “A trick on me.”
I shuddered when I thought of what this would mean for me. What would happen if Shelly got injured somehow? I’d already learned that I’d get the same injury, which meant that anytime she competed in kickboxing or anything else, I was taking the same physical risks that she was. On the other hand, if I got hurt on my own, my injury would probably vanish. I didn’t consider that much of a compensation.
When I went in to take my shower, my first impulse was to go as fast as I could so I could get it over with. However, I forced myself to go slow and take my time instead.
Last night, I’d read an article online for Twisted who’d gone through drastic twists. It recommended taking your time to familiarize yourself with your new body in order to become more comfortable with it. The article said that doing this could help you to adapt and adjust more quickly. I was skeptical but was willing to try just about anything so that I didn’t keep feeling like such a freak.
I slowly washed myself, exploring nearly every inch of my body as I did so. I still felt like a voyeuristic creep and had to remind myself that I might look like Shelly, but this was still my body. No matter what I looked like, I would have to accept this and get used to it. That helped a little.
After I was finished with my shower, I looked at the blow drier mom said I should use to dry my hair with but then paused. With a wry smile, I reached into the medicine cabinet for the scissors and quickly began cutting all of my hair off and tossing the mass into the garbage. My scalp tickled as I cut and quickly began to grow my hair back out again. In almost no time at all, I had a full new head of hair that was completely dry.
“Way easier than drying it,” I said, feeling a little proud of myself.
“I put several outfits out on your bed,” mom called out to me. “Pick out which one you want to wear.”
A minute later, I was looking at the three outfits mom had set out for me, feeling annoyed that she’d done that. I might not be used to dressing in girl clothes, but I was still perfectly capable of dressing myself.
One of the outfits was a T-shirt and pair of jeans, similar to what I’d usually worn as a guy. The second outfit was some kind of long sleeved blouse w slacks which looked feminine but a little conservative. The last outfit consisted of a feminine purple top that revealed a little cleave and a pair of tight black pants were folded next to it.
Normally, there was no way that I’d even consider that purple top and I would have immediately gone for the jeans and T-shirt instead. However, for some reason the purple top was the one that caught my attention. It seemed to scream ‘wear me’.
I got dressed as quickly as I could, and when I was done, it suddenly dawned on me that I couldn’t wear my sneakers with this outfit. I needed the other shoes mom had bought me. But after I put them on, something still seemed off. A moment later, I realized what it was. I needed a little more heel in my shoes. But even more than that, I suddenly realized that I should be wearing a black skirt, not the black pants.
“Where is that all coming from?” I demanded of myself when I realized where my thoughts were going. I had absolutely no interest in dressing so girlie, yet a part of me definitely wanted to. I felt a cold chill go down my spine as I realized that it was just like the nail polish again. “My compulsions…”
I muttered a few profanities, not happy that I’d gotten caught up in those new compulsions before I’d even realized it. I was still grumbling to myself when I walked into the living room.
“Very nice,” mom told me with amused look. “I had a feeling you’d pick that outfit. It’s the closest to what Shelly was wearing when she left. Of course, she was wearing a skirt, but I doubted you’d go for that.”
“Why am I not surprised?” I muttered in annoyance.
It seemed that my compulsions were as tied to Shelly as my body was. My body automatically adjusted to match hers while I felt these urges to match her clothes and makeup as well, even when I didn’t know what she was wearing
“Damn,” I said with a grimace, knowing that I was going to have to be careful. I obviously couldn’t trust my own impulses anymore.
“Shelly has very good taste,” mom told me pleasantly. “It’s a good thing you’re picking that up from her.”
I bit my tongue to keep from saying what I wanted to. Instead, I focused on eating breakfast, trying not to think about how much Shelly was intruding into my life, though not succeeding very well.
“I’m going to have to go to work today,” mom told me, sitting at the table and sipping coffee while I ate. “I have several appointments I have to keep so you’re on your own.”
“Not a problem,” I muttered, looking forward to getting some privacy, or at least some time when I didn’t have my family giving me odd looks.
“And no video games,” she reminded me with an amused smile. Then she mused, “And I believe that thesis paper is due today… I know it’s Friday and you won’t be going back to school until Monday, but I believe you can still e-mail it to your teacher in time for the deadline.”
“Um…yeah, sure,” I responded, wincing since I hadn’t even started on the thesis.
After mom left for work, I took advantage of the opportunity to hop on and play my favorite video game for awhile. However, I didn’t let myself get too caught up in it since I did still have some work to do.
When I logged off of my game, I looked down at my nails which were still painted dark red and grimaced as I felt the compulsion to change the color. They needed to be dark purple instead.
“Shelly must have painted her nails this morning,” I muttered in annoyance.
Since I was off my game, I finally turned my attention to the thesis paper. I was rather nervous about working on it since I clearly remembered the last time I’d tried doing that. I shuddered but knew there was no chance I’d go through another twist.
At first, I was exactly where I’d been the last time I tried working on the assignment, stuck and with no idea where to start. Then it suddenly came to me and I went to work.
I spent the next two hours writing my paper, alternating between writing and checking resources. Once I got into the groove, the words just came to me and the paper nearly wrote itself.
Once I was done with the assignment and had caught up on all my homework, I just needed to figure out what to do with the rest of my day. Video games were the obvious choice, followed by TV.
While I was considering what to do, I went to the bathroom to relieve myself. As I’d found last night, going to the bathroom as a girl wasn’t really that much different than going as a guy. Sure, I have to sit down to pee, but that wasn’t really a problem.
As I washed my hands, I looked up into the bathroom mirror and felt my compulsions click in again. I needed makeup and earrings. However, I knew what to expect so wasn’t completely overwhelmed by these urges.
“This is going to get old fast,” I told my reflection with a sigh. If I had to deal with these urges every time I looked into the mirror or at my hands…
I turned away from the mirror but still felt the urge to put on makeup. It wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t ignore it, but I suddenly wondered why I should bother. After all, I was home by myself and no one would see me if I experimented a little.
By this point, I was getting a little curious as well. Getting my nails painted yesterday hadn’t been bad at all, and it had satisfied those urges at the time. I only hesitated a few more seconds before I opened the drawer that contained Shelly’s makeup kit.
“Shelly will kill me if she finds out,” I reminded myself, though that also motivated me to continue. “Of course, I’d kill myself if she finds out.”
A few seconds later, I began putting the makeup on, being hesitant at first but quickly growing more confident. I’d never put makeup on before and had never even considered it, but everything seemed pretty obvious to me so I just went with it.
When I was finished, I examined my reflection in the mirror and announced, “Perfect.” Then I scowled slightly and said, “Too perfect.”
I’d done a good job of putting the makeup on and making it look subtle. In fact, it looked exactly the way Shelly did it, which should have been nearly impossible for someone who’d never used makeup before.
“Surprise surprise,” I said with a sigh. “Another part of my twist.”
Suddenly knowing how to put on makeup seemed harmless on the surface, but the ramifications hit me hard. This was the same thing as yesterday when I was doing my homework and already knew the reading material even though I’d never read it. It was the same thing that gave me the answers to the questions when I shouldn’t have known them. I was not only stuck looking like Shelly and had urges to maximize that resemblance, but now it seemed that I had her in my head as well.
I nearly screamed in frustration at how much Shelly was intruding into every part of my life. I glared at the image in the mirror and spat out, “You’re ruining my life…”
With that, I turned away from the mirror and left the bathroom, shaking from the emotions. I clenched my fists in frustration, feeling my nails digging into my palms painfully. When I opened my hands, I saw a little bit of blood as several of my nails actually broke the skin. But as I watched, the small cuts sealed up and vanished.
My emotions were a mass of confusion as I felt anger and frustration not only at my situation but also directed at Shelly and my parents. If mom and dad hadn’t kept pushing me to be more like Shelly, then I might not have twisted like this. At the same time, I also felt the faint nagging urges to put on earrings, a skirt, and shoes w higher heels. But also present was a sense of curiosity.
As I calmed down, the curiosity grew stronger. I wanted to know more about this, about how much of Shelly I had in my head. I was pretty confident that I hadn’t gained any of her personality, much to my relief. If I had, the online test would have picked it up, but more than that, I would probably have been spending all my time studying rather than looking for ways to goof off. However, the idea of Shelly being in my head in any way was just plain unacceptable.
I went to Shelly’s room, pausing at the doorway and looking around. I’ve actually gotten yelled at by my parents before for intruding into her sanctuary, but for some reason, neither of them seemed to care at all when she came into my room. After a moment, I stepped into the forbidden zone and looked around for something I could use to test this latest twist to my twist.
There was a binder on Shelly’s desk for a history project that she’d worked on a couple weeks ago. I remembered that she’d been busy doing a lot of research for it and that she’d got an A for the finished work. I didn’t know what exactly it was about, or at least I hadn’t known before. With one look at the binder, I knew that it was all about the Alaskan separatists and how they’d eventually caused Alaska to secede from the United States. Alaska had officially been its own separate country for just over a year, until President Ling negotiated a reunification without having to resort to violence.
“Oh shit,” I gasped. I’d barely known anything about those historic events, yet now the names, dates, and details all flooded into my head as though I really knew the subject. “I know everything about it that Shelly does.”
I was a bit shaken to have my suspicions confirmed in this manner, and even more so by the fact that this link to Shelly’s knowledge seemed to be even stronger than I’d guessed. I took a deep breath and knew that I had to continue and test this more. As uncomfortable as it made me to have Shelly in my head, I needed to know just how far it extended.
After looking around for another minute, my eyes settled on the violin case that was sitting in the corner. Shortly after Shelly had first gone through her twist, she said that she’d always wanted to learn how to play a musical instrument so began to take lessons. In usual Shelly fashion, she’d practiced quite a bit at first and became pretty good. And though she hadn’t taken lessons in nearly a year, she still practiced every once in awhile.
My hands shook slightly as I pulled the violin from its case. I’d never played the violin before in my life but I already knew that I could play this one, a fact that I quickly proved as I began to play a pleasant tune. Shelly’s skills were there in my head, just as though I’d been the one to take the lessons and do all the practice. Playing the violin was almost easy and it felt like I’d been doing it for awhile.
I continued playing for a few more minutes, feeling amazed that I was actually playing a violin. But at the same time, I couldn’t help but feeling just a little scared by what this meant. Then I set the violin back into its case and put it back where I found it.
As I was backing out of Shelly’s room, my eyes caught her jewelry box and I once again felt the urge to put in some earrings. I shook my head to shrug it off and then left.
I went to the living room and watched TV, though I was too distracted to really pay much attention to it. While I sat there, I realized that it was kind of silly to be upset about gaining knowledge or suddenly being able to play the violin. Most people would consider that a gift and be grateful for it.
My problem wasn’t so much with the knowledge but with the feeling that Shelly was intruding into my very mind. Or more specifically, I felt like my very sense of identity was being stripped from me in nearly every way possible. My appearance, my name, and now even the things I knew… It was as though everything that had defined me as Jerry had been taken away and Shelly’s identity was being pushed on me instead.
Then I suddenly realized there was one piece of knowledge that Shelly possessed which I actually wanted. I gasped at the thought and immediately ran to the kitchen to see if I had that too. Mere seconds later, I was pulling ingredients from the cupboard, growing excited as I realized that I had gained this. I did know how to make it…
Back before Shelly went through her twist, she used to help mom out in the kitchen and had liked to do a little experimenting on her own. She’d figured out how to make some brownies that were absolutely delicious. Shelly used to make them every once in awhile and I’d always loved it when she did. Unfortunately, once Shelly went through her twist, she seemed to lose interest in doing anything in the kitchen and hadn’t made the brownies since.
A short time later, I had a pan full of fresh baked brownies that were filling the air with their aroma. And as I took my first bite of a warm and gooey brownie, I smiled and felt a moment of happiness. It tasted exactly like I remembered. But what really made me happy wasn’t the taste, as delicious as it was. It was that at that moment, I actually felt I was connecting with Shelly. Not the know-it-all snob who made my life miserable, but the old Shelly…the sister I missed so much.
I smiled faintly as I sat there, remembering the last time I’d had these brownies and the sister whom I’d shared them with. I couldn’t help but thinking that maybe…just maybe…I could live with this.
--------------------
It was Saturday morning, getting near time for lunch. I was in the living room with mom, dad, and Shelly, though Shelly and I kept giving each other silent glares.
Shelly’s normal weekend routine was to get up early and go out running, then to go to kickboxing class afterwards. Today was no different, though unfortunately, she got a nice bruise on her leg during the sparring so I now had to deal with the discomfort as well.
Last night, I’d been embarrassed when mom came home from work and caught me with the makeup on my face. I’d almost forgotten that I even had the stuff on, which only made it more awkward for me. This also resulted in the revelation about how I was gaining knowledge and skills from Shelly.
We’d spent the last hour testing my mental link to Shelly and seeing how far it went. They read some questions from her recent homework assignments and I answered them. We tried to see if she gained knowledge from me the same way, but she didn’t. And we tested to see if I could actually read her thoughts and memories, but I couldn’t, much to Shelly’s obvious relief.
“I wonder,” mom mused, giving me a curious look. “Did you just get a copy of her knowledge when you twisted…or are you still getting anything new she learns.”
“Let’s get this over with,” Shelly said impatiently, giving me another glare. “I do have other things I need to do.”
With that, Shelly used her tablet to pull up a book on a subject that she wasn’t very familiar with. She spent the next ten minutes reading with a look of intense concentration on her face. She had that same look just about every time I’d seen her studying, as though she was forcing herself to memorize and understand every bit of it.
“There,” Shelly announced, giving me a flat look and asking, “Who was the author of the book Microcosm in a Quantum Eye?”
I’d never even heard of that book, but I still knew the answer. “Malcolm Stevens.”
“What’s the main character’s name?” Shelly asked me. “And his dog’s name?”
“Edgar Riley and Owen,” I answered.
“There,” Shelly said, giving me a glare. “Now we know.” She was obviously not happy about it either.
“So you really do know everything that Shelly knows,” dad said, giving me an odd look. “That’s impressive…and kind of disturbing.”
Shelly nodded agreement while muttering, “Tell me about it.”
“I’m not exactly thrilled about having your stuff in my head either,” I pointed out bitterly.
Mom quickly jumped in with an obvious attempt to change the subject. “You know Jeri,” she told me pleasantly. “You looked very nice with the makeup on yesterday. You should start wearing it regularly.”
“Stay out of my things,” Shelly exclaimed, having made it very clear last night what she thought of my using her makeup without her permission. Fortunately, she didn’t know about my playing her violin. “You’ve already taken too much without my permission.”
“Not intentionally,” I spat out. “And I sure as hell didn’t ask to look like you.” I gesture down at myself and added, “I could have done without the boobs.”
“All right you two,” dad interrupted. He looked to Shelly and said, “I think you can be more understanding of your bro…sister’s twist.”
Shelly didn’t answer dad, though she did tell me, “Just leave my things alone. Just because you look like me, that doesn’t mean you are me.”
“I don’t want to be you,” I argued. “And I don’t want your things…”
“I’ll get you your own makeup kit,” mom assured me. “Everything you need to help with these compulsions.”
That wasn’t at all what I was concerned about so I didn’t think that mom really understood. In fact, I kind of hoped that she forgot all about it because as long as I didn’t have makeup handy, it would make it easier to fight those compulsions.
Shelly was just getting up to leave the room when the doorbell began to ring. She paused to glance at the door but made no move to go answer it. Since I was the closest to the door, I let out a sigh and got up to do so.
When I opened the door, Rich was standing there. “Hey Shelly,” he greeted me, giving me a quick appreciative look like he usually gave my sister. I squirmed, suddenly feeling extremely self-conscious to have my best friend seeing me like this…and looking at me like that. “I heard Jerry was sick and thought I’d come see how he was doing…”
“I’m not,” I started to protest as I let Rich into the house. “I mean, I’m not Sh…”
Rich saw Shelly standing in the living room and suddenly blurted out, “What the hell?”
“That’s an interesting reaction,” dad commented with an amused chuckle. From the look on his face, I imagined that he would like to have had a bowl of popcorn to go with the show.
Rich stared at Shelly with his mouth dropped open and then me. He looked back and forth twice more before exclaiming, “There’s two of you…”
“He…she’s not me,” Shelly spat out angrily, giving me a flat glare as she added, “She’s just a…a cheap knockoff.” And with that, she turned and stormed down the hall towards her bedroom.
“What’s going on?” Rich asked, looking at me in confusion.
“I’m not Shelly,” I told Rich awkward, unable to meet his eyes. I gulped and gave him a weak smile before admitting, “I’m Jerry… I went through my twist.”
Rich gasped and his eyes went even wider, if that was possible, as he stared at me in stunned disbelief. “It’s true,” dad agreed with a sigh, giving me concerned look. “She really is Jerry.”
“Spelled J…E…R…I… now,” mom added almost pleasantly.
“Let’s go to my room,” I suggested uncomfortably, not wanting to talk about this in front of my parents. Rich nodded hesitantly and followed me to my room, staring at me the entire way. As soon as we were there with the door closed, I said, “Okay, stare at me and get it over with…”
Rich did just stand there and stare at me, his eyes scanning every bit of my body before locking onto my breasts. It was embarrassing for me, but I figured that I might as well just get this over and done with.
“Is that really you?” Rich finally asked, still looking uncertain. Then he blurted, “What the hell happened?”
“Yeah, it’s me,” I answered with a sigh, sitting down on my bed and looking down at myself. “And what do you think happened? I went through my damn twist…”
“Dude,” Rich gasped, still staring at me. “What’s it like?”
“Oh, I absolutely love it,” I responded with an exaggerated sexy purr. “I feel SO good and feminine… And I never realized before how cute guys were…”
Rich gulped, looking a little disturbed yet excited at the same time. “Really?”
“Fuck no,” I spat out, grimacing as I did so. “It sucks.”
“That was just wrong,” Rich told me with a chuckle. “You kind of had me for a moment…”
“Being a girl is weird,” I told Rich with a sigh, looking down at myself and the two bulges on my chest. “But I guess it isn’t too bad. I mean, I could probably get used to it eventually. The worst part is that I look like Shelly.”
“I’d imagine,” Rich responded carefully. He had a huge crush on Shelly, but he’d heard me complain about her enough times to know I wasn’t a fan.
“Fortunately, I didn’t get any of the personality changes with my twist,” I told Rich with a sigh. “It might have been easier for me if I had though…” I paused and shook my head before adding, “But I did get some annoying compulsions.” At his curious look, I explained.
After I’d told Rich about the nail polish, makeup, clothes, and other urges, he gave me a sympathetic look. “Dude, that’s got to be weird.” Then he quickly added, “But it could have been worse. I mean, you could have been stuck having to act like Shelly all the time too…”
“Good point,” I agreed.
Rich and I spent the next hour just talking, though most of that was me telling him about my changes and what it was like. It was difficult trying to describe it all, but I tried. However, it was also a very awkward hour as I was fully aware of the way that Rich kept staring at me, especially at my breasts. I did my best to pretend I didn’t notice that…or the bulge in his pants. I was just thankful that he didn’t point out how much I looked and sounded like Shelly, when that was obviously what he was thinking.
Eventually, Rich and I left my room to go get some brownies from the kitchen. “These are great,” Rich told me. “Your mom is a good cook.”
“Actually,” I told him with a faint smile. “I made those.” Then I quickly added, “With Shelly’s recipe.”
“Dude, I didn’t know you could cook,” Rich exclaimed, giving me another curious look.
“I can’t,” I responded with a chuckle. “Or at least I couldn’t.”
I didn’t have much cooking skill of my own and wasn’t sure how much I’d gained from Shelly. Anything she had related to cooking had probably come from before her twist and she’d been decent back then. One of the few things that Shelly had been willing to really do around the house back then had been to help in the kitchen…at least with the cooking.
“Well, these are still great brownies,” Rich repeated, adding with a grin. “Even if you made them.”
Just then, another voice exclaimed, “Brownies? I love brownies.”
I looked over to see April coming towards us with a grin while Shelly was beside her with a scowl on her face. I was a little startled to see April since I didn’t know she was here, but she must have arrived while Rich and I had been occupied in my room. Shelly might be popular in school, but April was the only friend she had who ever came to visit.
April helped herself to a brownie without asking then asked Shelly, “You want one?”
“I don’t eat junk food,” Shelly reminded her.
“Well these are really good,” April said a moment later. She looked at me and asked, “Did you really make these?”
I couldn’t help but feeling pleased from the compliment as well as the attention from April. I smiled at that and nodded, then reluctantly told her, “But it’s Shelly’s recipe.”
“Really?” April asked, giving Shelly a curious look. “Then why don’t you ever make these?”
Shelly let out a sigh and repeated, “I don’t eat junk food anymore so I don’t see any reason to make it.” Then she glared me and said, “Stay out of my head. It’s bad enough that you have to steal my face, I don’t need you stealing everything else too.”
“Well I’m glad you made them,” Rich said cheerfully as he helped himself to another brownie.
“Me too,” April agreed.
A minute later, Shelly and April went back to my sister’s room. Rich and I both watched them walk away, with him staring at Shelly’s ass while I watched April. To my delight, April turned to look back at me and even winked before she left my view.
“Damn,” Rich muttered. “Your sister is hot...” Then he paused to give me a weak grin and added, ”I guess that has to sound extra creepy to you now.”
“You have no idea,” I muttered grimly, not wanting to think about the fact that my best friend was sexually attracted to me.
Instead, I though thought about April, who I still found gorgeous. It was actually quite a relief to have this confirmation that I was still attracted to girls in spite of my new body. Unfortunately, my new body also made it far less likely that a hot girl like April would be interested in me.
The one thing I really was grateful to Shelly for was that she was friends with April. Otherwise, April wouldn’t come around to our house and I’d never see her outside of school. In fact, if it wasn’t for April being friends with Shelly, she probably wouldn’t even know my name.
Ever since Shelly’s twist, I didn’t think she could really just sit around and relax. Even when watching TV, she had to be doing something else, something like studying or working on some project. April was her only friend who didn’t mind always doing something ‘productive’ with her whenever they hung out. April was Shelly’s usual partner for jogging or going to the gym, and of course, for their frequent study sessions.
“Hey,” Rich abruptly exclaimed, distracting me from my thoughts. “I was wondering something…”
“Yeah?” I asked.
“Well,” Rich said with a smirk. “Now that you’re a hot chick, do you think I can see your tits?”
“Asshole,” I said, glaring at him, while he just stood there laughing.
“Dude, come on,” Rich joked. “What good is having a hot babe for a friend if I can’t even see some headlight action?”
Rich was being a little obnoxious but I knew that he wasn’t trying to insult me or anything. In fact, his jokes seemed just a little forced and I realized what he was trying to do. In spite of the material, he was just trying to treat me the same way he always did before. I rather appreciated that.
“Well, look at the good side,” Rich continued. “You can get into the girls locker room now.”
I chuckled at that and admitted, “Yeah, I do have that going for me. I’ll get to get in on some of that hot lesbian action we always hear about going on in there.” Then I grinned and asked, “Are you jealous yet?”
Rich let out an exaggerated sigh and said, “You know, you’re almost making me wish I turned into a hot chick too…”
“If you did,” I teased him, giving him a sexy wink. “Then we could probably be friends with benefits…”
“Please don’t tease me,” Rich told me.
I just grinned at that, feeling rather smug as I walked back to my room with Rich following close behind me. I couldn’t resist putting a little sway into my walk just to tease him a little more. There was nothing sexual to my actions, only me taking advantage of an opportunity to mess with my best friend. In spite of the odd circumstances, joking around with Rich like this almost made me feel normal again. Almost.
--------------------
I awoke from a strange dream, a strange yet pleasant dream. And though I didn’t remember the details, I remembered that I’d definitely been enjoying it.
As I lay in bed, my body felt odd but good. My nipples were all hard and felt kind of sensitive while I felt warm and wet between my legs. My first thought as I noticed that was that I must have pissed myself in my sleep, but then I quickly realized that it was something else. I was feeling turned on.
Some guys at school sometimes joked around about making girls wet, but I was actually feeling it myself. That realization woke me up the rest of the way though I remained where I was.
I felt my nipples, gasping as they were even more sensitive than before, but entirely in a good way. I pinched and played with them a little, feeling even more turned on as I did so. Then I hesitantly reached between my legs, gasping at the touch.
This wasn’t the first time that I’d touched myself down there. I’d done that while I was exploring my new body and every time I had to wipe up after going to the bathroom. But this time, it was different. This time it felt very nice.
I continued playing with my breast and rubbing my new sex, biting my lip to keep from moaning. It felt good. Really good. My finger slipped up inside of me and it felt very strange but also very nice so I kept it up.
Though this all felt very good and I seemed to build it even more, I didn’t experience the explosive multiple orgasms that I’d heard girls have. I was pretty disappointed by that but kept at it in the hopes that I would get to.
But then, I suddenly remembered that I was currently a physical duplicate of Shelly, and that in a way, this was sort of like molesting my own sister. I gasped at that thought, suddenly losing all interest in continuing.
“Damn,” I grumbled in frustration. Even masturbating had been ruined by my twist. And it had been feeling so good too.
With that, I reluctantly climbed out bed, shaking my head in disgust. When I spotted my shoes on the floor, I felt a momentary urge to put on my sneakers. I took that to mean that Shelly was already up and out for her morning jog.
“Good thing I don’t feel any compulsion to do that,” I muttered.
Thinking about my compulsions drew my attention to the makeup kit that was now sitting on my dresser, along with a small jewelry box. Mom had surprised my yesterday with both, announcing that a pretty girl needed this kind of thing.
Since Shelly was out of the house, I took the opportunity to take my shower before she returned home and monopolized the bathroom. Afterwards, I got dressed and intentionally put on my nicer shoes, just to snub my nose at my compulsions.
When I went out for breakfast, I found mom sitting in the living room, sipping a cup of coffee while looking through some magazine on hair styles. At the moment, her hair was cut very short, which was a clear indication that she’d just cut it a short time ago.
“Where’s dad?” I asked curiously.
“Something went wrong with the plumbing on that house he was working on.” mom answered told me, barely looking up from her magazine. “He ran out to see if he could help get it fixed before it ruined the whole job.”
I just nodded at that, not at all surprised since dad’s job often made him work late or run out to check on something that subcontractors were doing. I kind of felt sorry for him having the kind of job where even your day off wasn’t really off.
When I went to the kitchen a minute later, I started to pull out my normal cereal but then decided that I wasn’t in the mood for it. I was about to go ask mom if she could make some pancakes, but then paused for a moment. Shelly used to help mom when she’d make her pancakes from scratch.
“If I’m stuck with Shelly’s knowledge,” I mused to myself, already pulling out the ingredients I’d need. “I might as well use it.” Besides, making the brownies had actually been kind of fun.
Once I was done making the pancakes, mom came into the kitchen and helped herself to some. “I remember when Shelly used to help me with these,” she mused pleasantly.
I ate my own pancakes in silence, though halfway through eating I felt a bruise beginning to form on my upper arm. I grimaced in annoyance, knowing that Shelly must be in the middle of kickboxing now. I just wished she’d be more careful because I was already tired of getting hurt just because she was.
When Shelly returned home a short time later, she had April along with her. Both of them had wet hair and looked clean so I assumed that they’d showered before coming home. However, Shelly still immediately went to clean up a little more, which included putting on makeup. I could the compulsion to put some on as well. Like all of my compulsions, it would remain an annoying itch in my consciousness until I gave in.
April remained in the living room while Shelly did her makeup in the bathroom. She gave me an odd look and cautiously asked, “So…Jeri…how are you doing?”
“All right,” I responded with a forced smile, though it grew to a real smile as I watched her.
“I know this has got to be pretty weird for you,” she told me. “I can’t imagine what it would be like being Twisted…to change so much. I mean, if I suddenly turned into a boy, I think I’d freak.”
I just nodded at that. “I always knew I’d probably end up Twisted.” Then I let out a sigh and admitted, “But this is a bit more than I was expecting.”
April nodded and then gently put her hand on mine, giving me a sympathetic look. “It’s weird… I mean, you look and sound exactly like Shelly…but you’re obviously not her. I mean, your body language is off. You still sit and move more like a boy…”
“At least I have that,” I responded with a chuckle.
“Yeah,” April gave me a grin. “But you may want to fix the way you sit…especially if you ever wear a skirt. Girls don’t sit with their legs apart, and if they do, everyone kind of assumes they’re sluts.”
“Oh,” I gasped in realization, making a mental note not to sit with my legs apart anymore.
“I’m pretty sure you know that Shelly isn’t happy with you looking like her,” April said carefully.
I just snorted. “I kind of got that. I don’t like it either.”
“She thinks you’re invading her privacy and trying to steal her identity,” April told me with a chuckle. “I just think the two of you need to have a nice talk.”
“Maybe,” I reluctantly agreed.
“Still,” April mused. “Being able to know whatever Shelly knows has to be pretty useful. I mean, with as much studying as she does…” She gave me a thoughtful look and smirked faintly. “I don’t think I’d be able to resist using a little bit of that…”
I blushed faintly, feeling a little guilty about how much of Shelly’s knowledge I’d already used. But the truth was, when I knew something, it didn’t seem to matter the source of that knowledge. I couldn’t really separate the knowledge I’d had before from what I was gaining from my sister. That very fact would make it difficult to avoid using Shelly’s knowledge, even if I attempted to do so.
“You know,” April told me with a pleasant smile. “Being a girl isn’t bad. I mean, I certainly don’t have any complaints.” She smirked a little at that and added, “Just give it a chance…”
“It’s not really the girl part that really bothers me,” I pointed out with a sigh, hardly able to believe I was admitting this to April.
April nodded, giving me another sympathetic look. “You really should try to enjoy being a girl though. Put on some makeup, nail polish, and heels. Try to dress up a bit. It can actually be pretty fun…”
I just groaned at that, wishing that she hadn’t brought up the makeup and heels. Now that she’d brought my attention back to the idea, my urges grew more insistent. Then I saw the grin on her face and realized that she’d done that intentionally.
Before I could call April on that, Shelly came out of the bathroom and now had high heels on her feet and makeup on her face. I grimaced at the sudden surge in my urges, in the actual NEED to go put on real heels and makeup. Shelly gave me a quick glance before pointedly ignoring me while April joined her as they walked back to her bedroom.
“You have no idea how creepy it is having someone else with your face,” I heard Shelly tell April before they were out of my hearing. A minute later, violin music began to come from Shelly’s room.
“Damn,” I muttered, now fully aware of my needs.
At this point, it was almost useless to fight against these urges. I had to do something about them or they’d drive me nuts. With that, I went to my room and grabbed my new makeup kit.
Once I’d had makeup on, I felt a little better and putting in a pair of the stud earrings mom had given me relaxed me even further. Of course, I still wanted to put on a pair of real high heels rather than these wannabee ones I was already wearing. However, I’d be damned if I was going to ask Shelly to borrow a pair of hers. For now, I’d done enough that I could control the rest of my compulsions.
“Maybe a little nail polish too,” I mused, looking at my nails again and then shaking my head. The polish was in Shelly’s room so that was out as well. The fact that I was actually disappointed at that was annoying.
Eventually, Shelly and April emerged from Shelly’s room where they’d been hiding. “Tonight is going to be a blast,” April was telling my sister. “You’ve got to come…”
“I don’t think so,” Shelly told her. “I was going to work on my extra credit project for physics…”
“Eddie Ryan is going to be there,” April teased Shelly.
There was a long pause before Shelly responded, “Of course, I really should show up and show my support…”
I chuckled as I eavesdropped on their conversation. Eddie Ryan was one of the most popular guys at school, captain of the wrestling team but also a member of the debate team. I’d seen him talking with Shelly at school before, but I hadn’t realized that she was actually interested in him until now.
I’d heard that there was supposed to be some kind fundraiser event tonight for students with high school spirit, though for all practical purposes, it was probably just a party for the popular kids. That meant I hadn’t been invited, though I thought that Rich might have been. He and Eddie were friends.
I came out of my own room at that and joined them in the living room. April took one look at me and grinned. “You look great,” she told me. “You should wear makeup more often.”
“Um…thanks,” I responded awkwardly, not sure whether I should be pleased by that compliment or not.
April looked Shelly and said, “Hey, maybe we should bring Jeri with us…”
“No,” Shelly quickly responded. “This isn’t Jeri’s kind of thing.” She gave me a quick glare to tell me that I had better agree with her.
It was obvious that Shelly and April weren’t going to stick around as they were already starting towards the door. Before the left, April waved to me and gave me a thumbs up which made me chuckle in response.
Once Shelly was really gone, I went straight for her bedroom and the nail polish that she had stored in there. I’d been ignoring that itch for awhile and finally just wanted to scratch it. Unfortunately, it looked like I was going to have to ask my mom for nail polish and high heels to go with everything else. I was definitely NOT looking forward to that.
--------------------
I was extremely nervous as I stepped back into school for the first time since my twist. In fact, it took nearly every ounce of willpower I had to keep from turning around and rushing back out the door.
I was more than a little self-conscious about my appearance, about being seen as a girl and as Shelly’s twin. I was also very aware of the steps I’d taken to keep my compulsions under control, steps that were bound to get the attention of any classmate who wanted to tease me about being a girl.
Shelly had come to school dressed up in a pink shirt, a short skirt, and the highest pair of heels she had. I was pretty sure she’d done that just because she knew that it would give my compulsions fits and drive me nuts.
There was no way I’d be able to ignore the urges all day, especially not if I wanted to focus on anything else, so I’d had to take measures before leaving the house. I was wearing my nice shoes, which weren’t real heels but were the best I was willing to do. My nails weren’t painted the same color that Shelly had on, but they were painted and that would reduce those urges a great deal, much as the shoes were. I didn’t own a skirt and wasn’t about to borrow one from Shelly, but I had put on makeup and earrings. I’d satisfied enough of my urges that I was pretty sure I’d be fine.
When I stepped through the doors of the school, Shelly was right beside me. She didn’t seem happy to come in with me this way, but we’d both agreed that being seen together would make it easier for people to accept the truth rather than just assuming that I was her.
Students were stopping in the hallway and staring at us in surprise and just a little confusion. Shelly was very well known around school and most of the students would have known if she had a twin sister attending the school. Of course, circumstances had changed.
“I didn’t know Shelly Sinclaire was a twin,” one girl exclaimed.
“There’s two of her,” a boy blurted out.
“Wow, two hotties,” another boy told one of his friends. “Man, imagine the threesome…”
I blushed brightly at that and tried to pretend that I didn’t mind the attention. I was fully aware of the fact that I’d be getting a lot of this attention from now on, not only because I was now a hot girl, but I was also Twisted and would be a matter of great curiosity, especially for anyone who knew me before.
“Shelly?” a pretty girl exclaimed as she walked towards us, looking back and forth from Shelly to me with an expression of surprise and confusion. “Why are there two of you?”
“I’m Shelly,” my sister said, giving me a dirty look. “This is my new twin sister.” There was a hint of bitterness in her voice. “Jeri.”
“New twin sister?” the girl asked with an even more confused look. “How…” Then she paused before asking, “Don’t you have a brother named Jerry?”
Shelly rolled her eyes before answering, “Not anymore.”
“Do you mind?” I asked when the girl continued staring at me. It was beginning to make me very uncomfortable.
Since I’d been seen with Shelly long enough for a lot of the students to see us and confirm that there were now two of us, I decided that it was time to take my leave. I didn’t bother saying goodbye to Shelly or her friend before I walked off towards my first class of the day.
As I walked to class, several people greeted me with calls of, “Hey Shelly.” I winced with each one of them.
When I reached my first class, I took a deep breath and nervously went inside. About half the other students were already there, along with the teacher.
Mr. Nelson, my math teacher looked at me and had a momentary expression of surprise. “Shelly,” he greeted me pleasantly. “I heard your brother went through his twist. Is he all right?”
“I’m not Shelly,” I answered him flatly. He gave me a blank look until I added. “I’m Jeri.”
A look of realization slowly spread over Mr. Nelson’s face. Then he gasped, “Jerry?” There were gasps of shock from all the students who heard that and that was immediately followed by whispers from the entire class.
“Um…yeah,” I admitted in embarrassment. Then I gave a weak smile and added, “I’m Twisted now.” I hesitated a moment before adding, “And I kind of had to change my name…” I wrote Jeri Anne Sinclaire onto a piece of paper so he could see how my first name was now spelled.
“My God,” Mr. Nelson whispered, staring at me with an uncertain expression that was filled with curiosity, sympathy…and wariness. After all, I was Twisted now and he didn’t know the extent of my changes. Then he carefully asked, “How are you doing?”
I gulped at that, not sure how I should answer. After a moment, I decided to be honest, and to relieve his worries at the same time. “All right,” I told him carefully. “I don’t have any personality changes, but I do have some annoying compulsions…” I held up my hand to show my polished nails, hoping he’d get the idea. He seemed to.
After that, I took my normal seat and was immediately assaulted with questions from my classmates. I tried to answer them as generally as I could, not wanting to go into too many details.
“Damn,” one boy exclaimed. “You look totally hot.”
“Too bad you’re still butt ugly,” I responded. The other kids all laughed at that while the boy who’d made the commented just blushed and backed off.
“I can’t believe you’re buying this,” one girl exclaimed, standing there and giving me a very suspicious look. Carrie had always been one of the smartest girls in my grade. “Can’t you all tell that this is just some kind of joke…?”
“A joke?” another girl asked.
“Come on Shelly,” Carrie said to me. “Did you really think we’d all fall for this? Where is Jerry really at? Home?”
“I’m not Shelly,” I responded in annoyance. “And this isn’t some joke. I went through my twist and now I just look like her. Trust me, I’m not happy about it.”
“Bullshit,” Carrie told me with a smug look. She pointed to my face and said, “No boy would suddenly know how to put on makeup that well. You don’t just learn that overnight.”
“Not unless it’s part of your trick,” I pointed out in exasperation, having a feeling that I’d be dealing this this a lot over the next few days.
“Hey Carrie,” another girl said as she came up. “I saw Shelly come in a few minutes ago. There were two of her… I mean, there were two Shelly’s standing right next to each other…”
“Yeah, I saw them too,” a boy added. “She’s on the up and up.”
Carrie continued giving me a suspicious look for a moment before she snorted and then went to return to her seat. She didn’t seem to fully believe my story, but she didn’t seem ready to continue accusing me at the moment either.
The attention from my classmates continued halfway through class before Mr. Nelson finally decided to take control and put everyone back on track. The reactions of my classmates varied with some of them being curious, a few still being skeptical about my identity, and several of the girls being obviously jealous of my looks. To my surprise, there were only a couple who seemed hostile or freaked out but they just kept their distance.
When I went to my second class, it seemed that word of my twist had already spread. I got much the same attention from the students who hadn’t been in my first class, but our teacher put a lid on the talk much quicker.
Rich was in this class with me and seemed amused by the reactions of the other students. “Dude, the looks on their faces…”
“Shouldn’t that be dudette?” another boy asked Rich with a grin.
“I thought you would have told everyone,” I told Rich, surprised that everyone hadn’t already known that I’d turned into a girl.
“Wasn’t my thing to tell,” Rich answered. Then he grinned and added, “Besides, this way I got to win the pool on what kind of twist you’d have.”
“Figures,” I responded.
Then I looked around the class and took note that everyone, including the teacher, was staring at me. I tried not to show just how much that embarrassed me.
“I can’t believe it’s really you,” one boy exclaimed. “I mean, you’re a girl…”
“Welcome to the club,” one of my female classmates teased.
“She’s not a real girl,” another girl exclaimed, giving me a suspicious look.
Just then, boy called out, “No, she’s a freak. A Twisted freak.”
I looked at the speaker and saw that it was Craig. He sat on the other side of the classroom and glared at me with even more hostility than before. Before now, he hadn’t liked me because I would probably become Twisted. Now that I had actually gone through my twist, that hostility seemed to have grown.
“You’re a freak too,” I called back, “but you don’t see me making a big deal about it.”
“Good one,” Rich told me with a loud laugh.
Craig looked like he was about to say something more but the teacher decided that this was the time to take control of things. I was actually relieved because I would rather deal with a boring lecture than all the attention from my classmates.
A few minutes later, our teacher passed out the test while I groaned. I’d missed a couple days last week because of my twist and I’d forgotten all about the upcoming test so hadn’t even thought to study for it. Then again, even if I had remembered the test, I still wouldn’t have studied.
As soon as I looked at the first question on the test, I let out a sigh of relief. It was an easy question that I had absolutely no problem answering. The next question was the same and then the third. Then I remembered that I had access to everything that Shelly knew. I finished the test in record time and knew that I’d aced it.
Once class was over, I went to the bathroom to relieve myself. I nearly walked into the boys bathroom, but then paused and realized that I couldn’t use that one anymore. So with a reluctant sigh, I went to the other bathroom, the girls bathroom.
I had barely stepped into the bathroom when I suddenly found my path blocked by a girl who exclaimed, “Get out you pervert… You don’t belong in here.” It was the same girl from my last class who’d accused me of not being a ‘real’ girl.
“Well I don’t exactly have the plumbing to use the boys bathroom anymore,” I snapped at her in annoyance.
“This is the girls bathroom,” she told me firmly. “It’s for REAL girls.”
I just stood my ground and stared her in the eyes. “Whether I like it or not, my body says I am a girl now.” Then before she could argue further, I continued, “Now you can get out of my way so I can do my business, or I can prove my qualifications to be in here…”
With that, I reached down as if to undo my pants. Her eyes went wide and she paled a little before she snorted and hurried out of the bathroom. I let out a sigh of relief, thankful that she hadn’t called my bluff.
I started for a stall, only to hear someone else laughing from another stall. A moment later, the toilet flushed and April came out.
“That was…entertaining,” April told me with a smirk. Then she teased, “What if I asked you to prove your qualifications?”
I groaned at that, blushing self-consciously. “It was the only way I could think to get her to let me in.” Then I gave April a suspicious look, wondering if she was going to insist I leave.
“Well, it was still pretty funny,” April told me with a broad grin. “Good for you.”
“Just…please don’t tell Shelly about that,” I half begged April. My sister would be pissed that I threatened to expose myself to someone else when I was now a physical duplicate of her. The fact that I had no intention of actually doing that would be irrelevant.
April gave me a strange look before grinning. “Sure, I’ll keep quiet…on one condition.”
“Oh?” I asked suspiciously.
“You’ll owe me a favor,” April told me with a smug look.
I hesitated a moment and then nodded agreement. “Deal.”
“Great,” April responded with a grin. “Then I’ll let you get on with your business…” And with that, she left the bathroom while I shook my head, wondering what I’d just agreed to. “I guess I’ll find out soon enough.”
I was thankful when lunch finally came since it meant that I could get out of class for awhile. However, I quickly discovered that I had new problems to deal with, such as the fact that the people staring at me were no longer limited to the students in a classroom. The moment I stepped into the cafeteria, a lot of eyes locked on me.
Many of those watching me had no idea who I really was and merely thought that I was Shelly. A lot of the boys and even several of the girls were watching me with looks of obvious interest and attraction. I shuddered slightly as I realized that, feeling very uncomfortable. And then there were those who’d heard about my twist and were trying to decide whether I was me or Shelly.
One girl who I recognized as a friend of Shelly’s came up to me exclaiming, “Hey Shelly, I heard about your brother…”
“Hey Clarisse,” I greeted the girl, not having known the name until Shelly’s knowledge supplied it. Then I gave a wry smile and said, “Sorry, but I’m not Shelly.”
Clarisse paused and gave me a blank look. “What?”
“I’m Jeri,” I pointed out, continuing to give her a weak smile as I added. “The former brother you just mentioned.” Then I pointed to Shelly’s usual table where my sister was currently sitting with April and Eddie Ryan. “Shelly’s over there…”
Clarisse stared at Shelly for a moment and then back at me with a look of surprise. “Oh…,” she responded in embarrassment. “Sorry.” And with that, she hurried away.
I let out a sigh, thinking that this was only my first day back at school but being mistaken for Shelly was already getting old. I grabbed my food and then sat down at the table with Rich and a couple other guys I usually ate with. Rich had been in the middle of talking to a friend named Corey when he saw me and suddenly grinned.
“Hey Rich,” I greeted my friend with a sigh.
“See,” Rich told Corey with a smirk. “I told you…”
“No way,” Corey blurted out, staring at me and then Rich. “You mean it’s really true…?”
“Unfortunately,” I responded with a sigh.
“Damn,” Corey replied, turning to Rich and saying, “I guess I owe you twenty bucks. When you told me you were dating Shelly, I thought you were full of it…”
I nearly choked at that. “WHAT?” I demanded, glaring at Rich.
“Hey, it was just a joke,” Rich protested, holding his hands up defensively.
I glared at Corey and snapped, “I’m Jeri… I thought you were asking about my twist…”
Corey stared at me with his mouth dropping open. “Holy shit…”
Then I looked back at Rich and told him, “You’re an asshole.” That just got everyone else at the table to start laughing and to relax. It seemed that after that exchange, they all accepted that I really was me and not Shelly.
I had to continue putting up with the stares and attention for the rest of lunch, but it seemed to slowly settle down once word of my twist spread. However, I had a feeling that it would be a long time before it went away entirely. I couldn’t really blame everyone though because if it had been some other guy who’d suddenly gone through a sex change and turned into a copy of the hottest girl in school, I’d probably be staring and talking about it too.
Once lunch was over, I went to my next class, history with Mr. Morgan. I stepped into the classroom and immediately got a look of surprise and curiosity from the teacher, an expression that I was beginning to get used to. However, it was also obvious that he’d heard about the nature of my twist. By now, I would have been surprised if he hadn’t.
“I went through my twist,” I told him unnecessarily, suddenly wondering if he’d want to use me for another example about the effects of the Antarctic flu. I felt self-conscious under his gaze but I was getting a lot of practice in hiding those feelings.
“Are you really Jerry?” he asked me with a slightly suspicious look. “I wouldn’t imagine that most boys who turned into girls would be willing to wear makeup so quickly.”
I blushed at that, feeling even more self-conscious. I held up my hands and stared at my polished nails for a moment before quietly admitting, “That’s part of my twist…” I didn’t want to go into details about my compulsions, and thankfully, Mr. Morgan didn’t seem inclined to push further.
“When your parents called the school to report that you were twisted,” Mr. Morgan said carefully. “They assured us that your twist wasn’t dangerous, but they didn’t give many details other than that you’d gone through a drastic physical change.” He paused at that and chuckled, “Or if they did say more, it wasn’t passed on to me.”
I nodded, not sure what I could say to that. I imagine that when dad called the school to tell them about me, he was probably a bit uncertain about what to say. After all, I had a weird twist, and one that was a bit embarrassing, not only for me but to Shelly as well.
“Before class begins,” Mr. Morgan said, his expression turning rather grim. “We need to talk about the thesis paper you turned in.”
“Okay,” I responded carefully, a little confused but suspecting he was going to tell me it sucked. I had kind of rushed on it.
“The paper was very well done,” Mr. Morgan said, catching me completely by surprise. However, he still wasn’t smiling. Then he added, “But much of the paper was copied word for word from the paper Shelly turned in last year.”
“What?” I gasped in surprise.
“You may look like your sister now,” Mr. Morgan told me with a look of stern disapproval. “But I will NOT accept you copying her work. Plagiarism will NOT be tolerated.”
“But I didn’t,” I protested loudly, offended that he’d accuse me of something like that. “I’ve never even seen Shelly’s paper.”
“Several sections are nearly word for word copies,” Mr. Morgan repeated.
“I DIDN’T COPY HER,” I snapped angrily. Then I gasped, suddenly realizing what must have happened. I’d never read Shelly’s thesis paper from last year, but I now knew everything about it that she did.
A short time later, I was sitting in the principal’s office with Mr. Morgan, as well as Shelly and my mom. My mom wasn’t happy to have been called in because of my ‘cheating’ and Shelly was angry at having been pulled out of her class as well. The school principal, Mrs. Levitz was looking back and forth between Shelly and me, obviously stunned by just how much we looked alike.
“This is an unusual situation in that you are Twisted,” Mrs. Levitz said, giving me a flat look and then glancing to Shelly. “However, the matter of cheating and plagiarism is rather simple. That kind of behavior is not allowed in this school.”
“But I never even read Shelly’s paper,” I protested again. “I sure as hell wasn’t trying to copy it…”
“I told you to stay out of my head,” Shelly exclaimed, giving me a glare.
“I wrote this before I even found out I could do that,” I argued in frustration. “I just wrote what I thought sounded good…”
“What do you mean stay out of your head?” Mrs. Levitz asked with a curious expression.
Mom stared at me with a look of realization and then told Mrs. Levitz, “This is all due to Jeri’s trick…”
“What trick is this?” Mrs. Levitz asked calmly, though I could see her tense up. Most normal were afraid of the tricks that Twisted could possess, at least until they were proven to be harmless like the one my mom had.
“Part of Jeri’s twist is that she knows everything that Shelly knows,” mom explained with a sigh. Then she repeated, “Everything.”
Mrs. Levitz looked to Shelly for confirmation and my sister nodded agreement, not looking happy about it. Mr. Morgan gasped, giving me a look of surprise…and doubt.
“Jeri wrote this paper after her twist,” mom explained, giving me a slightly disapproving look, probably because I’d procrastinated until then. “Before she found out about this trick. She probably used Shelly’s knowledge without even realizing it.”
Mrs. Levitz and Mr. Morgan both looked surprised at that. Then the principal said, “Unconscious cheating? I have to say that this is the first time I’ve ever heard that excuse.”
“I just know things,” I muttered self-consciously, staring at the desk and not being able to meet anyone’s eyes. “I don’t remember if it was something I read in the book or if I got it from…” I glanced to Shelly and then shrugged. “I can’t help it either… I tried breaking this weird link but it didn’t work.”
Ever since my twist and the discovery that I was still linked to Shelly, I’ve been trying to figure out how to break that link. I willed myself to separate from her, to not be affected by her physical state and to not know what she does. Of course, it had no effect whatsoever. I was starting to suspect that there was no way to break this connection.
“I want to see this,” Mr. Morgan announced. When Mrs. Levitz nodded agreement, he hurried out of the office, coming back several minutes later with two copies of a test. He handed one to me and one to Shelly. “I’d like to see you both take this please.”
Shelly and I each went to work on the test, using opposite ends of the desk to write. When I looked at the questions, I was pretty sure that Mr. Morgan hadn’t covered any of this in class this year, but I still knew the answers anyways. I finished the test in a very short time, as did Shelly.
Once Mr. Morgan looked over the tests, he gasped in amazement. “You both only got one question wrong…and it was the same question. This is the end of year test for Shelly’s history class…”
“It was question fifteen,” Shelly said with certainty, looking annoyed at herself. “I didn’t know that one. I’ll have to study that when I get home tonight…”
“You aren’t scheduled to study that topic for awhile,” Mr. Morgan told her with amusement. “Or several of the others that you did get right.”
“Shelly is a very bright girl,” mom said proudly.
I scowled at that, annoyed that I did good on the test too and she got all of the credit. Of course, I knew fully well that I only did good because of her, but that was beside the point.
I felt a cold knot in my stomach as I suddenly realized that because of my link to Shelly, it would probably be like this for the rest of my life. She was miss perfect, so anything I knew would be attributed to her. No matter what I did, she would get the credit for it. The very thought hit me like a physical blow.
After this, I was in a bit of a daze while Mrs. Levitz told Shelly, “I think we’re done with you. Why don’t you go back to class.” Shelly nodded but gave me a cold glare before she turned and walked out the door. “And as for you Jeri…”
I gulped and asked, “Yes?”
“I would imagine that if you have access to everything Shelly knows,” Mrs. Levitz said carefully, “that would make your current classes very easy.”
I nodded faintly at that, having noticed that already this morning. Everything in those classes had been easier than normal. Everything the teachers talked about had felt like old information that I’d already learned.
“Now you have no excuse not to get good grades,” mom told me, looking almost smug about it.
Mrs. Levitz gave me a thoughtful look before carefully saying, “Considering the unusual circumstances, I think it might be wise for you take some new placement tests.”
“More tests?” I asked with a loud groan.
I had already taken more tests today than I liked. And though I didn’t want to admit it, it was kind of creepy to take a test and discover new things that I now knew but hadn’t even known I knew.
“Yes,” Mrs. Levitz told me with an almost amused look. “A lot of tests.”
--------------------
I awoke to a sharp pain in my thigh, one which caused me to bolt upright in bed and become immediately wide awake. I grabbed at my leg where I felt like I’d been stung by a bee but found no sign of what had caused the stinging sensation.
With a grumble, I looked at my clock and saw that it was only half an hour before I was supposed to get up anyway. Since I was already awake, I reluctantly climbed out of bed to get ready for school. While going to the bathroom a few minutes later, I saw a light from under Shelly’s door that showed she was already up too. That was no surprise though as Shelly always got up before me. I don’t think she’d even slept in on the weekends since before her twist.
“At least I get the bathroom before her,” I muttered, though for all I knew, Shelly had already taken care of her morning business. Then again, I usually had to fight with her to get any bathroom time in the mornings so that was doubtful.
I was less than enthusiastic as I got ready for school. This would be my third day going back to school since my twist and only the second day with my new class schedule. I sighed as I thought about how I’d spent all Monday afternoon doing placement tests, only to have Mrs. Levitz decide that I should be placed in new classes where I didn’t have such an advantage. After all, she thought it was silly for me to be taking algebra while Shelly was already in calculus. Fortunately, mom talked her into not changing all of my classes, saying that I needed to keep something stable.
“At least I still have two classes with Rich,” I muttered to myself.
Mrs. Levitz had briefly talked about putting me in all of Shelly’s classes, until Mr. Morgan pointed out that I might end up relying on Shelly’s studying even more. Instead, I did get put into more advanced classes than what I’d been taking, but they chose ones that they thought would force me to learn on my own. I didn’t like starting classes in the middle of things, but at least they couldn’t say that any success I had was entirely because of Shelly.
Once I was done taking my shower, I finished getting ready by putting on makeup and the new high heels mom had bought me yesterday. I wasn’t really feeling the compulsions to wear either of those yet, at least not more than a minor itch, but I knew full well that the itch would become intolerable over the day if I didn’t scratch it now. I wished I could go without either, but Shelly seemed even more determined than before to dress up for school, just to make me uncomfortable no doubt.
I didn’t like having to dress sexy for school and getting stared at and drooled over because of it. I would have preferred to go casual and comfortable, avoiding as much attention as I could. However, the other day, Shelly had told me, “I’m not going to let you make me look like a slob.” It appeared that she really meant it because she was working even harder to make sure my own compulsions forced me to play along.
A few hours later, I was sitting in my second period class, one of the new classes that I’d been assigned during my schedule change. My placement test showed that I’d moved beyond my old general English class so I was no longer going to be bored with learning conjugation and the like. Instead, I had been placed in a literature class where I’d be reading classic novels and discussing them instead.
I looked around the classroom, feeling even more out of place than before. In my other classes, I at least knew who all the other students were. I didn’t share any other classes with anyone in this one, or at least I hadn’t before my schedule change. All the other students in class were a year ahead of me and were used to sharing classes with Shelly.
Fortunately, I did know one other student in the class and I’d ended up being assigned to the seat next to her. April sat beside me, seemingly amused to have me in class with her. She kept glancing to me, probably having to remind herself that in spite of my appearance, I wasn’t Shelly.
“This is kind of weird,” April told me quietly, confirming my suspicions. “I mean, I sat next to Shelly last period and now I’m sitting next to you…”
I grimaced at that but nodded agreement as well. It was weird being in the same class as Shelly’s best friend, someone who was a grade ahead of me. I could tell that a lot of the other students thought the same thing that April did, about how odd it was having a class with me when they shared other classes with my sister. A few of them seemed a bit confused and I’d already been called ‘Shelly’ several times, including from the teacher.
“Not that I mind,” April added with a grin.
I just looked the book that the rest of the class was already halfway through, groaning as I did so. “Pride and Prejudice,” I grumbled. “I can’t believe we have to read this stuff…”
April seemed amused at that, then leaned over and quietly told me, “Think of it this way. If you read that, you’ll know something Shelly doesn’t.”
I paused at that to consider, realizing that I knew something about the plot of the book but not a lot of details. I hadn’t known even that much about this book before so the little knowledge I did have had obviously come from Shelly. However, it was more like she’d read the cliff notes or just a general summary rather than the book itself.
“You might have a point,” I admitted reluctantly. Of course, I’d rather learn things I wanted to know, or at least read some more exciting books.
“Of course,” April mused almost to herself. “Once Shelly finds out you’re reading this, she’ll probably feel like she has to as well.”
“You really think so?” I asked, almost hoping that was true just so I could avoid having to work my way through that book.
“Don’t worry,” April told me with a faint smirk. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t do that until we’re done with it in class.”
I gave April a half-hearted glare then rolled my eyes. “Gee, thanks a lot,” I told her sarcastically.
Just then, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of my hand, much like the stinging sensation that had woken me up this morning. I gasped in pain and grabbed my hand, seeing a drop of blood there. My eyes immediately darted around for sign of a bee, especially since this was the third time it had happened to me today. I’d also felt like I’d been stung right after I first arrived at school.
“Damn,” I muttered, suddenly having an idea of what was causing this.
“Are you okay?” April asked, giving me a curious look.
“Fine,” I told her with a scowl, thinking about these annoying sharp pains.
I didn’t feel any more stings during class, but I was struck again almost as soon as class was over. I was now even more certain of what was causing this than before. Since there was nothing around me that was causing this, it was obviously coming from Shelly. I was pretty sure that she was using herself as a living voodoo doll just to mess with me.
I hurried to Shelly’s next class, now knowing her schedule as well as my own. In fact, since my schedule had recently changed, I knew her schedule even better. I caught her just as she was arriving to class, earning looks of surprise from people who saw the two of us standing together.
“Stop doing that,” I snapped at Shelly.
Shelly gave me a too innocent look and asked, “Stop what?”
“Using me like a pin cushion,” I respond in annoyance.
“I haven’t touched you,” Shelly pointed out a little smugly.
I grimaced in frustration which only seemed to amuse Shelly. “You know,” I told her quietly, “It would be a shame if naked pic of you were to show up around school.”
Her eyes widened at the threat. “You wouldn’t,” she blurted out. Then she quickly added, “No one would believe them…”
However, she knew as well as I did that there wasn’t any physical difference between the two of us so any pictures of me might as well be pictures of her. And more than that, even if she told everyone that they were pictures of me and not her, there would still be a lot of doubt and skepticism. Of course, this was a complete bluff on my part since I had no intention of humiliating myself that way, but it still made for a good threat.
Shelly stared at me with a cold look before responding, “Fine. No more needles. I wasn’t planning on poking myself anymore anyway.”
I would have let out a sigh of relief at that, except for the expression on Shelly’s face. It was a look of determination, one that I’d seen before and which usually meant her overachieving nature was about to kick in. Shelly had given me the same look after the first time we’d sparred seriously in kickboxing and I’d easily beaten her. It was the look she gave when she decided that there was no way she was going to let that happen again. As I walked away from Shelly, I had a cold chill down my spine. I had a bad feeling that I may have just made one of the worst mistakes of my life.
--------------------
It was Thursday afternoon and I was thankful to be home from school. School had been rough enough before my twist, but now it had become even more exhausting. Not only did I have to deal with all my classes but now I also had to deal with everything that came with being a girl, such as remembering sit with my legs closed, to use the right restroom, and to keep my makeup touched up. Add to that the fact that I’d felt like crap all day and I was ready to just collapse in bed.
Ever since my twist, I’d been uncomfortable in my own body. I was almost constantly aware of the long hair getting in my way, the shift in my balance, and especially the weight on my chest. Admittedly, I was starting to get used to those sensations and they were bothering me less and less. However, today I’d felt extremely uncomfortable and somewhat sick. My nipples were very tender and my guts almost felt like they were twisted into knots. Shelly hadn’t said anything about feeling sick so I wondered if this just might be more side effects from my twist, possibly due to the stress of being linked to Shelly.
When I got home, I downed a glass of orange juice and then just sat down to relax. I was thankful that I had the house to myself for the moment. Mom and dad were still at work while Shelly had gone off with some of her friends on a sort of group date. I had little doubt that the reason Shelly was doing that rather than something more productive was due almost entirely to the fact that Eddie Ryan was part of that group. The two of them had been spending a lot of time together lately.
“Poor guy,” I muttered as I thought of Eddie. He probably thought he’d hit the jackpot to have such a smart, beautiful, and popular girl interested in him. “I should probably warn him. Not that he’d listen.”
For a brief moment, I wished I could go see Rich to kill some time playing video games with him. Technically, I was still grounded from playing games, but that only stopped me when my parents were around. Unfortunately, not only was I not feeling good at the moment, but Rich was still at school for wrestling practice.
After awhile, I got up and wandered into my room to play some video games. I wasn’t really in the mood to play much at the moment, but I was bored so it was either that or doing my homework. Shoot aliens or read Pride and Prejudice? It wasn’t a difficult choice.
I played on my game for a little longer than I’d planned before I began to feel warm and a little dizzy. It seemed that the symptoms I’d been feeling all day were starting to change a bit, though the aches and discomfort were definitely still there as well. I finally logged off the game, not wanting to be caught playing when my parents got home.
“They’d ground me for a year if they caught me playing,” I mumbled with a sigh. For some reason though, that idea almost seemed funny at the moment and I couldn’t resist giggling. After all that had happened to me, I was actually worried more about being grounded than about the fact that I now had to wear a bra now.
As I stood up and walked out of my room, I was even more aware of the vague dizziness and that it took just a little more effort than normal just to walk straight. I went to the kitchen to get something to drink, feeling a little worried about this latest symptom. But then, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my stomach, right above my belly button.
“Bitch,” I spat out angrily. Shelly had to be poking herself with needles again. “Damn it…”
I pulled up my shirt and stared down at my stomach where I saw a little blood, more than there had been when Shelly had been using herself as a voodoo doll. I wiped the blood away and saw that I now had two small holes in my navel, and as I stared at them, I suddenly realized that I needed to put nice ring through there. Then I gasped, caught by surprise with this new urge.
“She just got pierced,” I exclaimed in realization.
Then I stood there, clenching my fists in frustration. It pissed me off that she could do something like giving me a haircut or piercings anytime she felt like it, and there was absolutely nothing I could do to stop her. The fact that she seemed to have no hesitation to do so nor any concern about what I thought of it was just as bad.
I muttered a stream of profanities as I grabbed an ice cube from the freezer and held it against my navel. The cold helped to numb the pain a little though it did little to ease my anger and frustration. By the time the bleeding had mostly stopped and I’d put a bandage on my new holes, I was at least calm enough to no longer be cursing aloud.
When mom returned home a short time later, I immediately noticed that her hair was currently shoulder length and dyed an electric blue. When she had extra time at work, she’d sometimes do things to her own hair. The fact that she only had an inch of root showing suggested that she’d done this just an hour or two ago.
“Are you all right?” mom asked me, giving me a curious look.
“I’m fine,” I responded with just a slight slur to my words. My anger at Shelly was momentarily forgotten under the distraction from mom’s hair. “Wow…does your hair glow in the dark?”
I walked towards mom and nearly tripped. Her eyes went wide and she demanded, “Are you drunk?”
“What?” I asked in surprise and a little confusion. “No…”
“Don’t lie to me,” she snapped angrily, giving me a cold glare. “It’s obvious.”
“What?” I responded again, feeling even more confused, as well as a little offended that she’d accuse me like this. “I am not…”
Before I could finish my protest, mom exclaimed, “Jeri Anne Sinclaire. You are only sixteen years old and I will not have you drinking like this in my house. You are grounded…”
“But,” I tried to defend myself again.
“No buts,” mom snapped back, giving me that cold look of determination which I knew meant that she’d made up her mind and that there was absolutely no changing it. It suddenly struck me that it was similar to the expression Shelly had once she’d made up her mind. “Go to your room right now young lady and I’d better not see your face outside it again tonight other than to use the bathroom.”
“But I’m not,” I started, though it was obvious that mom wasn’t listening. I snarled in anger and spat out, “This isn’t fair,” as I stomped to my room.
“At least Shelly would never behave like this,” mom said to herself when I was nearly out of hearing.
Those words nearly made me scream in rage and frustration as I went into my room and slammed my door behind me. Right at that moment, I decided that there was no force on Earth that was going to make me come out of that room tonight.
--------------------
I was in a bad mood as I sat down at the desk in my second period class, right beside April. Of course, I’d been in a bad mood all morning long, a bad mood that had carried over from last night.
When I woke up this morning, the faint dizziness and confusion from last night had vanished, but unfortunately, the other aches and discomforts hadn’t. Between that, Shelly’s activities last night, and being grounded for something I hadn’t done, I was really in a mood to take it out on someone else. Rich seemed to have sensed this because he’d taken one look at me this morning and then avoided me.
April stared at me with a worried look before finally asking, “Are you mad at me for something?”
I just gave April a flat look, reminding myself that she was Shelly’s best friend and accomplice. She’d been there last night with Shelly and been a part of this. After a moment, I asked her in a cold tone, “Did you guys have fun getting drunk last night?”
“What?” April asked in surprise. Then she grinned, “Sorry about that. I told Shelly we should have invited you so you wouldn’t feel left out…”
“I wasn’t left out,” I spat out bitterly. “I got grounded for being drunk…when I didn’t have a single drink.”
“What?” April repeated, looking even more surprised. “You mean…? Oh my God, I didn’t know your twist could do that…”
“I’m not happy about this either,” I spat out, holding up my leg and showing the tattoo of thorny roses which now circled my ankle.
Last night while I’d been locked in my room, I’d felt a burning itch from my ankle. As I watched, black lines had appeared and spread, eventually forming the image that now decorated my skin. Then the roses had colored themselves in with crimson ink while I was helpless to do anything but watch.
“Do you have any idea what it’s like having someone else give you tattoos and piercings without your permission?” I demanded.
April just stared at my tattoo for a moment before blurted out, “No way…”
Just then, our teacher called out, “Am I boring you?” She looked at me and April both and the two of us immediately pretended like we’d been paying attention the entire time. Her attention kept going back to us so April and I didn’t talk again for the rest of class.
As soon as class was over, April said, “I’m sorry…” She looked apologetic, which confused me. “It’s my fault.”
“Your fault?” I asked, feeling a little confused.
“We were trying to get Shelly to relax and have some fun,” April told me with a sigh. “She’s been even more tense than usual…” She gave me a faint smile at that. “And well, you know Shelly… As soon as she got into it, she got carried away…”
“And I get a tattoo,” I responded with a snort.
“To be honest,” April admitted, “I kind of suggested she get a tattoo…” Then she quickly added, “But I didn’t think she’d actually go for it…or that you’d get one too. We thought that since it was ink, it would be like your nail polish. I mean, you don’t suddenly have nail polish when she puts it on…”
I snorted again. “And what a way to find out…”
“It must be because the ink is inside her body,” April mused. Then she explained, “The only reason she got it was to try making herself different from you. She wanted to differentiate her appearance.”
I nodded, still not happy though at least it was a relief to know that neither the alcohol or tattoo had been intentional. However, Shelly definitely would have known that getting a piercing would affect me as well so that just made me wonder if maybe she did suspect the other things would but just didn’t care.
“I’ve got to go,” I told April with a sigh.
With that I said goodbye and left her, knowing that I was going to have to have a little talk with Shelly. Maybe I’d have to remind her about the possibility of naked pictures showing up around school.
I went to the bathroom to relieve myself, no longer finding it too weird to go into the girls bathroom. After all, in spite of all the mystique, it was just like the ones I was used to using except for the lack of urinals. I was even starting to get to the point that when I had to take a piss, I no longer instinctively stood and reached for my equipment.
When I pulled down my pants and was about to sit down in my stall, I froze and stared at my panties. “I’m bleeding,” I blurted out in shock. For a brief moment, I was terrified that Shelly had done something else to hurt me, but then it dawned on me. “Oh shit…”
I sat down on the toilet, feeling stunned and horrified. I was actually having a period and I hadn’t even realized it. I suddenly felt stupid for not figuring it out before this. All the cramps and aches… If Shelly felt like that every month, it was no wonder she was such a bitch whenever she was on her period. Of course, that didn’t explain why she was the rest of the time.
“Oh God,” I groaned, grabbing a wad of toilet paper and trying to wipe at my panties.
In spite of this shock, I had enough presence of mind to continue with my business. I wiped myself afterwards while trying to think of what I should do about this. Knowledge that had obviously come from Shelly told me how to use pads and tampons, but that didn’t do me any good when I didn’t have either. I finally settled on grabbing a handful of toilet paper and stuffing it into my panties so that at least I’d have something to absorb the blood.
“I can’t believe this,” I muttered, feeling shaken.
With some effort, I pulled my pants back up and left the stall, though I really wanted to just stay in there and hide. I had already accepted the fact that my body was now female, but this had been the final nail in the coffin of my manhood.
As soon as I stepped out of the stall, a girl from one of my classes asked, “Jeri? It is Jeri right…not Shelly?”
“Um…yeah,” I responded in embarrassment.
“I kind of heard you,” the girl said carefully, looking embarrassed as well. “Is this…? Are you having your period?”
I was absolutely mortified at that but nodded weakly, sure that I was blushing bright red. “Um…yeah,” I said quietly.
She gave me a sympathetic look and said, “I’m guessing you weren’t prepared…”
“No,” I admitted, unable to meet her eyes. Then I tried to save some face by joking, “This wasn’t exactly covered in the birds and the bees lecture I got…”
The girl giggled at that and then reached into her purse, pulling out what I immediately recognized was a feminine hygiene pad. “Here,’ she told me, giving it to me and adding awkwardly, “Congratulations.”
With that, my classmate hurried out of the bathroom while I ran back into the stall so I could switch the toilet paper out for the pad. I never would have imagined that I’d be so happy to be wearing a pad.
When lunch finally came, I went into the cafeteria and looked straight at Shelly’s table. She was sitting there with April and several of her other friends. I glared at my sister and then started walking straight to her.
“Shelly,” I exclaimed, stopping by her table and glaring at her.
“Ah,” April said, “I guess you two need to talk about that tattoo…”
“Is something the matter?” Shelly asked me with a smirk.
“You knew this was coming,” I exclaimed angrily. “You knew I was about to…” I paused at that, blushing brightly and being unable to finish that sentence in front of so many other people.
“Of course,” Shelly responded smugly.
I snarled and demanded, “Then why the hell didn’t you warn me?”
“You know everything I do,” Shelly replied sarcastically. “I shouldn’t have to.”
I glared at my sister, wanting to hit her as hard as I could. Since I couldn’t do that at the moment, I just spat out, “You bitch,” before I turned and walked away, knowing that this wasn’t over.
“What was that about?” April asked Shelly from behind me.
“Oh, Jeri just experienced her first monthly visitor,” Shelly told her smugly.
“And you didn’t warn her?” April gasped in surprise. “That is cold. She’s right… You really are a bitch…”
I just walked out of the cafeteria, no longer feeling like eating anything. What I really wanted to do was scream and curse out whatever sadistic deity had decided to stick me with this twist.
--------------------
It was Saturday afternoon and I was stuck at home, still grounded for things I hadn’t done. I’d given up on trying to convince my parents of the truth, knowing that they thought of Shelly as the perfect daughter who could do no wrong. In spite of the fact that I now looked like Shelly, they still thought of me as a screw up who could no right, at least not unless I was following Shelly’s example.
At the moment, I was sitting on the couch in the living room, watching TV with my feet on the coffee table. Unfortunately, I couldn’t really enjoy it much. I was still angry and frustrated, not to mention the fact that I was still on my period as well.
Thankfully, I did have the house to myself for now, which meant that I could at least try to just sit back and relax. The fact that I wasn’t currently wearing makeup, heels or having any real compulsions made that a little more likely. Of course, I felt a faint urge to put on some exercise clothes, but it was easy to ignore and pretty harmless.
“Fucking bitch,” I muttered to myself, wishing that I’d been an only child.
Shelly seemed to be taking a sadistic delight in my situation as well as doing everything in her power to make things worse for me. If it wasn’t getting me grounded for her actions or letting me get caught by surprise by an unexpected monthly visitor, it was something else unpleasant.
This morning, I’d found that Shelly had taken the pads and tampons which she normally kept in the bathroom and had locked them in her room just to keep me from using them. I’d been forced to use some tampons from mom’s bathroom, and then I had the humiliation of asking mom to buy me some of my own so that I wouldn’t have to rely on using Shelly’s supply.
“My life sucks,” I grumbled, thinking about how uncomfortable I felt and how gross it was having a period.
I was settling down into a nice comfortable bout of self-pity when the doorbell rang. Since there were only a couple people it could have been, I crossed my fingers and then went to answer it. When I opened the door, I was relieved to see that it was Rich.
“Hey,” I greeted him a little awkwardly.
“Hey,” He responded just as hesitantly.
Ever since my twist, my friendship with Rich had become a bit awkward. I now looked exactly like the girl he had a crush on so he was starting to think of me more and more as a girl. He barely even told dirty jokes around me anymore.
And there was the fact that I couldn’t actually talk to Rich about some of the problems I had to deal with no. There was no way in hell that I could tell him what it was like having a period. Rich wouldn’t understand…couldn’t understand. If I even tried to bring up the subject, he’d find an excuse to leave as quickly as possible. I would have done the exact same thing a very short time ago.
“Dude,” Rick said as he came inside. “I was wondering if you wanted to go see that new movie that just came out at the holo-theater”
“Which one?” I asked curiously. “There are a couple good movies out…”
“You know, the sequel to the Star Wars remake,” Rich pointed out with a grin. “It has Chloe Grace Moretz as the Empress… This is her first movie after getting that lifetime achievement award.”
I just chuckled at that, remembering the preview for the movie that showed the heroes having to fight off an army of Sith. I wasn’t into sci-fi movies as much as Rich was, but it did look like a good movie.
“I wish I could,” I told Rich with a sigh. “I’m grounded and if my parents come back and find me gone…” I ran a finger over my throat to mimic getting my throat cut.
“Damn,” Rich responded in obvious disappointment. “That sucks. Then I guess its video games…”
“Wish I could,” I said again with an even deeper sigh. Then I bitterly explained, “Last night, someone reminded my mom and dad that I was still grounded from games too, so the pulled my game unit from my room.”
“Damn,” Rich repeated. “Dude, that is rough.” Then he paused to give me a grin and ask, “Or is that dudette now?”
I shook my head at that, not wanting to encourage Rich. I was a girl now but I wasn’t sure I wanted my nose rubbed in that fact every time I talked to him.
“So, where is Shelly now?” Rich asked hopefully.
I just scowled at the mention of my sister’s name. “She’s at a kickboxing tournament,” I answered with a shake of my head. “Mom and dad went to watch her compete. I’m expecting the bruises to start appearing any time now.”
Rich stared at me for a moment before saying, “Being twisted has got to be freaky…”
“You have no idea,” I pointed out wryly. “None.”
“No offense, dude,” Rich told me. “But I am SO glad I’m not twisted.”
“I wish I wasn’t,” I muttered in response, thinking about how much nicer my life would be if my family wasn’t twisted. I’d still be a guy without any idea of what it was like to have a period, and the real Shelly would still be around.
“How about car shopping?” Rich abruptly asked me. “Do you still have computer access?”
“Yeah, I still have that,” I responded with a grin. “I couldn’t do any of my homework without it.”
With that, we went to my room and began looking up used cars. It was more window shopping than anything else as I was starting to doubt that I’d ever get a car of my own.
Dad had said that when Shelly graduated from high school, he was going to buy her a new car. He must have worried that I’d feel a little left out because he told me that if I could save up enough money to pay for half a used car, he’d pay for the other half. However, I suspected that he’d only offered that much because he didn’t think I’d be able to get a job or earn enough for my half. And unfortunately, that seemed to be the case.
Rich and I looked for used cars for a short time before we began looking at less realistic options instead. We kept alternating between looking at pictures of the Kia Razor and the Honda Griffin, drooling over both and arguing over which was the better car.
“Dude, the Griffin is definitely better,” Rich insisted. “I mean, look at those sweet curves… I bet she rides really smooth…”
“Are you talking about a car?” I asked him with a smirk. “Or a girl?”
“Well, cars are easier to deal with,” Rich started, then paused to stare at me. “I…I’m sorry,” he stammered, blushing.
I felt a surge of anger at him, as though his little joke had been a personal insult to me. I was about to snap at him when I realized that my reaction made no sense. I took a deep breath, realizing that this was one of those mood swing things I’d heard of.
“No problem,” I told Rich, feeling extremely self-conscious over what I was feeling, or the fact that I now felt like crying. I wiped my eyes and tried to pretend that everything was fine.
“Are you okay?” Rich asked me with a worried look.
“You see how you feel when you’re bleeding in places you shouldn’t,” I muttered bitterly.
Rich stared at me with his eyes going wide. “Damn,” he exclaimed, taking a step back.
“Don’t worry,” I told him with a sigh. “It’s not contagious.”
Rich’s reaction wasn’t really all that surprising. My dad had been reacting somewhat similar since finding out that I was going through my period. He kept giving me odd looks and kept his distance, almost as though he was afraid he’d catch it.
“Is there anything good about your twist?” he asked me uncomfortably.
I hesitated a moment, and without a word I tore a sheet of paper from notebook and then began to fold it. After a minute, I set a little origami frog onto the table in front of him.
“I didn’t know how to do that kind of stuff before,” I told Rich with a weak smile. “I was bored in class and began messing with some paper. I kind of surprised myself when I realized I knew how to do this…”
“More of that stuff you know because Shelly knows it,” Rich said in understanding.
“It’s kind of freaky finding out that I know stuff that I shouldn’t know,” I admitted. “But I guess it’s kind of cool too. Honestly, it’s kind of confusing. It’s kind of neat but I’m afraid of it too… I mean, how much of me is really me?”
“Can you hear what Shelly is thinking too?” Rich asked curiously.
“No,” I answered after a few seconds. “I can’t read her thoughts and I don’t have any of her memories. I mean, I know how to do origami but I have no idea how she learned it.” I shrugged at that.
“Dude, that has got to be freaky,” Rich told me before grinning. “But definitely cool too…”
“Yeah,” I responded with a wry smile. “I can walk in high heels and put on makeup like a born girl, but I don’t remember learning how to do either.” Knowing how to do that stuff was very convenient for satisfying my compulsions, but it was also a bit of a bruise to my fading male ego. “And the thing is, I don’t even know what I know until someone asks me a question or I happen to need that knowledge for something.”
“Yeah, I can see how that would be pretty weird,” Rich said thoughtfully. Then he grinned and pointed to the image of the car that was currently in front of us. “Do you know how to rebuild an engine?”
“No,” I responded with a shrug. “I haven’t a clue and I’m pretty sure Shelly doesn’t either.” I closed my eyes and tried thinking about what it would take but I drew a blank. “Nope. I still haven’t got a clue.”
“I’ve been saying that for years,” Rich teased me.
I felt a little hurt at his joke though I knew he’d only been joking around the way he always did. My emotions were definitely getting a bit out of whack, though I wasn’t sure if that was due to the general female hormones or if it was specifically due to the ones from my period. After a moment, I concluded that it was probably a bit of both.
Rich was giving me an odd look, probably noticing my distractions. After minute, he said, “I should probably get going…” It was obviously just an excuse to get away from what was becoming an even more uncomfortable situation.
“I guess I’ll see you later then,” I told Rich, trying not to show that it bothered me that I was making him uncomfortable.
Once Rich left a few minutes later, I found myself sitting on my bed crying. I wasn’t even sure what I was crying about specifically, though I certainly had more than enough things to pick from. When I finally stopped and wiped my eyes dry, I was thankful that I hadn’t been wearing mascara.
The rest of my family returned home a short time after this and the first thing I heard as they stepped through the door was mom exclaiming, “I’m so proud of you honey. You did so good out there…”
“It’s just too bad this is the last tournament you’ll be able to compete in,” dad said with obvious disappointment. “But that new rule banning the Twisted from competing goes into effect in less than two weeks…”
“I still say that isn’t fair,” mom protested in annoyance. “It’s discrimination, pure and simple.”
“Maybe,” dad agreed, “but I can see their point. It wouldn’t be fair if some Twisted with a trick that lets them be invincible tried to compete…”
“I still didn’t win the tournament,” Shelly said, talking more to herself than anyone else. “Even if they don’t let me compete in the next tournament, I still have to get better…”
“At least you can still spar against the people in your class,” dad pointed out.
I stood there and watched the three of them talking, scowling in annoyance that they hadn’t even noticed me there. Of course, I knew I should be used to it by now.
“I was thinking,” dad told Shelly with a proud grin. “Maybe sometime this week we can go and get that car we promised you a little early…”
I clenched my fists so that my nails dug painfully into my palms and drew blood. Without a word, I turned and went back into my room where I locked the door behind me and then began to cry again.
--------------------
I let out a long sigh as I returned home from school, though it wasn’t a sigh of relief. I supposed that it said something about my home life that as weird as school had been since my twist, I rather would have been there than dealing with my own family.
At school, I had to deal with some crude jokes and insults because I was Twisted, but it never really went beyond that. Craig tended to glare at me a lot and point out how Twisted weren’t natural, but he wasn’t the type to resort to violence. Most of the guys who might get physical were hesitant to do so with a girl, even a newly minted one. And I was pretty sure that some of them actually felt sorry for me…or held hopes of getting into my pants someday.
The worst taunting at school came not from the stereotypical male jocks but from the girls. I’d begun learning that they could be quite catty and vicious in their way, though they tended to be more passive aggressive than directly physical. However, most of that hostility had more to do with them being jealous of my looks than because I was twisted.
But in spite of the occasional teasing and insults, school wasn’t really that bad. Most of the other kids left me alone, other than to pester me with questions about what it was like being Twisted or turning into a girl. I’d lost track of how many times boy I barely knew came up to me, acting all ‘buddy buddy’ and trying to talk me into showing them my breasts. That could be a little embarrassing, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as dealing with my own family.
Ever since Shelly had gone through her twist, I’d been stuck in her shadow. And ever since my own twist, that had become even worse. It was as though I was fading away in everyone’s eyes and all they saw anymore was a cheap knockoff of my sister. It was infuriating, especially since Shelly wasn’t even the real Shelly.
I started for the bathroom, but Shelly, who’d come home right behind me, ran there ahead of me, calling out, “I need to get ready for my date tonight…”
I rolled my eyes at that and couldn’t resist calling out, “You know, I have some hairs on my lip that are starting to look like a mustache. You might want to take care of that.” Of course, I’d completely made that up just to mess with Shelly. Then, moments after the bathroom door slammed shut, I felt a sharp pain that told me she’d found a safety pin.
While Shelly got ready for her date, I hid out in my room, just so she didn’t think to make things even more uncomfortable for me. I was also expecting to feel some new compulsions, but all she did was put on some nicer clothes, a different pair of heels, and she redid her makeup. Since I was already wearing heels and makeup from school, I didn’t feel any new compulsions. Oddly enough, I’ve worn heels, nail polish, and makeup so often lately just to keep the mental itch at bay, I was actually starting to get used to it all.
Mom came home from work at her usual time while dad arrived just a short time later. He was in a good mood because the house he was working on was going ahead of schedule and was still within budget. From what I understood, both of those things were very rare in his business.
“You look beautiful, honey,” mom told Shelly with obvious pride in her voice. “Eddie is a very lucky boy.”
Dad nodded at that, not looking quite as happy. Then he mused, “I wonder if polishing a nail gun the next time he comes over would be as effective as polishing a shotgun…”
I smiled faintly at that, imagining dad siting in his recliner and trying to intimidate Shelly’s new boyfriend. Somehow, I found the image hilarious and wished I could be there to see it for real.
With a sigh, I turned and went back to my room, wishing that the whole voodoo doll effect I had with Shelly worked the other way as well. It would be fun to stick her with needles as well, especially in the middle of her date.
When dinner came a short time ago, it was quiet as I didn’t feel like talking to my parents, nor did they seem interested in talking to me. Instead, I ate in near silence while they talked to each other.
“I did have a crazy guy come into my salon today,” mom told dad with a sigh. “He insisted that all Twisted were abominations and that my salon should be shut down.”
“Not again,” dad responded with a worried look.
I just nodded at that, not at all surprised. About one or twice a month, mom had to deal with someone causing trouble because she was Twisted. Sometimes it was a lone crazy coming in and making a scene while other times there were people protesting out in front.
“At least this time I didn’t have to call the police,” mom said almost pleasantly. “He gave his speech and then left.”
I nodded again as I ate. Occasionally mom had to deal with a smashed window or the threat of violence, but not often anymore. The local police had made it pretty clear that they wouldn’t tolerate people causing trouble just because my mom was Twisted. That might have had something to do with the fact that the mayor’s wife and daughter were both regulars in my mom’s shop.
Right after dinner was over, I put my dishes into the dish washer and was about to go back to my room when the doorbell began to ring. I went to answer the door, only to find April there.
“Hey Shelly,” April greeted me.
“I’m not Shelly,” I snapped as she came inside. Then I saw the amused gleam in April’s eyes and realized that she already knew that. She’d just been messing with me.
“So, is Shelly here?” April asked curiously, still giving me an amused look.
Before I could answer, my mom told her, “I’m afraid Shelly isn’t here right now. She’s out on a date.”
“Oh,” April responded with a shrug. “Good for her.” Then April looked to me and said, “Well, since I’m here, do you want to go over some of our homework?”
“That’s a great idea,” mom said, not giving me a chance to answer. “Jeri can use the help…especially since Shelly doesn’t take that literature class you two are in.”
A minute later, April and I were in my bedroom where we could study without my parents watching. I was a little excited to have April in my room, but also a little nervous. I wasn’t quite sure why.
“It’s a bit of a mess,” I apologized.
“I have seen your room before,” she reminded me with a grin. “It still looks like a boys room…almost.”
Then she looked around, pointing to my makeup kit on the dresser, the high heels by my closet, and the bra that was hanging over my hair. I blushed brightly as she brought attention to all the feminine articles that were starting to dominate my space.
“It is definitely starting to look more like a girls room though,” April added thoughtfully.
“I guess,” I agreed awkwardly, not bothering to protest.
“Maybe add some posters of a cute boy or two,” April mused with a smirk. “Throw in a few stuffed animals…”
I grimaced at that. “No thank you. Besides, Shelly doesn’t have any stuffed animals…” Or at least, she didn’t have anything like that anymore. She’d packed up all that kind of stuff shortly after her twist and put it into the attic.
“It’s certainly not a requirement,” April told me with a grin. “But I still have some in my room. Leftovers from when I used to collect them as a little girl.” Then she gave me a wink and added, “Maybe I’ll get you a couple to help you get started.”
“Um...no thanks,” I told her with a chuckle. “Stuffed animals were never my thing and I don’t plan to start now.”
After that, April and I began talking about the assignment from our shared class. However, neither of us was very focused on it and kept getting distracted.
I watched April, having a feeling that something was just off though I couldn’t place what it was immediately. Then I realized what it was. She was Shelly’s best friend and I’d even overheard Shelly and her talking about the date that Shelly was on right now.
“You knew Shelly wouldn’t be here,” I finally said, giving April a curious look.
April stared back, suddenly looking self-conscious before nodding. “I didn’t really come to see Shelly,” she admitted with a nervous looking smile. “Not this time.”
“Then why?” I asked, feeling a little confused about why April would come just to see me. I was pretty sure it didn’t have anything to do with our literature class.
April was silent for a moment, though she was blushing bright red. Then hesitantly asked, “You remember how you owe me a favor?”
It took me a moment to remember what she meant. When she’d caught me in the girl’s bathroom on my first day back to school, offering to show my qualifications to be there, she’d said she wouldn’t tell Shelly about that but that I’d owe her a favor. I nodded at that.
“For my favor,” April told me quietly. “Don’t tell Shelly or anyone else about this…”
And with that, April leaned forward and surprised me with a kiss in my lips. At first, I was stunned and a little confused, then I felt excited instead and began to kiss back.
When April pulled back, the two of us just stared at each other for a moment, both blushing. “I…I’ve got to go,” April stammered, quickly picking up her things and leaving.
I just stared after April, still feeling stunned by her unexpected kiss. I licked my lips, still tasting her and hoping that I could taste her lips like that again.
--------------------
It was Friday afternoon and I was in a good mood, something that I hadn’t had much of recently. Not only was it the end of the week, but I was no longer grounded. But even more importantly, my disgusting period was finally over.
I was currently at Rich’s house, celebrating the fact that I could actually leave my house for something besides school. Things were still a little awkward between us but I was trying to act as though everything was the same as before, as if that could somehow make it so.
“Dude, you still kick ass,” Rich exclaimed after I beat him on our latest go at video games.
I grinned, looking at the holographic display and then gesturing to start the game again. “Of course,” I responded smugly. “Just because I lost my balls, that doesn’t mean I lost my skills.”
Rich blushed at that and then muttered, “It sounds kind of weird when you talk like that…”
“You mean, when I talk like I always did before?” I asked him with a smirk.
“Yeah,” Rich answered with a nod, still looking a little uncomfortable. “You know…”
I nodded, knowing what he meant. I looked and sounded like Shelly, so it threw him when I started talking like a guy. Of course, that was one of the reasons I did it. I wanted to keep reminding him that in spite of how I looked, it was still me in here.
“I take it you’re still crushing on my sister,” I said, though I wasn’t surprised at all.
“Well, she is totally hot,” Rich admitted, not looking at me.
“She already has a boyfriend,” I pointed out, deciding not to mention that she was out of Rich’s league as well.
Rich snorted at that. “Yeah, but if she ever dumps Eddie, I’ll be here waiting…” He said it with a grin that showed he was half joking. Then he stared at me for a moment before hesitantly asking, “So, are you interested in anyone?”
I immediately thought of April, who Rich knew I had a crush on. More specifically, I thought of that kiss the two of us had shared on Monday. April had been sort of avoiding me since then, acting as though nothing had ever happened…much to my disappointment.
“There is someone,” I admitted, though I didn’t say anything more. After all, April had asked me not to tell anyone about the kiss.
Rich and I played another game, though he was obviously distracted the entire time. He kept glancing to me and then quickly looking away. I tried to pretend that I didn’t notice it, though it was making me a little uncomfortable.
Then, Rich suddenly leaned over and shocked me by kissing me on the lips. For a moment, I had a flashback to my kiss with April, but then I responded in a completely different fashion.
I shoved Rich back, nearly screaming, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Rich stared at me with a look that seemed to hold confusion and embarrassment. “I…I thought you wanted me to…”
“WHAT?” I demanded, whipping my mouth with the back of my hand. “Why in the world would you think that?”
“You said you were interested in someone,” Rich told me defensively, “And then you got all weird about it. I thought…I thought you meant me.”
My mouth dropped at that and all I could do was gasp, “What…?”
“Dude, we’re best friends,” Rich explained awkwardly. “Now that you’re a girl, I kind of thought…”
“I still like girls,” I snapped at him, feeling offended and embarrassed by his assumptions.
Without saying another word, I went straight for the door. I was fully aware of the irony that I was walking away in a pair of high heels because my male pride had taken another serious hit.
“I’m sorry,” Rich called back.
“Later,” I snapped as I walked out the door.
I went straight home, only to find Shelly’s new car siting in the driveway to let me know she was home. I glared at the car, a fairly new model, though not a hover one. It was a clear reminder that she was the favorite child, as if I needed any other reminders.
When I went inside, I found Shelly in the living room, all dressed up for her date tonight. I was a little more surprised to see April with her.
“You look great,” April told Shelly, giving her an odd look. “Eddie is a lucky guy…”
Shelly smiled at that, looking quite pleased. “Are you sure I didn’t overdo it?”
“No,” April assured her. “You look absolutely perfect.” Then she turned to look at me and said, “Hey Jeri.”
“Hey,” I greeted her back. April grinned cheerfully while Shelly gave me a slightly hostile look.
Less than a minute later, another car pulled into our driveway. I glanced out the window and saw that it was Eddie, though Shelly already seemed to know that as she hurried out the door and then drove off with her date.
April and I were now alone in the living room and we stood there staring at each other awkwardly. I suddenly realized that this was the first time that the two of us had been alone together since our kiss.
“About what happened Monday,” she started awkwardly.
“I didn’t tell anyone,” I assured her. Then I admitted, “You kind of caught me by surprise…”
April nodded at that, somehow looking both smug and self-conscious at the same time. “You might have guessed,” she said carefully. “But I like girls instead of boys.”
I just stared at April for a moment before whispering, “Then you and Shelly…”
“No,” April quickly responded, blushing brighter. “Shelly doesn’t know… I mean, I never told her.” Then she paused to give me a wry smile and added, “Besides, she only likes boys.” April had a sad look on her face at that.
I had no idea what to say next, though it seemed that I didn’t need to say anything. April hesitantly took my hand and held it in her own. When I didn’t pull away, she let out a sigh of relief.
“I knew you liked me,” April said with a self-conscious smile. “I noticed how you kept looking at me whenever I came over…” Then she quietly admitted, “I actually thought it was kind of funny…”
“Because I was your best friend’s kid brother,” I responded in understanding. That alone was a good enough reason for why she’d nearly ignored me before my twist, and the fact that she wasn’t interested in boys was another.
“I know you aren’t very happy about your twist,” April told me. Then she looked embarrassed as she added, “But I’m kind of glad…”
Then April leaned forward and kissed me on my lips again. I happily kissed her back, feeling my body responding. My nipples were poking out so hard that I was suddenly grateful for the bra which helped hide them.
When we pulled apart again, April stared at me for a moment before whispering, “You’re so beautiful…” Then she gave me another quick kiss before rushing out the door and leaving.
I was left standing there, feeling turned on and excited. However, there was one thing that kept me from enjoying this as much as I would have liked. She said that I was beautiful…which meant that that it was really Shelly whom she was attracted to.
An hour later, after dinner was over, I was in my room, thinking about April and our kisses. The fact that he girl I’d been crushing on actually seemed to like me back was something of a dream come true. Unfortunately, it wasn’t me she was really attracted to. It was Shelly.
“It’s always Shelly,” I spat out bitterly.
I tried to get my mind off of the situation by distracting myself with some video games. Before long, I began to feel a little flushed and dizzy. Then it suddenly struck me that I was feeling the same way I did when I got grounded for being drunk.
“Great,” I grumbled to myself. “Shelly must be getting drunk again. I’d better not leave my room or I’ll get grounded again.”
Playing my game while a little tipsy was fun, though I didn’t seem to be doing as good as I normally did. I finally turned off the game and sat down on my bed.
I’d barely managed to sit on my bed before I began to feel turned on again. My nipples hardened and I began to feel moist in my nether regions. It was a little startling because I hadn’t been fantasizing about April or any other girl. Then again, I used to get hard-ons for no good reason as well.
Since I was already feeling hot and horny, I decided that I might as well experiment with my new body a little more. I’ve already played with myself a little, thought it had felt awkward since I knew that I looked like Sherry. But as I’d started to get used to my new body, it was becoming easier and easier to think of it as ‘my’ body.
But before I could really feel myself up, I suddenly felt as though I’d just pinched one of my nipples. However, my hand wasn’t anywhere near my breasts. Then I felt it again, this time from both my nipples.
“What the hell?” I gasped, feeling as though both of my nipples were being gently pinched and played with. It felt good and was getting me turned on even more. Then it felt as though someone was playing with them more. “Oh God…”
I just sat there, feeling confused at first and then I suddenly realized what was going on. I could feel it anytime Shelly got injured, but now it seems that I was sharing more than just her pain.
“Hell no,” I blurted out with a growing sense of horror.
Then I felt it, as though someone was rubbing my neither region. I gasped at that and closed my legs, even holding my hands up to block access but it did no good. It felt as though someone’s finger slipped up inside me and began to massage me from within.
“No,” I whispered, moaning from how good it felt while simultaneously being filled with horror.
I desperately tried to fight this but there were no physical hands to knock away and no way to block the sensations. And then I felt something new pushing inside of me, something larger than a finger.
“No,” I cried out, closing my legs even tighter. “Please no…”
Nothing I tried could stop the sensations of something pounding in and out of me. It felt so good, which only made this experience all the worse. All I could do was bite my pillow to keep from making any noise that would alert mom and dad to what was going on.
I had no idea how long I experienced this voyeuristic secondhand sex, though I eventually came and came hard. I probably would have screamed out from the pleasure of it if it hadn’t been for the pillow in my mouth.
Once it was over, I lay on my bed, my whole body tingling and feeling good. However, my emotions were anything but good as I felt absolutely mortified…humiliated…and violated. All I could do was curl up and cry myself to sleep.
--------------------
It had been a quiet Saturday morning and was now early afternoon. Shelly had been gone for most of the morning, going to kickboxing and the gym, and she had yet to return. Mom was gone as well, working at the salon as she did nearly every Saturday. That meant that dad and I were currently the only ones home, though he was out in the garage cleaning it up.
Normally, dad would have made me clean the garage and mow the lawn, but today he’d gone out to take care of those things himself without a single word suggesting that I should do it. If being a girl meant that I could get out of some of those chores, I wasn’t about to complain.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t feel very enthusiastic about my newfound ability to avoid certain chores. Instead, I spent all morning thinking about last night while my emotions seemed to be a caught in a swirling maelstrom.
Experiencing secondhand sex without warning had been more than a little shocking. It had also been an unbelievable violation. I had happened without my permission…and against my active will. For all intents and purposes, it had been an act of unintentional rape. And the worst part was that I couldn’t help thinking about how good it felt.
“Damn it,” I muttered bitterly, alternating between feeling humiliated and feeling excited as I thought about it. Then I cursed Shelly, “How could you do that to me?”
I didn’t think that even Shelly would have done that to me intentionally, not when it intruded into her own privacy so much. But with as much as she’d been giving me a hard time since my twist, I couldn’t be certain.
“I should probably go see Rich,” I mused, trying to distract myself. When I left him yesterday afternoon, things had been pretty awkward. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to deal with that again right now.
I was in the process of trying to think of what I could do to take my mind off of last night when the doorbell began to ring. When I went to answer the door, I was startled to find Shelly’s boyfriend Eddie standing there.
Though I didn’t know Eddie very well, I felt a knot of emotion clench up inside of me at the sight of him. After all, there was no doubt that he was the one Shelly had been having sex with. He was partly responsible for the good time that I’d been forced to share in.
“I really enjoyed our date last night,” Eddie told me with a goofy grin.
For a moment, I was a little confused by his statement, even feeling a surge of shock as I thought that he and Shelly had messed with me intentionally. However, after a couple seconds, I realized that he merely thought I was Shelly. I blushed at that, feeling even more uncomfortable about being in Eddie’s presence.
“I...,” I started, about to tell him that I wasn’t Shelly when I suddenly realized that this was my chance to make sure last night didn’t happen again. I blushed brightly as I awkwardly told him, “I enjoyed it too...”
“That’s good to hear,” Eddie told him, about to come in until I held up my hand to stop him.
“But I’m afraid,” I said carefully, my mind spinning as I tried to think of what to say. “I think we should see other people.”
Eddie froze with a look of stunned confusion. “What?”
“It’s not you,” I told him, trying to think of how most girls would do something like this. “It’s me. I just can’t do this anymore…”
Then before Eddie could respond, I closed the door in his face, feeling guilty about what I’d just done, yet relieved at the same time. I took several deep breaths, regretting that I’d had to do something like that to Eddie. He’d seemed like a pretty decent guy and I knew how much it hurt getting dumped. But I told myself that I didn’t have much choice. I had to keep him and Shelly apart if I wanted to protect myself.
“Shelly,” I heard Eddie’s voice calling through the door. “Come on, talk to me… What’s really going on?”
“Maybe I should have told him Shelly was seeing someone else too,” I muttered, feeling ashamed of myself. Then I tried telling myself, “Shelly deserves it…” That didn’t make me feel any better about what I’d just done. After a sad shake of my head, I went back my room where I wouldn’t have to hear Eddie calling for Shelly through the door.
When Shelly returned home half an hour later, Eddie was gone and she had no idea that her boyfriend thought that she’d dumped him. She came into the house with a smile on her face, obviously having had a good session at the gym or with kickboxing. I felt little surge of guilt over what I’d done in her name, but that faded as soon as she looked at me and her expression turned to a cold glare.
April came into the house right behind Shelly, which wasn’t a surprise. Though April didn’t take kickboxing, they usually met up to go to the gym together afterwards.
“What’s wrong?” April asked Shelly with a confused look.
“Jeri,” Shelly spat out, turning away from me and walking back to her room with April, not bothering to say a single word to me and acting as though I wasn’t even there. “It pisses me off that I work my ass off and she gets the benefits without having to lift a finger…”
“That’s not fair,” April said, turning to give me a sympathetic look.
“I know,” Shelly agreed. “It’s like she’s stealing from me…”
“I mean, you’re not being fair to her,” April told my sister. “It’s not like she’s doing it on purpose or has any choice in the matter…”
At that, the door to Shelly’s room closed and I couldn’t hear the rest of the conversation. I appreciated the fact that April was trying to defend me, though I doubted that Shelly would bother listening.
Since Shelly and April were both occupied, that left me with either the choice of going out to help dad or trying to figure out how to entertain myself. I didn’t feel like any more video games at the moment, nor did I even feel like hanging around the house. I could have gone to see Rich, but that would still have been a bit awkward so instead I decided to just go for a walk.
I’d gone just a short distance down the sidewalk when I suddenly realized that I was going for a walk in my low heels when I could have been wearing my sneakers instead. Since Shelly had been kickboxing and working out all morning, I’d felt the occasional faint urges to be barefoot or put on sneakers, but I’d put the low heels on instead. It was embarrassing to realize that I’d been wearing makeup and heels so much lately that I’d even begun to wear them when my compulsions weren’t urging me to do so.
“Just great,” I grumbled to myself, not happy at the thought that I was getting into the habit of putting on makeup. Then I sighed and mused, “I am a girl now so I guess that isn’t a bad thing. I guess it just means I’m starting to get used to it…” Then I thought about my period and hoped that I never had to get used to that.
In spite of my shoes not being quite as comfortable as they could be for a walk, I was too stubborn to turn around and go home. Instead, I muttered a quick thanks for not having worn the regular high heels today and continued on my way.
I went to a nearby park and just sat down and watched the people go past. I was well aware that a lot of guys were paying attention to me while trying to appear as though they weren’t. That kind of attention still made me a little self-conscious, but I was getting used to it, often getting that same kind of attention every day at school.
One guy in his late twenties was staring at me especially hard, not even bothering to hide it. I squirmed uncomfortably, knowing from the look on his face exactly what he had to be thinking of doing with me. That just made me remember last night, which made me even more uncomfortable. Fortunately, that guy didn’t make any move to come over to me, perhaps because I was still too young for him to bother with. I was just glad that he probably thought of me as jailbait because if he’d actually come over and tried flirting, I probably would have puked.
In spite of the creepy guy’s staring, I left the park in a much better mood than when I’d arrived. Getting away from the house had been just the thing I needed to clear my head a bit, not to mention, get me away from Shelly for a bit more.
I had just barely left the park when I suddenly heard someone calling out, “Hey, Jeri…” I quickly looked for the source and saw April standing on the sidewalk on the other side of the street. She waved to me and then hurried across the street to come closer.
“What are you doing here?” I asked her curiously.
“I was just walking home,” April told me pleasantly, gesturing to the back pack full of gym clothes that she had slung over her shoulder.
I nodded at that, not surprised since I knew that April lived in this area, though I didn’t know exactly where. “Same here,” I responded, feeling my heart race just a little. Her close presence reminded me of how we’d kissed twice now, and I couldn’t help but wanting to do it again.
April stared at me for a moment, looking just a little self-conscious. Then she abruptly said, “You’ve never seen my house, have you? You want to come over for a bit?”
I hesitated for only a moment before answering, “Sure…” Not only would that give me some time alone with April, it would also keep me from having to go home for a little longer.
We went across the street and then to April’s home which was only a few houses down. It was a nice house, though I couldn’t help but noticing that the grass needed mowing and a few of the bushes needed trimming. Until recently, that had always been my responsibility at home so I tended to notice when it needed to be done.
When we stepped inside the house, April told me, “My parents are out of town for the weekend so It’s just us…” She gave me a nervous smile at that. “Let me give you the nickel tour…”
“It’s a nice place,” I told her as she showed me around.
Then she showed me her bedroom, which was to my surprise, even more disorganized and cluttered than my own. The only thing that seemed even remotely organized was a book shelf that had small stuffed animals lining the top two shelves.
“It’s…a little messy,” April admitted with a weak chuckle. Then she quickly added, “I wasn’t expecting company.”
“I wasn’t expecting to be company,” I responded with grin, feeling a little more relaxed.
“You wouldn’t believe how often my mom gets after me to clean in here,” April told me with a shrug. “I try, but it just doesn’t take.”
I just nodded at that and told her, “Yeah, that definitely sounds familiar.”
“I always feel bad when I see Shelly’s room,” April told me with a chuckle and a shake of her head. “I mean, hers is always so neat that I feel like a total slob in comparison…”
“Yeah, that sounds familiar too,” I muttered.
April just stared at me for a moment with a sympathetic look before responding, “Yeah, I guess you would understand that better than anyone. Being Shelly’s friend can be hard sometimes because it’s so hard to keep up with her. I couldn’t imagine what it’s like having her as a sister.” April sat down on her bed and gestured for me to sit beside her.
After I sat down, I admitted, “It’s not easy…” My voice began to shake a little so I asked, “If it’s hard being her friend, then why are you?”
April had a thoughtful look on her face for a moment before saying, “I like hanging out with her partly because she is so hard to keep up with. I mean, whenever Shelly does anything, she always gives it everything she has. It’s kind of…inspiring. Whenever we do anything together, I have to push myself harder just to try keeping up. I mean, thanks to studying with her, I’ve got great grades. And since we go to the gym together, I’m really in good shape. I guess, being with Shelly encourages me to give my best effort too and helps me bring out my best.” Then she hesitated again, blushing as she added, “But I have to admit…when I first started hanging out with her…part of it was because I had a bit of a crush on her.”
“I think you kind of mentioned that before,” I said carefully, feeling a little jealous.
“Of course, there’s nothing there,” April quickly assured me. “She isn’t interested in me that way and I accepted that a long time ago. In fact, now that I know her so well, I know that there is no way we could have had that kind of relationship, even if Shelly was into girls. She’s just too…intense… Shelly doesn’t really know how to just relax, though I certainly do my part to try helping with that.”
“Yeah, Shelly is a bit…high strung,” I agreed with a chuckle. Ever since her twist, she seemed to have forgotten how to just relax and have fun. Now she only seemed to really enjoy herself when she was pushing herself to some new level, breaking some new record…or proving that she was better than me at something.
“I’m a little surprised she can relax enough to have a relationship with Eddie,” April pointed out with a chuckle. “But I think he’ll be good for her…”
“Um…yeah,” I responded, suddenly feeling extremely uncomfortable and guilty.
April seemed to notice my discomfort because she abruptly asked, “So, how are you doing…I mean…being a girl and all?”
“Being a girl isn’t bad,” I admitted with a shrug. It was being Shelly’s duplicate that was a real pain in the ass. “I’m getting used to it.”
Again, April seemed to read my mind as she carefully said, “I know it can’t be easy looking like Shelly…and especially being linked to her like you are.”
“You have no idea,” I responded with a sigh. “You have no idea how tired I am having people mistake me for her…” I scowled at that, thinking of Eddie and how easily I’d fooled him.
“Well, I can tell you apart,” April said rather proudly. “It’s actually pretty easy.”
“Oh?” I encouraged her to continue, feeling curious.
“Well, your body language is different,” April explained thoughtfully. “No offense, but Shelly is a lot more graceful and confident with how she moves. Your body language is getting more feminine, but all I have to do is watch you two for a few seconds and I can usually tell you apart. Of course, you may have the same face, but you two also use different expressions. And then there’s your clothes…”
“My clothes?” I asked in confusion. I was wearing girl clothes now so didn’t quite see what April meant.
“Shelly likes to wear pastels and bright colors,” April told me, looking a little smug that she’d noticed this. “You tend to wear dark colors or earth tones. And of course, she likes to show off her body a bit more than you do.”
I just stared at Aril, feeling both surprised and delighted. I’d been so caught up in looking like Shelly that I hadn’t given much thought to the subtle things that I could control. Sure, I felt compulsions to dress and look more like her, but there were still things I could do with the color and cut of my clothes to help separate me from her. Of course, I still really wanted to break that link I had with her. Doing that would fix about half my problems.
April put her hand on mine and then gave me a gentle smile. “I do like you,” she said, blushing as she did so. “And not just because you look like Shelly. I just wish I’d gotten to know you better before your twist…”
“I…I like you too,” I admitted, knowing that I was probably blushing as brightly as she was. “I’ve kind of had a crush on you for awhile…”
“I know,” April responded with a giggle. “I noticed the way you looked at me…that you still do.”
April and I stared at each other for several seconds and then moved in for a kiss. This was the third time we’d done this, but this time, we lingered and took our time. When we finally pulled apart, we stared each other in the eyes and smiled self-consciously before leaning in for another kiss.
We continued kissing for awhile, though our hands began to wander and feel each other up. I was excited to touch her breasts through her shirt and just as excited by the fact that she was touching mine. I was really getting turned one.
“Do you…do you want to go further?” I asked April hopefully.
“Yes,” she answered in a near whisper before she began to take off her shirt. I followed her lead.
Moments later, we were both topless and staring at each other’s breasts. Then we began to reach for each other, hesitantly at first. I grew even more excited as I touched her naked breasts, then moaned slightly as she touched mine in turn.
“Have you…have you ever been with a girl before?” April asked me as she caressed my breasts.
“No,” I admitted, feeling embarrassed to at revealing that I was a virgin.
“Me either,” April told me, looking just a little relieved. At my surprised look, she grinned self-consciously and added, “Just because I like girls, that doesn’t mean I’ve had the opportunity to do one until now…”
Neither of us said another word as we went at it, losing our pants and exploring each other’s bodies. When April began to pinch my nipples and lick them, I gasped, fully aware of how much it felt like last night when Eddie had been doing that to Shelly.
April and I were both awkward as we went at each other, but we were also enthusiastic. When I actually reached between her legs and began to rub her slit, I thought I’d gone to heaven. When she began to play with mine, I knew I had.
I’ve played with my new parts a few times, but that was nothing compared to having someone else playing with them. I felt fantastic and was sure that I was so wet that I was pouring juices out.
April put her finger up inside of me and began to flick it, driving me wild with how good it felt. I might have been embarrassed at the thought of having something inside of me like that if I hadn’t been enjoying it so much. The pressure built and built until I exploded in an orgasm, one that was much better than what I’d felt while jacking off as a guy.
Then it was my turn to focus on April. I slipped my finger up inside of her and duplicated her movements since they’d worked so well on me. She moaned and squirmed, obviously enjoying it just as much as I had.
“Oh yes,” April gasped, closing her eyes and moaning. “That feels so good…”
“It sure does,” I agreed, licking my lips and then giving her a kiss while I continued to finger her.
“Oh God,” April exclaimed as she began to shake with an orgasm. “God yes…”
I was enjoying the way that April squirmed and moaned at my touch so kept it up, trying to push her buttons even more. “Do you like that?” I teased her.
“Hell yes,” April blurted out. “Are you sure you haven’t done this before?”
I just grinned at that, “Fairly sure.” I didn’t want to bring up how I’d been the unwilling recipient of some secondhand sex.
A minute later, April was sprawled out on her bed gasping, “Damn, that was incredible, Shelly…”
I froze at the sound of my sister’s name, suddenly feeling a cold chill through my body. In an instant, I went from feeling totally turned on to being angry. Without a word, I jumped off the bed and began grabbing up my clothes, scrambling to get them on as fast as I could.
“What’s wrong?” April asked, sitting up and looking at me in confusion.
“You called me Shelly,” I blurted out, feeling horribly hurt and betrayed. “I’m not gonna be a…a stand in.”
“Oh God,” April exclaimed, “I’m sorry…” I didn’t say a word as I grabbed the rest of my clothes and rushed out of her room while she called out, “Jeri,” from behind me.
I barely finished getting my clothes on as I hurried out the front door, tears running down my cheeks. Just when I thought that I’d finally found something good, something that was mine, I was once again thrust into Shelly’s shadow. My emotions were a swirling mass of anger, grief, and frustration as I hurried home, crying the entire way.
--------------------
Sunday’s were normally a quiet day, the one day of the week where the whole family was home together. Neither Shelly or I had to go to school while both mom and dad both took the day off. However, I had no intention of dealing with my family today.
Shelly was up before me as usual and had left for kickboxing before I’d even gotten up. I knew that once she was done with kickboxing, she’d meet up with April and go to the gym for a second workout.
I wasn’t looking forward to Shelly returning home with April. After what had happened yesterday afternoon, I didn’t want to see April right now. I cringed at the thought, still feeling hurt and feeling even more humiliated as I imagined that April and Shelly might be joking about it while they excised.
“I should have known,” I whispered to myself. “Why would someone like April really want someone like me?” I’d always known she was out of my league, but I’d started to think otherwise. “I should have known better.”
I needed something to distract myself from these thoughts, and after a little consideration, I called Rich. The last time I’d seen him had been pretty awkward, with him kissing me and all, but he was still my best friend. Or at least, I hoped that he still was.
“I was thinking of going to the amusement park today,” I told Rich as soon as I had him on the phone. “I just need to take my mind off things and have a little fun… Are you interested?”
“Sounds great to me,” Rich answered eagerly, probably already looking forward the coaster that was our favorite ride. “Dude, I think I can even get my dad’s car…”
“Great,” I told him, beginning to grin. “Way better than asking my dad to give us a ride.” Then to make sure that he didn’t get the wrong idea, I added, “I just need a day where I can pretend that everything is the way it was before I went through my twist…”
“I guess I can understand that,” he responded.
Rich arrived at my house a short time later with his dad’s car, an older model that was still in good condition. His dad had been talking about getting a new car sometime in the near future and I knew that he hoped that he’d be given this one when that happened.
When I went out and hopped into the car with Rich, he took one look at me and gave me a mischievious grin. “Going slumming today or something?”
I glanced down at myself, wondering what he was talking about when I realized what he meant. I was currently wearing sneakers and was going without makeup, which might look a little odd considering that I’d been dressed up a little more nicely every other time he’d seen me recently.
“High heels would be a pain in the ass at the park,” I told Rich with a shrug.
Of course, the truth was that I just didn’t want to wear that stuff at the moment. I didn’t want to look any more like Shelly than I absolutely had to. I wore it during the week because of my compulsions…to keep the mental itch at bay so that I could focus on school and everything else. Right now, I didn’t need to worry about school, nor did I feel the compulsions. Of course, once Shelly returned home and got cleaned up, the lack of compulsions would change. However, I could handle the annoying compulsions, especially if I kept myself distracted the way I intended.
As we drove to the amusement park, Rich hesitantly started, “About the other day…”
“Forget it,” I told him, then quickly changed the subject. “Has your dad said anything about when he’s going to buy a new car?”
The change in topic resulted in a conversation about cars that lasted not only until we arrived at the amusement park, but also until we were in line for the first ride. At that point, the conversation shifted into a brief argument over the order of the rides we were going to be going on.
The first ride was a roller coaster, which was a lot of fun but whipped my long hair around in ways that I didn’t like. After the ride was over, I put my hair into a pony tail to keep it under control, though I almost immediately felt the urge to undo my hair and let it fly free the way Shelly did. Since I was now beginning to feel the urges to wear high heels and makeup as well, it only added to the growing mental itch that I was trying to ignore.
“I’m glad we came,” Rich told me when we stopped for hot dogs. Then he patted his stomach and grinned, “But after we’re done today, I’m gonna have to spend an extra hour in the gym tonight burning this stuff off…”
I chuckled at that, then told him, “One good thing about my situation is that I can eat all the junk food I want and not gain a pound. At least not as long as Shelly keeps watching what she eats.” Then I scowled at that, annoyed at myself for thinking about her when she was the very thing I was trying to distract myself from.
“I think you’re safe then,” Rich responded with a chuckle of his own, knowing just how active my sister was. Then he hesitantly suggested, “Maybe we should have asked her to come with… You know, to try getting her to relax…”
I just glared at Rich, saying, “I think that would defeat the point of trying to forget about her for awhile.”
Of course, I was fully aware of Rich’s real reasons for wanting Shelly along. He’d happily find any excuse he could to spend more time with her…just like I would have with April. Unfortunately, thinking about April only reminded me of yesterday and left me depressed. It was hard to believe that something could have been so awesome and so frustrating at the same time.
“Dude, she’s your sister,” Rich told me with a shrug. “I mean, you should at least try to get along.”
“Now you sound like my mom,” I teased him with a grin.
Rich gave an exaggerated wince and asked, “Can’t I sound like your dad instead?”
Just then, my stomach began to churn uncomfortably and I felt the pressure from Mother Nature, telling me that I had better find a bathroom fast. “Damn,” I blurted out as a way of explanation. “This park food isn’t agreeing with me.”
I ran to the nearest bathroom as quickly as I could, nearly exploding the moment I sat down. Though there was a moment of relief, I was also disgusted to see that I hadn’t gotten there quite in time. Some had leaked out, getting into my panties and even a little into my pants.
I muttered a stream of profanities as I simultaneously continued to empty my bowls and used a wad of toilet paper to clean my panties and pants. If I’d been alone in the bathroom, I would have taken my panties to the sink and washed them out a bit, but unfortunately, there were several other women present, using other stalls and the sink. I doubted that I’d get any kind of privacy here at the park.
Once I was finished with my business and had cleaned myself as much as I possibly could with the toilet paper, I stuffed a wad of the paper into my pants to soak up any remnants from my pants and panties. After I had my pants on again, I was thankful that the wet spot from my leak was small and almost unnoticeable. Still, I felt extremely self-conscious and embarrassed by it having happened at all.
When I came out of the bathroom, I found Rich standing there. He asked, “Feeling better?”
I snorted at that, knowing that I was blushing. “A little,” I responded, giving him a weak smile. “But I am NOT eating the hot dogs here again…”
“So where to now?” Rich asked, looking around and adding, “We’ve got the Shuffler or the Zombie Horde…you remember, that one with the great holographic special effects.”
I hesitated a moment, wanting to leave the park so I could get some clean clothes on, but not wanting to look like a wimp. I especially didn’t want to have to explain that the reason I wanted to leave so soon after arriving was that I’d crapped my pants. Since my accident wasn’t noticeable, I decided that I might as well stay for a little longer, though I wasn’t sure I was ready to go back on one of the violent rides.
“Zombies,” I finally answered.
“Ladies first,” Rich responded, gesturing for me to lead the way. I just gave him a glare, stuck my tongue out at him, then started for the ride.
Rich and I made it to the front of the line and were just climbing into the car that would take us on the ride through adventure when I suddenly felt it again. My guts were churning and I absolutely had to go to the bathroom again…now.
“Oh shit,” I blurted out in near desperation, immediately jumping out of the car to rush back to the bathroom.
“Jeri?” Rich called out in surprise. “What the…?”
I had barely left the cart when I stumbled and nearly fell face first onto the ground. That was enough to make me lose control, much to my horror as I felt my own waste running down my leg. All I could do was freeze, caught between the urgent need to get to the bathroom and the fear that moving at all would make it even worse.
Suddenly, a little boy pointed at me and exclaimed, “That lady pooped her pants…”
I turned bright red as everyone turned to stare at me. I felt absolutely horrified and humiliated. I couldn’t even look at Rich as I ran back to the bathroom, feeling extremely uncomfortable and disgusted the entire way. I could even feel my own shit in my shoe.
“Oh shit oh shit oh shit,” I muttered over and over as I sat on the can, feeling miserable and disgusted. I couldn’t believe that I shit myself like that, but this nasty case of diarrhea had come out of nowhere and hit hard.
This time, there was absolutely no hiding what I’d done as my own waste had dripped run down my leg, ruining my pants completely. As I sat there, I realized that I couldn’t wear them home yet I couldn’t go without them either. I was stuck.
“That is nasty,” some woman exclaimed from outside my stall. “It’s on the floor…”
I grimaced, though it was hard to feel bad about getting it on the floor when I had it smeared all over myself. I tried wiping myself up with wads of toilet paper, but what I really needed was a hot shower and new clothes.
Then, as if I wasn’t feeling bad enough, my stomach churned again, but this time I exploded from the other end. I felt it coming in enough time to turn my head so that I didn’t puke on myself, and a moment later, there was vomit all over the wall of my stall as well as the floor.
“Oh my God,” a woman blurted, though I wasn’t sure if it was the same woman or a different one. “Are you okay in there?”
“I don’t know,” I responded weakly before I was hit with another wave and spewed again.
A minute later, one of the park’s janitors arrived and gasped in horror at the mess I was creating. Fortunately, she was understanding enough to hand me a bucket under the stall so that when I had to vomit again, I didn’t have to do it on the floor.
“Do you need a doctor?” the janitor asked, beginning to sound worried.
“No,” I answered tearfully, feeling completely and totally humiliated. “I need pants…”
There was a long pause before she responded, “I’ll see what I can do.”
After this, the janitor shut down the bathroom, keeping park visitors out until it could be cleaned. This also gave me the opportunity to take off my nasty clothes and try cleaning up with the paper towels and wet naps that she provided.
I had to go back to the toilet and bucket several more times, but before long, I no longer seemed to have anything left in me to come out. That didn’t stop the dry heaves from coming though.
Eventually, the janitor came back with a pair of pants that one of her coworkers had donated, as well as some towels and wet naps. Once I was cleaned up enough and no longer seemed to be exploding uncontrollably, I was finally able to leave the bathroom.
“Thank you so much,” I told the janitor, still feeling mortified and ashamed.
Rich had been waiting for me outside the bathroom and gave me a worried look when he saw me. “Are you okay? That janitor lady said you were really sick…”
I nodded at that, unable meet his eyes. “I just want to go home,” I told him quietly. And hopefully, I’d be able to get home before I got hit with another attack.
Rich found some plastic bags to cover my car seat with before we left, just in case. Between that and bag in my hand in case I had to puke again, and we were set. Fortunately, we made it home without another incident, though neither of us said much either. I was just too humiliated to talk about it.
“I hope you feel better soon,” Rich told me as he dropped me off. He gave me a sympathetic look and promised to call me later before he left.
When I stepped into the house, mom came and gave me an odd look probably due to the fact that I was wearing pants that were obviously way too big for me and which were definitely not mine. She looked me over, scowling as she did so.
“From your expression,” she said carefully, “I take it that your trip to the amusement park didn’t go well…”
“I need a shower,” I blurted out, not wanting to talk about it.
But as I started for my room, mom said, “I think Shelly is still in the bathroom. She’s been in there for the last few hours.” Then mom sighed, “She’s gotten sick…poor girl.”
“Of course,” I muttered in realization. If Shelly got sick, I got all the symptoms as well. “Let me guess…food poisoning.” That would certainly fit my symptoms.
“I’m not sure,” mom answered.
I just grunted and continued towards my room, calling back, “If Shelly’s in the bathroom, I’ll use the shower in yours.”
Once I’d showered and changed into clean clothes, I felt much better, both physically and emotionally. I was still a bit shaken and disgusted by what had happened to me at the park, but I was trying not to think about it now that it was over. Unfortunately, it was difficult to forget when I was hit with another bout of both the diarrhea and of the dry heaves, though this time the toilet was close enough that there was no repeat of what had happened earlier.
Since I’d lost a lot of liquid due to my runs, I was a little afraid that I might be getting dehydrated. I went to the kitchen to get something to drink, only to find Shelly already there ahead of me. She had a large bottle of juice in her hands, the kind that athletes and sports teams used to keep hydrated when they worked out. She took a long drink from the bottle then watching me with a cold look in her eyes and a smirk on her lips.
“It looks like you had a little accident today,” Shelly finally said, looking smug as she did so.
I hadn’t said anything about what had happened since I got home and I was pretty sure that Rich hadn’t called to tell anyone. Of course, Shelly might have guessed from the fact that I brought my filthy pants and panties home in a double layered plastic bag. The disgusting smell had probably been enough to give me away.
“Bite me,” I spat out bitterly, getting a glass of water and then turning to leave.
“You know,” Shelly taunted me before I could leave, “you should learn what us big girls call…self-control.” I glared back at Shelly, but before I could think of a good response, she added, “Or at least start wearing diapers.”
“Fuck you,” I replied angrily, which only seemed to amuse her.
“Did that ruin your time at the park?” Shelly continued to tease me, smirking in a way that made me even angrier. “Were you in line when you shit yourself like a little baby? Or even on a ride?” Then she laughed, “Oh God, if you were on a roller coaster…”
My fists were clenched tight at this mocking of my humiliation. My nails dug in deep enough to draw blood, though I didn’t care. Then I gasped in sudden realization. “You did this on purpose…”
“Of course,” Shelly responded with a look of cold hate in her eyes. “A bottle of laxative and some syrup of ipicac and I can make sure you have a REALLY bad day…” Then she sneered even more and spat out with a dark glee, “Just wait until I do it while you’re in class…”
I stared at Shelly with my mouth dropping open, shocked and horrified at the same time. “WHAT?”
“DON’T YOU EVER TALK TO EDDIE AGAIN,” Shelly nearly shouted at me, revealing that she’d found out what I’d done to Eddie. I’d known that there would be consequences to fooling him, but I hadn’t expected anything like this. “I’m going to teach you to NEVER fuck with me again…”
“You started it,” I spat out at Shelly, now just as angry as she was. “After what you and Eddie did to me…”
“What we did to you?” she demanded furiously, suddenly slapping me so hard that it almost felt like a straight punch.
I threw my own punch at Shelly, not bothering with some girlie slap. She blocked it and returned it with her own punch, a real one that caught me on the other side of the face from where she’d already hit me. I was knocked back but then snarled and jumped at her.
Shelly and I went at it, throwing punches and blocking. She had spent a lot more time and effort in kickboxing than I had, but I was borrowing her skills. When she kicked at my chest, I blocked it but was driven back. The two of us quickly ended up in the living room.
“What the hell is going on?” mom screamed as she ran into the room, just in time to see Shelly blocking my kick with one of her own. “Stop that right this instant! What do you two think you’re doing?”
“She made me shit myself,” I blurted out, realizing how stupid that sounded even as the words left my mouth.
“She just attacked me,” Shelly told mom with a barely contained smirk.
“Enough of this,” mom snapped, glaring at Shelly and then me. “Jeri, you can’t keep blaming Shelly for everything that goes wrong…”
“What?” I demanded, angry but not too shocked that she’d automatically take Shelly’s side. It had happened often enough in the past.
Mom gave me a steady look and tried to sound gentle as she said, “I know your twist has been difficult to adjust to, but you can’t take it out on your sister.”
“That’s not my sister,” I spat out bitterly, glaring at Shelly. “She’s just a damn pod person…”
“Jeri Anne Sinclaire,” mom exclaimed, giving me an angry look. “You apologize to Shelly right this instant.”
“It’s all right,” Shelly said with fake smile. “I’m not going to be bothered by a few words…”
Mom gave her a gentle smile and then glared at me. “Now, you should follow Shelly’s example and try to get along…”
I winced at those words, knowing that getting along was the last thing Shelly wanted. I could see her watching me with that smug look, knowing that she had mom on her side no matter what happened.
“You should really try to be more like Shelly,” mom told me with an exasperated sigh.
I literally screamed at that, making mom and Shelly both step back. Then I glared at mom and snarled, “Being more like Shelly is the last fucking thing I want!”
“JERI,” mom snapped at me. “I’ve had enough of that…”
“So have I,” I spat back, glaring at her and Shelly before running to my room and slamming the door behind me. “So have I…”
I threw myself on my bed, crying in shame, and anger, and frustration. After everything else that had happened today, this was the last straw. My emotions swirled inside of me like a violent maelstrom while my tears flowed freely.
“Be more like Shelly,” I bitterly repeated mom’s words, more than sick of hearing them. It was the same thing as always. The same thing that had led to my particular twist. I looked down at myself and muttered, “How much more like Shelly is enough? Isn’t there anything about ME that’s good enough?”
With that, I made a decision and wiped the tears from my eyes. I grabbed a back pack from my closet and began stuffing clothes into it. Then I grabbed the stash of money that I’d been trying to save up for my part of buying a car and stuffed it in as well.
A minute later, I hesitated, glaring at my wall in the direction of the living room where I’d just had that argument. I took a deep breath to brace myself, then I climbed out my window and left.
--------------------
I scowled as I walked down the sidewalk, looking around for any sign of my parents. I’d run away from home yesterday afternoon so I assumed that they probably realized I was gone by now. Whether they were actually going to bother looking for me or not was another question.
Though I was a little embarrassed at how I’d acted during that argument last night, I was still angry as well. A part of me was surprised that I’d actually run away yet another part kept saying that it was about time.
After I’d first left home, I’d been hit with a few more bouts of the runs, though I was able to reach a bathroom in time and stay close enough to one that I didn’t have any more nasty accidents. I’d ended up staying the night at a park on the other side of town, in one of the covered shelters that people often used for family picnics. I’d considered going to Rich’s house but knew that he’d be the first person my parents contacted when they noticed I was gone.
When I’d left the house, all I’d wanted to do was get away from the situation, from a family who didn’t want me there and from a sister who was making my life a living hell. I hadn’t had any specific plans for where I was going to go or what I was going to do, but I’d done a lot of thinking about that since then.
What I’d decided was that I needed to get as far away from Shelly as I could. Maybe if I got far enough, the link between us would fade so I would no longer be tied to her directly. I’d go someplace where no one had ever heard of Shelly, where I could be my own person without constantly being compared to her.
“Spiral,” I said, naming a town that was famous for being welcoming to Twisted. It was the one place where I could go where I knew I wouldn’t be considered a freak or an oddball for being Twisted, and it was far enough away that I hoped I’d be free of Shelly. “A good place to start over…”
I was currently on my way to the bus station where I hoped I could catch a ride to Spiral. I was thankful that I had as much money saved up as I did, though I suspected that I’d be using most of it just for the trip. I still had absolutely no idea of what I’d do once I got to Spiral, but I’d cross that bridge when I came to it.
I was shaken out of my thoughts by someone loudly exclaiming, “Damn she’s hot…”
Since I’d been looking around for any sign of my family, I was already aware of the small group of boys who were on the sidewalk ahead of me. I just hadn’t given them much attention until now. The one who’d called out was a year or two older than me and was dressed in some sort of sports jersey. There were three other guys with him, one of whom I actually recognized.
“She goes to my school,” Craig blurted out, gesturing to me with a scowl on his face which reminded me of his usual contempt of me. “I’m not sure which one she is…but she’s Twisted…”
“She’s twisted?” exclaimed a darker colored boy of indeterminate ethnicity. “Damn, what a waste.”
The largest boy also appeared to be the oldest, if only by a year or two. He had the bulky kind of build which left you wondering I it was mostly muscle or fat. He was watching me with a growing dark look.
“You said you didn’t know which one?” the boy in the jersey asked Craig.
My classmate nodded at that, then explained, “There are two of them at school...sisters. They’re both Twisted and they look identical.
“It’s Jeri,” I pointed out to Craig in annoyance. “You insult me enough in class that I’d think you’d at least be able to tell which one I am.”
“Get lost,” Craig told me, obviously acting tough because his friends were with him. “We don’t want to talk to some Twisted freak.”
I just rolled my eyes and continued walking, or at least I tried to. The bulky boy stepped into my past and glared at me with a sneer on his face and a look of contempt.
“Well I want to talk to her,” the bulky one announced. Then he glared at me and said, “I bet you think you’re something hot because you’ve probably got some of those freaky powers…”
“Like looking hot?” the boy in the jersey asked with a snicker.
“Actually, I think that is her power,” Craig added awkwardly. “She used to be a guy…”
Suddenly, the boy in the jersey glared at me with a look of anger in his eyes, as though I’d somehow tricked him into thinking I was cute. In an instant, his attraction to me had turned into clear and obvious hostility.
“Fucking Twisted,” the darker skinned boy spat out. “You know they’re all infected…” He glared at me and said, “All Twisted freaks should be quarantined…”
Craig remained where he was but his three friends began to surround me, making me realize that I needed to get out of there fast. I tried to make a break for it, only to find the boy in the jersey blocking my escape.
“Maybe you guys should back off,” Craig said uncomfortably. When his friends gave him a questioning look, he quickly added, “You know the Twisted can be dangerous…”
“I sure as hell ain’t afraid of this hot thing,” the boy in the jersey responded with a cruel laugh. “It don’t matter what kind of trick she has…”
“I mean, she might infect you or something,” Craig added.
The bulky boy shook his head. “No, these freaks aren’t contagious. They’re dangerous…but not contagious.”
“Just leave me alone,” I said. “I don’t want any trouble…”
“Neither do we,” the larger boy responded. “That’s why we don’t want your kind around…”
Then without warning, the large boy slapped me…or at least tried to. I easily blocked his arm, using one of the same moves that I’d used while fighting Shelly last night. He was surprised at that, then suddenly angry. It was almost as though I’d offended him by not letting him hit me.
“You smug bitch,” the large boy exclaimed, this time swinging a real punch at me.
I blocked the bulky boy’s punch and moved to the side, dropping my back pack in the process, but his friends had taken his attack as a signal to jump me as well. I kicked the darker skinned boy as he charged me, catching him right in the stomach, but the one in the jersey punched me painfully in the side.
“Normally, I’d never hit a girl,” the boy in the jersey said with a sneer of contempt. “But you ain’t really a girl… Craig said you’re just some dude pretending to be a girl…” And with that, he punched at me again.
I punched the boy with the jersey and then swung a roundhouse kick at the bulky boy. He was large enough that my kick didn’t seem to do much damage. And while I was about to try something else, the darker skinned boy grabbed me from behind, putting his arm around my throat. I had to elbow him in his stomach to get him to let me go.
“What the hell do you guys think you’re doing?” Craig yelled at his friends with a look of worry. “Do you want to go to jail?”
“We’re teaching this freak a lesson,” the bulky boy told him with a sneer. “Her kind shouldn’t be near normal people…”
“Yeah,” the boy in the jersey added. “You remember what that Twisted bastard did in Las Vegas last month… It was all over the news... I sure as hell ain’t gonna let some freak do that here…”
The dark skinned boy swung a punch at my face but I blocked it and punched him back, hearing a satisfying crunch as his nose broke. He fell back, grabbing at nose which was now gushing blood.
“Don’t make me hurt you,” I bluffed. “My trick is that I can disintegrate people… I don’t want to do that, but I will if I have to…”
“I told you she was dangerous,” the bulky boy exclaimed, pulling out a knife and adding, “You’re going down freak…”
The boy with the jersey grabbed me, and while I tried pulling loose, the one with the knife lunged at me, catching me in the side. There was stinging along my side and my shirt began to turn read.
I let out a loud gasp, suddenly feeling terrified. I’d been afraid of these guys before, but I’d been outnumbered and beaten up before. The knife had taken this who a whole different level.
While I was stunned from the knife, the boy in the jersey was punching at me frantically, hitting me several times in the face. The boy with the broken nose had gotten up and had rejoined the fight, swinging at me with a furious rage.
I was trying to defend myself from the three attackers but they outnumbered me and get getting through. The knife stuck right into my shoulder, making me scream in pain. That only seemed to encourage the bulky guy to come at me again, slicking me across the back of my arm when I tried blocking it.
Though I was terrified and in pain, I was also angry and growing desperate. I had a lot of anger and frustration that had been building inside me for a long time, and it all exploded at once.
I snarled and jumped at the bulky boy, using my arm to block the knife again while I moved into him and drove my knee into his groin. I followed that up with a punch to his solar plexus, dropping him to the ground.
Then I swung around, kicking the jersey boy in the knee in what would have been considered a dirty move in kickboxing. Then when he dropped in pain, I kicked him in the face and took him out.
I might have gained all of Shelly’s kickboxing skills, but she’d never been in a real fight. Sparring in class or fighting in tournament competitions was completely different to fighting someone for real. In this particular case, my own fighting experience was proving to be just as useful as what I’d gained from Shelly.
Another kick caught the bulky boy in the face while I immediately followed that up by punching at my last attacker. He staggered back, giving me enough range that I was able to thrust myself forward and kick him in the stomach. He hit the ground and curled up in a ball.
Then I turned my attention to Craig, who was standing back and staring at me with a look of absolute shock. He slowly backed away, though he kept looking at his friends with a worried expression. Since he hadn’t attacked me like his friends had, and he’d even tried stopping them, I made no move towards him.
“Oh God,” Craig exclaimed, staring at me again and blurting out, “I’m sorry… I didn’t think they’d try something like that…”
I just nodded faintly at that, wincing from the pain. I looked down at myself and there was blood all over my clothes. Without thinking about it, I removed my shirt for a better look at the wounds. I still had my bra on so I wasn’t giving Craig too much of a look.
The first place where I’d been cut on my side was completely healed while the rest of my wounds were nearly healed as well. I let out a sigh of relief, thankful for one of the few times that I had this link with Shelly.
With that, I dropped my slashed and blood soaked shirt to the ground and reached for the back pack I’d dropped a minute ago. I pulled out a fresh shirt and walked away, thinking that I’d have to change my pant too once I got to a place where I could.
“Damn,” I muttered, wincing as I glanced back one more time.
I was shaken by what had just happened, and not just because of how I’d been attacked. What really shook me was that if it hadn’t been for my link with Shelly, I’d be seriously hurt if not worse.
Just then, I heard the sound of police sirens coming towards me and winced. It figured that they’d show up after the fight was done, not when I really needed them. But now that the fight was over, I didn’t want to face them since it was likely they’d just take me home. Because of that, I hurried away as quickly as I could.
I spent the next hour making my way towards the bus station, trying hard not to think of the attack or of the urges I was feeling. I was simultaneously feeling the need to put on moderate high heels instead of my sneakers, makeup, a different color of nail polish, a skirt, and something else that I couldn’t quite make sense of. The constant mental itch was very annoying.
When I finally reached the bus station, I looked over the schedule and saw they didn’t have any busses that went straight to Spiral. I’d have to go as far as I could in that direction and then change busses, probably more than once. My best option was still another hour wait so I sat down and tried to be patient.
While I sat there, I watched a boy sitting on another bench with his mom, using a marker to draw pictures on a note pad. I smiled faintly at that, thinking that it was a good way to keep him occupied.
But as I watched the boy, one of my mental itches kept hitting me hard. It was the pen. It was triggering one of my urges, one that made no sense to me.
“Excuse me,” I finally asked the boy, feeling self-conscious as I did. “Can I borrow your marker for a moment?”
The boy hesitated for only a moment before giving me the marker while his mom gave me a curious look. I wasn’t sure why, but I had a powerful urge to doodle on my own arm so I raised the pen and began to do so. My hand seemed to have a mind of its own though when it came to what I needed to write, because of nonsense, I’d actually written two words on my forearm. Come home.
“Thank you,” I told the boy as I gave him back his pen, then I returned to my seat, thankful that at least that itch had been scratched. This was obviously Shelly’s attempt to send me a message. I snorted at that and muttered, “She can bite me.”
My bus was finally starting to load, but as I got up to get on, I suddenly heard someone calling out, “Jeri…”
I snapped around, seeing my parents running towards me with Shelly right behind. I felt a moment of surprise, thinking that mom and dad should have both been at work. Then I shook it off and turned to run.
“Come back here Jeri,” dad yelled out, but I ignored him, not wanting to deal with them anymore.
Then I felt a sudden sharp pain in my foot and nearly fell on my face. When I looked back, I saw Shelly crouched down with what I assumed was a pin in her hand. Her actions had stopped me long enough for mom and dad to catch up.
“You’re all right,” dad exclaimed when he reached me, holding out the slashed and bloody shirt that I’d abandoned at the fight. “We were so worried…”
“The police said you were in some kind of fight,” mom blurted out with a worried look on her face. It looked like she’d even been crying. “And when they found this, we were so worried…”
“Why did you run away?” dad demanded. “What in the world are you thinking?”
“Just leave me alone,” I blurted out in a mixture of anger and fear, already backing away.
“Is this just because I yelled at you?” mom demanded, actually looking confused. “What is wrong with you? Why can’t you be more like…?”
“LIKE SHELLY?” I screamed in anger, surprising them as they both took a step back.
My parents both looked confused and worried. “Jeri,” my mom started.
“I ran away because you don’t want me there,” I spat out bitterly.
“How could you possibly say that?” dad demanded, looking offended.
I just glared at them, feeling all the anger and frustration that had been building for the last year and a half. “I say it because it’s true,” I exclaimed. “You’ve made it more than clear to me…”
“Nonsense,” dad snapped at me.
“Ever since Shelly’s twist,” I began, glaring at Shelly and then my parents, “all I ever hear is how she’s better than me. How she’s smart and pretty, and popular, and better than me in every way possible.”
“What?” mom gasped with a look of surprise.
“Every day,” I snarled. “Every fucking day I hear that. I hear how she’s better than me…about how you wish I was more like her.” I glared at mom and spat out, “Right before my twist, you told me that you wished I was more like Shelly…”
“But…,” she started, her eyes going wide.
I gestured down at myself and nearly yelled, “And now that I am, it’s still not enough… You don’t want me…you only want another Shelly. Another miss perfect…”
No one wanted me, only Shelly. I’d thought that April had really liked me, but even she had really only wanted Shelly.
“Oh Jeri,” mom exclaimed, staring at me with tears coming down her cheeks. “I didn’t realize… Oh God, I never meant to make you feel like that…”
“Why didn’t you ever say anything?” dad asked, looking confused.
I just snorted at that. “Yeah right… Like you’d listen. You always take Shelly’s side. ALWAYS. Every time I say anything against her, you just call me jealous and say I should try being more like her…” Mom gulped, suddenly looking guilty as she probably remembered that very thing happening last night before I ran away.
“Jeri,” Shelly started to say.
“You win,” I spat out at Shelly. “You win again…just like always. I’m leaving just like you want, so now you won’t have to have someone else who looks like you…”
Shelly stared at me and gasped, “But I never wanted you to run away like this…”
“No, you just want to make my life a living hell,” I exclaimed angrily. “Ever since your twist, you’ve done everything you could to make me look bad. Every time I did anything, you had to prove you could do it better. Every time I had something that was mine, you had to take it away… I get A’s in math and biology but no one cares because you got A’s in all your classes. I hit a double at the big baseball game and my team wins because of it, but no one cares because you pitched three perfect innings.”
I paused for a moment, seething with the anger and frustration that was finally coming loose. Mom, dad, and Shelly were all staring at me with worried looks, perhaps thinking that I’d totally lost it.
“I loved baseball,” I continued, still staring at Shelly. “But people started saying that I was only on the team because your reputation…that I should have you teach me how to play.” Then I grimaced and blurted out more loudly, “The fact that I’d been playing for years and that I was the one who taught you to throw didn’t mean shit. So I went to kickboxing so I could have something of my own again…and you took that away too. Anytime I did anything, you came along and had to prove you could do it better… You had to come along and take it away from me…”
Shelly blinked at that and said, “I’ve never… I mean, I…” She paused as though unsure of what to say. She surprised me by giving me an almost sympathetic look.
“Since my twist, it’s been even worse,” I continued. “You’ve done everything you could to hurt me...to humiliate me.” Then I clenched my fists and snarled, “And what you and Eddie did… YOU FUCKING RAPED ME!”
“WHAT?” mom, dad, and Shelly all exclaimed at once.
“I felt everything you did,” I snarled at Shelly. “I couldn’t say no and I couldn’t stop it…” I stood there shaking at the memory, and even more, at the humiliation of having enjoyed how it felt.
“Oh my God,” Shelly gasped, her eyes going wide with a look of sudden understanding. “You felt that… I didn’t think you would…”
“Bullshit,” I exclaimed angrily. “You’ve already used our link to hurt me every other way… You used yourself as a voodoo doll to poke me with pins. You go out drinking and I get grounded. You get tattoos and piercings and I’m stuck with them too. And you used the laxative to make me shit myself in public… You knew good and well that I feel what you do…”
“Shelly,” mom exclaimed with a look of shock on her face. “Is this all true?”
“So that’s why you told Eddie I broke up with him,” Shelly blurted out, making an obvious attempt not to look at mom and dad. “Oh God, I honestly didn’t think you’d feel…that.” She was blushing brightly, suddenly looking extremely embarrassed. Then she stared down at the ground and said something that caught me completely by surprise, something that I hadn’t heard from her since before her twist. “I’m sorry.”
I stood there with tears pouring down my cheeks, not even being able to look at them as I quietly whispered, “I miss the real Shelly…”
“I am the real Shelly,” she responded, looking hurt at that. “I know my twist changed me, but I’m still the same one who used to play games with you…” She paused at that, wincing and looking like she was about to cry as well.
There was long pause where no one said anything. Then Shelly told me, “You said you changed like that because mom wished you were more like me…” She looked to mom, who winced. Shelly looked back at me and continued, “Before my twist, I used to be jealous of you…”
“Yeah right,” I responded.
“Really,” Shelly said. “I mean, you were the one with the good grades…the one who was good with baseball and was sort of popular. You actually had a life and I had…nothing. Nothing but you.” She looked back to mom again before continuing, “Then mom gave me a lecture on how I should try being a better example to you…”
“You didn’t,” dad said, looking at mom in surprise. Mom nodded with an almost pained look.
“I realized mom was right,” Shelly said, looking me in the eyes. “I wanted to be a better big sister for you… I wanted you to look up to ME for a change… So I decided to try harder…to be better at everything so that you’d respect me.” She paused at that before quietly adding, “And that’s when my twist hit.”
“Bullshit,” I protested, feeling more than a little skeptical of that, though I wasn’t sure.
Shelly nodded at that, with tears coming down her cheeks. “When I went through my twist, my whole perspective changed… It was like my eyes were suddenly open and everything I ever wanted to do was now possible. I got so distracted with all the new possibilities… I never meant to ignore you…or to make you think you didn’t matter. The next thing I knew, you were treating me like I was some kind of complete stranger.” In a near whisper, she added, “It hurt.”
I was silent at that, not sure what to possibly say…or if I even believed her. I’d never really considered what things had been like for Shelly after her twist. Or at least, I’d always assumed that everything was suddenly perfect for her. That was certainly what it had looked like for me.
“I started playing baseball because I wanted us to have something to talk about again,” Shelly explained quietly. “I wanted us to connect again… I wasn’t trying to prove I could play better…but you know me, whenever I do anything I give it everything I have. I can’t help that any more than you can help looking like me.” She paused at that wincing. “When you quit playing and went to kickboxing, I was disappointed… I started kickboxing to try connecting with you again…but that backfired too…”
“Shelly,” mom said gently, though my sister didn’t even look at mom.
“I never wanted to make you look bad,” Shelly told me in almost pleading voice. “I never wanted to make you feel like you were inferior. All I was trying to do was impress you…”
“Yeah, right,” I responded, still skeptical but I wasn’t sure. I could feel my voice shake as I pointed out, “After what you’ve been doing to me since my twist…”
“I’m sorry,” Shelly said for only the second time since her twist. “I…I suppose I felt threatened… It felt like you were stealing my identity...that you were trying to steal everything that I have. I worked so hard to learn what I know and you get it without even having to try…” She shook her head and admitted, “I overreacted and went too far… It’s the down side of my twist. I have a hard time not giving everything I have to everything I do…even when I really shouldn’t.” She was crying fully at this point. “I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean for things to go so far…”
“I…I’m sorry too,” I whispered, not sure of what else I could say. I tried wiping the tears from my eyes, feeling self-conscious about how I’d been crying.
Shelly wiped her own tears away and looked me in the eyes. “I’m sorry I wasn’t a better sister. If you give me another chance, I promise I’ll do better. I promise I’ll be a better sister.”
I stared at Shelly, surprised to see that look in her eyes, the look of determination that told me she was absolutely serious. These weren’t just words to her. She actually meant them.
All I could do was nod at that and quietly responded, “Okay…”
Suddenly, mom had a hand on Shelly’s shoulder while dad came over and put one on mine. It was almost like a family hug that didn’t quite get to that point.
“I’m sorry I hurt you,” mom told me with tears of her own. “We never meant to make you feel like you were less important than Shelly…”
“Your sister isn’t the only one who gets carried away,” dad admitted with a weak chuckle. “We really are sorry that we let things get to a point where you thought you had to leave… Please, come home and we’ll sit down and talk about how we can make it better…”
“Yes,” mom said, reaching over and running her fingers through my hair. “I’ll make some cocoa and…” She looked to Shelly and gave her a pointed look as she said, “We’ll have a nice long talk.”
Shelly gulped but nodded. “Okay.”
I nodded as well and without another word we all began to walk away from the bus station. While we were walking, I looked to Shelly and saw where she’d written ‘come home’ on her arm. Then I looked to my own arm and smiled faintly. Maybe she’d really meant it after all.
--------------------
I stepped into the living room where Shelly was already sitting, making a conscious effort to relax and watch TV. It was obvious that it was difficult for her to just sit there without actually doing anything herself, but I appreciate that she was actually trying to control her own urges to do something productive.
Shelly and I had decided to do something that we hadn’t done in a very long time, since before her twist. We were going to sit down and watch a movie together…and heckle the hell out of it.
After we returned home yesterday, we had a long family talk and we all got to air out our grievances. I’d obviously had the most, but it was nice getting it all out in the open. Everyone had actually been understanding and sympathetic now that they realized what things had been like for me.
Of course, Shelly had come clean about what she’d been up to so mom and dad didn’t think of her as miss perfect anymore, much to my relief. They’d even grounded her over what she’d been doing to me. Unfortunately, I’d been grounded as well for running away. I suspected that part of their reason for grounding me was to put me and Shelly on even ground, and to make us spent some time together at home.
Shelly looked up at me from where she was sitting on the couch, her eyes going a little wide. Then she blurted out, “Are you really wearing that?”
“What’s wrong with this?” I asked innocently, gesturing down at myself.
I was currently dressed up much the way I was every day at school, with high heels and makeup. Admittedly, I was actually wearing a skirt for the first time as well.
Then I looked to Shelly who had a look of confusion on her face. She was in sneakers, pants, and had intentionally avoided putting any makeup on today. To my surprise, this morning she’d actually done everything she could to avoid triggering my compulsions to dress in a feminine manner.
After the almost constant urges to dress up, it was very strange for me to feel the compulsions urging me to take off the heels and makeup. However, it was well worth getting dressed up like this when I didn’t have to, just to see the look on Shelly’s face.
I sat down on the couch beside Shelly, smoothing my skirt as I did so. She watched me with a somewhat bemused look, obviously wondering why I hadn’t taken advantage to dress in a more relaxed manner.
“To be honest,” I answered her unspoken question about why I was dressed like this, “I’ve kind of gotten used to wearing this stuff…”
“I see,” she responded, seeming relieved that I wasn’t going to try forcing her to change her entire way of dressing. She’d shown that she was going to try being considerate of me and my compulsions, so I thought it was only fair that I show that I was willing to be flexible as well.
Since I’d made my point, I added, “Of course, it is nice to not have to wear this stuff all the time too…”
We started the movie and almost and almost immediately began to make fun of it. However, Shelly was a little slow to get into it and kept getting distracted. I noticed her glancing to the digital tablet sitting on the coffee table and knew that she was still tempted to study or do something else.
“You really need to learn to relax,” I told Shelly.
“April keeps telling me the same thing,” she admitted with a self-conscious smile. “I am trying…but that seems to be one thing I’m just not good at anymore.”
Still, once Shelly got caught up in the movie, she did relax and began to heckle it properly. After all the anger and resentment, it seemed strange to put it all aside and just spend time with her like this. But as she relaxed, I could see glimpses of the old Shelly shining through. It was enough to make me tear up at the realization that the sister I’d once been so close to wasn’t nearly as gone as I’d thought.
“I don’t know what to tell Eddie,” Shelly commented more than halfway through the movie. “I don’t know that he’d understand…” She paused, blushing at that.
I nodded at that, blushing myself. “I…I can see why you like him,” I said awkwardly. “And he seems like a nice guy…”
“But I’m not going to do that to you again,” Shelly promised, looking a little sad. “It’s not fair to you…”
“I…I appreciate that,” I told her, feeling relieved though guilty as well.
“My God,” Shelly told me, giving me a sympathetic look. “When I think about what our link means… What happens to you if something happens to me? I mean, if get killed in an accident or something, does that mean you die too?”
“I don’t know,” I answered, having thought about that myself. “I hope not…”
“And what happens if I ever get pregnant?” she asked, making me gulp as I considered the possibility. I didn’t know how our link would translate something like that to me and I didn’t want to think about it too much.
“I hope I never have to find out,” I muttered.
Shelly looked like she was about to say something when the doorbell rang.
She let out a sigh and went to go answer it while I stood up. A moment later, I saw her open the door and reveal April.
“Um…hi,” April greeted Shelly awkwardly, looking at her and then looking into the living room and seeing me. “Hey Shelly,” she greeted me, obviously confused by the fact that I was the one with high heels, makeup, and a skirt while Shelly was the one without. Shelly smirked faintly at that, apparently amused by the mix-up.
I stared at April, feeling extremely self-conscious. This was the first time that I’d seen her since our aborted encounter. Neither Shelly or I had been at school during the last two days, due to our family situation and wanting to take another day to let things settle.
April stared at me for a moment and then looked to Shelly. She frowned slightly and then looked back to me, appearing confused. Her eyes darted back and forth two more times before her gaze settled on Shelly and she blurted out, “You aren’t Jeri…”
“No,” Shelly responded with a grin. “How’d you know?”
“I just do,” April answered weakly, her eyes locking on me.
“Come on in,” Shelly told her. “Jeri and I were just watching a movie, but we can study a bit when it’s over…”
“Actually,” April said carefully, “I came here to see Jeri…”
Shelly looked surprised at that. “Really?”
“I heard you’d run away,” April blurted out as she came to me. “Is it true? Are you okay?”
“Um…yeah,” I answered awkwardly.
“Some guys jumped her,” Shelly exclaimed angrily. “With a knife…”
“Oh my God,” April exclaimed, looking me over. “Are you all right? Are you hurt?”
“I was hurt,” I admitted, giving a weak smile. “But I healed…”
April suddenly threw herself at me, grabbing me in a hug and crying. “I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean to hurt you…”
“What?” Shelly asked, looking a little confused.
April took a step back and looked me in the eyes, crying a little as she did so. “I knew how sensitive you were about that… I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean for that to come out and I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“It’s okay,” I lied, fully aware of the fact that Shelly was standing right there.
“It’s not,” April insisted. “You aren’t a substitute of any kind and I don’t want you to think you are. I like you…not just the way you look.”
April leaned forward to give me a kiss and I couldn’t resist kissing her back. I was still a little upset with her, but that quickly burned away under both her apology and the taste of her lips.
“Does that mean I’m forgiven?” April asked me once we pulled away.
“On probation,” I teased her, giving a wry smile and adding, “But I expect a real date.”
“Deal,” April agreed with a grin.
Only then did she pause and turn to look at Shelly, suddenly looking quite embarrassed. My sister was just watching us both with an amused look.
“I was wondering if you were ever going to come out of the closet,” Shelly said with a faint smirk.
“What?” April blurted out in surprise. “You knew?”
“Of course,” Shelly responded, looking just a little smug. “I’m not blind you know. I’ve seen you looking at me and at other girls…”
“Then why didn’t you say something?” April asked, looking a bit stunned.
“Because you didn’t,” Shelly answered with a wry smile and a shrug. “I figured you’d tell me if you wanted me to know. Besides, I didn’t want to embarrass you…” Then she paused to look at me for a moment before adding, “I just didn’t think that you and Jeri… I mean, I know Jeri had a crush on you, but I didn’t think you two would get together…”
I squirmed uncomfortably, wondering if I’d really been that obvious about my crush on April. When I thought about it for a moment, I realized that I probably had been. After all, Rich was kind of obvious in his crush on Shelly as well.
Shelly grinned at me and then turned back to April. “I’m happy for you two, but if you hurt my sister, we’re gonna have words.”
April looked a little startled at that, though I wasn’t sure if it was with Shelly giving her blessing or with the implied threat. Then she said, “I thought you two were fighting…”
“We’re…working on that,” I answered carefully. “There were a few misunderstandings we had to clear up.”
“Like the fact that I was acting like a total bitch and didn’t realize it,” Shelly added with a self-conscious chuckle before jokingly adding, “Who knew?”
April hesitantly put her hand up and gave Shelly a wry smile. “Not warning her about her period was a good clue…”
“Bite me,” Shelly responded, though she was grinning when she said it.
After this, all three of us sat on the couch to continue watching the movie, with me sitting in the middle. April smiled at me and then gave me a quick kiss before just holding my hand. I grinned, more than content with this much at the moment and knowing that there would be plenty of opportunity for more later.
Just a few minutes ago, I’d though that any chance at a relationship with April was over, that she wanted me only as a substitute for Shelly. But now, now I was sure that she really did care about me. It wasn’t just her apology, though that had been convincing. It was the fact that she’d been able to almost immediately tell me apart from Shelly, even though the two of us had been dressed in an opposite manner of what she might expect from each of us.
I felt quite happy as I sat there between Shelly and April, happier than I’d felt for a very long time. Not only did the girl of my dreams really like me in return, but I actually had my sister back as well. At that moment, I didn’t see how I could be happier.
--------------------
I sat on a chair in the living room, hunched over and carefully practicing on my new guitar. I had to pause to brush my hair back from where it had fallen into my face, but then I continued with the song I was trying to master.
Mom and dad were both in the living room, watching the news while simultaneously listening to me practice. Oddly enough, they didn’t consider my presence here a distraction and had actually asked me to practice here rather than in my room. They seemed to get a strange sort of kick out of watching me.
“You’re definitely getting better,” mom said proudly.
“Thanks,” I responded, setting my guitar down and taking a break.
It had been two months since I’d run away from home, and since the family had talked everything out. Since then, neither of my parents had told me to be more like Shelly even once, nor had they done anything to suggest that they thought I was inferior to her. Instead, they actually tried being supportive of me and our relationship was much better as a result.
My relationship with Shelly had definitely improved as well, though it had become a little odd at times. She took her promise to be a better big sister very seriously, and in typical Shelly fashion, she gave it everything she could. At first, she’d done this by trying to take me under her wing and mentor me in the ways of being a girl, but then she realized that I already knew everything she could teach me. Our link ensured that.
Shelly’s next method of trying to help me still had me shaking my head. Since I knew everything that Shelly did, she took full advantage of this fact to intentionally start learning things that she thought might help me in some fashion. She’d read fashion magazines, articles on makeup, and even flirting with guys… And of course, that had just been the beginning.
Every time I turned around, I was discovering that I had skills and knowledge that I had no idea I possessed. I was discovering that I knew things from hair styling to speaking some basic Spanish. Shelly seemed to think of this as some sort of game, taking a strange delight in forcibly educating me in whatever she wanted me to learn.
The latest topic of Shelly’s interest and intense study was cooking. I wasn’t sure how much of this interest was her own natural curiosity and how much was her desire to make sure I had the skills. What I did know was that she spent a lot of time reading cook books and practicing in the kitchen. I helped her out with a few things she wanted to make and now mom was threatening to have the two of us take over the responsibilities for cooking dinner every night.
Of course, Shelly wasn’t the only one learning new things. She encouraged me to actually apply myself in school again…and to learn new things on my own. She even promised not to try outdoing me, making it clear that she didn’t want to get caught up in that competitive spiral again. Because of that, my grades improved in school and I found several new interests of my own.
I only took kickboxing lessons for several months, but I’d really enjoyed it during that time. I’d also found Shelly’s kickboxing skills to be extremely useful when it came to saving my own skin, so I decided to try martial arts again. I didn’t want to go back to kickboxing since that would put me back with Shelly, so instead, I started taking lessons in jujitsu, something that was both fun and useful.
The guitar was something else that I’ve been learning on my own. Shelly played the violin, and I’d discovered that it was actually a lot of fun being able to make such beautiful music. Because of that, I’d signed up for guitar lessons so that I could learn to play an instrument that my sister couldn’t. I wasn’t progressing as rapidly as Shelly would have, but this was something that was mine and I was enjoying it a great deal for that if nothing else.
But in spite of finally having some things that were just mine again, or perhaps more because of it, I’ve also enjoyed spending time with Shelly. It was nice to actually have a real sister again, though a little weird as well. Shelly had begun introducing me to people as her twin sister and the two of us had even dressed identically a few times, just to confuse people and make them guess which of us was which. I was quite pleased by the fact that April was never fooled for long.
Shelly and I actually did things together now, much like we did back before either of us went through our twists. Of course, we made sure to avoid anything that would trigger Shelly’s competitive urges since those could turn anything sour pretty quick.
I also frequently joined Shelly and April when they went jogging or worked out at the gym, not because I needed to stay in shape but because I enjoyed spending time with them. And though I wouldn’t admit it to Shelly, it also made me feel less guilty about getting the benefit of her hard work when I put a little of it in myself.
My thoughts then drifted to Rich, who I still considered a good friend, though we weren’t quite as close as we used to be. We still hung sometimes, but not as much as we used to. Rich thought of me as a girl now…and one he was attracted to. Because of that, he was usually on his best behavior in my presence, which meant that he didn’t swear or tell dirty jokes. It was actually kind of annoying.
The truth is, I’d also changed a great deal and didn’t have as much in common with Rich as I once did. There were things in my life now that he just couldn’t understand. Trying to talk to him about uncomfortable bras, getting unwanted attention from guys, and especially my period, always brought our conversations to an awkward end.
Fortunately, Rich and I were still able to talk at school and even pretend that things were just like old times. Of course, school itself had changed for me, not only with the influx of knowledge from Shelly but due to the fact that I’d begun trying to get good grades again.
Now that my twist was no longer such a novelty, most of the kids at school had moved on and didn’t bother teasing me about it much. In fact, most of them almost seemed to have forgotten that I used to be a guy and treated me as though I’d always been Shelly’s twin.
I still had some classes with Craig, though he avoided me and no longer made his old anti Twisted comments. The whole fight had really left him shaken, especially since the three boys who’d attacked me had all been arrested for it. The large boy who’d come at me with a knife turned out to be Craig’s brother, and he’d been charged with assault with a deadly weapon. Only the fact that Craig had tried stopping the others had prevented him from sharing their legal troubles.
Of course, there were other people around who didn’t like Twisted and made that clear, but I wasn’t too concerned with them. People like that would be something that I’d have to deal with for the rest of my life. As long as they stuck to words, I could do my best to ignore them. And if any of them tried to get physical, I could take care of myself that way too if I had to.
“You know,” dad abruptly said, distracting me from my thoughts. “You and Shelly should play together sometime…”
“Once I get a little better,” I agreed, holding up my guitar. “I still need a lot of practice.”
Then I sighed, wishing that April was here for me to show off to…and do other things with as well. The two of us were openly dating now, which made both of us frequent targets of jealousy from nearly every guy in school. Unfortunately, she had family obligations tonight in the form of having to babysit a cousin, which meant that I was home alone with just my parents.
“I wonder how Shelly is doing on her date,” mom mused.
“I’m sure they’re having a good time,” dad said, pausing to scowl a little before adding, “Just as long as it’s not too good a time…”
Just then, my cell phone began to beep, letting me know that I had a text message. I checked the message, seeing that it was from Shelly and consisted of a single letter, X. It was a message that I’d been expecting.
“I’m going to go play some games for awhile,” I said, picking up my guitar and heading back to my room.
Once I was in my room, I locked the door and began to get undressed. Then I just sat down on my bed to wait. It didn’t take very long before I began to feel turned on with my nipples getting hard and my slit getting wet.
“Okay,” I said, laying down and beginning to play with myself. That helped take away from the weirdness of feeling someone else playing with my parts as well.
Shelly had been willing to forgo sex in order to avoid forcing it on me, but that had hardly seemed fair when I was having my own fun with April. Because of that, Shelly and I’d come up with an alternative that would let Shelly actually have a life while keeping me from being caught so unaware.
Whenever Shelly thought that there was a good chance of things getting physical, she’d text me a code to warn me of the possibility and give me a chance to find some privacy. And then there was another code for when sex was not only a possibility but eminent. That was what Shelly had sent me.
At first, I hadn’t been sure that I’d made the right decision when I offered this deal to Shelly. After all, I’d been a guy before and still had no interest in guys. The idea of having sex with one left me feeling uncomfortable, even when it was secondhand sex. However, I couldn’t stop thinking about how good that secondhand sex had felt either. Now that I’d gone through this a few more times of my own free will, I’d gotten to the point where I actually looked forward to Shelly getting lucky.
“Damn that feels good,” I moaned, thinking that Eddie definitely knew what he was doing. Of course, so did Shelly.
In typical Shelly fashion, once she and Eddie had gotten physical with their relationship, she had decided to improve her own skills and do it even better. Not only had she read the Kama Sutra, but she’d also read a few other books on sex as well…and then practiced some of it with Eddie. I’d been a bit shocked when I first realized the secondhand sexual knowledge that was percolating through my brain, but I’ve definitely taken advantage of it to improve my time with April.
I bit my lip to keep cry crying out as I enjoyed every sensation that Shelly did. I still felt a little like a voyeur, but not too much. After all, not only did Shelly know that I was getting this too, she tried encouraging my own enjoyment as much as she could. This was a little less like spying on them and a little more like being part of a threesome, though admittedly, Eddie didn’t know about his other partner.
I orgasmed several times before Shelly and Eddie were finished, and once they were, I just lay spread out on my bed, grinning like an idiot while I savored the afterglow. This was MUCH better than sex could possibly be as a guy. The only thing that could make this better was if April was here too. There was absolutely no experience like having sex with April while simultaneously experiencing Shelly’s sex with Eddie. On the one time I’d done that, it had been sensory overload.
“Maybe one day, I’ll do this with a guy for real,” I mused to myself with a faint giggle. “Maybe I’ll even give Rich the time of his life…”
Since Rich had been my best friend for so long, it somehow seemed right that if I did decided to do it with a guy, the first time should be with him. However, I had no intention of doing that anytime soon. And if I ever did it with a guy, I’d probably have to do it in the dark so I didn’t have to look at him.
As I lay there, cupping my breasts and thinking about how good they felt, it suddenly dawned on me that I absolutely loved my twist. It wasn’t because of how good the sex felt, though it was certainly more than nice. If it hadn’t been for my twist, I never would have had a chance at dating April. And more importantly, I never would have reconnected with Shelly. I never would have found the sister I’d lost more than a year and a half ago.
I sat up in bed and stared across the room to the full length mirror that hung from the wall. I climbed off the bed and slowly walked to the mirror, continuing to stare at the reflection that no longer seemed surprising or unfamiliar. It was no longer just Shelly’s face that stared back, it was mine.
When I first went through my twist, I’d been horrified to find myself looking like Shelly. After having spent so much time trapped in her shadow, this had been a nightmare come true. Back then, I never could have imagined that I’d become content…even happy to look like this. Nor could I imagine that I would actually have such a good relationship with Shelly.
I spent so much time being filled with anger and frustration, feeling unwanted and trapped within Shelly’s shadow. Part of that had been my own attitude, creating a self-fulfilling situation. But all of that was gone now. Ironically, even though I looked like Shelly, was tied to her more closely than anyone else could understand, and even experienced part of her life vicariously, I no longer felt like I was in her shadow.
After staring at myself for a moment more, I smiled and imagined that I was talking to Shelly instead of my own reflection. “Funny that I had to look like you before I could really be my own person again.”
Then I turned away from the mirror, smiling as I thought of my new life and everything that my twist had brought me. Sure, it had been shocking as hell at first, but it had resulted in getting April, finding my lost sister, and just as importantly, finding my own sense of self. I was not my sister’s shadow, but I was more than happy to once again call her sister.
The End
By
Morpheus
Although Lucas lives in Spiral, he is a normal and is relieved that he doesn't have to worry about going through a twist like many of his classmates. However, the impossible soon happens. This story takes place in the Twisted Universe.
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The entire garage shook from the sound coming from my drum set as well as from the guitar my best friend Ricky was playing beside me. Calling it music might have been a little generous, at least as far as my playing went, but we were getting a lot better.
Ricky and I came out to practice in the garage several times a week, doing so for at least a few hours every weekend and after school when possible. My best friend was actually pretty good since he’d been playing guitar for years, though I’d only begun playing the drums about four months ago. Still, all the practice was paying off because I was definitely improving.
At the moment, Ricky and I had an audience, my former girlfriend Christine. The two of us had been dating until about two months ago when she went through her twist. Christine used to be a bit goth with purple dyed hair and a couple piercings, but now she looked like an innocent little girl. Even though she was sixteen years old, she only looked like she was seven or eight. She had blonde hair that she usually kept in pig tails and she nearly always wore cute little dresses, like the pink one she was wearing right now.
Christine’s memories and knowledge were fully intact, but her behavior had definitely changed. I had no idea how much of Christine’s personality had really changed during her twist and how much of her behavior was due to compulsions. What I did know was that she dressed like a cute little girl, always carried around a doll or stuffed animal, and she liked playing all sorts of kids games like jump rope or tea party, things she never would have bothered with before. And when talking to her, sometimes she talk about boys and almost seem like her old self, while other times she’d actually talk just like a little girl. I suspected that some of the latter was her just playing the role, but I didn’t know for sure.
When Christine first went through her twist, I kind of freaked out a little. The idea of dating someone who looked like she now did felt completely and totally wrong so I’d dumped her on the spot. I felt guilty about doing that to her when she was going through something so difficult, but she’d understood and didn’t hold it against me. Somehow, the two of us even managed to remain friends.
Once we finished playing, Ricky stood there, posing like a rock star. I had to admit, he looked the role a bit more than I did. I was 5 foot 10 and had a stocky build but he was 6 foot 1 and lean, with long dark hair and an almost perpetual grin. Ricky even had a tattoo of a snake on his arm, though it was done with that special ink that only shows up under black lights. He actually walked around his house with short sleeves on and his parents still had no idea he had a tattoo.
“So, what do you think?” Ricky asked Christine.
Christine held out the stuffed rabbit she was hauling around today and announced, “Mr. Pookie likes it.”
“Weren’t you calling him Bun Bun yesterday?” I asked. She responded by sticking her tongue out at me.
“You were really good,” Christine told Ricky. Then she looked at me and said, “Lucas... You’re getting better but you still need to work on keeping your rhythm… I mean, your timing was starting to drift a bit…”
“Yeah,” I agreed, not getting offended because she knew what she was talking about and was just telling the truth. After all, Christine used to play the drums and was the one who’d gotten me into it, though she hadn’t played since her twist.
“We need to find a couple more guys and start our own band,” Ricky told me, not for the first time.
Christine winced at that and I knew why. Back before her twist, she’d been the one who first suggested that we start our own band. I knew that turning into a kid meant that she had to give up on that dream as well as many others, especially since the doctors said she’d probably never get any older. Her twist would probably keep her looking that same age for the rest of her life.
I shuddered, feeling very thankful that I didn’t have to ever worry about going through a twist the way a lot of my friends and classmates did. I lived in Spiral where a lot of people in town were Twisted, but neither of my parents was. And since both of my parents were normal, there was no chance that I’d have to go through that kind of ordeal. The very idea of having your mind and body twisted into some new form, possibly turning you into another person completely, was a very frightening one. I had no idea how so many of my classmates could live with something like that looming over their heads.
While I was lost in thought, Christine was looking around the garage. She picked up a machete that was hanging on the wall to look at.
“Careful with that,” I cautioned her.
Christine gave me a look of annoyance and snapped, “I’m not a baby…”
“Sorry,” I apologized with a wince.
Even though I knew Christine’s real age, it was so easy to forget and treat her like the kid she appeared. It was insulting and I knew it frustrated her a lot of the time so I tried not to do it, but occasionally it slipped out.
“You have no idea how lucky you two are for being normal,” Christine said with a sigh, putting the machete back. “Sometimes, being Twisted really stinks.”
“I’d imagine,” Ricky agreed, having two normal parents the same way I did. “But it’s got to be totally wicked having super powers…”
“It kind of is,” Christine admitted with a grin.
Christine set Bun Bun…or Pookie…or whatever she was calling her stuffed rabbit onto the floor. It stood up as though it was really alive and began to slowly walk in a circle. Once it came back to Christine, she picked it back up and smirked.
“Too bad I can only make one of them move at a time,” she announced, giving a pout. Then she gave an almost evil grin as she added, “Imagine what I could do with a plush army.”
“I’m almost afraid to,” I responded with a chuckle.
It was then that the garage door opened and my mom stepped in, exclaiming, “Lucas, dinner will be ready in just a couple minutes.”
“Okay, mom,” I responded.
I couldn’t help but noticing that Ricky was watching her while trying not to. Though neither of us had mentioned it, I knew that he had a bit of a crush on my mom. She was still pretty attractive for her age and some guys might even call her a MILF. Of course, I certainly didn’t think of her in those terms
“Hey Mrs. Kane,” Ricky greeted my mom.
Then I saw the beautiful blonde woman who came into the garage behind my mom. “Hey Aunt Kelsie,” I greeted her with a grin.
“Hey kiddo,” she responded with a grin of her own. “I heard you guys playing. Pretty good.”
Aunt Kelsie wasn’t really my aunt, at least not in the blood relationship kind of way. She was my mom’s best friend and had been ever since they were kids together. I’d grown up with her always being around as part of the family so never thought of her as anything but.
“You want to jam with us?” I asked Aunt Kelsie with a look of mock innocence.
Aunt Kelsie laughed. “Sorry, but the only instrument I’ve ever played was the flute back in high school.”
“If its dinner time, I guess we should be going,” Ricky told me.
“My mommy doesn’t want me being late for dinner either,” Christine said. She waved to me and said, “Bye bye Lucas. I’ll see you in school tomorrow…”
“Later,” Ricky told me, putting his guitar into its case and then slinging the whole thing over his shoulder.
Once my friends were gone, I went inside and cleaned up for dinner. I wasn’t at all surprised to see that Aunt Kelsie would be eating with us, not when she did so at least a couple times a week.
“So, how was work?” I asked mom, who worked as a manager at the bank. I wasn’t really that interested but it was a tradition to at least ask about this stuff at the dinner table.
“It was work,” she answered, giving the traditional response. The only time the response varied was when something unusual or interesting happened, usually because of some Twisted customer. “How was school?”
“It was school,” I responded the same as I did every day.
“Doesn’t anyone care about my day?” Aunt Kelsie joked, then paused to say, “Please pass the pepper…”
I reached for the pepper shaker but it suddenly slid across the table to Aunt Kelsie on its own. She watched me with a grin, loving to show off her trick. Having low level telekinesis wasn’t really all that impressive since the heaviest thing she could lift was a soda can, but she certainly liked to make use of it whenever she could.
“Now then,” Aunt Kelsie said, giving me an amused look while my mom chuckled. “Why don’t you tell us how your day really went…and when you’re going to ask out that girl you like. What was her name…Nina?”
I just groaned at that, knowing that I wouldn’t get out of this until I’d at least given her something. But then again, this too was a dinner tradition.
-------------------
I leaned back in my chair, listening as my Algebra teacher Mrs. Krieve lectured on about finding a missing variable. She was a middle-aged black woman who was completely bald, though no one was certain whether her lack of hair was due to her twist or if she just shaved it.
“Man, this is so boring,” Ricky whispered from the seat beside me. He rolled his eyes in an exaggerated manner while I just chuckled.
“It’s not so bad,” I responded, only to earn a snort in response.
Ricky hated math with a passion, or at least he claimed he did. Since he always got B’s in class, I suspected that he paid attention a little more than he’d ever admit. I on the other hand rather liked math. Unlike history or literature where the answers were often a matter of opinion or perspective, in math there was no question about it.
“That’s it for today,” Mrs. Krieve announced as the class came to an end. “I expect you all to have the quiz at the end of section seven completed when you come in tomorrow.”
I nodded at that, making a note on my computer tablet so I wouldn’t forget it later. Though I wasn’t at all fond of the idea of homework, much less the reality, I knew that getting it done and out of the way was less troublesome than having to explain why I didn’t do it.
Ricky and I left the classroom and he was already talking about our next practice session. “I’ve got this great song I want to practice… It’s got a wicked beat and an awesome guitar riff...”
I nodded at that and was about to respond when someone yelled out, “Get out of my way you damn punks…” I looked over to see an old man coming down the hallway, moving slowly as he used his cane to keep his balance. “Damn kids nowadays…”
I couldn’t help but feeling a surge of pity for Gus Lennon, who was much younger than he actually looked. His twist was almost the exact opposite of Christine’s, turning him into an old man. It might have been funny if it wasn’t so tragic. And what was just as bad as looking like he was his own grandpa…or even great grandpa, was the fact that he’d gotten the whole personality twist as well. For all intents and purposes, he’d gone from being a normal teenager to being a grumpy old man who constantly complained about everything.
“I am so glad I’m not twisted,” I told Ricky with a shudder.
“Hey,” someone demanded from behind me. “Do you have a problem with Twisted?”
I turned to see Roger Maxwell standing behind me, scowling at me with a hostile look. It was actually kind of painful to look at him since he had bright green hair and was wearing a neon orange shirt and electric pink pants. Roger’s twist included a compulsion to dress in ridiculously bright and garish colors, no matter the fact that it hurt everyone else’s eyes.
“No, not at all,” I quickly assured him, biting back the response that some of my best friends were twisted since I knew that wouldn’t sound right. “I’m just glad that I don’t have to go through it… I mean, I don’t know how you guys deal with it all…”
Roger glared at me for a moment, as though trying to decide if he should push it or not. Then he relaxed a little and admitted, “Sometimes it’s not easy…”
A minute later, Ricky and I were in the locker rooms, getting changed for PE. I wasn’t at all happy as I put on my shorts since we were going to be in the swimming pool.
“Why couldn’t we have stuck with basketball?” I asked Ricky with a scowl.
I wasn’t very good at basketball, but I still enjoyed playing it. For the last two weeks, our PE teacher Coach Rydell had been having us play basketball nearly every day. Unfortunately, this week the sport changed to swimming and I wasn’t exactly thrilled about being in the water.
“What’s the matter?” Ricky responded with a broad grin. “You don’t want to see Coach Rydell in her swim suit?”
“Not particularly,” I answered with an exaggerated shudder. Coach Rydell wasn’t exactly a looker, but she certainly liked sports of every type. It was part of her twist.
After a few minutes, Ricky and I went out to the pool and joined the rest of our class. Coach Rydell was already there in her one piece swimsuit. She was a little large, with a build that was almost masculine, and with a face that might have been a little cute when she was younger. As it was, her nose had obviously been broken at some point and hadn’t healed quite straight.
“Before anyone gets into the pool,” Coach Rydell announced, “Let me remind you of the safety rules again. First, no running in here… If I catch you running in here, you’ll be running laps for the entire period tomorrow.”
For a brief moment, I actually considered doing that just so I could avoid class tomorrow. However, the idea of running laps around the track all period was even worse than the idea of swimming.
I looked at the pool a little nervously, especially at the deep end. It would be so easy to drown there, especially when I didn’t even know how to swim. Since I seemed to be the only one in my class who didn’t know how to swim, it was pretty embarrassing.
“It’s just water,” Ricky teased me, knowing that I couldn’t swim. He didn’t mean any harm by this and was just doing his duty as my best friend to lighten the mood a little. “If you want, we can get you some of those cute little water wings.”
“Bite me,” I responded, giving him a glare. “If I remember right, you’re not exactly fond of squirrels.”
“Hey,” Ricky protested. “Those things are damn creepy… I mean, they pretend to be cute and harmless but it’s all an act…” He shook his head and snorted. “Man, I’m telling you they’re really just rats with fluffy tails…”
“Sure they are,” I said with a smirk.
Once Coach Rydell was finished with her safety speech, everyone was allowed to go into the pool. She came to me and said, “Lucas, I want you to get into the deep end and practice. You can’t learn to swim if you don’t leave the shallow end.”
I reluctantly went into the water and made my way to the drop of that marked the separation between the shallow end where I could stand on the bottom and still keep my head above water, and the deep end where I feared I might drown. I braced myself with a reminder that Coach Rydell would be watching in case I got in trouble, and that we even had another lifeguard present.
“Don’t be such a pansy,” I told myself as I pushed out into the deeper end.
I began to doggy paddle like I’d been shown, feeling like an idiot because some of my classmates were swimming right past and laughing at me. This wasn’t real swimming but at least I was staying afloat.
In spite of the fact that I was doing all right, my mind played tricks on me and I couldn’t help but thinking about the distance between my feet and the bottom of the pool. I’d once seen an old movie about a shark that went around eating swimmers and now my imagination began to torment me with images of sharks circling beneath me. And even though I knew it was stilly, I couldn’t help but feeling at least a little stirring of fear at the idea.
“I can do this,” I told myself quietly. “This isn’t really that hard…” And of course, everyone else was able to swim just fine.
With that, I tried to relax and calm down. Instead of a shark, maybe there was something else I could imagine swimming around me, something more pleasant. I smiled faintly as I imagined the new creature, one that I’d definitely prefer be in the water with.
Suddenly, I felt a strange tingling rush through my entire body at once as well as a powerful sense of pressure. I flailed frantically and immediately began going under. And as I tried to scream, water rushed down my throat and I felt like I was exploding, though only for a moment as darkness claimed me.
--------------------
When I came to again, it was with a surge of terror and confusion as I remembered having some kind of seizure and drowning. People were grabbing me which made me start to struggle to get away, until I realized that they were pulling me out of the pool.
“Lucas,” Ricky cried out, making me realize that he was one of the people holding onto me. Coach Rydell was another one.
I felt dizzy, confused, and very VERY weird. I was now on the concrete floor beside the pool so slowly sat up, only to realize that everyone in the class was surrounding me and staring at me. Then I noticed that there was something heavy on my chest.
“What happened?” I asked weakly, staring down and then gasping in confusion.
For a moment, all I could do was stare down at the two mounds of flesh that pushed out from my chest. A single glance was enough to leave absolutely no doubt that they were boobs…like what a girl has. And as if that wasn’t enough of a shock, I noticed my legs a few seconds later, or at least what had been my legs.
My shorts were gone, leaving me completely naked, though that barely even soaked into my mind. Instead, I gasped at the sight of my stomach, which was thin and feminine, but from my waist down I had a tail. My legs were entirely gone and in their place was some sort of fish tail with aquamarine colored scales.
“You’ve just gone through your twist,” Coach Rydell told me, putting a gentle hand on my shoulder.
“But I can’t be,” I protested, still feeling completely stunned and confused. “I’m, not Twisted…”
“Lucas,” Ricky blurted out, staring at me with a look of shock. “You’re a fucking mermaid…”
“But I can’t be Twisted,” I argued, staring down at myself in complete and utter shock. Those were definitely boobs and a tail, but there was absolutely no way they could possibly be there. “It’s impossible…”
I remained where I was, trying to absorb what was really going on but my mind just couldn’t grasp it. After all, both my parents were normal so there was absolutely no way I could possibly be Twisted. This just wasn’t possible. It wasn’t.
Coach Rydell draped several towels over me to cover me up and then began yelling at the rest of the class, “If any one of you goes back into the water before I return, I’ll have you running laps for the next week.”
“I’ve never seen someone actually go through their twist before,” one of my classmates exclaimed, though I wasn’t paying attention who it was.
“But Lucas always said he wasn’t Twisted,” another said, sounding confused.
“But I’m not Twisted,” I repeated, trying to move my legs only to have my tail swish instead. It didn’t feel like prosthetics but like it actually was part of my body. “I can’t be…”
“Let’s get you to the nurse’s office,” Coach Rydell told me as she bent over and picked me up in her arms.
At any other time, I would have been completely and utterly mortified to have Coach Rydell pick me up like this, but at the moment I was so overwhelmed that I barely even noticed it. I felt as though I was on the verge of hyperventilating.
“The rest of you stay here,” Coach Rydell said, looking at Ricky who was starting to come along.
Coach Rydell took me to the nurse’s office and explained what had happened. I was sitting up on the bed, trying to get my balance but it wasn’t easy. With this tail instead of my legs, all I could do was flop around a little. Still, I finally got into a position where I was sitting up with my tail hanging over the edge like my legs would normally have done.
“The school records say that Lucas Kane has two normal parents,” the nurse told Coach Rydell after looking at the computer.
“All I know is what I saw,” Coach Rydell told her. “I saw Lucas change with my own eyes.”
“I can’t be Twisted,” I repeated yet again, feeling as though I was stuck on a glitching audio file and could only repeat the same thing over and over again.
The nurse looked me over and said, “Well, unless you were born a mermaid…you’re Twisted.”
I was about to repeat that I couldn’t possibly be Twisted again when I bit my lip, finally realizing how ridiculous that sounded considering how I now looked. I stared at my hands, which were no longer my hands. They were girl hands with longer nails that looked like they had some kind of pearlescent polish on them.
I had no idea how long I remained where I was, trying hard to ignore all the strange sensations from my body. I was tempted to pull the towels aside so I could get a better look yet terrified of doing so at the same time. It felt as though the entire world had suddenly turned upside down without warning.
Eventually, I heard my mom’s voice from the next room over. “You called me about Lucas… What’s wrong with him? What happened?”
“It seems that Lucas has gone through his twist,” the nurse explained.
My mom came into the room with the nurse saying, “But that’s just not possible…” Then she froze and stared at me with a confused look.
“Mom,” I said awkwardly, cringing as I did so.
Her eyes went wide and she cautiously asked, “Lucas? Is that you?”
I nodded at that before quietly responding, “I think so…”
“One of the teachers actually saw him…her change,” the nurse explained.
Mom just stood there, staring at me with a look of stunned disbelief as though she wasn’t sure to really believe it was me or not. Then she hesitantly reached out and touched my cheek the way she did whenever I was sick.
“What happened to me?” I demanded, gesturing down at myself as I started to cry.
“Everything is going to be just fine,” mom assured me, giving me a hug. “We’ll go home and try to figure this out…”
“But I can’t walk,” I blurted out, gesturing to my tail and crying harder as it hit me that I’d probably never be able to walk or run again.
“We have a wheelchair you can borrow,” the nurse said, giving me a sympathetic look. Then she looked to mom and told her, “It isn’t uncommon for people to go through their twists here at school so we try to be prepared for whatever they might need.”
A few minutes later, I was in the wheelchair but it wasn’t a very comfortable. My new tail was a little longer than normal legs would be and didn’t quite fit. Eventually I was able to position my body so that my tail wasn’t dragging on the floor.
Fortunately, this was in the middle of class period so there were very few people in the hallway to stare at me as we passed. Still, those who did definitely stared, not that I could really blame them too much since I would have stared too.
Neither my mom or I said much on the way home. I was just trying to absorb this, to accept that it was actually real…that I actually had gone through a twist and had turned into a mermaid. It felt like some kind of freaky dream, but I knew that I wasn’t so lucky.
Once we got home, mom put me to bed as though I merely had a cold. With my long tail, I couldn’t fit under the covers and had to lay stretched out on top of my bed instead, with my fins hanging over the edge. Since I wasn’t tired and had no intention of even trying to go to sleep, I pulled myself back and used my headboard to support me while I sat up in bed.
“Now let’s get a good look at you,” mom said, removing the towels that had been serving to cover me up. She let out a faint gasp as she stared at me, then after ten seconds, she said, “You’re very beautiful.”
“What do I look like?” I asked, feeling both curious and afraid.
Mom hesitated a moment before telling me to wait a minute. Then she left my room, coming back with the oval mirror from her bedroom wall. It was about two feet tall and a foot and a half across.
“Please try not to freak out,” she told me before holding the mirror out so I could see my reflection.
I already knew that I’d turned into a mermaid but seeing myself from the mirror gave me a much better idea of how I looked overall. From the waist up, I looked like a human girl, though a beautiful one at that. I had a great figure with a slender waist and perfect looking boobs. Or at least, they’d be perfect if they were on a girl rather than me. They were kind of big as well as round and perfectly shaped.
“Oh God,” I whispered, hesitantly touching my boobs and then yanking my hands away. I couldn’t very well touch them with my mom staring at me.
My face was definitely that of a beautiful girl and I had aquamarine colored hair, about the same color as my scales, which went down to my mid-back. Even my eyes had changed, turning to a bright and clear aquamarine color that almost looked like gemstones or something. They were very striking.
“That isn’t me,” I argued, looking away from the mirror. “That can’t be me…”
“I’m afraid it is,” mom told me, setting the mirror against my bedroom wall.
“Oh God,” I cried out, looking down at myself and demanding, “What am I going to tell dad?”
“Have you talked to him recently?” mom asked me gently.
I hesitated a moment and then shook my head. The last time I’d heard from my dad was when he’d sent me a card for my sixteenth birthday a couple months ago. And to be honest, I was pretty certain that it was his new wife Mary who’d actually sent the card. For a stepmom, she was pretty nice. It had actually been over a year since I’d seen my dad in person.
“You know what dad thinks about the Twisted,” I said awkwardly, still not able believe that I was actually Twisted.
Dad had first moved to Spiral for his job, and it was here that he had met my mom. Unfortunately, dad was uncomfortable around the Twisted and didn’t like all the weirdness that the Twisted caused around town. After he and mom had divorced when I was just a kid, he’d immediately moved halfway across the country and I’d barely seen him since.
“You don’t need to worry about what he thinks,” mom told me firmly. “You just need to focus on learning how to deal with this.”
“But how is this even possible?” I demanded, gesturing down at myself and wincing. “How can I be Twisted?”
Mom hesitated a moment and then let out a sigh. She bent over and ran her hand over my cheek and said, “I know that this isn’t very good timing, but you need to know…”
“Know what?” I demanded, not liking the serious look on her face. It was the same expression she had on her face right before giving me the lecture on the birds and bees.
“Frank and I were having problems with our marriage well before you came along,” she told me quietly. “We were always arguing and fighting…and we were both thinking about a divorce.” She paused for a long moment, taking a deep breath and then continuing, “During this time…I had an affair with someone else.”
“What?” I gasped, staring at my mom in disbelief and realizing exactly where she was going with this.
“When I got pregnant with you,” mom told me with a self-conscious smile, “I told myself that you were Frank’s… I’d convinced myself that there was no other possibility.” Then she paused again, looking me in the eyes as she quietly said, “I’m sorry…”
Suddenly, my being Twisted now made more sense. If someone had two parents who were normal, then there was absolutely no way they could be Twisted. But if one of them had been Twisted…
“So…dad isn’t my dad,” I whispered, only to have mom nod agreement.
“It seems not,” she agreed sadly.
I was too stunned to speak and remained frozen as I tried to absorb yet another shock. Today had been filled with shocks and my entire world had been twisted up into a pretzel. I had absolutely no idea of what to think about all this.
--------------------
“Here you go honey,” mom said, handing me a glass of ice water.
“Thanks,” I responded before taking a long drink.
I’d been home from school for a few hours and had moved from my bed to the living room recliner. It was a little more comfortable and I didn’t feel quite as claustrophobic and trapped.
While I was drinking my water, mom put a damp towel over my tail. Shortly after getting home, I’d begun feeling dry and itchy, which led to the realization that I needed to keep my transformed body from drying out.
I looked down at myself and let out a snort of disgust. I was wearing one of my old T-shirts, which covered up my boobs but still showed my nipples poking through. However, my lower body was a bit more of a problem since there was no way I could wear pants. I no longer seemed to have any private parts that needed covering, but I certainly wasn’t about to put that in the good thing column.
When the doorbell rang, mom went to go answer it. I heard a little girl’s voice asking, “Can Lucas come out and play?” But in spite of the childish voice and those words, the tone was serious.
Christine came in a moment later and I immediately wanted to run away so she couldn’t see me. Unfortunately, that was out of the question and I couldn’t cover myself up.
“Lucas?” Christine blurted out in surprise as she saw me.
“Don’t look at me,” I exclaimed, cringing away.
“Holy poop,” Christine gasped, coming closer and staring at me. “It’s all over school…but how? I mean, you’re not supposed to be Twisted.”
I winced at that and then glanced to my mom who was leaving the living room to give us some privacy. “I just found out that my dad isn’t really my dad,” I admitted with a grimace.
“Oh shoot,” she said, giving me a sympathetic look. “That’s got to stink.” Then she gave me a weak smile and added, “Well, I guess I should say welcome to the club then.”
“I just can’t believe I’m Twisted,” I told her, staring down at myself. “I mean, I always thought I didn’t have to worry about this…”
Christine nodded at that. “I always thought you were kind of lucky that way. But when you’re not expecting it like that…” She shook her head. Then she grinned at me and said, “You know, if I hadn’t gone through my twist, I’d have to break up with you now…”
“Yeah,” I admitted with a forced smile. “I know.”
Christine set down the stuffed teddy bear that she was carrying with her today and then moved the towel to get a better look at my tail. She let out a whistle and then put the towel back.
“I know you don’t want to hear this,” Christine told me. “But you’re really pretty.”
I snorted at that. “But I can’t walk…”
“And I can’t ever get married or have kids,” she told me with a serious look. “Whining about it won’t change anything.” Then she paused for a moment before quietly admitting, “I cried a lot after my twist…and after you broke up with me. I mean, I don’t blame you or anything. Only a real sicko would want to keep dating someone who looks like I do.”
Without saying another word, Christine put her arms around me and gave me a hug. I hugged her back, actually feeling a little better. I might have turned into a girl and a freaky mermaid, but she’d reminded me that I certainly wasn’t the only person who had it rough because of their twist.
Just then, the doorbell began ringing again. “I’ll get it,” mom called out from the kitchen as she came back into the living room and made her way to the door.
“Yo, Lucas,” Ricky called out as he came into the living room. He stopped to stare at me for a moment, but he wasn’t nearly as surprised as Christine had been. After all, he’d already seen me like this. “Are you okay?”
“I…I don’t know,” I admitted. “I’m still pretty shocked over all this…”
“I’d imagine,” Ricky responded, giving me a curious look. “You totally freaked me out when you changed like that.
“I freaked you out?” I asked with a snort. “How do you think I feel?”
Christine merely nodded her head at that. “At least I knew I’d go through my twist one day.”
“But man, that was totally wicked to watch,” Ricky assured me. “I mean, the pool was glowing and the water was all bubbling… And then BAM…the water exploded and suddenly there was a mermaid in the water…”
Ricky continued talking about how everyone in PE reacted when I went through my twist, about how all the students rushed out of the pool and then how he and Coach Rydell had pulled me out of the water. According to him, my twist was all that everyone talked about for the rest of the day.
Ricky was still talking about what everyone at school was saying when Aunt Kelsie arrived. She didn’t bother ringing the doorbell and just came right in the way she usually did. Since she had a worried look on her face, it was obvious that she’d heard something.
“Sarah,” Aunt Kelsie greeted my mom. “Your text message said that there was some kind of emergency with Lucas. Is he all right?”
“That depends on your meaning of all right,” mom answered with a shake of her head.
Aunt Kelsie looked to where I was still sitting with Christine and Ricky beside me. She’d knew both of them but gave me a curious look, obviously having no idea who I was.
“You must be one of Lucas’ friends,” she said, turning to mom with a curious look, probably wondering where I was.
“Actually,” mom told her with a wince. “That’s Lucas.”
I gulped and waved at her nervously. “Um…hi Aunt Kelsie…” She just stared at me with a look of confusion and surprise.
“Lucas went through his twist today,” mom explained, still looking as though she didn’t quite believe it herself.
“But how?” Aunt Kelsie asked, “That’s not…” Then she paused, her eyes going wide. “Oh…”
Mom nodded and told her, “Needless to say, this is a bit of a surprise.”
Aunt Kelsie came over and my friends moved back to give her room. She bent down beside me, taking my hand in hers and looking me in the eyes.
“I’m so sorry,” she told me sympathetically. “Going through your twist is never easy, and it looks like you went through a doozie…”
“You can say that again,” I muttered.
“It looks like you went through a doozie,” Christine commented with an innocent look. When I glared at her, she stuck her tongue out at me.
“This is…drastic,” Aunt Kelsie said carefully. “I can see that you’re going to have some interesting challenges to deal with.”
“I can’t walk anymore,” I blurted out in frustration, taking the towel of my tail and then swishing my tail in demonstration.
“What were you doing when you went through your twist?” she asked me gently.
Ricky answered for me, blurting out, “He was learning to swim in the school pool…”
“I don’t think swimming will be much of a problem now,” Aunt Kelsie commented wryly.
“I was starting to imagine that there were sharks in the water with me,” I admitted, feeling embarrassed by that. However, that was nowhere near as embarrassing as how I now looked. “So I tried tricking my imagination and pretended that I was swimming with mermaids in the water instead…”
“And that’s when you went through your twist,” Aunt Kelsie finished for me with a nod of understanding. Then she gave me a forced smile and said, “I guess you should be thankful that you didn’t turn into a shark.”
Christine grinned at that and pointed out, “Then you would have had to live at the aquarium.”
Mom let out a sigh and then told Aunt Kelsie, “Considering his…her new body, there are some adjustments we’re going to have to make. He…she doesn’t really fit in her bed anymore and she needs to stay damp…”
“Maybe he can sleep in one of those kids wading pools,” Ricky suggested.
I couldn’t tell if Ricky was joking or not, but mom mused, “That might not be a bad idea… I mean, we could keep her bedding just a little wet and not have worry about ruining the bed or anything.”
I just rolled my eyes and demanded, “Why not just make me sleep in the bath tub?”
“Because you’re a little too big for that,” Aunt Kelsie answered with a faint smirk.
“Lucas just needs a water bed,” Christine said with a faint smirk of her own, though she gave me a sympathetic look.
“I wonder,” Aunt Kelsie mused, giving me a curious look. “I wonder if you can breathe under water.”
“She doesn’t have any gills,” mom pointed out, suddenly looking uncertain.
“She was face down in the water for over a minute before we got her,” Ricky admitted, looking guilty. “She didn’t seem to have any problems after we got her out of the pool.”
“That might be your trick,” Aunt Kelsie said thoughtfully. “They’ll have to take a look at that when you go to the clinic to get checked out.”
“I’ve already made an appointment for tomorrow,” mom added, giving me a curious look.
Aunt Kelsie stared at me for a few seconds, then asked, “Have you notice any personality changes or compulsions yet?” She looked to mom, silently asking her as well since she’d been with me since coming to pick me up from school.
I thought about it for a moment and then shook my head. “Not unless getting thirsty is a compulsion.”
Mom shook her head as well. “Not yet.”
“The clinic can help with that too,” Aunt Kelsie said.
After this, everyone actually sat down in the living room and we continued to talk. Aunt Kelsie and Christine told me a lot about what I could expect for being Twisted and gave me advice on how to adjust. Mom actually took notes on a lot of what they said while Ricky kept sneaking looks at me but otherwise seemed bored.
When it came time for my friends to leave, Ricky gave me an odd look. “Man, this is so weird… I mean, you actually turned into a mermaid…” He shook his head at that and told me, “If you need anything, give me a call…”
“I’m really sorry this happened to you,” Christine said, giving me a big hung and then handing me her teddy bear. “Maybe Theodor can make you feel better.”
“Um…thank you,” I said, startled when the bear actually started hugging me as well.
Christine had a faint smirk on her face as she used her trick to animate the stuffed animal. “I’ll see you tomorrow…” And with that, she actually skipped on her way out the door.
“Your little friend is quite a character,” Aunt Kelsie told me with a chuckle.
Once Christine and Ricky were both gone, mom let out a sigh. “After dinner, we’re going to need to make some plans. We have to figure out your bedding situation, get you some new clothes, and find what other adjustments we’ll need to make.”
“Some of that will be a little easier once you have a better understanding of your twist,” Aunt Kelsie told me, putting a hand on mine. “Don’t worry kiddo. Everything is going to be fine.”
“Maybe,” I responded doubtfully. Then I looked to mom and nervously asked, “But what am I going to tell dad?”
--------------------
I sat on the edge of my bath tub, soaking my tail in the half filled tub. I was actually washing my hair and cleaning up, but I saw no reason not to soak my tail as well since it felt nice.
As I did this, I ran my hands over my boobs, which were smooth and soft. My nipples were sensitive and I suddenly suspected that they’d be fun to play with. I let out a sigh as I remembered playing with Christine’s just the once, a week before her twist. That was certainly never going to happen again.
“Damn,” I muttered with a shake of my head. “I can’t believe I’m really a girl…” Of course, I was more than just a girl. I was a Twisted girl. I was a mermaid.
My entire body felt strange and alien to me, even more so since I no longer had legs but a fish tail instead. Admittedly, it was a beautiful tail that was unlike anything I’d ever seen on a real fish, but I much rather would have had my legs back.
Last night, I hadn’t slept very well. Mom had put my mattress on the floor then covered it with a tarp and wet sheets. That had kept me from drying out while I slept, but it had been a bit uncomfortable. Of course, these mounds sticking out of my chest didn’t help any either.
“And it’s not like going to the bathroom is a thrill either,” I reminded myself with a sigh.
One of the things I’d discovered last night before bed was that I did indeed still have private parts, though they were covered up with scales that would move out of the way when I needed access. In front, I had a moist slit that scared the hell out of me, and I even seemed to have a sort of asshole too.
Once I was done, I dried myself off with a towel, wondering if this was counter-productive. But then again, it seemed that I could go a couple hours before I began getting itchy and needed to get wet again. I wondered if skin moisturizer would help with that.
“I’ve got you something to wear,” mom called out before opening the bathroom door and walking in on me. I gasped and tried covering up with a towel but she smirked, “It isn’t anything I haven’t seen before.”
“So you’ve seen a lot of these, have you?” I asked, running a hand down my tail.
Mom just smiled and held up a dress, announcing, “This should fit you…”
“A dress?” I blurted out.
“Pants won’t work anymore and this will cover you up,” mom told me before setting the dress down and leaving the bathroom.
As much as I hated to admit it, mom was right. But she was also missing an important point as well. Since I no longer had any visible private parts, there no longer seemed any real point in covering up my lower half. And of course, you never saw mermaids wearing anything from the waist down in the movies and cartoons.
“Yeah right,” I muttered as I grabbed the dress. “Like I’m going to go around without anything covering me.”
I slipped the dress over my head, but while I was trying to position it over my lower half, I slipped off the toilet where I’d been sitting and fell face first onto the floor. I grimaced and muttered several profanities, cursing whatever God had decided play this nasty joke on me.
Suddenly, I felt a strange tingling sensation along my entire tail. It felt as though my flesh was beginning to twitch and move beneath my skin. I shifted position and stared at my tail, surprised to see that my fins were missing and that my scales were fading away.
“What the…?” I started, realizing that my tail was splitting in two.
As I watched, my tail continued to change until it was no longer a tail but a pair of legs. They were a perfectly shaped pair of legs that would have looked great on any girl. I reached out and ran my hands over them, finding them soft, smooth, and very real.
After just staring at my legs for a few seconds, I slowly got to my feet, feeling giddy with excitement as I did so. I never thought that I’d be so happy to do something as normal as standing, or as feminine as adjusting a dress.
I left the bathroom and called out, “Hey mom, look…” I gestured down at my legs.
Mom stared at me in surprise, “Your tail is gone…”
“Maybe it’s wearing off,” I exclaimed in delight. “I’m starting to change back to normal…”
“I don’t think being Twisted works that way,” mom said.
“Then how do you explain these?” I asked, gesturing at my legs again.
Mom was silent for a moment before suggesting, “Maybe it’s your trick.”
I stared at her, wanting to deny that and insist that my twist was somehow reversing itself. Unfortunately, I knew that she was probably right, especially since my legs had come back when I was frustrated by my tail.
I thought about getting my tail back and felt the tingling beginning in my legs again. I gasped at that and quickly willed them not to change and the tingling went away.
“I think you’re right,” I reluctantly admitted. Then I hopefully pointed out, “At least I can wear pants again…”
Mom chuckled at that. “We’ll go shopping this afternoon. For now, we just need you to get ready for your appointment at the clinic. Now sit down so I can brush your hair. Trust me, you don’t want that beautiful long hair to get all knotted up…”
With that, mom had me sit down while she ran a brush through my hair, making me feel like a little kid. The entire time she did this, she told me how important it was to take proper care of my hair and she gave me all sorts of advice and instructions on how to do so. It sounded like a lot more trouble than it was worth.
“My mother always used to brush my hair like this when I was a little girl,” mom admitted as she finished up. “I’ve always wished I had a daughter to do it with…”
“Glad I could help grant your wish,” I responded wryly.
Mom just gave me a gentle hug and whispered, “I never would have wished for this to happen to you.” Then she stood back and gave me what she probably thought was a reassuring smile. “But since it has, we have to deal with it and adjust. Now go finish getting ready. We have an appointment.”
After this, I finished getting dressed, actually feeling excited when I put on a pair of shoes. Sure, I had to put on a pair of mom’s shoes since mine didn’t fit anymore, but when I woke up this morning, I’d been certain that I’d never be able to wear shoes again.
Nearly an hour later, we arrived at the Spiral Clinic, a medical center that specialized in dealing with the Twisted. Nearly everyone in Spiral who went through their twist came here for an examination and for help figuring out all the quirks of their twist. Obviously, it was a place that I’d never expected to come.
“I’m Doctor Franklin,” a middle-aged woman with glowing green eyes introduced herself. “I’ll be performing your physical examination. Since you’ve never been here before, I don’t have any before records to make a comparison to, but we’ll make due.”
I went into an examination room with Dr. Franklin while mom was left behind. The doctor started by checking my heart rate, blood pressure, and the usual things. Then she began asking me about my physical changes.
“A mermaid,” she said, looking interested after I told her about that. “Please change and let me see…”
I focused on regaining my tail and felt the tingling along my legs. A moment later, I was going through the reverse of the change I’d undergone in the bathroom. MY legs began fusing together and growing scales. In half a minute, my tail was back in all its glory. But strangely, it felt kind of nice, like my legs almost preferred being in tail form.
“Very interesting,” Dr. Franklin commented, looking my tail over.
After this, she examined my tail and then ran me through a strange scanning machine before having me change my tail back to legs and then repeated the process. She made a few odd noises as she did this while I just tried to be patient and do what she asked.
“Now for your gynecology exam,” Dr. Franklin told me, giving me a reassuring smile and adding, “I just need to check out your new parts.”
Dr. Franklin had me climb into an examination table that looked like some sort of tanning bed and then lowered the top. She waited a minute and then lifted the top before having me change back to my tail so she could scan me again.
“I’ve had patients complain about that being claustrophobic,” she told me with an amused look. “But trust me, it isn’t nearly as invasive or uncomfortable as the old style of gynecology exams.”
Once Dr. Franklin was finished examining me, I put my clothes back on and watches as she brought up a holographic image that looked exactly like me. She pushed some buttons and a second hologram appeared beside the first, though the first one was me with legs and the second looked like me in my mermaid form.
“Your results are interesting,” Dr. Franklin told me, giving me a curious look. “You are healthy, though there are a few anomalies in your body due to the nature of your twist.”
“What do you mean?” I asked nervously.
“Your skeletal structure appears to be made of cartilage rather than the usual bone,” she explained, pointing to the holograms which changed so that they both showed only my skeleton. “This may be an adaptation to make you more maneuverable under water, or it may be in order to make the changes in your lower body easier on your system. As you can see here, your skeleton changes quite drastically when you shift between your legs and tail.”
“Damn,” I exclaimed, staring at the holographic picture of my mermaid skeleton. When I changed, every bone from my pelvis down appeared to change into something quite different. “And it doesn’t even hurt.”
“In spite of having an aquatic appearance,” Dr. Franklin continued, “your upper body is still mostly human, even when in mermaid form. I see no sign of gills or even of the aquatic adaptations that dolphins and whales possess.”
I snorted at that. “So I look like a mermaid, but I can only swim by holding my breath as long as a normal person.”
I shook my head at that, wondering why I was even upset by that when I had absolutely no intention of ever going into the deep end of a swimming pool again. After what had happened the last time…
“You do have a few aquatic adaptations,” Dr. Franklin assured me. “Such as an extra membrane to protect your eyes.”
Dr. Franklin went back to her computer and pushed a few more buttons. The holograms both changed so that I could see my internal organs in them now, though the sight was actually kind of disgusting. It reminded me of biology class last year when we’d had to dissect frogs.
“Physically,” she said carefully, “you are completely female now and capable of becoming pregnant. I expect that you will begin your period within the next month.”
“Ugh,” I responded with a grimace, definitely not liking that particular bit of news. Unfortunately, I’d been expecting it so it wasn’t a surprise.
Dr. Franklin gave me a sympathetic look and told me, “You aren’t the first Twisted that we’ve had come through here who went through a gender change, nor I suspect will you be the last. I can’t imagine how difficult that particular type of twist will be to adjust to, but just remember, you aren’t the only one to go through this. Most of those I’ve talked to adjust quite well given a little time.”
Once I was finished with Dr. Franklin, I was sent down the hall to the next doctor, one who would check out my mental health and try to figure out what personality changes or compulsions I might have. So far, I hadn’t noticed any, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything.
Dr. Pierce was a black woman in her late thirties who didn’t show any obvious signs of being Twisted like Dr. Franklin had. She gave me a curious look and said, “We usually have our younger patients fill out a questionnaire at least once a year so we have something to compare the new results to. Unfortunately, the fact that you haven’t done this might make it a little more difficult to narrow down any changes.”
She started off by talking to me for several minutes and asking me if I’d noticed any compulsions or personality changes, then she set me in front of a computer to take the test. It asked me all sorts of questions, one after another and I was beginning to think that it would never end. Fortunately, after a couple hundred questions it was finally over.
When the questions were done, Dr. Pierce began talking to me again, asking a lot more questions about what I thought and felt with some of them actually getting personal. She was nice and friendly about it though so I didn’t feel like I was being interrogated, but more like I was just having a chat with a friend of the family.
“Your reactions are all pretty normal,” Dr. Pierce finally told me, looking over a computer tablet which contained my test results. “I don’t see any indications of any compulsions or extreme personality traits.”
“That’s good,” I said, then joked, “At least now I know I didn’t suddenly turn into a serial killer.”
“You aren’t showing any obvious changes or extreme personality traits,” Dr. Pierce answered with a faint smile, “but that doesn’t mean you didn’t go through some mental changes. Not having previous results to compare these too means that the results aren’t quite as effective. But overall, I think that if you did get any mental changes, they would be subtle ones.”
I nodded at that, feeling relieved since I know how awkward some of Christine’s personality changes and compulsions were. Looking like a little kid was bad enough, but acting the way she did made sure that almost no one took her seriously.
“Since you don’t seem to be a danger to yourself or others,” Dr. Pierce told me with a smile. “I’m clearing you to go back to school as soon as you’re ready.”
The next specialist was Dr. Rothschild, an odd little man who was barely 5 feet tall. He was Asian, with white hair and eyebrows, but with pointed ears that helped give him an almost otherworldly appearance.
“I’m going to help you understand your trick a little better,” Dr. Rothschild told me with an amused smile. “Now, what kind of trick do you have to show me?”
“Well,” I told him nervously, “I can change my legs into a tail.”
“Are you sure you’re changing your legs into a tail?” Dr. Rothschild asked me curiously. “From what Dr. Franklin said in her notes, having a tail is your default form and it looks like your trick is to turn your tail into legs.”
“What’s the difference?” I asked. “I mean, as long as I can walk again…”
“Ah, the distinction can be quite important,” Dr. Rothschild pointed out. We’re going to do some tests to find out more about that… And there are a few other things that I’d like to check for as well.”
Dr. Rothschild had me take off my shoes and anything that might get in the way during my leg to tail transformation. Fortunately, since I was wearing a dress, I could actually keep it on without a problem. Dr. Rothschild put some suction cup type sensors on my legs and then had me climb onto an examination table similar to the one Dr. Franklin had used to scan me.
“The first scan is done,” Dr. Rothschild told me with a smile. “Now change your legs please so we can see the results.”
I gave the mental command and my legs transformed into a tail again, giving me a faint feeling of relief. Then when he asked me to change my tail back into legs, it took a bit more effort to do so. In fact, every time I changed my legs into a tail, it was much easier than changing from tail to legs.
After having me change my legs back and forth several more times, Dr. Rothschild chuckled. “Interesting so far, but there is something else I want to test out.”
Dr. Rothschild took me downstairs and surprised me by leading me to a swimming pool. It was a lot like the pool at school but smaller and with almost no shallow end to speak of.
I stared at the pool and gulped. “I don’t think this is a good idea…” I looked at Dr. Rothschild and explained my nervousness. “The last time I was in a pool, I went through my twist.”
“Then you’d best hop back on the horse,” Dr. Rothschild told me. “You’ll need to get in the water for the next test.”
I glared at him for a moment and then began removing my dress. I didn’t have a swimsuit and was extremely embarrassed to be completely naked in front of Dr. Rothschild, so I jumped into the water as soon as I was undressed.
As soon as I hit the water, my legs began to tingle and change, before I even willed them to do so. I gasped as I went under the water, feeling a moment of panic…but only for the briefest of seconds.
Every time I’ve ever gone underwater, I instinctively closed my eyes and couldn’t bring myself to actually open them. But for some reason, this time that instinct seemed to have vanished because I kept my eyes open and was amazed to actually see under the water without any problems at all. I was so startled by this that it took me several seconds to realize that I was breathing too.
I was a little stunned by the fact that I was breathing underwater, but Ricky had said that I’d been face down in the pool for a minute before they pulled me out. I took a deep breath, feeling as though I was breathing air rather than water, then I swished my tail experimentally.
In the past, I’d always been a bit afraid of the water, largely because I couldn’t swim. Then again, maybe I’d never learned to swim because I had that fear of the water. However, all of that fear was now gone. Instead, I felt strangely comfortable. I felt almost like this was my home.
I swam to the other side of the pool and then turned around, moving through the water with a speed and ease that amazed me. After making several laps of then pool, I was grinning with excitement. I suddenly knew that this was what my new body had been made for. This was where a mermaid belonged…in the water.
When I finally surfaced several minutes later, I leaned up against the edge of the pool and looked to Dr. Rothschild, who was watching me with a broad grin. “This is great,” I blurted out, laughing as I did so.
“It seems I was right about you being able to breath underwater,” Dr. Rothschild told me with a chuckle.
“And then some,” I agreed, diving back under and making another lap around the pool.
“Since you’re enjoying yourself so much,” Dr. Rothschild told me, “I’ll give you another five minutes.”
I took full advantage of the extra time to swim around the pool, enjoying the graceful ease in which I slipped through the water. There was a thrill to this, an excitement much like when I played music with Ricky. I was actually disappointed when I had to climb out of the water.
When it was time to get out of the pool, I dried off as much as possible and then put my dress and shoes back on. Dr. Rothschild stood with his back to me to give me privacy while I was doing this, and then we started back to the room where he first examined me.
On the way, I saw Dr. Pierce in the hallway. “Guess what,” I blurted out excitedly. “I just found out that I really REALLY like being in the water.”
She laughed at that and responded, “I shouldn’t be surprised considering the rest of your twist.”
Dr. Rothschild and I continued back to his examination room. Once there, he looked at his computer tablet and told me a few jokes while he typed away. After a few minute, he seemed to be finished.
“Have you ever heard of the Darrington Field?” Dr. Rothschild asked me pleasantly.
“I think so,” I answered, remembering the term mentioned in science class. I knew that it had something to do with the Twisted but couldn’t remember exactly what.
“It’s the quantum energy field that every Twisted is linked to,” Dr. Rothschild explained. “It is connecting to that field for the first time that triggers our twists. This energy field operates on alternative physics and is responsible for most tricks that the Twisted are able to perform.”
“I think I remember that from school,” I admitted, wishing that I’d paid more attention in that class. But since I’d never thought I’d be Twisted, I didn’t think it was very important to know how all that stuff worked.
“Over eighty percent of all Twisted have a trick of some sort,” Dr. Rothschild explained. “A special ability that is beyond the normal. Approximately twenty-six percent of all Twisted have more than one trick. It looks like you are one of those.”
“My legs and being able to breath underwater,” I said, remembering what Dr. Franklin had said about my not having gills or any biological way of breathing underwater.
“Correct,” Dr. Rothschild answered me with a chuckle. “It seems that you tap into the Darrington Field for the energy needed to transform your tail into legs. But from my tests, I believe that you’ll only be able to keep your legs for a few hours before they revert to their default form.”
“And this Darrington Field lets me breath water too?” I asked.
“Actually,” Dr. Rothschild mused. “I think you use the field to convert water into breathable air, but it has the same effect.” He chuckled at that. “It’s actually quite convenient, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you had either biological modifications or another trick to allow further adaptation to an aquatic environment.”
Dr. Rothschild and I continued talking for a little longer about my tricks and how they worked. Then he recommended several books to read about the Darrington Field and how to deal with various tricks. I nodded politely but doubted that I’d actually read them.
I found mom in the waiting room where I’d left her several hours ago. She looked at me with an expression that seemed to be equal parts relief and worry.
“How did it go?” mom asked me eagerly.
“Not bad,” I answered with an awkward shrug.
“Let’s go get something to eat,” mom told me with a gentle smile. “You can tell me everything over lunch.”
--------------------
I was extremely self-conscious as I walked through the mall with my mom. Not only was I a girl but I was also wearing a dress. Wearing the dress to the clinic was one thing, but being out with all these strangers was something else entirely.
“Relax honey,” mom told me with a reassuring smile. “I know you’ve never liked shopping, but you need the new clothes.”
“I know,” I admitted. “I just don’t like everyone staring at me.”
Even though I had my legs instead of a tail, I was getting a lot of stares as we walked through the mall. Admittedly, they were looks of appreciation rather than of hostility, but that didn’t necessarily make me feel any better.
“You’re a beautiful young lady now,” mom told me with look of amusement. “You’re just going to have to get used to this.”
“As if getting used to a tail isn’t hard enough,” I commented with a snort.
We’d already gone shopping for shoes since the shoe store was the closest one to the entrance. I thought we’d just grab what we needed and go, but mom had insisted on making me try out a bunch of different pairs. When we finally left, it was with a pair of flat shoes, a pair of sneakers, and a pair of shoes with a low heel that mom said would be good practice for me.
“Now we need to get you some bras and panties,” mom told me, grabbing my arm and nearly dragging me to the next store.
Walking into a lingerie store, a bastion of femininity, was much like going into the girl’s locker room at school. It was a place that I had ben indoctrinated to avoid, that going inside would mark me as some kind of freak or pervert. Unfortunately, anyone would now think that I fit perfectly into either.
I felt self-conscious as we moved between the racks of bras and panties, half afraid that someone would start pointing at me and calling me a pervert. Fortunately, no one did anything of the sort, though one of the sales ladies did start walking over.
“Can I help you find anything?” the sales woman asked politely.
“My daughter just went through her twist,” mom explained. “We don’t know her measurements yet…”
“I’ll be happy to help with that,” the sales woman replied cheerfully. “I’m Jessica.”
I hesitated, suddenly realizing for the first time that I no longer looked remotely like a Lucas. Unless I wanted to be the subject of ridicule, or at least of everyone asking why I looked like a girl but had a boy’s name, I was going to have to get a new name.
“Is something wrong?” mom asked me with a look of concern.
“Other than the obvious?” I responded wryly. Then I let out a sigh and admitted, “I just realized that I need a new name.”
“I was going to talk to you about that when we got home,” mom admitted, looking a little embarrassed.
“I take it that your twist was a pretty drastic one,” Jessica commented, giving me a knowing look. “No problem. Let’s get you measured up…”
Jessica took me to a small private room where she could measure me. She said that she only needed me to remove my top, but since I was wearing a dress, it meant that I had to strip down naked in front of her. It seemed that this was really my day for getting naked in front of strangers.
Jessica had me stand with my arms out while she measured my boobs, making me very uncomfortable the entire time. Still, I did my best to stand still and let her do what she needed to.
“I take it that this is your first time being measured,” Jessica commented as she finished up. At my nod, she smiled, “Then I assume that before your twist, you were either flat-chested or a boy. From your earlier talk about your name, I’m guessing the latter.”
“Um…yeah,” I admitted, suddenly feeling even more self-conscious than I did for being naked.
“I have a cousin who did that,” Jessica told me pleasantly. “I mean, she used to be a guy before her twist. I’m not Twisted, but I can sympathize.”
“It was yesterday,” I told her quietly. “I just went through my twist yesterday.”
“You seem to be handling it all right as far as I can tell,” she said. “I’m sure you’ll get used to it in no time.”
“Easier said than done,” I pointed out.
Jessica nodded at that. “We’ve got your measurements now so let’s see about getting you a new wardrobe. I don’t know if your mom has told you this, but having the right bra is very important.”
I put my dress back on, looking forward to buying some pants to wear instead. Then I let out a sigh, remembering that before I could get to that, I still had to get bras and panties.
“You know,” Jessica commented as we went out to rejoin my mom. “You’ve got a really nice and melodic voice. Are you a singer?”
I was startled by that and then burst out laughing. “I’ve been told my singing makes dogs howl. No, I play drums.”
“Well, you certainly have the voice for singing,” Jessica pointed out, giving me a doubtful look which only reminded me that my voice had changed during my twist along with everything else.
Since we now had my measurements, mom and Jessica went through bras picking out ones that they thought would work for me. Once they had a small stack, mom pulled me into a changing room to try a few of them on.
“But we already know what size I need,” I complained to mom. “Why do we need to try them on?”
Mom gave me an amused look that seemed to suggest I was missing something obvious. Then she shook her head and explained, “Every manufacturer does their sizes a little different.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” I complained.
“You won’t get any argument from me,” she agreed. “But that’s the way it is. Now stop complaining and I’ll show you how to put these on.”
Once we were done, we left the store with four bras, spending more money than I would have imagined for those torture traps. And as embarrassing as it was, I was actually wearing one of them out. My new boobs were nice and firm, but after walking around with them I could see the need for a little extra support, to reduce the bouncing if nothing else.
Next, I went to the bathroom, not only to relieve myself but to splash a little water on my legs as well. I didn’t have scales at the moment but they were still beginning to feel just a little itchy. When I was done with that, mom and I were off to the next store.
I dreaded the fact that we still had a lot of shopping to do, but mom went a little faster in the next couple shops than I’d feared, though still not as fast as I would have liked. Still, before long I was out of the dress and wearing pants and a shirt again, which made me feel a bit more like my old self.
“I think we’re done for today,” mom finally told me, much to my relief. “Tomorrow we’ll get you a purse, some feminine hygiene things that you’ll need, and I’ll get you into a hair salon.”
I groaned at that. “Why do I need a purse and hair salon?” I didn’t like the idea of having to use pads and tampons, but I could understand the reasons, especially after Dr. Franklin had pointed out that my biology was definitely all female now.
“Every woman needs a purse,” mom explained patiently. Then she paused and stared at me for a moment, seeing that this wasn’t the way to go. “Think of it like carrying a small back pack that lets you bring everything you need with you. Makeup, wallet, hair brush, tampons…”
“That’s what pockets are for,” I argued, though I knew I certainly couldn’t carry all that in my pockets.
“You’ll find other things you need to bring with you too,” she pointed out. “With your twist, you’ll probably need to carry some water bottles.”
“Maybe,” I agreed reluctantly. I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of using a purse, but I was already wearing a bra so that shouldn’t be any more embarrassing than that.
“And as for your hair,” mom said, giving me a smile and then running her fingers through my hair. “You have beautiful silky hair and you need to take care of it. Getting it trimmed up at a salon will help with that.” Then she shook her head and added, “You should have brushed it after your swim. You’ll definitely need to start carrying a brush with you.”
Mom and I carried my new clothes to the car and we talked about our plans for tomorrow. Or more specifically, she told me what we were going to do while I grumbled about it and made her explain why.
By the time we got home, my legs were really starting to itch again. I definitely needed to soak them in water for a bit and maybe even down a couple glasses of water. As I climbed out of the car, my legs suddenly began to tingle on their own.
“Oh no,” I blurted out as my legs suddenly began to change, though I hadn’t willed them to do so. In a moment, they could no longer support me and I collapsed to the ground in the middle of the driveway, crying out, “Shit…”
“Lucas,” mom called out in worry, rushing to my side.
My transforming legs pinched badly against the pants that weren’t designed to contain a mermaid tail. Then there was a strange building of pressure and suddenly my pants disintegrated where they were getting in the way. I let out a sigh of relief as I was no longer pinched by my pants, which was exactly what my reformed tail needed.
“Those were brand new pants,” mom blurted out in horror while I just sat there feeling mortified.
“Damn,” I groaned, remembering what Dr. Rothschild said about only being able to keep my legs for a few hours at most. Obviously, this was what happened when my time ran out.
Mom stared at my tail for several long seconds and then let out a loud sigh. “I think we should have bought a few more dresses.”
--------------------
It was Saturday afternoon and I’d just gotten back home from the hair salon. My hair had been washed, brushed, cut a couple inches, and styled a bit. I would have preferred to have it cut a bit more, maybe to shoulder length, but mom had refused to let me cut my hair that much.
“You have beautiful silky hair,” mom had told me. “Most women would kill for hair like that so why don’t you keep it for awhile and see if you get used to it.”
“I can’t believe I didn’t argue with her,” I grumbled.
Admittedly, my hair did look pretty nice, or at least it would have on some girl…some other girl. It was difficult to think of myself as a girl but I knew that I’d have to start doing that unless I wanted to go insane.
“I guess I’ll have to get used to using one of these too,” I muttered, looking at the new purse that mom had bought me. I still wasn’t sure what I was going to do with something like this, but mom insisted that before long I’d wonder how I’d gotten along without one.
“I never leave home without one,” aunt Kelsie said, coming in without my having noticed her. She patted her own purse and smiled. “But to be honest, I think that having a purse will be the least of the things you’ll have to adjust to.”
“I think you’re right,” I admitted, looking down at my boobs and thinking about my tail.
Last night, I’d tried going to sleep in my normal bed, only to wake up a short time later with my legs turning back into a tail. It seems that as soon as I’m asleep, my trick automatically wears off and my legs revert. That meant that I had to go back to sleeping on a tarp with damp sheets like I had the night before.
“This is all pretty weird,” I admitted, feeling like I was going to start crying. Everything had just been happening so fast that I didn’t know what to think of it all.
“It’s okay,” aunt Kelsie told me, giving me a hug. “I know you might not think so now, but you’ll get used to this and eventually it will all seem normal.”
Aunt Kelsie looked like she was about to say something more when the doorbell began to ring. I went to answer it and found Christine standing there, staring up at me with a look of surprise.
“You’ve got legs,” she blurted out.
“Yeah,” I grinned. “It’s my trick… I can make my tail turn into legs for a couple hours…”
Christine gave me a hug and said, “Goody for you. I was afraid you’d never be able to walk again…”
“Me too,” I admitted. Then I gave her a grin and looked to Aunt Kelsie, “Which reminds me, I need to go soak my tail for a bit. I’ve had my legs out for too long and if I wait much longer I’ll change back automatically.”
I went to the bathroom and took off my pants and panties. After turning on the water in the bath tub, I sat on the edge and allowed my legs to change back into my tail. I let out a sigh, still finding it hard to believe that I actually felt a little more comfortable with a tail than I did with legs.
The bathroom door opened and Christine came in. She stood there and watched while I splashed legs on my tail.
“That must be pretty weird,” she finally commented.
I nodded at that. “Probably no weirder than turning into a kid again.”
“You’re probably right,” She responded with a chuckle.
While I was soaking my tail, I told Christine about my trip to the Spiral Clinic yesterday and everything that I’d learned. She nodded along, making comments about her own visit after her twist.
“And now I can’t wait until the next time I get to go swimming,” I told her with a chuckle. “Pretty funny for someone who couldn’t even swim a couple days ago.”
After soaking my tail for about fifteen minutes, I changed back to my legs. Christine watched the process in fascination but didn’t say a word until after I’d dried myself off and got dressed again.
“That’s pretty neat to watch,” she finally said.
“Maybe,” I agreed. “But I have to go through that every few hours. It actually makes wearing pants a pain in the ass.” I let out a sigh and shook my head. “I think I’ll probably be wearing dresses and skirts a lot…just so I don’t have to get completely undressed when I change.”
“Dresses are fun to twirl in,” Christine said, spinning around and twirling her own dress to demonstrate.
When we went back into the living room, I found mom and Aunt Kelsie talking, though they stopped when we came in. They shared a look with each other that let me know that they’d been talking about me.
Christine and I went out to the garage where we could have some privacy of our own, but before we went inside, Ricky pulled into the driveway in the cheap car his parents had bought him for his birthday. He climbed out of the car and without saying a word, held up his guitar. I just grinned in response.
A minute later, we were inside the garage and Ricky was beginning to strum his guitar. Christine took what had become her usual seat in front of where we practiced so that she could play the part of audience. Even her stuffed rabbit was getting in the act, sitting in the seat beside her and clapping with its stuffed paws.
“Thank you, thank you very much,” Ricky said, taking a bow.
Christine giggled, then said, “You need to actually play before you take a bow…” Then she looked to her stuffed rabbit and scolded it, “Enough clapping. You don’t want to encourage him.”
I grinned at that and sat down at my drum set, only to realize that I had a small problem, or more precisely, two larger ones. My boobs were getting in the way a bit as I tried to drum, preventing me from making my usual movements.
“Damn,” I complained as I tried playing anyway, though they continued getting in the way.
Ricky watched me with a smirk though Christine had a look of sympathy. Of course, I’d seen her giving me envious looks earlier, especially while staring at my chest. But she knew quite well what it was like having a twist that took away her ability to play.
“I’m gonna have to figure out how to work around these things,” I muttered in disgust.
“What a horrible problem to have,” Christine commented wryly.
“And wicked funny,” Ricky added with a broad grin.
“Ha, fucking ha,” I responded, giving Ricky a half-hearted glare. “Let’s see how you play with a pair of these in the way…” I cupped my boobs which only got him laughing harder.
“I wish I still had boobies,” Christine said with a pout.
I stared at my former girlfriend for a moment, feeling sorry for her yet again, though trying not to show it. I didn’t think that I’d be happy to have people pitying me because of my situation and didn’t think that she’d like it either.
We went back to practicing but my new assets continued to be liabilities. By the time we were done, I was able to work around them a little, but not nearly enough. It was going to take a lot of practice before I was back where I was before my twist.
“Too bad,” Ricky told me, playing a little more on his guitar.
He began playing an old tune that we’d practiced quite a bit, one from back when my mom was my age. Christine giggled and began singing along with it, which was funny since her little girl voice didn’t quite match the heavy metal lyrics.
“Come on,” Christine called me. “Sing with me…”
I rolled my eyes and began to sing along, expecting her and Ricky to call a stop to it immediately. However, they both gave me looks of surprise and continued, so I continued as well.
When the song came to an end, Christine blurted out, “Holy poop… You sound awesome.”
“You’ve got a wicked voice,” Ricky agreed, giving an appreciative nod. “Are you sure singing isn’t one of your tricks?”
I blushed at that, surprised by the praise since they usually insulted my singing. In fact, I clearly remember Christine once telling me that I couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket so I should probably learn to play an instrument instead. That was when she’d begun teaching me to play the drums.
“You really sounded great, Lucas,” Ricky said, then paused to give me an odd look. “You know, it’s weird calling you by a guy’s name…”
“I know,” I responded with a roll of my eyes. “I’ve been talking with my mom about that but I haven’t found a new one I like.”
“How about Lucy,” Christine suggested. “I mean, it starts like your old name and should be easy to answer to…”
“Mom suggested the same thing,” I pointed out with a sigh. “But Lucy just makes me think of Lucy Penterghast…”
Christine and Ricky both nodded at that, getting the idea immediately. Lucy Penterghast was a girl we’d gone to middle-school with, one who had a bad reputation as a know-it-all and tattle-tale. None of the other kids liked her, and she didn’t even have the excuse of being Twisted.
“Maybe Lucille,” Christine suggested, though the look on her face said that she wasn’t impressed by that one any more than I was.
“No thanks,” I responded with a snort.
“How about Ariel?” Ricky asked with a grin.
I shook my head at that. “No thanks. I don’t want people asking me how Sebastion is doing.”
Christine mused, “How about Marina?”
“How about no,” I responded.
Christine stuck her tongue out at me and said, “I tried…”
Ricky and Christine continued suggesting names, but the names only got worse and worse as they began competing to see who could come up with the most obnoxious name. Once the names Bertha, Marge, and Helvetica came up, I decided that the name game was over.
“I’ve got to get inside and soak my tail again,” I told my friends, feeling a little uncomfortable. My legs were starting to feel a little itchy and dry, making me think that I should probably change into a dress while I was inside. That would make it easier to keep my legs moisturized.
“I’ll see ya later then,” Ricky told as he began walking out of the garage with his guitar. “And get some more practice with the drums if you can… I mean, that was kind of lame today…”
“But you sing really good,” Christine offered, collecting her stuffed rabbit and following after Ricky.
“Thanks,” I said, still not sure if they were being honest or just messing with me. Admittedly, my singing had sounded good to my own ears.
Christine paused before going and then gave me a thoughtful look. “How about Lorilei? I think it suits you and we could call you Lori for short.”
“Lorilei,” I tested the name, thinking that it was a bit more feminine than I liked but I didn’t hate it. “Lori…” Then I told Christine, “I’ll think about that one.”
Christine gave me a quick hug and announced, “I’ll see you later.” Then she held up her stuffed rabbit and added, “Rabbie says bye bye too…”
“I thought you were calling him Pookie,” I commented, only to have Christine stick her tongue out me before leaving.
Once my friends were gone, I muttered, “Hi, I’m Lori…” The name really wasn’t bad. I was still thinking about that as a possible name when I went back into the house
When I stepped into the living room, I found Aunt Kelsie sitting there with a serious look on my face. My mom wasn’t in the living room with her at the moment.
“What’s up?” I asked, seeing from her expression that something was wrong.
“Well kiddo, there’s something we need to talk about,” Aunt Kelsie said carefully. “I told Sarah…your mom that I wanted to be the one to do this.”
“Oh God,” I groaned. “This is the birds and the bees talk again, isn’t it?”
Aunt Kelsie chuckled faintly at that before answering, “Not quite.”
“That’s good,” I said in relief. “The equipment may be new, but I still have the basic idea.”
Aunt Kelsie stared at me for several long seconds before carefully saying, “I never told you about my twist.”
I was a little surprised by the abrupt change of top, but I realized that she was right. I knew about her trick of being able to move small things with her mind, but she’d never talked about the rest of her twist. Whatever it was, it wasn’t anything obvious.
“No,” I said carefully. “You never talk about it.”
“Well,” she started, then paused with a shake of her head. “It will probably be easier just to show you.”
With that, Aunt Kelsie stood up and began undoing her pants. I was stunned by her doing this, and even more stunned a moment later when she dropped her pants and revealed a large penis, a bit bigger than mine had been.
“What the…?” I blurted out while she pulled her pants back up, turning bright red as well. “You’re a she-male…”
“I think the term futa is a little more accurate for my situation,” she answered with a forced smile, obviously embarrassed. “I was a normal girl growing up, until my twist. Then I suddenly had this and started liking girls.” She paused at that, then admitted, “I might actually have liked girls before this and never realized it… I imagine fantasizing about being with a girl before my twist might have caused me to get this, but to be honest, It’s been so long that I don’t even remember which came first.”
“So you’re a bit like me,” I said in amazement.
“A little,” she agreed with a faint smile. “But only part of my body changed, not the entire thing.”
“But why didn’t you say anything the other day?” I asked gesturing at myself. “When I was freaking out?”
Aunt Kelsie scowled, suddenly looking very uncomfortable. “I wanted to, but I was afraid to at the same time. You see, there’s something you need to know…”
“Besides you having guy parts?” I asked, feeling a little confused.
“Sarah told you she had an affair while still married to Frank,” Aunt Kelsie said quietly. At my nod, she blurted out, “That was me. I was the one your mom was having an affair with.”
“WHAT?” I blurted out in surprise.
“Lucas,” she said awkwardly. “I am your father.”
All I could do was stare at Aunt Kelsie in stunned disbelief. “You’re joking...”
“She’s not,” mom said, coming into the room and looking embarrassed. “She’s your biological father.”
My entire brain froze at that as I was unable to process this for at least ten seconds. Once I had, I took several deep breaths, feeling completely shocked and confused.
“When your father,” mom started, then paused to look at Aunt Kelsie. “When Frank and I were having difficulties with our marriage, Kelsie and I went out drinking one night and things…happened. I’d known about her twist since it happened, but I’d never been interested in her in that way. After that, we tried a few more times over the next couple weeks.”
“I had a crush on Sarah since high school,” Aunt Kelsie admitted, giving mom an appreciative look. “Ever since my twist. But I’d always accepted that she was straight and we’d just be friends and nothing more. I hadn’t expected what happened, but I certainly enjoyed it.”
I winced at that, not wanting to hear about my mom’s sex life. It was just weird, especially since I knew her best friend, my Aunt Kelsie had been a part of it. It was hard to imagine.
“When I got pregnant,” mom continued, “I’d never seriously thought it could be Kelsie’s. I know she has certain man parts, but I’d always thought of her as a woman and…” She shook her head at that. “Frank was so excited at the idea of being a dad. It saved our marriage…but only for a few more years.”
Aunt Kelsie gave me an odd look and a smile, making me feel even more confused. She might be my biological father, but she’d been Aunt Kelsie to me for my entire life and I didn’t think I could think of her as anything else. The idea of calling her ‘dad’ just seemed ridiculous.
“I always suspected you might be mine,” Aunt Kelsie admitted quietly. “You resemble…used to resemble my father a little.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” I demanded, feeling hurt and betrayed as well as everything else.
“Because I didn’t know for sure,” she admitted quietly. “And you already had a dad…a normal dad. I didn’t know for sure until you went through your twist, something you could have only inherited from me.”
“Is everything about me a lie?” I demanded with tears starting to run down my cheeks.
I glared at mom and Aunt Kelsie, hurt that they’d lied to me about something like this for my entire life. Did my dad know? Did he suspect that he wasn’t my real dad? Was that why he’d always been so distant to me?
With that, I turned and ran to my room where I threw myself on the bed and began sobbing. My entire life was a lie. My entire sense of self-identity had all been based on my being normal, on something that wasn’t even true. It suddenly struck me that after everything that had happened to me and everything that I’d learned, I no longer even knew who I was anymore.
--------------------
It was Sunday afternoon and I’d just arrived at Morgan Beach with mom and Aunt Kelsie. I was still upset with both of them but they were trying to make it up to me by taking me swimming. I knew that they were trying to buy my forgiveness, but I didn’t really care. We were at the beach.
I could almost feel the water calling me, beckoning me to come home. It took nearly every ounce of restraint I possessed to keep from just running straight into the water, in spite of the fact that I hadn’t changed into my swim suit yet.
“Someone sure is eager,” Aunt Kelsie said in obvious amusement.
Mom smirked and said, “For someone who went out of his way to avoid the water a few days ago, you certainly are excited.”
“It’s the only place I can have my tail and not feel like I’m handicapped,” I pointed out. Of course, it was more than that. A lot more.
I went to the changing room and put on my new bikini. It was an aquamarine color that matched my hair and scales quite well. I felt a little self-conscious wearing it, especially since I knew it really looked good on me, but then I reminded myself that I’ve already been completely naked in front of a lot of other people and this wasn’t nearly as bad as that.
“You look very beautiful,” mom told me with a proud smile.
“Um…thanks,” I responded with a bright blush.
“All the boys on the beach are going to be drooling over you,” Aunt Kelsie said with a grin, then added, “And some of the girls.” That only made me blush even more.
When we left the changing room, I walked towards the water, fully aware of all the looks I was getting. There were definitely some looks of obvious interest from guys as well as a few jealous glares from women. I couldn’t resist giggling at how silly that seemed to me.
“Look at that hair,” one woman said in obvious distaste. “I bet she’s Twisted…”
I grimaced at that comment, suddenly realizing that I was now a target for all those people who disliked the Twisted. But what was even worse than that was remembering that my dad wasn’t very fond of people who were Twisted. Between that and finding out that I wasn’t really his, I could only imagine that he’d actually hate me now.
Tears began going down my cheeks as I thought of how dad would look at me from now on…if he’d ever even look at me again. He’d already been so distant that it had hurt, but now…
“But he’s not my real dad,” I tried reminding myself, hoping that this would make it better…that it would make me care less about what he thought. However, it didn’t and I only cried more.
“Are you okay?” mom asked me, coming to my side with a look of concern. “If you’re not comfortable being with all these people, we can leave…”
“No,” I said quietly. I took a deep breath and blurted out, “I need to go swimming…”
I ran into the water and immediately felt my legs beginning to change. I dove forward and underwater as I shed my legs and let my tail reform, dissolving my bikini bottom in the process. That would make it a little awkward when it was time to get out of the water, but that was a problem for later.
I took a deep breath, marveling yet again that I was underwater and was actually breathing just as easily as if I was in the air. Then with a smile, I swam forward, going deeper and away from the swimmers so that I had a little more room for myself.
Once I was away from everyone else, I began to swim around lazily, though I didn’t pay much attention to my surroundings. Instead, I was lost in my own thoughts and the emotional clutter that filled my head.
Ever since I went through my twist, absolutely everything had changed. Everything that I’d taken for granted had been yanked away. I had no idea of who or what I was anymore.
I was supposed to be a normal, but without warning I suddenly became Twisted instead. I’d always felt sorry for my Twisted classmates, especially for those who hadn’t gone through theirs yet and didn’t know when it would come or in what form. I’d always been thankful that I didn’t have to worry about that. But now I did. Now, instead of being normal as I’d always thought, I was Twisted.
I was supposed to be a guy, but now I was a girl and had no idea of what to do about this. Sure, I could wear dresses and play the part, but I didn’t really know anything about being a girl. I might have the right parts now, but I still felt like an imposter.
Just last week, I’d been nervous about getting too close to deep water. I hadn’t known how to swim and hadn’t really been very enthusiastic about learning. But now, swimming seemed to be second nature to me and I couldn’t get enough of being in the water.
Of course, the cause for all these things was the simple fact that my dad was no longer my dad. Instead, my aunt was my dad. Just thinking about that was enough to give me a headache.
I was lost in my thoughts for awhile, not sure if I was still crying or not. It was hard to tell when I was underwater. Then I began to notice my surroundings.
Several fish were swimming nearby and I found myself watching them in fascination. I dove down a little and saw a crab crawling along the ocean floor. All my fears and worries about my shattered sense of self-identity were pushed aside under these new distractions.
I chased after one fish for a minute, then decided to see what I could really do. I had a lot of wide open space, which meant that I could cut loose in ways that I never could in a pool. I began swimming as fast as I could, slipping through the water with an ease and grace that I almost felt as though I was flying.
There were other fish around me, ones that swam away from me since they had no idea whether or not I was a threat. I even saw a shark, though it seemed fairly small and harmless.
Swimming around like this was very relaxing, almost cathartic. It let me put everything out of my mind and focus entirely on what I was doing.
“Just keep swimming,” I half sang to myself as I swished my tail back and forth, “Just keep swimming.”
Then with a burst of excitement, I swam to the surface as fast as I could, bursting out of the water and doing a flip before going back under. It was just like the trained dolphin I’d seen the one time mom and Aunt Kelsie had taken me to Sea World.
However, that just brought my thoughts back to my situation and suddenly made me realize something else. When I thought about growing up, dad had almost never been there. He’d divorced mom and moved away when I was very young, and afterwards, he’d never made much effort to stay in contact or actually be a dad.
But Aunt Kelsie had been there. Aunt Kelsie had almost always been there while I was growing up, whether it was to put a bandage on a scraped knee, help me with homework, or take me to Sea World. Nearly every good memory I had while growing up included Aunt Kelsie, just as much as they had my mom.
It was with a strange flash of understanding that I realized Aunt Kelsie had been more of a dad to me while I was growing up than my dad had ever been. Now I knew why.
Being underwater like this made me feel oddly comfortable and in control. From here, I was able to look at my life with a slightly different perspective and realized that all my problems weren’t really that bad. I still had two loving parents, even if one of them wasn’t who I thought it had been. And sure, I’d lost my gender, but when I looked around me and saw what I’d gained in exchange, it suddenly didn’t seem like such a bad trade.
After this, I began to slowly swim back towards the beach, realizing that I’d been out here for awhile and had completely lost track of time. Mom and Aunt Kelsie might be getting worried about me by now.
When I was almost back to where I’d gone into the water at, I noticed someone flailing in the water above me. I looked up and saw that it was a woman, though she wasn’t doing a very good job swimming. It took me a moment to realize that she wasn’t swimming…she was drowning and starting to go down.
I immediately swam for her, grabbing her and taking her to the surface where she sputtered and gasped. She continued gasping for breath while I swam with her towards the shore, getting her close enough that she could stagger out of the water and to where she collapsed to her knees in the sand.
“Are you okay?” I called out, dragging myself partly out of the water.
Now, I could see that the woman I’d rescued wasn’t a woman but more of a girl who looked a couple years younger than me. I guessed that she was about thirteen or so.
“You saved me,” the girl exclaimed, staring at me with a look of surprise. I lifted my tail out of the water so she could get a better look of it and she gasped, “You’re a mermaid.”
“Melissa,” a woman yelled out, running to the nearly drowned girl. I guessed she was the girl’s mom. Then once she saw her daughter was all right, she stared at me with a gasp of surprise.
“She saved me,” the girl, Melissa blurted out excitedly. “I got saved by a mermaid…”
“She’s probably just Twisted,” her mom said, turning to give me a wary smile. “Thank you so much…”
Other people on the beach were starting to come by and see as well, making me very self-conscious. There were some cheers over my saving the girl, though a couple hostile looks as well.
“That Twisted freak probably tried drowning the girl,” one man said.
However, another man glared at him and said, “If you say one more word against that girl, I will personally knock all your teeth out…”
Then I saw mom and Aunt Kelsie rushing towards me from the crowd. Mom held out a large towel and I got the idea. I finished pulling myself out of the water and Aunt Kelsie helped raise me up enough to wrap the towel around my waist. Once it was in place like a skirt, I was able to will my legs to return.
“You saved that girl’s life,” mom sad, giving me a hug. “I’m so proud of you.”
“For what it’s worth,” Aunt Kelsie told me proudly. “I am too.”
I slowly got to my feet, feeling just a little wobbly as I had to readjust to having legs. Then I threw my arms around Aunt Kelsie in a hug and announced, “I love you…”
Aunt Kelsie seemed a little surprised at that but happy as well. She hugged me back repeating, “I love you too…”
“But I’m still not going to call you dad,” I told her quietly as I pulled away, giving her a teasing grin.
She chuckled at that and admitted, “It would probably be pretty weird if you did.”
“You drew a lot of attention with your bit of heroism,” mom said, gesturing around the beach and pointing out the fact that a lot of people were starting at me. “Unfortunately, not all of it is good. We should probably leave, just to be on the safe side.”
“Probably a good idea,” I reluctantly admitted, though I rather would have stayed and gone back into the water.
“I just have to say it again,” mom told me as we began to leave. “I am so proud of you Lucas.”
“Not Lucas,” I responded quietly but firmly. “Not anymore.” I looked mom in the eyes and then did the same with Aunt Kelsie. “I want to be Lorilei now,” I said self-consciously, deciding that since I was a girl now, I needed to start using a girl name. “You can call me Lori.”
Mom and Aunt Kelsie shared a knowing look and a smile before mom said, “Lorilei is a very nice name.”
“Come on Lori,” Aunt Kelsie said, gently putting an arm over my shoulder. “I think that after your heroism and getting a new name, we need to celebrate. We’re going out to dinner tonight.” Then she gave me a mischivious smile and a wink before adding, “Seafood of course.”
I could only giggle at that before responding, “Of course.”
--------------------
It was Monday morning and I could hardly believe that I was going back to school for the first time since my twist while wearing a full length dress. Of course, it was only because I’d need to change into my tail later, but I was still a little self-conscious about it.
In most schools, a girl with long aquamarine hair would probably get stared at, though this was in Spiral where there were a lot of Twisted who stood out more than that. I did get some stares, but those were more because I was a very attractive girl than because of my odd hair color.
I carried my purse over my shoulder, feeling a little self-conscious about that as well. It contained my wallet, hair brush, tampons in case my period started, a bottle of water to keep me hydrated, and another bottle of water with a spray cap so that I could mist my tail later on. As much as I hated to admit it, mom was right about my finding the purse useful.
“And if Aunt Kelsie gets her way,” I muttered, “I’ll be carrying makeup as well.” I shook my head, remembering last night where she’d said she was going to start teaching me how to use the stuff. I had a feeling that I wouldn’t be able to escape her lessons for very long.
After bracing myself, I walked into my first period classroom, getting curious looks from the students who were already there. A few of them started whispering to each other and I was pretty sure that they knew who I was, or at least who I had been.
I turned my attention to my teacher who was sitting behind her desk. Everyone in school called her Ms. Calico, even the other teachers. She was a pretty woman in her late twenties with cat eyes and shoulder length hair that contained the white, orange, and black color patterns of a calico cat.
“Um…my mom said she called the school about me yesterday,” I told Ms. Calico.
Ms. Calico didn’t look surprised to see me, though she did look me over with a curious expression. Then she smiled faintly and responded, “Of course. I was told that you have a new name picked out as well.”
I nodded self-consciously at that and quietly responded, “Yeah.”
She showed me where she had my new name already written down on a piece of paper, and when I nodded that she had it right, she gave me a gentle smile and told me, “Go take your seat then.”
When class started a minute later, Ms. Calico stood up and gestured to me. “As most of you already seem to have guessed,” she announced, “our apparent newcomer is not a new student. This is Lorilei Kane…formerly known as Lucas Kane. She has recently underwent her twist and could use your patience and understanding.”
One of the boys on the other side of the room blurted out, “But I thought Lucas was a norm?” He was staring at me curiously as was everyone else in the room.
“Would you like to speak to the class, Lorilei?” Ms. Calico asked me.
I nodded and stood up, feeling embarrassed by all the attention. “Please call me Lori now,” I said, trying to keep my voice loud enough for everyone to hear. I took a deep breath and continued, “I always thought I was normal too since both my parents were normal. But it turns out that the person I always thought was my dad isn’t really…and that my biological dad is Twisted.”
I didn’t really want to share such personal information with my classmates, but knew that I was too well known as being a norm for people to easily accept my sudden twist. People would have kept asking me about that sudden change so I had to give them at least a bit of an explanation.
“Ouch,” the boy who’d spoken up commented, giving me a sympathetic look. “What a way to find out…”
I nodded at that and sat back down again while Ms. Calico began teaching class as though nothing had changed. Of course, this wasn’t the first time someone in class had come back after their twist so it wasn’t really that unusual after all.
After first period ended, I started for my second period class, only to run into Christine on the way. She had a backpack on her back and carried a stuffed penguin in her arms, which was normal for her at school.
“You wanna hug Mister Beaky?” Christine asked, holding out her stuffed bird.
“No thanks,” I responded with a faint smile.
“Did you pick a new name yet?” Christine asked me curiously, reminding me that I hadn’t talked to her since before finding out that Aunt Kelsie was my dad.
“Call me Lori,” I told her, only to get a grin in response.
“I’m good at naming things,” Christine announced proudly.
I gave a skeptical look to her stuffed animal and responded, “I’m just glad you didn’t try naming me Miss Fishy or something.” Then I shook my head before adding, “But you did suggest Lulu which is nearly as bad.”
Christine stuck her tongue out at me, then told her stuffed animal, “Don’t worry… Miss Fishy didn’t mean anything by that.” I just groaned, regretting giving her that nickname.
When Christine and I reached our second period, we saw that Ricky had already beat us there and had taken his seat. He waved to us as we came in, though I paused to talk to the teacher Mrs. Krieve the same way I had with Ms. Calico.
I was reintroduced to the class much the way I had been last period, though this time it was Roger Maxwell who blurted out, “But I thought you were a norm…”
I tried to avoid looking at Roger, who was wearing a neon green shirt and bright purple pants. “I thought I was too,” I answered with a sigh. “It turns out I was wrong.”
“How can you be wrong about that?” one girl asked in disdain. “I mean, if both your parents are norms, you’re a norm.”
“Unless both your parents are norms,” I responded with a grimace. “Then you find out that one of them isn’t really your parent.”
Christine jumped up onto her chair and glared at the girl who was about to speak again, then snapped, “It isn’t any of your business. Lori has enough trouble without everyone wanting to know about her private life.”
“Good one,” Ricky agreed, giving Christine a thumbs up.
After Christine’s little speech, everyone seemed to get the idea and stopped asking me questions about my parentage, though it was obvious they were still curious. I could hear a few of my classmates whispering to each other about my twist. Even Christine’s speech couldn’t stop school gossip.
About halfway through class, my legs began feeling a little itchy and uncomfortable. I carefully removed my shoes and then let my tail reform. There was a strange sense of relief as my tail came back, but it was one that I was becoming familiar with. Then I pulled my dress back and used my spray bottle to mist my tail.
“What the…?” the girl next to me gasped when she saw my tail.
I flipped my tail a little while simultaneously holding a finger to my lips to shush her. However, several of the other students around me seemed to have noticed my tail as well. I just pretended that everything was normal and watched the front of the room where Mrs. Krieve demonstrated how to solve an equation.
Before class had finished, I reformed my legs, so once the bell was done all I had to do was put my shoes back on. It was a shame that I hadn’t been able to hold my legs for just a little longer since the next period was the one I’d been looking forward to all morning.
I went to the girl’s locker room and hesitated a moment before going inside. I told myself that it was no different than using the girl’s changing room at the beach yesterday, though I couldn’t help but silently pointing out that all the girls in this one knew that I’d been a boy just a week before.
Most of the girls in the locker room gave me odd looks, though none of them outright challenged me, much to my relief. Still, to make them and myself more comfortable with the situation, I went to the back of the locker room where there wasn’t anyone else.
I got undressed and put on my bikini top, an aquamarine color that mom had bought for me because it matched my hair and scales. I didn’t bother putting on the bottom part of the bikini, having learned yesterday that it was a waste of time. As with my pants, the very act of changing my legs into a tail destroys anything I’m wearing that obstructs the process. The only things I can wear that are safe from that kind of damage are skirts and dresses, which is the very reason why I wore a dress to school.
“This should do it,” I said, holding out the aquamarine wraparound skirt that mom had made for me last night. It wrapped around my waist and went all the way to my knees, snapping shut on the side to stay sealed. I let out a sigh and muttered, “At least it’s more practical.”
As I left the locker room, one of the girls sneered at me and asked, “Weren’t you a fish the last time I saw you?”
“Weren’t you a bitch the last time I saw you?” I responded. “Oh yeah, you still are.” That got several of the other girls to start laughing.
I went to the pool where the rest of the PE class was gathered, getting stares from almost everyone there. After all, these people had all seen me undergoing my twist, and they’d all seen me naked afterwards.
“I thought you were a mermaid,” one boy blurted out.
Coach Rydell saw me and came over, looking at my legs with an expression of surprise, apparently having expected me to still have my tail. Then she asked, “Are you doing alright…Lorilei? I was told that was your new name.”
I nodded at that. “Lori is fine.” Then I smiled self-consciously. “I’m still adjusting.”
She gestured to my skirt and told me, “I’m sorry but that isn’t acceptable swimwear for the pool. I know you’re probably very self-conscious after your change…”
“It isn’t that,” I quickly corrected her, though that was true as well. “It’s…because of my situation.”
At her curious look, I dove into the deep part of the swimming pool, letting my tail come out again. I did a single circle of the pool, entirely underwater, then removed my skirt and came back up, setting it on the side of the pool before pulling myself up so I was sitting on the side as well.
“I can’t wear normal swimsuits,” I explained, gesturing to my tail.
Coach Rydell gave me a thoughtful look before nodding. “Very well. We can make an exception because of your twist.”
“Looking wicked,” Ricky called out as he came over and crouched down beside me. Then in a conspiratorial voice, he quietly told me, “I think Carolyn is totally jealous of you.”
Coach Rydell gave me an amused look and commented, “After what happened last week, I wouldn’t have expected you to jump right into the deep end…”
“Part of my twist,” I told her with a shrug. “I can’t get enough of being in the water now.”
“I’m not surprised,” she said, giving me a knowing look and reminding me of her own twist induced love of all things athletic. “Not with the rest of your twist.”
After this and a few safety warnings from Coach Rydell, everyone got into the water and I immediately began circling the pool and swimming laps. All of my classmates seemed thrilled by the idea of actually swimming with a mermaid, while Coach Rydell seemed amused by the fact that the worst swimmer in the class had suddenly become the best.
I was fully aware of the irony that the class I’d dreaded the most had suddenly become my favorite class. When it was time to get out of the water, I was pretty disappointed since I would have been happy remaining there for the rest of the day. I reluctantly pulled myself out of the water, snapped my skirt back around myself, then recovered my legs so I could go into the locker room and get changed again.
When lunch finally came, I sat at my usual table with Christine and Ricky. Both of them were curious about how things were going for me on my first day back.
“It hasn’t been too bad,” I admitted, “though Becky Miller kept making comments that I smell fishy all last period.”
Christine sniffed at me and then shook her head. “Don’t worry Miss Fishy…you don’t really smell fishy at all.”
“Please don’t call me that,” I responded with a groan. “If Becky hears you calling me that, she’ll probably start using it too…”
“Sorry, Lori,” Christine said, giving me her best innocent look, which was actually quite good.
“So,” Ricky said, glancing around as if to make sure no one was listening in. “Did you find out who your real dad is yet?”
I hesitated for a moment before admitting, “Yeah, but it’s kind of weird…”
“Go on,” Christine urged with a broad grin. “Who’s your daddy?”
“Well, you know my Aunt Kelsie,” I said carefully, getting nods from both my friends. I was turning bright red from embarrassment as I quietly continued, “Well, it turns out her twist gave her some boy parts…”
Christine and Ricky both stared at me with wide eyed looks of disbelief. “But she’s your aunt,” Ricky finally said, looking shocked.
“Not biologically,” I quickly explained. “She was my mom’s best friend.”
“Best friend with benefits, apparently,” Christine added.
I nodded at that, not able to meet my friends eyes for a moment. After that big revelation, mom and Aunt Kelsie had admitted that they’d shared physical intimacy many times over the years, but they still thought of themselves as best friends rather than lovers. Apparently, in spite of all that, mom still claimed that she was into guys and not women.
“Please don’t tell anyone,” I begged them. “It’s really…awkward.”
“My lips are sealed,” Ricky promised.
“Mine too,” Christine added, making an exaggerated motion with her hands as though she was actually zipping her lips.
We talked for a couple more minutes about my odd parentage, then Ricky said, “You know, we’ve got that talent show in less than two weeks… I still say we should form a band.”
“We can’t be a band with just two people,” I reminded him, as I’d done many times before my twist. Then I admitted, “And certainly not until I get more practice on the drums.”
“Good point,” Christine agreed. “You were sounding good, but the other day you sounded kinda like doo doo.”
Suddenly, I heard a girl demand, “Hey, are you that mermaid bitch?”
I turned around and was startled to see Liz Dawson standing behind me. Liz was about 5 foot 5 with shoulder length red hair that had a black stripe dyed down the middle like a skunk, and she had a full sleeve of tattoos going down one of her arms. Besides the tattoos, she also had a stud through one nostril, one above her eyebrow, and a half dozen rings through each of her ears.
I’d never really met Liz before since she was a grade ahead of me, but I had heard of her reputation for being vicious to anyone who got in her way. No one seemed to know if that was due to her twist or was just a part of her normal personality. What I did know was that she and Christine used to be friends of a sort before Christine went through her own twist. As far as I knew, they hadn’t talked to each other since.
“Hey Liz,” Christine greeted her, giving her a wary look.
“I asked you a question,” Liz demanded of me.
For a moment, all I could do was stare at her, feeling a little nervous, even afraid, and wondering what I’d done to piss her off. Then I took a deep breath and responded, “Yeah, I’m a mermaid…” I looked down at my legs and added, “When I have my tail.”
Liz just stared at me for several seconds before saying, “Then you’re the one who saved my sister from drowning yesterday…”
I was startled by that and blurted out, “She was your sister?”
“Wait,” Christine exclaimed, staring at me in surprise and then at Liz. “Lori saved your sister?”
Liz nodded, beginning to smile as well. “Fucking yeah… Mom said she swam out too far and started getting caught in the current until some fucking mermaid showed up and saved her.”
“You didn’t mention that you were a hero,” Ricky chided me.
“Thanks for saving Melissa’s ass,” Liz told me, looking quite sincere as she did so. “I owe you big time. If anyone fucks with you, just let me know and I’ll take care of it…”
“Um…thanks,” I responded, startled by this sudden turnaround.
Then Christine abruptly asked, “Liz, you still play guitar, don’t you?”
Liz gave Christine a curious look before responding, “Yeah… Why?”
“Lori and Ricky need someone to play bass for the talent show,” Christine said with a faint smirk.
There was a long pause while Liz looked at Ricky and me, then she finally answered, “I can jam with you guys a bit to see if we can actually play together...but no promises.”
“Sounds good to me,” Ricky agreed, looking quite pleased, almost as though he was the one who’d just signed up a bass player for our garage band.
After Liz left, with a promise to meet after school tomorrow for a jam session, Christine smirked and said, “Now you can try for the talent show.”
“Just great,” I groaned, wanting to smack my head against the cafeteria table. “And right when my playing is still off too.”
“We still have two weeks to practice before the talent show,” Ricky pointed out with a grin. “This is gonna be totally wicked.”
“We can worry about that later,” Christine said, setting her stuffed penguin onto the table in front of her. “Now spill the beans… Mister Beaky wants to hear all about how you saved Liz’s sister.”
--------------------
I was in a very good mood as I left the girl’s locker room and started for my next class. Since PE had just gotten over, I’d just finished spending a lot of time swimming around the pool and impressing all the other students.
“If Twisted were allowed to compete,” Coach Rydell had told me, “I’d get you a tryout for the Olympic swim team.”
One of the things that I liked so much about going swimming was that it let me relax and put everything in my life into perspective. All of my problems seemed smaller and easier to deal with while I was underwater. Sure, the school swimming pool wasn’t nearly as good for that as the ocean, but it still helped immensely.
I smiled as I walked, running a hand through my still wet hair. I’d already dried my hair and brushed while I was changing, but there was only so much you could do. Fortunately, my hair didn’t seem to need much brushing as it dried off a little faster than normal and never seemed to tangle. That was probably yet another subtle aspect of my twist, like how my eyes had an extra membrane to protect them when I was underwater.
Then I felt the pressure building my bladder and muttered in annoyance. I’d just left the girl’s locker room a minute ago and there had been plenty of bathroom stalls there that I could have used. Unfortunately, I hadn’t felt the call of Mother Nature until I’d already left.
With a sigh over the brief worry that this delay might make me late for my next class, I went to the nearest bathroom. There were a couple other girls already present, one of whom was Nina Parker, a pretty girl I shared a couple classes with and whom I’d had a crush on for awhile.
“What are you doing in here?” Nina demanded, giving me a hostile look.
“What?” I asked in surprise.
Another girl looked confused and asked Nina, “What’s wrong?”
“You’re not a real girl,” Nina blurted out at me. “You don’t belong in here with the real girls, you pervert.”
I winced at that, feeling even more hurt than I would have otherwise since this came from a girl that I’d liked. “I certainly can’t use the boys room anymore,” I snapped at her in response, imagining how awkward things would be if I tried.
“Wait,” the other girl present said, giving me a suspicious look. “You’re a guy?”
“Not anymore,” I answered, trying to keep my voice steady. This was both insulting and humiliating, being challenged like this when all I was trying to do was go to the bathroom. “The doctor says I’m all girl now…”
Nina glared at me, seeming to become even more hostile because I hadn’t just run away in shame and humiliation, though I certainly wanted to. “Get out of here you freak,” Nina demanded.
Suddenly, the toilet flushed from one of the stalls and then a girl came out of the stall. She had black hair and a dark look on her face that made me want to step back.
To my surprise, the girl glared at Nina and demanded, “Do you have a problem with Twisted?”
“What?” Nina stammered. “No…”
“Then you must have a problem with people who go through a sex change during their twist,” the black haired girl snarled, making Nina step back. “You must have a problem with me.”
“No,” Nina stammered, looking to the other girl she’d been warning about me, but the other girl had already fled the bathroom. Nina turned and nearly ran out behind her, leaving me alone in the bathroom with the black haired girl.
The other girl looked me over, smirking faintly as she did so. Then she reached into her purse and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, pulling one out and lighting it right there in front of me.
“I’m Simone,” she said, blowing out a stream of smoke and giving me an appreciative looking over the same way a lot of guys had been doing since my change.
“Lorilei,” I answered nervously. “Lori.”
Simone nodded faintly. “You’re the one I heard about…who changed in the school pool.”
I nodded at that. “Um…yeah. That was me.”
“Being a girl isn’t half bad,” she told me with an amused look. “I like this a hell of a lot more than I ever did being a guy.”
“You changed too?” I blurted out, even though she’d already said as much to Nina.
Simone nodded and responded, “It takes a little getting used to, but you’ll adjust.” Then she paused before adding, “We aren’t the only ones in school from the sex change club. I’m not exactly the comforting sort so I suggest you find one of the others to talk to.”
“Okay,” I said, feeling a little confused.
“It was nice meeting you,” Simone said as she left the bathroom. “Maybe we’ll talk again.”
Once Simone was gone, I shook my head and muttered, “Now I need another swim.”
When lunch came an hour later, I joined my friends at our usual seat. I poked at the fish sticks that we’d been given by the apathetic lunch lady and sighed, thinking about all the fresh fish I’d seen off Morgan Beach. Maybe I should start bringing in my own lunch.
“So,” Christine said, giving me a curious look. “I heard you had a run in with Simone.”
“Yeah,” I admitted, feeling embarrassed by that. “She said she used to be a guy too…”
“Yeah,” Christine agreed, reaching over and snatching an apple wedge from my tray. “She used to be a wimpy guy named Simon before she went through her twist and turned into a total meanie.”
“She nearly tore some guys balls off because he pissed her off,” Ricky told me, wincing as he said that.
Christine gave me an odd look before asking, “What happened?”
“Nina was giving me a hard time for using the girls bathroom,” I admitted, still shaken by the realization that he girl I’d liked had actually tried bullying me.
Ricky stared at me for a moment before saying, “I thought you were going to ask Nina out?”
“I was planning on it,” I told him quietly. I winced slightly before adding, “Before my twist.”
We were all silent for half a minute before Christine asked, “Do you even still like girls?”
I wasn’t sure how to respond to that, though I already knew the answer. Boys still did nothing for me at all, while staring at attractive girls got my nipples to harden and my groin to get wet. However, I’d been too distracted with everything else going on to really think about this too much.
“Yeah,” I nodded, blushing brightly. “That hasn’t changed.”
“Then we need to find you a girlfriend,” Christine said, nearly making me choke.
“You weren’t so interested in helping me find a new girlfriend when I was still a guy,” I pointed out. Then I added, “Besides, it would be kind of weird having my ex-girlfriend hooking me up…”
“You were kind of ugly as a guy,” Christine teased, even sticking her tongue out at me. “But now, any lesbian would love going out with someone as pretty as you.”
“Can I watch you and your new girlfriend kiss?” Ricky asked with a smirk, which only got a glare from me and a giggle from Christine.
I shook my head and let out a sigh. “I don’t think I should date anyone right now.” I scowled as I thought about having some kind of romance and I just couldn’t imagine it. Not right now. “I mean, I should probably get used to being me before I can be with anyone else.”
“That’s probably smart,” Christine said, looking a little sad as she was probably remembering that she’d never be able to have that kind of relationship with anyone else. “You aren’t who you used to be and need to learn more about who you are now.”
“Exactly,” I agreed, though I still felt depressed by the idea.
“See,” Christine said brightly, “You aren’t such a poopy head after all.”
Ricky gave me an odd look before admitting, “I’m actually kinda glad you don’t like guys now.”
I was a little startled by his statement and asked, “Why?”
“Because you’re totally hot,” Ricky said, blushing brightly as he did so. “And I could totally dig dating someone who looks like you. But you’re my best bud and that would just be too freaking weird.”
“You’ve got that right,” I agreed, shuddering at the very thought.
Ricky grinned at that. “If you liked guys, then I’d probably start hitting on you and thinking of how to get you into me…which would probably ruin everything. But since you don’t like guys, I know I don’t have a shot and that makes it easier to keep things cool.”
“That makes sense,” Christine told me with a grin. “In a Ricky sort of way.” Then she stuck her tongue out at him and said, “But I still think you’re a poopy head.”
I looked at my two best friends and grinned, thankful that I still had them. Christine had lost a great deal during her twist, including her boyfriend and several close friends, which made me aware of just how lucky I was. I still wished things could have been different, but I was grateful that they were both still in my life.
--------------------
School was over for the day and I was sitting in my garage at home with my tail stretched out in a shallow wading pool, the kind little kids played in. I let out a sigh of relief as I poured a pitcher of water over my tail, definitely needing this after having been on my legs for most of the day. But as soothing as this was, I still would have preferred to go for a swim if I’d been able.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to seeing that,” Ricky commented as he stood back, plucking at his guitar and watching me.
“How do you think I feel?” I asked him with a wry smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll be done soon and we can practice.”
“I think your tail looks very pretty,” Christine announced, holding up the porcelain doll that she’d shown up with. “And so does Meredith.”
“Hey, how are you guys doing?” Aunt Kelsie called out as she stepped into the garage. She paused to stare at me for a moment, smiling with amusement as she did so.
“All right,” I told her. “We were just going to start practicing in a few minutes…”
I watched Aunt Kelsie, thinking about how odd it was to think of her as my aunt when I now knew that she was much more than that. Of course, it would have been even stranger calling her dad. She was looking at Christine and Ricky, who were both giving her odd looks.
“You told them, didn’t you,” she commented to me.
I hesitated a moment before nodding. “Yeah…”
Aunt Kelsie let out a sigh, took another look at my friends, and then asked, “Please don’t spread this around.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Christine said with a look of mock innocence.
“Then please keep it that way,” Aunt Kelsie told her gently. Then she turned to me and said, “Your new bed is nearly finished and should be full for you tonight.”
“Great,” I exclaimed with a grin, slapping my tail in the water.
“New bed?” Ricky asked, looking at my tail. “I guess you need one that’s a bit bigger now…”
“Actually,” I responded a little smugly. “It’s a water bed.”
Aunt Kelsie laughed at that. “That’s one way of putting it. We’re putting a small fold out pool into the basement for her to sleep in.”
“About three feet deep and ten feet wide,” I said happily. “I can stretch out and really stay wet while sleeping.”
“We just need to fill the pool and finish converting the rest of the basement into a bedroom,” Aunt Kelsie added. “I’ve got the water going right now. Thankfully, the material they make these pools out of nowadays almost never leaks or tears.”
I just grinned, actually looking forward to going to bed tonight. Sleeping on a tarp covered mattress with damp sheets might keep me from drying out, but it wasn’t the most comfortable. Being able to actually sleep underwater was going to be great.
A moment later, I heard a voice yelling from outside the garage, “Hey, is anyone here?”
“In here,” Christine called out.
Liz stepped into the garage with a guitar case slung over her shoulder, and right behind her was a familiar looking thirteen year old girl. It was the same girl I’d saved from drowning a couple days ago.
“Melissa wanted to see the mermaid who rescued her,” Liz said with a look of annoyance, though there seemed to be some amusement there as well.
Liz stared at my tail for a moment while Melissa gasped and made much more of a show about doing so. “That is so cool,” the girl exclaimed. “I wish I had a tail like that…”
“Then we could put you in an aquarium,” Liz teased her with a smirk.
“It’s a bit to get used to,” I warned her, pulling my tail out of the pool and then I began to dry it off with a towel. I lowered the skirt I was wearing and then willed my legs to reform, earning a gasp of awe from Melissa as I did so. Once my legs were back, I slipped my feet into my sandals.
“I’m Melissa,” the girl blurted out.
“Lori,” I responded with a grin.
“I’ll get back to what I was doing,” Aunt Kelsie told me before giving me an amused look and adding, “Have fun kiddo,” as she left.
“So, your trick is that you turn into a fucking mermaid,” Liz said, giving me a curious look.
“Actually, I’m normally a mermaid,” I corrected her. “My trick is that I can turn my tail back into legs for a couple hours at a time.”
Melissa’s eyes went wide at that. “Cool.”
I grinned at that, amused by her enthusiasm for my twist. “Yeah, but it isn’t easy getting to sleep at night. I can’t use a normal bed anymore or I’ll dry out.”
“You can sit over here,” Christine told Melissa, gesturing to the chair next to her own where mom or Aunt Kelsie sometimes sat to watch us practice.
I went to the drums and suddenly felt self-conscious. “I only went through my twist last week,” I apologized to Liz. “I’m still not fully used to my new body yet and its messing with my playing.”
“She is getting better again,” Christine added, giving me an encouraging look.
“Enough with the fucking excuses,” Liz said, though not in a mean tone. “Let’s hear you play…”
I began playing on my drums, thankful that I’d practiced a bit on my own over the last couple days. My breasts weren’t getting in my way nearly as much as they had been before but I still wasn’t quite back to my old level. I figured another week or so of practice would take care of that.
Liz obviously wasn’t impressed by my playing and I could see that she probably wouldn’t want to work with us for the school talent show. Then Ricky began playing and she suddenly perked up, giving him a faint smile before pulling out her bass guitar and joining him. I let them play for a few minutes before joining in, trying to keep up more than anything else.
After we’d played like this for a good half hour, we paused and Melissa immediately began clapping. “You’re really good,” she told her sister, then gave me a guilty look that suggested she wanted to compliment my playing but couldn’t do so honestly.
“If we’re gonna play in the fucking talent show,” Liz mused thoughtfully. “Then we’re gonna need a singer…”
Ricky and I looked at each other and he gave me a broad grin. Though Liz hadn’t officially agreed to play with us yet, her comment certainly suggested that she intended to.
“You should hear Lori sing,” Ricky told Liz. “She has a wicked voice…”
“I’m not that good,” I protested, only to get a snort from Christine.
“Maybe not before your twist,” Christine said pointed out with a smirk. “But you sound great now.” Liz gave me a skeptical look but then Ricky began playing. “Sing,” Christine called out to me. “Sing darn it.”
I hesitated, but after a little more encouragement from Christine, I began to sing along to what Ricky was playing. I was just glad that it was one of the songs I knew all the lyrics to because it would have been embarrassing to not even know the words. Liz listened for a moment, then she grinned and began playing along with Ricky.
“That was great,” Melissa exclaimed, clapping excitedly when I was done. “You sound incredible…”
“Almost hypnotic,” Ricky agreed.
“I think we found our singer,” Liz said, giving me a look of approval. “That was fucking awesome.”
I was startled by the response and wasn’t exactly happy about suddenly being volunteered to sing. I scowled and asked, “Then who is going to play the drums…?”
With that, I suddenly heard the crash of a drum cymbal and snapped around to see Christine was sitting behind my drums. The drumsticks looked far too large for her small hands and her feet couldn’t even reach the pedal for the bass drum. However, she had a fierce look of determination on her face as she began to play.
“Yo Christine,” Ricky exclaimed with a grin.
I just stared at Christine in surprise, since as far as I knew, this was the first time she’d even touched a pair of drums since her twist. She looked a little nervous, almost even afraid as she played, and she didn’t sound that great. It was obvious that she was having the same problem I was since she wasn’t used to playing in her new body. But unlike me, she quickly began getting the hang of it again.
Ricky and Liz shared a grin then they began to play. It was strange to watch what appeared to be a little girl wailing on the drums and actually sounding good, but she was definitely getting into it.
Since I didn’t want to be left out, I shrugged and began to sing along. It was actually pretty fun to sing along as they played and I thought we sounded good together. I was even beginning to feel proud of my particular contribution to our music.
Once we finished the song, I looked at Christine and saw her sitting there with an expression of absolute glee. I was pretty sure that I’d never seen her that happy about something, but then I realized that I knew exactly what she felt.
When I’d undergone my twist and lost my legs, I’d been terrified and certain that I’d never be able to walk again. In a way, that had been even worse than the knowledge that I’d become both Twisted and a girl. And then when I suddenly had my legs back, when I’d regained something that I’d thought lost forever… I imagined that had to be exactly what Christine felt at discovering that she could still play.
“Heck yeah,” Christine cried out with an almost manic gleam in her eyes as she began playing again.
I looked at Ricky and we both grinned at seeing our friend so happy. As Ricky and Liz began playing, I noticed a little porcelain doll dancing in the floor in front of us. I chuckled at that, took another look at Christine, and then cleared my voice and began to sing.
--------------------
I stepped off my school bus and let out a sigh of relief, thankful that school was over. It had been a long week but Friday had finally come, proving that I’d managed to survive my first week back after my twist. Then I smiled faintly and began walking the rest of the way home, eager to get out of these legs and soak my tail for awhile.
As I walked, I stared down at my boobs which I could feel swaying with each step. I shook my head, amazed that after only one week, I was starting to get used to having these weights on my chest. I was getting to the point where I was starting to work around them while playing drums and I had learned how to keep from dipping them into my dinner while I ate. There were even times when I completely forgot that they were there, or at least that they shouldn’t be there. Then again, there were still plenty of times like right now when I was fully aware of just how weird it was to have these things.
“I’ve been a girl for over a week,” I reminded myself with a sigh, “and it hasn’t killed me yet.” Then I let out another sigh and added, “One week down, a lifetime to go.”
Of course, being a girl was a bit to get used to, but it was nothing compared to being a mermaid. When you suddenly have a tail instead of legs, it makes the other changes seem almost minor comparison. That was probably why I hadn’t freaked out more about losing my winkie.
I paused on the sidewalk, suddenly feeling a surge of worry about what I was going to do. Then I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths to calm myself down again. One of the things that I’d always been told by every Twisted I talked to was that I had to accept that my twist couldn’t be reversed and that I should take things one day at a time. As Aunt Kelsie had told me last week, before long it will all seem normal.
“Hard to believe this will ever be normal,” I muttered to myself, even though I’d been thinking about how I was getting used to this a minute ago. The truth was, I knew that Aunt Kelsie was right. I was starting to get used to it all and knew that eventually, being a girl and being a mermaid would all just be normal to me. However, every once in awhile, like right now, I still got hit by a moment of panic at the sheer weirdness of it all. “I still can’t believe I’m Twisted.”
I stood there for a moment, feeling embarrassed for the way I’d momentarily started to freak out, especially since I’d been so proud of how well I’d been managing since my twist. Then I continued on my way home, deciding that I was going to have a nice long soak when I got there. I smiled at the thought of spending an hour in the swimming pool that now served as my bed. That would be just the thing I needed.
When I reached my driveway a minute later, I wasn’t at all surprised to see Aunt Kelsie’s car already there. Before my twist, she’d come over a few times every week, usually on the weekends or after mom got home from work. But now, she was here nearly every day, arriving well before mom got home. Of course, the reason for this was obvious to me. Now that she knew for a fact that I was her kid, she wanted to spend more time with me. I still wasn’t sure how I felt about that. What did surprise me was the fact that my mom’s hover car was parked in the driveway as well, an hour before she normally would have gotten home.
I went into the house and found mom and Aunt Kelsie sitting in the living room talking. Both stopped talking as soon as I’d entered and gave each other a quick look of amusement before looking at me.
“Hey honey,” mom greeted me. “How was school?”
“It was school,” I answered, giving her a suspicious look and wondering what was going on.
“Hey kiddo,” Aunt Kelsie said with a smile. “Are your friends going to be coming over to practice again today?”
“Not today,” I told her with a shrug. “But we’re going to practice Sunday.”
“That’s good to know,” Aunt Kelsie responded with a grin that send up warning flags.
“Why don’t you go soak for a bit,” mom suggested with a grin that was very much like the one Aunt Kelsie had. “I know how much you need that when you’ve been on your legs for too long.”
I looked back and forth between mom and Aunt Kelsie, getting more and more suspicious over what they were up to. “Okay,” I said slowly.
Just as I began to turn away, mom blurted out, “And when you’re done, we have a surprise for you.”
“And there it is,” I muttered as I started for the basement door.
The basement was nearly twice the size of my old bedroom, but it wasn’t nearly as nice. The floors were concrete though some rugs had been spread around so my feet wouldn’t get cold. There were still boxes of clutter that had been stored down here for what seemed like forever, but that didn’t really matter. What did matter was the fold out swimming pool that had been assembled down here for me.
I slipped out of my clothes, something that I’d become well practiced at doing quickly and with ease. I didn’t even have a problem with my bra, which I tossed casually to the side before climbing up the short set of stairs that had been set up next to the pool and then jumping in.
The pool and water weren’t heated at all but it still felt perfectly comfortable to me as I submerged in the water and let my tail reform. One of the things I’d noticed was that no matter what the temperature of the water, I never felt cold in it. I always felt perfectly comfortable so assumed that it was another part of my twist, either due to some adaptation to my body or perhaps a part of the same trick that let me breathe underwater.
Once I was fully changed, I settled down on the spongy mattress that covered nearly the entire bottom of the pool and which was much more comfortable than my old bed. Of course, there was no need for blankets of any sort since the water alone was warm enough for me. I just lay there for a bit, not quite napping but coming close. I probably would have stayed there for longer if it wasn’t for what mom had said about having a surprise for me.
After only half an hour, I climbed out of the pool, reformed my legs, and dried myself off. I didn’t bother getting dressed again and merely slipped on a robe and slippers before going up to see what mom and Aunt Kelsie had planned.
Mom gave me a thoughtful look, and without a word, went and got a hair brush which she began brushing through my hair. “You have such amazing hair,” she finally said. “It’s so silky smooth and never seems to tangle. That’s a good thing considering how much time you spend in the water.”
“I already brushed it before coming up,” I pointed out with a sigh, knowing that it wouldn’t do much good. Mom just seemed to get a kick out of brushing my hair. In fact, a few days ago she’d admitted that she’d always wanted a daughter and had thought it would be fun brushing her hair and braiding it. Fortunately, mom hadn’t tried braiding my hair yet.
Aunt Kelsie watched in amusement, asking, “How are you holding up kiddo? I know this is all pretty strange to you still.”
I hesitated a moment before deciding to answer honestly. “Sometimes I’m all right, but other times, not so much.”
Aunt Kelsie nodded at that, giving me a sympathetic look. “I remember how difficult it was after I first went through my twist. I suddenly had a new body part and was too embarrassed to let almost anyone know. It took awhile to get used to it, but now I can barely remember what it was like not having it.”
“At least you knew you were going to be Twisted,” I pointed out, trying not to sound too accusatory.
Mom and Aunt Kelsie gave each other guilty looks. Then mom gave me a gentle hug and said, “It’s too late to change the past now. All we can do is take care of the present and the future.”
“I know,” I responded, staring at the floor as I now felt guilty myself.
Mom gave me another hug and then gestured for me to sit on the couch before she sat down beside me. “I know you’ve been through a lot lately,” she told me while putting her hand on mine in a reassuring manner. “And I know this hasn’t been easy, but I’m proud of how well you’ve been dealing with it.”
“We both are,” Aunt Kelsie told me with a self-conscious smile. “So we decided to get you a present…something to celebrate your twist.”
With that, Aunt Kelsie got up and went behind the couch, grabbing a box that had been wrapped up in brightly colored wrapping paper that was obviously a leftover from my birthday. There were red balloons on the paper as well as the words ‘happy birthday’, exactly like there had on my birthday present. I accepted the present from her and couldn’t resist shaking the box, only to hear something rattling inside. Then I began tearing off the paper.
Under the wrapping paper was a wooden box, one with a hinged lid on top as well as doors on the front. And though I’d never owned something like this before, I immediately knew what it was. I’d seen something similar in my mom’s bedroom as well as in Christine’s. It was a jewelry box. I gulped and slowly opened it, seeing that there was already jewelry inside.
“Every woman needs jewelry,” Aunt Kelsie told me with an amused look. “So we thought we’d give you a start.”
“We thought that showing you some of the nicer parts of being a woman might help make your adjustment easier,” mom told me.
I was a bit stunned by this and not sure what to say so I pulled out a piece of jewelry instead. It was a necklace with an aquamarine pendant that had a pearl on each side. Though I certainly wasn’t an expert in jewelry, I didn’t think it was cheap. There were a pair of earrings, simple pearl studs that went well with the pendant. And then I noticed a pearl bracelet.
“I think I’m noticing a trend,” I commented with an uncertain smile.
Aunt Kelsie laughed and responded, “We thought they were appropriate.”
There were other pieces of jewelry as well, such as another pendant that looked like a gold metal seashell with a pearl in the mouth and pair of earrings that dangled a little and had small aquamarine colored stones in them. The one piece that stood apart from the others was a delicate looking ring with several small red stones in it that I thought were rubies. It was the only piece that didn’t seem to use pearls or aquamarines.
“This used to belong to my mother,” Aunt Kelsie told me quietly. “When she was a girl, she caught the Antarctic Flu and nearly died. After she got better, my grandmother bought her this ring to celebrate her survival.” She paused to give me an odd look before adding, “I wanted you to have it.”
I stared at her in surprised, seeing that this was a family heirloom that obviously meant a lot to her. “But if it belonged to your mom,” I said, still a little shaken that she’d give me something like that.
“Your grandmother,” she reminded me. “I just wish you could have met her.”
“I did,” I reminded her quietly.
I vaguely remember Aunt Kelsie’s mom, though not real clearly since she’d died when I was only five or so. What I did remember was that she’d been a friendly woman who liked giving me candy.
Aunt Kelsie smiled at that, obviously happy that I remembered her mom. “I’d forgotten that you did meet her a few times.” Then she grinned and said, “See if it fits.”
The ring was on the small side but it fit perfectly on my little finger. Aunt Kelsie beamed at that so I left it where it was. Then I put on bracelet and the pendant with the aquamarine and pearls.
“I think I’m a little overdressed for this stuff,” I joked, gesturing down at the robe I was wearing. I felt a little odd to be wearing something as feminine as this jewelry, but after I’d spend the last week wearing dresses and skirts, I certainly couldn’t complain.
“Maybe a little,” Aunt Kelsie replied.
I stared at her and mom, then said, “I’m not sure what to think of this… I mean, I hadn’t even thought of wearing jewelry yet…but thank you.”
Mom gave me a hug then took the pearl earrings and smiled, “I think we need to get your ears pierced.”
“I think we can take care of that without a problem,” Aunt Kelsie agreed with a grin that made me gulp nervously.
I was about to protest that I didn’t want my ears pierced, then hesitated, realizing that would make me sound like a wimp. After all, not only did most girls at school have their ears pierced, so did some of the guys.
“Okay,” I said almost defiantly. “I want to try these out…”
Mom and Aunt Kelsie both grinned at that, apparently pleased that I was willing to go along with their plans. Then Aunt Kelsie went behind the couch again and pulled out what looked like a plastic tackle box for fishing.
“We got you something else as well,” Aunt Kelsie told me. “But it isn’t as exciting as the jewelry so we didn’t wrap it.”
She set the box in front of me and opened it up, then lifted some folded trays that were filled with makeup. I stared in surprise as well as confusion.
“We don’t want to push you into anything before you’re ready,” mom quickly told me. “But a beautiful young woman needs makeup as well.”
“I can’t wear makeup,” I blurted out. Then because I didn’t want to hurt their feelings or admit that it was just more girlie than I was comfortable with, I added, “I spend too much time in the water…”
“That excuse isn’t going to work, kiddo,” Aunt Kelsie teased me. “We got this special makeup that doesn’t smudge and doesn’t come off in the water. It’s very expensive and is mostly used by swimmers and women who work in water shows, but we thought it would be perfect for you.”
“Once it’s on,” mom explained, pulling items out of the kit, “you spray this fixative on your face and it all stays on until you use this remover.”
I’d been fine with the jewelry but the idea of using the makeup was actually making me a little uncomfortable. I could see from mom and Aunt Kelsie’s reactions that they fully intended to have me try this stuff on as well.
“You’re a beautiful young woman now,” mom told me gently. “I want you to be able to show it off and take pride in it. One of the best things about being a woman is being able to look nice and get complimented.”
Aunt Kelsie put her hand on my shoulder and told me, “Our plans for tonight are to get you dressed up and looking nice, and then we all go out to dinner together for a girl’s night out.”
“But I’m not ready to wear this stuff yet,” I said nervously, looking at the makeup and wondering if maybe it had been a mistake to be so accepting of the jewelry.
“If you play along with us for now,” mom told me with an amused look, “then tomorrow we’ll go to Morgan Beach so we can test how waterproof this makeup really is.”
The promise of going back to the beach immediately caught my full attention. Swimming in the school pool was fun, but it wasn’t anything like going swimming in the open water. I was already excited at the idea of going there again and it was obvious my parents knew this. They knew exactly which buttons they needed to push.
“Fine,” I said with a sigh.
After this, mom and Aunt Kelsie wasted no time in getting started. Aunt Kelsie got a needle and an ice cube and pierced my ears one at a time, which really stung, though I made an effort to act like it was no big deal. Then I had the pearl earrings put in.
“Leave these in for a few days so the holes don’t close up,” mom cautioned me. “We’ll also need to be careful to keep them from getting infected.”
Mom dried my hair and then had me get dressed again. I put on the nicest dress I had, one that looked very sexy on me. By now, I’d been wearing dresses so often that I wasn’t bothered by the idea anymore. Of course, until now I’d always told myself that it was for practical reasons related to my tail which had to emerge every few hours. This was the first time I was wearing a dress for the purpose of actually dressing up and looking nice.
Then once I was dressed, they began on my makeup. Aunt Kelsie was the one who put it on, explaining what each type of makeup was and what she was doing. It was awkward enough for me that I was being made up, but she wanted to turn this into a lesson at the same time. I patiently sat through it all, trying to pay attention to what she said since I knew that I’d probably need to know how to do this myself eventually.
“We don’t need the fixative right now,” Aunt Kelsie told me as she’d finished. “But we’ll try it out tomorrow at the beach. What do you think?” Mom held a mirror up for me to get a good look.
I gasped at my reflection in surprise, asking, “Is that really me?” I’d already looked pretty hot, but now I looked even more so. With the dress, makeup, and the way Aunt Kelsie had done my makeup, I even looked a little older and more sophisticated.
“You’re gorgeous,” mom told me with a grin. “You’ll have to beat the boys off with a stick.”
I groaned at that while Aunt Kelsie laughed. “Trust me,” she assured me with an amused look, “That can be a good thing. I’m not into guys either but being able to get that kind of attention when you want is very nice.” Then she paused a moment before adding, “There’s a certain feminine power in being able to make guys do what you want.”
All I could do was nod at that, remembering that very well from the other side of things. Really hot girls had always intimidated me a little, making me feel as though I wasn’t in their league and that they’d reject me. At the same time, a hot girl probably could have gotten me to do whatever she wanted just by wiggling her ass a little. In fact, since I was still attracted to girls, I wasn’t sure that had really changed.
I was now dressed up nicely and ready to go, but I still had to wait for mom and Aunt Kelsie. Mom had changed while my makeup was being done and only had to touch up her own makeup, but Aunt Kelsie took another half hour on top of that to get ready. Mom told me that this was actually pretty quick.
We arrived at the restaurant a short time later and I was feeling self-conscious about being dressed up. Several people gave me looks of interest, though that wasn’t too new since I’d been getting looks like that all week. However, they did seem just a little more intense.
The waiter was a young man who looked to be about 19 or so, and while he was taking our order he kept looking at my chest. I blushed at that and tried to pretend I didn’t notice, though it was obvious that mom and Aunt Kelsie thought it was funny.
Once the waiter was gone, Aunt Kelsie teased, “I think he likes you.”
“Why couldn’t we have gotten a cute waitress instead?” I asked with a faint smile.
“You might not be interested in him,” Aunt Kelsie pointed out, “but he’s definitely interested in you. Just relax and have fun with it.”
I didn’t know how I could possibly relax and have fun with someone staring at my boobs, but I couldn’t help but finding it funny as well. I knew that if I’d seen a girl who looked like I did, I’d be staring at her chest as well. I certainly couldn’t blame the guy for doing the same thing I would in his place.
For the rest of the dinner, the waiter was very attentive, constantly coming over to check on us and see if we needed anything. I’d never had someone be this attentive when I was at a restaurant before. It was a little weird for me, but I tried to do what Aunt Kelsie suggested and just relax.
By the time dinner was done, I was almost looking forward to having the waiter show up because he was always very polite and helpful. I still wasn’t attracted to him in the least, but I was starting to find that the attention wasn’t so bad.
“Next time, we’re going clubbing,” Aunt Kelsie told me as we began to leave the restaurant.
I nearly choked in surprise at that. “Really.”
“Of course not,” mom said, giving Aunt Kelsie a warning look. “You’re still too young.”
“That’s funny,” Aunt Kelsie teased mom. “Somehow, I don’t remember you being of age the first time you went into a club.”
I watched mom blush a little and grinned at that. I was about to ask Aunt Kelsie for more details of what sounded like an embarrassing story, when I suddenly notice Ricky coming towards us and the restaurant entrance with his own parents.
Ricky gave me an appreciative look though it took several more seconds before his eyes suddenly widened in recognition. He blurted out, “Lori?”
“Hey,” I greeted him, amused by the look on his face.
“Lucas?” Ricky’s dad asked me in surprise, not having seen me since before my twist but he’d obviously heard about it. And of course, both his parents had met my mom a few times in the past.
“She’s called Lori now,” Ricky told his parents. Then he looked at me again and said, “You look…nice.”
“Just nice?” I couldn’t resist teasing him.
“Okay, you’re totally hot,” Ricky said, still staring at me. Then he scowled, “You know this isn’t fair.”
I just smiled with my best innocent look, knowing exactly what he meant. He was attracted to me but knew that I wasn’t attracted to him in the least. As far as he was concerned, I was being a total tease and would probably be leaving him with a case of blue balls. I could sympathize, though I was still having fun.
“I’ll see you Sunday,” I told him with a grin.
“You look very lovely,” Ricky’s mom told me as they continued going into the restaurant. “I’m glad to see you’re adjusting so well.”
Once Ricky and his family were gone, we continued to the car while mom asked, “So Lorilei, did you enjoy getting dressed up and going out?”
I thought about it for a moment before smiling and responding, “I think I can handle doing this again.”
“It’s a start,” Aunt Kelsie said, grinning to mom. “We’re going to make a real lady of her yet.”
--------------------
I woke up floating face down in the middle of my fish bowl, which was what I’d begun calling my bed and private pool. I stretched out, went to the bottom of the pool and made an effort to really stretch my tail out.
In spite of how comfortable I found sleeping underwater like this, I actually hadn’t slept very well last night. Yesterday afternoon, I’d begun feel a little cramped and sick to my stomach and it had only grown worse. My nipples were sore and tender while my guts felt knotted up. Unfortunately, I already knew what this had to be. Ever since the doctor had confirmed that I was now fully female, I’d been expecting this, though I had hoped I’d have a little more time.
When I came back to the surface and prepared to pull myself out of the pool, I found a jumbo sized box of fish food sitting there, obviously left as a joke by either mom or Aunt Kelsie. At any other time, I might have found it sort of funny, but at the moment I was in a bad mood and didn’t really find anything funny.
I pulled myself out of the water and onto the platform next to the pool where I grabbed a towel and began drying myself off. It seemed silly to dry myself off at all since I was going to be going straight to the shower so I could wash my hair, but that was upstairs and I didn’t want to drip the entire way there. While I was drying off, I willed my legs to return as well.
Moments later, I felt something warm and wet running down my newly reformed legs. I looked down and gasped in disgust at the blood that was all over me and which was dripping into a puddle on the floor. For a moment, I could only stare at it in horror, feeling almost as though I was going to get sick to my stomach and puke as well. The sight of blood had never really bothered me before, but this was different. It wasn’t the blood itself that was getting to me but what it meant.
“Damn,” I cried out in frustration. I’d known that I was having my period and was going to start bleeding, but I hadn’t expected anywhere near this much blood at once. I suddenly felt terrified that something went wrong with my twist and that I wouldn’t stop bleeding. “MOM,” I cried out loudly.
“What’s wrong?” mom called back as she came down into the basement, pausing when she saw me sitting there with blood all over my legs and the floor. “Oh my God…”
“I think I was starting my period,” I blurted out in shame, unable to meet her eyes. “But it’s so much…”
“This isn’t normal,” mom exclaimed, looking more than a little worried.
I just gestured at myself and demanded, “Is there anything about me that’s normal anymore?”
“Let’s see how bad this is,” mom said, her voice shaking as she used the towel to wipe the blood off of me.
Though I was extremely uncomfortable being naked in front of my mom and having her hands so close to my new vagina, I remained motionless and let her wipe all the blood away. Once she’d done so, I realized that there was no fresh blood coming out. Mom let out a sigh of relief while I hesitantly stood up, afraid that blood would start rushing down my legs again, though fortunately that didn’t happen.
“Go take a shower and get cleaned up,” mom told me, looking a little relieved. “I’ll call the clinic and let them know we’re coming in today for a follow up.”
Without saying a word, I nodded and made my way upstairs to the shower. I took a nice hot shower and used soap and hot water to wash my body, especially my legs and the moist slit between them. I took my time washing there, being especially careful since my vagina was so sensitive. The fact that the skin around it was smooth and hairless only seemed to make it more so.
I smiled faintly as I washed my legs, thankful that I’d never have to worry about shaving them since my twist had left me with absolutely no hair below my neck. My body had a lot of subtle adaptations due to my aquatic nature and I was pretty sure that my lack of body hair was one of them. No body hair meant a little less drag while swimming through the water. I was just thankful that this lack of hair hadn’t extended to above my neck or I would have been bald as well as half fish.
By the time I climbed out of the shower, I had calmed down and felt much cleaner, physically and otherwise. Not only that, but the hot water seemed to have helped with the aches and cramps from my period as well since they’d all faded a great deal. That alone was reason enough to be relieved.
“Thank God that didn’t happen while I was sleeping,” I muttered, thinking about the bloody mess that had come out the moment I’d changed back to my legs. I shuddered at the thought of sleeping in bloody disgusting water all night. “Gross…”
I tried not to think about that anymore, or the fact that I’d just gone through a rite of passage for women. Instead, I tried to focus on taking things one step at a time. I finished drying myself off and went into my old bedroom, which now served more as a walk-in closet, then I got dressed. I even made sure to put on panties and a pad, though both would be gone the next time my tail emerged.
Once I was dressed and presentable, I went to find mom who gave me a worried look and asked, “How are you doing?”
“Better,” I admitted with a self-conscious smile. Then I weakly joked, “I thought Sunday mornings were supposed to be quiet and peaceful.”
“We’re still going back to the clinic,” mom told me gently. “You’re expected in an hour so you’d better eat up quickly.”
I nodded at that and went to the kitchen to get some cereal, but when I looked in the cupboard I found another jumbo sized box of fish flakes sitting next to my cereal. That joke was already starting to get old. I wondered how mom would feel about finding fish flakes in her breakfast the next time she decided to have cereal. I had a certain satisfaction as I ate breakfast while fantasizing about that very thing.
When I arrived at the Spiral Clinic a short time later, I was almost immediately ushered in to see Dr. Franklin again. She listened patiently as I told her about how I’d begun feeling cramped and bloated yesterday and then about how I’d gushed blood the moment I’d reformed my legs. Talking about these things with her was extremely awkward and embarrassing for me, but she let me go at my own pace without being judgmental.
“And how do you feel now?” she asked me once I was finished.
“Better,” I admitted. “A lot better.” I hesitated a moment and added, “I’m not feeling cramped anymore either.”
“Let’s take another look at you,” Dr. Franklin told me with a pleasant smile.
I let out a sigh and got undressed again, noticing that my pad was still clean. Dr. Franklin looked me over and then had me climb into her examination machine again where she gave me another scan.
“Most women go a little longer between gynecology exams,” Dr. Franklin commented with a chuckle.
“I’d rather not make this a regular thing,” I responded, happy to put my clothes back on.
Dr. Franklin looked at a computer monitor and the holographic display, barely paying me any attention for the next minute. Then she finally nodded before turning back to me.
“According to my scans,” she told me pleasantly. “It looks like you have just finished going through your period.”
I was startled by that and protested, “I just started it.”
“And you’re already over it,” Dr. Franklin said with an amused look. “It appears that this is one more aspect of your unique physiology. From what I can tell, I’d expect all of your periods to be brief and to come in bursts.”
“That was one hell of a burst,” I blurted out, thinking of the puddle on the basement floor.
Dr. Franklin gave me a thoughtful look and mused, “I think that this makes sense when you consider it as part of your aquatic adaptations. After all, your biology is still mostly human but bleeding while in the water might be likely to attract sharks and predators. This way you minimize that threat, and since you discharged your menstrual release only once you were back in legged form, that would reduce it further.”
“That makes sense I guess,” I replied with a shrug.
“Your monthly visitor will likely be short but messy,” Dr. Franklin told me with a smile. “You should be thankful it will be over quickly.”
“I am,” I agreed, not wanting to go through the cramps any longer than necessary. Getting it all out of the way in one big messy burst might not be so bad, as long as I could see it coming and prepare to be in the shower.
After talking with Dr. Franklin for another minute, I left her office and started back to the waiting room where my mom was. But as I was going down the hallway, I saw Dr. Rothschild. The sight of the odd little man reminded me of some more questions I’d come up with for him.
“Excuse me,” I said to Dr. Rothschild, “But I was hoping I could talk to you more about my tricks.”
Dr. Rothschild looked up at me for a moment before saying, “It was Lucas, wasn’t it…?”
“I go by Lori now,” I answered, feeling a little self-conscious as I did every time I gave my new name to people.
“Of course,” he responded with a grin. “A very lovely name too.” He paused to look at the clock on the wall, then said, “I have twenty minutes until my next appointment. Come into my office and we’ll talk.”
We went back to Dr. Rothschild’s office where he’d examined me a week ago. Then I told him, “I’ve been wondering about my tricks… When I change into my tail, it destroys my pants or underwear…sort of like when I went through my twist. And I don’t seem to get cold when I’m underwater either. Could this be a new trick?”
“I see,” Dr. Rothschild mused, bringing up my files on his computer. “Ah yes. I’d noticed some things when I was looking over your file after our last visit and I was going to contact you about this for a follow up. It seems you saved me a call.”
“Are they new tricks?” I asked curiously.
“Not exactly,” he told me with a chuckle. “They’re part of the same trick. You see, I was trying to get a better understanding of how your trick lets you breath underwater when I saw something I’d missed looking over your initial scans.”
Instead of explaining what he’d already found, Dr. Rothschild had me sit still while he used another kind of scanner on me. He had me change to my tail and back again, then he looked over the results, nodding as though what he’d just gotten from me confirmed what he already knew.
“You do only have two tricks,” Dr. Rothschild finally explained to me. “The first is changing your tail into legs.”
“And the other is breathing underwater,” I said.
“Sort of,” he agreed with a chuckle. “It’s just that your second trick is a little more complicated than I first thought.”
I was definitely getting more curious and asked, “What do you mean?”
“Your second trick is that you generate a form of skin tight energy field around your body when you’re in your mermaid form,” Dr. Rothschild explained. “When you’re changing back to your mermaid form, this field activates and tries to protect your transforming body…hence your damaged clothing. This same field also insulates you against temperatures and pressure while you’re underwater.”
“I have a force field?” I blurted out in surprise.
Dr. Rothschild shook his head, “Certainly not the way you’re thinking. It won’t protect you against injury…merely certain environmental stresses that come from being underwater. This field is also what allows you to breath there, though I’m still not certain if the field absorbs air from the water or somehow converts the water to air.”
“I guess this explains why I don’t get prune fingers,” I mused, staring at my hands. Then I looked at Dr. Rothschild and said, “Thanks you.”
I was definitely pleased to have a better understanding of my trick and how it worked. I suppose the technical nuts and bolts weren’t that important, but at least this explained my destroyed clothes and the other oddities.
I left Dr. Rothschild’s office and returned to the waiting room where mom nervously asked, “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” I told her with a grin. “It looks like my period is over.”
Mom gave me a look of surprise and asked, “What do you mean?”
“The doctor said it was part of my twist,” I explained, not feeling comfortable with talking about this where the other people in the waiting room could hear. I took a deep breath and tried to pretend the other people weren’t present. “Apparently I go through the whole thing all at once instead of over a week. I guess I’m done until next month.”
Mom just stared at me for a moment before muttering, “I don’t know whether to be worried about the mess or feel jealous.”
“I’m just glad it’s over,” I admitted as we left. However, the thought of going through that again next month actually left me feeling just a little nauseous.
“I guess congratulations are in order,” mom told me, putting a hand over my shoulders. “You are now officially a woman…even if you did only get the condensed experience.”
“That was more than enough for me,” I assured her.
Mom just gave me an amused look and said, “I just can’t wait to tell Kelsie that our little girl is growing up.”
--------------------
The sound of drums pounding and cymbals crashing wasn’t a soothing one, but playing the drums was an excellent way of burning off stress. At the moment, I was pretty sure that I had enough stress that it could use a good burning off. It was always rough going back to school on Mondays, but today had been even worse because Nina had been making snide comments to me nearly every time she saw me.
“Hard to believe I used to like that bitch,” I muttered as I smashed a cymbal.
This was actually the first time I’d been able to practice with my drums in the last few days. Ever since Christine had begun playing the drums again, I’d been pushed out as the bands drummer and had been made the new singer. I didn’t mind too much since she was a better drummer than I was at my best and I was actually a pretty good singer. In fact, I was even starting to enjoy it.
Then I looked up and noticed Christine was standing in the doorway, clutching a rag doll. I’d been expecting my friends to come over in a little while so we could practice for the talent show, but Christine was the first to arrive. She smiled when she saw that I’d noticed her and came inside.
“Not bad,” Christine said with a grin before going to her own drum set which was now set up in my garage as well.
Christine had pulled her drum set out of storage and brought it over yesterday so she could practice on her own equipment. She’d even customized it, putting an extension on the bass drum petal so she could reach it. Without another word, she began to practice and I began to jam along with her. We went at it for only about ten minutes before stopping, not wanting to wear ourselves out before Ricky and Liz arrived.
“I heard that Nina was being a big meanie,” Christine said, giving me a curious look.
“Yeah,” I admitted, hardly able to believe that I was being bullied by a girl. Of course, she wasn’t using physical threats or anything, just snide comments and whispers behind my back. “I can’t exactly punch her for it either…”
Christine nodded at that and told me, “Most girls don’t fight like that. We get sneaky and play dirty.” She paused go give me a grin and added, “You’re gonna have to learn how to fight like a girl.”
“I’d rather just punch her,” I admitted. “Dealing with this kind of stuff is one of the worst things about being a girl.”
Christine snickered at that and said, “Just wait until you get your monthly visitor.”
“Actually, I had already had my period,” I told her, enjoying the look of surprise on her face.
I hadn’t told Christine about that because every time I was with her, Ricky had been there too and I didn’t want to talk about something like this with him. There was no way he’d be able to understand. I knew that not very long ago, I wouldn’t have been able to either.
“What?” Christine asked. “When?”
“This weekend,” I answered with a shrug, trying to act casual about it. “It started Saturday afternoon and ended Sunday morning.”
Christine stared at me for a moment before she laughed. “You almost had me there…”
“I’m not joking,” I told her with a grimace. I could barely believe I was telling my ex-girlfriend this. “I gushed out a half gallon of bloody mess all at once, then it was over. The doctor said that this is just the way my body works now.”
“Holey moly,” Christine exclaimed, giving me an odd look. “You’re kind of lucky then…”
“I guess,” I admitted. “At least comparatively, though it’s hard to think of it that way.”
“You know, I never thought I’d say this,” Christine said quietly, looking almost pained. “But I kind of miss having those.”
“Really?” I asked in surprise.
Christine nodded at that, looking depressed. “I didn’t like them, but they meant I was grown up,” she explained sadly. “Now, I’ll never be grown up again. I don’t even feel anything for boys anymore…and I know that eventually I won’t even remember what it feels like to like boys like that.”
By this point, Christine was starting to cry and I felt really bad for her. I’d undergone such a drastic transformation of my own that I could definitely sympathize with what it was like being forced to become someone new. Without saying a word, I got down on my knees and hugged her. She threw her arms around me and cried into my shoulder for several minutes.
When Christine finally pulled away, she quietly told me, “Thank you,” as she wiped the tears away.
“Anytime,” I responded with a faint smile.
Christine looked like she was about to say something else when Ricky’s voice called out, “Hey, what’s going on…?”
“We were just talking about girl stuff,” Christine told him, giving her best innocent little girl look, which was pretty good. “You’re a boy and wouldn’t understand.”
“That’s all right,” Ricky responded with a grin. Then he gave me an appreciative look that made me blush before he quickly tore his eyes away. “Let me get my guitar plugged in and I’ll be ready when Liz gets here…”
Christine grinned and went back to her drum set, seeming to forget about how she’d been crying a minute ago. However, she gave me a nod and a thankful smile before she began playing. I hesitated only a moment before playing on my drums as well. Since I was our singer now instead of our drummer, I wasn’t going to get a lot of opportunities to just jam with my friends.
When Liz arrived a short time later, I wasn’t too surprised to see that she’d brought Melissa with her again, though I was surprised by the color of the girl’s hair. Melissa’s hair was now an aquamarine color that was only a shade or two off from my own.
“Hey Lori,” Melissa greeted me excitedly, though she was obviously trying to act calm and casual at the same time. “Do you like my hair?”
“I love the color,” I responded, seeing that Liz was watching me with a faint smirk. “Did you go through your twist?”
“She dyed it,” Liz said, obviously amused. Then she added, “It looks like you’ve got your first groupie.”
“Wouldn’t grouper be more accurate?” Ricky asked with a grin.
“Don’t make me sick the squirrels on you,” Christine warned him. Then she looked at me and grinned broadly. “You know, I think I have a plush squirrel at home.”
I stared at her for a moment and then burst out laughing as I imagined her animating a toy squirrel and having it chase Ricky around. When I stopped, I looked at Ricky and then burst out laughing again.
“If you ladies are done laughing at me,” Ricky said, which got Liz to snicker and Melissa to giggle.
I looked at Melissa again, this time noticing that she was wearing a cheap looking mermaid necklace. I couldn’t resist chuckling at that as I went to stand behind the microphone, then I gave Melissa a nod before I began singing.
We spent the next hour playing the same two songs over and over again. When it came time for the talent show on Friday night, we’d pick the song we thought we did best and use that one. I was feeling pretty proud because I was getting better at controlling my voice as well as remembering the lyrics. In fact, I was growing more confident that when it came time for the talent show, we’d kick ass.
“You guys sound great,” Melissa exclaimed when we decided to stop for the night. Then she looked thoughtful for a moment before asking, “But what are you called?”
“Well, I’m called Ricky,” Ricky responded with a grin though he knew that wasn’t what she meant. “And she’s called Lori…”
“I mean your band name,” Melissa responded with an exasperated look.
“We don’t have one yet,” I told her with a shrug. That was actually something we’d talked about several times but couldn’t come to an agreement on.
“How about the Mermaids?” Melissa suggested eagerly.
I chuckled at that and reminded her, “But I’m the only mermaid here.”
“And I’m not even a maid,” Ricky added.
Melissa scowled at that and then asked, “What about the Sirens? That sounds cool…”
“Again, that’s more of a girl band name,” Ricky told her.
Melissa glared at him and then asked her sister, “Can’t you guys just get a girl to play guitar?”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Liz responded with a grin. “Our whole damn problem is too much fucking testosterone…”
“Hey,” Ricky protested. “I resemble that remark.”
“Maybe we could get away with dressing him as a girl,” Christine offered, sticking a tongue out at Ricky.
Ricky let out an exaggerated sigh and asked, “Why didn’t anyone tell me this was pick on Ricky night?”
“It was in the memo,” I added.
“You too?” Ricky asked, giving me a look of mock hurt. “Oh the betrayal…”
“Lori switched sides a week and a half ago,” Christine pointed out smugly. “This shouldn’t come as a surprise.”
Just then, Aunt Kelsie stepped into the garage and asked, “Is this a private argument or can anyone join?”
“Aaagh,” Ricky gasped, grabbing his throat and acting as though he couldn’t breathe. “I’m choking in estrogen here…”
Aunt Kelsie just smiled at that and told me, “Dinner will be ready in just a little while.”
After Aunt Kelsie left, we talked for a few more minutes and promised to practice again tomorrow after school. Liz and Ricky packed up their guitars while Melissa kept watching me.
“I hope I get to hear you guys play again,” Melissa said before she started to leave with her sister.
“Hey Melissa,” I called back, giving her a thumbs up and saying, “I love the hair.” Melissa grinned broadly at that before leaving.
Christine chuckled at that, then looked up at me and said, “It looks like you have a fan.” She stuck her tongue out at me and added, “Just don’t let it go to your head, Miss Fishy.”
--------------------
Sociology was a class that I was normally not very interested in, not only because I usually found the subject boring but also because Mrs. Ruiz would just keep talking on and on. Some of the students joked that she had a special trick that let her put people to sleep. Today, I actually tried to stay awake and pay attention because she was talking about Twisted relations and that had become very relevant to me.
In spite of the fact that the topic actually had at least some interest to me, I still found my mind wandering a great deal. I couldn’t help but thinking about PE, and the annoying fact that we would only be going to the swimming pool for class during the next week before switching over to baseball instead. Not that long ago, I would have been delighted by that, but now I was dreading it. I didn’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t get at least a little swimming time in during the school day.
My shoes were currently sitting beside my desk while my tail was stretched out beneath it, and beneath the chair of the girl who sat in front of me. I tried not to draw attention as I pulled my dress up enough so that I could use my spray bottle to mist my tail, keeping it nice and damp. Mrs. Ruiz gave me a quick glance but nothing more, nor did most of the student.
In spite of my rather dramatic twist and odd body, I was old news. Today, another girl had come to class having just gone through her twist last night after school. Marissa Jordan was a slender black girl who I’d always found friendly, but now she actually had words written all over her skin, almost as though they were tattoos. I wasn’t quite sure what was written since Marissa was trying to cover up her arms with long sleeves, but from the words on her face I suspected that it was text from some steamy romance novel.
Nina was sitting several seats away and kept giving me dirty looks before whispering to the girl beside her. The two of them would snicker and then look away. I knew better than to think that they were saying good things about me.
I’d hoped that Marissa’s recent twist would take Nina’s attention off me, but unfortunately she still seemed to have a problem with me, one that had only gotten worse after Simone had come to my defense. Nina had recently begun spreading lies and rumors about me. I guess that kind of thing really bothered some girls, but I found them more annoying than anything else and wished she’d just deal with me face to face like a guy would.
When class was nearly over, I willed my legs to return and then slipped my shoes back on so I’d be ready to leave when the bell rang. I started out the door as soon as I was given the signal to do so, as did every other student in class. However, since Christine was in the same class, though sat on the other side of the room, I waited for her in the hallway.
While I was waiting on Christine, I overheard two girls giggling and saying, “I heard her twist makes her want to have sex with dolphins…” I let out a sigh at that, knowing that this was one of the rumors that Nina had been spreading around.
Marissa came out of the classroom a moment later and surprised me by coming straight to me. “I just wanted you to know,” she told me quietly, “Nina is spreading some nasty stories about you. I don’t believe them, but I thought you should know who was doing it.”
“Thank you,” I told her, trying not to stare at the words written across her face or to read them. However, it was difficult not to notice the words ‘sparks shot through my quivering body’. Then I made sure to raise my voice loud enough so that some of the gossip mongers nearby could hear as I added, “But Nina is really just jealous because I turned into a girl and she has to wait until she’s eighteen before she can get the operation to finish the job…”
Marissa’s eyes widened at that, then she snickered as she realized what I was up to. Neither of us looked directly at the gossip mongers who looked smug at the juicy new gossip and ran off. I doubted many people would believe that rumor, but Christina had told me yesterday that rumors didn’t need to be very believable to cause embarrassment.
“About your twist,” I told Marissa carefully, not wanting to embarrass her. “Have you discovered any tricks yet?”
“Not yet,” she responded with a sigh. “But I hope that I get a good one to make up for having this on my face…”
I nodded at that, fully understanding. “You could always use makeup to cover up the more embarrassing parts,” I pointed out.
“Good idea,” Marissa said with a grin. “I’ll see you later.” With that, she hurried off while Christina came up.
“I heard what you said,” Christine announced with a smirk. “Good start.”
Instead of feeling happy about the compliment, I shook my head. “Maybe, but I felt kind of low. That’s not the kind of girl I want to be.”
“There are other ways of dealing with Nina,” Christine told me with a shrug. However, she didn’t offer suggestions on what the other ways might be.
After this, I only had one more class for the day and it went by quickly and without any issue. Before I realized it, I was riding the bus home and wishing I had my own car, as usual. I wondered what it would take to convince mom to buy me one, though I suspected she’d just tell me to go get a job so I could buy one myself.
“I wonder if I can get a job as a lifeguard,” I mused, suddenly realizing that this would be a great job for me.
When I got home, I was vaguely relieved to see that Aunt Kelsie hadn’t come over early today which meant that I had the whole house to myself. I liked having Aunt Kelsie around, but I did need some private time to myself. I didn’t waste any time before running to the basement, stripping out of my clothes, and jumping into the water for a nice refreshing soak.
I spent about ten minutes underwater before surfacing again and brushing the wet hair from my face. All my stresses of the day were washed away with the water, even more effectively than by pounding on the drums. It was at moments like this that I could think about Nina and smile at how silly all her gossip and rumors were.
“I should see about getting a TV in here,” I mused, imagining how nice it would be to watch TV while soaking like this. “And one of those radios I can listen to underwater.”
Then I leaned back in the water, stretching out and feeling quite content. It was at times like this that I really didn’t mind my new life and situation at all. In fact, I was getting pretty used to the whole thing by now, even with being a girl and half fish. I splashed my tail at that, smiling as I did so.
“This feels pretty good,” I mused, running my hands along my tail.
My hand went to the spot where human skin and scales met, then moved further down where I ran it along my scales. My scales felt nice and smooth, and not at all slimy like some of the kids at school joked. Then I brought my hands back up, feeling along my flat stomach and then up to my boobs. It still stunned me a bit that I actually had boobs, especially ones this nice and which felt this good.
“Very nice,” I half purred as my nipples hardened and I began to play with them.
I was definitely starting to get turned on and it felt very nice, much better than it did in my old body. I’d felt this one other time since my twist, though I’d been embarrassed about it and had done my best to ignore the way I’d been feeling. But right now, I was home alone and in my very comfortable fish bowl so it actually felt sort of right. And it felt so good that I continued at it, feeling more and more excited in the process.
Not only were my nipples poking out like tiny erections but I was starting to feel all warm and gooey in what would have been the space between my legs, if I still had legs. I might not look like I still had equipment downstairs but I did, just hidden behind my scales in a spot that looked no different than any other.
I reached down to that spot and my scales pulled aside like a curtain, revealing a moist and very wet slit. I rubbed at it, moaning at how good it felt. Then I slipped my finger up inside myself, gasping at the sensation.
“That’s different,” I said with another gasp.
I continued fingering myself, feeling a very pleasant pressure building inside of me before it finally exploded into an orgasm. My whole body thrashed about under water as the pleasure rushed through me. It felt incredible, way better than jacking off as a guy had.
Once I’d calmed down a bit, I lay back in the water and giggled at what I’d done and how good it had felt. Then I pulled myself out of the water and willed my legs to return. I was still feeling turned on so reached between my legs to continue my playing.
Having something inside of me like my finger felt very weird, and though I wouldn’t have believed it, I liked how it felt. I couldn’t help but wondering what it would be like to have a guy inside of me…what it would be like having sex with a guy. Unfortunately, those thoughts were a big turn-off and kind of killed the mood.
“I definitely prefer girls,” I said with a sigh. “But maybe if I could get one built like Aunt Kelsie…” I thought about it for a moment and then shook my head.
Since I was done with playtime, I dried myself off and decided to get dressed again. However, I was still in a pretty damn good mood and decided that I might as well do it right.
There was no denying the fact that my twist had made me female. This was something that I’d accepted as one of the new facts of my life, though I was still trying to adjust to it. And though I thought I was doing a good job and was increasingly identifying as female, most of the time I still tended to think of myself a guy inside
At the moment, I felt particularly feminine, more than I have since waking up with this new body. I didn’t know if this was psychological from having finally explored my new parts or if it was physical, due to the flood of hormones that had to be rushing through my body. What I did know was that I kind of liked feeling like this and wanted to encourage it.
I dried myself off including my hair, which I then brushed to get it looking as nice as possible. Then I turned my attention to getting dressed, using how mom and Aunt Kelsie had dressed me up last Friday
evening as a model. I put on the nicest dress I owned, though I didn’t bother with panties. I’d learned that with my tail situation, panties were pretty impractical, which also meant that so were short skirts.
For my shoes, I picked the pair of low heels that looked nice but wouldn’t be a problem for me to walk in. But as I put them on, I made a mental note to practice in high heels so that I’d actually be able to
wear them when I wanted. After all, I’d always thought that high heels made girls look sexier, and since I was now a girl…
“And now for this,” I said, reaching for the jewelry box that mom and Aunt Kelsie had given me.
Ever since they’d given me this, I’d been wearing the pearl earrings and sometimes one of the other pieces, usually the shell pendant. I carefully removed my earrings and replaced them with the other pair that had dangling aquamarine stones. When I shook my head afterwards, I could feel the weight of them moving around on an odd fashion. After this I put on my nice pendant, the bracelet, and the ring that had belonged to Aunt Kelsie’s mom…to my grandma.
“Not bad,” I said as I looked myself over in the mirror. However, I still didn’t look as nice as I had last Friday and the reason was obvious. I wasn’t wearing any makeup.
I turned my attention to the expensive waterproof makeup kid that mom and Aunt Kelsie had given me, though I didn’t touch it, not wanting to waste any of the makeup with practice. Fortunately, mom had also bought me a small cheap makeup set for the sole purpose of being able to practice. I had yet to do any of that but now seemed like the perfect time.
My first attempt at putting on makeup was far from successful so I wiped it all off and tried again. Unfortunately, my second and third attempts weren’t really any better. By my fourth attempt, I was starting to feel frustrated that something I’d always thought was easy was turning out to be anything but. It especially annoyed me because even that bimbo Cheryl from school was able to do this, and everyone knew that she was as dumb as a rock.
“Makeup is stupid,” I muttered in frustration, though I knew it could make me look even nicer. Friday night had already proven that. I wanted to just give up, but I was a little too stubborn to do so that easily.
Then I heard my mom calling out from the living room, “Lori, I’m home…”
I hesitated a moment and then cautiously went into the living room to meet her. “Mom,” I said self-consciously when I saw her. “Can you help me with my makeup?”
Mom stared at me for a moment and then started laughing. I turned bright red in embarrassment and silently cursed myself for even trying to do this. Now I looked like some kind of clown or idiot.
“Wait,” mom called out when I turned to run to the safety of my room. She rushed to me and put a hand on my shoulder, “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have laughed…” I just stared at the floor in shame, feeling like I was about to start crying. Mom just gave me a hug and said, “I’m impressed that you tried this on your own…”
“But I look stupid,” I blurted out.
“I think every girl does the first few times she tries,” mom told me with an amused look. “It just takes a little practice.”
I gave mom a skeptical look but she just gently pushed me towards the bathroom where I’d been practicing in front of the mirror. I looked at my reflection and began crying, “I look like a clown…”
Mom looked confused and uncertain for a moment, then gave me another hug. “I’m not really sure what I’m doing,” she admitted with a faint smile. “I’m not Twisted and don’t know what you’re going through. If I’d known you could be, I might have been better prepared…”
“What?” I asked, surprised by mom’s sudden change of direction.
“You’re smearing your mascara,” mom told me as wiped my tears, then held up her finger which was dark with the makeup. She stared at me for a moment with a strange expression before carefully saying, “Even though you look completely different from the way you used to, when I look at you I can still see the old Lucas. And sometimes, you act so much like any other girl that I just get a little confused. I imagine it’s a lot more confusing for you.”
I nodded at that, wiping my tears away and getting makeup smeared on my hands in the process. “Yeah.”
“I can’t really understand what you’re going through,” mom told me gently, “but I am trying. I’m trying to be as understanding and helpful as I can.”
“I know,” I told her quietly, giving her another hug. “And you’re doing fine.”
When mom pulled away, she smiled at me and then announced, “Your first mistake is using bright red lipstick. With your hair coloring, you should go with a gloss…or maybe even a bluish color…”
A minute later, I had all of the makeup cleaned off my face again. Then I started over, this time with mom instructing me what to do, though she didn’t actually touch any of the makeup herself. This time, the results were noticeably improved, though I still had a long way to go.
“Okay, let’s try it again,” mom suggested patiently.
“Isn’t it getting time for dinner?” I asked her, though I didn’t want to stop just yet.
“Almost,” she responded, then immediately followed that up with more suggestions for my makeup.
I was about halfway through and was liking the results this time when I heard the doorbell ringing. “You go ahead and finish up,” mom told me. “I’ll go see who it is.”
With mom gone, I was a little hesitant to continue, afraid that I’d mess up again and end up looking stupid. However, most of the base work had already been done and mom had already given me advice on how to do the rest. I took a deep breath and continued, taking my time and being careful.
Once I was finished, I looked myself over in the mirror and felt rather proud of what I’d done. Sure, my makeup work could use more improvement, but I actually looked pretty nice this time. I smiled at that, eager to show mom.
“I can’t believe I’m getting so excited about makeup,” I said, wanting to feel guilty for that but shoving those emotions aside. After all, I was a girl now and girls wore makeup. I refused to feel guilty because I was making the best of my new life.
I went to go find mom, only to hear her talking to someone else in the living room. I paused where I was and listened in for a moment, surprised to realize that the other person she was talking to was my dad. I hadn’t seen him in over a year and the thought of seeing him now filled me with a surge of panic.
“I was nearby for my work,” dad said, his voice cold and angry, “and I decided to come over so we could talk about that email you sent me…”
“Frank,” mom said, her voice almost pleading. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you but I didn’t want this argument…”
“You tell me you cheated on me and you can’t even talk to me directly?” he snapped. “I should have known you couldn’t keep your legs closed. So who was it? Your boss?”
“Don’t you dare,” mom exclaimed angrily. “I know you were having your own fun with Katherine…”
They argued for another minute while I just stood back, wincing and feeling even worse. Finally, dad demanded, “Where’s Lucas? Where’s my son at?”
“I told you,” mom responded. “Lucas went through a twist and…”
“Where is he?” dad demanded angrily.
I gulped nervously and then stepped into the room. I couldn’t bear to look at dad directly, or at least to have him look at me. But I still looked up and met his eyes.
“Hi dad,” I said quietly, terrified of what he’d think of me now. I took deep breath and added, “I’m called Lori now.”
Dad stared at me, his eyes filled with shock and surprise. Then his expression hardened and the look in his eyes turned to one of cold anger.
“Don’t call me that,” he finally said, nearly spitting out the words with a hostility that hit me almost like a physical blow. “You’re not mine.” With that, he turned and gave mom an angry glare before storming out the front door.
“Dad,” I called out, tears running down my cheeks and ruining the makeup I’d just worked so hard to put on. However, I didn’t care. Dad might not be my biological father, and he might have ignored me while I was growing up, but he was still the only dad I’d ever had. “DAD!”
Dad didn’t suddenly turn around and come back into the house and I was left standing there sobbing uncontrollably, feeling as though something important had just been ripped out of me. Mom rushed over and grabbed me firmly, holding me tight and trying to comfort me.
“How could you do this to her, Frank?” mom muttered to herself angrily, glaring towards the door. “It’s not her fault…” Then she told me, “It’s going to be all right honey. I’m here for you.”
--------------------
I stood in the middle of my old bedroom, looking down at myself and then at my reflection in the new mirror that hung on the wall. Did I look good? I thought I did but wasn’t quite sure it was right or appropriate.
What really frustrated me was that just as I was starting to feel confident as a girl, dad had come over and ruined it all. It had been two days since dad had had completely disowned me and I still felt depressed and uncertain. Dad…Frank, I reminded myself since he’d made it very clear that I wasn’t his, had shattered what little female self-confidence I’d managed to build. Frank might have turned out to not really be my biological dad, and he might have been a lousy dad while I was growing up, but his complete and total rejection that way had still really hurt.
When I noticed mom standing in my doorway watching me, I asked, “How do I look?”
“You look great,” mom told me, coming in and looking me over.
I looked into the mirror again and nodded. I’d completed a soak in my fish bowl short time ago and had only just finished getting dressed and ready for the talent show tonight. I was wearing a tank top that revealed my navel as well as a little cleavage, and a fairly short skirt. Both the shirt and skirt were aquamarine in color and made of that scale fabric which had been popular last year and which shimmered a bit like sequins or scales. I even had a belt on with a buckle that looked like a sea shell. My hair and makeup had been done up as well, though I’d had mom’s help for both.
“What if people laugh at me?” I asked nervously.
“No one is going to laugh,” mom assured me, giving me a hug. “You’re a beautiful young woman and a wonderful person. Frank was an idiot who never deserved to have you for a daughter.”
“She’s right,” Aunt Kelsie said as she stepped into my room as well. She gave me a sympathetic smile then came over and gave me a hug. “I’m proud to say you’re my daughter…”
“Thank you,” I told her, feeling incredibly touched by that. Unlike Frank, Aunt Kelsie had always been there for me. And though I didn’t say so, I suddenly realized that I was actually proud to have her as my real father. I hugged her even more tightly at that.
When we pulled away, I was actually crying though I wasn’t feeling sad. It was odd to realize that I’ve cried more since my twist than I had in the entire year before it. Aunt Kelsie smiled at me and gently told me, “You’re going to smear your mascara…”
“No I’m not,” I responded with a self-conscious smile.
I was currently wearing the waterproof makeup, which I could wear to bed and it would still be good in the morning. I’d actually tested that out last night. I wiped my tears away without fear of smearing my makeup and then smiled proudly at Aunt Kelsie and mom.
“Okay kiddo,” Aunt Kelsie told me, “I think you need one more thing.” She gestured to my jewelry box and the ring she’d given me levitated out of it and flew to her hand. She held it out to me and said, “For luck.”
I put the ring on and gave her another hug. “Thank you,” I quietly told her again, half tempted to call her ‘daddy’, but that would have been too weird.
Aunt Kelsie smiled proudly and put her arm around my shoulder. “Let’s get you to school so you can kick ass in that talent show. You look gorgeous and I know you’re going to sound even better.”
Once I finished double checking my clothes and jewelry, we took off for school where I’d meet up with the rest of my band. We’d already had our instruments brought to school earlier today so all we had to do was show up, get set up, and then impress everyone.
When we arrived at school a short time later, mom and Aunt Kelsie took off to get seats in the audience while I went to find my friends. I found them right where we agreed to meet and saw that I was the last one to arrive.
“You look really nice,” Melissa told me, having tagged along with Liz. Ricky nodded agreement at that, though he made an obvious effort not to stare at me.
“Thanks,” I told her. “But you’ll probably want to go get a seat before they’re all taken.”
“You heard her, brat,” Liz said to her sister, though she was smiling faintly as she did so. “Get the fuck out of here.”
Melissa nodded, not seeming to be bothered by the way Liz was talking to her. “See you later,” she told us before running off.
As soon as Melissa was gone, I looked over my friends and noticed that they’d dressed up a bit too. Liz was dress about the same as usual, though her clothes were just a little nicer. Her real attempt at dressing up came from the new tattoo on her arm which she had exposed in order to show it off.
Ricky was wearing a black leather vest and a faux snake skin belt. He had short sleeves on and was going to have the blackout lights going while we were on stage so that the snake tattoo on his arm would really become visible. Of course, this was probably going to be a surprise to his parents who he still hadn’t told about it.
Then I looked to Christine, who was wearing a black dress and a black bow in her hair. She had a belt with a skull on it, though it wasn’t too intimidating since the skull looked kind of cute and girlie with a pink bow. Christine was done up in full gothic lolita style, which was probably the closest she could come to the way she used to dress before her twist. I was actually a little surprised that she was able to do this much.
“Looking good,” I told Christine who just grinned at that.
“Thanks,” she responded happily. “It’s pushing my compulsions a little, but not enough to make me change right away.”
“We’re not up for awhile,” Ricky said thoughtfully. “Let’s check out the competition while we wait for our turn.”
We all agreed with that and went to the side of the auditorium to watch the show while waiting our turn. The first person up was a kid who could juggle and he was even pretty good at it. However, I suspected that this might be the result of some trick which would have made it somewhat less impressive. That was followed by a chubby boy in a kilt who played a tune on bagpipes…badly.
“My ears hurt after that one,” Christine complained when the bagpipes were finished.
Liz snorted and muttered, “I might have to go kick his ass next week just on general principal.”
Next came the Jessica twins, a pair of identical looking brunettes who were actually a single person. When Jessica had gone through her twist, she’d developed a clone body that was identical to her original one, though she still had only a single mind that controlled both bodies simultaneously. She ran some interesting magic tricks, using very obvious assistance from her twisted tricks. However, she was pretty entertaining and I found myself clapping when she was done.
After this, there were two musical acts in a row, a girl who sang beautifully and then a band. We paid very close attention to these acts since they were our direct competition. I couldn’t help but glaring at the singer since I’d actually have to do better than that and I didn’t think I could. Her performance made me feel almost like I’d failed before I’d even gotten a chance to show what I could do.
“Don’t worry,” Christine assured me. “You’ll do great.” Then she held up the stuffed toy dragon she’d brought and asked, “Want to hug Mister Slithers for good luck?”
“I’d rather not,” I responded with a chuckle.
A short time later, it was finally our turn to get on stage and show what we could do. We quickly set our equipment in place and then waited until the curtain was pulled open to reveal us to the audience. A quick scan of the audience revealed mom and Aunt Kelsie who were sitting next to Ricky’s parents. Then I saw Melissa who was already cheering excitedly from her own seat.
“Next,” the announcer called out to the audience as he presented us. “Let me introduce Scales…”
Scales was one of the names that Melissa had suggested for our band, another obvious reference to my tail. However, Ricky had decided that it could also refer to his snake tattoo and happily agreed to the name. Since Liz and Christine didn’t care one way or another, that became the name of our band.
As soon as we were introduced, Christine began setting a beat down with the drums while Liz and Ricky began playing as well. I waited a full ten seconds before I began singing, giving it everything I had. After everything that had happened in the last couple weeks, especially with Frank, I had a lot of pent up frustration which I poured into the song.
It was a little strange standing out in front of my band with a whole crowd spread out in front of me. I felt nervous at first but focused entirely on the music to keep myself distracted from that. However, I did spare enough attention to notice the stuffed dragon toy that was dancing on stage beside me. From the grins and pointing in the audience, it looked like they were enjoying Christine’s trick.
When the song ended, the audience began clapping and cheering. Melissa was loud enough that I could make out her voice over the others while her mom stood beside her looking particularly happy. Then I looked to my own mom and Aunt Kelsie, both of whom were clapping and cheering, making me happy that they’d liked it.
“Good job,” Ricky announced as the curtain closed. We began grabbing our equipment and clearing the space for the next act while he continued, “We sounded totally wicked out there…”
“Yeah, we did,” Liz agreed with a smirk. “Fucking awesome.”
“And really really good,” Christine added cheerfully.
I just grinned at that and asked, “I didn’t sound too off?”
“You sounded dead on,” Ricky told me with a grin. “Even better than at practice.”
I felt incredibly giddy at how exciting this had been and at how well it had all gone. Though I hadn’t told anyone, I’d been half afraid that I’d freeze up with stage fright at my first performance in front of an audience. I was so glad that hadn’t happened because I was pretty sure I wouldn’t have been able live it down.
Once the last couple acts had finished up, the announcer, who was also our school’s vice principal, began to call out the winners of the various categories. The judging had been done partly by a group of three judges and party by audience voting. There was a pause after the final act while they decided who was going to win the prizes.
Then came the first announcement of, “The prize for most humorous act goes to Ted Chappel and Bobby Morgenstern.” The audience clapped and I nodded, chuckling as I thought about their comedy routine. They had been pretty funny.
“Best solo performance goes to Tess Washington,” the vice principal called out the name of the singer I’d been jealous of. I felt jealous again, which was silly since I wasn’t even eligible for this award. However, her being given this prize might very well mean that she was going to win the one I wanted.
The best group performance was called out next, which wasn’t us, followed by the best performance without the use of a trick. Then he finally announced, “The prize for the best musical performance goes to Scales.”
“We did it,” I blurted out in surprise, earning a grin from Christine and a look that seemed to say, “I told you so.”
The four of us ran up to the stage to accept our prizes, award certificates that we could hang on our walls and gift cards to several local stores. The prizes weren’t really that impressive, but that wasn’t the point. This had all been about pride.
After the awards were finished, the audience all got up to socialize and talk to the performers. I was stunned to suddenly find my friends and I surrounded by students and parents who wanted to congratulate us.
“That was awesome,” one boy I only vaguely recognized exclaimed.
Then I noticed a hot looking redhead coming towards me, and by redhead I meant that her hair was actually crimson, though there were a couple golden blonde streaks as well. I recognized her as a senior named Blake, though I’d never talked to her before.
“You all sounded fantastic,” Blake said, her voice a bit sexy and flirty. She gave me an appreciative look like what I was getting used to seeing from guys. “Especially you.”
“Um…thanks,” I responded, a little embarrassed by the attention but enjoying it as well.
“I heard about your twist in the swimming pool,” she said with an amused look. “It kind of caught my attention because I used to be a guy too…”
I stared at her in surprise that anyone as hot looking as her could ever have been a guy. And she definitely knew how to dress in order to show off her body. “Really?”
“We should talk some time,” she told me. “I have a couple other friends you might want to talk to as well. The whole sex change thing can be awkward and it really helps being able to talk to people who understand.”
Suddenly, Christine smacked my side to get my attention and then pointed off to the side. It took me a moment to see what she was actually trying to direct my attention to. Nina was there, glaring at me with an unhappy look on her face. And right beside Nina was her boyfriend Tim, a nice enough guy, and he was staring right at me with looks of definite appreciation. Nina glared at him, obviously not happy about it.
“They success is the best revenge,” Christina told me smugly.
I just laughed at that, thinking that if I could piss Nina off just by doing what I enjoyed and doing it well, then I was more than happy to do so. I couldn’t help but wondering what she’d do if I actually talked to her boyfriend, though that was something I wasn’t sure I wanted to find the answer to.
Then mom and Aunt Kelsie finally caught up to me, both blurted out their congratulations. “You sounded amazing,” mom exclaimed proudly while Aunt Kelsie nodded agreement. She looked to my friends, who were just leaving to go see their own families and added, “You all did.”
“I’m so proud of you,” Aunt Kelsie said, giving me a hug. “You’re beautiful and talented.”
“And modest too,” I joked, earning a laugh.
“I think she takes after you,” mom told Aunt Kelsie with a smirk.
Aunt Kelsie put one arm around my shoulder and one around mom’s. “I think we need to go out and celebrate. Maybe some ice cream and then a stop at a swimming pool for a quick dip.
“Really?” I asked eagerly, looking forward to a chance to stretch my tail before bed.
“Come on daughter of mine,” Aunt Kelsie said proudly. She paused to muse, “It’s still a little strange saying that, but I can definitely get used to it.
“Me too,” I agreed with a grin.
I stood there for a moment, staring at mom and Aunt Kelsie and feeling quite happy. The thought of what Frank had said to me still felt a little tender, but he’d never really been my dad in any way that truly mattered. Aunt Kelsie was not only my biological father but the one who’d helped raise me. I might not have known of my relationship to her at the time, but she’d always been there as one of my parents.
“Come on,” I told my parents eagerly, wanting to get to the pool before it closed for the night. Then I paused, proudly looking at my family before catching them both in a hug at once. A moment later, I turned and started walking, calling back, “We have ice cream and swimming to get to…”
“She’s your daughter,” Aunt Kelsie joked to mom.
Mom just laughed at that and said, “No, she’s our daughter.”
--------------------
I sat on the edge of the large swimming pool, absently swishing my tail back and forth through the water. I was well aware that a number of people were watching me curiously, but I pretended that I didn’t notice.
This was the largest swimming pool in Spiral and the fact that it was an indoor pool which could be used all year round made it even better. There was plenty of space for me to swim around in so it was no surprise that I came here pretty often. In fact, I came here so often that I’d made a deal with the owners. I got to come in and swim for free whenever I wanted and for however long I wanted, and in exchange, I acted as a backup lifeguard and they got to brag that they had a mermaid swimming here. Apparently, my presence drew a lot customers.
“Are you a real mermaid?” a little girl asked me.
I smiled at that, having gotten used to the question. “No,” I answered her honestly. “I’m just Twisted.”
Once the little girl was gone, I looked over the swimming pool and then at the clock on the wall. It was Sunday afternoon and I’d been here all morning but it was getting about time for me to leave. Mom had a doctor’s appointment today and was going to pick me up on the way home.
“One more lap before I go,” I said, sliding into the pool and smiling as I swished my tail and shot through the water like a torpedo.
There were plenty of people swimming in the pool so I couldn’t race through as fast as I’d like. Instead, I kept low, below most of the swimmers who were at the surface, and was careful not to bump into anyone or give them a scare.
Being in the water like this felt so natural and was such a large part of my life that it was hard to believe I’d once been afraid of the water or didn’t know how to swim. I’d been Twisted for only two months but it felt almost like that had been a whole lifetime ago.
When I’d gone through my twist, it hadn’t just changed my body but most of my life. I’d lost a dad who never much cared for me and had discovered a new one who’d been right under my nose the whole time. And even though I’d always been close to my mom, becoming a girl made me even closer to her.
Once I was finished with my final laps around the pool, I went to the side and reluctantly pulled myself out of the water. I grabbed the wraparound skirt that I always brought to the pool and snapped it in place and then changed my tail back into legs. Several people stood back watching this, including the lifeguard who’d seen it many times before.
“Hey,” someone called out to me. “You’re Lorilei right? The lead singer of Scales?”
I looked to the person talking and saw that it was a beautiful brunette girl who looked to be about my own age. She had on a one piece bikini that showed off her nice figure very well. And since she was soaked, it was obvious that she’d already been in the water.
“Yeah,” I responded with a smile, trying not to be too obvious about checking her out. That kind of thing did make some girls uncomfortable. “That’s me.”
“I heard you guys play a couple weeks ago,” she told me with a grin. “You were awesome…”
“Thanks,” I told her, pleased by the compliment. “We’re playing at Silver Linings next Saturday night...the seafood restaurant on Westbrook and Main.”
“I’ll be sure to check it out,” she responded, looking me over with an expression of obvious appreciation, the kind I usually saw when boys looked at me. That suddenly caught my attention even further. “I’m Daphne by the way…”
I smiled at that and said, “Call me Lori.”
Daphne stared at me for a moment, blushing just a little which looked very cute. “I’m a bit of a fan,” she admitted, seeming to almost become shy or at least self-conscious. Then she abruptly asked, “Do you come here often?”
I just laughed at that. “Only every weekend and sometimes after school.” Then I grinned broadly and added, “They even have me on the books as a backup lifeguard. They got me CPR training and everything for it.”
Suddenly, I heard someone call out, “Lori…”
I looked over and saw several of my friends coming towards me, obviously having just arrived. Not only were they still dry, but I would have noticed Liz, Ricky, and Melissa before this if they’d been here.
Ricky and Liz were actually holding hands, which wasn’t too surprising since they’d begun dating a few weeks ago. I’d been a little surprised when I found out, though Christine had smugly announced that she knew they’d end up together. I just hoped that it worked out for them.
Then I looked at Melissa, who was back to her natural hair color, having only kept it aquamarine for a few weeks. However, in spite of not having the same hair color as me, she was definitely still one of my biggest fans and made sure to catch any of our shows she could.
I glanced down to Melissa’s bare feet and grinned. “You’re not wearing your shoes,” I pointed out.
Melissa nodded at that and almost pouted as she responded, “They won’t let me wear them in the pool.”
Melissa had just gone through her twist a few weeks ago and she’d come out of it with a compulsion to wear high heels and a trick that gave her an unbelievably good sense of balance. I’d actually watched her running around in stiletto heels as easily as if they were sneakers.
“This is Daphne,” I introduced her to my friends. “And these are…”
“The guitarist and bass player,” Daphne quickly said. “I’m a big fan of your band.” Then she gave me another appreciative look before averting her eyes self-consciously
“Cool,” Ricky said while Liz elbowed him for paying too much attention to Daphne.
“This is Ricky and Liz,” I finished saying.
Daphne looked around and asked, “Is your drummer here too?”
“Naw,” I responded with a grin. “Christine got invited to a birthday party with a bunch of little girls. I don’t think she could turn down being able to play with a bunch of girls her own size.”
Ricky and Liz nodded while Melissa blurted out, “Where’s your tail?”
“The fucking brat drug us here so we could go swimming with you,” Liz said, though there was nothing hostile in her tone.
“I was just on my way out,” I said apologetically. “My mom is arriving to pick me up in a few minutes so I really need to go get cleaned up and changed.”
“That bites,” Ricky said. “We just arrived and you’re already leaving.”
I shrugged at that. “Sorry about that,” I responded with a sigh. Then seeing the look of disappointment on Melissa’s face, I told her, “Why don’t you come over later this week and I’ll let you take a dip in my fish bowl.”
“That would be great,” Melissa responded with an excited grin. Then she paused to look down at her bare feet and scowled. “Do you think I can talk them into letting me wear my shoes?”
“Like I already told you,” Liz teased her. “They’d get ruined in the pool.”
“I’ll see you guys later,” I told my friends. Then I turned to Daphne, not sure what to say to her. Then I took a deep breath before blurting out, “I really hope to see you at Silver Linings…”
Daphne brightened and promised, “I’ll be there.”
The two of us just stood there staring at each other for a moment and I could definitely feel something between us. There was no doubt that I was attracted to this girl and from the way she was looking at me, she obviously felt the same way.
I was a little uncertain about my emotions, or at least about what to do with them. Ever since my twist, I’d avoided the very idea of dating anyone, and there had been one or two girls who’d indicated that they might be interested. Until now, I’d just wanted to focus on getting comfortable in my own skin and learning about who I now was.
“Maybe we can hang out sometime,” I suggested to Daphne, abruptly deciding that it was time for me to put my tail back in the water, as it were. My last girlfriend had turned into a little girl and then I’d turned into a girl myself, but it was time to put that behind me and move on.
Daphne grinned at that and replied, “I’d love to…”
Ricky and Liz gave each other knowing looks while Melissa looked like she couldn’t decide to be annoyed or happy for me. She finally settled on standing there with a smirk.
After I finished with my goodbyes, I went to the locker room where I showered and then got dressed. Unfortunately, I’d been distracted long enough that when I got out front, I found that mom and Aunt Kelsie were already there waiting for me.
“How was the doctor’s appointment?” I asked mom when I climbed into the back seat of the car.
Mom and Aunt Kelsie shared an odd look with each other but neither said a word for several long seconds. Then instead of answering me, mom asked, “So, how was your swim?”
“It was good,” I answered, giving mom a suspicious look and wondering why she was changing the subject. I couldn’t help but feeling a little worried. “The pool manager said that they wanted to put me on the payroll and make me an official employee.”
“That’s great,” Aunt Kelsie exclaimed.
I just shrugged at that. “Yeah, but then I’d probably have scheduled hours instead of coming in whenever I wanted. I told him I’d have to think about it.”
When we arrived home a few minutes later, I immediately started for my room, but mom called out for me to stop. “There’s something we need to talk about,” mom told me, looking a bit nervous.
“Is it your appointment?” I asked, getting worried again. “Did the doctor find something wrong?”
“Nothing like that,” mom said, giving me a smile.
Aunt Kelsie grinned and reached out, taking mom’s hand and holding it. “It’s actually good news.”
Mom took a deep breath and then blurted out, “You’re going to be a big sister.”
“What?” I gasped in surprise, staring at mom and then Aunt Kelsie who nodded confirmation.
“I’m pregnant,” mom said, looking to Aunt Kelsie and smiling at her.
For a moment, I stood there staring at her, trying to absorb what she’d just told me. Then I grinned and asked, “I’m really going to have a brother or sister?”
I had always wondered what it would be like having a brother or sister and had daydreamed about it quite a few times. Growing up, I was an only child and had spent a lot of time playing by myself, often wishing that I had someone to play with.
“A sister,” mom told me proudly. “The doctor confirmed my pregnancy today and the baby’s gender.”
Mom gave me a hug and Aunt Kelsie joined in a moment later. The three of us continued holding each other for nearly a minute before we pulled apart and then sat down in the living room where we began talking about what this new addition would mean for our family.
As we sat there talking, I couldn’t help but feeling a mixture of nervousness and excitement over this news. Having a baby sister around was going to be a big change, though nothing like all the other changes that had occurred in my life over the last couple months. In the last two months, I’d become Twisted, a girl, and a mermaid, and at that very moment, I couldn’t wait to become a big sister as well.
THE END
By
Morpheus
Chad has just returned to Spiral after spending a year away, just in time to undergo his twist. This story takes place in the Twisted Universe
--------------------
Spiral was a moderate to large sized town that was located in Northern California where the residents enjoyed decent weather that tended to be neither too hot nor too cold. On the surface, it appeared to be a normal town like many others, thought the truth was that Spiral was unique.
Once, Spiral had been a smaller town with a different name, but then the local area had been hit hard with the Antarctic Flu. Many of the locals died from this plague while many more survived and eventually had children, children who’s DNA had been altered due to the infections that their parents had overcome.
When these children grew older and went through their twists, their families embraced and protected them. Before long, the town had gained a reputation as being tolerant and welcoming to the Twisted, which resulted in many more of them moving there with their families. The once small town went through a period of growth and change as it became a sanctuary to the Twisted, even changing its name. Now, Spiral had the largest concentration of Twisted in the entire world.
I grew up in Spiral and had lived here for most of my life, along with my younger brother Aaron. We’d been raised by our Grandpa and Grandma while our Mom was in Las Angeles for her career, at least until my Grandpa passed away a little more than a year ago. Before I knew what was happening, I was sent to live with my Mom while Aaron had been left in Spiral. The idea at the time had been that with my Grandpa being gone, it would be easier on my Grandma if she had one less boy to watch and one less mouth to feed. However, it hadn’t worked out quite as well as intended.
First off, Mom wasn’t exactly a paragon of parental responsibility, and living with her tended to be…awkward. And then there was the LA school, which was much more crowded and less safe than my old school in Spiral. After a school stabbing, which I hadn’t been involved in, everyone decided that I would be better off back in Spiral. And as an added bonus, I’d be able to help Grandma around the house.
My name is Chad Anderson and I’ve only been back in Spiral for a couple weeks. In that time, I’d been busy reconnecting with old friends and trying to make new ones. In a way, Spiral was a lot stranger than even LA could possibly be, but it was also a lot more comforting to me. After all, Spiral was home.
I was currently standing outside, in the back yard of my Grandma’s suburban home. It was a fairly large back yard, which was fortunate because we were holding a party and there were a lot of people. There was even a local garage band called Scales that was set up in the far corner, providing live music.
Though it would have been nice thinking of this as a welcome home party in my honor, the truth was that it was actually a birthday party for my brother Aaron. He’d just turned eleven, though I suspected that Grandma had thrown a little extra into the party just so that I could feel like it was for me too. When I had my seventeenth birthday in a couple months, I was pretty sure any party I had wouldn’t include a band or this many people.
I slowly looked around the party, noting that there were a few people my own age, a little too old to be friends with Aaron. I knew that four of them were members of the band while the others were my friends and were here mostly for the free cake and ice-cream. Grandma had told me to invite them, mostly so I’d have some people my own age to hang around with, for which I was grateful.
After making a mental note as to where my friends were standing, I went to talk to my grandma. She was tall and slender, with shoulder length hair that had more than a few gray hairs sprinkled among the dark brown. It amazed me that she still had such an easy smile after everything she’d had to deal with, both with my Mom’s situation and with losing Grandpa last year.
“Hello, Chad,” Grandma said, somehow knowing that I’d been approaching her even though I’d been coming up from behind. I would have thought that it was a trick, except for the fact that she wasn’t Twisted. She’d been born before the Antarctic Flu went around, which meant there was no way for her to actually be Twisted, even if she had survived the disease as a child. “What can I do for you?”
“Hey Grandma,” I responded, hesitating a moment before asking, “Do you know if Bridgett is coming?”
“I’m afraid she isn’t,” Grandma told me with a faint look of disappointment.
I nodded at that, feeling vaguely disappointed as well, though not surprised. Bridgett was my older sister who was currently away at college. I’d wanted to talk to her about what college was like and ask her questions about the one she was attending. I had every intention of going to college after I graduate, though I still trying to narrow down what kind of degree I wanted to work for as well as where I wanted to earn it. I’d thought that Bridgett might be able to help me, but I should have known better.
Bridgett might have been my older sister, but we certainly weren’t very close. She’d grown up living with her dad, not being raised by Grandpa and Grandma the way Aaron and I were, so we’d never lived under the same roof. I got along with her fairly well, but the truth was, the number of times that we’d met face to face could be counted without having to use all my fingers and toes.
“I know you’ve been wanting to talk to her,” Grandma told me pleasantly, “so why don’t you send her an e-mail? I’m sure she’d be happy to hear from you.”
“I don’t know,” I responded with a sigh.
Grandma stared at me for a moment before chuckling. “Don’t worry about it right now. This is a party and I think your friends might want to spend some time with you.’ And with that, she shooed me away.
After leaving my Grandma, I checked on Aaron, who was excitedly playing with some of his own friends. I was too far away to hear what they were saying, but I got the impression that they were talking about either the new video game they were into or the comic books that they were always reading.
I’d never been into video games, comic books, or much of any kind of fiction. That kind of thing never really made much sense to me. Why play video games when you can go out and find real things to do? Why read about aliens and creatures that don’t exist when you can read about interesting people and the exciting things that they did for real?
With a shrug, I nodded towards Aaron, though he didn’t seem to notice me, then I continued towards my friends. Jim and Luke were standing off to the side, staring at a computer tablet that they’d brought with them. The two would occasionally look up with a guilty expression and snicker, letting me know that they weren’t up to anything good.
“Hey, what’s up?” I greeted the two of them.
Jim had dark hair, a stocky build, and he stood at 6 feet tall, two inches taller than me. Luke, on the other hand, was a skinny ginger with heavy freckles, who was several inches shorter than me.
I smiled faintly as I remembered the days when Jim and I had been best friends, back before I’d moved away. After I’d left, he and Luke had begun hanging out and had become best friends instead. Since my return, they were both willing to hang out with me, but things had definitely changed. Now, I was almost like a third wheel while hanging with them.
“Look at this video we found,” Jim told me with a smirk.
He held up the tablet, letting me see that they were playing a video with the sound turned off. A single glance was enough to reveal a sexy and stacked blonde woman who was naked and in the middle of a sexual act with another woman. I immediately recognized her, as would almost any guy in school. After all, Deanna Desire was a pretty famous porn star.
“Turn that off,” I snapped at my friends as I tore my eyes away from the monitor. “There are little kids here…”
“Killjoy,” Luke teased me.
Jim paused and looked around as though suddenly realizing that there were kids around for the first time. “Fine,” he said with rolled eyes. “Whatever…”
“They’re going to learn about this stuff sooner or later,” Luke pointed out with a smirk. “In fact, I bet most of them would be happy to watch this… I know I would have been at their age…”
I let out a sigh of exasperation, wondering why I’d invited these two knuckleheads to Aaron’s party. Then again, if they hadn’t been here, I probably would have had to hang out with Aaron and his buddies.
“Have you talked to Keenan lately?” I asked curiously, eager to distract my friends and keep them from teasing me about being a killjoy.
Keenan was another old friend who I used to hang out with all the time before I’d moved out of Spiral. In fact, he’d been my second closest friend, in second place only a short distance behind Jim. However, that had been a long time ago and I’d barely even seen him since I moved back.
“Not really,” Jim answered with a faint scowl. “I mean, he’s changed since his twist. He doesn’t really like hanging out or doing anything now. I don’t think he even wants to be friends anymore.”
I nodded at that, knowing exactly what Jim meant. Keenan had gone through his twist only a month or so ago, and that was guaranteed to change a person. From what I’d seen, he hadn’t changed physically, but his personality certainly had. He used to be friendly and outgoing, but when I’d talked to him, he seemed cold and distant. But more than that, he just seemed…off.
“You know how it is,” Jim commented. “When you go through your twist, you might not come out of it as the same person.”
Luke and I both nodded in understanding. It was a simple fact of life in Spiral that when someone underwent their twist, their bodies and personalities could both be altered in strange and unexpected ways. Friends, relatives, and classmates could all change into someone else entirely, making you grieve for those who were gone, even though they were still alive and in front of you.
I shuddered as I suddenly remembered Cassidy Morgan, a cute girl I used to have a crush on. I’d been gathering up my courage to ask her out on a date, then one day she went through her twist and developed an extreme case of social anxiety disorder. She became so afraid of other people that she locked herself in her house and never came out again.
A moment later, Luke suddenly blurted out, “Holy shit… Is that who I think it is?”
I looked to where he was pointing and groaned faintly as I saw that a gorgeous and very busty blonde woman had come out from the back door of the house and was starting towards us. Luke and Jim both stood there with their mouths opened as they stared at the very same woman they’d just been watching a video of a few minutes earlier.
Once she reached where we were standing, Jim blurted out, “You’re Deanna Desire…”
“I take it you’re fans,” she said with a light laugh, obviously amused by that. “But that’s just my working name. Around here, I’m Dana Anderson.”
“Anderson,” Jim said awkwardly, as though he couldn’t believe she’d told him her real name. Then he turned to give me a curious look as he realized that she had the same last name I did.
“Hey mom,” I said with a sigh, feeling embarrassed as my friends stared at me in stunned disbelief. “I’m glad you could make it.”
“Of course I made it,” she responded, almost as though offended I’d even suggest she couldn’t. “There is no way I’d miss your brother’s birthday party.”
I nodded at that, then glanced to my friends who were still staring as though their brains had suddenly crashed. Of course, there was a very good reason I’d never told my friends that my Mom was a porn star, and that I’d made sure they never met her whenever she’d come to visit. It was quite…awkward.
My Mom was forty-one, though she looked ten to fifteen years younger than her actual age. She still had a killer body and a very active career, which I was quite embarrassed by. Of course, her body and career were both a direct result of her twist. When she was about my age, she went through her twist and gained not only those impressive curves, but also a high sex drive and an almost complete lack of sexual inhibitions.
Mom gave me a hug, then asked, “So, who are your friends?” She gave Jim and Luke speculative looks, probably wondering what they’d be like in bed.
“This is Luke and Jim,” I introduced them.
“So you’re Jim,” she said, smiling at my friend in a seductive way that probably made him cream his pants. “Chad has talked about you…”
I stared at my Mom for a moment, turning bright red and blurting out, “Remember rule number three…”
“Of course,” Mom responded with a chuckle, backing off a little, much to my relief.
When I’d first moved in with my Mom over a year ago, things had been quite awkward and uncomfortable for me at first. Not only did she have a lack of sexual inhibitions, she couldn’t even understand why other people were uncomfortable or embarrassed about sex. It hadn’t taken long before I put down a list of rules that I needed her to follow if I was going to live with her. Most of the rules didn’t make much sense to her, but she understood that this was important to me so she’d agreed to follow them.
The first rule was that she was NOT to show me any of the pictures or videos from her work. She was quite proud of what she did for a living and sometimes wanted to show off a particularly steamy scene she’d done, but there was no way I wanted to watch my own Mom do something like that. The very idea made me shudder at just how wrong it was.
The second rule was simply that Mom wasn’t supposed to have sex with anyone while I was present, though I’d later been forced to add masturbating with herself to that ban. That rule was created after one day when I’d been watching TV on the couch, then she and her boy toy at the time had come in and began going at it right there on the couch next to me. I’d run from apartment in a near panic.
And then there was the third rule, which stated that my friends, classmates, and teachers were all off limits to her. Of course, there were a couple other rules as well, but the third one was the one I wanted her to remember at the moment.
“I need to go see your brother and wish him happy birthday,” Mom told me pleasantly. Then she looked to Jim and Luke and said, “It was nice meeting you boys.” And with that, she wandered off in the direction where Aaron was playing with his friends.
“Holy shit,” Luke blurted out once my Mom was out of range. He stared at me with a look of stunned disbelief. “Your Mom is Deanne Desire?”
“Um…yeah,” I responded self-consciously. “And please don’t tell anyone at school.”
“Yeah,” Jim said with a nod of understanding. “You don’t want everyone lining up here for autographs…”
I rolled my eyes at that, then let out a sigh. “Close enough.”
Jim continued staring at my Mom, muttering, “Damn, she is a total MILF.”
“She’s the queen MILF,” Luke added.
I rolled my eyes again as the two of them began exchanging descriptions of my Mom which would have been offensive, if she hadn’t been who she was. Still, I shook my head and then left my friends to go get some soda.
While I was grabbing a soda from the cooler, a little girl suddenly tugged on my shirt and asked, “Can I have one too?”
I stared down at the girl, who looked like she was about seven or eight, too young to be one of Aaron’s friends. She was cute, with blonde hair in pigtails and a little dress that was just too frilly for even most little girls to wear. And in her hand, she clutched a stuffed rabbit.
“Aren’t you a little too young to be drinking this stuff?” I asked her.
The girl just gave me a sweet and innocent look, then responded, “If you don’t give me one, I’m gonna kick your shins.”
“It looks like some things haven’t changed,” I said with an exaggerated sigh as I handed over the soda. “You’re still threatening to hurt me.”
My cousin Christine just laughed at that, though it came out more like a little girl giggle. In spite of her appearance, Christine was about the same age as me, and the two of us had been fairly close while growing up. She’d always been the tough one though, at least until she’d gone through her twist a few months ago and came out looking and acting like a little girl. I’ve only seen her a couple times since her twist and still had a hard time believing that this was the same punker goth girl I’d grown up with.
“You guys sounded pretty good,” I said, gesturing to where the band had been playing a short time ago.
Christine was the drummer for the band, and she was the one who’d gotten her friends to come and play for Aaron’s party. Christine had always been good with the drums, and she still sounded just as good as before, though it was a little strange watching a little girl wailing away at them like that.
“Thanks,” Christine responded with a proud grin.
I looked over to where the other three members of the band were packing up their instruments. My eyes settled on the singer, a gorgeous girl with long bluish green hair, and who was wearing a dress that was about the same color. And as hot as she looked, she’d sounded just as good. I was pretty sure that I’d seen her around school this last week, but I hadn’t talked to her and didn’t even know her name.
I was about to ask Christine to introduce me to her cute friend when Grandma called out that it was time for cake and ice-cream. It took several minutes to get everyone gathered around Aaron, then Grandma brought out the cake while everyone sang happy birthday. I just watched Aaron and how excited he looked as he made a wish and blew out the candles. At that moment, I suddenly felt quite happy to be home.
--------------------
In many ways, going to school in Spiral was no different than going to any other high school in the country. Students would shamble through the hallways in the morning, barely pay attention in their classes, and then deal with the social politics of all the traditional cliques. However, no other school in the country had as many Twisted students or had to deal with the strangeness that we often took for granted.
I was in the school cafeteria, waiting in line to get my food. A cute girl with small devil horns stood in front of me, talking to a boy who had green skin and hair that seemed to move with a life of its own. As strange as the Las Angeles schools could be, even they didn’t have anything like that. Sights like these had startled me at first, but it had only taken a day or so to get back into the groove and remember just how normal that kind of thing was here.
After getting my food, I looked over the various tables, trying to decide where I wanted to sit. There was the unofficial jock table, the nerd table, and even the ‘we hate everyone’ outcast table. I’d never been part of any of the cliques, though before I’d moved away, I’d been on good speaking terms with at least one person in each group. But right now, it amazed me just how few people I actually recognized. I’d been gone long enough that I’d actually forgotten a lot of the people in the school, and of course, some of them had just changed that much.
Just then, someone from the jock table called out, “Hey Chad…” He was waving to me.
I blinked, thinking that he looked familiar though it took me several long seconds to place him. “Hey Adam,” I greeted him. Then I looked to the lean looking guy beside him who was wearing a letterman jacket. It took me several more seconds before I pulled his name out of the back of my memory. “Gene.”
“I heard you were back in town,” Adam told me with a friendly smile. “What happened? You go through your twist and have to come back?”
“Nothing like that,” I told him with a chuckle. “My sister Bridgett never went through a twist, so I might not either.” I shrugged at that. “Actually, I moved back because things just weren’t working out in LA.”
“So man, what’s the plan?” Gene asked me.
That single comment was enough to remind me that Gene had gone through his twist just a month or so before I’d moved away, leaving him with a compulsion to speak in rhyme. From what I remembered, he could talk normally if he concentrated on it, but rhyming had become his normal way of talking.
“I’m just getting back into the swing of things,” I answered with a shrug.
Gene nodded at that. “Welcome back to the old place, it’s nice to see your familiar face.”
I talked to Adam and Gene for another half minute and turned down their offer to sit with them. Instead, I went to a different table where I spotted another familiar face sitting. Keenan was tall and slender, with reddish brown hair. Physically, he hadn’t changed much from before I’d moved away, though he had filled out a little more.
“Hey,” I greeted him as I sat down. “Do you mind if I join you?”
“If you want,” Keenan responded, giving me a flat look that seemed to indicate that he didn’t care one way or the other. There was no sign of the friendly grin he once would have given me.
I made several comments to try getting a conversation going with Keenan, though he showed no interest. It was as though he was completely bored by my conversation…and my very presence. Fortunately, after a few minutes, Jim and Luke came and sat down with us. They were accompanied with a chubby Hispanic girl who I didn’t know.
“This is Gloria,” Jim introduced me to the girl, who gave me a shy smile. “She just moved to Spiral last summer…”
“I went through my twist,” Gloria said a little nervously. “My Dad thought it would be safer here.”
I nodded at that, not at all surprised since a lot of Twisted had come to Spiral for the same reason. A lot of people were terrified by the Twisted and what they could do, and people who were scared or jealous could do stupid things. Every once in awhile, I heard horror stories of innocent Twisted who’d been victimized by those kinds of people.
“Nice to meet you,” I told her pleasantly. “I’m Chad…”
“The blue one looks better,” Gloria stated, then began eating her lunch without looking at me.
I blinked in confusion. “The blue what?”
“What?” Gloria asked, giving me a blank look.
“You said something about something blue,” I pointed out, though she continued giving me a blank look. Then her eyes widened slightly and she glanced to Jim and Luke. “I did it again, didn’t I?”
Luke snickered at that while Jim nodded. “It’s her trick,” Jim explained to me. “She can see the future…”
“Not exactly,” Gloria said, obviously embarrassed. She couldn’t quite meet my eyes and stared at her food instead as she explained, “I sometimes just say things that seem to be about the future…but I never remember it.”
“None of it ever makes much sense at the time,” Jim said with a grin. “But later on, you smack yourself in the head and say ‘that’s what she meant’. It’s kind of funny sometimes.”
Luke burst out laughing, and turned to Jim, “Like when she told you to watch out for the duck…and then you tripped over that duck shaped yard statue a few days later.”
Gloria stared down at her food, looking uncomfortable with everyone talking about her. I didn’t know the girl, but I took pity on her and changed the subject to what things were like in Las Angeles. I didn’t say anything about what it was like living with my Mom, only about the school I went to. The entire time, Keenan didn’t say a thing, nor did he show the least bit of interest. He eventually finished eating and got up to leave without even saying goodbye.
Eventually, Gloria got up to leave as well, and as soon as she did, Luke pulled out his computer tablet and began sharing pictures of naked and nearly naked women with Jim. I just hoped that they weren’t looking at ones of my Mom since that was just creepy. Then again, I was realistic enough to know that my friends had probably wacked off to my Mom’s movies, though I was trying very hard not to think about that.
“She’s hot,” Jim told Luke, staring at one picture. “And this one is a total babe…”
They continued going through pictures of one woman after another while I rolled my eyes and shook my head in disbelief. After all, we were in the middle of the school cafeteria. Sure, there was no longer anyone sitting close to us, but it was still an extremely inappropriate place for that kind of thing. However, in spite of that, I was still a red blooded male and quickly found myself leaning over to look as well.
Then Luke stared at one picture and smirked, “Oh yeah, I’d do her…”
“I’d do her in a heartbeat,” Jim agreed with a broad grin.
I stared at the picture of a very sexy looking brunette who I immediately recognized as the porn star Alyssa Ambrose. I just smiled and commented, “I have done her.”
“You wish,” Jim responded with a loud laugh.
I just continued smiling as I pointed out, “Remember who my Mom is.”
Jim and Luke both froze at that, sharing a quick look that made me suspect that they’d watched one of my Mom’s movies again after the party. After a moment, Jim muttered, “How could I forget?”
“Well,” I said with a faint smirk. “Alyssa and my Mom sometimes…work together. Well, let’s just say that on my last birthday when I turned sixteen, I came home from school and found Alyssa Ambrose on top of my bed, wearing nothing but a big red bow. It turns out, my Mom set up this…date…for my birthday.”
“Holy shit,” Luke blurted out, staring at me with expression of stunned disbelief.
Jim just stared at me for a moment, as though still suspecting that I was making up the whole thing. Then he obviously remembered who my Mom was again and shook his head. “You mean, for your sixteenth birthday, your Mom actually got a porn star to come over and fuck you? Damn. When I turned sixteen, all my parents got me was a new car.”
“Have you fucked any other porn stars?” Luke asked me almost eagerly.
“Maybe,” I responded with a smug look which only made them both groan jealously.
The truth was, I’d actually met a number of porn stars over the last year since my Mom sometimes brought her costars home to ‘rehearse’, but the women my Mom worked with could get any guy they wanted, and none of them really had any interest in some teenage kid. Alyssa had done this partly as a favor for my Mom and partly because she just liked the idea of being the one to take my virginity.
Jim and Luke tried getting more details about my ‘date’ with Alyssa, though I remained vague and didn’t say anything more than I already had. Sure, it was kind of nice having the guys stare at me as though I’d suddenly become their hero, but it had actually been pretty personal for me and I didn’t want to share that with these bozos. It didn’t take long before their demands for more details became pleading for me to ask my Mom to hook them up with dates as well. The scary thing was, my Mom probably would if I asked her to.
I finally excused myself and left my friends so I could get to my next class on time. I had just left the cafeteria and started down the hall when I realized that there was some kind of commotion going on ahead of me. A bunch of students were gathered around, and a moment later, I saw why.
Two boys were having a fight, though I didn’t think it could really be called a fight. One of them was a somewhat lean looking guy named Gary who I recognized from one of my classes. I’d talked to him once or twice, and he seemed like a pretty nice guy, if just a little nerdy.
The other boy was huge, both tall and wide. He had a build that was something of a cross between a linebacker and a gorilla, and he even had a brutish looking face that screamed ‘thug’ and made me wonder if he was part neanderthal. I’d seen him around school a few times and even vaguely remembered him from before I’d moved away, though he was even bigger and more brutish looking than he’d been back then. However, I couldn’t quite remember his name.
“Come on you fucking wimp,” the thug snarled, picking the smaller boy up by his shirt and slamming him up against the wall. “Be a man for once instead of a chicken shit pansy…”
“Why won’t you just leave me alone?” Gary demanded, looking a little afraid but also defiant.
The thug just snarled and slammed Gary against the wall again. “Someone has to teach you a lesson…”
I grimaced, hating the sight of anyone getting bullied like that, though I wasn’t sure what I could do. I wasn’t exactly a wimp who’d never been in a fight, but I wasn’t sure what I could do against someone as big as this thug. Still, I was debating about whether or not to stop forward and trying to stop this when a teacher finally arrived.
“Dan Jones,” the balding man exclaimed, glaring at the thug. “What in the world do you think you’re doing?”
“Gary and I were just having a little talk,” the thug…Dan responded. He glared at Gary. “Weren’t we?”
While the teacher began chewing out the bully, I looked around at the gathered students who were starting to disperse. One of the crowed immediately caught my attention though. It was Keenan, who was still watching Gary and Dan with an odd grin on his face.
--------------------
I was sweating pretty good when I got home from my afternoon run, though I thought that next time I might add another half mile. When I’d been living with my Mom, I’d gotten into the habit of going out for a run every couple days. Not only did this help me stay in shape, but it also gave me something to do when I had to leave the house so Mom could have some private time with her ‘guests’. And even though I was back in Spiral, I’d continued running.
When I stepped into the house, I called out, “I’m back…” Technically, this was the second time I was back since I’d previously come home from school, changed into my running clothes, and then took off again.
“Did you have a good run?” Grandma asked while simultaneously handing me a glass of water and a cookie. This was her way of showing support for my activities, and she’d begun greeting me this way every time I got back from a run.
“It wasn’t bad,” I told her with a grin, whipping the sweat from my forehead as I did so. “But some dog came out and chased me for a bit. Good thing it had such short legs or I might not have escaped.”
“Those beagles can be ferocious beasts,” she commented with a wry smile, obviously guessing that I’d been referring to the dog that lived just down the street.
I chuckled at that, took a long drink from my water and then a bite from the cookie. “I’m gonna go get cleaned up,” I told grandma, taking my time to finish the cookie and water before I started for the bathroom.
This was my second shower of the day since I’d already taken one before going to school. Because of that, I made a quick job of it, knowing that I was going to take another shower in the morning.
When I was done, I looked myself over while brushing my hair in the bathroom mirror. I wasn’t bad looking, and in fact, I thought I was fairly handsome. Unlike some of my friends, I’d never really had a problem getting girls to notice me. Getting them to actually stay with me had been a different matter, especially when I didn’t dare take one home to meet my Mom.
My hair was an auburn color that was closer to my Grandma’s coloring than my Mom’s, and it was brushed back and hung nearly to my shoulders. My body was lean and fit, thanks to my running three or four times a week as well as my occasional visit to the school gym. I didn’t look like one of the buff jocks, but I definitely wasn’t a couch potato either.
Once I was finished getting dressed in clean clothes, I went back to the bedroom that I shared with Aaron. He was already in there, sitting on his bed and reading through a stack of comic books that someone had given him for his birthday.
Aaron looked a lot like me, though he had almost black hair, just like his Dad. Unlike me, Aaron actually knew who his Dad was, due to DNA testing shortly after he was born. However, his Dad couldn’t be bothered to take custody of him the way Bridgett’s Dad had done with her.
It had always bothered me a little that I didn’t know who my Dad was. Mom, being who and what she was, tended to be a little loose with the guys. Bridgett and Aaron knew who their fathers were due to DNA testing, but there were a couple possibilities for me where Mom didn’t even know their names much less how to contact them.
“Hey,” I greeted my brother, who barely glanced up at me from his comic.
“Hey,” he responded almost absently.
I just grinned at Aaron, having mixed feelings about sharing a room with him again. It was nice having my little brother around again…sometimes…but I missed having a room to myself, as well as not always having him underfoot. Of course, I knew that he had mixed feelings about my return too. He was alternately happy at having me back and annoyed at once again having to share his room.
“So I take it that Mom took off again,” I commented, knowing that the plan had been for Mom to leave early this afternoon. As she’d told me yesterday after the party, she had a big photo shoot that was going on this week.
“Yeah,” Aaron answered, looking up from his comics and rolling his eyes. “I don’t know how you managed to live with her. I mean, I love her but…”
“But she’s Mom,” I agreed in complete understanding.
Our Mom just wasn’t like the other Moms we knew and what she did for a living was more than a little embarrassing. And of course, she had an odd outlook on things that made it difficult to relate to her at times. That was the main reason we lived here with Grandma in Spiral.
“She gave me a cool birthday present though,” Aaron said, giving me a grin.
“Oh?” I asked him, half dreading the answer. With my Mom, she could have very well given him a box set collection of all her most popular movies. Then again, if she’d done that, Aaron wouldn’t be grinning like he was.
“She got me this awesome new game,” Aaron announced proudly. He showed me the video game cartridge, which was for a game that was popular among some of the guys at school.
After a few seconds, Aaron put the video game down and went back to reading his comics. I just shook my head, wondering what he saw in something like that. Comic books had always seemed like such a little kid thing to me.
I sat down at the desk and began going over my homework, trying to get it done before dinner. Aaron and I both did our thing, sharing the room but not really speaking again as we did.
Once I was finished with my homework, I made a point of stretching out and announcing, “I’m done with all my homework. I guess I have the rest of the night to do whatever I want.” I glanced to Aaron, who hadn’t even started on his homework and would be forced to rush through it before going to bed. However, he didn’t take my hint.
Grandma called us for dinner just a few minutes later, so Aaron and I rushed to the dinner table. Grandma was a little old fashioned and insisted that we eat at the table instead of sitting in the living room and watching TV while we ate.
“Too bad Mom went home already,” I said when I saw the plate of lamb chops that was sitting on the table. “This is her favorite…”
“Really?” Grandma responded with a look of mock innocence. “I had no idea. And we’re having amaretto crá¨me brulee afterwards…which happens to be her favorite dessert if I remember right.”
Aaron snickered and said, “Mom really missed out tonight…”
“You make sure to tell her that when you call her,” Grandma said with a chuckle. “Maybe we can make her think twice about leaving so soon the next time she comes to visit.”
I chuckled at that as well, then dug into dinner with a hearty appetite. This might be my Mom’s favorite meal, but it was pretty high up there on my list of foods as well.
As soon as dinner was over, Aaron cleared the table while I went to work washing the dishes. I was finished in less than ten minutes and free to go back to whatever I wanted to do.
Aaron was already back in our room with his nose stuck in one of those comic books. I shook my head and grabbed the book that I’d been reading, a biography of Caz Lipton, who was on record as being the first Twisted, or at least the first person to ever undergo his twist.
“I thought you were done with your homework,” Aaron said, giving my book a suspicious look.
“I am,” I responded. “I’m reading this because it’s interesting.”
“That’s boring,” Aaron exclaimed while rolling his eyes. He held up the comic book he was reading and exclaimed, “This is interesting… It’s got Lady Starlight fighting the Demonatrix.”
“Demonatrix?” I asked in surprise. “Just what kind of comic is that?”
“The good kind,” Aaron responded smugly. Then he proudly added, “Lady Starlight is my favorite.”
“I thought the Asterix was your favorite hero,” I joked. “What happened? Did Lady Starlight beat him in a fight?”
Aaron gave me a flat look, and then in a serious tone he explained, “The Asterix is with EG Comics and Lady Starlight is owned by Triumph Comics, so they can’t do a crossover.” Then he paused to add, “Besides, the new writer totally ruined the Asterix. I mean, they just messed up the continuity and changed his origin so it all sucks now…”
“I think you’re taking that just a little too seriously,” I pointed out with a grin. “I mean, it’s just a stupid comic book.”
Aaron glared at me as though I’d just offended him. Then again, I’d just insulted one of his favorite hobbies so I probably had.
“You haven’t even read them so you don’t know what you’re talking about,” Aaron told me defiantly.
I rolled my eyes at that, though Aaron did have a point. I couldn’t properly make fun of his comic books if I didn’t even have enough ammunition to use.
“Fine,” I replied. “Let me read one of those then…”
For a brief moment, Aaron stared at me as though suspicious, which he probably had a right to be. Then he grinned, as though he’d just won a victory.
“Read this one,” Aaron insisted, handing me one of his comics. “But don’t bend the pages or anything. It’s a collector’s edition.”
The comic was an issue of Lady Starlight and had a picture of her on the cover. I’ve heard her name mentioned a few times, mostly by Aaron, but I didn’t know anything about the character. With a shrug, I began reading through the comic.
I was a little surprised to find that the artwork was actually a little better than I’d expected, and the plot a bit more involved. It was clear that the writers were trying to make a real story out of this rather than just the cheesy kid’s stuff that I thought all comics were filled with.
“Okay,” I admitted as I finished reading the comic. “This isn’t bad…”
Just then, I felt a strange pressure building in my body, one that immediately set off every alarm in my head. I’d been warned about these symptoms and knew exactly what they meant.
“Oh shit,” I blurted out as I jumped off my bed, making Aaron stare at me with a look of surprised confusion.
A moment later, it hit me, making me feel as though I’d been struck by lightning and was exploding at the same time. I screamed, or at least tried to before everything went dark.
--------------------
“Chad,” a voice called my name as someone shook me awake. “Chad, please wake up…”
I slowly opened my eyes, seeing my Grandma hovering over me with a worried look. “Grandma,” I whispered, earning look of relief from her.
“Remain where you are,” Grandma told me firmly. “Don’t try to get up yet.”
“What…?” I started in confusion, only to realize that I was lying in the middle of my bedroom floor and I felt…wrong.
My entire body throbbed with a dull ache, but more than that, it just felt completely off somehow. It was difficult to point out one specific thing, but I knew that something was seriously wrong with me.
I started to sit up but Grandma immediately put a hand on my shoulder and gently kept me down. There was still a worried look in her eyes that made me worry in turn.
Then I suddenly remembered what had happened to me before everything went crazy. I closed my eyes for a moment and took several deep breaths, trying to remain calm when that was the last thing I wanted to do.
“How bad is it?” I quietly asked Grandma, realizing that my voice sounded odd to my ears. “How bad was my twist?”
Grandma just stared down at me for a moment more before carefully answering. “Physically…it was severe.”
I groaned at that, though I’d already suspected it from the way my body felt. My first impulse was to bolt upright and take a look at myself, which was probably why Grandma was making me remain where I was. As it was, I was using every bit of willpower I had not to scream in panic.
“Chad,” Aaron exclaimed from the doorway of our room, staring at me with a look of wide eyed disbelief.
“Aaron Evan Andrews,” Grandma snapped at him. “I told you to wait out there with the door closed…”
“Sorry Grandma,” Aaron blurted out before backing up, though he didn’t close the door. Grandma just let out an exasperated sigh.
I braced myself and slowly sat up. This time Grandma didn’t stop me, though she did watch me with a look of obvious concern. I realized that there was a blanked over my body which fell down as I sat up, and that there was some sort of weight on my chest. The blanked had fallen enough so that when I looked down, I saw two mounds of flesh pushing out from my chest.
“Aaron,” Grandma snapped at my brother, who finally vanished from view. She continued calling out, “Give Chad some privacy.” She closed the door and then looked back to me. “I’m sorry dear, but it looks like you have quite a bit to adjust to.”
I hesitantly touched the mounds on my chest, feeling soft and smooth skin that was definitely part of my body. And knowing exactly what these things were, I reached beneath the blanked and felt between my legs. Little Chad was gone.
“I’m a girl,” I blurted out in shock and horror.
“It certainly appears so,” Grandma told me. She hesitated a moment before asking, “How do you feel?”
“How do you think I feel?” I demanded as I began to shake.
Grandma gave me a gentle smile and said, “This reminds me of what it was like when your mother went through her twist. Of course, her body didn’t change quite as much as yours did.”
I groaned at that and slowly got to my feet, trying to use the blanket to keep myself covered. My muscles felt a little wobbly and my sense of balance was completely off. I had to grab the edge of my bed to keep from falling back over.
“Can I…can I have some privacy?” I asked Grandma, knowing that I had to be blushing badly as I did so.
“Of course,” she responded, giving me a gentle and reassuring smile before leaving the room and closing the door behind herself.
I dropped the blanked and looked down at myself, seeing that my body definitely looked female. My attention was first drawn to my breasts, which were the first things that I’d noticed. They were at least DD cups, though not as large as what my mom had.
“I’m a girl,” I said quietly, running a hand over my side and stomach.
My body hair had all vanished and my skin was now soft and smooth. In spite of that and the undeniable fact that I had some nice curves, I still seemed to have some nice muscle tone as well. I felt my stomach, which was flat and firm. I definitely had a slender waist and what seemed to be a nice ass.
I finally took a deep breath and reached between my legs again. My dick was still gone and hadn’t miraculously returned in the last minute. I felt my new equipment, the soft folds and sensitive slit that now marked me as being female.
“Oh shit,” I exclaimed, not sure what else I could possibly say to this.
I wanted to get an even better look at my new body, but I’d have to leave my bedroom to find a mirror. I started for my dresser but nearly fell flat on my face. My body just didn’t want to move right and my legs wanted to collapse beneath me. And of course, my entire sense of balance was screwed up as well.
For the moment, I sat down on the edge of my bed, noticing that there was a scorch mark on the floor where I’d been lying…and the charred ruins of my clothes. I’d heard that people who went through drastic twists often destroyed their clothes or whatever else they were touching at the time, but I’d never seen it with my own eyes.
“Good thing I wasn’t touching Aaron,” I said, relieved to at least have that small bit of good fortune. I didn’t know what I’d do if I’d accidentally hurt my brother.
While I was sitting there, I looked over my body again, trying my best to remain calm and collected. I noticed that my hands had changed as well and were now feminine looking hands with nails that were perfectly manicured ovals. I could only imagine how feminine the parts of my body were which I couldn’t see.
After waiting a minute, I got off my bed and started to move around my room. I was still awkward and clumsy, but the rubbery feeling in my muscles was quickly fading. All I really had to worry about now was the fact that my sense of balance was still off.
I wrapped myself in the blanked again and slowly left my room, being very careful so I didn’t trip. I saw Aaron at the far end of the hallway, and immediately winced as I wondered what he thought, but Grandma called him into the living room.
I went into the bathroom and locked the door behind me, then I dropped the blanket to the floor again and looked into the bathroom mirror. It wasn’t large enough to show my entire body at once, but it was enough to let me see my face.
My eyes went wide at the sight of the gorgeous girl who stared back at me. She had dark eyes that seemed to sparkle a little, full kissable lips, and a long strawberry blonde hair that went down to her mid-back.
“Oh shit,” I blurted out, suddenly thinking that the girl in the mirror was hot enough that she could be a porn star like Mom. Fortunately, I hadn’t noticed any compulsions yet to go into that kind of work, and the fact that I felt a moment of panic about it was a good sign that no such compulsions existed.
I continued looking myself over enough to see that I definitely had a killer body. I felt a churning in my stomach at the realization that this was my body now and would be for the rest of my life. I felt a surge of panic, and before I knew it, I was sitting on the toilet and sobbing.
I had no idea how long I just sat there crying before someone began knocking on the door. “Chad?” Grandma said through the door. “Please open up…” When I didn’t open the door, she gently added, “I can hear you in there, so open this door.”
For a moment, I remained where I was, feeling depressed and ashamed. I tried wiping the tears from my eyes and reluctantly opened the door. Grandma took one look at me and then gave me a hug.
“Everything is going to be all right,” Grandma told me gently. “I know this isn’t easy, but you’ll get through it…”
“How?” I demanded, gesturing down at myself. “I’m not ME anymore… I don’t know how to be a girl. I don’t WANT to be a girl…”
“I know dear,” she said, giving me a sad smile. “But it seems that you probably won’t have much choice about it.”
After a few minutes, Grandma talked me into coming out of the bathroom, saying that she’d fix me up a cup of hot cocoa. I wrapped the blanket around myself again and staggered out to the living room where I sat down on the couch.
Aaron stared at me with a wide eyed look of disbelief, as though he couldn’t believe I was really me. Of course, he’d actually seen me start to glow and transform right in front of his eyes, so he knew exactly who I was.
“I’ve never seen someone go through their twist before,” Aaron said awkwardly.
“I have,” I responded bitterly.
I’d seen it happen at school a couple times, though one of them had been a minor twist where the girl glowed and sparked a little, but didn’t go through any visible changes. The other one had been a boy who’d suddenly gone from being chubby to being lean and athletic.
“What’s it like being a girl?” Aaron abruptly asked me. I just glared at him in response.
Aaron and I both sat there sipping hot cocoa, though he continued giving me odd looks that seemed to alternate with being filled with curiosity and with disbelief. I just did my best to ignore him and the odd sensations from my body.
Grandma came back into the living room and said, “I just finished calling your mother. She said she’ll be back here as soon as possible, but that she might not be able to make it for a day or two.”
Aaron leaned over and whispered, “Maybe you can guilt trip Mom about leaving and get her to buy you something cool…”
“Aaron Evan Anderson,” Grandma said, standing there with her hands on her hips and giving Aaron a steady glare that made him wilt under it.
“It was just an idea,” Aaron said defensively.
Grandma looked as though she was fighting back a smile before she turned to look at me again. “Chad, I know you’re worried and upset, but I think you should try getting some clothes on.” She glanced to Aaron, reminding me that I now had the body of a hot girl and I had nothing but a blanket covering me.
“Okay,” I said with a reluctant sigh. I stood up and told her, “I’ll go see if my sweats will fit me…” She nodded acceptance of that.
I’d just taken several steps towards my room and was thinking about what I might possibly have that would still fit me when I suddenly felt a strange tingling along my skin. A moment later, half the blanket seemed to disintegrate from around my shoulders and the rest of it fell to the ground.
“Chad,” Grandma exclaimed while I let out an ‘eep’ that sounded just a little too girly to my ears.
My first thought to was to cover myself up so that Grandma and Aaron wouldn’t be staring at me naked, but then I realized that I wasn’t naked. I was actually wearing some kind of clothes, which had appeared out of nowhere.
I started to turn, then immediately lost my balance and fell face first onto the floor. And when I tried getting back up again, I found one small problem. I was actually wearing some sort of high heels on my feet.
“What the hell is this?” I demanded in frustration, glaring at the high heels and the rest of the odd clothes that I was suddenly wearing.
“No way,” Aaron blurted out, staring at me with a look of wide eyed amazement. “I thought you looked a lot like Lady Starlight…but now you REALLY look just like her…”
“What are you talking about?” I stared, then looked down at myself again and suddenly realized what he meant. The clothes I was wearing looked like the costume that super hero had been wearing in the comic I’d read. “Oh shit…”
Grandma didn’t bother correcting me about my language, though she did help me back to my feet and let me lean on her while I stood in the high heels. I looked myself over and groaned, seeing that I was definitely wearing Lady Starlight’s costume.
I was wearing some kind of spandex costume that covered my entire body from the neck down, except for my arms since it cut off without any sleeves. The material was black, but with tiny glowing sparkles all over it that looked sort of like stars in the night sky. The high heels I was wearing were actually a part of this one piece spandex outfit so I couldn’t take the shoes off without removing everything else.
There a few small accessories to this costume as well, including a silvery white sash that was wrapped around my waist and which had some of the cloth hanging down loose on one side. I also had on a pair of silvery white metal bracers that were about the same color as the sash, covering my forearms. However, each bracer had a large smooth and rounded gemstone on the back that was all black but with a sparkling star pattern, similar to the main part of the costume.
“I think you may have discovered your trick,” Grandma carefully stated as she looked me over. “That…costume just appeared out of nowhere.”
“No way,” I blurted out. It was bad enough that I’d been turned into a girl, but not it seemed that I had the power to suddenly end up wearing this ridiculous super hero outfit.
With that, I tried taking this costume off, not caring that Grandma and Aaron were right there watching. However, the fact that I had an audience wasn’t a problem since the costume wouldn’t come off. The wrist bracers just wouldn’t budge at all. The spandex outfit seemed to be glued to my skin and wouldn’t even let me get a finger beneath it.
“Come on,” I exclaimed in frustration, grabbing the sash, which didn’t appear to actually be tied on. It actually seemed to be one single piece, which wouldn’t budge from my waist any more than the spandex would come off my skin. “Come on,” I snarled again. “This isn’t fair…”
“Please calm down,” Grandma told me with a worried look. “We’ll figure this out…”
Then I noticed that Aaron was just staring at me with a look of absolute amazement…and excitement. I groaned at that, wondering why I should be surprised by him staring at me when I was suddenly stuck looking like his favorite super hero.
-------------------
I let out a loud yawn as I ate my breakfast, or at least as I tried to. I had to brush my now long hair back again in order to keep it out of both my face and my bowl of cereal. Even though I’d only had this long hair since last night, it was already becoming quite frustrating. Of course, my hair was probably one of the least frustrating things about my entire twist.
“Stupid twist,” I muttered to myself, pausing to stare down at my breasts, which partially blocked my view of my cereal.
Last night had been filled with frustration and embarrassment as I’d suddenly transformed not only into a girl, but into the very image of Aaron’s favorite comic book character. My sense of balance had been completely screwed up because of that transformation, then I suddenly found myself with a pair of stiletto heels that wouldn’t come off. I could barely stand up in those things much less actually walk. Fortunately, Grandma had given me some advice on how to walk in heels, and I’d gotten a bit of unwilling practice, but by the time I went to bed, I’d still been holding onto the walls and furniture in order to keep from falling over.
“What kind of super hero wears high heels?” I demanded in disgust. When I’d been reading Aaron’s comic, I hadn’t really thought about how awkward it would be for a super hero to fight crime while wearing shoes like these, but now it struck me as obvious. “I always knew comic books were too silly and unrealistic.”
With that, I let out another loud yawn. I hadn’t been able to get much sleep last night and was feeling pretty tired as a result. Of course, it was no surprise that I hadn’t been able to get to sleep. Not only due I have an entirely new body which felt odd, but my mind wouldn’t stop running as I thought about my twist and what it would mean for the rest of my life. And of course, I’d gone to bed while fully dressed.
The only good thing was that while I was drifting off to sleep, my super hero costume vanished and went back to wherever it had come from. That was fortunate since I’d had to get up to go take a piss a short time after that, and I had no idea how I would have been able to do that if I couldn’t remove my costume.
At the moment, I was wearing my old sweats, which was a big improvement over the super hero costume. But oddly enough, as I ate my breakfast, I couldn’t help but thinking about just how comfortable that costume had actually been. Sure, I couldn’t walk in the heels, but the outfit had been a perfect fit.
“At least Aaron isn’t staring at me,” I muttered to myself as I tried to think of something to be positive about. Then I snorted and added, “Of course, he’ll stare at me again when he gets home from school.”
I was just finishing up with my breakfast when Grandma came into the dining room and gave me a concerned look. She had a forced smile as she asked, “How are you holding up?”
“All right,” I responded with a forced smile of my own.
Grandma gave me a skeptical look, then asked, “So, what are you doing there?” She wasn’t pointing at my cereal bowl but the pad of paper that I had sitting next to me.
I was silent for a moment before answering, “I was trying to come up with a list of things I need now…” That made it sound like I was being calm and practical about this whole situation, though the truth was that I was just trying to keep myself focused on something besides freaking out.
“New clothes,” Grandma read off my list. “Go to the clinic. Get a new driver’s license picture. Hide in shame from my friends…” She paused at that last one and gave me an odd look, then continued going through the list. “Well, most of these are pretty reasonable, but I don’t think you can deal with this by hiding away.”
“I know,” I responded with a sigh. “It’s not like I’m the first one in town to be Twisted.”
“No you aren’t,” Grandma agreed. “Your mother had to go through her twist as well, and don’t forget about poor Christine.”
I shuddered faintly as I thought about my cousin and the twist she’d gone through. She was really my age, but not only was she stuck looking like a little girl, but she had some sort of compulsion to dress and act like one too. I could only imagine how frustrating that was for her, especially since it meant that most people would treat her like a kid for the rest of her life. So far, I hadn’t noticed any compulsions or personality changes, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there.
“Why don’t you go take a shower,” Grandma suggested gently. “Afterwards, we’ll see if we can find some clothes that fit you.” Then she joked, “That way we can start checking off items on your list.”
I nodded at that and reluctantly went to the bathroom where I undressed and climbed into the shower. I tried hard to focus on washing up while ignoring my new body and how odd everything felt, but it didn’t do much good. I was quite aware of the warm water running over my new breasts and of how good it felt. In spite of that, I ignored any temptation to feel myself up and finished with my shower as quickly as possible.
Minutes later, I discovered that long hair was a real pain in the ass. I also found that while it was soaked, it was also kind of heavy. I began trying to dry my hair the way I always had before, but then I remembered Mom had talked about how her long hair required special attention in order to keep looking nice. I tried to remember what Mom did with her hair, then reluctantly following her example.
For the next twenty minutes, I sat in the bathroom, patting my hair dry with a towel and then brushing the tangles out and using a hair drying. It was extremely time consuming, but my Mom went through that all the time so I couldn’t very well complain. Then again, I was going to have to do this from now on as well, and that was definitely worth complaining about.
When I came out of the bathroom with a large towel wrapped around my body, Grandma looked to my hair and gave me a knowing smile. “It looks like someone has already had some hair care lessons.”
“Only indirectly,” I muttered in embarrassment.
“Well, I found some clothes in your mother’s room that might fit you,” Grandma said, gesturing down the hall towards the room that was reserved for my Mom when she came to visit. “It’s a good thing she always leaves some spare clothes here.”
The idea of wearing my Mom’s clothes seemed absolutely ludicrous to me, but unfortunately, my own clothes no longer fit right. I’d already measured myself with a tape measure and knew that I hadn’t lost any height during my transformation, but my chest, hip, and waist measurements had all changed quite a bit. I could get away with wearing some of my old shirts and sweaters, but not much else.
“You’re taller than Dana,” Grandma told me with a careful look. “And a couple cup sizes smaller. But I think these should do…at least until we can go shopping.”
I braced myself for the bad news, knowing that my Mom’s fashion sense often went to the sexy and slutty. Fortunately, Grandma found a pair of slacks and a shirt that wasn’t too bad. These clothes were a reminder that, even though Mom loved getting attention and showing off her body, she often dressed a little more conservatively while visiting Spiral.
As expected, Mom’s clothes weren’t a great fit on me, though they did fit me a little better than my own would have. Mom had also left a single pair of sneakers and two pairs of high heels, though my feet were too big for her sneakers. My feet had become smaller during my twist, though not that small. I ended up putting on a pair of my own shoes, along with three pairs of socks so the shoes wouldn’t be quite as loose.
“Not bad,” Grandma told me when I was finished getting dressed. “Though you are definitely going to need a bra. Unfortunately, mine are too small and your mother’s are too large.”
I shuddered at the thought of wearing an uncomfortable bra, but then again, my breasts jiggled around a bit when I moved and I couldn’t help but thinking that maybe a bra would keep them in place better. Still, I’d rather at least wear something comfortable…like that costume I’d had last night.
Suddenly, I felt a tingling along my skin just like I had last night right before that costume appeared. A moment later, all my clothes disintegrated and fell away from me in shreds, leaving me standing there in the same super hero costume as before. And since I was now wearing stiletto heels, I immediately lost my balance and fell to the floor again.
Grandma let out an exasperated sigh and shook her head. “Well,” she said, giving me a speculative look. “I suppose you could go out of the house in that. I just don’t know how we’re going to get you new clothes if you keep destroying them like that.”
“Great,” I grumbled as I carefully got back to my feet. “Just fu…just freaking great.”
I was definitely annoyed by these high heels, but the rest of the costume felt a lot more snug and comfortable than my Mom’s clothes had been. I paused, suddenly realizing that a part of me was actually relieved to be wearing this stupid super hero costume again.
“Just great,” I grumbled again. “I think I just found my first compulsion.”
With that, I let out a long sigh and then started back towards my room, using the walls to help me keep my balance as I did so. After the practice I had walking in these heels last night, I was getting a little better about keeping my balance, though I had a long way to go before I was confident in them.
A short time later, I came out of my room and started for the bathroom, though I was wondering how I was going to relieve myself with this costume on. But then, I heard the doorbell ringing and changed directions to slowly start making my way there. I had just stepped back into the living room when Grandma answered the door.
“Hi Grandma,” a cute little girl exclaimed, quickly grabbing Grandma in a hug.
“Hello Christine,” Grandma greeted my cousin. “That’s a lovely dress you’re wearing…”
“Thank you,” Christine responded with a grin. Then she spun around, giving Grandma a better look at the dress. “And George likes it too…” She held up a stuffed monkey for Grandma to see.
Grandma smiled down at Christine for a moment, probably remembering when she was that age the first time. I remembered when she was that age the first time, and she hadn’t been this sweet or innocent. In fact, she’d been a bit of a tom boy who kicked and screamed whenever her parents tried making her wear a dress.
Then Grandma’s expression turned to one of disapproval and she asked, “Shouldn’t you be in school right now?”
Christine suddenly looked up at Grandma with the cute puppy dog eyes that I suspected was a trick she’d gained from her twist. Grandma immediately seemed to soften, even before Christine said, “Daddy said that Chad went through a big twist last night, so I thought I’d help him adjust.”
“All right,” Grandma relented after a moment, obviously realizing that Christine had a lot of experience when it came to dealing with drastic twists. “But I expect you to make up everything you missed at school.”
“Okay Grandma,” Christine quickly agreed.
I took a deep breath and then said, “Hey Christine.”
She looked over and saw me standing there for the first time. Her eyes went wide and she gasped, “Chad?” When I nodded self-consciously, she blurted out, “Holy poop. It’s like deja-vu…all over again.”
“As you can see,” Grandma told Christine, “your cousin went through quite a drastic change. I hope your perspective might help him…her.”
“You’re a girl,” Christine blurted out, stating the obvious. Then she quickly asked, “And what are you wearing?”
“What about what you’re wearing?” I asked, pointing out the frilly dress, which at one time, she wouldn’t have been caught dead in.
“Touche,” Christine responded with a grin.
I gestured down at myself and gave Christine a wry smile as I explained, “I was reading one of Aaron’s comic books when I went through my twist…” Then I shrugged, trying to act as though it was no big deal. “Now I’m stuck looking like his favorite comic book character.”
Christine nodded at that, looking at me with a concerned expression. “That does explain the costume. But how are you doing?”
“How do you think I’m doing?” I responded with a snort. “I’m a girl. I’m stuck wearing a goofy spandex super hero outfit that won’t come off. And it comes with high heels that I can’t walk in.”
“You were able to finally take it off last night,” Grandma pointed out calmly.
I grimaced at that and muttered, “It just went away while I was in bed…”
“And it came back a short time ago,” Grandma added with a faint smile. “Obviously that costume can appear and disappear. You just need to learn how to control it…hopefully before you destroy any more clothes.”
After that, Christine and I went back to my bedroom to talk in private. She seemed amused to watch me trying to get around in stiletto heels, but thankfully, she didn’t say anything about it. She listened patiently as I talked about my twist and how weird it was for me, and she didn’t seem surprised or judgmental about it.
“It could have been a lot worse, “Christine pointed out once I was done. “So you’re a hot girl in a super hero costume. At least you don’t have to sleep in a swimming pool.”
“What?” I asked in confusion.
Christine just smirked at that, looking amused for some reason. “All I mean is that it could have been a lot worse.” She didn’t need to point out that she was referring to herself, which definitely put things in perspective.
“I guess you’re right,” I told her reluctantly. Then I chuckled and said, “At least I don’t feel any compulsions to go into my Mom’s line of work.”
Christine giggled at that, then joked, “I bet take your kid to work day is really awkward.”
“You have no idea,” I responded with a straight face that had Christine giggling even more.
“You know,” Christine said once we’d both stopped laughing. “If your trick is to make that outfit come and go, maybe you can learn to control it.”
A moment later, her stuffed monkey sat up and began clapping. I was a little startled by that, but not much since I knew she had a trick that let her animate stuffed animals. However, I’d only seen it in action once before.
With Christine’s help and advice, I tried figuring out how to make this costume vanish. I remembered that it had appeared last night when I was thinking of getting dressed, and it had appeared again this morning when I was thinking about how comfortable it was. And last night, it had only vanished while I was in bed, trying to go to sleep.
“I think it’s like when you were teaching me how to play basketball,” Christine said, referencing some lessons from when we were both Aaron’s age. “Just relax and let it happen.”
I did as Christine recommended and tried to just relax and will my costume to go away. Then I felt it, a faint tingling along my skin again that was similar to what I felt when the costume appeared. That was enough to distract me and make me lose my balance. I tried catching myself, only to twist my ankle and fall to the ground, my costume still firmly in place.
“Damn,” I exclaimed in annoyance.
I got back to my feet, using my dresser to help support me. Then in anger, I smacked the top of my dresser with my hand. Suddenly, the entire top of my dresser caved in, completely smashing through the first drawer as well. I just froze, staring at the mess in surprise and confusion.
“Holy poop,” Christine blurted out, staring first at my dresser and then me. “I think there’s more to your trick than just the costume.”
“You think?” I asked.
“Frequently,” she responded, sticking her tongue out at me. “You should try it sometime.”
Grandma burst through the bedroom door a moment later with a worried expression, demanding, “What’s going on?” Then she saw my dresser and stared at it in surprise.
“She did it,” Christine immediately said, pointing at me.
“Just great,” I muttered with a roll of my eyes. “Just throw me under the hover bus, why don’t you.”
After I explained what had happened to Grandma, she wandered out of my room muttering something about getting some Excedrin. Christine and I moved to the back yard to continue testing my trick, though we forgot all about trying to make my costume disappear for the moment. Instead, we focused on what I’d done to my dresser.
Since there wasn’t anything in the back yard that I could get away with smashing, I instead tried to pick up the picnic table. To my surprise, I was able to do so with ease, as though it only weighed a couple pounds at most. Christine laughed and clapped excitedly, then climbed on top of it and had me pick it up again. She seemed to have a blast with that, though I quickly put the table back down before Grandma came out and saw. Somehow, I didn’t think she’d be okay with me picking up the picnic table while my little cousin sat on top of it.
“So, what kind of super powers does this Lady Starlight have?” Christine asked me excitedly.
I had to think about that for a moment since I’d only read the one comic book with her in it and she hadn’t really used her powers much in that one. Most of that issue had been focused more on the plot than on a big super villain fight, which was why I’d liked it. However, she had demonstrated a few things during a two page scene.
“Super strength,” I said.
“Obviously,” Christine responded.
“She’s bullet proof,” I added thoughtfully. “And she can fly.”
From the mischievious grin that spread over Christine’s face, I knew almost exactly what she was going to suggest. “Remember when we were kids and tried jumping off the roof to see if we could fly?”
In spite of Christine’s suggestion, I had no intention of trying to jump off the roof. However, I was willing to compromise enough to jump off the picnic table instead. To my surprise, instead of falling, I remained in the air, several feet above the ground.
“I’m flying,” I blurted out, though it was more accurate to say that I was hovering.
“Think happy thoughts,” Christine called out cheerfully.
I willed myself to stop flying, and I abruptly dropped to the ground. But now that I knew I actually could fly, I willed myself up into the air again and I actually lifted off from the ground. However, I only went five feet into the air before I got nervous about falling.
“So, I can really fly,” I said in amazement. “No way…”
Then I suddenly felt something hit my face and bounce off, though it didn’t really hurt. I looked at Christine, who had several rocks in her hand. She grinned evilly and began throwing them at me.
“Hey,” I blurted out. “Stop that…”
“Does it hurt?” Christine asked as she threw another rock at me.
“Of course,” I started to protest, only to realize that it didn’t. The rocks kept bouncing off me with no more impact than if they’d been made of soft rubber. I glared at her anyway and asked, “Why would you throw rocks at me when you didn’t know if they’d hurt me or not?”
Christine gave me the innocent puppy dog eyes, but I wasn’t going to fall for it. When I stood there with my hands on my hips, glaring at her, she started to giggle.
“You didn’t hurt your hand when you hit the dresser,” she pointed out. “And I thought this would be easier than shooting you to see if you were bullet proof.”
I rolled my eyes at that but had to admit that she had a point. Or at least, I had to admit it to myself, though I refused to do so to her. Still, I spent the next half hour flying around my back yard and learning to control it while she occasionally threw rocks at me and seemed to be having a blast.
“Wow, you’ve got a lot of tricks,” Christine told me when we were finished. “I’ve never heard of someone with that many tricks…”
“I’m a regular super hero,” I told her with a forced chuckle
After this, we went back to what we’d originally been working on, trying to figure out how to make this costume go away. I’d come close to doing it earlier so I went back to trying the same thing, relaxing and willing it to go away.
The tingling sensation along my skin returned, then I felt an almost mental switch and knew that it had worked. My super hero costume was gone. However, Christine was staring at me with a wide eyed look and snickering, which made me suddenly look down in horror at the fact that I was standing out in the middle of my back yard while being buck naked.
I let out a loud squeal and ran for the back door as fast as I could while Christine burst out laughing and exclaimed, “Woohoo. Take it all off.”
--------------------
I sat in the waiting room of the Spiral Clinic, feeling apprehensive and impatient. Grandma sat beside me, giving me a reassuring smile before she went back to reading her book on her computer tablet.
Grandma and I had been at the clinic for the last two hours while I was getting checked out, though they still weren’t finished with me. First, I had a physical examination where the doctor confirmed that I was now a healthy and relatively normal young woman, capable of having periods, getting pregnant, and everything else that came with the extra X chromosome. That news wasn’t a surprise, but it still felt as though it hit me like a physical blow.
After the physical, they gave me a series of psychological tests to help me determine if my personality had been altered any as part of my twist. Fortunately, I didn’t seem to have any obsessions or noticeable personality changes, only a minor compulsion to wear that ridiculous costume. Of course, I’d already figured that out on my own.
Yesterday, after Christine had helped me figure out how to make that costume come and go at will, I’d found myself thinking about it and how comfortable it felt to wear. Sure, I could barely walk in it, but that didn’t seem to make much of a difference. Then last night, I’d summoned the costume again, using the excuse that I wanted to practice walking in the heels. The truth was, wearing the costume just felt…right.
I squirmed a little in my chair, feeling self-conscious about how much I wanted to change into that costume. The only things that kept me from actually doing so right then and there was that I didn’t want anyone to see me wearing that in public, and the fact that making that costume appear would destroy the new clothes I currently had on. However, there was a small voice in my head that kept whispering, ‘Go ahead. You’ll be more comfortable’.
I closed my eyes and silently reminded myself that I couldn’t afford to destroy my new clothes like that. Not only had Grandma spent good money buying them for me, but I only had a couple sets of clothing so far.
Once Christine and I had finished testing my tricks, Grandma had taken us shopping, or more accurately, Grandma took me shopping while Christine tagged along. To my relief, Grandma hadn’t been interested in a long day of trying out clothes and helping me discover a new feminine style. Instead, she just wanted to get enough clothes to last me a few days, at least until after I’d been checked out at the clinic and verified there were no more surprises with my twist.
Going shopping with Grandma had been pretty quick and efficient. We looked at some clothes, she made sure I wouldn’t be embarrassed or uncomfortable wearing them, then we hurried on to the next thing. I ended up with a pair of slacks, a pair of jeans, a couple shirts, and a pair of new sneakers. Of course, I also had to get socks and underwear. I’d been nervous about going into the lingerie section, but tried to suck it up and act like it wasn’t a big deal. Oddly enough, I noticed that Christine hadn’t been very comfortable there either, probably because the bras reminded her of what she’d lost during her twist.
“You know,” Grandma abruptly said, distracting me from my thoughts. “We didn’t have a clinic like this when your mother went through her twist. We had to figure out the nature of twist and trick for ourselves…” She shook her head and that and let out a sigh. “I remember when we came home and found Dana in the middle of having sex with Frank’s best friend. Frank nearly had a heart attack when he saw this…and he did lose a friend.” Grandma gave a faint chuckle, as though she thought it was funny that Grandpa had walked in on Mom like that. “Dana wasn’t even the least bit embarrassed and she just didn’t understand why we were so upset…”
I gave a weak smile at that. “Yeah, Mom is a bit…different.”
“That certainly is one way of putting it,” Grandma responded with a shake of her head. “It took me a long time before I accepted that she didn’t have a choice about this. It was just the way fate had made her.” She put a gentle hand on my leg and added, “At least you don’t have to deal with such a large personality shift.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. Grandma and Christine both kept pointing out that my twist could have been much worse. I knew that they were right, but it was hard to feel lucky when I looked into the mirror and saw someone else staring back…especially someone of the wrong gender.
“Have you given any thought about a new name?” Grandma asked me gently. I just mumbled non-committedly at that. Choosing a new name was on my list of things I needed to do, but I was procrastinating on that as much as possible. After all, my name was Chad and I didn’t want another name…even if I didn’t really look like a Chad anymore.
“You’re going to need a new name soon,” Grandma told me calmly. “It would probably be best if you had one before you go back to school. It will help make your transition easier.”
I grunted at that, then let out a sigh. “I’m still trying to decide.”
A minute later, the receptionist said, “Chad…the doctor can see you now.” She gave me a sympathetic look, then apologized, “Sorry for the wait, but one of our specialists is away on vacation so we’re a little backed up.”
Then she showed me into an examination room that was filled with all sorts of strange looking equipment which probably would have fit right in with a mad scientist’s lab or a space ship. The doctor was already there, though my first thought was that she was just a mannequin, at least until she moved. She appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties and had oddly smooth skin that looked as though it was made out of flesh colored plastic. But with skin like that, which had no wrinkles at all, she might very well be older than I’d first guessed.
“I’m Doctor Newbury,” she introduced herself to me before asking me to sit down. “Now, can you tell me a little about the nature of your twist?”
I hesitated a moment, feeling embarrassed as I admitted, “I was reading my brother’s comic book right before my twist. I kind of turned into his favorite super hero.”
“What hero would that be?” Dr. Newbury asked me with a curious look.
“Lady Starlight,” I answered quietly.
Dr. Newbury‘s expression remained perfectly calm, but something about her eyes seemed to show amusement and more interest. “My nephew is a huge fan of that comic,” she finally told me. She stared at me for a moment before adding, “Now that you mention it, I can definitely see the resemblance. You look a few years younger than she does, but other than that, the only thing missing is the costume.”
I just groaned at that, then admitted, “That’s my trick…or at least one of them. I can make her costume appear.”
“One of them?” Dr. Newbury asked me, seeming interested though her facial expression remained stiff and almost expressionless.
“I can make Lady Starlight’s costume appear and disappear,” I explained, feeling self-conscious about that. Then, with a little pride, I added, “But when I have her costume on, I have most of her powers. I’m strong, I can fly, and rocks bounce off me without hurting.”
Dr. Newbury nodded at that, then asked me, “Can you demonstrate for me?”
“Um…,” I started, blushing badly. I took a deep breath before explaining, “Whenever I make the costume appear, it destroys all my clothes…” Of course, I didn’t mention that the obvious solution was for me to get undressed first, but I didn’t need to since Dr. Newbury immediately suggested it.
“Before you summon this costume,” she told me in a pleasant tone that didn’t reach her face. “I’d like to perform a few scans.”
A minute later, I was undressed and wearing some kind of hospital gown while Dr. Newbury began preparing some machines. She had me climb into something that looked a bit like a tanning bed, then she used a series of other devices which left me clueless as to what they did. Finally, she put little disk sensors with adhesive backings onto various places on my skin.
“Now please show me this costume that you summon,” she instructed. I did as she asked, and a moment later the hospital gown had been disintegrated, along with all the sensors. All she said was, “Interesting.”
I was now standing there in my Lady Starlight costume, feeling self-conscious and absolutely ridiculous. At the same time, I also felt a definite sense of relief, which only brought up a sense of guilt for feeling so comfortable. My emotions were definitely a little contradictory and confusing, though I owed most of that to my compulsion. Thankfully, all the practice I’d had in walking around in these heels was starting to pay off. I was able to stand there without losing my balance and falling over. I was even able to walk across the room, as long as I was slow and careful.
Dr. Newbury watched me with her blank expression, though her eyes at least seemed amused. “You really do look just like Lady Starlight,” she commented. She moved closer and carefully looked me over. “The black parts of your costume almost seem to absorb light, and the stars actually twinkle like real stars. Amazing, your costume actually looks like a patch if night sky.”
“It is kind of cool looking,” I admitted as I looked down at my costume. The spandex part of my costume actually looked more like Hollywood CGI than any kind of real material.
“The only thing missing from the look is the starlight staff,” she mused. “Can you make that appear as well?”
“What starlight staff?” I asked in confusion.
“The one Lady Starlight possesses in the comic,” Dr. Newbury respond. She looked at me with her fixed expression, though I imagined she’d be giving me a curious look if her face allowed it.
“I don’t really know much about the character,” I admitted with a weak smile. “I’ve only read one issue, but that didn’t turn out so well for me.” I paused for a moment then added, “I do remember her holding a staff…”
Dr. Newbury nodded. “Since my nephew is such a fan, I have read a few issues with him. According to the comic, Lady Starlight gets her powers from a staff and bracelets of alien origin.” She gestured to the odd looking wrist bracers I was wearing. “Can you do a starlight dazzle or fire light blasts?” At my blank look, she explained, “These are powers she uses with her staff.”
“I don’t think she used the staff for anything in the one I read,” I said thoughtfully.
Dr. Newbury wrote some notes down on a pad, then said, “Then let’s get back to business.”
With that, Dr. Newbury began to repeat all the scans that she’d performed on me already. She even tried putting some of those sensor disks on me again, but none of them would stick to my skin or costume. She made some more notes.
After this, Dr. Newbury took me down the hall and into what looked like a large gym with concrete walls. Half of the space was wide open while there were exercise machines set up along the far wall.
Since the sticky sensors didn’t work, Dr. Newbury put a different kind of sensor on me that was held in place by straps. It was a bit uncomfortable but I didn’t complain.
“Now please demonstrate your ability to fly,” she instructed.
I willed myself to lift into the air, then I slowly flew around the open space before settling down again. It was kind of fun being able to fly like that, but also kind of scary. I kept thinking that I might lose control and fall.
Dr. Newbury had me fly around a few more times, going a little faster each time. When she was satisfied with that, she took me to the exercise machines and had me run on a treadmill…or at least try to since I was wearing high heels I could barely even walk in. After that embarrassing showing, she had me work with some kind of weight machine.
Once we were done with the exercise machines, Dr. Newbury had me stand in front of a ball throwing machine, like the kind they use in batting cages. I felt pretty nervous at that, even if the thing was loaded up with soft rubber balls.
“Please tell me when this begins to become uncomfortable,” she told me as she turned on the machine.
The balls started shooting out at me fairly slow at first, then they sped up and hit me with more force. After several minutes, the balls changed over to tennis balls and it began again before moving on to baseballs and then metal balls.
Dr. Newbury put me through several more tests, then she had be try to shoot laser beams from my hands and several other things that Lady Starlight could do in the comics. However, there was no indication that I had any of these other comic book powers.
We eventually finished up with the testing and returned to Dr. Newbury’s office. She went to work on a computer while I made my costume vanish and then got dressed in my real clothes. It bothered me just a little that I actually felt reluctant to change into normal clothes.
“All right,” Dr. Newbury told me when she was ready. “It seems that in spite of appearances, you only have a single trick that just has several applications.”
“Just one trick?” I asked in confusion. That didn’t make any sense at all since flying and making a costume appear were two very different things.
“Your real trick is that you can activate an energy field that surrounds your body,” she explained patiently. “Your Lady Starlight costume is actually just a manifestation of this energy field. The energy field covers your entire body along the skin, but it extends out a little further and changes appearance where your clothes would be.”
I stared at her in confusion for a moment while her words settled in. After several seconds, I blurted out, “You mean the costume isn’t really even there? I’m actually naked when I’m wearing it?”
“Technically, yes,” Dr. Newbury answered. “However, as the field is opaque in those areas and does serve all the functions of real clothing…”
This led to a brief discussion on the possibility of changing the field so that it looked like other types of clothes, but Dr. Newbury didn’t think that was possible. She said that the field had been imprinted on the Lady Starlight costume when I went through my twist and that I probably wouldn’t be able to change it.
“But how does this explain my other powers?” I asked curiously. “I mean, I can fly, I’m invulnerable, and I’m really strong.”
Dr. Newbury nodded at that and she smiled faintly…VERY faintly. “When we measured your strength, you were able to press just over a ton and a half. Your flight speed appears to be limited to between fifteen to twenty miles an hour. And you are capable of resisting injury involving impacts, including full protection from small arms fire.”
Of course, I’d known about those abilities, but I hadn’t had any numbers associated with them until now. Dr. Newbury had remained quiet about the results of some of those tests at the time, so this was new information. My eyes widened as I realized that I could now bench press more than a ton of weight…at least when I had my costume on.
“These abilities are all a direct result of your energy field,” Dr. Newbury explained. “The same field that creates the appearance of that costume also protects you from injury…”
“It’s a force field,” I said in realization.
Dr. Newbury nodded at that and continued, “It also acts as an exoskeleton, supporting your movements and simulating enhanced strength. And in addition, when you fly, you are merely wiling the energy field to move…and it carries you with it.”
“Your trick allows you to mimic several of the abilities that Lady Starlight demonstrates in the comics,” Dr. Newbury told me, “but only the ones you knew about and at a much lesser extent. She can lift many times that amount, fly a great deal faster, and she can withstand a much greater amount of injury. If you’d known about her other abilities at the time you went through your twist, your energy field might have found some way to mimic those abilities in some way as well.”
We talked about my twist and my trick for a little longer, with Dr. Newbury telling me that multiple abilities being based off a single energy field isn’t actually all that uncommon. Apparently, a lot of Twisted have tricks that are based off some sort of energy field around their body.
As I was getting ready to leave, Dr. Newbury told me, “I recommend that you read more of the Lady Starlight comics.”
“Are they really that good?” I asked, thinking about Aaron’s excitement over the character.
Dr. Newbury gave me another VERY faint smile and responded, “Perhaps not. But looking the way you now do, people are going to expect you to be an expert.”
--------------------
I was sitting on the couch in the living room, holding my computer tablet in my hand as I read through the first chapter of a new book. It was always exciting to start a new book because I was still trying to figure out the author’s style and how they approached things. And of course, starting on a new biography always thrilled me because I was just about to learn all sorts of new things about someone interesting.
My current book was the story of John Kinkaide, a Canadian explorer who’d come back from an Antarctic expedition with a new virus that no one had ever seen before. This virus was officially named the Kinkaide Virus after him, but most people just call it the Antarctic Flu. This disease got out before anyone realized it and had spread over much of North America, killing over two million people before they found a vaccine. This disease was also responsible for causing a genetic change in the survivors, which resulted in their children being Twisted.
I’d previously planned on my next book being one on the second Korean War since my Grandpa had served during that one, but then I’d gone through my twist. Now, it seemed like a good idea to read up on the origins of the Twisted, which meant the story of John Kinkaide and the spread of the Antarctic Flu.
While I read, I squirmed uncomfortably in my seat. I was fully aware of the weight on my chest and the bra straps on my shoulders, both of which I knew I’d have to get used to. And at the same time, I kept thinking that I’d be much more comfortable if I just shifted over to my costume. Just that morning, the shrink at the Spiral Clinic had confirmed that I had a minor compulsion to wear that costume, and in a way, that was something of a relief. After all, since it was a twist induced compulsion, then it wasn’t my fault I wanted to wear that ridiculous outfit. I could blame it all on my twist and not feel quite as bad about it.
In spite of the temptation to change outfits, I remained in the one I was wearing. Even though I did feel a compulsion, it wasn’t overpowering and I was able to push it aside. This was just like wearing an outfit that was suitable for going out in public but was a little uncomfortable and itchy, while knowing that there was a perfectly comfortable pair of pajamas in the dresser.
After a little longer, I set my book aside and went to find Grandma. She was in her home office, working on her computer. I stood back for a minute and just watched as she went through some spreadsheets, checking and double checking some numbers. Grandma was a CPA and had gotten a little behind with a couple of her clients over the last couple days do to everything that was going on with my twist.
“Hey Grandma,” I said, getting her attention. “I was going to go out for a run.” I didn’t tell her this, but I just wanted to get back into my old routine and do something that made me feel like everything was normal.
Grandma gave me a skeptical look. “You might want to think twice about that until after you get a sports bra.” At my blank look, she muttered, “Some lessons you might have to learn for yourself.” Then she paused and added, “Actually, Christine is going to be stopping here after school. She’s bringing your homework so you can catch up before going back to school tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” I blurted out in surprise. I wasn’t ready to go back to school and face my classmates yet. I shuddered, dreading the thought of how everyone would stare.
“The clinic gave you a clean bill of health,” Grandma pointed out with a gentle smile. “You’re cleared to go back to school so there’s no point in waiting…”
“But I don’t have enough school clothes,” I protested, grabbing for any excuse I could think of to delay my return to school for just a little longer.
Grandma gave me a knowing look, then responded, “Well, you do have a point. And your mother is supposed to be back tomorrow…” She let out a sigh and said, “Okay. One more day, then you go back. I don’t want you getting too far behind because of this.”
I nodded at that, then went back to the living room and my book, waiting until Christine arrived. Aaron returned home from school first, though he just gave me a disappointed look when he saw I wasn’t wearing the Lady Starlight costume, then went back into our bedroom, probably to play some video games. I remembered what Dr. Newbury had suggested and made a mental note to borrow some of Aaron’s Lady Starlight comics later on.
When the doorbell rang a short time later, I knew it had to be Christine. I went and answered the door, seeing that I was right and my cousin was standing right there, clutching a stuffed rabbit in her hands. However, I was startled to find that she wasn’t alone. There was another girl standing right behind her, looking nervous. This other girl was beautiful, with long aquamarine colored hair. I immediately recognized her as the singer from Christine’s band.
“This is my friend Lorilei,” Christine said, gesturing to the other girl. “I thought you two should talk.”
Christine and Lorilei came into the house, though Lorilei looked a bit nervous. She was giving me an odd look that made me self-conscious. “Most people just call me Lori,” said with a faint smile.
“Um…hi,” I greeted her. “I’m Chad.” Then I quickly added, “I just went through my twist…and…” I paused at that, blushing brightly.
“I understand completely,” Lori blurted out. “I used to be named Lucas.”
I stared at Lori in surprise, then asked, “So you used to be a guy too?”
“She used to be my boyfriend,” Christine said with a cheerful smile. “Back before I went through my twist.”
“Wow,” I said carefully, looking back and forth between Christine and Lori. “That has to be awkward.”
“It was, at first,” Lori admitted. Then she grinned down at Christine and added, “But we got past that. We’re just good friends now.”
Christine nodded emphatically at that, then told me, “Since Lori already went through the same thing you are, I thought she might be able to help you adjust.”
The three of us sat down in the living room, with Christine sitting cross legged on the couch while clutching her stuffed animal. Then Lori began to tell me a little about herself, about how she’d been afraid of water, and then while trying to learn how to swim, she twisted into a mermaid. I immediately stared at her legs, which were clearly visible beneath her skirt.
Lori giggled, probably at my look of skepticism. “My trick is that I can turn my tail back into legs…but only for a few hours at a time.”
With that, Lori removed her shoes, then her legs began to shimmer and fuse together. Aquamarine scales sprouted all along her skin, and mere seconds later, she had a mermaid tail where her legs had been. Lori moved the newly formed tail back and forth so I could see it was definitely real.
“It feels a lot more comfortable this way,” Lori told me, almost conspiratorially. “But I need to keep my tail damp.”
I nodded at that, picking up the subtle hint. I got up and came back a minute later with a wet towel, which she accepted gratefully and began to rub her tail with. I’d also brought us back some sodas and cookies to snack on while we talked.
Lori told me a little more about her experiences and how she adjusted, both to having a fish tail and to being a girl. I listened intently, though my thoughts kept straying as I frequently found myself staring at her. She was exotic looking, especially with the whole being a mermaid at the moment, but also quite beautiful.
“I used to be afraid of the water,” Lori told me as she finished up. “Now I’m absolutely addicted to swimming. As far as compulsions go, it’s not really a bad one.”
“I have a compulsion too,” I admitted, immediately getting Christine’s attention since she didn’t know about that yet. “Fortunately, it’s not very strong.” Then I explained, “I went to the clinic this morning and got checked out, so I learned a lot more about how my trick works too.”
“Show her,” Christine exclaimed, standing up on the couch and clapping her hands excitedly. “Show her. Show her.”
“I don’t want to destroy my clothes,” I protested weakly, though I was actually happy for an excuse to change into my costume. “Just a minute…”
I hurried to my bedroom, only to remember that Aaron was already in there playing video games. I groaned at that, realizing that with my new body, it might not be very appropriate for me to still be rooming with him. However, there was time to worry about that later. For the moment, I grabbed one of my old shirts and a pair of shorts, neither of which fit me very well now so I didn’t mind ruining them. Then I went to the bathroom and changed out of my current clothes and into the disposable ones.
“Okay,” I announced when I was back in the living room. “Watch this…”
A moment later, I activated my trick and immediately felt a sense of relief as my Lady Starlight costume appeared. I had to catch myself to keep from falling due to the high heels, but the costume definitely felt nice.
Suddenly, Grandma said, “I hope you’re planning on cleaning that up.” I looked to see her in the doorway to the living room, pointing at the shreds of burned and destroyed clothing that now surrounded me on the floor.
Lori laughed at that. “The same thing happens to my pants whenever I shift to my tail. I miss being able to wear pants, but skirts and dresses are a lot more practical for me.”
After I’d used the vacuum to clean up my mess, Lori changed her tail back into legs and we went outside so I could show her the other parts of my trick. I lifted the picnic table, let her and Christine throw rocks at me, then I flew a couple laps around the yard. Christine cheered, as though she hadn’t seen me doing all this before but Lori looked impressed too.
“Those are some great tricks,” Lori said with a grin.
“Yeah,” I agreed, pleased by her compliment. “Apparently, I’m not nearly as powerful as Lady Starlight is in the comics, and I’ve only got like half her powers…”
“And it isn’t nearly as cool as my trick,” Christine bragged while her stuffed rabbit nodded in agreement. Lori and I both burst out laughing. After half a minute, her expression turned serious again and she gave me a curious look. “You said you had a compulsion…”
“Um…yeah,” I responded with a weak smile. I gestured down at myself and admitted, “I’ve got this urge to wear this thing all the time…” Then I shrugged. “Fortunately, it’s weak enough that I can fight it.”
Christine and Lori gave each other knowing looks, probably because they both had compulsions that they couldn’t fight…nor really wanted to anymore. “It could be a lot worse,” Christine told me. Then she grinned and added, “And that suit comes with such pretty shoes…”
“Shut up, you little brat,” I teased her, only to have her stick her tongue out at me.
After that, we went back inside, though I didn’t bother changing back into real clothes. I was perfectly comfortable in this outfit, even if a little self-conscious, but neither Lori nor Christine said anything more about it.
At first, I was a little surprised that Christine wasn’t teasing me more about my costume or compulsion, but then I realized that if there was anyone who understood what it was like having a compulsion to wear a certain type of clothes, it was her. Now that I was Twisted myself, I had an even greater understanding of what Christine was going through…and an even greater sympathy. When I looked at her, being permanently stuck as a little girl, it was hard to feel so bad about my own twist.
We continued talking about our tricks, with Lori revealing that she had some kind of personal energy field around her body as well. Apparently, hers protected her from temperature extremes and other environmental factors relating to swimming underwater. The two of us compared how our fields seemed to work, though I didn’t really have enough experience with my own field to offer a lot on the subject.
“Your trick is totally awesome,” Lori told me with a grin. “I mean, you turned into a real live super hero. All I can do is swim like a fish. Of course, I absolutely love swimming and wouldn’t give that up for the world, but it doesn’t really sound that impressive.”
“Are you sure your voice isn’t a trick?” I asked her, only half joking. “I mean, when you guys were hear playing at the party, you sounded unbelievable.”
Lori blushed at that, looking quite pleased by the compliment. “Thanks. My voice and singing are WAY better than they used to be, but they don’t really count as a trick. My voice is just a part of my twist, the same way my hair color is.” She ran her fingers through her hair in order to emphasize the unusual color.
“You should come watch us practice sometime,” Christine told me with a proud grin. “We all practice in Lori’s garage a few times a week.”
“That sounds cool,” I said, looking towards Lori to see if she was all right with my coming. After all, Christine said they practiced in her garage.
“That would be great,” Lori agreed, giving me a broad grin as she joked, “We can always use another groupie.”
At this point, Grandma stood in the doorway and watched the three of us, smiling as she did so. “We’re about to have dinner,” Grandma finally said. She looked to Christine and Lori and added, “You two are more than welcome to stay…”
“Thank you,” Lori said, politely. “But…”
“But nothing,” Christine interrupted her. She stood there with her hands on her hips and tried looking serious, without much success, as she stated, “Grandma is the best cook in the whole wide world. You’re eating here with us tonight.”
“Okay,” Lori gave in with a chuckle. “But I’ve got to call my Mom and let her know I won’t be home.”
Dinner was normally a calm and pleasant time where Grandma, Aaron, and I all talked about what had happened during the day. Of course, this was due to Grandma’s strict ‘no arguing’ rule or Aaron and I would have spent the entire meal fighting every day, just for the point of doing so.
Today, things were a little more lively since Christine and Lori were present. The three of us continued our earlier conversation while Grandma seized the opportunity to interrogate Christine about how she’s been doing lately. Aaron just scowled the entire time, seeming to feel left out.
A short time after dinner was over, Christine and Lori announced that they had to go. I was disappointed at that since I’d enjoyed talking with both of them. Spending time with Christine like this reminded me of how close we used to be, and made it clear that the old Christine I’d grown up with was still there beneath the cute little face.
“It was really nice meeting you,” I told Lori with complete sincerity.
I’d only just met her a few hours earlier, but I definitely liked her. She was smart, funny, and not to mention, completely gorgeous. And then there was the small matter of her actually understanding what I was going through. She kind of gave me hope that I’d eventually get used to being a girl.
I grinned at her and added, “It’s also nice to know that I’m not the only one who had to go through this whole sex change thing.”
Lori just grinned at that while Christine said, “About that…”
“I’m glad I could help,” Lori told me, looking rather amused. “I know it wasn’t easy for me to get used to all this…” She gestured down at herself and then gave me a wry smile. “But just so you know, we aren’t the only ones in the sex change club.”
“What?” I asked, feeling a little startled by that statement.
As Lori started to leave, she gave me one more grin and said, “I’ll introduce you to the others when you’re back at school.”
With that, Lori and Christine both left. I let out a sigh, then started back towards my room, being careful as I was still wearing my costume and heels.
Before I’d even made it out of the living room, Aaron smirked at me and announced, “You like that fish girl, don’t you?”
“Shut up,” I responded, which only resulted in him laughing and running back to the room.
Grandma stood there, watching me with an amused expression. “It’s nice to see you making new friends,” she said before chuckling.
I shook my head, blushing at the fact that I was so transparent. Then I started back to my room as well, wondering when I might be able to see Lori again. With her in my school, maybe going back wouldn’t be so bad.
--------------------
When I woke up in the morning, I didn’t put on my sweat pants and a T-shirt like I normally would first thing. Instead, I slipped out of bed and immediately activated my costume. It was so much quicker and easier than actually getting dressed. And after all the practice I’ve had walking in the heels, I was starting to get the hang of them.
Grandma hadn’t said a thing about my costume at first, but after I had breakfast and took my shower, I changed back into my costume again. She finally gave me an odd look and carefully asked, “Are you sure you want to wear that out of the house today?”
I sighed, feeling a little disappointment, though Grandma definitely had a point. I could rationalize wearing that outfit around the house since it was so comfortable, but it wasn’t appropriate for wearing out in public. Even in Spiral, a super hero costume was bound to draw some odd looks. After that, I went back to my room and reluctantly changed into real clothes, though I was already looking forward to my next chance to have my costume active.
For the next hour, I read more of John Kinkaide’s biography, then at Grandma’s prompting, I turned my attention to something of more immediate importance. I began searching several baby name websites, looking for a new name that I could live with. I was still searching the list of girl’s names when the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” I called out.
But before I could do more than get up from the couch, the door opened and my Mom stepped into the house and announced, “Hello, I’m here…” Then she stopped and stared at me for a moment before hesitantly asking, “Chad?”
I suddenly felt extremely self-conscious again and couldn’t bring myself to speak at first. Instead, I just nodded and gave her a weak and nervous smile. “Hi Mom.”
Mom came closer and carefully looked me over. She finally said, “You’re gorgeous…” Then she gave me a look of concern and asked, “How are you doing?”
“All right, I guess,” I answered awkwardly. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around this.”
Mom nodded at that, then she gave me a hug. Hugging my Mom like that was nice and comforting, though definitely weird since our boobs were bumping. When we pulled apart, she gave me a reassuring smile and gently ran her hand over my cheek and then through my hair.
“You’re very beautiful,” she told me again, obviously uncertain as to what to say. I couldn’t blame her since I wasn’t sure what to say either. “When I heard you’d gone through your twist, I was so worried. I came back as soon as I could.”
“Hello Dana,” Grandma said as she came into the room and gave Mom a hug. Then she looked to me as she explained, “The clinic confirmed that Chad’s twist is mostly physical. He…she has a minor compulsion, but no obvious personality changes.”
Mom nodded at that but gave me a curious look. “So, what exactly does your twist entail…besides the obvious.”
I let out a sigh, then began explaining about how I was reading Aaron’s comic book right before my twist occurred, and as a result, I now looked like a teenage version of Lady Starlight. With some embarrassment, I told her about the costume that had come along with my twist, as well as the comic book powers.
“A super hero costume,” Mom said when I was done, giving me an amused look. “I’d like to see that…”
“That will have to wait,” Grandma quickly said, giving me a pointed look. “If Chad changed into that costume right now, we’d have a hard time getting her to change back out of it. Trust me, you’ll get plenty of opportunities to see it later. I suspect, she’ll probably find some excuse to change into it again tonight after dinner.”
I blushed at that, wanting to protest that I wasn’t that bad, though I had to admit that Grandma did have a point. In spite of how embarrassing it was to wear that costume, I was starting to look for excuses to switch over to it. At least I could blame that on my twist as well.
“I think I have some understanding,” Mom admitted, giving me a smile and a knowing look.
Mom looked around and then spotted my computer tablet, which was sitting on the coffee table, still open to the website for baby names. She picked up the tablet and stared at it for a moment before giving me a questioning look.
“I was just trying to come up with a new name,” I admitted self-consciously. “As Grandma keeps pointing out, I can’t go by Chad anymore.”
“Chloe,” Mom stated without hesitation. “Chloe Grace Anderson.”
“I don’t know,” I started, though Mom immediately cut me off.
“No arguments,” Mom said firmly, though still looking amused at the same time. “As your mother, it’s my job to name you…and I’m naming you Chloe. Besides, that’s what I was going to name you if you’d been born a girl.”
For a moment, I just stared at Mom in surprise. I wanted to protest that I was perfectly capable of picking out my own name, but I didn’t think it would do much good. And to make it worse, I actually kind of liked the name. It certainly wasn’t one that I would have picked for myself, but it did have a nice ring to it. Knowing Mom, I was just lucky she hadn’t decided to name me something like Bambi or Candi.
I let out a sigh which made both Mom and Grandma smile. “Then Chloe it is,” Grandma said with a chuckle. “I’ll call the school so they can update your records.”
The three of us talked about my twist for another half hour before Mom told Grandma, “If you don’t mind, I’m going to take Chloe out to lunch. I think we need some mother daughter time.”
“That’s a great idea,” Grandma responded. “It will also give me a chance to catch up on some work.”
Mom smiled at that and said, “Come on Chloe… This is going to be fun.”
I felt just a little nervous at that pronouncement since Mom’s idea of fun and mine often tended to be a little different. Her idea of fun might very well involve a Roman style orgy. Still, I went outside with her and climbed into her car, hoping that she had something a little tamer in mind. I’d always liked Mom’s car, a small and sport candy apple red hovercar. It wasn’t a high end sports car like a Kia Razor or a Honda Ninja, but it was still pretty cool.
A short time later, Mom and I were sitting down in a nice café while she flirted with the wait staff, both the males and females. Nearly everyone in the café either stared or kept sneaking peaks at her, though I didn’t know how many of them if any actually knew who she was. As I’d long ago learned, my Mom’s appearance tended to attract a lot of attention, no matter where she was. And to my embarrassment, I was now getting some of the same attention.
“Are you two sisters?” our waitress asked us curiously.
“No,” Mom responded with an amused smile. “This is my daughter. She just went through her twist so we’re celebrating.”
“You don’t look young enough to have a daughter her age,” the waitress responded pleasantly.
Mom just laughed at that. “Thank you. But you know what they say about judging by appearances here in Spiral…”
Once the waitress had taken our order and left, Mom turned to me and said, “Chloe dear…you might want to sit with your legs closed. Sitting like that, you might be giving off signals you don’t intend.” She said this calmly, as though making a casual comment about the weather.
I looked down, realizing that I was sitting in my chair with my legs spread apart, just like I always had before. I gasped, suddenly remembering that girls weren’t supposed to sit like that. Girls usually sat with their legs together because sitting with their legs open supposedly suggested that they were a slut or something.
“Oh God,” I muttered, humiliated that my Mom of all people was giving me lessons in feminine modesty.
“Oh, that reminds me,” Mom continued casually. “Have you tried sex in your new body yet?”
I gasped at that, turning an even brighter shade of red. “What?”
Mom rolled her eyes at my reaction, then asked, “I mean, have you fucked a boy yet? You’ve had your new body for a couple days now so surely you’ve experimented.”
I was absolutely mortified that Mom would ask me about that, especially in such a public place. But of course, Mom was acting as though she wasn’t talking about anything more embarrassing than the weather. Even though I knew she was like this, it always caught me off guard. I took a deep breath, trying hard not to show just how embarrassed I was. After all, I’d learned a long time ago that Mom would only get confused if I freaked out. And oddly enough, the fact that she treated the subject as though it wasn’t a big deal always made it a little easier to act as though I wasn’t bothered either.
“Um…no,” I told my Mom. “It’s just too…weird.”
Mom gave me a skeptical look. “But you’ve got such a nice new body. You’ve got to try it out as soon as possible.” She paused for a moment before adding, “I’m sure your friend would be happy to help you test it.”
“I’m sure he would,” I responded with grimace and a forced smile.
“I’m sure it won’t be any problem finding a man willing to pop your cherry,” Mom continued pleasantly. “I work with some guys, but it would probably be better to start you off with a smaller dick and work your way up.”
This conversation was getting worse and worse with every passing moment. I finally blurted out, “Mom, stop it…”
Mom gave me a blank look, obviously not understanding why I was so upset. I’d tried explaining to her before that there were some topics that were just too far over the line, but she’d never seemed to fully understand...or really remember. Grandma said that she’d had numerous talks with Mom as well, but none of them ever really stuck. It was just part of Mom’s twist. I was just lucky that she was able to remember the rules I’d put down, even if they didn’t make any sense to her.
“Remember rule number four,” I told her. “No detailed talks about my sex life.”
For a moment, Mom just gave me a look that suggested I’d said something silly but that she was willing to humor me. I got almost the exact same look nearly every time I had to remind her of the rules.
“It’s really embarrassing talking about that kind of thing in public,” I tried to explain once again, even though I knew it was pointless. Then I let out a sigh and muttered, “Besides, I’m not interested in guys…”
“Oh, you plan on going the lesbian route,” she commented with an amused look. “Just don’t give up on guys until you’ve had sex with a few. You won’t know what you like until you’ve tried it.”
After that, our lunch arrived and I was finally able to distract Mom and change the conversation to something a lot less embarrassing. I love my Mom, but she was very awkward to deal with at times. Most Twisted had odd quirks that were somehow associated with their twists, and this was just one of my Mom’s. All I could do was be patient and try to understand.
When we’d finished eating and were getting ready to leave, Mom looked me over again and said, “You know Chloe, you really do have a great body. If you’re interested, I can easily get you an audition with one of my directors.”
“Um…no thanks,” I told her with a forced smile. I was a little weirded out that my Mom was offering to get me into porn, but reminded myself that she was actually trying to pay me a compliment. “I’m not really interested in…your line of work.”
Fortunately, Mom dropped the subject, though a minute later she said, “Your Grandma mentioned that you needed new clothes…” She had a smile on her face that made me gulp.
“Oh no,” I protested weakly. “You don’t mean shopping…”
Mom just smiled at that, then held up her car keys and offered, “I’ll let you drive…”
I stared at the car keys for a moment before snatching them out of her hand. “Deal.” What can I say…I loved her car.
Shopping with Mom was definitely not like shopping with Grandma. Grandma was practical and focused on just getting what we needed and getting out. Mom, on the other hand, viewed shopping as event to be savored and enjoyed.
Grandma had already broken the ice with me as far as shopping for women’s clothes, so it wasn’t quite as embarrassing as if Mom had been the one to take me shopping the first time. However, where Grandma had focused on getting me practical bras and panties, Mom seemed more interested in the lacy and suggestive ones.
“You want to impress your lovers,” Mom told me as she held up a black thong. “Showing off your body properly can really get them excited and set the mood.”
“I don’t have any lovers,” I pointed out with a grimace.
In spite of having lost my virginity with a porn star, I’d never had a lot of luck with girls. After having sex with Alyssa Ambrose and meeting some of my Mom’s sexy costars, my expectations might have been a little high. Most high school girls just couldn’t measure up to those kind of women, at least not in the looks department.
“Well then,” Mom told me cheerfully, “we’ll just have to change that. With a body like yours, that shouldn’t be much of a problem. I’m certain that there are a lot of guys in your school who’d line up for a chance to screw you. And some girls too…”
The saleswoman had been close enough to hear the conversation and her eyes went wide as she overheard my Mom’s comments. However, she was professional enough to keep a pleasant smile as she asked if she could help us with anything.
“We’re just looking for something that will help my daughter get laid,” Mom told her, much to my humiliation.
“I just need the basics,” I told the saleswoman, giving my Mom a dirty look at the same time. “I just went through my twist and I’m trying to get some new clothes…” Then I saw what my Mom had picked up and I warned her, “And that does NOT include crotchless panties…”
By the time we left the lingerie store, I was exhausted from trying on different bras and fighting with my Mom over what to get. I got several sets of bras and panties in white, black, and red, and because Mom insisted, I got a couple of really sexy ones as well.
Looking for shirts and pants wasn’t quite as bad, though I still had to argue with Mom, who wanted to get me miniskirts and shirts that showed way too much cleavage. I had to protest and point out that I wasn’t going for that kind of look.
“I’m thinking, more like the girl next door,” I told Mom. “You know…casual but a little nice.”
“I’m sorry if I get a little carried away,” Mom told me with an only vaguely apologetic smile. “I guess I’m just excited about being able to take my daughter shopping.”
I winced slightly at being referred to as her daughter, though I knew I’d have to get used to it. Whether I liked it or not, I was a girl now. There was no changing that, so all I could do was deal with it and try to learn how to be a girl.
“You’ve gone shopping with Bridgett,” I reminded Mom, then saw her expression immediately turn sad. “I’m sorry,” I quickly said, feeling bad at reminding her of my sister. Mom and Bridgett didn’t really get along very well, mostly because Bridgett was ashamed of Mom and what she did for a living, and more than willing to say so.
“It’s all right,” Mom told me with a faint smile. “Though sometimes, I wish your sister had spent more time among Twisted while growing up. Maybe if she’d been raised here in Spiral like you and Aaron, she might be more understanding.”
I stared at Mom for a moment, feeling just a little surprised. Most of the time, she acted as though she was oblivious to her twist and how it altered her own personality and perceptions. Without saying a word, I gave her a hug, which seemed to improve her mood.
A short time later, we’d finished getting all the clothes I needed, at least for the moment, and had gone to the shoe store. Grandma had already bought me a pair of sneakers, but Mom insisted I needed more than that.
“A woman can never have too many shoes,” she stated firmly.
“I’ve seen your shoe closet,” I reminded her wryly. “That proves you can.”
“You need different shoes to go with different outfits,” Mom told me with an amused smile. “And for different situations. I think for now, we’ll get you a pair of flats and maybe…” She picked up a pair of stiletto heeled shoes and gave me a curious look before letting out a sigh. “These are probably a bit more than you’d be comfortable with right now.”
I stared at the heels for a moment and smiled faintly. Those stiletto heels did look intimidating, and I’d probably refuse to even consider them if it wasn’t for the fact that they were about the same height as the heels that were built into my costume.
“I’ll try them on,” I said.
After putting the shoes on, I carefully walked across the floor while Mom watched in surprise. She’d obviously expected me to fall flat on my face, but she didn’t realize that I’ve recently had a lot of practice walking in heels like those.
When we left that store, I had three new pairs of shoes, which was more than I thought I needed, though Mom had bought a new pair of heels for herself as well, which she most definitely did not need. And oddly enough, Mom seemed strangely happy that I’d agreed to let her buy me the stiletto heels. I suspected that she just took that as a sign I was starting to accept my new gender, especially after she commented, “Every woman needs a good pair of ‘fuck me’ heels.”
Next, Mom insisted we go and get my ears pierced, and after a moment of hesitation I agreed. Mom was in such a good mood that I couldn’t bring myself to ruin it by denying such a small request, especially when I’d probably end up getting my ears pierced soon anyway. Fortunately, the process was quick, moderately painless, and a few minutes later I had a pair of diamond studs in my ears.
“Those look great on you,” Mom told me as we made our way through the parking lot back to the car. Then she gave me an smile and added, “I know this is all new to you…and that you’re not really comfortable with the idea of dressing up yet, but I really appreciate your humoring me.”
I just grinned at that, then joked, “Well, your promise to let me drive your car might have had something to do with that.”
We had nearly reached the car when I heard a woman scream from a distance behind us. I snapped around and saw a middle-aged woman yelling as a scruffy looking guy who looked only a few years older than me ran away from her with her purse clutched in his hands. He was running in my direction, so I almost automatically put myself in his path.
“Stop right there,” I exclaimed, hoping that my show of confidence might shake him. “Drop her purse…”
One thing I’d learned in school was that sometimes a good show of confidence was enough to deter a possible bully, especially in Spiral where a lot of people have tricks. It tends to confuse them, sometimes making them wonder if you know something they don’t…such as that you might have a trick to defend yourself. However, that tactic didn’t work this time.
“Get out of my way,” the thief snarled as he charged straight at me, not even bothering to go around.
“Chloe,” Mom cried out in worry
Then just as he was about to slam into me, I instinctively tried to protect myself by calling up my costume and the force field that went with it. He hit me and knocked me back a little, but he was knocked back as well and fell on his ass. He immediately scrambled to his feet, staring at me in surprise. I just tried to grin confidently, standing there with my hands on my hips in a super hero pose, hoping that this would do the trick.
“What the hell?” the thief exclaimed, glaring at me suspiciously. “You think you’re some kind of super hero or something?”
The thief had dropped the purse when he fell, though he no longer seemed interested in it. He punched me, though I didn’t bother blocking. Yesterday, Dr. Newbury had hit me with things a lot harder than a punch and I’d barely felt them. When the thief hit me in the face, he let out a loud yelp of pain while I just stood there smiling.
“I think I can really get used to this,” I commented to Mom, who was staring at me in surprise.
My trick would protect me from anything this guy tried to do and that was not only making me confident, but also a little cocky. When he pulled out a knife, I just grinned, knowing that it wouldn’t do much more than his punch had. However, he saw my grin and must have realized the same thing because he lunged at my Mom instead. I just barely managed to react in time, jumping between them so his knife hit me instead of my Mom, and though my force field kept me from being injured, I was still pissed off.
“You bastard,” I snarled angrily, grabbed his wrist and squeezing enough so that he dropped the knife.
Then, while still holding his wrist, I began levitating up into the air, going up about a dozen feet before stopping. The thief struggled frantically to get loose, but I kept a firm grip on him, letting him dangle. I was seriously tempted to just fling him to the side, but then I saw the security guards running towards us and reluctantly went back down.
“Are you all right?” Mom demanded with a worried expression.
“Yeah,” I told her with a reassuring smile. I gestured down at myself and added, “I’m pretty tough when I’ve got this thing on.”
The police arrived a minute later and immediately took custody of the thief. One of the cops talked to the woman who’d been robbed while the second one, Officer Hanson, came over to talk to Mom and myself. He was in his late twenties to early thirties, and Mom appeared to think he was fairly attractive because she immediately began flirting. However, Officer Hanson must have either been gay or had iron willpower, because he remained completely professional, other than to glare at me with a look of disapproval.
“Let me guess,” Officer Hanson said as he looked me over. “You just went through your twist and decided that with your new abilities, you should put on a costume and go play super hero. We don’t tolerate that kind of vigilantism.”
“It’s not like that,” I protested, wondering why I suddenly felt ashamed after I’d just caught a criminal.
“The costume is part of her twist,” Mom told Officer Hanson,
Officer Hanson stared at my Mom for a moment, seeming to soften just a tiny bit. It seemed that her charms were getting through to him after all, which nixed the idea of him being gay. However, he looked back at me again and was obviously still unhappy.
“Is this some sort of twist induced compulsion to play super hero?” he asked me with a sigh.
“No,” I protested. “I wasn’t trying to be a super hero…”
Mom scowled and looked Officer Hanson in the eyes. “Chloe certainly did NOT go looking for trouble. We just happened to be here when the thief robbed that woman, then ran right at us. He would have knocked Chloe over and probably kept running if she didn’t have her trick.”
Officer Hanson let out a sigh, then told me, “Okay, tell me everything that happened again…”
Mom and I were stuck there for over an hour, filling out the police report for what had happened. Officer Hanson still seemed to think that because of my costume, I must have intentionally gone looking for trouble somehow. Fortunately, the woman who had her purse stolen was able to collaborate our story, as did the store security cameras which covered the parking lot. Eventually, I was given another warning not to play super hero, and then they finally let us go.
--------------------
It was Friday morning, and more importantly, it was my first day back in school since I’d gone through my twist on Monday. I felt nervous as I walked through the school, half afraid that someone would point at me and start laughing. Fortunately, no one really paid any attention to me, or at least, no more than they would have paid to any hot girl.
At the moment, I was wearing slacks, a decent shirt, and a pair of flats. All in all, I was trying to go for the ‘girl next door’ look where I was attractive yet approachable. And of course, I wanted to remain comfortable while doing so. I could have gone all tomboy and downplayed my new gender and curves, but my pride wouldn’t really allow that. I had a great body and it would have been a shame to hide it completely.
“At least Mom isn’t being pushy,” I mused, remembering how she’d tried to talk me into going to school in a miniskirt and the ‘fuck me’ shoes she’d bought for me yesterday. I still wasn’t sure if she was really serious about that, or if she was just teasing me.
I reached up and felt the diamond stud earrings, making sure that they hadn’t fell out. I was still surprised that they’d managed to survive the unexpected change into my costume yesterday. I suspected that the reason they hadn’t been destroyed along with my clothes was that they were actually small and going through my ears, so my energy field might have just taken them as being part of me.
When I reached my first class, I took a deep breath and braced myself, then tried to look confident as I went inside. Without saying a word, I went to my desk and began getting ready for class as though everything was perfectly normal. Several of the other students stared at me, obviously wondering who the new girl was…and why I was acting as though I belonged there.
The teacher, Mr. Bachman watched me for a moment before carefully asking, “Chad Anderson?”
“I go by Chloe now,” I responded pleasantly.
Mr. Bachman nodded at that. “I was informed of your twist…and your new name.” And with that, he went back to looking at his lesson plan as though having a student change sex was a daily occurrence.
There was a short and nerdy looking guy with glasses who sat a couple seats away from me. I didn’t know his name, but he stared at me with an odd look on his face before he got up and came over to me. “I’m Rob,” he introduced himself with a nervous smile. “Then he quietly added, “But I used to be Tina”
My eyes widened at that and I asked, “You too?”
“Yeah,” he nodded, looking a little self-conscious. “Welcome to the club.”
“Are there any club meetings?” I asked with a wry smile.
Rob chuckled at that and responded, “Not that I know of.”
I hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Do you know Lori?” He gave me a blank look so I said, “Lorilei… She has aquamarine hair…”
“Oh yeah,” Rob responded. “The mermaid girl. I know who she is, but I don’t really know her.”
A few seconds later, Mr. Bachman called for the class to begin so Rob returned to his seat. I watched him for a moment, wondering what kind of girl he’d been before his twist and deciding that I’d definitely have to talk to him later.
When second period came around, I felt more confident as I walked into class so didn’t really have to fake it this time. After letting the teacher know who I was, I took my seat, right next to Jim.
Jim gave me a curious look, probably wondering who the cute girl sitting beside him was. I let him stare for a moment, trying hard not to show how uncomfortable that made me.
“It’s me,” I finally told him with a roll of my eyes. “Chad.” I gestured down at myself and let out a sigh. “As you can see, I went through my twist…”
Jim stared at me with a look of shock. “Chad? Damn. I heard you’d gone through your twist, but I didn’t know…” He blushed bright red, probably realizing that he’d just been staring at my boobs.
“I go by Chloe now,” I told him with a wry smile. “Somehow, I don’t think I look like a Chad anymore…”
The girl sitting on the other side of me had been watching me with an odd expression. Then she blurted out, “You’re the one in the news…”
“In the news?” I asked in surprise. I stared at the girl, remembering that her name was Alicia. “What do you mean?”
Alicia tapped on her computer tablet and brought up a website, then showed it to me. It was a site for the Spiral News, and it had a picture of me in my Lady Starlight costume, with the headline ‘REAL LIFE SUPER HERO STOPPS ROBBERY’.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I blurted out. I winced, realizing that some idiot with a cell phone must have taken my picture yesterday and given it to the reporters.
“Whoah,” Jim exclaimed when he looked at that picture. I expected him to ask what had happened, but instead he said, “You look totally hot in that outfit…”
I groaned at that while Alicia snickered. “And look at this one,” she said, bringing up another news page with the same picture on it. This one had a headline that said, ‘LADY STARLIGHT COMES TO LIFE IN SPIRAL’.
“Lady Starlight?” Jim asked curiously.
“She’s a popular super hero,” Alicia told him smugly. “My brother reads her comics.”
“Unfortunately, so does mine,” I said with a sigh. “He talked me into reading one of his comics, then bam, I go through my twist and turn into her.”
“At least you weren’t reading that Super Slut trash,” Alicia pointed out with a smirk.
“You probably would have ended up just like your Mo…,” Jim started, then realized that he was about to spill the beans about my Mom and quickly corrected himself. “Like Super Slut instead of this Lady Starlight.”
Class started just a few seconds later, but I explained the nature of my twist to Jim when our teacher wasn’t looking. Alicia just seemed amused that I was now a girl and I half feared that she’d want to talk makeup or boys with me.
Once class was over, I stared for third period, until I caught sight of a familiar face in the hallway. “Lori,” I called out to her.
Lori looked at me and grinned. “Chad…”
“It’s Chloe now,” I told her self-consciously. “I figured I needed a new name…”
Lori nodded in understanding. “It’s nice,” she told me. “I know it’s kind of weird getting used to a new name though…”
“The new name is the easy part,” I responded with a chuckle. “The new body, not so much.”
Lori laughed at that. “Yeah, I know exactly what you mean.” She hesitated for a moment, then said, “Sorry, I wish I could talk with you now…but I have to go soak my tail before my next class.”
“Okay,” I said, feeling a little disappointed at that.
“I’ll see you later,” Lori told me, looking just a little nervous for some reason. “Maybe during lunch…”
“Sure,” I grinned back at her. “I’ll look forward to it.”
Third period began the same way my first two classes of the day went, with me having to confirm my identity to the teacher. Before I sat down though, I noticed Gloria sitting on the opposite side of the room. I was a little startled because I only knew her from Monday during lunch and hadn’t realized we were in any of the same classes.
“Hey,” I greeted Gloria, who gave me a curious look. “Jim introduced us at lunch on Monday…” She looked even more confused at that, until I added, “Um…I’m Chad…or at least I was then. I went through my twist Monday after school…”
“Oh,” Gloria responded with a look of surprise. “Jim told me that you’d gone through a twist, but he didn’t say what kind…”
“Yeah,” I said, giving her a weak smile. “He didn’t know until a little bit ago. I’m going by Chloe now…”
I talked with Chloe for just a minute before class started, then I went and took my seat. But to my surprise, almost as soon as I did, a girl with raven black hair came up and stared at me for a moment with an odd look.
“So you’re the new chick,” the girl said with a smirk. “You look pretty hot…”
“Um…thanks,” I replied, trying to remember the name of this girl. She usually sat in the back of the class and had quite an attitude. “You’re Simone, right?”
Simone nodded. “Yeah, that’s me. And I know you used to be Chad…”
“Chloe,” I responded. “My new name is Chloe.”
For a moment, Simone continued staring at me with an odd look, then she said, “The whole sex change thing is pretty fucking weird, but trust me, you’ll get used to it in no time.” She shrugged and added, “I did.” And with that, she walked way, back to her usual seat. I just watched her go in surprise.
“How many of us are there?” I muttered in surprise.
At first, I’d thought I was the only one who’d gone through a sex change, but then I’d met Lori. Finding out that I wasn’t alone had been an incredible relief, especially since Lori was so understanding and helpful. And now that I’d returned to school, I’d run into Rob and Simone, and the school day wasn’t even half over.
When lunch finally arrived, I went to the cafeteria and looked around for one of my friends. I didn’t have to wait long before I heard a familiar voice coming from the lunch line.
“Please sir,” a little girl’s voice pleaded. “May I have some more?”
I looked over and saw Christine there, holding her tray up and giving ‘puppy dog eyes’ to one of the lunch ladies.
“Sorry kid,” the lunch lady answered. “Only one dessert per person. Period.”
“Darn,” Christine muttered, stamping her foot on the ground in a perfect display of little girl displeasure.
“I take it they’ve got something good for dessert,” I commented.
Christine looked up and me and grinned. “Hello Chloe.” She made sure to put extra emphasis on my new name.
Since this was the first time I’d seen Christine since Mom gave me my new name, I said, “Let me guess…Grandma called and told you guys about my new name.”
“I think Chloe is a great name,” Christine told me with an innocent look. “It’s so pretty and feminine…”
“Yeah,” Lori added as she came up behind us. “I like it.”
Once the three of us all had our food, we sat down together at a table. I was immediately asked about how my first day back at school had gone.
“It was all right,” I told them. “A bit weird though, especially with the way everyone keeps looking at me now…”
“You’re a girl now,” Christine reminded me unnecessarily. “People are going to treat you different.”
Lori nodded agreement at that, then added, “The weird part is when guys start hitting on you…” She let out an exaggerated shudder at that. “It can get pretty awkward when some guy who’s been a buddy for years asks you out.”
I nodded at that, remembering the way Jim had been eyeing me in class. I had a feeling that it wouldn’t be long before either he or Luke started flirting with me. Then again, Jim seemed interested in Gloria, so maybe he’d hold back for awhile.
“So,” Lori asked me with an amused look. “How do you like being a girl?”
“Not as much as I liked being a boy,” I admitted with a sigh. “But it’s not bad and I figure I can get used to it.” Then I grinned and added, “And on the plus side, I get a pretty cool trick out of it.”
“I know how that is,” Lori responded with a grin. “I really freaked out about losing my legs and turning into a mermaid, but once I realized that I could swim around in the ocean…” Her grinned broadened even more at that.
Just then, there was a new presence at our table as Jim sat down. “Hello ladies,” he greeted us, getting both Lori and I to glare at him.
“Holy shit,” Luke blurted out as he sat down and stared at me. He glanced to Jim and said, “You weren’t kidding…”
“Yeah, the rumors are true,” I told him with a sigh. “I got turned into a girl…”
Luke stared at me with the same expression I’d seen him use on numerous hot girls. He was looking me over, admiring my assets, and mentally deciding where I fit on the list of girls he wanted to screw.
“So,” Luke asked me. “Do you have any compulsions?”
“Yeah,” I answered, giving him a predatory smile. “I’ve got a compulsion to castrate guys…and it’s getting worse…” Luke gulped at that and visibly pulled back while Lori and Christine both burst out laughing.
“Yeah,” Christine exclaimed with a giggle. “You should have seen what she did to that boy who hit on her.”
“Is that what happened yesterday?” Luke asked, suddenly looking a little worried. “I mean, I heard you went all super villain on some guy…”
“I went super HERO on him,” I responded with a roll of my eyes. Lori gave me a look of surprise.
With that, I had to tell the story of how I just happened to be there when the purse theft occurred, and how the thief had run right at me. It was a fun story and they were all laughing when I described how I’d lifted the thief up into the air by his arm. However, I decided not to mention the lecture I’d gotten from the police afterwards.
“Maybe you should use some of that super hero mojo around here,” Luke commented once I was done with my story. “I know a couple people who could use a little super hero beat down.”
Jim looked at Luke and asked, “Is this about that Dan Jones thing?”
“What Dan Jones thing?” I asked curiously.
“This morning,” Luke explained with an angry look. “I was walking down the hall and minding my own business when that asshole shoves me to the ground.” Then Luke tried to look tough as he added, “I would have kicked his ass for it, but he was already gone by the time I got up.”
“He’ll get what he deserves,” Gloria said as she sat down beside Jim.
Christine gave her a curious look and asked, “What do you mean?”
Gloria looked at her with a blank expression. “What do I mean about what?”
“You did it again,” Jim pointed out, a little more gently than I would have expected from him. Then again, Jim wasn’t always the horn dog that he pretends. I remember in the old days, he used to be a bit of a softy. A bit of a pervert, but still a nice guy beneath it.
“Sorry,” Gloria said self-consciously, staring down into her food.
“Don’t worry about it,” Jim reassured her. “Every Twisted has quirks they’ve got to deal with.”
Christine snorted at that and muttered, “Tell me about it.”
Our conversation drifted during the rest of the lunch, but with Jim and Luke there, we didn’t really talk much more about what it was like for me being a girl. They both kept sneaking looks at me, especially at my chest, but the most they had to offer was to point out that now that I was a girl, I could go into the girl’s locker room any time I wanted.
When I was done eating and was about to leave the cafeteria, I heard someone yelling in pain. I looked at the source, as did nearly everyone else in the cafeteria.
To my surprise, Keenan was the source of the noise, or at least, the boy on the floor in front of him was. Keenan kicked a boy, who let out another yell while my old friend just stood there with a creepy smile on his face.
“I don’t like being touched like that,” Keenan said calmly, though he appeared to be enjoying himself. “Nor do I like having someone mess with my food. So the next time you think that it is acceptable to grab me and take an item from my food tray, you should think again.”
With that, the boy on the floor let out another howl of pain, though Keenan didn’t touch him. Instead, Keenan just continue to stare down at him for a moment with a look of glee before he abruptly turned and walked out of the cafeteria.
“Holy shit,” Luke blurted out. “What the hell was that?”
“I don’t know,” I said, feeling a little worried. “But that sure as hell wasn’t the Keenan I knew.”
“People change,” Jim said grimly, giving me a sidelong look as he added, “Especially when it comes to being Twisted.”
“He has a point,” Lori said, looking to Christine and then me. “Some people’s twists aren’t as visible as ours, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t changed just as much.”
I nodded at that, knowing that they were completely correct. Being Twisted mean that your body, mind, and even your very soul could be altered into new and unexpected forms. However, knowing that and seeing it first-hand were two completely different things. At that moment, I couldn’t help but being grateful that my own personality had been left intact, and at the same time, I also mourned the loss of an old friend who hadn’t been so lucky.
--------------------
It was Saturday morning, but it was hard to really think of the weekend as being special when I’d already been off from school for most of the week. Still, Aaron was excited and made a point of getting up early to watch some program on TV, as usual. Unfortunately, he woke me up in the process, but instead of complaining about it, I decided to take advantage of the extra time.
Since I was already up, I decided that it was time for me to do something that I’d been neglecting since my twist. It was time to go on a nice run. As I put on the sports bra Mom had bought me, I shook my head, knowing that even old familiar activities would change due to my twist. However, as weird as it might be to run with jiggling breasts, I wasn’t going to give this up.
I stepped out the door, then took a deep breath before I slowly started on my run. My body had changed a great deal and I wasn’t sure what effect this would have on my speed and stamina. Actually, Dr. Newbury had tested those at the clinic, but she’d never given me the numbers related to those and only said that my trick hadn’t augmented my physical abilities, only allowed me to simulate enhanced strength.
“Come on Chad,” I told myself as I began running. Then I scowled and corrected myself. “Come on Chloe. You’ve done this a hundred times before. Running isn’t anything new.”
I quickly found that I was right about how weird it would be to run while my breasts jiggled around. My sports bra helped with that, making it a bit less uncomfortable, but it was still distracting. I did my best to ignore that and focused on just the running and nothing else.
Once I was finished running my chosen route, I returned home, feeling relieved that I was still able to do it. I’d actually been a bit worried that my new body wouldn’t be able to do as well as my one. Of course, I’d already noticed that I was more flexible than before, and physically just a little weaker, so it was nice to see that this at least hadn’t changed.
“How was your run?” Mom asked me when I went back into the house. She was sitting in the living room, wearing a bath robe and holding a cup of coffee in her hand.
“It was all right,” I responded with a grin. “A bit different than I’m used to, but I’ll adjust.”
A minute later, I went to the bathroom and took a quick shower, then dried my hair and changed into my costume. I felt an immediate sense of relief when it appeared around me. It was still hard to believe that I felt so comfortable while wearing something as silly as a super hero costume. Of course, I imagined that Christine probably thought the same thing when it came to wearing cute and frilly dresses.
“I see you’ve made yourself comfortable,” Mom commented when I came back into the living room. She had an amused look as she watched me, making me just a little self-conscious
“Chad…I mean Chloe looks really cool in it,” Aaron said, giving me a cheerful grin.
“Thanks,” I responded with a smile of my own.
Ever since my twist, Aaron’s attitude towards me had definitely changed. He kept giving me looks of awe and respect, as though I really was Lady Starlight. It was a little weird, but somewhat expected since I now looked like his favorite comic book character. Of course, whenever he stopped to remember that I was still his older brother Chad underneath the costume and girl body, he’d go back to treating me the same way he had before.
“Can you take me flying later on?” Aaron asked me hopefully.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Mom quickly told him. “I’m afraid your sister doesn’t come with seatbelts so it wouldn’t be safe.”
Aaron scowled in disappointment at that and protested, “But MOM…”
“You heard Mom,” I said, glad for an excuse to turn Aaron down. This way, he’d blame her for it rather than me.
“But I want to fly,” Aaron continued to protest.
Grandma stood in doorway and gave Aaron an amused look. “You can fly once you get a trick that lets you do it.”
Aaron just snorted at that. “But Bridgett didn’t go through a twist. What if I don’t either?”
“Then you might consider yourself fortunate,” Grandma pointed out gently. “Being Twisted comes with a lot of complications.” Then before Aaron could protest further, she announced, “Now everyone come in and eat. These pancakes aren’t going to eat themselves.”
While we were eating breakfast, the topic came up of what we had planned for the day. “I don’t know what I’m going to do yet,” I said, giving Mom a flat look and added, “But it won’t be more shopping.”
“All right,” Mom said, agreeing just a little too easily, especially when she had that look in her eyes. “Besides, I was thinking of doing something with both of you. It’s not often we get a chance to do something as a family.”
I felt a little nervous at that statement and immediately looked to Grandma. After all, the last time Mom had made a big deal about wanting to spend time together with Aaron and me, she’d tried taking us to a strip club. Of course, I wouldn’t have minded going into a strip club…just not with my Mom. Fortunately, the people at the club had taken one look at Aaron and me and refused to let us through the door, in spite of Mom’s offer to dance on stage.
“Are we going to the holo arcade?” Aaron asked eagerly while I just groaned. Video games just weren’t my thing, no matter how great the graphics were.
“I was thinking that we’d go swimming,” Mom said cheerfully. Grandma’s expression visibly relaxed at that.
“That’s a great idea,” Grandma said with a cheerful smile. “Why don’t you call and see if Christine wants to come along too?”
Mom nodded agreement, adding, “I don’t get to spend much time with my cutest little niece.”
“She’s your only niece,” I pointed out. Then I paused as I suddenly realized something. “And I don’t have a swimsuit…or at least, I don’t have anything that will fit me now…”
“That’s all right,” Mom told me with a faint smirk. “I already took care of that. I went shopping while you were at school yesterday and picked up a few more things you might need.”
My eyes widened at that and I now understood exactly what my Mom was up to. I already knew that Mom was trying to help me deal with my twist, in her own unusual way. Instead of letting me get used to being a girl at my own pace, she’d been gently nudging me along, trying to get me to embrace being a woman.
The most obvious example of that was the way she kept nagging me to go out and have sex with a guy so I could see what it was like. She’d tried being a little more subtle about it when we went shopping and she kept wanting me to get stiletto heels, short skirts, and clothes that would show off my new curves. This was just the latest attempt.
“Let me guess,” I said, trying to act calm and casual as I looked at my Mom. “You got me a really itty bitty bikini that shows everything off…”
“If you’ve got it, flaunt it,” Mom told me with a look of amusement. “And Chloe, whether you like it or not, you definitely have it.”
Grandma chuckled at that, then reassured me, “Don’t worry, I’ve already seen the swimsuits and they aren’t too bad.”
I rolled my eyes at that, then muttered sarcastically, “Because not too bad is just what I want…”
It was less than two hours later when Christine arrived, holding a teddy bear in her hand and having a small pink backpack slung over her shoulder. She immediately set the stuffed animal onto the floor and it stood up and followed behind her as she went over to give hugs to Mom and Grandma.
“Hi Grandma,” Christine said cheerfully. “Hi Aunt Dana.” Then she turned to me and said, “I wanna see your new swimsuits… ” Then she giggled and said, “This is gonna be just like playing dress up…”
“I’m not a Barbie doll,” I pointed out as we went back to my room.
Christine just laughed at that and muttered, “That’s what you think.”
“Mom bought me some more clothes yesterday while I was at school,” I explained as I began digging through the small pile of clothes Mom had left on my bed a short time ago. “Some of these, I don’t think I’ll ever wear…” I held up a skimpy shirt that didn’t cover much more than a bikini top would. Christine took one look at it and smirked. “And no, I’m not doing a fashion show for you.”
Then I pulled out the two bikinis that Mom had bought for me and held them up. Honestly, I had been expecting a bit worse. These ones weren’t really any more revealing or embarrassing than what most of the girls at school would wear. One of them was red and gold while the other one was dark blue.
“What do you think?” I asked Christine, hesitant to wear either of them.
Christine stared at one and then the other, then stated, “The blue one looks better.”
I froze at that, suddenly having a flash of deja-vu. It took me a moment to remember where I’d heard those exact same words.
“Gloria,” I whispered.
“What?” Christine asked, giving me a curious look.
“Gloria from school,” I said, feeling just a little stunned. “She supposedly has some sort of fortune telling trick…and Monday, back before I went through my twist, she said the same thing as some sort of prophecy.”
Christine gave me a thoughtful look, then said, “You mean she knew that you were going to go through your twist, turn into a girl, and then have to choose between these bikinis? I don’t buy it.” She chuckled and added, “Maybe we should ask her what else she saw.”
I shrugged at that and pointed out, “Apparently, she doesn’t really remember her little prophetic comments.”
“Convenient,” Christine said with a faintly smug look.
I nodded at that and turned my attention back to my swimwear choices. After a few more seconds, I grabbed the dark blue one and put it into my bag along with a couple towels and some clean panties. Now I was ready to go swimming.
“Hey,” I said as a thought occurred to me. “Maybe we should ask Lori if she wants to come too. I mean, she likes swimming and all…”
Christine just began giggling, and when she stopped, she said, “She has to work today.”
I nodded at that, feeling a little disappointed by that news. Lori was totally gorgeous and had a killer body, so I’d rather liked the idea of seeing her in a bikini. But even if we were just hanging around while wearing heavy parkas, I still would have wanted to spend some time with her. I liked her and she really understood what I was going through.
“Come on,” Christine said, “I don’t wanna be late…”
Christine and I went back to the living room while her teddy bear was actually dragging her backpack along for her. Finally, Christine stopped to pick up both the backpack and the stuffed animal and then hurried out the door.
“Aren’t you coming?” I asked Grandma when I noticed she wasn’t making a move to come along.
“I don’t think any of you want to see me in a swimsuit,” Grandma responded with a chuckle. “Go on and have fun.”
Spiral wasn’t too far from the ocean and we could usually get there in about an hour by bus. However, the large indoor pool in Spiral was not only much closer, it was also kept at a warm temperature that made it ideal for year round swimming. We arrived there in less than fifteen minutes and then hurried to the locker rooms. At first, I was about to follow Aaron into the boys locker room, until Mom cleared her throat and reminded me that I no longer belonged there.
Going into the women’s locker room was a little odd, though I tried to act as though I belonged there. Oddly enough, sharing a locker room with my Mom and having her get undressed in front of me wasn’t nearly that big of a deal. After all, she had no real sense of modesty, and while I was living with her, she’d often begin getting undressed in front of me as though it was perfectly normal.
Mom had no shame as she got undressed and walked around the locker room naked. She seemed completely oblivious to the fact that most of the other women there were glaring at her with jealous looks, though one was giving her appreciative ones instead. As it was, I was a little surprised to find myself getting a few of the jealous looks as well. But what was even more surprising was that I found myself glancing to my Mom and feeling just a little jealous too.
Once I was dressed in my new bikini, I still felt as though I was naked. It was almost all I could do just to keep from summoning my costume to cover it all up. However, when I looked into the mirror, I had to admit that I looked really good. If this had been some girl other than myself, I would have said she was a total babe.
“What do you think?” I asked Christine, only to notice that she looked a little depressed.
“It looks good on you,” Christine said with an obviously forced smile.
The reason Christine had suddenly gone from being cheerful to depressed was obvious. The other women in the locker room were giving jealous looks at my Mom, but none of them had more reason to be jealous than Christine. After all, my Mom was flaunting her assets, and in the process, was inadvertently rubbing Christine’s face in everything she’d lost. Christine had lost all of her own curves when she’d gone through her twist, and she would never be able to get them back. She had the mind of a teenager, but she would be forever trapped in the body of a little girl.
“Are you okay?” I asked Christine gently. I was worried about her but didn’t want to come off as patronizing.
“Yeah,” she responded, giving me a somewhat more sincere smile. Then she gestured down at her own swimsuit, a one piece outfit that covered her entire torso and which would have looked natural on any little girl. “How do I look?”
“It looks good,” I told her.
“Liar,” Christine said, though she smiled as she said it. “But I appreciate the effort. Now come on, let’s go swimming…”
Christine half pulled me out of the locker room to where Aaron was already changed and waiting on us. We had to wait another minute before Mom came out, looking as though she was about ready to burst right out of her bikini. Half the guys in the pool were already beginning to stare at her and the other half hadn’t noticed she was there yet.
“I feel ridiculous,” I muttered self-consciously, though I reminded myself that at least Mom was taking most of the attention away from me. I was definitely grateful for that, though a small part of me felt vaguely annoyed at the same time.
Suddenly, Aaron exclaimed, “It’s a shark…”
Aaron pointed to the water where I saw something shoot through the water at a high speed, seeming to go beneath all the swimmers. The silhouette went all the way to the other end of the pool and did a loop before coming back. It moved through the water faster than any swimmer, and if I hadn’t known that this was an indoor pool, I might have thought it was a shark as well. Then it surfaced, giving me a flash of aquamarine colored hair and scales before going back under.
“It’s a mermaid,” Mom exclaimed in amazement.
“Lori,” I blurted out in realization. I looked at Christine, who just stood there with a smirk.
Christine giggled, then said, “She works here part time as a lifeguard.”
When Lori came back to the surface again a minute later, Christine called out her name and caught her attention. Lori dove back under, only to emerge at the edge of the pool near us.
“I didn’t know you were coming today,” Lori said to Christine, then paused when she noticed me. “Chloe.” She grinned and pulled herself up out of the water so that she was now sitting on the edge of the pool.
“I didn’t know you worked here,” I said, trying not to be obvious about the fact that I was looking her over. From the waist up, she was one hot girl, and even her tail was beautiful in its own way.
Lori slapped her tail against the water and pointed out, “I figure that with my need to be in the water, this was the perfect job for me.” Then she paused with a thoughtful look before adding, “Of course, one day I want to become a marine biologist, but this is great for now.”
“I’d imagine,” I agreed. Then I gestured to the water and said, “I can’t believe how fast and graceful you are in there.”
“Pretty good for someone who used to be afraid of the water,” Christine pointed out.
Christine and I continued talking with Lori for another minute before I realized that Aaron and Mom had wandered off. I didn’t bother looking for them but remained where I was, talking with Lori a bit more before she invited me into the water.
“Hold on tight,” Lori told me, having me grab her shoulders. Then she dove under the water and brought me with her, swimming across the pool at an incredible speed.
Once we came to the surface on the other side, I laughed in delight. “That was great,” I told her with a broad grin. “Sometime, I’m gonna have to take you flying.”
It was at this point that I realized that Christine had wandered off as well. I looked around and saw her going towards the shallow end of the pool where some kids who were her apparent age were playing. She joined them, acting no different than any of the real kids were.
Lori swam back and forth and she even leapt out of the water and did a flip before diving back in. She was clearly having a blast while showing off for me and I was loving it. She was definitely in her habitat here in the water.
Then Lori abruptly took off, swimming like a torpedo to the other side of the pool where she came up beneath some little boy who’d been struggling. She helped him to the shallow end, then gave a thumbs up to the other lifeguard who was sitting on the big chair beside the pool before coming back to me.
“Does that happen very often?” I asked.
“A few times a day,” she responded with a grin. “Kids get in over their heads and need to be helped.”
Eventually, I went back to the side of the pool and sat on the edge with my legs in the water. Lori did a little more showing off before she climbed out of the water and joined me.”
We sat there for about a minute without really saying anything. I was very aware of her presence and blushed a little at what I wanted to do with her. Still, I hesitantly reached out and touched her hand. She didn’t pull away, but instead, she smiled at me.
I wasn’t sure what I meant to say, but when I opened my mouth, what came out was, “You’re gorgeous.”
“Thank you,” Lori responded, looking happy about that. She swished her tail back and forth a little, then carefully asked, “You don’t think I’m a freak?”
“No,” I quickly assured her. “You’re definitely exotic,” I gestured to her tail and smiled. “But you’re very beautiful.”
“So are you,” Lori said with a blush. She moved her hand so it was no longer just touching mine, but was sitting on top of mine.
The two of us sat there for another couple minutes, holding hands and admiring how each other looked. I was excited and nervous at the same time but not sure what to do next. Lori seemed to be feeling the same things that I was. I’ve asked girls out before without much problem, but our situation was a little unusual.
“That lady you came in with,” Lori said carefully. She looked to where my Mom was sitting out on a deck chair. “The one with the big boobs…”
“My Mom?” I asked.
Lori’s eyes went wide at that. “She’s your Mom?”
I nodded at that, feeling a little awkward as I usually did when someone asked about my Mom. The fact that the girl I had the hots for was asking about her only made it worse.
“She’s Twisted,” I pointed out to which Lori nodded in understanding.
“She looks sort of familiar,” Lori said. “But I couldn’t quite place her.”
I gave Lori a wry smile and said, “Deanna Desire.”
“The porn star?” Lori asked, then paused to stare at me in surprise. She looked towards my Mom and gasped. “Your Mom is a porn star?” When I nodded, she giggled and told me, “Sorry, but I thought the situation with my Dad was weird.”
“Your Dad?” I asked in confusion.
Lori nodded at that, looking embarrassed. “Well, I grew up as a norm and had no idea that I could even be Twisted…until I went through my twist. That’s when I found out my Dad wasn’t really my Dad. It turns out my real Dad was my Mom’s best friend…my Aunt Kelsie.”
I blinked in confusion. “Your Aunt is your Dad?”
“It turns out that her twist gave her a little something extra,” Lori explained with a bright blush. Then she quickly added, “Please don’t tell anyone.”
“I won’t,” I promised. “And please don’t spread it around school who my Mom is.”
“Deal,” Lori agreed. Then she asked, “Want to seal it with a kiss?”
“Absolutely,” I responded excitedly.
Lori and I both leaned forward until our lips met. She tasted a little of the chlorine water, but her lips were soft and perfect. We kissed for only a few seconds before pulling back, both of us grinning happily.
Unfortunately, Lori had to get back to work and I had to leave a short time after that. Still, we hesitantly kissed each other goodbye and promised to meet up again when we didn’t have to worry about her job or my family.
As we left the pool, Mom and Christine both gave me knowing looks, which made me blush. I wasn’t sure I liked having my personal business being in the open so much, but then again, Lori and I had kissed right in front of them so I could hardly complain about them knowing.
“So, you and Lori,” Christine said, giving me an odd look. “You do know she’s my former boyfriend?” I nearly choked at that.
“She’s gorgeous,” Mom told me with a proud smile. “And she has a great pair of tits. I bet you’ll have fun playing with those.”
“Oh God,” I groaned, absolutely mortified. At least Mom hadn’t said that right in front of Lori.
“Mom,” Aaron protested. “I don’t want to hear about any of that stuff.”
When we got home, we arrived just in time to see a car pulling out of the driveway and leaving. It was a hovercar, a newer model sedan and obviously an expensive one. That only made me curious as to who was driving it and why it was there.
Grandma came out of the house to greet us, looking rather annoyed. She was holding some papers in her hand, which I suspected were the cause of her sour look.
“What’s going on?” Mom asked. “Who was that?”
“That was a lawyer,” Grandma answered with a sigh, giving me an odd look. “He was just delivering something.”
I frowned at that, then asked, “Delivering what?”
“A cease and desist letter,” Grandma stated, staring at me and letting out another sigh. “From Triumph Comics.”
--------------------
The school cafeteria was loud and crowded, just as it was every day during lunch. The people at the table behind me were barking, meowing, and making other loud animal noises as they discussed what the mystery meat was actually made of, making it difficult for me to hear everything the people at my own table were saying.
Today, I was having lunch with Christine and Lori, as well as their two bandmates Ricky and Liz. I remembered seeing Ricky and Liz at Aaron’s birthday party, and Christine had mentioned them a few times, but this was the first time I’d really been introduced to them.
“So anyway,” I continued explaining to Christine and Lori. “After we got home Saturday, we found out this lawyer from Triumph Comics had shown up and gave my Grandma a cease and desist letter, ordering me not to appear in public while looking like Lady Starlight.”
“Can they even do that?” Lori asked in surprise. “I mean, isn’t that like saying you’re not allowed to use your trick?”
“Apparently, they think I’m violating their copyright by looking like her,” I said with a sigh.
Liz sneered at that and announced, “Fucking lawyers.”
“They’re all dirty poopyheads,” Christine stated firmly. Then she looked at me and added, “That really stinks. What are you gonna do?”
I chuckled at Christine’s reaction, then answered, “Actually, Grandma and I went and talked to a lawyer yesterday. He said we might be able to fight this because there’s some kind of precedent. Apparently, there was one Twisted who ended up looking exactly like that actress Martina Harrington, and she even had a compulsion to dress like Martina did in her movies and talk like her.”
“I’m sure that went over real well,” Lori commented wryly.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “Apparently, Martina Harrington was afraid that she’d ruin her reputation or steal movie roles from her or something and sued her. There was a big legal fight that got the Twisted rights and anti-Twisted people involved. In the end, the judge ruled that she wasn’t any different than any other celebrity impersonator, as long as she didn’t try to pass herself as actually being Martina or interfere with her career by making movies.”
“That sounds fairly reasonable,” Lori said thoughtfully. “Did your lawyer tell you what happened to this woman?”
“No,” I responded with a grin. “But I looked it up online last night. Apparently, she has a pretty successful career as a celebrity impersonator and ironically enough…Martina Harrington has even hired her to be her double in a couple movies.”
“Yeah, but you turned into a fictional character,” Christine pointed out. “Not a real person. I don’t think it’s the same thing…”
I just shrugged at that. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “But that’s why Grandma hired the lawyer.”
“Lawyers are like rabid pittbulls,” Ricky joked. “No one really likes having them around, but every once in awhile you really want to send them after someone.”
“Hey,” Liz protested. “I like pittbulls… They’re good dogs.”
With that, the conversation changed directions and we all began talking about animals that we thought would make good pets. It was silly nonsense, but rather fun, especially when Lori said she wanted a pet otter.
“I want some tame squirrels,” Christine said with an innocent look. “They’re so cute and adorable.” Then she gave Ricky an almost evil grin and stuck her tongue out at him. I had a feeling that this was some kind of inside joke that I wasn’t aware of.
When lunch was about over, I got up and smiled at Lori, thinking about how much fun I’d had with her on Saturday. “I’ll see you later,” I told her, giving her a kiss, which earned a wolf whistle from Ricky.
“Chloe and Lori sitting in a tree,” Christine started singing before she burst into giggles.
“I’m definitely looking forward to it,” Lori told me. Then she said, “Maybe we can do something this week…without the peanut gallery.” She glanced to the other people at the table and gave them a mock glare.
“Maybe tomorrow night?” I offered.
“Band practice,” Lori answered. “How about Wednesday?”
“Sounds good to me,” I responded, giving her another kiss before we went our separate ways.
I grinned as I walked out of the cafeteria, hardly able to believe that Lori was actually interested in me. She was totally hot, and from someone who spent time around porn stars, that was saying something. She was nice, fun to be with, and she understood me. It was almost like she was best friend and girlfriend material both rolled into one. Of course, I still had to get to know her a bit more, but I was starting to think that every guy who turns into a girl needed a girlfriend who used to be a guy.
When I reached my next class, I sat down in my usual seat beside Jim. Our math teacher Mr. Cormick was still sitting at his desk, looking at the lesson plan and ignoring the students who were trickling in from lunch. That meant we still had a couple minutes to talk before class actually started
Jim gave me an odd look and smirked, then said, “I heard you’ve got yourself a new girlfriend.”
“It’s nothing official or anything,” I quickly corrected Jim, feeling a bit embarrassed that he knew about my personal business before I’d told him. “We’ve just a kissed a couple times is all…”
“So,” Jim asked with a chuckle. “Does this mean you’re done with Alyssa Ambrose?”
“That was only the one time,” I reminded Jim. “And besides, as hot as Alyssa is, I think Lori still has her beat.”
Jim stared at me for a moment and then shook his head. “Yeah, I have a couple classes with the mermaid girl. She sometimes even turns full mermaid right there in class. And she is definitely hot.”
“And you’re saying I’m not?” I said, acting as though I was hurt.
Jim’s eyes went wide at that and he blurted out, “Of course not… You’re a total babe…” Then he paused and gave me a dark look, asking, “You’re fucking with me, aren’t you?”
“Maybe,” I responded with my best innocent expression. I’d actually seen girls pull that move before, pretending to be offended as a way of fishing for compliments or manipulating a guy into doing what they want. Since I now that the body for it, I couldn’t resist trying it out, though it had been far more effective than I’d expected.
“It’s a good thing for you that you’re a girl or I’d hit you for that,” Jim joked.
“Just don’t hit ON me,” I warned him with a sigh. “My body might be different, but I’m still mostly the same up here.” I tapped my temple.
I let out a sigh as I considered just how lucky that my mind and personality hadn’t been twisted the same way my body had. Unlike a lot of Twisted, I was still myself where it really counted. But there was a downside with that as well. If my personality had been altered as well, I might be thinking of myself as a girl would probably even be perfectly comfortable with it. As it was, I still felt like I was a guy who was just pretending to be a girl. I had a feeling that it was going to take me awhile to really start thinking of myself as a girl.
“So,” I said, trying to change the topic. Then I noticed an empty seat and asked, “Where’s Keenan at?”
Jim gave me a look of surprise and asked, “Didn’t you hear? He got suspended after what happened in cafeteria on Friday.”
I nodded at that, realizing that I shouldn’t have been surprise. The school was pretty tolerant towards the Twisted, but they did have a few strict rules against using your tricks against other students. And from the way the other boy had been crying out without Keenan even touching him, it was pretty clear that Keenan must have been using some kind of trick. Until now, I hadn’t even known that he had a trick.
“Poor guy,” I muttered, thinking of Keenan…or at least the old Keenan who’d been a friend. This new Keenan just seemed to be an asshole who didn’t care about anyone but himself.
A moment later, Mr. Cormick called the class to attention and began the daily lecture. I just sighed, turned my attention to the lecture, and began taking notes on my computer tablet. After my three day absence last week, I still had a bit of catching up to do, which meant paying extra attention.
Once school was over, I met up with Christine and Lori again right in front of school. I’d hoped that I could spend a little more time with Lori after school, and maybe do a bit more kissing, but she had to go to the pool to work for a couple hours.
“At least you have a job you love,” I told her, remembering how happy she’d been while swimming.
Christine laughed at that, then said, “The only other person I know who loves their job as much is Aunt Dana.”
“Yeah,” I responded wryly. “Mom does enjoy her work.”
“I guess I’ll see you later then,” I told Lori, feeling disappointed at that.
Just then, I suddenly heard someone yelling, “Come on you little wimp… Fight me…”
“It’s a fight,” Christine exclaimed, pointing to the side where I some people starting to gather.
Christine hurried towards the gathering with Lori and I following behind. A moment later, I got a better view of what was going on. Dan Jones, the notorious school bully and thug had once again cornered his favorite victim. Gary was much smaller than Dan but stood there defiantly.
“Give me that back,” Gary demanded, making me realize that Dan was holding something in his hand. It was a binder, which he tossed to the side, causing papers to fly out and scatter around. “My sketches…”
“This art crap is for girls,” Dan snarled. “Be a man for once in your worthless life and fight me…”
Dan was a lot bigger than Gary, in just about every way. He nearly towered over the smaller and skinner boy, making it clear to anyone who watched that there was no way Gary would stand a chance against him. Gary looked afraid, but he made no move to run away. Instead, he glared up at Dan, as though he could make the bully back down with sheer willpower.
“Come on you worthless punk,” Dan exclaimed. “Hit me. I know you want to…” Then he shoved Gary, sending him flying back.
I clenched my fists as I watched this, growing angrier with every passing second. The last time I’d seen Dan messing with Gary, a teacher had shown up and interfered, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen this time. I’d always hated bullies and knew that I had to do something.
“Leave him alone,” I exclaimed, stepping forward. I just hoped that this would distract Dan long enough for Gary to get away. Dan gave me a look of surprise, as did Gary.
Lori let out a worried gasp and blurted out, “Chloe…”
“Man, you have to be real tough to pick on someone so much smaller than you,” I said, getting Dan’s full attention. “Why don’t you just leave him alone?”
“This ain’t none of your damn business,” Dan responded, glaring at me with a look of raw anger in his eyes. I was startled by that anger since it almost seemed that there was something personal going on that I didn’t get.
Dan started to turn his attention back to Gary, so I called out, “Hey pinhead…”
“Chloe,” Christine demanded. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Stay back,” I warned Lori and my cousin. I didn’t take my eyes off Dan, who was glaring at me again.
“I told you to fuck off,” Dan spat out as he came over to me. “It looks like someone needs to teach you to listen when a man talks…”
I rolled my eyes at that, wondering if I was going to have to deal with that kind of macho and chauvinistic attitude for the rest of my life. That was one part of being a girl that I could definitely do without, the way some people seemed to think I should act according to their preconceptions of how a girl behaved.
“Bite me,” I responded coldly.
Dan suddenly reached out and grabbed my upper arm, getting a good grip. Without any further hesitation, I willed my costume to appear. Suddenly, my clothes and shoes were torn to shreds, making me realize that I’d just ruined yet another outfit. Mom and Grandma weren’t going to be happy. Dan yanked his hand back, surprised but seemingly unharmed.
“Good thing,” I muttered, realizing that I might very well have accidentally shredded his hand since he was touching me.
“What the hell?” Dan demanded, staring at me with a confused look. “Let me guess, you think you’re some kind of super hero…”
“No,” I answered giving him a cold glare, “but I am going to kick your ass if you don’t back off.”
Dan grimaced, then he went to slap me, though I made no move to block him. His hand hit my face, then he yanked it back with a yelp. A moment later, he actually tried to punch me, obviously not being bright enough to realize that it would hurt him more than it would me. This time, I actually blocked his punch and then shoved him, sending him flying backwards and onto his butt.
“Don’t make me hurt you,” I warned him.
That only seemed to make Dan even more angry as he got back to his feet and came at me again. This time, I waited until he tried to punch me, then I grabbed his arm the same way I had the purse thief.
“I’ve got you,” I told him, levitating up into the air while holding him.
“Let me go,” Dan ordered, struggling to get loose.
“Sure thing,” I said with an evil grin. “And I know just where to put you.”
With that, I flew over to the curb and unceremoniously dropped Dan right into the large dumpster that was half filled with trash. There was laughter and cheering from the various onlookers.
As soon as I landed, Christine ran up and kicked me in the shin, exclaiming, “You big dummy. I thought you were gonna get hurt…”
“That was pretty impressive,” Lori added.
“Thanks,” I responded, pleased by the compliment.
Lori looked me over with a faint smirk, obviously checking out my body. Then she finally said, “You know, I really like the way your costume looks on you.”
“Thanks,” I repeated, blushing at that.
Lori put her arms around me and gave me a kiss, then said, “I wish I could hang round with you more, but I really have to get going. As fun as that would be, I can’t risk getting fired.”
With that, Lori took off, pausing just long enough to wave at me again before going. Christine stared at me for a moment, then shook her head before she took off as well.
Just as I turned to leave, I noticed Gloria standing a short distance away, watching as Dan climbed out of the dumpster. “Bad karma,” she muttered to herself.
I thought about talking with Gloria, but I had to get going as well. Since I was already in my costume, I just lifted myself up into the air, deciding that I might as well fly home. After all, it wasn’t too far, and it was bound to be a lot more fun than walking.
When I returned home, I was almost immediately met with Grandma demanding, “What in the world happened to your clothes?”
I let out a sigh at that, having known that this was coming. “I ran into a bully after school,” I explained. “I kind of called up my trick so he couldn’t hurt me.”
I neglected to mention that I’d actually picked the fight with Dan in order to help Gary, and that there had actually had been a fight. I let it go at that, letting Grandma think that the incident had been nothing more than my calling up my shield and flying away.
Since I was back home, there didn’t seem to be any reason to rush into getting changed into real clothes again, not when I was so comfortable. Grandma didn’t say anything, so I went back to my room to take care of my homework.
A short time later, there was a knock on my bedroom door, right before Mom came in. She was holding a shoebox in her hands and was smiling faintly.
“How was school,” she asked me pleasantly. “Your grandmother told me you’d been in some kind of fight.”
I just smiled at that and pointed out, “It’s not much of a fight if he can’t hurt me and I can fly away any time I want.”
“I suppose not,” Mom responded with a chuckle. “That certainly sounds like a better way to protect yourself than a can of pepper spray.”
“So, what’s up?” I asked Mom, eyeing the box in her hands and thinking about the way she’d been smiling when she came in. She was definitely up to something.
“You know I’m leaving tomorrow,” Mom said gently. “I wish I could stay here with you longer, but I’m scheduled to start filming on a new movie Wednesday.”
“That’s okay,” I told her with a reassuring smile. “I’m just glad you were able to make it when you did.”
Mom smiled at that, then told me, “Before I left, I wanted to make sure you had this.” With that, she handed me the shoebox. “These are just some things you’re going to need.”
I opened the box and gasped when I saw it was full of dildos, vibrators, and other sex toys. There were even a bunch of condoms in there as well.
“Mom,” I blurted out, blushing bright red, though I shouldn’t have been surprised. After all, this wasn’t the first time she’d given me something like this. On my thirteenth birthday, her present had been a box filled with some dirty movies and condoms.
“You have a new body with new needs,” Mom told me pleasantly. “This will help you satisfy those needs, but you’ll still need to find a good lover. Trust me, as nice as these toys are, they can’t match a real man with a big cock.”
I groaned at that and protested, “I have no interest in guys.”
Mom shrugged at that. “Maybe not now, but that could change.” Then she stared at me and said, “You really need to loosen up and explore your new body. Trust me, you can have a lot of fun with it.”
“I don’t want to have fun with it,” I complained, feeling embarrassed.
This wasn’t the kind of talk I wanted to have with my Mom. It was almost as bad as when she decided to give me the birds and bees lecture…when I was five years old…and in graphic detail. If Grandma hadn’t walked in, I probably would have ended up scarred for life.
“I’m your mother,” she told me with an amused smile. “It’s my job to help you grow. And you know how mother birds will push baby birds out of their nests so they learn to fly…?”
With that, Mom reached out and put a hand on my shoulder. Suddenly, I felt a tingle shoot through my entire body. I let out a gasp as my nipples hardened and my crotch began to feel wet. In an instant, I was suddenly feeling turned on and completely horny.
“You used your trick on me,” I accused angrily.
“Just a little nudge out of the nest,” Mom told me pleasantly as she turned and went to the bedroom door. “Now have fun learning to fly dear.” And with that, she left my room and closed the door behind herself.
I just sat there for a moment, hardly able to believe my Mom had done this to me. Then again, it was my Mom so I could definitely believe it.
Without consciously realizing it, my hands went to my breasts and began to massage them. I let my costume vanish, leaving me completely naked. Naked and horny.
“Oh God,” I groaned, shaking with desire.
After a minute, I got up and made sure the door was locked. I was just glad Aaron had gone to one of his friends after school to play video games, because the last thing I needed now was to deal with him.
I’d always known my Mom’s trick of being able to make people instantly horny was powerful, but she’d never used it on me before. With a trick like that, it was no wonder she was so popular with guys…and girls.
My hands seemed to have a mind of their own as I felt myself up, massaging my breasts and playing with my fully erect nipples. It felt so good. And when I reached down between my legs to my soaking wet slit, I moaned at the sensations.
I fingered myself for several minutes, amazed at how good it felt. However, it wasn’t enough. My body was craving more than this. Then my eyes settled on the box of sex toys that Mom had given me.
“I can’t believe I’m going this,” I gasped.
With that, I reached into the box and pulled out both a vibrator and a dildo. I stared at both with a mixture of horror and eagerness. Before Mom had used her trick on me, I never would have considered this, but now the only question was which to try first.
--------------------
History was my favorite subject in school and today we were going over the events that led up to the Chinese Civil War a couple of a couple decades ago. I found the subject fascinating and paid full attention, though most of the other students were bored stiff. I just couldn’t understand why most kids my age were so into made up stories when they couldn’t care less about things that really happened.
Our teacher was Ms. Calico, an eccentric looking woman who was fairly popular among the students. She was in her late twenties, had catlike eyes, and her hair had the coloring of a calico cat, hence the nickname that even the other teachers called her by.
“Hey,” Jim whispered, leaning over from the seat beside me. “I forgot to tell you earlier… I saw Dan Jones last night…”
I frowned at that, annoyed by Jim’s interruption but curious about what he had to say as well. The fight with Dan had been two days ago, and the bully hadn’t shown up to school since then. I was just lucky that no teachers had caught me using my trick to fight another student or I would have ended up suspended the same way Keenan had been.
After a moment, I let out a sigh and encouraged Jim to continue. “And?”
“I saw him at the mall last night,” Jim told me quietly. “His face was pretty bruised up and his arm was in a cast. You really fucked him up…”
“What?” I gasped, staring at Jim in surprise.
When I’d fought Dan, I’d definitely kicked his ass and won the fight, but I didn’t think I’d hurt him that bad. Then I remembered the way I’d dropped him into the dumpster and gulped, realizing that I must have dropped him from higher than I’d thought. Or maybe he’d just hit the side of the or something hard inside of it. Dan might have been an asshole and a thug, but I still felt guilty.
“He must be pretty embarrassed about getting his ass handed to him by a girl,” Jim added with a smirk. “I mean, he didn’t come to school yesterday or today.”
Just then, Ms. Calico politely asked, “Am I interrupting you two?” She was looking right at Jim and me.
“Sorry,” I muttered a quick apology, embarrassed at being called out like that.
I gave Jim a dirty look and then went back to paying attention to the lecture, though my mind did drift back to what I’d done to Dan. If nothing else, maybe this will teach the other bullies in school to leave well enough alone.
In spite of the fact that I liked history, the rest of the class passed slowly and the following one even more so. It was Wednesday afternoon and I had plans for afterschool, ones that I’d been looking forward to since Monday. When the final bell rang, I hurried out to go find Lori as quickly as I could.
I found Lori near the front entrance of the school, talking with a hot looking girl with crimson hair. I’d seen her around school a few times since I’d moved back, and I remembered her as that hair color was really distinct, but I didn’t know her name.
“Chloe,” Lori exclaimed when she saw me. She grinned at me, then gestured to the crimson haired girl. “This is Blake. I was just telling her about you.”
“It seems we have a few things in common,” Blake commented, giving me a curious look.
“Oh?” I asked, wondering what Lori could possibly be saying about me behind my back. I just hoped it wasn’t anything too bad.
“I’m part of the former boys club too,” Blake said pleasantly.
“Really?” I asked, looking her over. She had a killer body and was dressed in a miniskirt and high heels. By her looks, I never would have guessed she used to be a guy, but the same thing could be said of Lori and myself. “How many of us are there around here anyway?”
“There are a few of us,” Blake told me with a chuckle. “I’m not sure of how many since it’s kind of embarrassing and most don’t want to spread it around.”
I nodded at that, fully understanding. It was embarrassing to suddenly go from being a guy to being a girl and having everyone suddenly treat me differently. And I certainly didn’t want to talk about it with people I didn’t know or who wouldn’t understand.
“Maybe we should create an after school club where we can all meet up,” I joked. “We could call ourselves Gender Benders Anonymous.”
“That might not be a bad idea,” Lori said thoughtfully. “I mean, getting used to being a girl wasn’t as big of a problem for me as getting used to being part fish, but it would have been nice to talk to more people who were going through the same thing.”
Blake nodded at that, musing, “I know what you mean. It definitely helps put things in perspective when I talk to other people who’ve changed this way too.” Then she shrugged and said, “Well, I’ve got to go meet up with my boyfriend, so I’ll see you two later.” She smiled at me and said, “It was nice meeting you…”
“I’ve got to go home and soak my tail,” Lori said, then paused to chuckle. “I know, it sounds pretty ridiculous, but I need a good soak before I’ll be ready to do anything. If you’d like, I can come over to your house when I’m done…”
“Okay then,” I agreed. “I’ll see you then.” With that, we kissed briefly, then went our separate ways.
When I got home, I immediately went to my bedroom…my NEW bedroom. Yesterday morning, Mom had left to drive back to Las Angeles, so when I got home from school, I immediately began moving my stuff into her now vacant room. The new room was the same size as the one I’d shared with Aaron, but I didn’t have it completely to myself. There was still a dresser full of Mom’s clothing and belongings, as well as half a closet full. In a way, it was like I still had a roommate, even if she was absent most of the time. And when Mom did come back to visit again, we’d be sharing the room for real.
“Home sweet home,” I said, dropping my backpack onto my bed as a reminder to take care of my homework.
I slowly looked around my new room, noting everything that still needed to be put away and organized. Then I thought about the shoe box that was now hidden beneath my bed, blushing brightly as I did so. Mom had certainly surprised me with that gift, not to mention the way she’d used her trick on me to ensure that I’d actually use the gift.
“The next time I see her,” I muttered to myself, “we’re going to add a new rule to the list. Absolutely NO using her trick on me.”
My Mom’s trick of being able to make anyone instantly horny might be great for her career, but I definitely didn’t like it being used on me. Getting turned on by my own Mom, even if it was only because of her trick, was just WRONG. Of course, she didn’t understand why I was uncomfortable with that, which was why she’d done it in the first place.
“Definitely a new rule,” I promised myself.
But in spite of how awkward and embarrassing that situation had been, I was reluctantly forced to admit that it had also felt pretty damn good. Mom’s methods were screwed up, but she may have had a point. Until then, I’d been ignoring my new parts as much as possible, thinking of them as being like foreign pieces that just been stuck on. I have no idea how much longer I might have ignored my breasts and vagina, trying to pretend like they weren’t really mine, if Mom hadn’t given me that little nudge.
After what I’d done on Monday, I could no longer ignore my new female parts or pretend that they weren’t really mine. I’d stuck a dildo up inside myself, discovered what all the fuss was about vibrators, and I’d had some orgasms that would have knocked my socks off if I hadn’t been naked. With all that, it was like I’d been slapped in the face with the reality of my new gender and forced to deal with it in a way that I’d previously been ignoring.
I was still embarrassed for losing control of myself that way and using those things, but I also knew that I was going to do so again. Next time, I wouldn’t even need that little nudge since the last time had felt so good. Mom had been right about my needing to explore my new body and all that it entailed, though I’d never admit that to her.
“And I’ll be damned if I ever sleep with a guy,” I muttered with a shudder. Sure, having a dildo inside me had felt surprisingly good, but the idea of actually having sex with a guy made my skin crawl. “I’m one hundred percent lesbian.”
That thought brought me back to my date with Lori. It wasn’t going to be a fancy date or anything like that, just a chance for us to hang out, get to know each other better, and have a little time alone to kiss some more. I smiled in anticipation of that.
Until now, I hadn’t planned on changing clothes or anything, but when I thought of Lori and how hot she was, I realized that I wanted her to think the same thing about me. She was a former guy, the same as me, so I knew she’d appreciate it if I tried to look a little sexier.
I went through all my new clothes, trying to decide what to wear. I pulled several outfits out and went back and forth over them, wondering which would be right. A couple things I’d picked out made me look tomboyish, which wasn’t how I wanted Lori to think of me, but some of the things Mom bought would have made me look like some kind of a slut.
“Oh my God,” I finally exclaimed in realization. “I just spent half an hour trying to decide what to wear… I really have become a girl…”
In the end, there were several factors that helped me decide what to wear. I might be a girl now, but there was no way I was going to wear a skirt or dress. Instead, I put on a pair of tight jeans which made my ass look good. Then I picked out a shirt that revealed a little cleavage, just enough to make me feel a little self-conscious without being uncomfortable.
“I hope Lori likes this,” I muttered when I was done. I’d even put on my pair of heels, just not the stilettos. Thanks to the heels in my costume, I’d gotten enough practice walking in those that they weren’t a problem anymore. However, they seemed a bit much for what we were doing.
When Lori arrived a short time later, I immediately saw that she’d changed clothes from what she’d been wearing at school. She was wearing a dress, as she usually did, and she had on a low pair of heels as well. But unlike me, she actually had on makeup and some jewelry besides earrings. Those were things I didn’t have yet, other than the one pair of earrings, though Mom had made some noises about buying me makeup and more jewelry before she’d left.
“You look great,” I told Lori with a grin.
“You too,” she responded, giving me a kiss. “Are you ready to go?”
“Absolutely,” I agreed. Then I paused to ask, “You know, the stereotype is that a girl has to make her date wait…but since we’re both girls, do we really have to do that?”
Lori laughed at that. “I say no. I never really understood the point of that when I was a guy.”
We stood there for several more minutes while Grandma came to look Lori over. I wasn’t quite sure what Grandma thought about my dating a girl now that I was one, but she didn’t seem upset about it. Then again, after dealing with my Mom, I could probably date a couple people at once and Grandma probably wouldn’t blink.
“Later Grandma,” I told my Grandma as Lori and I finally started for the door.
“Be back before nine,” Grandma reminded me. “It is a school night after all.” Then as we left the house, I thought I heard her mutter, “At least I don’t have to worry about someone ending up pregnant.”
Lori gestured to the car that was parked in our driveway, a hovercar that was a couple years old. It was nice, but I still preferred my Mom’s car. “My Mom let me borrow it,” she told me a little self-consciously. “I’m hoping to save enough from my job so I can buy my own.”
I nodded at that, then pointed out, “You’re ahead of me. I don’t even have a job.”
“Oh,” Lori teased me with a grin. “You’re a deadbeat.”
“I prefer the term freeloader,” I responded with a grin of my own.
We arrived at the movie theater a short time later, having already decided which movie we were going to see. Lori had wanted to see the latest blockbuster action movie, but I wasn’t really into that kind of thing. I would have preferred seeing a comedy instead, but I was here more for the company than the actual movie, so I’d agreed to her choice. Of course, it helped that she hadn’t wanted to see some chick flick.
But when we went to buy the tickets, both of us pulled out our money to pay for the tickets at the same time. We paused to look at each other and then burst out laughing.
“How about, I take care of the tickets and you take care of the snacks?” I suggested.
“That sounds good to me,” Lori agreed.
I didn’t go to the movies very often but had to admit that the system they had set up was impressive. They had holo projectors set up so that the movie was projected all around you, really making you feel like you were right in the middle of it. And then, they even pumped in some of the smells so we could catch the scent of gunpowder and ocean. Fortunately, it was pretty mellow and we only caught faint hints of the smells or it might have been overwhelming.
I thought the movie had no plot, poor acting, and a lot of internal consistencies, but it did have good special effects and a lot of explosions. It wasn’t the kind of movie I was usually into, but I was still able to enjoy it. However, Lori really seemed to like it and her enthusiasm was a little infectious.
We held hands off and on throughout the movie, whispered a few jokes about the bad dialog and large plot holes, and we even kissed a couple times. By the time the movie was over, I was in a very good mood and eager to continue with the hand holding and kissing. However, dinner was our next stop, though I figured we’d probably be able to squeeze in a little more physical time.
Before we left the theater, Lori paused and reached into her purse, pulling out a spray bottle. “I’ve got to let my legs go for a bit,” she told me self-consciously. “Being a mermaid is my natural state and I can only keep these legs for a couple hours at a time.”
“I’ll come with,” I said, giving her a grin. It was always interesting to see her in her full mermaid form. After all, it wasn’t often that you got to see a mythical creature come to life, even if it was just because she was Twisted.
We went to an out of the way niche near the bathrooms, one with a few seats and which seemed to have been put there to give nursing mothers a place to do so with a little privacy. As soon as Lori sat down, she kicked off her shoes and then her legs began to transform, merging together and growing those beautiful aquamarine scales. In less than a minute, she was back to her true mermaid self and immediately began to spray her tail with the water bottle.
“I get a little itchy if I don’t keep my scales damp,” she explained, though she’d told me that before. “You have no idea how good this feels.”
“Having a tail or misting it?” I asked.
Lori chuckled at that and admitted, “Both. Trust me, I love having legs, but I feel a little uncomfortable after awhile so switching back is sort of a relief.”
“I know what you mean,” I told her, wishing I could change into my costume. I couldn’t help but feeling just a little jealous that Lori was able to relax and get comfortable but I couldn’t. If I did that here, it would mean destroying my clothes, and I couldn’t afford to keep doing that.
Lori stared at me for a moment before asking, “You’re thinking about your costume, aren’t you?” I just nodded at that and she gave me a knowing look. “I’m the same way with being in the water, which is ironic considering that I was terrified of the water and then went through my twist in the school swimming pool. You’d think that after that, I’d be too traumatized to eve get in the water again.”
“You’ve got to love being Twisted,” I said wryly. “It messes with your mind and body so much, nothing is the way it should be.”
“You’ll get used to it,” Lori promised me. “I did, and I turned into a fish.”
After fifteen minutes, Lori changed her tail back into her legs. I watched in fascination as the process I’d seen earlier reversed itself. Her fins pulled in and the tail began to split down the middle, while at the same time, her beautiful scales pulled into her skin and vanished, leaving her with a very shapely pair of human legs. With a smile, she put her shoes back on and we finally left the theater.
By this point, I was starting to get hungry, in spite of the snacks we’d had with the movie. Fortunately, the restaurant we were going to for dinner was almost right across the street from the theater. The place wasn’t big or fancy, but it did have the best pizza in Spiral. And it had the added bonus of being fairly inexpensive. Lori had a job and I had the allowance Mom gave me, but neither of us could afford some expensive fancy restaurant.
As we went to the restaurant, I noticed a group of three men hanging around near the front. Something about them seemed just a little off, just a little…suspicious. They were all looking around as though they expected someone to jump them at any moment, and when they saw us, they actually glared.
“Blue haired freak,” one of them spat out, looking straight at Lori.
“What did you say?” I demanded, surprised at hearing something like that in Spiral.
“Forget them,” Lori said, giving the men a glare. “I’m hungry and don’t want to waste time with idiots.”
The man who called Lori a freak just sneered at that while his friends laughed. They called out a few more insults but Lori and I just hurried to the door, doing our best to ignore them.
Lori reached the door to the restaurant before me and held it open so I could go through, saying, “After you.”
I smiled as I went through, realizing that both of us kept trying to take the traditional male role during this date. Both of us had tried paying for the tickets and both of us wanted to open doors for the other and act like ‘gentlemen’. I guessed a lifetime of training in how to behave as a man was hard to shake, even after we’d both switched sides.
Dinner consisted of good pizza and better conversation, with Lori and I talking about what it was like changing sex, our unconventional parents, and even about Christine. We both had a few stories to share about my cousin, which resulted in us laughing through half the meal.
“And when she was ten,” I told Lori, “she beat up the twelve year old boy who’d been trying to bully her. He was so humiliated at getting his ass kicked by a girl that he told everyone he’d been jumped by a group of teenage boys…”
Lori laughed at that and said, “I can definitely believe it of the old Christine. The new one…not so much.”
“She might be small and cute,” I pointed out, “but she’s still pretty scrappy.”
“True,” Lori agreed. “But it is harder to take her seriously. I mean, on her first day back at school after her twist, someone teased her about being turned into a kid and she called him a booger brained poopy head. The look on her face was hilarious because I don’t think that was at all what she meant to say. Anyway, that only made her angrier and she ended up kicking him in his legs repeatedly, and he couldn’t bring himself to fight back against someone who looked like a cute little girl. And if he had hit her, there were a bunch of guys there, me and Ricky included, who would have jumped him.”
Just then, I overheard the people at the table next to us complaining about how some men had harassed them outside the restaurant. I looked over while trying to look as though I wasn’t staring. The man had skin, hair, and clothes were all in shades of gray so it looked like he’d stepped right out of one of those really old black and white movies. He was obviously Twisted, as was the woman with him since she had glowing eyes.
“I came to Spiral to get away from that kind of harassment,” the black and white man told his companion. “It’s infuriating.”
They continued to talk about how they’d been insulted while I just scowled. I’d overheard another customer come in with similar complains earlier, which proved that Lori wasn’t the only one they’d been rude to. It seemed that they were going after anyone with visible twists, and I suspected that I would have received the same treatment if they’d been sure I was Twisted too.
“I hope those assholes are gone,” I told Lori with a sigh.
Lori just nodded at that, then gave me an almost predatory smile. “I’d like to catch those jerks in the water sometime… They’ll think they’re in that old movie Jaws.”
We were still chuckling over that as we left the restaurant, though we froze when we were outside the door and heard someone screaming from down the street a short distance. I snapped around, gasping at the sight of a car that was on fire, with flames covering the front and top of it. Then I saw the three men, standing in front of the car and laughing. One of them was holding a lit Molotov cocktail in his hand.
“Oh shit,” Lori blurted out in horror.
There were other people present as well, including one woman who was actually inside the burning car. My blood ran cold at that and I stared in horror. There were other people present as well, but the three men were all holding weapons and keeping everyone else back.
“Let the fucking freak burn,” one of the men called out, swinging a baseball bat threateningly.
“Bastards,” I snarled angrily.
Police and fire engine sirens could be heard in the distance, rapidly approaching. They were less than a block away, but I wasn’t sure the woman in the car could wait until they arrived. Without saying a word, I slipped out of my shoes, then willed my costume to appear.
“Chloe,” Lori cried out as she realized what I was doing. I expected her to yell at me not to do it, but instead, she just said, “Be careful.”
I nodded at that, then lifted myself a couple feet into the air and flew towards the car. I would have run if it hadn’t been for the heels that came with the outfit. As soon as I was next to the car, I dropped to the ground, only to have three angry men swearing at me and screaming ‘freak’. I could smell the booze from them, though it might have been the Molotov cocktail that the one was still holding.
“Damn freak bitch,” the man with the baseball bat snarled.
“Damn monsters,” I spat back at them, reminding myself that getting the woman out of the car had to come before anything else.
Before I could get closer, the man with the baseball bat swung it right at my stomach, though it hit my force field and bounced off without harming me. However, it did seem to infuriate him and his friends. The one with the Molotov cocktail held back since I didn’t think he wanted to get caught in the backsplash of that one, but the third man who had a knife, attacked me. Of course, that had no more effect than the baseball bat had. I backhanded the one with the baseball bat, trying to be relatively gentle, but I thought I might have broken some of his bones as he went flying back.
“I’ll deal with you assholes later,” I said, getting closer to the car door and seeing that the jerks had actually jammed her car door so she couldn’t get out. She was screaming and pounding on the windows with a look of panic.
Then I felt it, the heat of the fire almost burning my skin. I gasped in surprise, having gotten so caught up in the thought that my shield would protect me that I’d forgotten an important detail. As I’d learned from my testing with Dr. Newbury, my shield would protect me from things like punches, knives, and even bullets…but it did absolutely nothing against things like heat or electricity. Then I suddenly realized that Ironically, Lori’s trick would probably have been better for dealing with the fire than mine. After all, the energy field that protected her underwater at least acted as insulation against outside temperatures.
“Oh shit,” I blurted out.
I grabbed at the door handle and burned my hand, quickly yanking it back. Then I grimaced and tried again, bracing myself from the pain. I grabbed the door handle again and yanked, but it broke off in my hand. I let out another quick profanity, then punched the window, which shattered beneath the force of my blow.
“Come on,” I told the woman as I helped her out through the window. “I’ve got you…”
As I got the woman out, I finally got a good look at her and noticed the pointed ears, small horns on her forehead, and the fact that her eyes were an odd gold color. These were probably the traits that had made her a target of those men.
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
“Thank you,” she exclaimed, looking terrified and tired, but also relieved.
“Shit,” the man with the Molotov cocktail exclaimed. “Won’t these damn monsters just die?”
I glared at the two remaining men and stepped between them and the woman they’d tried to burn to death. Several other people rushed forward to grab her and pull her back to safety while I dealt with the men. I clenched my fists as I stared them down, trying to ignore the pain in my hand where I’d burned it on the car door. It was obvious that these men were drunk and angry, but they also looked afraid of me after what I’d done to their friend and the car window.
“Boo,” I exclaimed, suddenly jumping forward.
Both men both turned and ran with the one dropping his knife. However, the police had already arrived and were jumping out of their cars. One cop tackled the man who’d dropped the knife, and as they pulled their guns on the other man, he turned and threw his Molotov cocktail at me. I saw it coming towards me through the air and willed myself straight up so I was out of range when the bottle hit and exploded into flames.
I landed on the ground again a short distance away, only to realize that there were several police with their guns pointed at me, yelling, “Get down on the ground…”
“I didn’t do anything,” I protested, though I was smart enough to hold my hands up. Their guns couldn’t hurt me, but I didn’t want to risk getting shot at anyway.
“Chloe,” Lori yelled and tried rushing towards me, but one cop grabbed hold of her.
“She saved me,” the woman I’d pulled out of the car yelled, staggering towards the police. “This girl saved me from being burned alive…”
Several of the people who’d been nearby watching began yelling to the cops as well, trying to confirm the woman’s story. However, they were all trying to talk at the same time so I couldn’t make out what they were saying, which meant the cops would probably have an even harder time doing so.
“Lower your weapons,” one of the cops called out, and the men who’d been pointing their guns at me immediately obeyed, much to my relief.
At this point, the police also let Chloe go and she ran to me, demanding, “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” I told her, giving her a hug.
After a moment, I looked around, seeing that the three attackers were all being handcuffed and arrested, though the one I’d backhanded was getting medical attention as well. Then one of the cops started coming towards me, though it took me several seconds to realize that I recognized him.
Officer Hanson stood there with a look of disapproval on his face as he announced, “I thought I warned you not to play super hero anymore.”
--------------------
I was sitting on my bed, starting on a new book that I’d just downloaded to my computer tablet. It wasn’t quite as satisfying as reading a real paper book, but it was a lot easier getting books this way, as well as more convenient storing them.
My latest book was the autobiography of Nia Clarence, the famous Twisted rights advocate from the early days of the Twisted. She was largely responsible for the laws that protected the civil rights of the Twisted. Back on those days, there had been a lot of talk about locking up all the Twisted as being too dangerous to let run free.
As much as I enjoyed learning about Nia, there were other things that I’d much rather be doing right then. It was Saturday afternoon, but instead of being out at the swimming pool with Lori or hanging out with Jim, I was stuck at home, grounded.
“All because of those idiots,” I muttered to myself, thinking of those three men who’d caused all that trouble on Wednesday.
Officer Hanson had told me that those three men had come to Spiral for the sole purpose of causing trouble. As I’d already seen, they didn’t like the Twisted and apparently thought it would be fun to come and show their disapproval.
Unfortunately, because of those assholes, I’d gotten a first degree burn on my palm that still hurt a bit, I got a lecture from Officer Hanson about being a vigilante, and then I had to spend two hours at the police station giving my statement. But all of that was nothing compared to Grandma.
Grandma wasn’t at all happy about what had happened and she’d been angry that I put myself in danger and got hurt because of it. But at the same time, I thought she seemed pretty proud of me for saving that woman, though that didn’t stop her from grounding me.
I finally set my tablet down and got off my bed, being careful of how I placed my feet before standing up. I’d learned that with the stiletto heels that were part of my costume, I had to be careful of how I walked or I’d twist my ankle or fall over. But I’d pretty much gotten the hang of walking in these things now, though it was still a far cry from being natural.
“Someone had better tell those comic book writers that heels like this just aren’t practical for a super hero,” I muttered to myself.
Of course, that just reminded me of Triumph comics, and their lawyers who’d sent Grandma and I another notice. After the events on Wednesday and the resulting publicity, they’d decided to go beyond the cease and desist warning and move to suing us.
“Triumph Comics, the cops, and even Grandma,” I said with a sigh. “Who isn’t pissed at me?”
At least Lori wasn’t mad at me. In fact, she’d actually been impressed by the way I’d gone to help that woman. Of course, I’d heard from Christine that she’d once saved someone from drowning, before she even started working as a lifeguard.
With a shake of my head, I left my room and went to the kitchen to see if I could find something to snack on. Grandma usually had something stocked up for us, though I hoped she had some brownies from that bakery Guilt Free Desserts. Grandma liked buying snacks from them since the owner had some kind of trick that let him remove all calories from his food while not messing with the taste.
Aaron was in the living room with one his friends, watching a movie on the TV. There was a big bowl of popcorn in front of them as well as some cans of soda.
“See,” Aaron exclaimed when he saw me. He elbowed his friend and added, “I told you she looks just like Lady Starlight…”
“Awesome,” his friend blurted out, staring at me with a look of wide-eyed amazement. Then frowned slightly and asked, “But where’s your starlight staff?”
“My twist didn’t come with it,” I explained, holding up my hands so he could see the bracers on my arms. “I did get the starlight bracelets though.”
Aaron’s friend immediately came over to get a better look at me, and it was obvious that he was impressed. Then he finally said, “I hope I turn into a super hero when I go through my twist. But not a girl one.”
“No way,” Aaron agreed with his friend completely. “Maybe Captain Quantum or the Asterix.”
As Aaron and his friend began arguing over who would be the best super hero to turn into, I hurried off to the kitchen and found something to snack on. When I came back a minute later, they were still caught up in their animated discussion over which super powers would be the best ones to possess.
I stood back and watched their discussion for a few more minutes, not knowing who most of the comic book characters they were talking about were but finding their passion for it entertaining. How could anyone get so caught up in fictional characters? I mean, it wasn’t like any of those people even existed. Then again, Lady Starlight didn’t exist until I turned into her.
Just then, the doorbell began ringing. Before I could go answer it, the door opened and Christine stepped inside, calling out, “Hi Grandma.”
“Hello dear,” Grandma said, giving Christine a smile.
Christine immediately came rushing in and gave Grandma a hug. Then she gave Grandma a mischievious grin and asked, “Can Chloe come out and play?”
“I’m afraid Chloe is grounded,” Grandma told her with an amused look.
“That’s okay,” Christine responded cheerfully. That’s why we came here.”
“We?” Grandma asked.
Lori stood in the doorway and waved self-consciously. “Um...hi.”
I grinned at the sight of Lori, though I was a little curious by the fact that she was holding a tackle box for fishing in her hand. Lori grinned at me and came inside.
Grandma looked at Christine and Lori, then sighed. “Well, Chloe isn’t supposed to leave the house, but I suppose you two can keep her company here.”
“Yah,” Christine exclaimed cheerfully. Then she held out the stuffed rabbit that she’d brought with her and asked Grandma, “Do you want to hug Bun Bun?”
“I’m glad to see you,” I told Lori with a grin. “But I thought you were at work?”
“They had a swim class for a bunch of little kids this morning,” Lori told me cheerfully. “They wanted me there for that.” Then she laughed and said, “You should have seen how excited they were to be swimming with a mermaid.”
“I’d imagine,” I responded with a chuckle.
“You know,” Lori mused, giving me a thoughtful look. “I bet they’d be really excited to go swimming with a real super hero too…”
“I’m not a real super hero,” I reminded her with a roll of my eyes. “Besides, it wouldn’t be very easy to swim with these things.” I gestured to my heels.
A minute later, I was in my bedroom with Lori and Christine. This was the first time they’d been in my new room so they looked around curiously.
“I see you’ve been decorating,” Lori said, pointing to the small makeup table and mirror that was in the corner. “Very feminine.”
“It belongs to my Mom,” I pointed out. I gestured around the room and added, “Half the stuff in here is hers. It still feels a bit more like her room than mine, so I’ll have to fix it up a bit.”
“Ah come on,” Lori teased me. “You need to embrace the feminine. Trust me, it’s not that bad once you get used to it.”
I snorted at that, then replied, “You sound like my Mom.” I blushed as I remembered her tactics for getting me to accept my new gender. I still had that box of toys hidden under my bed, and I’d even used some of them once or twice since then.
“That’s sort of why we’re here,” Christine said with a giggle that suddenly made me very wary.
“What are you two up to?” I asked suspiciously.
Lori held up the tackle box she’d brought with her and then opened it up, revealing that it wasn’t filled with fishing gear like I’d expected, but makeup. I gulped at that, and at the look on their faces.
“I had to go through this,” Lori told me with a smirk. “And so do you.”
“I don’t think so,” I responded, backing away from them.
“You’re already walking around in high heels,” Christine pointed out. “So it’s not like this is really any more girlie than that.”
Lori gave me a kiss, then said, “I wore makeup to look good for you. Don’t you want to look good for me?”
I just let out a sigh of resignation, knowing that I couldn’t argue with that. And besides that, I’d already suspected that the next time Mom came to visit, she was planning on inflicting makeup lessons on me anyway. I might as well get them over with now and have the fun of surprising Mom.
“All right,” I told them. “Let’s get this over with.”
“It’s not that bad,” Lori said with a chuckle. “It’s a little weird wearing makeup at first, but you get used to it before long.”
Christine nodded at that, though she wasn’t wearing any makeup. Of course, now that she looked like a kid, makeup would probably look silly on her. Then again, her compulsions might not even allow her to wear the stuff.
“You need to turn off your trick,” Christine pointed out thoughtfully. “Your force field might not let us put on the makeup.”
“Okay,” I said, waiting for Christine and Lori to leave my room so I could remove my costume. However, they both remained, watching me with curious expressions.
“You don’t have anything we haven’t seen before,” Christine pointed smugly.
“Yeah,” Lori agreed with a grin of her own. She was watching me with an especially eager look. Then when I still hesitated, she added, “I’ll let you see me undressed sometime too…”
That was enough motivation for me and I willed my costume to vanish. As usual, I dropped a few inches when my shoes vanished, and I was now completely naked in front of them.
Lori smiled as she stared at me, apparently liking what she saw. I just blushed brightly, feeling self-conscious, but pleased by Lori’s reactions.
“I bet you can’t wear a bra with that costume,” Christine mused.
“I don’t need one,” I pointed out wryly. “My costume has built in support that works better than any bra and is a whole lot more comfortable.”
Since I was now without my costume, I quickly went about the process of getting dressed again. Ironically, it was now that Lori and Christine looked away rather than when I was completely naked.
Once I was dressed again, and wearing my stiletto heels at Lori’s insistence, I sat down at the makeup table and let them go to work. Lori began pulling out various items from her makeup kit and telling me what they were. Christine added her own comments at the same time.
“Your diamond earrings really go with your costume,” Lori told me pleasantly. “I mean, they sparkle so they kind of goes with all those twinkling stars… I think maybe a little glitter on your cheeks might go with that too…”
I didn’t bother protesting or pointing out that I wasn’t wearing my costume at the moment. Instead, I just remained where I was and let her put makeup on me, explaining what she was doing with each step.
“Aunt Kelsie and my Mom taught me about this stuff after I changed,” Lori told me. “They insisted every girl needs to know about makeup.”
“And now it’s your turn,” Christine added. She gave me a mischievious look and commented, “I remember when you used to tease me about wearing bras and makeup. I guess the shoe is on the other foot now.”
“Yeah,” I muttered with a chuckle. “Me and my big mouth.”
Once Lori was done, I looked myself over in the mirror, startled by my reflection. I had mascara, eyeshadow, some sort of glitter blush, and even lip gloss with sparkles in it. I didn’t look much like myself.
“Maybe a little too much glitter,” Christine pointed out with a giggled. Lori and I both nodded agreement at that.
“You’ll have to try different things to find a look that works for you,” Lori told me. “I’ve only been doing this a couple months so I’m not really an expert.”
We cleaned the makeup off my face and tried again, this time with Lori using different shades and colors. By the time I she was done, I ended up with bright red lipstick, too much blush, and too much eyeshadow. I looked sort of cheap and slutty this time.
“I think your Mom might approve,” Christine joked.
“Hey,” I protested. “Mom doesn’t go for the cheap hooker look.”
“True,” Christine agreed. “Aunt Dana may dress to show off, but she never looks cheap.”
This time, Lori stood back and let me remove the makeup by myself, apparently deciding that I should get some actual practice. I had it about halfway cleaned off when my cell phone began ringing.
My phone said the call was Jim, so I answered with, “Hey, what’s up?”
“Have you seen Keenan?” Jim immediately demanded.
“What?” I asked in confusion.
“Is Keenan there?” Jim asked me, sounding almost frantic. “Have you seen him?”
“No,” I responded, feeling even more confused and worried. “What’s going on?”
Jim was silent for a moment, then said, “His Mom just came over here looking for him…along with the police.”
Jim gave me a quick explanation of what was going on, and by the time I hung up a minute later, I was feeling stunned and horrified. I sat there, trying to make sense of what I’d just been told.
“What’s happening?” Lori asked me with a worried look.
“It’s Keenan,” I said. Then for Lori’s benefit, I added, “He used to be a good friend but…”
“He went through his twist,” Christine added, already knowing about Keenan.
I nodded in agreement, the let out a sigh and explained, “This morning, his parents found a bunch of dead cats and dogs hidden in their garage. When his Dad confronted him about it, Keenan attacked him…hurting him pretty bad and putting him in the hospital.”
“Holy poop,” Christine blurted out with a look of horror.
“Yeah,” I agreed, feeling shaken by this news. “According to Jim, Keenan ran off and now the cops are looking for him.”
“He asked me out once,” Christine said quietly, sounding a little guilty. “He was a nice guy…too nice. I thought he was boring and turned him down. What the heck happened to him?”
Lori and I didn’t answer, nor did we need to since Christine knew the answer just as well as we did. Keenan had gone through his twist and it had changed him into someone else entirely.
I scowled as I thought about how Keenan had been acting ever since I’d come back to Spiral…and before. Ever since his twist, he’d ben cold and distant, not seeming to care about anyone or anything. In fact, I’d only seen him show real emotion and interest on two occasions since then, both when someone else was being hurt.
“Poor Keenan,” I muttered, thinking of not only my former friend but also his family.
Then I looked at Lori and Christine, both of whom had gone through drastic changes because of their own twists, just like I had. At that moment, I suspected that all three of us were thinking the same thing. My twist might be awkward to deal with at times, but at least inside I was still myself.
--------------------
I stared up at the clock, impatiently waiting for the class to end. Mondays always seemed to drag on forever, regardless of whether I was in Las Angeles or Spiral. Fortunately, it was the last class of the day so I didn’t have to wait much longer.
While I sat there waiting, I glanced over to an empty seat on the other side of the classroom. That was where Keenan usually sat, though he’d been conspicuously absent from school today. Of course, I wasn’t surprised after what had happened Saturday. From what I knew, the police were still out looking for him, and as one of his former friends, they’d even come knocking on my door on Saturday, asking if I knew where he was.
It had been two days since I’d learned what Keenan had been up to and I still felt cold chills down my spine when I thought about it. The police found over a dozen dead cats and dogs in his garage, some of which had been tortured to death. According to the police, Keenan had not only been killing animals, but he’d been getting more and more sadistic about it in the process. I didn’t need the police to tell me what that meant. That kind of activity was an indication of a burgeoning serial killer.
With a deep scowl, I thought about the last two times I’d seen Keenan smile. Once had been while Dan Jones had been beating up on Gary, and Keenan had been watching with an excited grin. The other time had been in the school cafeteria when Keenan had gone after that other boy. Both times, he’d clearly been enjoying the fear and pain of the victims.
“How could that happen?” I quietly demanded.
Of course, I already knew that my old friend had been changed by his twist, his personality altered into something unrecognizable. Keenan had turned into the kind of Twisted that gave all of us a bad name, the kind which ‘proved’ to normals that we were all dangerous monsters. A lot of people were afraid of the Twisted, and Keenan was just one example of why.
However, what I didn’t know was why no one had realized he’d become like this. The Spiral Clinic gave psychological tests to all the new Twisted before they were allowed to go back to school, just to prove that they weren’t a danger to themselves or others. The whole purpose of those tests was to catch things like this, so why didn’t they catch Keenan before he hurt someone?
Unfortunately, it looked like Keenan had somehow slipped through the cracks of the system. Whether he’d somehow avoided taking the psyche tests, had lied while taking them, or if they just hadn’t been able to catch his particular twist, I didn’t know. What I did know was that I mourned my old friend and what he’d become.
When the bell finally rang, signaling the end of both class and the school day, I let out a sigh of relief. I was still depressed about Keenan, but I was trying to avoid thinking about it. After all, this Keenan wasn’t the one I’d known and liked. This Keenan was a complete stranger to me, one that I didn’t want anything to do with. However, I couldn’t help but worrying about him and his family. I’d always liked his parents.
I left the classroom and started down the hall, though I hadn’t gone very far before someone called out my name. I turned and saw a tall and slender boy with a mop of unruly red hair and a splattering of freckles on his face. Eddie Ryan and I were in a couple classes together, including that last one, and we were on good terms but not really friends.
“Hey,” I greeted him with a cautious smile, curious about what he wanted.
“You know, I think it’s awesome you turned into Lady Starlight,” Eddie told me with a smile.
That immediately set of the warning bells, especially since I knew Eddie was into comic books. Ever since I’d gone through my twist, several people had suddenly become interested in me for no other reason than because I looked like Lady Starlight. For some reason, comic book geeks got especially excited by the idea of having a super hero come to life, though fortunately, most didn’t recognize me as Lady Starlight without the costume. Without my costume to put things in contest, even the most hardcore comic fans usually didn’t notice the similarities. Unfortunately, my brief fight with Dan Jones had revealed my costume to all the witnesses, and the stories had spread.
“She’s one of my favorite super heroes,” Eddie continued.
“My brother is a huge fan too,” I responded with a slightly forced smile. “That’s sort of how I ended up looking like this.”
“I think more Twisted should end up as super heroes,” Eddie stated. “It would be great for Twisted public relations.”
I just snorted and said, “And I bet the cops would absolutely love that…”
Eddie nodded at that, apparently not noticing the sarcasm in my voice. “Anyway,” he said, giving me a nervous smile. “I was wondering if you’d like to go out with me sometime…”
That was enough to make me roll my eyes since it wasn’t the first time a comic book fan had asked me out on a date. It had happened last Thursday as well, after I’d gotten even more media attention from my burning car rescue.
“Sorry,” I told Eddie, deciding that my best option was to just be honest with him. “But I’m not into guys…”
“And she’s already taken,” a familiar voice said, right before Lori came over and gave me deep kiss, obviously marking her claim.
Eddie suddenly looked awkward and embarrassed, “Um…sorry…”
“It’s okay,” I told Eddie, not wanting to embarrass him any further. “I’m flattered anyway.”
Eddie looked a little relieved at that, though still embarrassed. “Well, maybe we can just talk comics sometime,” Eddie suggested with a self-conscious smile. “It would be interesting seeing your perspective.”
“Maybe,” I told him politely.
Once Eddie left, Lori gave me an amused look and said, “It still startles me whenever a guy asks me out.”
I nodded at that, wondering if I’d ever get used to having guys being interested in me. I’d begun getting used to my new body and how it felt, and most of the time I didn’t even think about it anymore. However, incidents like this still caught me by surprise and made me a bit uncomfortable. Maybe it would have been different if my twist had altered my sexual preferences along with my body.
“So, are you coming to our band practice after school?” Lori asked me.
“Still grounded,” I reminded her with a sigh.
“That stinks,” she told me with a sympathetic look. “I mean, you saved that woman’s life and took out those assholes, and your Grandma punishes you for it…”
I nodded at that. “Technically, she’s punishing me for putting myself in danger,” I pointed out wryly. Then I added, “But I’ve also got the police mad at me, not to mention Triumph Comics. I mean, why are they bothering with me? You’d think that if they were that upset about someone dressing up like Lady Starlight, they’d go after all the cosplayers at those comic conventions.”
“And the kids on Halloween,” Lori added with a grin.
Lori and I kissed each other again, then began to walk out of the school together. Just as we were leaving the front entrance, I noticed crimson hair just a short distance away from us and called out to Blake.
Blake turned and smiled when she saw us. “Hey, I wanted to talk to you two…”
“Yeah, what’s up?” I asked curiously.
“I was thinking about what we were talking about last week,” she responded. At my blank look, she continued, “You know, about getting a website together or something so all of us gender benders can talk to each other.”
“I thought we were talking about an after school club,” Lori said with a grin.
“Yeah,” Blake agreed. “But I thought a website might be easier. I was talking with Jen and Leila, and they’re both interested in the idea too.”
“A website would have been nice,” I told her. “I mean, anything would have helped, but I still think it would be better if we were able to meet each other face to face.”
We talked about the idea for just another minute before Blake and Lori both had to go. Lori gave me a quick kiss, then rushed home so she could take a quick swim and then practice with her band. I felt a bit of regret that I couldn’t be there to watch them play. It was fun watching tiny Christine wailing on the drums, but not nearly as nice as listening to Lori’s beautiful voice.
As I climbed onto the school bus, I noticed Dan Jones a short distance away. This was the first time I’d seen him since our brief fight and I was a little startled by how he looked, though I shouldn’t have been since Jim had already told me about it.
Dan’s arm was indeed in a cast and there was still a little bruising on his face. And when he walked, there was even a faint limp to his step. He somehow noticed that I was looking at him and he looked back, giving me a cold glare.
For a moment, I thought Dan was going to come over and demand a rematch, but instead, he snorted and continued on his way. I let out a sigh of relief, knowing that another fight wouldn’t have been good for me. Sure, I could use my trick to beat him as easily as I had the last time, but I’d been lucky that no teacher had been there or I would have been suspended. I really didn’t want to risk getting in trouble again, especially when I didn’t need to.
When I got home, I went to my room and immediately changed into my costume. It felt nice to get out of those uncomfortable clothes and back into something that just felt perfect to wear. And at the same time, it almost felt like I shed my problems and worries of the day along with my clothes.
“Much better,” I mused.
Then I looked down at myself and chuckled at the irony of the fact that I now considered a spandex super hero costume with stiletto heels to be more comfortable than anything else. Of course, it was just part of my twist, but that didn’t really matter. What mattered was that regardless of the reason, I felt perfectly comfortable this way.
I smiled and looked towards my bed as I considered something else that would make me feel good, even better than this costume. Though I blushed at the thought of using the toys hidden under my bed, I knew that I’d have a lot of fun doing so. And even though I was tempted to pull them out, I knew that I didn’t dare have that kind of fun right now. Once I started with that, I might not come out of my room in time for dinner.
“I don’t know whether to thank Mom for giving me those,” I muttered to myself, “or curse her.”
There was no way I was going to tell Mom how much I was enjoying those toys, though I doubt I needed to. The last thing I wanted to do was encourage her to push her attempts to feminize me even further.
“Later,” I promised myself, silently adding, “After Grandma goes to bed.”
With that, I sat down at my desk and started on my homework. I hadn’t gotten very far in it when there was a knock on the door, followed by Grandma sticking her head in.
“How are you doing?” she asked me gently.
“All right,” I answered, silently giving thanks to the fact that I didn’t decide to play with those toys. With Grandma coming in to check on me like this, that could have been extremely embarrassing.
Grandma stared at me for a moment and then gave me a gentle smile. “I wanted you to know that I’m proud of you for saving that woman.”
“I couldn’t just let her die,” I said quietly. “Not when I was right there.”
Grandma nodded at that, looking rather proud. She gave me a hard look before adding, “But don’t you ever worry me like that again.” Then she smacked the back of my head and said, “You’re not grounded anymore so go out and have some fun.”
“Thanks, Grandma,” I told her with a grin.
I took one more look at my homework and decided that I could wait to finish the rest of it up. Instead, I had to get ready to leave the house. I didn’t bother removing my costume and getting dressed again. Instead, I just threw on a pair of pants and a shirt right over my costume.
“Why didn’t I think of doing this before,” I said, looking myself over.
A little of my costume was visible at my neck and chest, and my wrist bracers were pretty noticeable, but I didn’t look like a super hero at the moment. In fact, I thought that I looked quite passable for going out in public.
I left the house a few minutes later, though I wasn’t sure where I was going. At first, I thought about going to watch Lori and Christine at their band practice, but I didn’t want to come in on the middle of things and distract them. So instead, I started for downtown.
“Up up and away,” I said as I rose up into the air and started flying. I might not be very fast this way, but flying was a lot of fun…as long as I didn’t get too far above the ground. I was still pretty wary about going up very high.
A few people waved at me as I flew, though no one seemed overly shocked. After all, this was Spiral and there were odder sights than a girl flying through the air.
When I got where I was going, I landed and began walking so I could draw less attention. I went into a local bookstore that actually sold real paper books, the kind that you didn’t see around all that often anymore. But in spite of them being somewhat obsolete, I doubted they’d ever go away. There was something about holding a physical book in your hand that just couldn’t be found with a computer tablet.
I spent over half an hour just browsing for books and finally ended up buying one about the seven wonders of the ancient world. I didn’t know much about the seven wonders but was looking forward to learning.
It was getting close to dinner, but I decided to celebrate my parole a little more before going home. I went to a gelato shop and began looking over their flavors when I heard someone cough behind me. When I turned around, I saw a familiar looking man standing there, though it took me several seconds before I could place him.
“I hope you’re staying out of trouble,” Officer Hanson said pleasantly. He was wearing civilian clothes instead of his uniform, which was why I hadn’t recognized him immediately.
“Define trouble,” I responded nervously, wondering if he was going to yell at me again.
Officer Hanson chuckled faintly, then said, “How about I buy you some gelato, then we sit and talk?”
For a moment, I just stared at him suspiciously, then I nodded agreement. I wasn’t one to turn down free food, even if I’d been about to buy it myself a minute ago.
Several minutes later, Officer Hanson and I each had a bowl of gelato and were sitting at a small table. I took a bite of my pistachio gelato, enjoying the cold and creamy goodness. Hanson was doing the same thing, though he’d chosen strawberry instead.
“I wanted to tell you,” Hanson finally said. “Saving that woman last Wednesday was pretty brave. I think you’re a good kid, and if I was in your position, I would have wanted to help her too.”
“That’s not the impression I got when you were lecturing me,” I pointed out wryly.
Hanson chuckled at that, seeming much more relaxed than the previous times I’d met him. Now that he was out of uniform and not yelling at me, he seemed almost likeable. Of course, the fact that he bought me gelato probably had something to do with that.
“The truth is,” he told me with a faint smile, “If you’d only saved that woman, I would have said you did a great job. The problem is, you also fought those troublemakers. I know you probably think you didn’t have a choice, but you aren’t a police officer and you aren’t trained in how to handle those kinds of situations. There are a number of issues you probably didn’t consider, such as the fact that you could have accidentally killed them. What if they took hostages or threatened other people? Your actions could have escalated the situation in very bad ways, and that isn’t even going into the legal issues…”
I hung my head, staring at my gelato and not wanting to listen to yet another lecture, especially when he’d already given me one. If I’d known that I was going to get chewed out again, I probably would have just stayed home and finished my homework.
“That said,” Hanson continued, “their victim might very well have died if you hadn’t intervened. Like I said, you’re a good kid and you mean well. You just need to be aware that there are dangers and consequences for doing that kind of thing.”
I nodded at that and we ate in silence for another minute before Hanson said, “You seem to have a pretty powerful set of tricks. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone with so many…”
“It’s only one trick,” I explained. “It’s just really versatile.”
“I’m not Twisted,” he told me pleasantly, “but my wife is. She has a fashion sense that’s a little…odd.” He chuckled faintly, then explained, “She likes to dress like a clown.”
“A clown?” I asked in surprise.
Hanson nodded. “Apparently, she went through her twist while watching a circus. Now, she has a minor compulsion to dress like a clown.”
“I have one to wear my costume,” I admitted self-consciously.
“I suspected,” he responded, gesturing to the bracers which were clearly visible on my arms. “My wife…Melinda satisfies her compulsion by working part time as a party clown.”
After this, Hanson and I talked for another thirty minutes, well after we’d both finished with our gelato. He didn’t lecture me anymore, or even say anything more about the previous two times we’d met. Instead, we talked about a couple random topics and I found out that he used to be involved in some American Civil War reenactments, which I found rather interesting. By the time we said goodbye and went our separate ways, I couldn’t help but deciding that I rather liked him.
--------------------
I was in a great mood as I walked through the school hallway with my backpack slung over my shoulder. Of course, the final bell had just run, signaling the end of school for the day. And since Grandma had ended my grounding yesterday, that meant I was actually free to go do something after school, though I still wasn’t quite sure what.
I found Lori and Christine standing right outside the school entrance, talking to each other excitedly. As I approached, I overheard enough of their conversation to realize that they were talking about their band.
“Saturday is going to be awesome,” Lori said with a broad grin. “I mean, this is our best paying gig yet…”
“Thank Liz for arranging it,” Christine told her. When she noticed me, she grinned and held out a doll that she’d been clutching. “Wanna hug Baby Betty?”
“Um…no thanks,” I responded. I looked at Lori, then said, “What’s this about a job?”
“A gig,” Christine corrected me. “We’re going to be the entertainment for a wedding.”
Lori gave me an apologetic look and said, “I won’t be able to come over after school like I’d planned. We’re going to be doing an extra practice session.” Then she grinned and asked, “Want to come watch?”
“Sure,” I agreed with a grin of my own. “Listening to you guys play is always fun, but it does make me wish I could play something more complicated than a kazoo.”
Christine and Lori both laughed at that, then began suggesting other instruments I could learn to play, such as an accordion or banjo. Somehow, I got the impression that they weren’t going to invite me to join their band anytime soon. Of course, Christine was well aware of the fact that I had the musical talents of a rock, which she used to tease me about whenever she showed off her skills on the drums.
Suddenly, there was a loud scream, followed by the demand of, “Let me go…”
I looked in the direction the scream had come from, as did nearly everyone else. I couldn’t see what was going on from where I was standing, but Christine started running towards the noise, leaving Lori and I to follow. A moment later, I saw the source. In the school parking lot, someone in a red hoodie had a knife out and was holding it to the throat of a girl.
“Holy shit,” Luke exclaimed, looking as though he was about to panic.
Jim was standing right beside Luke, pleading, “Please, let her go…”
That was enough to make me realize that the girl who was being held that way was Gloria. Jim looked as though he wanted to run in to rescue her, but didn’t want to risk her getting hurt because of it. Because of that, he stood back with an expression of anger and worry.
“Let me go,” Gloria begged, the terror clear in her eyes. The knife was held near her throat and she continued, “Please…”
“No,” the figure in the red hoodie responded in a familiar voice. “I need you… I need you to see my future…to help me plan.”
My eyes widened in horror as I recognized the voice of Gloria’s attacker. I grimaced and blurted out, “Keenan!”
Keenan looked up at me, letting me see his face. He his eyes looked cold and hard, not those of my old friend. The very sight of him like this was enough to send cold chills down my spine.
Gloria used this moment of distraction to grab the hand that held the knife and push it away from her, then to start running. However, she hadn’t gone more than a dozen feet before Keenan gestured at her and she suddenly stopped, dropped the ground and screamed in pain.
My first thought was that I had to go help her, and I even took several steps forward. However, I couldn’t help but remembering what Hanson had said, that interfering without knowing what I was doing could make the situation even worse. As he’d pointed out to me, I might be bulletproof, but other people weren’t. That caused me to hesitate, but Jim didn’t. He ran straight at Keenan, but didn’t get very far before he suddenly screamed in pain and dropped to his knees.
Keenan threw back the hood he was wearing, giving me a much better look at his face. He was staring at Jim with a look of sadistic glee. He was actually enjoying Jim’s pain. Then he turned his attention back to Gloria.
“I need your trick,” Keenan told her, grabbing her hair and yanking her to her feet. He had a twisted smile on his face as he did so. “I need you to tell me about the future…”
Keenan had dropped the knife when Gloria tried escaping, but he was going to pick it up again. Without any further hesitation, I ran forward, changing into my costume as I did so. If I could get him away from Gloria before he got that knife…
“Don’t get in my way,” Keenan said, glaring at me. Suddenly, I was sent flying back to where I smashed into the side of a school bus. It hadn’t hurt much, but it left me a bit stunned and off balance.
“Chloe,” Lori and Christine called out at the same time, rushing towards me.
“I’m fine,” I told them, getting back to my feet.
When I looked back at Keenan, he’d just shoved Gloria into a car and she yelled out, “Batter up…” Keenan hit her with another blast of his trick and she screamed but stopped fighting. I started flying for his car as fast as I could, but he got it started and raced out of the parking lot at high speed. I let out a burst of profanity, knowing there was no way I could catch up to him. I couldn’t fly that fast.
“Did anyone call the damn police?” I yelled out.
“Yeah, I called them as soon as that asshole grabbed her,” Luke said while several other students called out similar things. “Holy shit, that was freaky…”
“He’s got Gloria,” Jim exclaimed with a look of horror. “Keenan took her…”
“Fucking bastard,” I spat out furiously. Then I told Jim, “They’ll get her back…”
Honestly, I wasn’t sure of that, especially when I remembered what Keenan had done to all those animals in his garage. However, he said that he wanted her to use her trick for him, and she couldn’t do that if she was dead. I just hoped he had enough mental stability left to realize that.
The police arrived only a minute later. Two cop cars came into the parking lot with the sirens blaring, then they stopped and the cops started to come out. I was oddly relieved to see that Hanson was one of them.
“Why am I not surprised to see you, Chloe?” Hanson said with a grim look.
“it’s not my fault,” I protested.
“It never is,” he responded with a faint smile. “Now, what’s going on? We had a report of an assault…” He looked around, obviously not seeing anything.
“Keenan Barnes just kidnapped someone,” I blurted out in frustration.
That immediately got Hanson’s full attention, as well as that of the other police. I suspected that everyone in the local police department was on the lookout for Keenan, considering what he’d done and had the potential to do.
As soon as the police had a description of Gloria and the car Keenan had been driving, they called dispatch and then one of the cop cars took off to find them. Hanson and another cop, a short black woman with pure white eyes, remained behind to question the witnesses.
After I’d told Hanson everything that had happened, he shook his head and told me, “I’m starting to wonder if you have a trick that makes you a magnet for trouble.”
“Me too,” I responded with a sigh.
“Don’t let him hurt her,” Jim pleaded to the cops. “I never thought Keenan would do something like this…even after his twist.”
“Keenan used to be our friend,” I told Hanson, worried not only about Gloria but also Keenan. He might have turned psycho, but he used to be my friend. No matter what else happened, I didn’t see this ending well for Keenan.
“I’m sorry,” Christine said, taking my hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.
Lori didn’t say anything, but she gave me a sympathetic look and took my other hand. I gave her a faint smile, thankful that they were both here.
Just then, a voice exclaimed, “Fucking idiot can’t even control himself.”
I looked to the speaker and saw that it was Simone, who was standing there with a look of absolute contempt on her face. Though I didn’t know Simone very well, I did know that her twist had made her a bit of a bitch.
Hanson glanced to Simone, then looked to me and Jim. “Since you used to be his friends, do you have any idea where he might have gone?”
“No,” Jim responded with a shake of his head. “I’d tell you if I did.”
I nodded agreement, having already talked to the police about that as well. And unlike Jim, I’d been out of town for over a year and had only been back for a little over a month.
Then Jim suddenly gasped and asked me, “What about that old shack we used to play in?”
“What shack?” Hanson asked sharply.
I stared at Jim, realizing that he was right. I’d almost forgotten all about that old shack and hadn’t even considered it. But it would be a good place for Keenan to hide out.
“When we were kids, we found an old abandoned shack outside of town,” I explained. “It was old, overgrown, and part of the roof was gone, but it used to be a great place to play…”
Hanson nodded at that, and the woman who was with him demanded, “Where is this shack?”
“I don’t know the name of the road,” I answered awkwardly. The shack had been off an old dirt road that had barely been used since before Spiral had received that name. “I can show you where it is though…”
“Sorry Chloe,” Hanson told me. “But I’m not putting you in danger…”
“Grandma would ground you for a year,” Christine pointed out.
I gestured down at myself and the super hero costume I currently had on. Then I gave him a wry smile and said, “Bulletproof, remember.”
Hanson stared at me for a moment before letting out a sigh. “I can’t believe I’m doing this, but come on. Show us where this shack is.”
Lori gave me a worried look, then gave me a quick hug, saying, “Be careful.” She followed that up by giving me a quick kiss.
The female officer, Officer Hayes gave Hanson a skeptical look but didn’t contradict him. A minute later, I was sitting in the back of the cop car and giving directions to the police. I just hoped I could remember exactly where that shack was because I hadn’t been there since I was thirteen.
While we drove, I warned Hanson and Hayes, “Keenan has some kind of trick…”
“We know,” Hanson responded grimly. “His mother told us he has telekinesis, and several people indicated he has some sort of ability to make people feel pain. I don’t know if that’s just a different use of his telekinesis or a separate trick entirely, but your friend is dangerous.”
“Former friend,” I corrected him.
“I might have a trick or two up my own sleeve,” Hayes said with a faint smile.
I directed Hanson and Hayes to the dirt road, and then to the overgrown turn-of that couldn’t quite be called a driveway. There were tire tracks where there shouldn’t have been, which was a clear indication that we were in the right place. This was where Keenan had been hiding out, and since he’d left the school more than half an hour before us, he’d already had plenty of time to return.
When we arrived at the old abandoned shack, I saw that it was in even worse shape than I remembered. Half the roof was missing along with parts of the outside wall. One look at the place would have convinced me that there was no way anyone would have stayed in this place when it could fall down right on top of them, if it wasn’t for the fact that the car Keenan had been driving was parked right in front.
“This is car fifty-four,” Hayes told the dispatcher over the radio. “We’ve found Keenan Barnes and might need backup.”
While she described where we were, Hanson got out of the car and told me, “You stay here. Bulletproof or not, I don’t want you in any more danger than necessary.”
Gloria’s voice screamed from inside the shack and both cops drew their weapons and started for it. “Let me go,” Gloria yelled, then began yelling something in Spanish that I couldn’t understand but suspected was a lot of profanity.
Hanson and Hayes slowly moved towards the shack, being careful though I hoped they were fast enough to help Gloria before Keenan hurt her. But then, Keenan walked through the shack and became clearly visible through one of the large holes in the wall. However, at that moment he suddenly noticed the police as well.
“Put your hands above your head and get down on your knees,” Hayes ordered, pointing her gun straight at Keenan.
Keenan gave her a cold look that seemed more annoyed than afraid. Then she suddenly flew backwards, slamming hard against the front of the cop car. An instant after that, Hanson screamed in pain and dropped to his knees. My former friend climbed out of the shack through the open hole and approached Hanson, smiling evilly. I did not like the look on his face and suspected that I’d like what he had planned for the police even less.
In spite of the fact that Hanson had told me to stay in the car, I knew I had to do something to help. I tried getting out, only to find that the door wouldn’t open from the inside. I grimaced at that, reminding myself that I was in the back of a cop car so that shouldn’t have been a surprise.
“I hope I don’t get in too much trouble for this,” I muttered as I used my enhanced strength to kick the door open.
As soon as I got out of the car, I saw that Hayes was trying to get back to her feet, but she’d dropped her gun and her arm was hanging limp. Hanson was still on the ground, his own gun on the ground in front of him.
“Keenan,” I yelled, trying to get his attention away from the cops. Unlike them, I had my shield to protect me.
“You told them where I was,” Keenan said, staring at me with a cold expression. Then he smiled, though it was obviously forced and never touched his eyes. “We’re friends… You should be helping me…”
“Do you even remember what friends really are?” I asked him grimly.
Keenan’s smile faded and he simply stated, “It doesn’t have to be this way. All you have to do is mind your own business and walk away.”
“You kidnapped Gloria,” I pointed out angrily. “With a knife at her throat.”
“She has something I need,” Keenan responded. “She can tell me the future…warn me of any troubles. She can help me avoid the police and get away…”
“Her trick doesn’t work that way,” I snarled at him. “She can’t control it.”
Keenan just continued to stare at me with his cold expression and said, “She just needs the right motivation.” He smiled faintly, though it was a nasty smile that promised pain and fear.
I grimaced, then spat out, “You’re sick, Keenan… You need some serious help…”
With that, Keenan gestured at me and I suddenly flew backwards until I slammed into a tree. It was just like what he’d done back at the school when he’d thrown me into a school bus, but this time I was a little more prepared and hadn’t been shocked by it.
“This is your last chance to leave,” Keenan told me. “I’m only giving it to you because we used to be friends.”
I didn’t say anything to that since there was no way I was going to just fly away and leave Gloria with him. I didn’t know her all that well yet, but I still considered her to be one of my friends. I took a deep breath, levitated into the air, then flew at Keenan. He tried shoving me back again, but this time I was prepared for him and used my own trick to lock myself in place. He was pushing against me hard enough that I couldn’t go forward, but I wasn’t going back either. Instead, I was just hovering in the air.
Keenan snarled, looking frustrated at the fact that he couldn’t throw me back any further. Then a rock suddenly rose up from the ground and flew at me, bouncing off my shield. Keenan used his trick to throw other objects at me, rocks, branches, and even Hanson’s gun. They all hit my shield and bounced off without harming me, much to Keenan’s obvious frustration.
Suddenly, a surge of raw pain shot through my entire body, causing me to scream out in agony. I lost control of my flight and fell several feet to the ground. It felt as though every bit of pain I’d ever felt in my entire life had all hit me at once, as if every pain receptor in my body had fired off at the same time. All I could do was cry out, wishing it would stop. I was only barely aware of the fact that Keenan was standing over me with a cruel grin on his face.
“You should have left when I said you could,” Keenan told me with a smirk.
But in spite of the fact that my entire body was hurting and Keenan was standing over me gloating, I couldn’t help but smiling faintly, much to his obvious confusion. After all, I knew something that he didn’t. While Keenan had been focused on me, he’d forgotten all about Hanson and Hayes, giving both of them a chance to recover.
Hanson suddenly moved, grabbing a branch from the ground and jumping up to swing it at Keenan’s stomach while yelling, “Batters up.”
Keenan doubled over with a loud grunt and all the pain instantly vanished from my body. I was still feeling a bit shaken from it, but I wasn’t hurting anymore and was able to pay a little more attention to what was going on. Hanson dropped the branch and tackled Keenan, driving him face first into the ground. Then before Keenan had a chance to recover, Hanson grabbed his wrists and cuffed them behind his back.
“I’m gonna kill you for this,” Keenan yelled, though the fact that Hanson didn’t suddenly go flying back or start screaming in pain was a good indication that Keenan couldn’t do anything without seeing his target. And since his face was in the dirt, that meant that Hanson was momentarily safe.
“Amanda,” Hanson called over to Hayes, who was holding an obviously broken and possibly dislocated arm.
Hayes nodded and quickly came over and dropped to her knees beside Keenan. Then to my surprise, she began singing, “Lullaby and good night…”
Keenan stopped struggled and visibly relaxed until he stopped moving entirely. Then he began to snore, making me realize that I was on the verge of nodding off as well. I shook my head and cleared it, then slowly got back to my feet.
“That’s some trick,” I started, though Hayes held a finger to her lips to indicate I should stay quiet. Obviously, she didn’t want me to wake him back up again.
“I went through my twist when I was thirteen years old and stuck babysitting my baby brother,” Hayes told me quietly while Hanson went back to the car in order to call dispatch. “Needless to say, it came in very handy with my own son.”
While Hayes was holding her broken arm and keeping an eye on the still sleeping Keenan, I went into the shack to get Gloria. I found her on the floor with her hands and feet tied up with duct tape. She had a gag in her mouth, which explains why she’d been silent since screaming in Spanish.
“It’s okay,” I told Gloria, who’s eyes were filled with terror. As I began untying her, I said, “The cops are here and they have Keenan…”
“Thank you,” Gloria exclaimed once she was released. She gave me a hug and repeated, “Thank you… I was so scared…”
I hugged her back, feeling a little awkward about this since I didn’t know her very well, but she needed some sort of comforting after what she’d just been through so I did what I could. I was just glad that she’d made it through this unharmed.
When Gloria and I left the shack, I saw that Keenan now had a black bag over his head. It didn’t have any eyeholes so he wouldn’t be able to see anyone in order to target them. I was a little surprised that the cops even had something like that, but then again, this was Spiral and they probably had a lot of training for dealing with dangerous tricks.
A short time later, more police arrived, along with an ambulance. While Keenan was being hauled away, the EMT checked Gloria out. She had a few bruises from her ordeal as well as a cut on her arm where Keenan had tried making a point, but she was otherwise unharmed.
Once everything was settled, Hanson came over and stared at me for a moment. “You did a good job at keeping him distracted,” he finally said, smiling faintly. “All of us might have been killed if you hadn’t done that.”
“Um…thanks,” I responded, sure that there was a ‘but coming.
“But you can’t seem to help but jump into every dangerous situation you run into,” he pointed out wryly. “Now, what are we going to do with you?”
--------------------
Friday morning, I woke up with blood on my sheets. This probably would have shocked and horrified me if it wasn’t for the fact that I’d been expecting it. As it was, I felt more resignation than anything else.
Ever since I’d gone through my twist a couple weeks ago, I’d known this was coming. I’d turned into a girl and the doctor at the Spiral Clinic had confirmed that this was more than just skin deep. I knew that sooner or later, I would have to deal with a period, just like every other girl. And then yesterday, I’d begun to feel the cramps, a sure sign of what was coming.
Fortunately, Mom and Grandma had both told me what to expect and how to deal with it, so with a sigh of resignation and a few muttered profanities, I went about taking my morning shower, cleaned myself a little more carefully downstairs, and then when I was done, I put in a tampon. The idea of using one of those was a little more disturbing than the actual act since the tampon was actually smaller and easier to fit inside of myself than the dildo I’d been using.
I didn’t say anything to Grandma about my period before I went to school, but I was pretty sure I didn’t need to. She just gave me a sympathetic look and a gentle smile, then told me to have a good day.
At school, I did my best to just go through my normal routine and pretend that having a period was perfectly normal. After all, I was a girl now, so for the rest of my life it would be. And since all the girls I shared the bathroom with had already been dealing with theirs for several years, I wasn’t about to come off as some kind of wimp by making a big deal about it.
When lunch came, I sat down at what had recently become my usual table while Lori and Christine joined me. Christine stared at me for a moment before asking, “Okay, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I responded with a weak smile.
“Liar liar pants on fire,” Christine said. “You look like someone peed in your Cheerios.”
“Is it your friend Keenan?” Lori asked me with a concerned look.
It had only been a couple days since the fight with Keenan and I was still a little shaken over it, or at least by what he’d done. Whenever I remembered those cold eyes and sadistic smile, it completely clashed with the friendly and easygoing boy I used to know.
“They said he’s probably going to be locked up for the rest of his life to keep him from hurting anyone,” I said with a sigh. “I mean, the police told me that he’s going to be getting psychiatric help, but I don’t think it will do a lot of good.”
“Probably not,” Christine agreed sadly. “I mean, they can’t do much about his twist...”
“Maybe they can help him learn to control his urges,” Lori said hopefully.
“Maybe,” I told her with a sigh, but without much hope. “If he wanted to control them. If it was just some compulsions, he might be able to fight them, but his whole personality got twisted…”
“I’m just glad they were able to keep outside reporters from finding out about this,” Lori said thoughtfully. “Just think of what those anti-Twisted people would do with the story…”
Christine and I both nodded along in complete understanding. There were a lot of people who were afraid of the Twisted, or who thought that we were all potential time bombs who could go off at any time. Those people would happily use Keenan as an example to try proving their point and make things more difficult for the Twisted.
Just then, Jim and Gloria arrived at the table with Luke following a short distance away. We stopped talking about Keenan, knowing that the subject would only make Gloria uncomfortable. She’d only come back to school this morning and she was obviously still shaken up about being kidnapped. No one could miss the fact that she was a little jumpy, not that I blamed her in the least. Jim was staying close to her, acting all protective, which seemed to comfort her a little.
“Hey,” I said, deciding to change the subject to something a little more upbeat. “Did I tell you guys about Triumph Comics?”
“You mean those assholes who are suing you?” Jim asked.
“Let me guess,” Christine said bitterly. “They found out you played hero again and now they’re suing you for even more…”
I just smiled faintly at that and said, “Actually, it’s kind of the opposite…”
Lori gave me a curious look, as did the others. “What do you mean?”
“Well,” I said, drawing out the word and smiling as I did so. “They did hear about it somehow…and last night their lawyer showed up…”
“Damn lawyers,” Jim muttered bitterly while Luke nodded agreement.
Gloria frowned, then quietly said, “My aunt is a lawyer and she’s really nice.”
Jim gulped, obviously worried that he’d accidentally offended Gloria. “Sorry,” he told her quickly. “I mean, most lawyers…not your aunt.”
I chuckled at the look on Jim’s face, then continued, “Actually, I think they realized that they couldn’t win…and they’d look pretty bad if they sued me for trying to help people.”
“Yeah, that would be bad for public relations,” Christine agreed with a chuckle. “Imagine the headlines…comic book company sues super hero.”
“I’m not a super hero,” I reminded her with a sigh.
Lori laughed at that and pointed out, “I think your costume says otherwise.”
“Anyway,” I continued again, “Triumph Comics said they’d drop all legal action, under a couple conditions.”
“They want your soul?” Jim asked.
“Your first born?” Luke added.
“Actually, it was all pretty reasonable,” I said. “I can’t call myself Lady Starlight or anything similar while in public. I can’t go to work for any of their competitors, or any other company where they use my image while in costume. And, I’m not supposed to do anything that might tarnish the reputation of Lady Starlight or their company.”
“That does sound pretty reasonable,” Lori agreed.
“And there’s one more thing,” I added with a grin. I held off for a couple seconds to give a dramatic pause before saying, “They offered me a job.”
Christine blinked at that, “A job?”
“They just want me to do some public appearances for them at comic book conventions and the like,” I said. “And maybe have me model for a couple advertisements.”
“Smart,” Christine mused. “They want to take a potential public relations liability and turn it into an asset.”
I stared at Christine for a moment and then shook my head. It was a little strange hearing that kind of talk come from some little girl in a frilly dress who looked like she should be talking about tea parties instead, especially when she had a stuffed rabbit sitting on the table beside her. But then again, Christine had never been quite what you’d expect, especially since her twist.
“Are you going to do it?” Lori asked curiously.
“Working for a comic book company would be awesome,” Luke exclaimed with a grin.
“Yeah,” I responded, “but the comic book geeks at school would be all over me…even more than they already are.” Then I paused before adding, “But yeah, I’m seriously thinking of accepting. I mean, I keep destroying my clothes when I change into my costume and Grandma said she isn’t going to keep replacing them. I’m gonna have to get a job anyway just so I can afford clothes.”
“And makeup,” Gloria added thoughtfully.
“And jewelry,” Lori contributed with a smile.
Jim nodded and said, “And you’ll probably want to buy your own car soon.”
“And teddy bears,” Christine exclaimed excitedly, holding up her stuffed animal. I wasn’t quite sure if she was serious or joking.
Once we were all done eating and were getting ready to leave, Gloria looked at Luke and said, “Look under the sofa,” before she picked up her tray and walked off. Jim and Luke shared a look with each other and then both shrugged before following her.
“So, anything else new going on?” Lori asked me curiously.
“Oh, I just started my period,” I commented, trying to keep my tone calm and casual as though I was talking about the weather. That got a fun reaction from both her and Christine.
“I still don’t know if I’m lucky or not that I don’t have those anymore,” Christine muttered with a shake of her head.
When school was over for the day, I talked to my friends for a few minutes and then went home. I’d wanted to hang out with Lori, but she had to work at the pool for a couple hours and Christine said something about having an appointment with a tea party. Again, I wasn’t sure if she was serious or joking.
Since I had no plans on leaving the house after school, as soon as I got home I changed into my costume. I’d begun doing this every afternoon once I’d decided I was home for the night. It felt great to relax and get comfortable like that, or at least as comfortable as I could get when I felt bloated and cramped.
After I’d changed, Grandma gave me an odd look then brought me a chocolate brownie, and to my surprise, a glass of wine. She saw my reaction and said, “I think you’re old enough to have a small glass here at home.” I stared back at her for a moment and was certain she knew I was having my first period.
I sat down on the couch, took a bite of the brownie and a small sip of the wine, then I went to work doing my homework on my computer tablet. At the moment, I definitely felt off and wasn’t in the mood to focus on this stuff, but I wanted to distract myself from what my body was doing and this seemed a pretty practical way of doing so. It was at times like this that I almost wished I could be happy with some mindless video game entertainment like Aaron.
A short time later, the doorbell rang and Grandma said, “I’ll get it…”
After Grandma opened the door, I was a little surprised to see Officer Hanson standing there. “I’d like to speak with you and Chloe,” he told Grandma before glancing at me.
“Of course,” Grandma said politely, though she looked a little suspicious as she let him inside. “Would you like to have a seat?”
Hanson sat down in a chair while Grandma sat down on the couch beside me. Both of us looked at Hanson curiously, wondering what he wanted to talk about. I just hoped that it wasn’t another lecture about staying out of police business and not trying to be a super hero.
“Chloe,” Hanson said, giving me a gentle smile. “I wanted to thank you personally for helping us on Tuesday. Without your assistance, we probably wouldn’t have been able to find Keenan Barnes in time to help your friend. And admittedly, without your help, my partner and I might very well have been killed.”
“It was also very dangerous,” Grandma said, giving me a disapproving look.
After what had happened Tuesday, I was surprised that Grandma hadn’t grounded me again for getting into such a dangerous situation. However, she was quite proud of me for saving Gloria and helping the police, so she’d gone easy on me this time.
“Chloe is becoming quite the young hero,” Hanson agreed, giving me an odd look. “But you seem to have a knack for finding trouble, and as your grandmother pointed out, it can be very dangerous. You’ve saved several lives recently, but you’ve also been extremely lucky. As I’ve told you before, going into that kind of situation without any training can result in you making things even worse. You could get killed, and so could innocent people.”
“I know,” I said with a sigh. He’d given me this lecture enough times now that I could almost recite it from memory. “And super heroes and vigilantes are not welcome in Spiral.”
Hanson chuckled at that and said, “I’m glad you agree.”
“I’m sure she’ll stay out of trouble from now on,” Grandma told him.
“I doubt that,” Hanson responded with an amused look. “Like I said, she seems to have a knack of ending up in these situations.”
“It’s not my fault,” I protested awkwardly.
“Maybe not,” Hanson agreed pleasantly. “But it happens nonetheless. And since we can’t have some untrained civilian making things worse, my captain and I came up with a solution. We’d like you to come work for us.”
“What?” Grandma and I both blurted out at the same time. Then Grandma gave him a look of disbelief and asked, “You want Chloe to join the police?”
“We’d like her to become a junior deputy in training,” Hanson said, giving me a speculative look. “Mostly, it would be a few hours a week doing ride-alongs and training. If you’re working with us and being trained, you could be an asset instead of a hindrance. And if you’re interested in a career in law enforcement, this would be a great opportunity.”
Grandma and I both just sat there for a moment in silence as we absorbed then, then Grandma chuckled. “That’s two job offers in two days.”
We spent more than an hour talking about what this job as a junior deputy in training would involve, and it sounded like it would be interesting. I wouldn’t actually be a cop, but I would get to ride around with them, see how they did things, and even get some of the training. For the most part though, they just wanted to keep an eye on me and keep me out of trouble, which seemed to please Grandma. Grandma and I told Hanson that we’d need to talk this over between ourselves before we could give him an answer, but before he even left, I already knew that I was going to say yes.
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Loud music filled my back yard and half the neighborhood. The band was set up in the back corner, in the same place they’d played during Aaron’s birthday party a couple months ago. Christine was wailing on the drums while Lori sang, her voice sounding beautiful and melodic. Their friends and bandmates Ricky and Liz played guitar and bass guitar, looking like they were having a blast. This was definitely the most energetic and awesome version of the happy birthday song that I’d ever heard.
Today was my seventeenth birthday and Grandma was holding a big party to celebrate. I was actually surprised by how big it was since I’d been expecting something a little smaller with only my immediate family and closest friends. However, Lori and Christine had insisted that their band play for me and that resulted in a few more people wanting to come.
Once the band stopped playing, people started calling out, “Happy birthday,” while Grandma held out the cake so I could blow out the candles.
“Happy birthday,” Mom exclaimed, giving me a hug and then practically shoving a present into my hands.
I gave Mom a slightly suspicious look and then glanced around at the gathered people, remembering the present she’d given me last year and wondering if it was safe to open this one in front of everyone. However, Grandma smiled in amusement and gave me a nod that it was okay to do so. I tore open the wrapper with glee, finding a shoe box beneath. I hesitated again, thinking about the last time she’d given me a shoe box. But Grandma had indicated it was safe so I opened this box and found several smaller boxes inside. Jewelry boxes.
When I opened the first box, I gasped at the sight of a beautiful necklace that sparkled with some diamonds. I opened the other boxes and found a bracelet, some dangling earrings, and a ring. All I could do was stare at the jewelry for a moment, knowing that this was quite expensive. Mom did NOT go for cheap jewelry.
“Thank you,” I told Mom, deciding not to mention that the only jewelry I usually wore was the pair of diamond earrings she’d bought for me right after my twist. Whenever I changed into my costume, my trick tended to destroy anything I was wearing, unless it was like the studs that were somehow caught inside my energy field. “They’re beautiful.”
Mom looked pleased at that, then admitted, “I was planning on giving you something else for your birthday, but I was told it wasn’t appropriate.” She glared at Grandma.
“Thanks Grandma,” I said, earning chuckles from everyone who knew my Mom.
“But you would have liked him…I mean it,” Mom said, looking disappointed, which only made me more thankful that Grandma had intervened. Then she told me, “You’ve been a woman for a couple months now but you still dress like a tomboy. I thought these might encourage you to dress up a little more.”
“Do tomboys wear stiletto heels?” I asked innocently, gesturing down to my feet. Of course, I was in my costume so I wasn’t sure the built in heels really counted. Then again, I’d gotten used to heels and tended to wear them fairly often, even when I wasn’t in costume.
“Mine next,” Aaron insisted.
When I opened Aaron’s present, I found a T-shirt with a picture of Lady Starlight on the front, and a comic book that was sealed up in some kind of plastic protection. I looked at the cover and saw that it was the first issue of Lady Starlight.
“I thought you’d like it,” Aaron exclaimed excitedly. “it’s a great comic and has her origin and everything…”
“Thanks,” I told him, giving him a quick hug, much to his embarrassment.
Aaron grinned at me with a look of pride, making me chuckle slightly when I considered how much he liked to annoy me. Ever since my twist, Aaron had alternated between looking at me like his personal hero, and going out of his way to annoy me, which he seemed to think of as his obligation towards his big sister.
Gloria was standing next to Jim and holding his hand. The two of them had been begun dating shortly after the incident with Keenan, and they’d been inseparable since. In fact, Jim was so infatuated by her that he hadn’t even been looking at any porn where she might possibly hear about it.
Luke stood on the other side of Jim, looking as though he felt left out now that Jim was focusing so much attention on Gloria. I could sympathize with Luke since that was how I felt when I’d moved back to Spiral and found that Jim was more interested in hanging out with Luke than me.
Gloria turned to Aaron, and in the same tone of voice that she usually used when giving her prophetic statements, she said, “That’s an interesting twist.” Aaron’s eyes went wide at that but Gloria turned back to Jim and began talking to him as though unaware that she’d said anything to my brother.
I opened several more presents, then I got to one from John Hanson. Hanson...John was my mentor with the police department and over the last couple months, I’d spent a lot of time with him, sometimes just driving around on patrol in his car and sometimes doing more interesting things. He was the one who took me to the firing range and taught me to shoot a gun.
I smiled as I thought about my part time job with the police and how much better that was than working at some burger joint. I was usually only there for training a few hours a week, usually on the weekend, but it was always interesting. Most of the time I was just a trainee and observer, not allowed to do anything but watch, but occasionally they actually let me help out. Not only was I hard to hurt, but the sight of a ‘super hero’ was sometimes enough to make people more cooperative.
John was standing just a short distance away, currently dressed in his civilian clothes since it was his day off. He watched me expectantly, obviously waiting to see my reaction to whatever he gave me. When I opened the present, I found an old metal drinking flask that had a few small dents and scratches in it.
“This belonged to a Confederate captain during the Civil War,” John told me proudly.
I stared at the antique in amazement, knowing that for John, this was quite a gift. Whenever we were on patrol, we’d often talk about famous people and historical events. He was something of a Civil War buff and was pretty knowledgeable about it. In fact, I’d learned a lot about that war from him, enough that I’d stumped my teacher in history class once or twice.
“Thank you,” I said, getting a smile and a nod in response.
I continued opening the birthday presents, finding a couple cards with cash or gift cards as well as a few more interesting items. Christine gave me a Lady Starlight edition Barbie doll, which of course came with the doll dressed up like Lady Starlight.
“Now you can come over and play dolls with me and my friends,” Christine joked.
I grinned and looked around, happy to have so many of my friends and family together in one place. Of course, there were two conspicuous absences. Bridgett hadn’t shown up, which wasn’t really surprising since she rarely showed up to these things. However, she had sent me a present so I knew she hadn’t forgotten about me. And of course, there was Keenan.
Keenan was now locked up in an institution that had been established to deal with some of the more unstable and dangerous Twisted, and he would probably remain there for the rest of his life. I’d gone to visit him once but would never do so again. The guy I saw there wasn’t the Keenan I knew, and this wasn’t the way I wanted to remember my old friend.
Just then, Aaron came running up, making me groan when I saw what he was holding in his hands. “You’ve got to show this to everyone,” he exclaimed excitedly, holding out a staff.
“What’s that?” Gloria asked.
“The starlight staff,” I answered with a wry smile.
I held up the staff, which was six feet tall and made of a hard white plastic that looked somewhat metallic. At the head, there was a black gem with white sparkles in it. The whole thing looked like a match for the wrist bracers that came with my costume.
“It’s a prop that the guys at Triumph Comics made me,” I explained to him and the other people who were curious. I flipped the hidden switch and the strobe light hidden in the gem activated, making it look as though I was activating Lady Starlight’s starlight dazzle power. “They like me to use this when I make appearances for them.”
Over the last couple months, I’d been to four different public appearances for Triumph Comics, three of which had been at comic book conventions. I didn’t have to do much but show up, act like Lady Starlight and put on a bit of a show for the crowd. The fans really ate it up, especially when I used my abilities to levitate in the air or lift something heavy.
“You should enter the costume contests,” Christine told me with a grin. “You’d be guaranteed to win.”
“That’s the problem,” I told her with a chuckle. “I won the costume contest at that first convention I went to, but the other people complained that it wasn’t fair. After that, the other conventions put a rule in place that banned twist based costumes.”
“Twist based costumes?” Jim asked me. “That sounds kind of discriminatory.”
I chuckled at that, then explained, “I can still enter the costume contests, but I’d have to go as a different character and I couldn’t use my own costume.” I shrugged. “I’m not really into it enough to bother making some other costume. Hell, I don’t even know who most of the characters there are.” Of course, I didn’t mention the fact that after working for a comic book company and hanging out at the conventions, I was getting a crash course on a lot of those fictional characters.
After this, I spent the next fifteen minutes answering questions about what I did for Triumph Comics. As a job went, it wasn’t as exciting as working with the police could be, but it paid better and was a lot of fun. The only real downside was that I sometimes got overwhelmed by comic book geeks who could get a little obsessive at times.
Finally, I looked around and realized that I didn’t see Lori anywhere. In fact, the last time I’d seen her, she’d been on stage singing happy birthday.
“Do you know where Lori is?” I asked Christine.
“No idea,” my cousin answered, though she had a smirk that made me suspect she was lying.
Mom chose that moment to come over and say, “Chloe dear, I was wondering if you’d do me a favor…”
“What do you need?” I asked her, knowing better than to agree to something with her until I knew what she intended.
“I left a bottle of wine in our room,” she answered with an amused look. “Could you please go get it for me?”
“Sure,” I responded, relieved that it hadn’t been something awkward.
With that, I handed the staff back to Aaron then went back into the house and towards my bedroom. Since Mom was in town for a week or so, she was staying there with me just like she did every time she visited. It was strange sharing a room with her, especially since she’d decided that the rule about walking around naked in front of me no longer applied. However, I had to admit that it had helped us get a little closer.
I went into my room musing, “Now where did she leave that…?”
Then I froze, suddenly realizing that Lori was sitting on my bed…and that she was wearing nothing except some lacy black lingerie. I had a flash of deja-vu as I remembered my Mom’s present on my last birthday.
“Happy birthday,” Lori said, smiling at me and looking just a little self-conscious at the same time.
“Wow,” I exclaimed, feeling a little surprised thought that didn’t stop me from staring at her and taking in every detail of her gorgeous body. She was definitely hot looking and my body was already starting to respond to the sight.
“Someone told me about your last birthday,” Lori said with a smirk before giving me a suggestive look and posing in a way that made my heart race and my crotch get wet. Then in a sexy purr, she added, “Now come over here and get your birthday present.”
For a moment, I just stared at Lori, definitely liking what I saw. Alyssa Ambrose had been totally hot, and a professional porn star to boot. and though she’d been absolutely incredible, neither of us really knew the other. However, I cared a great deal for Lori, just as I knew she cared about me. Somehow, that made this even more exciting for me.
A slow smile spread over my face as I reached out and locked my bedroom door. Then I started towards my girlfriend, musing, “This is even better than last year.”
The End
By
Morpheus
Dan is a school bully who frequently picks on those who are smaller and weaker than him, but that all changes when he undergoes his twist and discovers the existence of karma. This story takes place in my Twisted Universe.
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It was Friday afternoon and school had just ended for the week. This should have put me in a good mood, but my mood was anything but good at the moment. I’d gotten a B- in history class, which wasn’t quite the grade I’d been aiming for. Unfortunately, it was too late to do anything about that now as they’d already e-mailed my grades home.
I snarled as I walked down the halls, glaring at several students who got in my way and smirking as they quickly jumped aside. The crowded hallway split before me, which wasn’t much of a surprise since I was a pretty intimidating guy. I was 6 foot 3 and built like a linebacker, which I actually had been until I’d gotten kicked off the school football team for fighting too much.
“Out of my way,” I snapped at one boy who hadn’t moved fast enough. I gave him a casual shove and knocked him aside, not even bothering to stop and watch him scramble for the papers he’d dropped. “Watch it loser.”
I stepped outside the main doors to the school but I still didn’t feel any better. In fact, I was only growing angrier, though I didn’t quite know why. But that was no surprise since I was usually in a bad mood.
Then I saw him, Gary Pritchart, a total wimp who somehow rubbed me the wrong way for some reason. He was six inches shorter than me and fairly thin, though I knew he got a lot of exercise from being on the school swim team so he wasn’t completely without muscles. Still, swimming was a girlie sport…something only real wimps would actually compete in.
“Hey Bitchart,” I exclaimed, using my little nickname for him.
Gary looked at me with his eyes widening slightly. “Dan,” he said with a gulp, obviously afraid of me. I grinned at that while his eyes darted around for a way to get away.
“What’s this?” I asked, gesturing the pad of paper in Gary’s hands. He was holding a pencil in his other and seemed to be doodling.
I snatched the pad out of his hand while he protested, “Give that back…”
One look was enough to show me that Gary had been drawing a picture of one of the other students, and it was good enough that I was able to immediately recognize who he’d been drawing a picture of. “It’s bitch art,” I teased, pleased by my take on his nickname. I flipped the pages, seeing pictures of other students. Then exclaimed, “This is total crap…” I tossed the drawing pad to the side, then glared down at a defiant Gary. “Didn’t you know that drawing is for little kids and girls…?”
“Why don’t you leave me alone?” Gary demanded. “I’ve never done anything to you…you jerk.”
If Gary had just backed down, I would have been able to continue going on my way, but since he’d challenged me in front of all these other kids… I just snarled at him, pushing him backwards and watching him fall on his ass.
“You offend me,” I spat at him. “Real men don’t waste their time with that art crap. Why don’t you grow a pair and man up.” I gave him a fairly mild kick and then turned to walk away.
A lot of students had gathered to watch the show, and most of them were staring at me with looks of fear or even anger. However, none of them had come to Gary’s defense so I thought they were just hypocrites. If they really wanted me to stop messing with him, they would have done something to interfere.
Then one skinny black girl ran to Gary’s side to see if he was okay. I knew that she was a friend of his, though I didn’t know her name or care. What I did know was that she was Twisted with some sort of trick that let her sense other people’s emotions. Her being Twisted wasn’t a big deal though since this was Spiral and about half the kids in school were Twisted and her ability wasn’t something I was worried about.
“That boy is just full of anger and resentment,” the girl said, glaring at me while helping Gary to his feet.
I just continued walking away as though I hadn’t heard her comments about me. The other people who’d been watching were beginning to mutter as well, though not to my face or where I could see who had spoken. Still, as I left, I heard the words jerk, asshole, and bully. I acted as though I hadn’t heard those either.
“A bunch of losers,” I muttered to myself as I began walking the two blocks to my home.
I could still see all those faces staring at me with fear and contempt in their eyes. My dad always said that having people be afraid of you was a good thing. It showed that they respected you. And as dad always said, a real man demands respect.
“Bitchart should thank me for helping set him straight,” I told myself grimly. “I mean, I’m giving him lessons in how to be a man for free…”
When I finally reached the small house where I lived with my dad, I was still in a bad mood. I wanted to hit someone…hard. I’d held back against that wimp Gary so I still had a lot of anger to burn off.
I was about to go inside when I heard someone call out, “Hello Dan…”
I looked to the driveway next door and saw my neighbor Mrs. Fritz pulling some bags out of the trunk of her car. She was an old woman who was always friendly, so I smiled and waved back. Then I quickly looked around to make sure my dad wasn’t watching. My dad didn’t like Mrs. Fritz…or much of anyone else.
“Do you need a hand with those groceries?” I called back, already starting towards her.
“Thank you,” Mrs. Friz responded, looking up at me with a pleasant smile.
“It’s no problem,” I told her as I picked up the remaining bags of groceries from the trunk of her car and began carrying them inside for her.
When I was done, Mrs. Fritz said, “Thank you again, Dan. You’re such a good boy.”
I winced faintly at that, and as I turned and started back for my own house, I muttered, “No I’m not.”
My dad was already home, which wasn’t too big of a surprise. He worked in construction, but he couldn’t do his job until other people had completed theirs first. That meant he often had odd hours, sometimes working only a couple hours a day and other times working a series of fourteen hour shifts in order to catch up.
My dad, Dan Jones Sr, was a large and imposing man who demanded respect from everyone around him. Respect and fear. At the moment, he was sitting in his recliner, sipping on a beer while watching TV. He had his computer tablet sitting next to him so I knew he’d probably already seen my report card.
“You’re late,” dad said, though I knew he didn’t really care about that.
“I had to teach some punk a lesson,” I responded with a smirk. “I had him crying like a baby when I was done.”
“Good,” dad responded, giving me a level look. “A real man makes sure people know to respect him. He makes sure they know not to fuck with him.”
I nodded at that since this was about as close as my dad would come to giving a compliment. Usually, he only showed disapproval, often in a very painful fashion. We didn’t exactly have a warm and friendly relationship. In fact, I hated his guts…and was afraid of him at the same time. That probably made the fact that I’d spent most of my life trying to earn his approval even stranger.
“I got your grades today,” dad said, gesturing to his computer tablet. “I see you got a B in history…”
“B minus,” I corrected him, then wished I hadn’t.
“What?” dad demanded, giving me an angry glare. “You turning into some kind of egghead? You think you’re smarter than me?”
“No, I just guessed good,” I quickly said. “I got lucky on that test…”
Dad nodded at that, taking a drink of beer and then glaring at me again. “Of course you did. You’re dumb as a box of rocks, and don’t you forget it. I don’t want you getting too big for your britches or I’ll have to teach you a lesson.”
“No sir,” I responded with a grimace.
I let out a sigh of relief when dad turned away from me and began focusing on the TV again. I was just thankful that he didn’t want to teach me another lesson. The last major lesson he’d taught me had been about two months ago. I’d gotten beaten up at school by some girl with a powerful trick. She hadn’t really hurt me much, other than a few bruises and the damage she’d done to my pride. However, when dad heard that I’d been beaten by a girl, he’d been furious and went at me with a baseball bat, breaking my arm and putting me in the hospital for a couple days.
“Don’t you ever let a girl beat you again,” dad had yelled at me while hitting me. “No son of mine is going to be pathetic enough to get beaten some damn girl.” Those words still echoed in my head, along with memory of how much it had hurt.
Since my dad had effectively dismissed me, I went back to my bedroom and turned on my stereo, keeping it low enough that it wouldn’t disturb my dad. At the same time, I wished that I’d taken a bit longer coming home or that I had somewhere else I could be instead.
There was a nice park down the street and it might have been nice to go there and hang out, but that was out of the question. Hanging out at parks was for little kids, not for men. The last time I’d actually been at that park had been when I was a kid, back before my mom left.
At one time, I had been on the school football team and would have stayed late for practice, though the truth was that I’d hated football. I’d only signed up because my dad made me, saying that football was a man’s sport. Baseball and basketball were acceptable but things like track and swimming were for pansies and girls. I’d been pretty good at football, but I’d hated the game and my dad wouldn’t let me just quit. So I got into fights with some of the other guys and was thrown off the team instead. As was usual with my dad, having me get kicked off for being too violent was much more acceptable than just quitting.
I briefly thought about going to see some friends, but the truth was that I didn’t have friends. There were a couple guys at school that I’d sometimes hang out with, but they weren’t friends. I’d never been to any of their houses nor had any of them ever come to mine.
I stayed in my room until dinner, then came out just long enough to eat my TV dinner with dad. According to dad, cooking was women’s work, which meant that we rarely had anything that wasn’t fast food or just prepackaged meals that just needed to be heated. And as with most nights, we ate in silence, with the occasional exception of dad commenting about someone who needed their ass kicked.
Once I was done eating, I went to the bathroom to relieve myself, then I paused to stare at my reflection in the mirror above the sink. I was seventeen years old with dark brown hair, thick and bushy eyebrows that came close to forming a unibrow, a wide jaw, and a nose that had obviously once been broken, courtesy of one of my dad’s lessons. All in all, I looked like a brutish thug, which I suppose was appropriate since I was a thug.
“Dan Jones Junior,” I said my name with a faint sneer.
I looked a lot like my dad and was even named after him. I hated and feared the man, yet I was just like him. As I stared into the mirror, I could see my future spread out before me as I continued to follow in my dad’s footsteps. After school, I’d get some kind of grunt job, then I’d spent the rest of my life slowly getting more bitter and angry. Twenty years from now, I’d probably have my own kids to take it out on as well.
I snarled in anger and nearly punched my own reflection. It suddenly struck me that I hated that reflection, or more specifically, I hated the person it represented. I hated myself and the dismal future I saw stretched out in front of me.
With another snarl of anger, I stormed out of the bathroom, going to my own room and slamming the door behind me. Anger was good. Anger was an acceptable emotion. But on the other hand, it was also an emotion that I was tired of constantly feeling. Unfortunately, the only alternatives seemed to be fear or loneliness, and those were even worse.
“What the hell am I going to do?” I muttered bitterly.
I sat on the edge of my bed and closed my eyes, only to see images of my earlier encounter with Gary. All those other kids had stared at me with looks of fear and contempt. I was used to those kind of looks, but I still didn’t like them. Dad always said it was good to have people fear you, that it meant they knew you were stronger than they were. However, I had a hard time seeing those looks as good, no matter how hard I tried.
Anyone at school would immediately describe me as a thug and a bully, the kind of person that everyone hated. I knew exactly what everyone thought about me, but I couldn’t disagree. I knew what I was…and I hated it. I was just so tired of it all, but there was nothing I could do. I just felt…trapped.
For most of my life, I’d tried earning my dad’s approval, but it very rarely came at all. He had strict standards about what it meant to be a man and about how a real man should behave. And whenever I didn’t meet those standards, his disapproval could be quite painful.
When I was ten years old, I’d found my mom’s old flute, the one she used to play when she was in high school. She’d given it to me and had even begun teaching me to play, but when dad found out he was furious. He used the flute to beat me until it snapped in half.
Even seven years later, I could still remember him yelling at me, exclaiming that no son of his would play a girl instrument like a flute. According to dad, guitar and drums were the only acceptable instruments for a man to play.
Dad had also made his views known when he caught me trying to draw pictures of our old dog Bill. Though dad didn’t hit me that time, he’d torn up my pictures and yelled about how only girls and little kids wasted time by doodling like that. That was the last time I’d ever tried my hand at art.
I grimaced and laid back on my bed, closing my eyes. As I thought back on my life, I realized that every time I found something interesting or fun, dad would forbid it, saying that men didn’t do that. And even though I was disappointed, I would always listen to dad and try to earn his approval.
I’d tried so hard to become the kind of man he’d respect and approve of, but it still wasn’t enough. And even worse, the closer I came to earning his approval, the less I approved of myself.
Here I was, having spent most of my life trying to earn my dad’s approval…trying to prove that I was a real man. But all I really had for it was the hatred of everyone at school and a whole lot of self-loathing.
“A thug,” I muttered bitterly, knowing what everyone at school called me. “An asshole. A bully.”
Other than those things, I didn’t really know what I was…or who I was. I’d spent so much time trying to be what dad wanted me to be that I didn’t even know who I really was.
“Who am I?” I whispered to myself, shaken by the realization that I had no idea.
Then I thought back on all the things that had ever caught my interest, the things that I’d actually enjoyed and loved doing. But I’d been forced to turn my back on nearly every one of them since real men didn’t do those things. Men didn’t play the flute, draw pictures, or dance.
It suddenly struck me that I was trapped…trapped by expectations. I was trapped by my dad’s expectations of what it meant to be a man and my own need to fulfill them. I was trapped in my role as a brutish thug. I hated who I was but I couldn’t see a way out of these chains that bound me.
“I wish things could have been different,” I thought aloud, wondering what my life would have been like if I’d been allowed to just be myself.
What would it have been like if I’d been allowed to follow my interests, whatever they were? Who would I have become if I’d been free to choose on my own?
But of course, it was pointless to imagine such a thing because there was no way dad would have allowed that. As he’d told me on countless occasions, his son was going to be a real man.
With that, I suddenly wondered what my life would have been like if I’d been born a girl. If I’d been born a girl, then dad never would have tried pushing me to be like him. He never would have pushed me to be a real man or forbidden me from doing things just because they weren’t manly enough.
“If I’d been born a girl,” I mused as my imagination began to run with this idea.
If I’d been born a girl, then I never would have been trapped by my dad’s expectations. I wouldn’t have to follow all of his rules. I wouldn’t have to always prove how tough I was so I’d be able to have friends. I could actually do the things that interested me without worrying about his disapproval.
At that moment, all I could think of was that if I’d been born a girl, my entire life would have been completely different. I would have been completely different. I would have been free of these rules and expectations. I could have been…me.
Suddenly, every hair on my body began to stand on end, as though I had somehow built up a static charge just by laying on my bed. But at the same time, I felt a strange pressure building inside of me and around me. I opened my eyes and began to sit up when it all exploded at once and I crashed into darkness.
--------------------
I woke up to someone shaking me and yelling, though I was far too disoriented to make any sense of it. Still, in spite my confusion I immediately realized that something was very VERY different.
“Who are you?” dad demanded as he shook me. “Where’s my son?”
Dad and I were about the same size, though he’d always somehow managed to seem bigger than me. But now, it was as though he’d grown larger…much larger. I gasped and squirmed out of his grip, only to tumble onto the floor where I stared up at him.
“Did my good for nothing son sneak you in here last night?” dad demanded angrily. “I can’t believe he’d sneak his slut in and then sneak out…”
“Dad,” I started, only to pause at the sound of my own voice. It wasn’t my voice.
My entire body felt different…vastly different, so I glanced down at myself and let out a loud gasp. My eyes darted to my bed, which was now completely blackened and charred. I could smell the stench of something burnt in the room.
“Oh shit,” I blurted out in sudden realization. I stared up at my dad and exclaimed, “Dad, I think I went through my twist…”
That was enough to make my dad freeze and stare at me with a look of shock. Then a look of understanding spread over his face and he asked, “Dan?”
I nodded at that and stared up at my dad, feeling as though I was in shock. My dad wasn’t Twisted, though he probably would have been easier to deal with if he had been. If he’d been Twisted, his personality could have been blamed on his twist and excused to a degree. But no, my dad was a norm.
My mom was Twisted, which meant that I’d always known there was a good chance that I would be too. But since I took after my dad in nearly every other way, I’d always kind of assumed that I’d take after him this way too and hadn’t given it much thought.
“Fuck,” dad exclaimed, staring down at me with a scowl and a look of intense disgust. “I can’t believe you’d do this to me…”
“What?” I gaped at my dad in surprise.
“Damn good for nothing,” dad snarled storming out of my room and slamming the door behind him. Even through the closed door, I could hear him exclaiming, “This is all because his whore of a mother…”
Once dad was gone, I remained where I was for several minutes, feeling overwhelmed by what was happening. Then I slowly got to my feet, being careful not to actually look at my body. The one look I’d already taken had been shocking enough so I was trying to avoid another. When I was on my feet, my whole body felt rubbery and shaken so I grabbed hold of my dresser to help me keep my balance.
I stared at my dresser, which seemed to have become quite a bit larger than normal. Intellectually, I knew that wasn’t what had happened at all, but I was trying not to think about it. Instead, I looked at my bed, or at least at what was left of it.
I’d learned in school that when someone goes through a mild twist, it often came with sparks, an odd glow, or some kind of minor light show. But when someone went through a drastic physical twist, the energy released would usually destroy their clothes and just about anything else they were touching. In my case, that was definitely proving to be true as not only were my clothes destroyed, so was my bed. Most of my sheets and bedding had been burned to ash…along with part of my mattress. It almost looked like someone had set fire to my bed, so I was surprised that dad hadn’t said anything about that.
After taking a good look at my bed, I slowly began looking around the rest of the room. It seemed…larger. Everything in my room seemed larger. But of course, I knew that wasn’t the case. My room hadn’t changed. I had.
With that, I took a deep breath and then looked down at myself again. A single glance was enough to show that my body was much smaller, with no signs of body hair or even any real muscle. I would have thought that I’d turned into a little kid again if it wasn’t for the fact that I actually had a pair of tits growing from my chest.
I was still in shock and a bit numb or I probably would have freaked out. Instead, I hesitantly felt my tits, verifying that they were indeed real. They were firm and perky, and though they seemed huge to me, I realized that they probably weren’t really all that large. And once I was done feeling them, then I reached down between my legs and confirmed that mister happy was gone too.
“I’m a girl,” I whispered with a gulp.
For several minutes, I just stood there, running my now small and delicate looking hands over my smooth and hairless body. My whole body felt completely and totally strange, yet it was obviously now my body. I could feel my hands as they passed over my now soft and sensitive skin.
“I’m a girl,” I repeated again, my voice shaking along with my body.
Then, as I realized my dad might walk in on me at any moment, I decided I had to cover up. I grabbed one of my shirts and put it on, but it was far too large and draped over me almost like a dress. If my dad and the furniture in my room hadn’t already convinced me, this would have been proof enough that I was tiny.
I left my room and peaked down the hallway, nervous about having my dad see me like this again. He’d already proven that he wasn’t happy about my twist and I didn’t want him taking that displeasure out on me. I was already having more than enough to deal with at the moment as it was.
When I got to the bathroom, I found that the bathroom mirror was now too high for me to easily see myself. I jumped up and down several times for a better look, then remembered the foot stool in the corner. A few seconds later, I was able to get a good look in the mirror.
“Holy shit,” I blurted out at the sight of myself.
I didn’t look like myself, not in the least. Instead of a brutish looking guy, there was a petite girl staring back. She was small and undeniably female, with perky tits that were just the right size for her body. Her features were delicate and fragile, but also quite beautiful, giving her an almost elven look. Golden blonde hair spilled down to the middle of her back, though I’d already noticed that while I was examining myself a couple minutes ago. And her eyes…the eyes that looked back from the mirror were a brilliant blue that didn’t seem quite natural.
“That’s…me?” I whispered in stunned disbelief.
Suddenly, this whole situation seemed ludicrous, like I was in the middle of some kind of twisted dream. I was a guy, a large and imposing guy who intimidated most people…not some tiny slip of a girl who didn’t even look strong enough to lift a can of beer. The idea that I had become this small and weak girl was absolutely ridiculous.
“This isn’t real,” I told myself, trying to convince myself that this was some kind of dream. However, that thought went away after I pinched myself. “This is real…”
I had no idea how long I just stood there, staring in the mirror and trying to absorb what I saw. Then there was a loud pounding on the bathroom door as dad yelled, “Hurry up… I need to take a shit…”
I quickly got off the foot stool and opened the door before dad got man. We stared at each other for a moment, then I squeezed past him, blushing bright red and feeling humiliated at looking like this.
When I went to the living room a minute later, I saw the clock and was startled to realize that I’d been knocked out for the entire night. It was now morning, which explained why I was starting to feel hungry. Still, I didn’t go grab something to eat quite yet. Instead, I waited.
Once dad was done with his business and in a better mood, I hesitantly approached him and said, “I think I need some new clothes… Nothing fits me now…” I winced as I said those words.
“Do you think I’m made of money?” dad asked with a snort. “I bought you new clothes a couple months ago. Damn, I knew I should have made you go get a job…”
I didn’t say anything as dad grumbled, nor when he stared at me with a grimace and a shake of his head. I knew that he was nearly as disturbed by seeing me as a girl as I was by being like this. And as I’d learned long ago, when dad was upset about something, it was usually a good idea to avoid antagonizing him further…especially when he now seemed like a giant to me.
“I think some of your mother’s crap is stored in the basement,” dad finally said with a deep scowl. “That should do for now…” Then he gave me another odd look before announcing, “I’m going to work. I need to check on a few things.” With that, he got up and left the house, muttering, “God damn Twisted bitch,” as he walked out the door.
Once dad was gone, I let out a sigh of relief. I knew that the real reason he’d left was because he didn’t know what to do about me, but I was perfectly fine with that. At the moment, I was having a hard enough time making sense of this and having dad around only made it worse.
Since I had the house to myself, I wasn’t in a huge hurry to find girl clothes to put on…especially ones that would have been boxed up in the basement for the last six years. I had no idea what kind of condition those clothes might be in and imagined dust or mildew on them. The more I thought about that, the less eager I was to get dressed.
I stared down at myself, at my oversized shirt and the curves that it couldn’t quite hide. I shuddered, suddenly deciding that I needed something normal while I tried absorbing all this. What I needed was breakfast. A nice normal breakfast.
When I went to the kitchen, I quickly discovered a problem that immediately reminded me that nothing would ever be normal again. I was used to being tall, often the tallest person in a room. But now, I couldn’t even reach the cupboard where the cereal bowls were stored. I had to go get a chair to stand on, just so I could get a bowl. By the time I sat down to eat, I was beginning to get over my shock at waking up at this and starting to get scared.
“I’m Twisted,” I told myself, feeling a knot in my stomach as I stated that simple truth.
The very idea of being Twisted was frightening. It meant that some strange energy would smack you upside your head and then change your life in ways that you couldn’t control or predict. It could change your body, your mind, and even your very soul. Since I’d just gone through my twist, I didn’t have to worry about it happening again, only about what had already been done to me.
“I’m a girl now,” I said, stating the obvious.
But the truth was, I had no idea what else my twist might have done to me. How much of my personality had been changed without my even being aware of it? Would I suddenly discover that I had some kind of compulsion that I couldn’t control? Maybe one that would make me even more dangerous than I had been before, or one that would make me dangerous only to myself. I had no idea and that scared me.
There were a lot of people in the world who feared the Twisted, sometimes for very good reasons. Fortunately, I lived in the town of Spiral where being Twisted was common and wasn’t considered to be a big deal. Half my classmates were either Twisted or likely to go through a twist in the next couple years. And of course, my own mom was Twisted. I’d always known there was a possibility that I would be too, though I hadn’t thought about it much in the last couple years. Maybe some part of me had thought that if I didn’t think about it too much, it might pass me by. But that was obviously not the case.
As I thought about this my twist, I grew worried about what would happen to me. I even felt like I was about to start crying, though I tried to shake it off and told myself, “Man up and deal with it.” Then as I realized what I’d just said, I burst out laughing at the irony, though my laugher came out sounding more like giggles.
A few minutes later, I braced myself and then started down into the basement so I could find some clothes. After mom had left six years ago, dad had trashed everything she’d left behind and had thrown it away. However, she’d had some of her old clothes already boxed up and in the basement, and the only reason dad hadn’t thrown those away as well was because he kept forgetting about them.
“Lucky me,” I muttered bitterly.
I wasn’t happy with the idea of having to wear my mom’s clothes, but I knew that I didn’t really have much choice. As the shirt I was wearing demonstrated, none of my own clothes would come close to fitting me anymore, and I couldn’t count on dad to get new clothes anytime soon. That meant, unless I wanted to run around naked or wearing one of my old shirts like a dress, I’d have to wear what was available.
When I opened the boxes and looked through the clothes inside, I was relieved that there was no sign of dust or mildew. My mom’s old clothes looked like they were all in good condition, but I still wasn’t happy about the idea of wearing them. If nothing else, I decided they needed to be cleaned before I’d even try them on.
After I threw some clothes into the washing machine, I stared down at myself again, still having a hard time believing that this was me. My hands were so small and delicate looking. They were definitely girl hands, even having somewhat long finger nails. I ran them through my long hair with a sigh, sure that I’d never get used to this.
“Just how small am I?” I asked myself.
I let out a sigh, then went and found a tape measure so I could answer that question. After a quick measurement, I was disgusted to see that I was now only 5 foot 2, more than a foot shorter than what I had been. But not only had I lost all that height, I’d also lost a LOT of bulk and muscle mass.
“I’m puny,” I blurted out.
I was used to being big and strong so the fact that I was now short and weak was difficult to accept. It was almost like a physical blow against my sense of self-identity. It was a wonder that I was taking this as well as I was since I thought I should probably be freaking out.
Since I’d already started investigating just how small and weak I’d become, I decided to continue with this. If nothing else, at least I’d have a better idea of what my new limitations were.
Most Twisted had a trick, a special power that could be anything from being able to make your hair change color to being able to throw balls of fire. I’ve previously run into one girl whose trick was that she was super strong, so I was actually hoping to discover that I had something similar. I was really hoping to discover that I was stronger than I looked.
My first few experiments quickly dashed those hopes and proved that I was indeed as weak and helpless as I appeared. I tried lifting the couch, which normally would have been easy, though now it felt as though it had become a hundred times heavier. I could barely even budge the couch. I tried lifting other things that I’d always considered light, only to find that some of them were too heavy for me to lift at all.
“It’s official,” I told myself with a grimace. “I’m a total weakling…” I snorted in disgust, suddenly realizing that I’d probably have a hard time just opening a pickle jar now.
After this, I just sat down and felt depressed as I thought about what my twist would mean. Instead of being big and strong, I was now small and weak. I was a girl. I was helpless. After I’d spent my entire life trying to be strong and tough, this felt as though someone was playing a cruel joke on me.
“This proves that God exists,” I muttered to myself bitterly. “And he’s got a sadistic sense of humor.”
When my mom’s clothes were cleaned, I reluctantly pulled them out of the dryer and then began to try them on. The clothes were all too big for me, but not nearly as bad as my own were. I ended up putting on a pair of slacks and a shirt, both of which were loose but were about the best I could do at the moment. Fortunately, there had also been a pair of sneakers in the box, even if they were a little too large as well. I just dreaded what my dad would say when he came home and found me wearing my mom’s clothes.
I sat down and stared down at myself, feeling completely and utterly humiliated. Before I realized it, tears were beginning to form and run down my cheeks. They came so easily that they were there before I even knew it.
“Men don’t cry,” I reminded myself quietly. This was one of the rules that I’d lived by for most of my life, a rule that dad had long ago impressed on me as being important. Then as I wiped my tears, I took another look down and whispered, “But I’m a girl now.”
For a moment, I just froze, suddenly struck by the realization that I was actually allowed to cry. Men didn’t cry…but girls could. This realization was followed a moment later with a strange sense of relief that I didn’t quite understand. And oddly enough, I didn’t really feel like crying anymore.
I wiped the tears from my cheeks, suddenly deciding that I needed to get out of this shithole house. I needed to go out and get some fresh air. Unfortunately, the very thought of leaving the house like this made my stomach knot up. I was small, weak, and helpless. I couldn’t even defend myself if something happened. Then I felt ashamed for feeling this way.
In spite of the fact that I was afraid, or perhaps even because of it, I started for the front door. I’d learned a long time ago to hide my fear, at least in front of my dad. He always took any sign of fear as a weakness that needed to be dealt with. I shuddered faintly as I remembered just how he dealt with it.
When I stepped outside a minute later, I took a deep breath and reminded myself that girls go out in public all the time. This wasn’t really a big deal and I tried not to worry about it. After taking a few more steps without the sky actually falling down on me, I began to relax.
Suddenly, a voice called out, “Hello.” I looked next door where I saw Mrs. Fritz standing in her garden. She was watching me with a curious look and asked, “Are you a friend of Dan’s?”
“Um…no,” I responded, staring at the ground self-consciously. I grimaced, then blurted out, “I am Dan.” I finally looked at her and explained, “I just went through my twist.”
“Oh dear,” Mrs. Fritz responded, staring at me with a look of surprise and then sympathy. She started coming towards me and cautiously asked, “Are you all right dear?”
I gave her a weak smile, then admitted, “I’m not sure…”
Mrs. Fritz gave me an odd look and then a knowing smile. “I’m not Twisted, but my daughters and grandchildren are. I remember when Gwen went through her twist. Back then, people were just starting to go through their twists and no one really understood what it meant to be Twisted. My daughter suddenly gained two hundred pounds, going from slender to obese in the blink of an eye. It was very difficult for her…”
“I’d imagine,” I responded sympathetically.
“She adjusted,” Mrs. Fritz told me with a faint smile. “I know you will too.”
I nodded at that, though I wasn’t quite so sure. Then again, there were kids at school who’d gone through even weirder twists and they seemed to be adjusting. From what I heard, one guy even turned into a mermaid.
“If it helps,” Mrs. Fritz told me pleasantly, “you make a very lovely young lady.”
I winced at that, and before I could think of how to respond, a cell phone began to ring. “Oh dear,” Mrs. Fritz said as she pulled the phone from her pocket. “It’s my grandson… I’ll see you later…” And with that, she answered the phone and began to walk away.
“That was…awkward,” I muttered, though I was thankful that Mrs. Fritz hadn’t made fun of me.
I shook my head, then began walking down the street, not having any particular destination in mind. However, that changed seconds later when I realized that I was walking almost straight towards the park, the one that I’d played in as a kid but hadn’t been to in years. Hanging around parks was something that a real man just didn’t do, but I felt a strange glee as I realized that rule no longer applied to me.
When I stepped onto the park, I almost felt as though I was doing something naughty or inappropriate. I continued walking further in, I looked around. There was an area full of playground equipment for little kids, a wide open area for people to play Frisbee or other such games, and there was even a section full of picnic tables and BBQ grills.
I remembered coming here as a kid, playing on the jungle gym and just running around. My mom would just sit back on one of the benches, watching me with an amused smile on her face. She’d always liked coming here.
After walking around for a minute, I sat down on one bench and just silently watched the kids playing. I even smiled faintly, forgetting my odd situation for a minute and remembering what it was like to be one of those kids. That had been so long ago.
A short distance away from me, a woman was standing there and watching the kids play as well, or at least watching a specific kid play. She was obviously Twisted, a fact that anyone could see from the fact that she had four arms. She waved to a little boy with three of her arms while her fourth one held a cup of what I assumed was coffee.
“Hey mom, watch this,” the little boy called back to her as he climbed on top of some monkey bars in a way that wasn’t quite safe. I remembered doing the exact same thing when I was his age.
“You be careful,” the four armed woman warned her son.
“Okay,” the boy responded, just a second before he slipped and fell from the jungle gym. He hit the ground and began crying, with his mom already running to him.
“Jimmy,” she cried out in a near panic. “Are you hurt?” The boy just cried.
For a brief moment, I felt a surge of annoyance and the urge to yell out, “Boys aren’t supposed to cry.” However, I bit my lip and felt a little guilty for even thinking that after he’d just fallen. In fact, he could have been badly hurt.
I hurried to the boy and his mom, hesitantly asking, “Are you all right?”
The boy…Jimmy stared at me in confusion, probably wondering who I was and why I was talking to him. He had tears running down his cheeks and a little snot bubbling out of his nose.
“It hurts,” the boy exclaimed, holding his leg and looking to his mom tearfully.
“Let’s take a look,” she said, pulling his pant leg up and revealing what looked like a nasty bruise that was starting to form over most of his leg. From the way he fell, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d broken his leg as well.
I bit my lip for a moment, then on an impulse, I told Jimmy, “You’re being pretty brave about this.”
His mom gave me a curious look, but Jimmy smiled at the compliment. Then he hesitantly asked, “Did you see me fall?”
“I sure did,” I told him with what I hoped was a reassuring smile. “But next time you should be a lot more careful.” His mom gave me an appreciative nod at that.
Jimmy tried getting back to his feet, but then fell back down once he put weight on his leg. His mom and I shared a look at that.
“I’m going to call an ambulance,” his mom sad, then tried telling him, “Don’t move…” I could hear the worry clear in her voice.
“Everything is going to be fine,” I told Jimmy. “It looks like your mom is going to take you to a doctor who will make you better…”
Then for some reason I wasn’t quite sure of, I slowly reached out and gently touched his leg. The moment I made contact, there was a green glow around my hand, followed by a surge of pain through my leg.
“Oh God,” I gasped in surprise.
Jimmy’s mom screamed, “What are you doing?”
I yanked my hand back in fear and blurted out, “I don’t know…”
I stared at my hand which was no longer glowing green, noticing at the same time that he massively bruised feeling all over my leg had faded away almost as quickly as it had come.
“What were you doing to my son?” Jimmy’s mom demanded angrily.
“I don’t know,” I repeated, feeling scared and confused.
Then Jimmy exclaimed, “It doesn’t hurt anymore…” He stood up and I saw his leg, which no longer showed any of the discoloration or swelling that had been there just a minute before.
“Oh my God,” Jimmy’s mom exclaimed, grabbing his leg and running her hands over it. Then she stared at me in surprise. “You…you healed him. Is that your trick?”
“I…I don’t know,” I said for a third time. I stared at Jimmy’s leg, feeling just as confused as his mom looked. “I…I just went through my twist this morning…”
The four armed woman gave me a sympathetic look followed by a grateful smile. “Thank you,” she told me. “If you can heal people… That’s a fantastic trick…”
With that, she turned her full attention to hugging Jimmy while I backed away. I stared at my hands, feeling surprised and excited at the same time. My hands had glowed and then Jimmy’s leg got better.
“I have a trick,” I whispered to myself, still amazed by that. I’d been so caught up in the physical aspects of my twist that I hadn’t even given much thought about what kind of trick I might have, at least not once I’d realized it wasn’t super strength. “I can heal people…”
I slowly made my way to a park bench where I could sit down and think about this, but as I was about to sit, I looked around and suddenly saw someone that made me freeze.
“Bitchart,” I whispered in surprise.
Gary, that wimpy kid I was always messing with at school was sitting at another park bench with what looked like that art pad in his hand. He was also staring right at me.
“Oh shit,” I gasped, wondering how the hell he recognized me when I didn’t look anything like I had. Then I realized, if he knew who I was, then I was in trouble. I’d given that guy a LOT of shit and he was going to want some payback. “And now is the perfect time for him to get it…”
Just then, there was a yell from the playground equipment and I snapped around to see what was going on. To my relief, it was just Jimmy and some little girl playing some kind of game. I let out a sigh of relief, then looked back to Gary. However, Gary was now gone, and when I looked around, I didn’t see any signs of him.
“Just great,” I grumbled as I sat down and rubbed at my temples. “How could this get any worse?”
Not only was I stuck as a girl, a small and weak one, but I had a lot of people who’d want a piece of me. I’d messed with a lot of kids over the last few years and there was no doubt that they’d see my twist as the perfect opportunity to get even.
“If I was still a guy,” I started with an angry snarl, only to pause as I remembered what I was thinking last night before my twist.
I let out a long sigh, feeling my growing anger flowing out with it. Thanks to my twist, I was now a girl. I was small, weak, and helpless. But the truth was, I’d hated being a guy, or at least I’d hated the kind of guy I’d become.
For most of my life, I’d tried so hard to be a real macho man, the kind of man my dad would approve of. I’d turned my back on everything that had ever made me happy and had done things that I hated, only to turn into a thug who couldn’t stand to look at himself in the mirror.
Tears began running down my cheeks, though I wasn’t quite sure why. Ever since my twist, it seemed that they came out so much more easily. This was the second time I’d started crying today.
Instead of wiping away my tears, I quietly reminded myself, “Girls are allowed to cry…” Then I looked around where I was sitting and added, “And go to the park…”
As I sat there, other things were added to the list of things that girls were allowed to do. They could go swimming, and do art, and play music, and so many other things that a man just wasn’t supposed to do.
“And they don’t have to play football,” I whispered in awe, “or beat up people to prove how tough they were…”
I felt stunned as I was suddenly struck by the realization that I was no longer bound by my dad’s rules of how a real man behaved. I was no longer a man so those rules didn’t apply to me anymore. I was…free.
I’d spent most of the day thinking about how my twist was a horrific curse, yet now I realized that it was also a strange sort of blessing as well. It felt as though a huge weight had just been lifted from my shoulders.
Tears continued to run down my cheeks, but these were no longer tears of fear or frustration. For the first time in my life, I actually felt free to be myself, or to at least discover who that person really was. I couldn’t resist laughing at the sudden realization that the twist I’d been cursing may very well have been the best thing to ever happen to me.
--------------------
I felt oddly happy as I washed the dishes in the sink, but then again, I’d been in a good mood ever since yesterday afternoon. Sure, I was a girl now, but at the moment, that seemed like a small price to pay for my freedom.
At the moment, I felt so light on my feet I almost thought I could dance in the air. That made me pause for a moment and wonder if I should try dancing. I’d never done it before since that was something real men didn’t do, but it might be fun.
Of course, I didn’t currently feel like I was light on my feet just because of this intoxicating sense of relief. I actually was light on my feet. I didn’t weigh nearly as much as I did before, and I was a lot more flexible as well. I might not be as strong as used to be, but I could move around more easily.
I hadn’t told dad about my trip to the park yesterday, nor about my trick or revelation. There were things that dad just wouldn’t be able to understand, and honestly, I didn’t want to have to explain them to him either.
Dad was starting to think of me as a girl, a fact that he proved this morning before going to work. He’d ordered me to do the laundry while he was gone and make dinner before he got home, both things that he considered to be girl’s work. I wasn’t quite sure what I thought about that though.
“At least he’s gone,” I told myself, thankful that I didn’t have to deal with dad at the moment. It had been difficult enough dealing with him when I was a guy, but now that I was a girl… I could see the disappointment every time he looked at me.
When I was done with the dishes, I began looking through the kitchen for something for dinner. We didn’t really have much in the cupboards or fridge, nor did I really know what to do with anything I did find. Just because I’d turned into a girl, that didn’t mean I suddenly knew how to cook. A lifetime of microwave meals and frozen pot pies hadn’t prepared me for cooking a real meal.
“Maybe I can just order a pizza,” I thought aloud. Dad would approve of that, as long as I got pepperoni and sausage.
I went into the living room and looked around, noticing the empty beer cans by my dad’s chair. For a moment, I wondered if I should pick that up. After all, dad always said that women were supposed to clean, and since I was now a girl… Still, when I looked at the mess, I felt no real urges or desires to clean it up. Instead, I decided to do what I’d always done before…ignore it.
Since I didn’t know what to do with myself at the moment, I decided to go for another walk. Of course, I’d already learned that even a short walk would take me longer than before. My legs were shorter, which meant that I had to take more steps just to cover the same distance.
“And to think,” I mused to myself. “At one point, I’d actually wanted to try out for track…”
I smiled faintly as I remembered that, as well as the fact that I hadn’t mentioned a word of that to my dad. I’d already known that there was no way he’d ever accept a wimpy sport like track, especially when he’d already decided I was going to join the football team and follow his footsteps.
“It wasn’t like I had the build for it anyway,” I reminded myself. I’d always been too big and bulky. Besides, I’d been even more interested in swimming, not that I would have had any better chances with that.
For my walk, all I did was walk around the block, taking my time and trying to just get used to the idea of being out in public like this. Every step I took was a reminder that I wasn’t my old self, that I was smaller and lighter. I might have accepted that my new body could be a good thing, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to the odd sensations.
When I returned home, I arrived just as Mrs. Fritz was beginning to leave. She waved to me so I waved back.
“How have you been holding up?” Mrs. Fritz asked me with a look of concern.
“All right,” I admitted, giving her a faint smile.
“Well, you certainly seem to be in a better mood than yesterday,” she said with a chuckle.
I nodded at that, then gave her a self-conscious smile. “I’m not quite as upset about this.” I gestured down at myself. “I mean, it could have been a lot worse than turning into a girl.”
“Very true,” Mrs. Fritz told me. “Trust me, there are much worse fates than being a pretty young lady.”
I couldn’t resist chuckling at that, though it came out more as a feminine giggle. I almost clamped a hand over my mouth.
“It’s still pretty weird,” I told her with a sigh. “I mean, I’ve been a guy my whole life… It’s all I know…” I paused at that, then quietly admitted, “I don’t know how to be anything else. I don’t know how to be a girl.”
“It isn’t all that hard, dear,” Mrs. Fritz told me with a sympathetic look. “You’ll figure it out. In fact, you should probably talk to some of the girls you go to school with. Surely some of them would be able to help you adjust.”
I snorted at that and shook my head. “I don’t think so.” I had a hard time believing that any of the girls I went to school with would help me, or that I’d trust them to actually do so. “But I’ll figure it out…” I gave her a weak smile that I hoped was reassuring.
Mrs. Fritz and I talked for another couple minutes before we said goodbye and I went inside. I called to order a pizza delivery, then waited for dad to get home from work.
I didn’t have to wait long since dad got home earlier than I was expecting. Then again, it was Sunday and he only had to go in to try catching up a little in order to get the project back on schedule.
“Fucking bastards,” dad exclaimed came through the door. “Those dumb fucks can’t get their work done on time, so now I have to come in on the weekend and rush to catch up…”
I stood back and avoided attention as much as I could while dad vented. I’d learned a long time ago that he was likely to be even more explosive than normal when he was going off like this.
While dad was venting, he grabbed a beer and downed the first one in just a couple gulps. That was a bad sign, especially as he immediately grabbed a second beer and began drinking that one as well.
By the time the pizza arrived, dad had calmed down a bit, though he did complain about the pizza and a few other things. I just ate quietly, eager to get done and back to my room where I’d be out of sight and out of mind.
But when we finished eating, I remembered that there was something else I needed to talk to dad about. I braced myself, then brought up the subject.
“I’m gonna need new clothes,” I reminded dad. “Mom’s old stuff is too big for me…”
“So you’re just like your slut of a mom,” dad responded with a sneer. “Wanting to spend all my money on clothes…”
I grimaced at that, growing angry about him talking that way about my mom. However, I had a lot of experience at concealing it in front of him.
“I just need clothes that fit me,” I pointed out.
Dad snorted at that, giving me another look of disappointment. “We’ll see.” Then he was silent for a minute before saying, “You were barely a man before, now you go and turn into a slut. What did I ever do to deserve this?”
“I didn’t ask to turn into a girl,” I pointed out grimly. Actually, I sort of had asked for it, but I certainly wasn’t going to tell that to da.
“Don’t sass me,” dad snapped, giving me an angry glare and making me take an instinctive step back. “Little girls should know their place.”
Those words sent a cold chill down my spine as well as made me angry. I’d just escaped from the role he’d forced on me for so many years, and now it seemed that he wanted to force another one on me.
“I can’t believe my son turned into a God damn slut,” dad exclaimed.
“I’m not a slut,” I snapped back angrily, knowing it was a mistake even as I said it. “I’ve only been a girl for two days and I haven’t had sex once. I think you need to look up what that word means…”
Without warning, dad backhanded me, sending me flying back and into a bookshelf, which then fell over. All the random clutter and junk that had been stored on the shelf fell all over me and the floor. I staggered, trying to get back up though half my face was now hurting.
“Look at the mess you made,” dad yelled. “Clean it up now you little bitch…”
I glared at dad angrily, then did something I never would have done as a guy. I screamed, “Fuck you…”
That was the wrong thing to do as dad immediately rushed over and grabbed me by the arm, then lifted me of the floor. His fingers dug in so deep that I knew my arm would be badly bruised, and it almost felt as though he might yank my arm out of the socked.
“You’re just like your bitch of a mother,” dad snarled in my face.
“She left because you’re an asshole,” I yelled back, trying to cover my terror with even more anger.
Dad slapped me across the face and then threw me back, right into the coffee table. I quickly scrambled to my feet, but dad was already coming at me with a furious expression. I knew exactly what he was planning to do since I’d seen it often enough with my mom. He was going to slap me around until most of my body was black and blue. It wouldn’t be as bad as when he’d gone at me with a baseball bat, but I was a lot smaller now and couldn’t take as much damage.
“No,” I screamed in panic as dad grabbed for me again.
I grabbed the lamp from the end table and then swung it at dad as hard as I could, catching him across the face and knocking him back. Then realizing just how pissed that would make him, I turned and ran out the front door as fast as I could.
“Get your ass back here,” dad screamed as he came out the front door, staggering and holding his head where I’d hit him.
“What’s going on out here?” Mrs. Fritz yelled while I just ran down the street as fast as I could.
Dad was slow to give chase thanks to that hit I’d given him, but he started running after me. I’d made it to the edge of the park before he finally caught up with me and shoved me to the ground.
“I’m gonna teach you a lesson you’re never going to forget,” dad yelled, picking me back up and then hitting me across the face. He slapped me several more timed before throwing me back on the ground.
“What the hell are you doing?” a voice yelled out, though I was hurting too much to look at the source.
Dad just snarled and began kicking me. The kick to my side nearly made me scream, and when I tried using my arms to block his next kick, there was a sharp pain that told me he’d probably broken my arm. Still he kicked me several more times while several people were yelling.
“I called the police,” the voice yelled again. “They’re coming right now…”
“Stupid little slut,” dad snarled at me, giving me one final kick. “This will teach you your place…” And with that, he hurried off while I just remained were I was, my whole body hurting too much to move.
“Are you okay?” the oddly familiar voice asked from beside me. Several other people were starting to gather around as well, each of them looking concerned. “I’ve already called the police…”
I remained curled up in a ball, tasting blood as I gasped for breath. I closed my eyes for a minute, until the ambulance arrived and the EMT’s began to check on me. Only once they were moving me to a stretcher did I open my eyes and take another look around.
“Is she going to be okay?” the familiar voice asked the EMT’s actually sounding concerned.
I didn’t pay attention to the EMT’s answer. Instead, I was staring at the source of the voice that’d chased my dad away. I knew the voice was familiar, but I never would have guessed the source. It was Bitchart. The one who’d saved me from my dad was Gary.
--------------------
I hated hospitals with all the antiseptic scent and the feel of pain and sickness in the air. This wasn’t the first time I’d been put in the hospital by my dad, though I was sure the falling down the stairs or football accident excuses wouldn’t work this time.
I was in my hospital bed, trying not to move. They’d given me some painkillers but definitely not enough. It hurt just to breath, which wasn’t surprising since I had cracked ribs. Those went along with my broken arm and the bruising over nearly my entire body.
As much as I hurt, I suspected that person in the bed next to mine might even hurt a little more. She was a little girl, about ten years old, whose body had been torn up with two dozen shards of shattered glass that had gone through her like a shotgun blast.
From what I’d overheard, the girl’s older brother had recent gone through his twist and had gained some sort of trick that let him control glass and move it around. Apparently, he didn’t have much control over his trick and this was the result.
A few hours ago, the doctor had told her family that they’d managed to remove all the glass from her body, but she still had all the puncture wounds, several of which had gone through important organs. I could only imagine how much it would hurt having a hole through your kidney.
I closed my eyes and just tried to go back to sleep, though it didn’t do much good. I’d hurt too much to sleep last night, though I’d had a couple short naps this morning.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw dad coming at me with that furious look on his face. I winced and immediately opened my eyes, breathing hard which only made me hurt even more.
Then I suddenly heard a voice from out in the hallway, a familiar voice. It was Gary. I felt a surge of fear, wondering what he was going here in the hospital.
“Yes, the young lady who was attacked last night is in this room,” the nurse told him. “She was here two months ago with similar injuries, but of course, that was before her twist. She was so polite… Oh, I shouldn’t have told you all that. It’s part of my twist. I’m a bit too talkative…”
“Thank you,” Gary told her. “I appreciate you letting me visit…”
“The poor thing,” the nurse responded. “She really needs a friend at a time like this…”
Gary came into my room a moment later and stopped to stare at me. He took one look and winced visibly.
“Hi,” Gary said with a weak smile, looking nervous. “I know you don’t know me, but I saw what happened last night and wanted to make sure you were okay…”
“You stopped him,” I said quietly, my voice hoarse. I stared at him in confusion. “You called the police…”
“You remember?” he asked, looking somewhat pleased by that.
“Why?” I asked quietly. “You hate me…”
“What?” Gary asked, looking both surprised and confused.
It took me a moment to realize that he didn’t know who I was. When he’d been staring at me at the park the other day, it hadn’t been because he somehow recognized me.
Gary stared at me and shook his head, “I don’t hate you. I don’t even know you.”
“You do hate me,” I said quietly, chuckling faintly but then wincing at the pain stabbing my sides. “You just don’t realize you do...”
“This is only the third time I’ve ever seen you,” Gary told me gently. “I saw you helping that little boy a couple days ago, then I saw you were in trouble last night…” He paused at that and then asked, “How are you feeling?” He actually sounded concerned, which confused me a little.
I was silent for a moment, not sure what to say. And as I stared at him, seeing that he was actually worried about me, I couldn’t help but feeling guilty. After everything I’d done to him, he was the one who’d kept me from being hurt even worse.
“Don’t embarrass yourself being nice to me,” I told him quietly, unable to meet his eyes. “You’ll only regret it.”
“What?” Gary asked again, obviously confused.
Before he could ask what I meant, someone else stepped into the hospital room and I took a quick glance to see who it was. A moment later, I froze and stared. The newcomer was an attractive woman in her late thirties with shoulder length blonde hair. However, this was a woman I knew well, even though I hadn’t seen her in six years.
“Mom?” I blurted out in shock and disbelief.
“I guess I should get going,” Gary said, giving me a worried look. “I hope you feel better…” And with that, he gave me a reassuring smile and left the room.
I barely paid attention to Gary though, watching my mom instead. I was more than a little shocked to see her here, not to mention confused. How had she even known I was here?
“Danny?” mom asked in the quiet voice I remembered so well. “Is that really you?”
I cringed in embarrassment, and at that moment, if I’d been able to hide beneath my hospital bed, I probably would have. This was the first time I’d seen my mom in six years, and she was seeing me like this...
“Yes,” I finally answered her, unable to meet her eyes.
“Danny,” mom whispered, hurrying to my side. “Are you okay? Oh, of course you aren’t… I’m so sorry…”
“For what?” I asked, raising my voice in anger. “Leaving me?”
I winced in pain but my mom winced as well, though for an entirely different reason. My mom’s twist meant that she couldn’t handle confrontations of any sort. A raised voice was enough to overwhelm her, which was why she’d been such a natural victim for my dad’s aggression.
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly, feeling bad for making her jump like that.
“So am I,” mom said, giving me a forced smile. Thanks to her twist, I knew that this wasn’t easy for her as she explained, “I wanted to take you with me when I left but I didn’t have any way to take care of myself much less anyone else.”
“How did you know?” I asked, still trying to make sense of her being here.
Mom smiled a little more genuinely and answered. “Mrs. Fritz. She’s been…keeping me updated on how you’ve been doing. She told me about your twist…and about what happened last night.”
I winced at that, feeling even more humiliated that she knew about what dad had done to me. Of course, I knew that if anyone understood what it was like, it was her. I’d never blamed her for leaving dad…only for leaving me behind.
“There were so many times I wanted to come back for you,” mom said quietly. “But I didn’t dare go back. I couldn’t risk facing your father again…”
I nodded in understanding of her wanting to avoid dad. With her twist, it wouldn’t take much to make her cave and do whatever he wanted. And knowing dad, what he would have wanted wouldn’t be in her best interests at all.
“I’m so sorry this happened to you,” mom told me with tears starting to flow. “I wish I’d been able to take you with me… If I had…”
“It’s not your fault,” I pointed out quietly.
Mom just stared at me with a worried look, then put her hand on mine and gave a gentle squeeze. “I want you to come home with me,” she finally said. “I want you to live with me from now on.”
I stared at my mom and blinked in surprise. “But…,” I started. Then I hesitantly asked, “Where do you live?”
“Not very far,” she answered with a self-conscious smile. “I live off Bellview Avenue.”
“What?” I gasped, even more surprised than before. I hadn’t seen my mom in six years, and she’d been living less than two miles from me. I couldn’t help but feeling hurt at that. “I thought you left spiral…”
“I did…at first,” mom admitted quietly, looking away from me and frowning. She wiped tears from her cheeks and said, “At first, I got as far away from your father as I could, but after two years, I moved back. I…I wanted to be closer to you.”
“But you never came and saw me,” I said quietly. “You never visited…never called…”
Mom nodded at that, looking guilty. “I wanted to,” she said sadly. “I couldn’t bring myself to…to get that close. Instead, I had Mrs. Fritz watch you for me so she could tell me how you were doing.”
I closed my eyes and just tried to absorb this. Dad had always told me that mom had moved out of state, but that was obviously what she’d wanted him to think. Instead, she’d spent the last four years living within walking distance, but she’d never come to see him or let me know she was there. And on top of that, she’d used our neighbor to spy on me. I had no idea what to think of all this.
“I’m here now,” mom said, raising her voice just a little, enough so that it was at normal conversation level. “I want you to come live with me. I don’t want that man to ever hurt you again.”
“Okay,” I responded after another minute.
“The nurse said that you’d probably need a wheelchair to move around for the next day or two,” mom told me with a gentle smile. “I’ll go see if they have one we can use…”
With that, she hurried out of the hospital room while I remained in bed. I took a deep breath, then winced at the pain in my side. I had to remember to take slow shallow breaths because of my ribs.
“That sounds rough,” the girl in the bed next to mine said. “I mean, you didn’t know your mom lived that close?”
“No,” I admitted. “I didn’t have a clue…”
I grimaced, then tried to slowly sit up in bed. It was kind of painful, but I managed to get in a sitting position and shift my legs over the side. I held up my hand, the one on the arm that hadn’t been broken, and remembered the way it glowed green when I’d healed Jimmy at the playground.
“Why not?” I asked myself, holding the hand against my side and willing my trick to heal me the same way. However, nothing happened.
“What are you doing?” the girl asked me curiously.
“I have a trick,” I answered with a wry smile. “I can help people’s injuries… Or at least I did one time. I was trying to heal myself but it isn’t working…”
The girl watched me with an expression that suggested she thought I was just making it up. Then she asked, “Can you heal me?”
I hesitated for a moment and then nodded. “I’ll try.”
I started at her hospital bed, which I couldn’t quite reach from where I was sitting. I knew I should probably wait for my mom and the nurse to get back here with the wheelchair, but I’d never been good at waiting for other people. Instead, I slowly shifted myself of the bed and onto my feet. It hurt, but my legs were only bruised, not broken.
“Are you okay?” the girl asked, giving me a worried look. “You don’t need to…”
Instead of answering her, I focused on taking several steps, then I grabbed the frame of her hospital bed to help me balance. I grimaced at all the pain but slowly reached out with my hand, putting it on her arm, just beneath some of the bandages.
A moment later, I gasped as my hand began to glow green, just like it had with Jimmy. But then, I was suddenly hit with more pain, lots of sharp pains all over my body. I would have screamed if my voice had let me, then I collapsed and fell to the floor.
“Help,” the little girl cried out. “She fell…”
A nurse came running into the room, and a second later, my mom came in as well. They both rushed to my side, demanding to know what was going on.
“She said she had a trick to heal people,” the girl blurted out, sounding scared and confused. “And she said she was gonna try to heal me…”
“Danny,” mom said, holding me. “Are you all right…”
“Yeah,” I answered after a moment, realizing that all the sharp pains I’d felt a moment ago were gone. In fact, I felt a little better than I had before I tried helping the girl.
I slowly got to my feet, and as I did so, mom blurted out, “Your bruises are almost gone…” She hesitantly reached out to touch my face, staring at me with a look of surprise.
I sat back down on the edge of my hospital bed while the nurse looked me over. Like mom, she paused to stare at my face, then hesitantly touched my cheek.
“The bruising is mostly gone,” the nurse said in amazement.
Then the girl beside me blurted out, “I don’t hurt anymore…”
“What were you doing?” the nurse demanded, though her voice was calm and level.
“I don’t know,” I admitted self-consciously. “I think I have a trick that can heal injuries... I’ve only used it once before, and I tried using it on myself.”
“Then I asked her to try healing me too,” the girl added. “And she did.”
Mom was watching me with a worried expression while the nurse gave me a skeptical one. Then the nurse turned to the girl and unwrapped one of the bandages before letting out a loud gasp.
“The wound is gone,” the nurse blurted out. Then she told me, “Stay there,” before running out of the room.
“Are you okay?” mom asked me cautiously.
“I don’t hurt as much,” I admitted with a weak smile.
A minute later, the nurse returned with one of the doctors. The doctor began looking over the little girl, unwrapping the bandages and checking her wounds
“Amazing,” the doctor finally said. “All the wounds have healed…”
“All right,” the girl exclaimed happily. “Thanks a lot…”
Then the doctor turned his attention to me and began to give me a quick examination. To my surprise, most of the bruising on my body had faded, though they hadn’t healed completely. Unfortunately, arm still hurt and my ribs were still tender, but at least my bruises had mostly healed.
“That was pretty impressive,” the doctor told me gently. “A trick that lets you heal people is amazing, especially since you seem to have healed yourself a little in the process.” Then he gave me a stern look and warned, “But you don’t understand your trick and probably shouldn’t use it on people until you have it properly tested. You might accidentally be causing other problems.”
“Okay,” I responded with a sigh, wondering at the fact that I now felt guilty for fixing someone.
“But I feel fine,” the girl exclaimed. “I’m all better…”
“Let’s get you out of here,” mom told me gently. “I want to get you home before HE decides to show up at the hospital.”
A few minutes later, I was in a wheelchair and being pushed out to the checkout desk so I could fill out the paperwork and get officially released. I kept looking around, seeing people who were sick and wondering if my trick might be able to help them the same way it had Jimmy and that little girl. I was actually disappointed that they wouldn’t let me even try.
“That sounds like a very nice trick,” mom told me as she pushed me to the hospital exit. “I have to admit, I’m a little jealous.”
I just nodded at that, knowing what she meant. A lot of Twisted got tricks as part of their twists, but my mom wasn’t one of them. She got the odd personality quirks that made her life more difficult, but she hadn’t received any of the special abilities that would have made up for it.
When we arrived at my mom’s house, I slowly climbed out of her car without waiting for her to get the wheelchair for me. My whole body hurt, but I was sure I could walk on my own. Mom looked like she wanted to protest, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she came over and gave me an arm to lean on as we went inside.
It was strange, standing so close to my mom and suddenly realizing that she was taller than me. My mom was only 5 foot 5, so this was a clear reminder of my new status as a pipsqueak.
“Welcome home,” mom said as she let me inside.
I cautiously stepped into the living room, which was clean and without all the clutter I was used to. The room was decorated in a sort of Asian style and had nice hardwood floors. However, there wasn’t nearly as much decoration or furniture as I would have expected.
“I like to meditate in here,” mom told me with a smile. “It helps me to calm down after work.”
After this, mom gave me a brief tour, going slow because I couldn’t walk all that fast at the moment. The house was small, not really any bigger than the one where I lived with my dad, but it was much cleaner and better maintained.
“You’ll be staying in here,” mom told me, showing one bedroom that had obviously been used as a storage room as well. All the clutter from the rest of the house had apparently been put in there because there was a stack of boxes against the wall. “We’ll get this cleaned out for you…”
I nodded at that, then sat down on the edge of my new bed to rest and absorb what was going on. Everything was happening so fast. I could barely believe that my mom, whom I hadn’t seen in six years, had suddenly shown up again, just in time to swoop me out of the hospital and take me to a new home.
“So this is where I’m going to live for now on,” I mused quietly. I shook my head and added, “Now I have one more thing to get used to.”
--------------------
My mom’s back yard was small but very nice, having been formed into her version of a zen garden. The main yard was a rock garden set around a sitting area and a koi point. The whole thing was surrounded by rose bushes and an ivy covered fence that separated it from the neighbors and provided privacy.
Mom told me that she came out here to meditate when the weather was nice, and I could certainly see why. It was calm and peaceful in this little garden, which was also why I’d been sitting out here for the last hour.
I smiled faintly as I stared into the pond and watched the fish. I couldn’t help but feeling a strange contentment at the moment. The fact that I was small and weak didn’t matter, nor did my injuries. Right now, the only thing that mattered was that everything felt so calm and peaceful.
Mom came into the garden but didn’t say anything at first. She waited until she’d reached me before asking, “Are you all right out here?”
“Yeah,” I responded, just a little awkwardly.
I’d moved in with mom yesterday, but things had been a bit awkward between us since then. In spite of our talk at the hospital, six years of separation couldn’t be overcome quite that easily. We’d both changed since then and neither of us was quite sure how to treat each other.
“I was thinking,” mom told me in her usual quiet tone. “We need to get you some new clothes, and you need to get examined by the clinic before you can go back to school.”
I shuddered at the idea of going back to school and letting everyone see me like this. More importantly, I knew that there were a LOT of people at school who hated me and would love the opportunity to do something about it.
“New clothes would be good,” I told her, hardly able to believe that I was actually volunteering to go shopping.
Mom smiled at that, then told me, “I’ll make an appointment to get you checked out at the clinic.”
The two of us went inside the house and I paused to look over the living room. Like the back yard, it had been designed to be another retreat from the world, a place where she could meditate and relax.
I looked at my mom and thought about her twist and how difficult it made her life. She couldn’t stand confrontation or stress, which made it very difficult to interact with most people. Her twist made her a pushover, something that my dad had taken full advantage of. And to my sudden realization, so had I.
As a kid, I’d learned that if I wanted a cookie and my mom said no, all I had to do was ask again more loudly. I’d learned that I could get anything I wanted from my mom just by being pushy. At the time, I hadn’t even realized I was doing it.
“What’s wrong?” mom abruptly asked me with a worried expression. It wasn’t’ until then that I realized that I had tears running down my cheeks.
“It’s my fault,” I blurted out as my tears ran free.
I stared at my mom, suddenly understanding exactly why she’d left me behind and hadn’t come back to see me until I turned into a girl. It must have been horrible, being pushed around not only by her husband but by her own son as well. It was no wonder she hadn’t wanted to be near me.
“What is?” mom asked, taking a step back. She was obviously uncomfortable with the way I’d raised my voice.
“You left me behind because I’m just like him,” I answered shamefully, unable to meet her eyes now that I knew the real reason she hadn’t wanted anything to do with me until now.
“NO,” mom exclaimed, shocking me as she’d raised her voice. She NEVER raised her voice. She was obviously uncomfortable for having done so, since she continued in a quieter tone. “Don’t say that… Please don’t ever say that. You’re nothing like him…”
“But I am,” I protested sadly. “Or at least I was… I used to make you give me cookies…”
Mom stared at me for a moment and then started to laugh. “Any little boy would,” she told me gently, grabbing me and giving me a hug. “It’s not your fault. I never blamed you and that’s not why I didn’t take you with me. You don’t know how many times I wished I had.”
We remained where we were for several minutes with mom just hugging me. It was strange to realize that even though I was seventeen years old, my mom’s hugs were just as comforting as they’d been when I’d been a kid.
“Oh Danny,” mom said gently.
“I…I want a new name,” I told her after we’d stopped hugging. I gestured down at myself self-consciously.
“Danielle,” mom said. “And for short, we can call you Dani…with an I.”
“No,” I responded quietly, tears still coming down my cheeks. “I…I don’t want to be named after HIM anymore.”
Mom gave me another hug and said, “I think I understand.” She pulled away and gently asked me, “Do you know what you want for a new name?”
I shook my head at that and stared at the floor in embarrassment. “No.”
For a moment, mom just stared at me, then she smiled. “I have an idea. How about…Serenity?”
“Serenity?” I repeated, feeling just a little startled by the suggestion.
“It means calm and peaceful,” mom explained.
I stared at her, then looked around her living room, knowing how much that kind of thing meant to her. Then I thought about my old life and how it had been full of anger and frustration. After that, I could use a little serenity.
“I like it,” I admitted, giving mom a self-conscious smile.
Mom looked happy at that, then admitted, “I thought you’d think it was too feminine.”
I nodded at that since she was right. Serenity was a pretty girlie name, but I was a girl now so there was nothing wrong with that.
Then mom let out a sigh and said, “One of these days, your father’s karma is going to catch up to him.”
I blinked at that, then asked, “Karma?” I’d heard the word before but didn’t really know what it meant.
“Karma is,” mom started with a thoughtful look. “It’s the idea that whatever you put out comes back to you. If you’re a good person, then good things will come back to you. But if you’re a bad person, then bad things will come back to you.” She shook her head at that, then admitted, “Your father has built up a lot of bad karma, and one day it’s going to come back to him with a vengeance.”
“Karma,” I whispered, feeling a chill run down my spine. If such a thing really did exist, then I was in trouble as well. Dad wasn’t the only one who’d built up a lot of bad karma.
“Come on Da…Serenity,” mom told me with a gentle smile and another hug. “I’m taking you out to lunch, then we’re going to get you some new clothes.”
Going out to lunch was a little strange since dad’s idea of going out to lunch was stopping at the nearest fast food joint. Mom actually took me to a place where we sat down and had a waitress take our order.
“Isn’t this too expensive?” I hesitantly asked mom.
“Don’t worry about it,” mom told me, seeming amused. “I’m not made of money, but I can afford to treat my daughter to lunch.”
I nodded at that, though I was still a little worried about ordering anything too expensive. Dad always made a big deal about wasting money on anything, or at least, anything other than beer. He never seemed to have a problem spending money on that.
“What do you do?” I asked curiously.
“Nothing very exciting,” mom answered with an amused smile. Of course, she wouldn’t do anything exciting. She wouldn’t be able to handle anything like that. “I mostly do data entry and some claims handling for an insurance company. I have my own office and I do all my work on the computer. Whenever I need to deal with other people, I can usually do it by e-mail.”
“So it doesn’t trigger your…problems,” I said in understanding. Mom just nodded agreement.
We talked quietly for the rest of lunch, though most of our conversation was mom telling me about what she’d been up to for the last six years. She didn’t ask me much about what I’d been doing, though that could be because she already knew. After all, Mrs. Fritz had been keeping her updated. I just hoped that she didn’t know everything because there were a lot of things I’d done that I wasn’t proud of.
Once we were done eating, we went to a large department store that would be a good start for my new wardrobe. And to my surprise, mom immediately started for the lingerie department, saying that she wanted to get the most embarrassing part out of the way first.
I rolled my eyes and followed after mom without saying a word. I didn’t like the idea of wearing a bra or going into this bastion of femininity, but I silently reminded myself that I was a girl now and girls wore bras. I kept that in mind as mom went over my options for bras and panties.
When we left the lingerie section, I was actually wearing my new purchases while mom kept the tags for our final checkout. I tugged at the bra straps.
“It’s a little uncomfortable,” I admitted to mom who was watching with an amused expression. Of course, the act of trying on the bra had been a little painful because of my ribs and the fact that my arm was in a cast and sling, but that wasn’t what I’d been referring to.
“You’ll get used to it,” she assured me. Then she hesitated a moment before admitting, “I was expecting you to complain about having to wear a bra…”
I shrugged at that, trying to act as though this wasn’t a big deal. “I kind of knew it was coming. I mean, ever since…” I gestured down at myself.
After this, we went around the store and picked up some less awkward clothes. We got shirts and socks, then we went to pick out some jeans and slacks. However, I found myself looking over to the next area.
“Are you all right?” mom asked me with a look of concern. “Are your ribs bothering you again?”
My ribs and arm were hurting me, but I shook my head. I couldn’t quite meet my mom’s eyes as I gestured to the other section next to us and hesitantly asked, “Can I…can I get some skirts to? And maybe a dress?”
Mom stared at me in surprise while I just blushed self-consciously. “Of course,” she told me in her quiet voice. “I just wasn’t expecting you to want to wear that kind of thing…”
“I’m a girl now,” I explained with an embarrassed blush, gesturing down at myself. “And girls wear skirts and dresses…”
Mom didn’t say anything for several long seconds. She just stared at me with an odd expression as though she couldn’t quite believe I’d just said that.
“You know,” mom said carefully. “You don’t have to wear dresses or be a girlie girl. You can be a tomboy if you want. You can be whoever you want to be.”
“I know,” I responded awkwardly, not quite able to meet mom’s eyes.
I probably didn’t sound very convincing because she put a hand on my arm. “Don’t let anyone else tell you who you are,” she told me as firmly as she was able to. “That’s something only you can decide.”
I was beginning to tear up again, wishing that she’d told me that years ago. Maybe it would have helped me stand up to dad and avoid becoming the horrible person I’d been.
“But if you really want some skirts and dresses,” mom told me with a smile and a gentle hug, “we can get some.”
Without saying a word, I grabbed mom in a hug. I don’t think she understood just how much it meant to me that she was letting me discover the kind of girl I wanted to be rather than simply telling me the kind I should be.
--------------------
The Spiral Clinic was an important place for every Twisted in Spiral, and its reputation was such that it even drew Twisted visitors from the other side of the country. The clinic contained some of the world’s top experts on twist related medical issues, but even more important for me at the moment, they could examine the newly Twisted and help them discover exactly what their twists entailed.
I’d been at the Spiral Clinic for most of the morning, spending almost two hours just taking some tests on a computer so they could determine what kind of personality changes I may have undergone and whether or not I’d gained any compulsions or obsessions. From what I understood, the shrinks all took this very seriously since some Twisted could become really messed up in the head. Fortunately for me, they concluded that I was mentally stable with no identified compulsions or obsessions.
After the psychological testing and evaluation, they gave me a full physical, including a gynecology exam. I’d been horrified at the discovery I’d have to go through that, though to my surprise, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I’d feared. They had me strip down and then climb into a machine that looked sort of like a tanning bed, and it did all the scans. There was no need for me to spread my legs and have some stranger poke around inside my new parts.
When the doctor was finished with my examination, I hadn’t been at all surprised by the pronouncement that physically, I was now completely female. I hadn’t even been surprised by the notification that I’d probably start my first period within the next few weeks. I felt a little nauseous when I thought about it, but I wasn’t surprised.
Then we finally came to the part that I was most interested in, when they tested my twist and helped me determine what it could do. I was left in the care of Dr. Rothschild, a short man with some Asian features who was only five feet tall. He had pointed ears and didn’t seem as old as his pure white hair would suggest.
“Have you discovered any tricks so far?” Dr. Rothschild asked me curiously as soon as we were alone.
“I…I can heal people,” I told him, feeling oddly self-conscious and proud about it at the same time. “But I’ve only used it twice…”
“Really?” Dr. Rothschild asked me with a look of interest. “Can you describe exactly what happened each time?”
I nodded, then began telling him about what had happened at the park playground when I’d healed that little boy without even realizing I could. Then I told him about my experience in the hospital, about how I couldn’t heal myself but I had been able to heal the little girl.
“And the real funny thing is,” I added almost as an afterthought. “After I healed her, a lot of my bruises healed up too…”
“I have an idea about that,” Dr. Rothschild told me with a smile. “But let’s doing a little testing first.”
Dr. Rothschild examined me with several odd looking pieces of equipment, then he put some scanners that looked like suction cups onto my skin. Then to my surprise, he put several of the same scanners onto himself.
“I’d like you to try healing this,” he said, right before running a scalpel over his palm and creating a small cut that was already starting to bleed.
I stared at him in surprise, but I reached out and touched his wrist rather than his hand, not wanting to get any of his blood on me. My hand immediately began to glow green and I suddenly felt a stinging sensation on my palm. I didn’t pull my hand back though.
“Holy shit,” I blurted out as the cut on his palm sealed up and vanished right in front of me.
“Very good,” Dr. Rothschild told me with a chuckle. “Now just a moment while I wash the blood off my hand.” After he’d returned from the sink in the corner, he said, “Very nice.”
I stared down at my own hand, then said, “My hand hurt a little while I was doing it…but it went away as soon as you healed.”
Dr. Rothschild nodded at that, then said, “You told me that you felt pain the other times you used your trick… Would that pain happen to correspond to the injuries of the people you healed?”
I thought about it for a moment before realizing he was right. When I’d healed that little boy Jimmy, my leg had hurt for a few seconds, and when I’d healed the girl in the hospital, it felt sort of like I had a bunch of puncture wounds scattered over my body.
Dr. Rothschild looked over his scan results on the computer, then told me, “When you are using your trick, you create a link to the person you are healing and there is a feedback because of this. While linked, you feel their injuries, and some of your own healing energies are reflected back to you.”
“So when I’m healing someone else,” I said in understanding, “I heal myself a little too…” Then I let out a sigh and added, “But it hurts…”
“I fear so,” Dr. Rothschild agreed, giving me a thoughtful look. “I would like to test this a little further, but I’d understand if you don’t want to.”
I stared at him for a moment, shuddering at the idea of intentionally feeling someone else’s pain. However, I was still pretty banged up myself and knew that I could use any extra healing I could get. I nodded my agreement.
“Then please wait here while I see if I can round up some test subjects,” Dr. Rothschild told me before giving an obviously forced mad scientist laugh. I started to laugh at that, though the pain in my side quickly ended that.
I waited in Dr. Rothschild’s examination room for nearly twenty minutes before he returned with two other people. One of them was a man who was moving around on crutches and had a cast on his leg. The other was a middle aged woman, who didn’t appear to have anything wrong with her.
“This is Don, one of our medical technicians,” Dr. Rothschild introduced me to the man on crutches. Then he gestured to the woman and said, “And this is Anne, who keeps everything running.”
“I’m little more than a glorified receptionist,” she said, though she was obviously pleased by what Dr. Rothschild had said about her.
Dr. Rothschild put some of the suction cup scanners on Don and Anne, then told me, “Serenity, I’d like you to try healing Don…”
“I’ll try,” I said, giving Don a weak smile before adding, “Just don’t get your hopes up.”
I sat down on a stool before I reached out to touch Don. As soon as I made contact and my hand began to glow, I felt a throbbing ache all through my leg. Still, I held onto Don for several seconds while the pain receded. Only once the pain was gone did I pull my hand back.”
“My leg feels better,” Don said, rubbing at the cast and then giving me a look of surprise. “Thanks kid.”
I blushed at that, not used to anyone thanking me. “You’re welcome.”
Then turned my attention to Anne, wondering what was wrong with her because I didn’t see any signs of her being hurt. I glanced to Dr. Rothschild, who didn’t say anything. Perhaps this was part of his test, to see if I could heal something when I didn’t know what it was.
As soon as I touched Anne’s hand, I felt a strange weariness hit me, as well as aches all through my body. I gasped in surprise and wanted to yank my hand back, but I continued holding her hand. At first, nothing seemed to happen, but then I felt some of the weariness and aches beginning to fade.
Then I suddenly felt weak and dizzy, but it wasn’t coming from Anne. I collapsed and probably would have hit the floor if Dr. Rothschild hadn’t caught me.
“Are you all right Serenity?” he asked me with a worried look.
“I think so,” I told him, already feeling a little better. “Just…wiped out.”
“I fear I may have pushed you harder than I should,” Dr. Rothschild told me with a gentle smile. “You sit her and rest for a little bit…”
“Thank you for trying,” Anne told me with a sad look.
“What…what’s wrong with you?” I asked, giving her a worried look.
“Cancer,” she answered quietly. “I hope you feel better soon…”
“You to,” I told her, suddenly feeling guilty that I hadn’t been able to heal her the way I had Don.
Dr. Rothschild led Don and Anne out of the room while I sat there waiting again. I closed my eyes and thought about those two people I’d tried helping, feeling happy about the way I’d been able heal Don and sad over not being able to cure Anne.
While I waited, I realized that my own injuries had healed a great deal as well. All my remaining bruises seemed to have faded away, and my ribs no longer bothered me at all. My arm was still ached a little, but it felt a lot better as well.
When Dr. Rothschild came back twenty minutes later, he gave me a gentle smile. “I thought you should know, we X rayed Don’s leg and he’s completely healed. But Anne…”
“I couldn’t cure her,” I said, already knowing that much.
“No,” Dr. Rothschild told me with a sigh. “The cancer is still there, but her body seems healthier and stronger. You may not have cured her cancer, but I think you gave her a much better chance of surviving it.”
“Good,” I said, hoping that she was able to beat it.
Dr. Rothschild looked at his computer again and told me, “I fear that I pushed you too far trying to heal Anne. It seems that you’re only able to use your healing ability so much before it stresses your body too much. I recommend you don’t use your trick again for a day or two, just to make sure you fully recover.”
“Okay,” I told him. “Thank you.”
A few minutes later, I went to the waiting room where I found mom reading a book. There was a guy on the other side of the room who was talking loudly to someone next to him, but his loud volume was obviously making mom uncomfortable.
“How was everything?” mom asked me, obviously eager to leave though she didn’t say anything about that. I was more than happy to leave though so started for the door, much to her relief.
“I’m mostly healed now,” I told her with a self-conscious smile. She gave me a curious look and I added, “It’s a side effect of my trick…”
After this, we went out to lunch and I told mom about my experience in the clinic and what I’d learned about my twist. Of course, she was Twisted herself and knew first-hand how the clinic worked, but she was still interested in what I had to say. It was actually something of a novel experience to have someone actually listening to me that way since dad had never been the kind to do much listening.
We eventually returned home and began cleaning some of the storage boxes out of my new bedroom. “I’m sure I don’t need all of this,” mom told me pleasantly. “And we can find new places for the rest.”
I sat on the edge of my bed, watching mom and slowly rotating my arm. It was no longer broken, or at least not like it had been, but it was still a little tender. Still, I could move it around freely without any real discomfort.
“Now if only I could heal myself directly,” I thought aloud.
Mom gave me an amused smile and pointed out, “You have an absolutely wonderful trick. Not many people can make other people better.”
“I guess,” I responded, though I had to admit that I had felt good after healing the people I had. And I didn’t just feel better physically. After I’d spent years as a thug and a jerk, it was actually nice to help people for a change.
Mom was in the middle of looking through one box when she suddenly froze with an odd look on her face. For several seconds, she continued staring down, then she slowly looked up at me and smiled.
“I believe this belongs to you,” she told me in an oddly cheerful tone.
With that, mom pulled a smaller box out of the one she’d been looking through. This one was long, thin, and narrow, made out of some kind of hard plastic with hinges all along the long side. I accepted the box curiously, wondering what this was and why she was giving it to me.
“What is this?” I asked her curiously, though mom didn’t answer.
I slowly opened the box, then let out a loud gasp of surprise. The inside of the box was covered with a black velvet cloth, but it was what was sitting on the cloth that really caught my attention. It was a beautiful silver flute, just like the one I’d briefly had as a kid.
For a moment, all I could do was stare at the instrument, caught in a wave of mixed emotions. As a child, I’d absolutely loved the flute my mom had given me, but ever since then, the very sight of a flute had been enough to make me wince in remembrance of the beating my dad had given me with it.
“It’s…it’s beautiful,” I told mom, still unable to take my eyes off it. I finally looked up at her and asked, “You mean I can really have it?”
“It’s already yours,” mom told me with a gentle smile, putting her hand on mine. “This is the flute I used to play when I was younger…the same one I gave to you when you were ten.”
I nearly choked at that. “But dad broke it,” I blurted out in surprise.
Mom just smiled and told me, “And I kept the pieces. I know someone whose trick is that he can fix things that are broken…as long as they’re small and inorganic.”
Before I’d even realized it, tears were pouring down my cheeks and I was clutching the box with the flute in it against my chest, as though it was my most prized possession in the world. Then I realized, this was my most prized possession.
“Thank you,” I told mom, giving her a hug. “Thank you…” Then I wiped at my tears and said, “I keep crying like a baby…”
Ever since my twist, I’d been crying a lot, more than I had for the last six years combined. Ever since I’d turned into a girl, the tears seemed to come so easily.
“It’s all right to cry,” mom told me, giving me another gentle hug. “Girls are allowed to cry.”
“I know,” I responded with a self-conscious smile. There was a certain freedom that came with being able to cry just because I wanted to. Then I stared at the flute again and admitted, “I don’t remember how to play…”
“That’s okay,” mom told me with an amused look. “We can practice this afternoon.”
I nodded at that and carefully took the flute out of the box, then I tried to remember how I used to play it. I blew into the hole and listened to the note that came out. This was a long way from actually being able to play, but it was enough to make my heart jump with excitement and giddiness. At that moment, I don’t think I’d ever felt so happy in my life.
--------------------
It was Thursday morning and I was back in school for the first time since my twist. In some ways, it felt like I’d been gone for a lot longer than I actually had been, but that was only because so much had changed for me in that time.
I didn’t want to go back to school just yet, and I thought that it would have made more sense to wait until Monday. However, my mom thought that the sooner I went back to school, the sooner I’d be able to get into a new routine.
Of course, it would have been easy to protest my mom’s decision and make her change her mind, but I wasn’t about to do that to her. I knew my mom was a pushover, but I was determined not to ever take advantage of that again. That wasn’t the kind of person I wanted to be.
So here I was, walking into school while wearing a blouse and skirt that looked very nice on me. It was more feminine than I particularly felt comfortable wearing, but I’d chosen to wear this outfit on my first day back for a very specific reason. I was wearing this as a statement, to myself and everyone else, that I wasn’t ashamed of being a girl.
I took a deep breath as I entered the school building and began walking down the hall. I was used to being one of the tallest people in school, yet now I was one of the shortest. I could barely see down the hallway and knew that I’d have to get used to this.
And as I walked down the hallway, I paid close attention to my surroundings as well as the people who were near me. I was fully aware of the fact that a lot of people in school didn’t like me and would be happy for this chance to get back at me for the way I’d treated them, though I doubt any of them would recognize me just yet. However, that would undoubtedly change before long.
At first, I’d been afraid to come back to school because I knew what to expect from my former victims. I could expect nearly each and every one of them to treat me the same way that I’d treated them…or worse.
But then, I remembered what mom had said about karma. If you did bad things to other people, then bad things would come back to you. And to my shame, I’ve done a lot of bad things. This was just my bad karma coming back at me. Whatever happened, it was just what I deserved.
I adjusted the backpack I had slung over my shoulder, then went into my first period math class. My teacher, Mr. Cormick gave me a blank look until I handed him the letter explaining my situation. Mom had already called the school and told them about my twist, so the letter she sent with me was more of a reminder than anything.
Mr. Cormick stared at me with an expression of surprise and disbelief. Then he gulped and said, “This says your new name is Serenity…?”
“Yes,” I answered, trying not to show my discomfort or embarrassment. After that, I went and sat at my normal seat, ignoring the odd and questioning looks from the other students.
Once class began, Mr. Cormick announced, “Some of you have already noticed the young woman who has joined us today.” He gestured to me and continued, “This is Serenity Jones…formerly Dan Jones before her twist.”
Suddenly, the entire atmosphere of the classroom changed. Everyone was standing up to get a better look at me and I could see a number of my classmates were smirking or outright laughing. It was all I could do just to act as though I hadn’t noticed.
“You look good in a skirt, Dan,” one boy called out while a bunch of others laughed.
I gave a forced smile and responded, “Thank you. And it’s Serenity now, not Dan.”
There were a lot of snickers at that, some aimed at me and some aimed at the boy who’d tried ‘complimenting’ me. But after a minute of that, things calmed down and class went back to normal.
Before long, someone began throwing balls of paper at me from behind. It was an old game and one I was well familiar with, though admittedly, I was usually on the other end of it. I wasn’t sure who was trying to mess with me, nor did I particularly care. I just avoided reacting and eventually they gave up.
When class was over, I began walking to my next class, but one of the kids in the class I’d just left ‘accidentally’ bumped into me and knocked me to the ground. With my small size, it didn’t really take all that much.
I let out a sigh and got back to my feet, noticing that the boy who’d bumped me was already gone. I knew that I’d have to get used to this kind of treatment, but that didn’t mean I had to like it.
“It’s my karma,” I reminded myself with a shake of my head.
I arrived at my second period class a couple minutes later, though it started off almost exactly like my last period had. The teacher was absolutely stunned by my changes while most of the class seemed to find it hilarious. I just did my best to ignore the snickers and whispers behind my back.
After my second period was over, one of my classmates shoved me to the ground again, this time not even waiting for me to leave the classroom. Then he laughed as he left the classroom, taunting, “Oh, did the little girl fall down?”
No one stopped to help me up, not even our teacher, nor did I expect them to. They all knew the kind of person I was, and everyone who saw this probably just assumed that I was merely getting what I deserved. Of course, they were right.
I slung my backpack over my shoulder and left the classroom after everyone else was gone. However, I hadn’t gone down the hallway before I found someone standing in front of me and blocking my way.
Bitchart…Gary stood in front of me with a grim look on his face that made it clear he’d finally learned who I was. I stared up at him, finding it strange to do so now that our height difference had been reversed. I used to be six inches taller than him, but now he was seven inches taller than me.
“You,” Gary started, giving me a look that seemed to be a mixture of anger and surprise, as well as something else that may have been embarrassment for not recognizing me the last couple times we met. “They said you’re really Dan Jones…”
“I go by Serenity now,” I responded calmly, staring at him for several seconds before adding, “I told you that you’d regret being nice to me.”
“Holy shit,” a girl blurted out. “She really is that asshole.”
I briefly glanced at the speaker, whose voice I already recognized. She was the skinny black girl with the empathic trick who often hung out with Gary. I didn’t need to sense emotions the way she did in order to notice the smug satisfaction she felt about my twist.
“That’s quite a twist,” Gary said, as though he couldn’t decide what else to say.
“All right,” I said with a sigh, setting my backpack to the ground and wincing slightly as I did so. I was no longer wearing a cast on my arm, but the arm was still a little tender. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Get what over with?” Gary demanded.
I gave him a flat look. “Here’s your chance to get even with me. Just do it quickly so I can get to class.”
Gary stared at me in surprise, looking almost as though he was offended. “I’d never…”
“Then I will,” the black girl said with a grin. “You might not be able to hit a girl, but I don’t have any problems with that….”
“Alicia,” Gary said, holding his arm out to keep her back.
The black girl…Alicia scowled at Gary, then she glared at me. I met her glare and just stood there waiting.
“She’s not afraid,” Alicia suddenly blurted out, staring at me with a slightly confused look. “Or even worried. She’s just…resigned.”
“If you’re not going to jump me now,” I told Gary as I picked my backpack up again. “I’ve got a class to get to.”
With that, I simply walked around Gary and Alicia and continued to class. However, I knew full well that Gary was following a distance behind me. After all, we both had the same class.
The teacher for my third period class was Mrs. Bonner, a very busty and attractive woman who wore stiletto heels, a short skirt, and a shirt that revealed far too much cleavage. From her looks and clothes, most people would guess that she was a stripper rather than a science teacher. Her appearance and compulsion to dress in sexy outfits were both part of her twist.
Mrs. Bonner stared at me for a moment before asking, “Are you Serenity?”
“Yes,” I responded, handing her the note which she glanced over.
“It seems you lost a great deal of body mass during your twist,” Mrs. Bonner mused as she looked me over. “It’s always fascinating what the Darrington Field can do to a person…” Then she paused and said, “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to seem tactless… I know this must be difficult for you.”
“A little,” I admitted, though I wasn’t going to admit that I was actually kind of happy to be a girl as well.
After this, I took my normal seat while Mrs. Bonner explained who I was to the rest of the classroom, though by this time it was obvious that nearly everyone already knew. There were still some snickers, but Mrs. Bonner quickly brought the room to quiet and began her lecture.
I was aware of the fact that several of my classmates were continuing to stare at me through class, including Gary, but since no one was throwing things at me I didn’t really care. I wasn’t the only person in school to go through a sudden sex change courtesy of their twist, so I knew a lot of the interest would fade away before long. The ones who stayed interested were mostly going to be those with grudges against me.
As soon as class was over, I let out a sigh of relief. It was time for lunch, which had always been my favorite time of the day. Still, the thought of going into the cafeteria like this did make me just a little nervous.
“I might as well get it over with,” I told myself.
The cafeteria was always large and crowded full of people, but now it somehow felt even larger and more crowded. I was used to people moving out of my way when I came through, yet now most people didn’t really notice me. I kept getting bumped around, but I suspected this was mostly due to people just not noticing me rather than to hostility. Mostly.
Once I got my tray of food, I went to an empty table at the far end of the cafeteria and sat there to eat. Then to my surprise, Gary sat down across from me a few minutes later.
Gary didn’t say anything at first, though he obviously wanted to. I just ate in silence, wondering when he was going to start with the insults or taunting.
“You aren’t very good at this,” I finally said. “You should have some insults already picked out. Maybe an obnoxious nickname.”
“What?” Gary asked in surprise. Then he quickly said, “I’m not trying to mess with you…”
I gave him a skeptical look, not believing it for a moment. Out of all the people I used to mess with, Gary had been one of my favorite targets. If anyone had a grudge against me, it was him.
“Oh, you’re playing that game,” I said in realization.
Gary gave me a blank look and asked, “What game?”
I smiled faintly and explained, “The one where you follow me around without actually doing anything. You make sure I keep seeing you, but when you don’t do anything I’m supposed to get more and more worried about when you are going to do something.”
“You actually do that to people?” Gary asked in surprise. His reaction was enough to tell me that I’d guessed wrong about his plan.
Just then, a new voice exclaimed, “You’re eating with HER?”
I looked up to see Alicia approaching. She sat down right beside Gary and then gave me a look as though daring me to do something about it. I just did my best to ignore her and focus on eating.
“She was just giving me advice on how to bully her,” Gary told Alicia wryly.
“What?” Alicia asked in surprise, giving me an odd look. “Did your twist make you a masochist or something?”
I just made a point of continuing to ignore her, which seemed to amuse Gary for some reason. After a minute, he blurted out, “You look a lot better than you did in the hospital.”
I hesitated a moment, remembering how he’d scared off my dad and called the ambulance. I couldn’t help but feeling guilty for how I’d always treated him, especially since he’d even come to see me in the hospital as well. Of course, I knew that he never would have done any of that if he’d known who I was.
“A side effect of my trick,” I finally answered, picking up my nearly empty tray and deciding that I was done. I got full with a lot less food than I used to.
Alicia stared at me with an odd expression as I turned and walked away. Then she bent over and whispered something to Gary that I couldn’t hear.
I went to the garbage can to dump what was left on my tray, but then one girl gave an exaggerated, “Ooops,” before hitting the front of my shirt with the contents of her tray. She and several others burst out laughing while I just stood there, feeling humiliated and wanting to cry.
Girls might be allowed to cry, but I wasn’t going to give her or any of those others the satisfaction of seeing that from me. Instead, I turned and started for the nearest bathroom so I could get cleaned off.
“I still have a lot of bad karma to burn off,” I told myself in resignation, knowing that it wasn’t going to be easy.
Then I thought about the fact that lunch wasn’t even over and I still had half a day to go. For a moment, I felt depressed about that, but then I reminded myself that things could be worse. I could still be stuck as a guy, living under my dad’s rules and adding to all my bad karma. With that in mind, I was almost smiling by the time I reached the bathroom.
--------------------
I was stopped in the school hallway while walking between my second and third period class, wondering if this was going to be some kind of trend. After all, yesterday, Gary had stopped me in the hallway at about the same time.
The boy who’d stopped me was short and skinny, with a pair of thick glasses that really helped to make him look like a stereotypical nerd. He was only a couple inches taller than I was, but that still made him bigger than me and he obviously wanted to use that advantage.
“You aren’t such a big man now, are you?” the boy demanded of me with a smirk.
I dropped my backpack to the ground and let out a faint sigh. I didn’t even know who this kid was and was pretty sure that I’d never picked on him. However, that obviously didn’t matter to him.
“People like you make me sick,” the boy exclaimed. “Always picking on people who are smaller and weaker than you…”
“Let me guess,” I responded with a wry smile. “You get bullied a lot and decided to take it out on me since I’m small enough for you to beat.”
The boy glared at me angrily, making me sure that I’d guessed right. He didn’t have anything against me personally, just bullies in general. And to be honest, I couldn’t really blame him for targeting me. It wasn’t really much different than what I’d done every time dad went off on me.
“Just get it over with,” I said.
The boy shoved me hard, knocking me back against the wall. Several other students were gathering to watch. One of the boys looked like was about to say something, but another one pulled him back and said something to him that I couldn’t hear. However, from his expression, I could guess what it was.
“Come on Tommy,” someone called out. “Teach that punk a lesson…”
“It isn’t right for a boy to beat up a girl,” one guy said, “Even if she used to be a guy…”
“Yeah,” someone else responded, “But this is more like a fight between two girls…”
There were snickers at that which obviously angered the boy who was attacking me. The boy, who someone had called Tommy, glared at me as though it was my fault that they were teasing him. Perhaps in his mind it was.
Tommy punched at me, but he was clumsy and obviously not very good at fighting. I moved to the side and avoided his attack. I could easily have punched him back, catching him in the face while he was unguarded. However, I hesitated to do so. I was sick and tired of hurting other people.
Tommy came swinging at me again, throwing a series of wild punches. I couldn’t get away from all of them so several made contact. I was just glad that he didn’t know how to really put any force behind it.
“I hate jerks like you,” Tommy yelled. “Always picking on people smaller than you…”
He was about to make another charge at me when someone called out, “Isn’t that what you’re doing now? Picking on someone smaller than you?” I already recognized the voice before I even turned to see who the speaker was. It was Gary.
“This is different,” Tommy blurted out angrily.
“I’m sure it is,” Gary responded sarcastically. “I mean, beating up a girl is so much different…”
Tommy glared at me and spat out, “You’re getting off easy this time,” before he hurried away. The crowed almost immediately began to disperse once they saw the fight was over.
I stared at Gary suspiciously, wondering why he’d interfered. Sure, he’d interfered when my dad was beating the crap out of me, but that was before he knew who I was.
“Hurry up or you’re going to be late for class,” Gary said, already starting down the hall.
“What is it with this guy?” I asked, sure that he was trying to mess with me somehow, though I couldn’t quite see how. I shook my head and picked up my backpack, then followed after him to class.
When lunch finally came around, I grabbed my food and once again found an empty table at the far end of the cafeteria. And like yesterday, Gary sat down across from me without an invitation.
“Why do you keep following me around?” I asked him almost pleasantly while I ate.
Gary hesitated a moment, then admitted, “I’m just trying to make sense of you...”
“What’s to make sense of?” Alicia asked as she sat down beside Gary and gave me an accusing look. “He’s a major asshole…”
“Dan was,” Gary said, giving me an odd look. “But this is Serenity.” Then he told me, “I saw the way you helped that boy at the playground. Dan would never do that. I think you got a big personality change as part of your twist.”
I didn’t say anything at first, though I was uncomfortable with that topic. “Is that why you stopped Tommy from beating on me earlier?” I finally asked. Then I teased, “Or are you just planning on saving me for yourself…”
“I…I wouldn’t,” Gary protested while Alicia began laughing.
“I think she’s just joking,” Alicia told him, giving me an odd look as though she couldn’t quite believe it herself.
“So why were you always picking on me?” Gary asked with a scowl. He stared at me and demanded, “What did I ever do to you?”
I felt guilty as I thought about that, as well as disgust at myself and the kind of person I was. I was trying to be better, but that didn’t change the past or the things I’d done.
Alicia was staring at me with a look of surprise, which reminded me that she had the ability to sense emotions. I tried to control my emotions as much as I could.
“It was nothing personal,” I finally said. “People are like animals. You have to show dominance to rise in the social hierarchy. You’re either the one being pushed around or the one doing the pushing.”
“That’s fucked up,” Alicia blurted out.
Gary stared at me for a moment before saying, “You have issues.”
I just shrugged at that, though I didn’t really believe that nonsense either. That was my dad speaking, the kind of thing that he told me over and over again. I’d sometimes used that to rationalize my behavior, though it never really made me feel better about it.
Gary and Alicia talked for the rest of lunch, occasionally trying to pull me into the conversation, though I didn’t say anything. By the time I got up to leave, they were acting almost as though I was one of their friends, which I found rather awkward.
Fourth period was PE, which I’d learned yesterday, was quite different from what I was used to. I used to be the biggest person in class, but now I was the shortest. That meant I was suddenly the very last person picked for the basketball game we played.
I didn’t bother running back and forth after the ball and instead took my time. The PE teacher Coach Rydell seemed annoyed by this, but that was no surprise since she took sports too seriously. However, she was sympathetic enough that she didn’t actually say anything to me. I didn’t expect that to last much longer though.
One of the girls chased after the person who had the ball, then she had a nasty grin on her face before she ran into me and knocked me into my ass. “Sorry,” she said with a smirk. “I didn’t see you there…”
“Someone should throw the ball to short stuff,” someone else called back with a laugh. Unfortunately, the speaker was the shortest boy in class, someone I used to tease about his lack of height.
Several minutes later, someone did throw the ball at me…while my back was turned. I was hit between my shoulder blades hard enough to make me stagger, yet not quite enough to knock me over.
“Pay attention, short stuff,” the girl who’d previously run me over giggled.
I looked to Susan, who obviously had a grudge against me, and wondered why I’d ever asked her out. I used to have a bit of a thing for her, but then I made the mistake of asking her on a date. She’d not only turned me down, but she’d done so in a particularly insulting manner, then laughed about it with her friends.
I grimaced as I remembered how humiliated I’d been, and admittedly, I hadn’t taken it very well. As I’d been told countless times, a real man didn’t let anyone get away with embarrassing him like that. A real man didn’t take no for an answer. A real man took action. Because of that, I’d gotten a bit pushy with her. At the time, I’d told myself that I was just doing what I had to, yet now I realized that my behavior was nothing but sexual harassment.
Of course, I hadn’t messed with Susan in months, but she obviously didn’t care. It seemed that forgive and forget weren’t in her vocabulary and she was more than happy to take advantage of my new status.
“Oh Serenity,” Susan teased. “Where did all your athletic skills go?”
“The same place her dick went,” another girl added.
“Enough of that,” Coach Rydell snapped. “If you have enough energy to make fun of someone who just went through her twist, you have enough energy to run laps.”
The rest of the class wasn’t as bad for me, though the same thing couldn’t be said for Susan who had to run some laps around the gym. Then class ended and I had to go into the girl’s locker room to wash and change.
Yesterday when I’d gone into the locker room, half the girls had given me suspicious looks, as though they hadn’t quite believed I was now a real girl. I caught several of them sneaking peaks when I was taking my shower, though I acted as though I hadn’t.
I undressed and went to the furthest shower and did my business as quickly as I could. Most of the other girls now seemed to accept that I was a girl as well, though a couple of them kept giving me dirty looks.
When I returned to my locker, I discovered that my clothes were missing. There was no need to guess who took them as I heard Susan laughing as she raced out of the locker room.
“Damn,” I muttered, plopping down on the bench and just sitting there with my towel wrapped around me.
“Why aren’t you getting dressed?” one girl asked me.
“Someone took her clothes,” another girl answered with a laugh. “Susan just raced out of here with them.” Several of the girls seemed to think that was pretty funny, but to my surprise, a couple of the others didn’t.
“That’s just wrong,” a girl named Vanessa exclaimed, looking offended. She gave me a sympathetic look and said, “I’ve got a spare outfit you can borrow, but I don’t think it will fit you…”
I stared at Vanessa, who had to be at least 5 foot 8. I nodded agreement since there was absolutely no way I’d be able to wear anything she had.
“Thanks for the offer thought,” I told her, sincerely appreciating it.
“I think I might be able to find you something to wear,” a girl named Amy said thoughtfully.
Amy got dressed in a hurry and then raced out of the locker room. Vanessa and a couple of the other girls talked amongst themselves to see if anyone had any ideas of where they could get spare clothes that might fit me.
“Maybe borrow some from a kindergarten,” one girl suggested with a laugh.
She earned a glare from Vanessa, who asked, “How would you like to get out of the shower and find your clothes missing?”
“Yeah,” another girl added. “This sets a bad precedent.”
A few minutes later, most of the girls had already left the locker room. Vanessa was dressed and staying behind, but I noticed that she kept glancing at the clock.
“Don’t worry about me,” I told her with a sigh. “You don’t want to be late for your next class…”
Just then, Amy came back into the locker room and exclaimed, “Look what I’ve got…” She held up a bundle of my clothes. “I found where Susan ditched them…”
“Thank you so much,” I exclaimed, happily taking my clothes and beginning to get dressed. “I really didn’t want to have to call my mom so she could bring me new clothes…”
“No problem,” Amy told me, giving me a sympathetic look. “I figure you must have a hard enough time as it is right now.”
I nodded at that. “Being a girl isn’t the hard part,” I admitted self-consciously. “It’s everything else.”
“I can’t imagine what I’d do if I turned into a boy,” Amy said with a visible shudder. “Ick… I hope that when I do go through my twist, it isn’t anything like that…”
“The fact that you’re worrying about it probably means it won’t be,” Vanessa told her.
With that, the two remaining girls wished me luck, then hurried off to their next class. I got dressed as quickly as I could, but I knew that I was going to be late anyway.
“From now on,” I muttered to myself, “I’m bringing some extra clothes…” I let out a sigh and thought about how I’d gotten food dumped on me yesterday in the cafeteria. “Definitely extra clothes…”
Once I was dressed, I started down the now nearly empty hallway to get to my next class. I was halfway there when I heard some thumps and laugher from one of the side hallways. I hesitated a moment and then went to look.
As soon as I looked down the hallway, I saw two guys picking on a third one. I knew one of the bullies from my time on the football team, and definitely knew the second one as well. The two of us would sometimes hang out at lunch, and to my shame, we’d mess with smaller kids.
The two bullies had just finished with their victim and walked away, laughing at what they’d done. I watched them with a mixture of anger and guilt, knowing that just last week I would have done the exact same thing. Both of them were thugs, just like me.
I turned my attention to the victim, a slender boy with bad acne. I’d seen the kid around school but didn’t really know him. He was a lower grade than me, and though I knew he would have made a good victim, I don’t remember ever having messed with him.
“Are you all right?” I asked the boy, going and helping to his feet. Then I noticed that he had a bloody nose and the beginning of a black eye. “Ouch…”
“Yeah,” he muttered, obviously ashamed of having been pushed around like that. “Just embarrassed.”
I nodded at that, feeling another knot of guilt over the way I’d done almost the exact same thing to Gary and others. Then on an impulse, I reached out and touched the boy. My hand began to glow green and I felt as though my face was bruised again. However, the discomfort only lasted for several seconds.
“What did you just do?” the boy demanded, looking worried.
I looked him over, noticing that not only were his bloody nose and black eye healed, but his acne had faded away as well. I smiled faintly at that, feeling pleased that I was actually able to help someone.
“I didn’t do nearly enough,” I told him honestly, before I turned and started back towards my next class.
“Who are you?” he called after me.
“Call me Serenity,” I responded, not bothering to look back.
I was definitely late arriving to my next class, but I didn’t really care much. I was still thinking about the boy I’d healed. After all the times I’d hurt boys like him, there was something strangely nice about helping him instead. What I’d done hadn’t been much, but it had been enough to put me in a good mood for the rest of the day.
--------------------
The backyard zen garden was calm and peaceful, though at the moment it was hardly quiet. I sat there practicing with my flute, just as I’d been doing for several hours a day since mom had returned it to me.
After having a rough day at school on both Thursday and Friday, I came home and tried to relax in the back yard. Just sitting there was relaxing enough and I could definitely see why mom liked doing the same thing. However, I found it even more satisfying to play the flute, or at least try playing it.
Mom had shown me everything that she remembered from her time playing the flute and I’d even looked up some lessons online. I’d figured out many of the basics, though it was quite obvious that I had a long way yet to go before I could really play.
At the moment, it was a nice quiet Sunday afternoon, which meant that I had almost all day to practice if I wanted. I sat there with my computer tablet in front of me, reviewing some of the lessons and practicing what they showed me.
“You’re sounding better,” mom said as she came out and joined me.
“I can go if you need some time alone,” I told her, knowing that she liked to meditate when it was quiet.
“I’m fine,” she assured me with an amused smile. “Actually, listening to you play is rather peaceful.”
I knew mom was exaggerating, but I appreciated the effort. “I don’t think I’ve ever been called peaceful before…”
“Well, your name is Serenity,” she reminded me with a chuckle.
“Serenity,” I said, feeling just a little self-conscious. “I like it, but I wonder if I’ll ever get used to having a new name.”
There were times when people called me by my new name and for a moment I didn’t even remember that it was my name. I was so used to being Dan that I had a hard time imagining that I’d ever get that used to another name.
“I know this is still new to you,” mom said, giving me a gentle hug. “But you’ll get used to this.” Then she joked, “And before long, you’ll forget you were ever anyone but Serenity.”
“That isn’t going to happen,” I told her with a smile, no matter how much I might wish it did.
With that, I carefully wiped the fingerprints off my flute and put it away in the box. “I think I’m done for now,” I told her, deciding to give her a chance to meditate alone in the garden for awhile. “I’m going to go for a walk.”
A few minutes later, I slipped out of the house by myself, curious to take a better look around the neighborhood. Ever since I moved in with mom, I’ve wanted to do a little exploring.
I slowly walked around the block, taking my time and looking at every house. It was actually a nice neighborhood, though I thought it could probably use a nice park. It was strange to realize that I actually missed the park near my old house, even though I went years without actually going there.
“It would be a nice place to practice the flute,” I mused to myself.
Of course, I doubted that I’d ever go to that park again. Not only was it a little too close to my dad for my comfort, but the last time I’d been there had been…rough. I’ve even had a couple nightmares about it.
After I’d circled the block and was only a few houses down from home, I suddenly heard someone call out, “Serenity.”
I stopped in surprise and then looked around, finally seeing Alicia standing in the driveway of one house. She had a remote control in her hand and a little RC race car sitting by her feet. She was also staring at me with a look of surprise.
“It is you,” Alicia said, giving me a somewhat suspicious look as she walked towards me. “What are you doing around here?”
For a brief moment, I thought about giving a smartass answer, but then I shrugged and told her, “I live down there.” I pointed down the street.
“Really?” Alicia asked, still looking skeptical. “I think I would have noticed you here before…”
“Except I just moved in a few days ago,” I pointed out.
Alicia stared at me for a moment before apparently deciding that I was telling the truth. Then she seemed to relax just a little, making me wonder if she thought I was going to jump her or something. Even if I did, I still wouldn’t be much of a threat to her.
“Did it have something to do with you getting beat up?” Alicia abruptly asked.
“What?” I asked awkwardly.
“Gary told me how some guy put you in the hospital,” Alicia said awkwardly. “Does that have something to do with why you moved?”
I winced at the question and the memories it brought back. I nodded faintly, hardly able to believe I was admitting even this much to her. “Something.”
“Is it true that Gary helped you?” she asked me.
I nodded again. “Obviously, he didn’t know who I was or he would have taken pictures instead.”
Alicia glared at me and snapped, “Gary wouldn’t do that. He isn’t like…”
“Like me?” I asked her, once again feeling guilty for everything I’d done.
Alicia just stared at me for a moment before saying, “You really do feel bad about picking on him…”
“Don’t use your trick on me,” I snapped at her in annoyance.
“I…I can’t turn my trick off,” Alicia admitted self-consciously. “I feel everyone’s emotions whether I want to or not.” I started to turn and walk away, but she exclaimed, “Wait… You really aren’t the person you used to be, are you?”
I hesitated at that, then looked at her again before asking, “Does it really matter?”
“Gary thinks it does,” Alicia responded with a thoughtful look. “He doesn’t think it’s fair to blame you for what you did before your twist.”
“And what about you?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” she admitted, giving me an odd look. “But you’re obviously not the same person you were. I mean, before your twist all I ever felt from you was anger and resentment… Now… Now you feel completely different. Even when everyone is messing with you at school, you don’t feel angry. Maybe a bit annoyed, but that’s about it.”
“It doesn’t matter if I’ve changed or not,” I admitted quietly. “I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of and now I have to pay the consequences.” I gave her a wry smile and said, “It’s a karma thing.“
Alicia stared at me for a moment with an odd expression, probably reading my emotions again. It was kind of annoying when she did that, but if she couldn’t turn it off… I couldn’t imagine what it would be like having to listen to everyone else’s emotions all the time. I couldn’t help but feeling just a little sorry for her.
“Hey,” Alicia abruptly asked, “Want to try out my RC car?” She held up the remote and the remote control car that she’d left in her driveway drove over to us.
“I thought girls were supposed to like stuff like dolls and makeup,” I commented as I accepted the remote control from her.
“You have a lot to learn about being a girl,” Alicia told me with a smirk. “Well, I suppose someone has to teach you…” And with that, she gave me a friendly grin.
After this, Alicia and I just played with her remote control car and talked, though we avoided getting too personal. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d just hung out with someone my own age and had fun, and I certainly never would have expected to do it with Alicia. When it finally came time for me to leave and go home, I was in quite a good mood and secretly hoped that we could do something like this again.
--------------------
Monday mornings are almost never pleasant, and this one had started off much the way I would have expected. I’ve already been tripped twice and shoved into a wall, and this was all before second period.
“All right class,” my second period English teacher announced. “Today we’re having the quiz on everything you learned last week…”
I groaned at that and dropped my head to my desk. English wasn’t my best subject in the first place, and then I’d been out of school for more than half of the week last week. This quiz was not going to go well for me.
While I was waiting for the tests to be passed out, I listened in on some conversations between my classmates. Dave Morgan had his wrist wrapped up in bandages and was telling one of his friends about it.
“I pulled something in my wrist,” Dave was saying. “I tore a ligament or something. The doctor says I’ll probably need surgery…”
“Shit,” the other boy exclaimed. “But what about the baseball game on Friday…”
I glanced over to Dave and scowled, remembering our time together on the football team. It hadn’t been pleasant since we couldn’t stand each other. In fact, it was after a fight with Dave that I finally got kicked off the football team.
“Everyone pay attention,” the teacher called out. “You have fifteen minutes to complete this quiz. Go.”
With that, I turned my attention back to the quiz sheet that had been passed out and went to work. As I’d feared, there were a lot of questions on there that I didn’t know the answer to but I did my best. After the quiz was over and they were graded, I was a little surprised by the results. I hadn’t done very well, but I had done better than I’d expected.
When class was over, I looked over at Dave again and sighed. Without a word, I started towards him.
“What do you want…Danielle?” Dave teased as I approached. He’d put more than a little emphasis on ‘Danielle’.
“My name is Serenity,” I corrected him as I out and touched his arm.
I felt a sharp pain in my wrist, though I grimaced until it faded away. Then I let out a sigh of relief and turned around to go get my backpack from my desk. As I hurried out the room, I glanced back at Dave, who was bending his bandaged wrist and staring at it in surprise.
To my relief, I was able to make it to third period without anyone trying to stop me in the hall. However, as soon as I stepped into the classroom, I found Gary standing right beside me.
“I heard about what you did for that kid on Friday,” Gary immediately said, making me blink in confusion until I realized that he must be referring to the boy I’d healed.
“You can’t believe everything you hear,” I pointed out.
“Maybe,” he agreed. “But I think I do this time. You healed him, just like you did that kid at the park…”
“It’s not a big deal,” I muttered, feeling self-conscious.
“Well, I think it was really nice,” Gary told me with a grin. “And I think that skirt looks really nice on you…”
With that, he blushed brightly and hurried away to his desk while I stared down at myself and blushed as well. This was the first time someone had actually given me a sincere compliment about my looks, and I wasn’t sure how to handle it. However, for some reason, I actually felt rather pleased by it.
I went to my seat but glanced across the room to where Gary was sitting. I blushed again and shook my head, deciding that he was just trying to mess with me. That was the only explanation.
“All right class,” Mrs. Bonner called out. “We’re going to have a quiz…”
“Not another one,” I groaned, dropping my head to my desk. “Mondays suck.”
When lunch arrived, I got my food and began looking for a place to sit. Alicia called my name and waved to catch my attention. I was a little startled by the invitation, but after we’d hung out yesterday, I decided to accept it.
“Hey Serenity,” Alicia greeted me as I sat down.
“Careful,” I warned her with a smile. “People might actually start thinking you like hanging out with me.”
“Heaven forbid,” Alicia said with a look of mock horror that made me laugh.
A minute later, Gary came and sat down with us as well. He had his art pad with him and paused to give me a worried look, as though expecting me to tease him about it. When I didn’t say anything, he relaxed.
“What are you working on this time?” Alicia asked Gary.
Gary gave me another hesitant look before opening the art book and showing Alicia. She looked it over and seemed impressed.
“Pretty nice,” Alicia told him.
Alicia held up the picture so I could see it, which obviously made Gary a little uncomfortable. It was a pencil sketch of a landscape which was actually very well done.
“It’s good,” I told Gary, who seemed surprised at that.
“I thought only girls drew pictures,” Gary said, teasing me with the words I’d used to taunt just a few hours before my twist.
“And kids,” I corrected him with a faint smile. “But in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a girl now and girls are allowed to appreciate nice things.”
“Thanks…I think,” Gary responded while Alicia snickered.
“She really likes it,” Alicia assured him. Then she added, “And did I mention that she lives down the street from me?”
“I thought you lived near me,” Gary said, giving me a curious look. “I mean, I saw you at that park a couple times…”
“Yeah,” I responded quietly, suddenly feeling depressed as I remembered why I’d had to move. “I lived there…”
“Are you okay?” Alicia asked me with a worried look, obviously picking up on my emotions.
Gary looked at Alicia, then at me. An expression of understanding crossed his face. After a few seconds, he cautiously asked, “Who was that guy…?”
Gary didn’t need to specify which guy. I winced and noticed that Alicia did too.
“My dad,” I answered quietly while Gary let out a gasp of surprise. I gave a forced smile and added, “He didn’t exactly approve of my turning into a girl.”
“Holy shit,” Gary exclaimed staring at me with a look of horror. “Your own dad put you in the hospital…?”
“It wasn’t the first time,” I said with a shrug, trying to play it off as though it wasn’t a big deal. Gary just stared at me with a look of pity.
Alicia grabbed me in a hug and said, “No wonder you were always so angry…”
I was getting uncomfortable with the attention, so Alicia pulled away and began flipping through Gary’s art book, making comments about his different sketches. I appreciated the change of topic, which was obviously why she’d done it.
The rest of lunch was a little less awkward as they avoided poking at my emotional soft spots. I was grateful for that and happy to just focus on eating and admiring Gary’s drawing. I had to admit that he was pretty talented, which only made me feel worse for teasing him about it.
After lunch, I went to PE, which used to be my easiest class but which had become much more challenging since my twist. And of course, Susan seemed to make it her personal mission to make it even more difficult for me.
When PE was over, I went to the locker room and took a quick shower. Fortunately, Susan hadn’t tried taking my clothes again, though I suspected that this was due to some of the other girls keeping an eye on them.
“Watch your back around Susan,” Vanessa told me. “She has it out for you.”
“You think?” Amy asked with a smirk. “I think stealing Serenity’s clothes was a good clue.”
I just smiled as I dried off and got dressed. “Unfortunately,” I told them, “I’m not the only one Susan has it out for. I can understand why she’s after me, but I’m pretty sure Jarrod never did anything to her.”
Jarrod was one of the boys we were in PE with, a fairly short and skinny guy who was less than athletic. Of course, I couldn’t really call him short anymore, but he was shorter than average. Still, he was a nice guy, but for some reason, Susan seemed to dislike him nearly as much as she did me.
“Damn,” I muttered, feeling guilty since I’d picked on Jarrod a few times myself.
“Jarrod is such a nice guy,” Amy said, though I knew what she really meant. He was the kind of guy who she could talk to without feeling threatened, but she didn’t consider him boyfriend material.
I hesitated for a moment, then decided that I owed Jarrod for the way I used to treat him. “He might not be much to look at,” I commented with a faint smile. “But I’ve seen him in the showers. He’s packing a little extra under the hood, if you know what I mean.”
“Really?” Vanessa asked, suddenly looking interested.
Amy and several of the other girls nearby suddenly had looks of surprise and interest as well. I didn’t need to say anything more since I could see the wheels turning in their minds.
“If nothing else,” I mused to myself, “this should help improve his reputation.”
--------------------
Third period had just ended so I was making my way towards the cafeteria for lunch. Gary was walking with me, which still amazed me since the two of us had sort of become friends. After all the times I’d messed with him, I never would have imagined that. I still didn’t understand why he didn’t hate me for it.
I kept glancing at Gary as we walked, trying to make sense of him. He looked just the way he always had, but somehow he seemed a lot different. Of course, I no longer thought of him as short since he now seemed fairly tall from my new perspective, but that wasn’t it either.
“Are you okay?” Gary asked me, looking concerned.
“I’m fine,” I assured him, blushing brightly as I looked away, though I wasn’t sure why.
Suddenly, a boy ran past us down the hallway, tripped over his own feet and slid face first across the floor. On top of that embarrassment, he was also wearing a pink sweater.
“Are you okay?” I asked the boy, helping him to his feet.
“Um…thanks,” he said, giving me an embarrassed look.
“Maybe you should try slowing down a bit,” I told him with a gentle smile.
“Thanks again,” he said before he hurried off again. At the pace he was going, I was pretty sure that he was going to fall again. I just shook my head at that.
“That was…strange to watch,” Gary said. “I half expected you to go off on him for wearing pink…”
I just winced at that, knowing that before my twist, I would have. Not long ago, I would have felt obliged to mock him for wearing pink and for being such a spaz. I probably would have made the lesson either painful or humiliating enough that it would stick in his memory.
“I don’t have to do that anymore,” I quietly told myself even as my good mood deflated. “I don’t have to be that person anymore…”
With that, I looked down at myself, at my cute female body and even the skirt I was wearing today. The old Dan would never be allowed to wear something as girlie as this, so it was a clear reminder that I wasn’t him anymore.
“Are you okay?” Gary asked me, putting a hand on my shoulder.
“Yeah,” I responded with a grin, already feeling much better. “I’m better than okay. I’m free…”
“What are you talking about?” Gary asked me with a blank look that just made me giggle.
“Don’t worry about it,” I told him with a broad grin. “And hurry up slowpoke. I’m hungry…”
But then, I suddenly found someone blocking my path…again. I looked up and up, not at all surprised to see Mitch Harris standing there with a deep scowl on his brutish face. I knew that I’d run into him sooner or later, especially after I’d seen him bullying that boy last Friday.
“Hello Mitch,” I said to my old friend, though he’d never really been a friend. He’d just been another thug, just like me. Staring up at him like this put a knot in my stomach because it was almost like looking at my old self.
“I heard you turned into a little girl,” Mitch exclaimed with a snort of contempt. “You really are little… And damn, you’re even wearing a skirt. What a fag…”
“I’m a girl,” I pointed out pleasantly. “Girls can wear skirts.”
“Leave her alone,” Gary said, trying to put himself between me and Mitch.
I stared at Gary in surprise, hardly able to believe that he was trying to protect me…again. And this time, he knew exactly who I was. I couldn’t but feel…happy.
“Shut up loser,” Mitch said, shoving Gary aside. “I’m not talking to you…”
“Gary,” I exclaimed in worry, realizing the irony of the situation. I’d shoved Gary around more times than I could count, and now I was getting angry that someone else had just done it.
Mitch grabbed hold of me, suddenly reminding me a great deal of my dad. He slowly began to grin as he realized that I really wasn’t able to fight back anymore. I was sure that the idea of having me, someone he used to consider a peer but who was now powerless against him, was incredibly exciting. It had to give him such a feeling of power. I wish I could hate him for it, but I couldn’t. I understood all too well.
I met Mitch’s eyes and didn’t flinch. As frightening as this was, I’d been on the other end of it and knew exactly how things would work out. I wasn’t going to cry or beg.
“Just get it over with,” I told Mitch, which seemed to startled him.
“I said leave her alone,” Gary exclaimed angrily, though I knew this would only get him beaten up.
Suddenly, a new voice demanded, “Put her down.”
“Who’s gonna make me?” Mitch responded with a sneer, only to look at the speaker and gasp in surprise.
A large boy punched Mitch in the face, making him let me go as he was knocked back. Mitch snarled, only to get punched a second time.
“Don’t you even think of touching her again,” Dave Morgan announced, glaring at Mitch. Two of his friends stood beside him, making it clear that they’d be happy to join in if Mitch didn’t back off.
“That little bitch ain’t worth this,” Mitch said before he hurried away, wiping at his bloody nose.
“Are you okay?” Dave asked me, actually looking concerned.
“Um…yeah,” I responded, surprised that he was the one who’d come to my rescue. After the way we used to fight while on the football team, I would have expected him to be the one messing with me. “Thanks…”
“No problem,” Dave told me with a grin. “And thanks for fixing my wrist…” He held up the wrist that I’d healed Monday and made a show of flexing it before he walked off.
I just stared at Dave, suddenly wondering if this was an example of good karma. I’d healed his wrist just because he was hurt, not because I was expecting anything in exchange. But I had gotten something good back from it anyway.
“But I don’t deserve it,” I whispered to myself, knowing that I still had a lot of bad karma to deal with.
“Are you okay?” Gary asked me, glaring in the direction Mitch had taken off in.
“Just a few more bruises,” I answered, rubbing at my arm where Mitch had grabbed me. I gave him a smile and said, “Thanks for trying to help.”
“I don’t like seeing people get picked on by bullies,” he responded awkwardly.
I nodded at that, then said, “For what it’s worth…I’m really sorry for the way I used to treat you.”
Gary stared at me with a look of surprise while I turned and started back towards the cafeteria. He quickly caught up with me and we continued to lunch together.
Alicia was already sitting down and waved us to join her. She gave me an odd look, then asked, “What’s going on?”
“Someone tried jumping Serenity,” Gary said, then explained what had happened.
I just ate in silence, not saying a word though I occasionally nodded agreement to confirm what Gary said. He played up his part in things, but I didn’t contradict him. I don’t think I needed to as Alicia gave him skeptical looks, though she didn’t say anything either.
Once Gary was finished, he exclaimed, “Mitch was actually lifting Serenity off the ground by her arm, and she didn’t even seem afraid of him. She gave him this look, almost as though she was bored…”
“Wait a minute,” Alicia said, giving me another odd look. “If you nearly got your ass kicked by someone three times your size, why are you so happy?”
“Because I didn’t get my ass kicked?” I responded with a chuckle.
The truth was, I didn’t think Alicia could understand why I was really so happy. For most of my life, I had to face things on my own without anyone helping me. After my mom left, there was no one to stop my dad when he got angry. There was no one who’d watch my back.
But since I’d gone through my twist, Gary had had come to my rescue three times, or at least he’d saved me twice and tried to do so for a third time. And of course, Dave had saved my butt a short time ago. Two people who had every reason to hate me had actually protected me. It was a strange yet happy feeling to realize that other people were actually willing to help me.
I stared at Gary, realizing that he had a lot more courage than I’d ever given him credit for before my change. He was brave, and kind, and talented… I blushed and looked away before he caught me staring.
I looked to Alicia, only to notice that she was staring at me. “What?” I asked self-consciously.
“Nothing,” she quickly responded, smirking as she said it.
“Okay,” I said slowly, giving her a curious look and wondering why she continued to smirk.
Once we were done eating, Gary hurried of to his next class, and as I was about to do the same, Alicia put a hand on my shoulder. “You know, Gary and I have been best friend since second grade,” she told me pleasantly. “We’ve known each other a long time, but we aren’t dating or anything. That would actually be pretty weird…”
“Okay,” I said, wondering why she was telling me this.
“See you later,” Alicia told me before she hurried off, leaving me to shake my head before going to PE.
Several hours later, I was sitting in seventh period history, staring down at the quiz that my teacher had set in front of me. There were groans from around the room as no one likes getting hit with a surprise quiz.
Mrs. Preston was our teacher, and though she almost fifty years old, she only looked like she was twenty. This was part of her twist, which seemed to have either slowed down or stopped her aging process.
Normally, the idea of a teacher who looked only a few years older than us might have been interesting, but she made it perfectly clear that she wasn’t our age. For one thing, she dressed in frumpy clothes that were more appropriate to her real age than her apparent age, and for another, she was on the plain side of cute.
“You may begin your quizzes,” Mrs. Preston announced.
I let out a sigh, remembering quite clearly that I was out of school for three days last week. I was pretty sure that guaranteed I’d miss a few of these questions, but it was too late to do anything about that now.
As I took my quiz, I was a little startled to realize that I knew the answer to every question. I frowned at that, not quite sure what to do. Normally, I’d make sure to miss enough questions that I wouldn’t get too good a grade and come off looking like a nerd.
For most of my life, and especially over the last few years, dad would get mad whenever I got good grades. It was as though I somehow threatened him by doing better than he ever could have.
“But I don’t have to worry about that anymore,” I reminded myself smugly.
After the quizzes were collected and corrected, Mrs. Preston looked at me and said, “Serenity, you have the only perfect score today. Congratulations.”
Then she gave me a curious look, probably wondering if my twist had made me smarter. That would be the most obvious answer since I’d always been a C student in this class before.
However, the truth was that this had always been my favorite class. I liked history, and hearing stories that were actually true and had consequences we could see today. But until now, I’d always made an effort not to get a good grade since I didn’t want to piss my dad off.
Mrs. Preston was in the middle of talking about how the class did when another teacher came into the room and whispered something to her. Then Mrs. Preston and the other teacher both looked straight at me.
“Serenity,” Mrs. Preston said. “Please go with Mr. Adams…”
I looked to the other teacher, Mr. Adams, and nodded. I gulped feeling a little nervous as I left the classroom right behind him and then followed him in the direction of the school office. I couldn’t help but wondering why I was in trouble this time.
To my surprise, we didn’t go to the principal’s office, but to the nurse’s office next door. “I’ve been told you have a trick that lets you heal people,” Mr. Adams said, giving me a gentle smile. “We were hoping you might be able to help another student…”
“Okay,” I said awkwardly.
I went in and was startled to see Alicia sitting in a chair near the door. “Are you all right?” I asked her, looking her over but not seeing any signs of her being hurt.
“I’m fine,” Alicia told me, standing up and giving me a hug. “But a girl in my class got badly hurt and I told the nurse you might be able to heal her…”
“Back this way,” Mr. Adams told me.
I followed him to the back of the nurse’s office with Alicia right behind me. Then I saw a beautiful girl with strawberry blonde hair laying on one of the cots. Her shirt was soaked with blood and she looked like she was in a lot of pain.
“Chloe Anderson,” I said, immediately recognizing the girl.
I didn’t have any classes with Chloe, but I definitely knew who she was. After all, she once beat me in a fight, humiliating me with how easily she did so. Then she humiliated me further by dumping me head first into a dumpster filled with garbage.
“We’ve already called for an ambulance,” Mr. Adams told me with a worried look. “But if you could do anything…”
“What happened?” I asked in surprise. “I thought she was invulnerable…” I winced, remembering how I’d nearly broken my hand by trying to punch her.
“Only when I’m using my trick,” Chloe said in a near whisper. She grimaced and looked at me, obviously in a lot of pain. Then I saw the glimmer of recognition in her eyes as she realized who I was. “You…”
“A boy in class went through his twist and totally flipped out,” Alicia blurted out fearfully. “He stabbed her with a knife…”
I nodded at that and grabbed hold of Chloe, then gasped as I suddenly felt the sharp pain in my side. I dropped to my knees beside the cot but continued holding onto Chloe. Chloe was in a lot of pain…and I was feeling every bit of it.
“SERENITY,” Alicia cried out, staring at me with a look of horror.
After half a minute, the pain faded away and I finally let go. Alicia was suddenly grabbing hold of me and gently helping me to my feet.
“I…I’m healed,” Chloe exclaimed, slowing sitting up and pulling her shirt back to reveal healthy and unbroken skin where she’d been stabbed.
“You felt it,” Alicia blurted out, staring at me. “You felt her pain when you were healing her…”
“A side effect of my trick,” I responded with a weak smile.
“Thank you,” Chloe said, staring at me in surprise. “But why did you heal me…especially if you had to feel it? I thought you hated me…”
“I never blamed you,” I said quietly, feeling ashamed as I remembered our brief fight and what had started it. I’d been picking on Gary and she’d come to his rescue. I’d never blamed her for our fight, only myself. Then I gave a weak smile and admitted, “You were just helping someone else… I kind of respected that…”
I started to leave but Chloe blurted out, “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to hurt you that bad… I didn’t mean to break your arm…”
That made me pause and give her another look. “You’re not the one who did that,” I told her with a pained smile. “All you did was give me a couple bruises…and a bruised ego.”
“Then what happened?” Chloe asked me curiously, looking just a little relieved that she hadn’t been the one to cause my injuries.
“I was…punished,” I admitted quietly, not able to look at her, Alicia, or the school nurse who stood a short distance away.
“Punished?” Chloe gasped in surprise and even a little horror. “For what?”
I hesitated a moment before answering in a near whisper. “For losing a fight with a girl.”
“Oh my God,” Chloe blurted out, staring at me with a look of renewed horror.
Alicia suddenly grabbed me in a hug, then asked, “Was it your dad? The guy who beat the crap out of you and put you in the hospital because he didn’t like your twist?” She had an angry look on her face.
“What?” Chloe demanded, looking angry as well. “Your own dad did that to you?” I nodded in shame and she grimaced. “Was he at least arrested?”
I shook my head at that, then explained, “After…after he attacked me this time, the police went to our…his house but he wasn’t there. He’s probably left Spiral by now.”
“I have friends in the police department,” Chloe said. “I’ll ask them to keep an extra close look out…”
“Good,” Alicia said, giving me a sympathetic look. “It sounds like that guy really needs to be in prison…”
“I…,” Chloe started, giving me an odd look. “We have some things in common. I went through the whole sex change with my twist too…” I nodded at that, having heard about it already. “And we aren’t the only ones. If you’re interested, some of us are going to meet up in the school library Monday after school.”
“Um…thanks,” I said, not sure what to think about that invitation.
Chloe gave me a faint smile and added, “Some of us try to meet up like that every couple weeks.”
After this, Alicia and I left the nurse’s office while Chloe said something about changing and flying home. I shook my head, unable to help but feeling a little envious of her trick. After all, her twist turned her into a super hero. Then again, I probably would have ended up as some kind of super villain instead. I was much better off as I was.
“I…I can’t imagine what I’d do if my parents hadn’t accepted my twist,” Alicia told me with a shake of her head and another sympathetic look. “They both took my personality change pretty well.”
I gave her a curious look and asked, “Your personality changed?”
Alicia just grinned at that before answering. “I used to be really shy and introverted. Now, I’m a lot more outgoing. But to be honest, I’m not sure if that’s a direct part of my twist, or if it’s just because I understand what other people are feeling and connect with them more easily.”
“You have an interesting twist,” I told her with a chuckle. “I’d imagine it might be kind of weird for your mom and dad since you know whatever they’re feeling. But it’s not like that’s a big problem.”
“And being a girl is?” Alicia teased.
“It was for my dad,” I answered bitterly. “For most of my life, he kept pushing me to be strong and tough…and everything he thought a man should be. I ended up turning into a monster instead. I hated who I was…”
I stopped at that and glanced at Alicia, who was staring at me with a sympathetic look. I wondered why I was telling her this, but I already knew the answer. If there was anyone who could possibly understand what I felt, it was her.
“Yeah,” Alicia said carefully. “I’d imagine he wouldn’t be happy with you turning into a girl then.”
I nodded at that, but then began to grin as I remember what else it meant for me. Freedom from his rules and restrictions. Freedom to be myself, whoever that person was.
“My dad may hate it,” I said with absolute certainty, “but turning into a girl is the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“Then I’m glad it’s working out for you,” Alicia said with a grin as she put her arm around my shoulder. “And as your best girlfriend, it’s my responsibility to give you advice on how to be a girl. Your first lesson is how to deal with boys…”
--------------------
Third period science had always been an interesting class, though this wasn’t due to the material. Instead, every boy paid attention simply due to the fact that Mrs. Bonner had a killer body and always dressed to show it off. And when she bent over to collect tests from our desks, she frequently bent over enough to give a glimpse into the deep valley of her cleavage.
For some reason, I didn’t find her curves nearly as entrancing as I once had. In fact, I actually found them annoying, especially with the way that Gary was staring at her breasts. I glared across the room at him, then at her.
I knew it wasn’t fair to blame Mrs. Bonner for looking so hot or showing her body off so much, not when both were a result of her twist. And ironically, I used to appreciate her twist a lot more before I went through my own. I let out a sigh, reminding myself that Mrs. Bonner was actually a good teacher who seemed to really care about teaching. There were a lot of teachers who merely went through the motions.
Once Mrs. Bonner returned to her desk, I relaxed a little and soon found myself leaning back and twitching my fingers. I paid attention to the way I moved my fingers, imagining that I was running them over the key holes of my flute and practicing a tune my mom had taught me a few days ago.
“I can’t wait to get home,” I mused with a smile, looking forward to practicing with my flute again. And since today was Friday, that meant I had all weekend to practice. I could hardly wait.
Then I paused for a moment, realizing that it was also the two week anniversary of my twist. It had been two full weeks since my life had changed forever. In some ways, it felt like it had only been the other day, but in other ways, it felt like it had been much longer than that.
Just then, the alarm went off signaling the end of class. I jumped to my feet and put my computer tablet into my backpack, then I waited for Gary to finish getting his stuff put away as well so we could go to lunch together.
A moment later, I noticed one of my classmates struggling to get her things gathered together. Gwen and tripped and accidentally dropped the contents of her backpack all over the floor. It wasn’t surprising since she’d gone through her own twist the other day and it seemed to have made her extremely clumsy.
“You need a hand with that?” I asked her, already bending down to help her pick up the pens and paper.
“Thanks,” Gwen said, giving me a self-conscious smile. “I seem to have two left feet now…” She looked like she was about to cry as she added, “And I used to be so graceful… I’ll never be able to do ballet again…”
“I’m really sorry about that,” I told her sympathetically. “Sometimes, being Twisted sucks…”
“I keep telling myself that it could be worse,” Gwen said, giving me a knowing look. “But it isn’t easy. I’ve suddenly turned so clumsy that I’m constantly tripping over my own two feet or dropping things...” Then she held up her hand which had bandages over several fingers. “And I keep hurting myself…”
Without a word, I took her hands in mine activated my trick. I suddenly felt faint stinging in my fingers, but I also felt pains in other places all over my body. It felt like she had scraped knees, a scraped elbow, and several bruises. Once they healed up, I pulled my hand away and saw the look of surprise on her face.
“That can’t be easy,” I told her in understanding.
“Yeah,” Gwen responded, giving me a thankful look. “I have no coordination at all anymore. And to make it even worse, my trick is to break glass just by looking at it. I think I’ve already broken half the windows in my house…”
“Ouch,” I responded with a wince. “That sucks…”
“It’s not really any worse than your twist,” she told me gently. “At least I still look like myself…”
“Personally,” I told her, leaning over and whispering almost as though I was telling her a secret. “I think I look a little better this way…”
Gwen giggled at that. “Yeah. You kind of do.”
Then as Gwen started to leave, she tripped and fell again, though this time I caught her. “Are you okay?” I asked her, feeling just a little worried.
“The only thing hurt this time is my pride,” she told me with a sigh. “I don’t think I have much of that left.”
I gave Gwen another hug because she really looked like she needed it. She gave me another grateful look, which was something I wasn’t used to seeing. For most of my life, people had only glared at me or given me looks of fear. I definitely preferred this reaction.
“Maybe if you went slower,” I suggested awkwardly. “I mean, if you take your time and pay more attention to what you’re doing, it might help a little…”
Gwen nodded at that, not appearing to be offended by the suggestion like I’d feared. “I’ll try that,” she told me with a smile. “Thanks…”
With that, Gwen walked out of the classroom, though she went slowly and was obviously paying attention as she placed one foot in front of the other. She stopped at the door and gave me a grin and a thumbs up before she continued on her way.
“That was pretty nice,” Gary said, surprising me since I’d forgotten he was still in the classroom.
I blushed at that and felt self-conscious, but I also felt kind of happy as well. And when Gary put his hand around my shoulder, I couldn’t help but actually grinning. For some reason, it made me felt safe and protected, which I never would have expected from Gary.
We left the classroom together, but I had barely stepped outside the door when I found another girl calling my name. She was a somewhat chubby girl whom I’d seen around the school, but I didn’t really know her.
“Um…Serenity,” she said, giving me a hesitant look. “I was wondering if maybe…”
I saw the bandage wrapped around her hand and realized what she wanted. “Sure,” I told her with a gentle smile, already reaching for her hand. “No problem.”
Ever since I’d healed Chloe from her knife wound two days ago, everyone in school seemed to have heard about my trick. Now every couple hours, someone would come up to me and ask if I’d heal some minor cut or bruise for them. So far, I hadn’t turned anyone down, not even Susan when she’d hesitantly asked me to take care of a bruise she got yesterday in PE.
“Thanks a lot,” the girl exclaimed after I’d healed her hand. Then she blurted out, “Do you like cookies? I owe you a batch…” Then she grinned at me before running away.
“That was kind of weird,” I said.
Gary chuckled at that, then told me, “You’re certainly becoming popular…” I snorted at that so he added, “No really. I’ve heard a lot of people talking about how nice you are…”
“I’m not nice,” I reminded him sadly, remembering just how much bad karma I still had to work off.
“I think Gwen would argue otherwise,” Gary pointed out with an almost amused look. “And so would that girl you just healed. And Chloe. And Dave. And me…”
“Well, I guess I have you all fooled,” I joked, somehow feeling better because Gary thought I was a good person. I didn’t deserve his good opinion, but I valued it nonetheless. “It’s all part of my master plan.”
Gary just laughed at that and responded, “About the only one who doesn’t think you’re a good person now is you.”
I smiled self-consciously at that, and then on a sudden impulse, I gave him a quick hug and said, “Thank you.”
As we walked into the cafeteria, I couldn’t help but thinking about what he’d said. Were people thinking I was nice? After years of people giving me looks of contempt and fear, I had a hard time believing that any of those people could ever forgive me…much less like me. I was having a hard enough time accepting the fact that Gary seemed to like me. But over the last couple days, no one really tried to shove or trip me. No one had played any pranks on me.
Maybe everyone felt that they’d gotten even and were satisfied. Maybe they just didn’t want to have me mad at them in case they ever needed my trick to heal an injury. Or maybe, just maybe they were beginning to forgive me for the person I used to be.
I was just getting into the food line when I saw Amy waving to me. “I’ll catch up in a minute,” I told Gary, leaving him to get his food while I went to talk to Amy.
Suddenly, someone grabbed my arm and yanked me around, but before I could see who it was, a fist smashed into my face. I staggered backwards and hit the ground, though I immediately tried getting back to my feet. However, a moment later my attacker began kicking me in the side.
“What the hell are you doing?” some boy yelled as he grabbed my attacker and pulled him back, giving me a chance to see who it was.
My attacker was Tommy, the nerdy boy who’d previously jumped me in the hallway. He was being held back but was glaring at me furiously.
“Serenity,” Gary exclaimed, rushing to my side and helping me to my feet. “Are you okay…” Then he gasped, “You’re bleeding…”
I reached up and felt my split lip, which was indeed bleeding. I had a feeling that I’d have a pretty good bruise on my face before long, not to mention in my side where Tommy had been kicking me. He’d actually hit me harder than I thought he’d be capable of, but I’d been hurt a lot worse than that. Then I noticed that a lot of people were starting to gather around us, and to my surprise, they were looking at Tommy in anger.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Gary demanded of Tommy. “She never did anything to you…”
“Dude,” a large guy announced firmly, “You don’t hit girls. EVER.”
The guy holding Tommy let him go, but he was obviously ready to grab Tommy again if he tried anything. Several other people were positioning themselves to protect me as well. It suddenly struck me as funny that I now needed protection from a skinny nerd, the kind I once would have been able to beat up with both hands tied behind my back. It also seemed oddly appropriate, a clear reminder that my bad karma wasn’t done with me.
“Why are you defending that asshole?” Tommy yelled, almost looking confused at the fact that everyone was defending me rather than helping him. “You all know what she does to people…”
“She isn’t that person anymore,” Gary snapped at him angrily. “Her twist…”
“Serenity it a FAKE,” Tommy snarled, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a sheet of paper. He glared at me, then looked around at everyone else. “My cousin has a trick that lets him talk to computers…so he hacked the school computers for me and got the summary that the Spiral Clinic sent them on her…”
Gary glared at Tommy, as did several other people. Amy blurted out, “You’re stalking her?”
“Sick bastard,” another girl exclaimed.
“No known obsessions or compulsions,” Tommy read from the page angrily. “Only minor personality changes if any.” Then he glared at me and snarled, “She may look different, but she’s still the same Dan Jones inside…”
Those words hit me as though they’d been a physical blow, and they hurt far worse than his punch had. Tears began running down my cheeks and I turned away from Gary in shame, knowing that he’d hate me again. I could feel the shift in the mood around me so turned and started to leave before things got even worse.
“This nice and friendly Serenity that everyone likes is a FAKE,” Tommy cried out triumphantly.
“NO,” Gary snapped back at him angrily.
“Look at her,” someone called out. “She’s crying… The old Dan would NEVER cry…”
“Or wear such a cute skirt,” Amy added.
I looked back and saw that Gary was staring at me with a look of sudden realization. “Unless…,” he started, then paused to glare at Tommy and then look around the group. “Serenity has been nice to everyone…even people who were mean to her. I’ve seen her helping people when she didn’t think anyone was watching…”
“Me too,” Alicia said as she pushed through the group. She looked around, then paused to stare at one of the kids I’d healed yesterday. “Every time she heals someone, she feels their pain.” She looked around again and continued, “She feels pain so that other people can feel better. She doesn’t do this because of a compulsion but because she wants to…because she wants to help people.”
Gary stared at me again and gave me an odd smile before announcing, “Serenity isn’t a fake…but I’m starting to think that the old Dan was.”
I cringed, suddenly feeling completely exposed and vulnerable, even more than before. At any moment, the looks of disgust and anger would come…but they didn’t. Everyone was staring at me, but there didn’t seem to be any hate in those expressions.
Gary slowly came to me and gently put a hand on my arm. I was too ashamed to look him in the eyes, but then he whispered, “You’ve always been Serenity, haven’t you? Deep down inside…”
“Come on,” Alicia called out. “Give her some privacy…”
Alicia began shooing everyone else away while I tried escaping from the cafeteria and all this attention. However, Gary wasn’t being left behind, and as soon as I was outside the cafeteria, he put a hand on my shoulder again.
“Serenity,” he started, looking awkward. Then he hesitantly reached to my cheek and wiped away one of the tears. “You’re crying…”
“Girls are allowed to cry,” I said defensively.
Gary gave me a faint smile and nodded. “Yeah...”
“I’m such a loser,” I blurted out in frustration, feeling shaken and confused.
“No you’re not,” Gary insisted. “I never thought I’d say this to Dan Jones…but I like you. I like who you are now. A lot of other people do too”
“I don’t deserve it,” I protested weakly. “I’m a horrible person…”
“You deserve a lot more than you think,” Gary stated, giving me a sympathetic look.
Then Gary grabbed me in a hug that somehow made me feel better almost immediately. It felt so nice to have him holding me like this. At that moment, I actually felt like maybe I wasn’t such a bad person after all if he could care about me like this.
--------------------
I bolted upright in bed, panting hard and sweating heavily. I was shaking a little from the dream I’d just woken up from, and it hadn’t even been a nightmare. In a way, it had been far more frightening.
My nipples were hard, sensitive, and begging for attention, which was nothing compared to what I felt down below. My vagina was sopping wet, so much so that I had a wet spot on my bed, and it was craving attention just as much as my nipples were, perhaps even more. The fact that the fingers on my right hand were wet and sticky strongly indicated that I’d actually been playing with myself in my sleep.
“I can’t believe how good this feels,” I muttered, fighting off the urge to continue playing with myself now that I was actually awake.
I’d explored my new body a number of times since my twist, even playing with my new parts a little. They’d been sensitive and felt nice, but nothing like this. Until now, I hadn’t gotten to experience what I felt like once the motor started running. I only wondered what it would feel like to go all the way.
My thoughts turned back to the dream and I blushed brightly as I remembered the details, or at least some of them. I’d dreamed about Gary…about kissing him and doing other things with him. My body responded to those thoughts again and I couldn’t help but letting out a faint gasp at that. I was really feeling turned on.
“Oh God,” I moaned, suddenly feeling like I’d just been smacked upside the head as I realized what this dream meant. It meant that I now liked guys, and specifically…that I liked Gary.
I closed my eyes and grimaced, trying to make sense of this and wondering why I hadn’t realized it before. Now that I thought about it, there had certainly been enough clues, clues that I’d completely overlooked. The biggest one might be the fact that I’d been using the girl’s shower for PE and I hadn’t even blinked at the naked and half naked girls. And then there was the way I kept feeling warm and giddy whenever I was with Gary. That definitely wasn’t normal…or at least it hadn’t been before.
For a brief moment, the Dan part of me flared up in horror at the very idea that I could possibly be interested in a guy. However, that was a mask that covered up the real voice of outrage. I could almost hear my dad screaming that no real man would ever be attracted to another guy.
“But I’m a girl,” I argued against these imaginary voices. “And girls can like boys…”
Intellectually, I knew that it was all right for me to like boys, but my emotions were still a little confused. I had a feeling that they probably would be for awhile. Accepting a new sexual orientation was a little different than simply deciding it was all right.
After a minute, I left my room and found that mom hadn’t gotten up yet. It was Saturday morning and she was taking full advantage of the opportunity to sleep in, so I tried to be quiet so I wouldn’t accidentally wake her.
I took my time with my shower, and admittedly, I even played with my nipples a little. My skin was so soft and smooth now, not to mention much more sensitive than before my twist. I’d already learned that I had to be careful not scrub myself too hard when I washed because it would actually hurt, but that same sensitivity proved to be a very good thing when the water from the shower head hit my breasts.
When I was done with my shower, dried my body with an oversized fluffy towel and then went to work on my hair. My long hair took a LOT more effort to take care of than I was used to, but I liked the way it looked and felt too much to get it cut short. Fortunately, mom had given me lessons on the care and handling of long hair before I’d even gone back to school.
As I sat there brushing my hair and drying it, I thought about some of the other lessons my mom had given me since I moved in. Some of them might have been awkward, like the revamped birds and bees speech or the one about how to use all the feminine products she’d bought for me in preparation for my first period, but at least her lessons weren’t anything like the ones dad used to give me.
Then my thoughts drifted back to Gary and I smiled faintly as I considered how brave he was, something that I never would have imagined before my twist. But now, he had every reason to hate me, but instead, he’d come to my rescue time and time again. He tried to protect me, even when I didn’t deserve it. And of course, he was actually pretty cute too.
It seemed that after my wet dream and the realization that I was now attracted Gary, the floodgates had burst open. I kept thinking about kissing him…among other things that made me feel all warm and gooey. It was embarrassing, but I didn’t bother fighting these thoughts or feelings. After all, I’d been desperate for the opportunity to learn who I really was, and it appeared that this was now a part of me.
“I just don’t know if I can get used to this,” muttered to myself with a bright blush. “Thinking these things… Feeling this way…”
One of the things that struck me as funny about this situation was that before my twist, I hadn’t felt at all awkward to think about hot girls and what I’d like to do with them. I hadn’t even felt awkward about looking at porn online. But now, the very thought of kissing a guy made me blush and turn giddy. Then it dawned on me. This was more like the way I’d felt when I first discovered girls, before I understood exactly what I liked and became comfortable with it. In a way, I was now having to repeat that process but from the other side.
Once I had finished drying my hair and getting dressed, I shook those thoughts out of my head and decided to focus on something of more immediate importance. I went to the kitchen, looking for breakfast. I might not be able to eat as much as I used to, but my stomach didn’t seem to care at the moment. I was hungry.
I looked around the kitchen for something quick to eat, then decided to do something different. I was a girl now, so maybe I should learn to cook. I found the bacon, which was one of the few things in the kitchen that I was comfortable with cooking. Then I found a box of pancake mix.
I was in the middle of reading the instructions when mom came in, took the box from my hand and shook her head no. Then with a faint smile but without saying a word, she set a cookbook down in front of me and opened it to the page for homemade pancakes.
“You start gathering the ingredients,” mom told me in her usual quiet voice. “I’ll make some tea.”
My first cooking lesson began a minute later with me doing the work while mom supervised and directed. I mixed the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another, and then we combined them.
Mom was patient with me and didn’t even seem bothered when I accidentally knocked the bowl over and spilled the pancake mix on the floor. She just smiled faintly and helped me clean up the mess, then we started over again.
The pancakes were finished more quickly than I would have expected, even after we had to start over. Then we finally sat down to eat and I was delighted at how good they were…and at my part in making them.
“Making them this way doesn’t take a whole lot longer than using one of those box mixes,” mom told me proudly. “And they taste much better.”
I nodded emphatically at that, though my mouth was too full of pancake for me to answer. Once I was able to speak again, I asked, “Can you show me how to make something else?”
Mom practically beamed at that, then said, “Of course. You can help me with dinner tonight, and then in the morning…we’re making waffles.”
After we finished eating and taking care of dishes, I settled down in the living room and began to practice with my flute. Last week I’d been looking online at different people playing the flute and I’d found one who played a beautiful tune that I’d really liked. I’d been practicing that tune ever since.
While I practiced, mom sat back and watched me with a smile. “That sounded fantastic,” she told me after I finished playing the tune.
“Thanks,” I told her, happy with the compliment, even if she was exaggerating. I smiled at her, then went back to practicing.
After I’d been practicing for a couple hours, the doorbell began to ring, though I didn’t realize it was the doorbell at first. Mom’s doorbell was set to sound like chirping birds, so I stopped playing and began looking around the living room for where the bird sounds were coming from. Mom just gave me an amused look, then went to answer the door.
Several seconds later, I heard a familiar voice coming from the door, asking, “Is Serenity here?”
I jumped up and went to the door where I found Alicia standing there. “Hello,” I said, a little surprised to see her at my home. Then again, she lived just down the street a little so I shouldn’t have been surprised.
“I was wondering if you wanted to hang out,” Alicia told me, glancing to my mom and then back to me.
“Sure,” I responded with a grin. I wasn’t used to having friends to hang out with, but I’d definitely had fun the last time Alicia and I had done it.
“Have fun,” mom told me with an amused look.
As we walked away from my house, I asked, “Did you have something in mind?”
“Well,” Alicia told me with a smirk that told me she definitely had something in mind. “I just got this great new game for my VR gaming system and I’ve been wanting to try it out on multiplayer…”
“I didn’t think girls were into video games,” I responded in surprise.
Alicia snorted at that, then said, “You’ve got a lot to learn about being a girl…”
“So you’ve said,” I told her, remembering a very similar conversation when she’d shown me her remote control car.
Alicia stopped and grinned at me as she explained, “Girls can do anything boys can…except maybe standing up to pee. That gets kind of messy.” She shuddered at that, suddenly making me wonder if there was a story behind that. “Sometimes, it’s really easy to forget you used to be a boy. And sometimes…not so much.”
“Then teach me, oh mentor of all things pink and frilly,” I teased her.
Alicia burst out laughing at that. “Sorry, I can’t teach you to be a real girlie girl. But I can teach you how to be a tomboy…”
“I don’t want to be a boy again,” I pointed out with a wry smile. “Tom or otherwise.”
When we arrived at Alicia’s house, she quickly introduced me to her dad, who was working on his car in the driveway and gave me a brief nod before bending down under the hood again. Then we went inside and to her bedroom.
Just a little earlier, Alicia had claimed to be a tomboy, though I’d never really seen her as one. I might never have seen her wearing dresses, skirts, or anything like that, but she usually had on at least a little makeup. And when I saw her bedroom, specifically the purple covers on her bed and the shelf of stuffed animals, it kind of ruined the tomboy image even more. However, she did have a soccer ball sitting in the corner and a shelf full of model cars, so those at least gave her some tomboy cred.
“And here’s my system,” Alicia proudly announced, gesturing to a computer with a nice sized holographic interface. Then she pulled out several sets of virtual reality gear, including the visors and gloves.
Alicia began setting everything up to play, but I noticed that she was hooking up three sets of virtual reality gear. I was wondering why until there was a knock on her door, followed a moment later by Gary coming into the room.
I stared at Gary for a moment, blushing brightly as I remembered my dream last night…and the thoughts I’d been having about him earlier this morning. I gave him a nervous smile, then looked away before I could embarrass myself by staring at him.
“I asked Gary to come over and play too,” Alicia said, giving me an amused look. She obviously knew exactly what I felt, so I stuck my tongue out at her, which only made her laugh.
“Hey,” Gary greeted me with a nervous smile of his own. Alicia looked at him and nearly snickered.
Then Alicia blurted out, “You guys want something to drink? I’m gonna go grab snacks…”
With that, Alicia hurried out of her room, leaving Gary and me alone. There was an awkward silence for a minute before he finally said, “She’s up to something…”
“Yeah, but what?” I asked him. “You know her better than I do.”
Gary stared at me for a moment with an odd expression, then he shook his head and shrugged. “Who knows.”
We talked for a few more minutes until Alicia returned, carrying sodas and a plate full of brownies. “They’re from that bakery Guilt Free Desserts where nothing in it has any calories,” Alicia announced, giving me a wink. “You can eat all you want and you won’t get fat.”
“So, why haven’t you been eating these before now?” Gary asked Alicia with a look of mock innocence. She was pretty slender and obviously didn’t need to worry about going on a diet, but she punched Gary in the arm anyway. I just giggled at that, which earned me a grin from Gary.
After this, we put on our virtual reality gear and turned on Alicia’s new game. It was a racing game where we could race hover cars against each other on various tracks and environments, including some that looked really wild. But even more interesting than that was the fact that we could really customize our cars before racing.
All three of us spent a ridiculous amount of time picking out our basic car models and then customizing them. Alicia chose a real muscle car, a Ford Nighthawk that was painted purple and which had a lot of chrome trim. Gary went for an odd looking gray car that looked somewhat familiar, though I couldn’t place where it was from. He told me it was a DeLorean with a hover conversion, as though that explained everything. My car was a Kia Razor, which I’d modified with a few extra gadgets, then had the whole thing painted pink.
“You are such a girl,” Gary teased me once he saw my finished car.
“And don’t you forget it,” I responded, sticking my tongue out at him.
Unfortunately, we spent so much time designing our cars that we only got to run three races before we ran out of time. Alicia’s dad stuck his head into the room and announced, “I’m sorry to ruin your fun, but someone has to see her grandmother.” He gave Alicia a stern look, or at least it might have been stern if he hadn’t been so obviously holding back a grin.
“But I saw grandma last week,” Alicia responded in mock protest. But unlike her dad, she couldn’t hold it in at all and burst into giggles. “Well, I guess I should go…just to keep on her good side until after Christmas…”
“A wise decision,” her dad said with a chuckle.
After Alicia’s dad left the room, she turned to us and sighed. “I guess this means no more racing. I thought I had at least another hour…”
“We can always play again later,” Gary told her.
“True,” Alicia responded with a grin. “And our cars are saved so we can use them again.”
We talked for a few more minutes while Alicia packed up her VR gear and got ready to go visit her grandma. A short time later, Gary and I stood in her driveway, waving to her as she and her dad drove off.
“So what now?” Gary asked awkwardly.
I hesitated a moment, then said, “You can come hang out at my house…”
“Are you sure?” Gary asked me, looking a little surprised by the offer. I blushed a little and nodded.
It only took a few minutes to reach my house, but once we got to the door I stopped and took a deep breath. “My mom is still home,” I told him carefully, “so keep your voice calm around her and don’t do anything too sudden. Her twist makes her a little…jumpy. She really doesn’t do well with stress.”
“Okay,” Gary said, sounding almost as though he was making a promise.
I felt a little nervous as I opened the door, wondering if I should have asked mom first if it was okay to bring over a guest. We hadn’t talked about whether I was allowed to do that, though we probably should have considering how mom was with people. But it was too late now so I just hoped mom wouldn’t be upset.
“Mom,” I said in a calm voice as I stepped through the door. She was sitting in the middle of the living room, wearing yoga pants and meditating. “I brought a guest… This is Gary.”
Mom looked past me to Gary, then smiled faintly as she stood up. “Hello,” mom greeted him in her normal quiet voice.
“It’s nice to meet you Mrs. Jones,” Gary said politely.
“Please call me Ms. Maritz,” mom pleasantly corrected him, though I could see she was a little uncomfortable with doing so. “I haven’t used that other name since my divorce.”
I knew that mom had gone back to using her maiden name after divorcing my dad, but I hadn’t thought to warn Gary about that. I made a mental note to warn anyone else I brought over so that I didn’t have to make her uncomfortable.
“Is it all right that I brought him over?” I whispered to mom.
“Of course,” she responded with an amused look. “This is your home too. Just…” She paused at that, obviously a little uncomfortable.
“I already warned him about your situation,” I told her awkwardly. “And next time, I’ll try to call ahead and warn you…”
“Thank you,” she told me. Then just a little more loudly, which was what would have been a normal conversational voice for most people, she said, “Why don’t you give Gary the tour…”
“There isn’t a whole lot to show,” I told Gary as I took him through the living room and to the back yard. “This is probably the best place in the house…or out of it.”
“This is nice,” Gary told me as he looked around the zen garden. He went to the koi pond and watched the fish for a moment. “This place is really nice…”
“My mom likes coming out here to meditate,” I told him with a smile, then admitted, “And I spend a lot of time out here too. It’s pretty relaxing…”
Gary nodded and said, “I can definitely see that.” Then he gave me a self-conscious smile and added, “This would be a really good place to just sit and draw…”
We stood out in the back yard for about fifteen minutes before going back inside so I could continue the tour. There really wasn’t a lot to show Gary, so we quickly ended up at the last spot on the tour, my bedroom.
I felt a little self-conscious about my bedroom since it was so plain and boring. I hadn’t done anything to decorate or personalize it yet, though I had been meaning too.
“It’s…nice,” Gary said a little awkwardly. “It’s not quite what I’d been expecting though…”
“What were you expecting?” I asked him with a grin. “Posters of hot girls on the wall? Or maybe you were expecting boy band posters…”
“I’m not really sure what I expected,” Gary admitted.
“I haven’t lived here long enough to do much with it,” I told him with a sigh. “I…I moved here after…” I paused and gave Gary a forced smile as I added, “I didn’t bring anything with me.”
“Oh,” Gary said, his eyes going wide in understanding. “I’m sorry…”
“It’s not your fault,” I told him, then on an impulse, I have him a hug. “If it wasn’t for you, I might not have been around to move here.”
After I let go of Gary, he gave me an odd look. We sat there in silence for about a minute before he hesitantly asked, “Why?”
“Why what?” I asked.
“You were always messing with me,” Gary said, staring at the floor rather than at me. “I know you pushed other people around too, but you always seemed to pick on me more than anyone else…like it was personal. Why?”
I winced at that, feeling the familiar surge of guilt and shame for the way I used to act. It seemed that I was never going to escape the person I used to be, no matter how much I wanted to. Then again, I already knew that I couldn’t escape my karma.
“I think,” I said quietly as I stared at the floor in shame. “The truth is, I think it was because I was jealous of you.”
“Jealous?” Gary blurted out in surprise. “Of me?”
For a moment, I just sat there, unable to bring myself to say anymore. But I knew that Gary deserved the truth, even though I hadn’t realized it myself until very recently.
“My dad has strict rules on what a man should be,” I finally said, my voice almost as quiet as my mom’s normally was. “I grew up with these rules, with my dad punishing me anytime I didn’t meet his expectations. And as much as I hated my dad, I wanted his approval. I tried becoming what he wanted me to be…and I hated myself for it.”
Gary stared at me, looking both sympathetic and curious at the same time. It looked like he was about to say something but couldn’t get it out.
“A real man,” I said in my best imitation of my dad, which wasn’t very good considering my voice. “A real man doesn’t waste his time with that art crap. Leave that for little girls… A man plays a real instrument…like drums…not some girlie flute… And a man doesn’t waste his time with sissy sports like running or swimming…he plays football… Football is a real man’s sport.” Then I paused again and gave a loud snort before adding, “Do you have any idea how hard it was to get myself kicked off that stupid football team? I thought I was going to have to punch the coach…”
“Serenity,” Gary started sympathetically, but I ignored him.
Tears began running down my cheeks as I continued. “Every time I found something I liked…something that made me happy, it was taken away from me.” I paused at that, taking several long seconds before I could continue. “Or I turned my back on it.”
I paused and wiped the tears from my eyes, but they continued to come. I was embarrassed and ashamed to be sharing my problems with someone else, especially someone I’d made so miserable. But after everything I’d done to Gary and what he’d done for me, he deserved an explanation.
“And then I saw you,” I said quietly. “You were swimming, and doing art, and even playing that violin… You were doing all the things I really wanted to but couldn’t.” I gave him a pained look and admitted, “It really pissed me off… I don’t think I even realized I was jealous of you, only that I felt so frustrated and angry that you were doing the things I couldn’t…”
Gary put a hand on my harm and said, “I had no idea…”
“You have no idea how tired I was,” I admitted quietly. “I was so tired and frustrated at being the big ugly thug…of having everyone hate me. I was tired of following my dad’s rules about how a man should behave, and I was tired of hurting people.” I took a deep breath and then gave Gary a tearful look, adding, “And as much as you and everyone else hated me, I hated myself even more.”
“You don’t have to say anymore,” Gary told me gently. “I know this can’t be easy…”
I gave Gary a weak smile but continued anyway. “Then one day, I was desperately wishing I could be someone else…that I could discover who I really was if I didn’t have to follow those rules or be what my dad made me into.” I paused again, looking Gary in the eyes as I added, “I thought that if maybe I’d been born a girl, my life would have been different. I would have been different.”
“And that’s when you went through your twist,” he said in understanding.
I nodded at that, then told him, “I’m sorry I picked on you…that I was an asshole.”
“I think I understand,” Gary said, giving me a hug. “And I forgive you…” He held me even tighter and quietly said, “I’m sorry that you had to go through even worse. I think… I think you need to forgive yourself.”
When we pulled apart, I felt a little better for getting that off my chest, and for the hug that Gary had given me. However, the room became filled with an awkward silence for nearly a minute.
Then Gary suddenly blurted out, “Is that your flute?” He was pointing to the top of my dresser where my flute was sitting. He was obviously trying to change the subject and I appreciated that.
“Yeah,” I said rather proudly. I got up and picked up my flute, then I gave him a shy smile and admitted, “I’m not very good at it yet…”
“It’s kind of a girlie instrument,” Gary joked.
I clutched the flute to my chest and responded defensively, “But I’m a girl…”
“I know,” Gary said, giving me an apologetic look. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable…”
After a moment, I gave him a gentle smile to show that I wasn’t offended. “My dad said something similar when my mom first gave it to me,” I explained. “I was ten years old and…my dad didn’t take it well.”
“Oh my God,” Gary gasped, giving me a sympathetic look. Then he gently asked, “Can you play something?”
I smiled at that and brought the flute up to my lips. Then I hesitated a moment, reminding myself that I hadn’t played for anyone besides mom, at least not since I first got the flute. I shuddered at the remembered pain that had resulted from that, then shoved the memory aside.
I began playing the tune that I’d been practicing all week, feeling all my worries fading away as I did so. I focused on my finger work and getting it right, but I also focused on the tune itself and just how great it felt to bring it to life.
I glanced to Gary, who was watching me with a look of rapt attention. Since he didn’t seem to be bored, I continued playing through the whole tune, feeling my mood improving more with every passing second.
Once I was finished, I lowered my flute and grinned. Gary just stared at me for a moment before blurting out, “That was great…”
“Thanks,” I responded, grinning even wider. “I still need a lot of practice though…”
“That was great,” Gary insisted. “It sounded beautiful…”
“I’ve been practicing that tune all week,” I told him excitedly. Then I admitted, “I’ve actually been practicing with the flute ever since mom gave it back to me…”
“You look…happy,” Gary said, almost as though he was surprised. “You were crying just a few minutes ago, now you look like you’re having the time of your life…”
“I love playing this thing,” I admitted, holding up my flute. “It makes me happy.” Then I smiled self-consciously as I admitted, “Playing reminds me of everything I got from my twist…”
Gary nodded at that, but I didn’t think he really understood, even after everything I’d just told him. I giggled at that, which seemed to confuse him even more. Then again, I had been crying a couple minutes ago but now I was laughing and smiling.
“Girls are allowed to have mood swings,” I told him smugly, only to giggle again.
“You certainly have that part down,” Gary said with a grin of his own. “But I don’t mind this one… If Tommy hadn’t read your exam summary at school, I’d think you had a compulsion to play the flute or something…”
“No,” I responded with a shake of my head and a grin. “I keep thinking about why I hated being the old me, but like I said, this reminds me why I like being the new me.” I held up my flute.
“Because you can play the flute?” Gary asked, looking like he didn’t quite get it.
“Among other things,” I told him cheerfully. “I can play the flute. I can go swimming. I can wear pretty clothes. I can get good grades. I can be nice and help people.” Then I gave him a broad smile and added, “And I can have friends.”
Then on a sudden impulse, I did something that I’d been thinking about all day. I grabbed Gary and kissed him on my lips. He was obviously surprised at that, but to my delight, instead of pulling back in disgust, he kissed me back.
When we pulled away from each other, Gary stared at me for a moment with a goofy smile on his face, then admitted, “I’ve wanted to do that since I first saw you helping that kid in the park…”
“Really?” I asked, simultaneously blushing and grinning.
Gary nodded at that, blushing brightly as well which looked so cute on him. “You’re REALLY pretty…”
“Thank you,” I responded with a nervous giggle. I wasn’t used to getting this kind of attention, but I was definitely enjoying it. Then before he could say something about who I used to be, I smugly told him, “Girls are allowed to kiss boys.”
“They sure are,” Gary agreed with a grin of his own. Then he looked me over with an appreciative expression before hesitantly asking, “Can we do it again?”
I gave Gary another hug, then a quick kiss before whispering, “What do you think?”
Then while Gary was still a bit stunned, I gave him a smug look and began to play my flute again. As I did so, it suddenly struck me that I could still mess with Gary, but in a way that both of us would actually enjoy. This was going to be fun.
--------------------
Mondays suck. This is a fully accepted natural law, no more escapable than the law of gravity. But I had to admit, today hadn’t been that bad…for a Monday.
I was a little nervous about coming to school after the humiliating events in the cafeteria on Friday, expecting that people would start messing with me again now that they knew my personality hadn’t been changed much during my twist. But to my surprise, almost everyone had been nice to me.
One boy had started teasing me in the hallway, but then some girl whom I didn’t even know had told him to shut up and leave me alone. And as if that hadn’t been surprising enough, a couple other kids had come to my defense as well, and my would-be bully had slunk off in shame.
The rest of the day passed fairly smoothly, and now the final bell had rung so the school day was officially over. I let out a sigh of relief at that, as did nearly every other kid in school…and probably most the teachers.
“Hey Serenity,” Alicia called to me, waving at me from further down the hallway.
“Hey,” I greeted her with a grin.
“Yesterday was a lot of fun,” she told me with a grin. “We need to do that again.”
I grinned back and held up my hand, staring at my polished and manicured nails. Yesterday, Alicia had come over and announced that she wanted to show me some girl activities, then had taken me out for a manicure. It had actually been a lot of fun, especially since there was absolutely no way I would have gone near a place like that before my twist.
“Definitely,” I agreed. “Maybe next time we can do the pedicure thing too…”
Alicia smirked at me and said, “You’ve only been a girl for two weeks, and you’re already more girlie than me…”
I giggled at that, then told her, “I guess I’m a natural…”
“You know,” Alicia said, giving me an odd look. “Gary was telling me about your flute… He said you’re really good…”
I was happy at that, but admitted, “I’m not that good yet…”
“Well, Gary was impressed,” she insisted. “And not just by your music. He really likes you…”
I blushed at that and started, “I don’t…”
“I know you like him too,” Alicia insisted smugly. “Remember, you can’t lie to someone who feels your emotions.”
That made me blush even more. “It’s a little weird getting used to that,” I admitted self-consciously. “I mean, I used to like girls…now I like boys instead.” I shrugged at that, not sure what else I could say.
“You seem to be adjusting well,” Alicia told me. Then she gave me a serious look and said, “Just don’t hurt Gary. He’s a good guy and he really does like you.”
“I know,” I responded quietly.
“I’ve got to go,” Alicia told me, giving me a gentle smile and putting a hand on my shoulder. “I know you’ve got plans, so have fun.”
Alicia hurried off to get home while I went towards the school library instead. This was where Chloe had told me to come when I’d talked to her last week. I hesitated at the door for a moment before going inside.
There were already four people inside the library, sitting in the area that had been set up for students to gather and read. There were several couches and chairs which were arranged into a U shape.
A girl with pink hair, who was dressed entirely in pink clothes, sat on a couch next to another girl who had crimson colored hair. They were talking to each other quietly and giggling occasionally, though I couldn’t make out what they were saying.
Sitting by herself on another couch was a girl with long bluish green hair, who was wearing a dress and watching me with a curious expression. I definitely remembered seeing Lorilei around school before, especially back when she and her band kicked ass in the talent show.
The last person who was present was a large guy whom I knew from my time on the school football team. Mike was a total jock, though I understood that when he’d still been Michelle, she’d been a very pretty girl.
“Um…hi,” I said self-consciously.
“Hey,” the girl with the crimson hair said. “I’m Blake.” She gestured to the girl with the pink hair beside her and said, “This is Leila.”
“I’m Serenity,” I introduced myself.
“Call me Lori,” the aqua haired Lorilei said with a smile.
“Mike,” Mike said, giving me an odd look. “But you already know me.” I just nodded at that.
“Have a seat,” Blake said.
I found a chair that wasn’t right next to anyone else and sat down. I’d barely done this when a short and skinny boy with glasses came into the room, along with a pretty girl with brown hair.
“Sorry I’m late,” the girl said quietly, reminding me a little of my mom. Then she took a look at me and her hair suddenly turned blonde. “Hi,” she exclaimed with a broad grin, no longer seeming shy at all. “I’m Jen…” With that, Jen sat down right beside Leila and gave her a kiss.
The nerdy looking boy glared at me and said, “We’ve met before.”
I stared back at him for a moment, realizing that I did know him…sort of. The boy had once been a totally hot cheerleader, until she’d gone through her twist last year and had ended up like this. And unfortunately, I’d teased him about it afterwards.
“I’m sorry for how I treated you,” I told him with complete sincerity. “I was a complete asshole…”
For a moment, the boy continued to stare at me, then he gave me a faint smile and said, “I’m Rob.”
Seconds later, someone I was more familiar with entered the room. Chloe saw me sitting there and smiled, then she sat down beside Lori and gave her a kiss. I was a little startled to realize that the two of them were an item.
“Simone isn’t coming today,” Lori announced.
“Not too surprising,” Blake commented, looking at me. “Thanks to her twist, she can be a real bitch at times…”
“But she’s totally trying to control it,” Jen said cheerfully.
“Yeah,” Chloe agreed. “But sometimes her inner bitch shows more than others.”
“Okay,” Blake announced as she stood up and looked around the room. “Let’s get this started. Welcome to our meeting of Gender Changers Anonymous…”
“If we’re Gender Changers Anonymous,” Jen asked with a giggle. “Why is it that the first thing we do is introduce ourselves?”
“As you can guess,” Leila told me with an amused look. “We don’t take these meetings too seriously…”
Everyone nodded at that. “All of us have gone through a gender change as part of our twist,” Blake told me.
“No fucking shit,” Mike muttered, watching Blake with a very appreciative look.
“That means we all know what you’re going through,” Blake continued. “Some of us adjust to our twists more easily than others, but we all have a lot in common.”
“It really helps having someone to talk with about this,” Chloe said, giving Lori a knowing smile. “We usually just hang out and talk about the things we’ve gone through…” There were nods from around the room at that. “Since I’m the one who invited you, I’ll go first.”
Chloe stood up and said, “As you know, my name is Chloe Anderson. I used to be Chad Anderson, but one day I was reading my little brother’s comic books and suddenly turned into his favorite super hero…heroine.”
After Chloe said a little about herself and how she’d dealt with her twist, Lori went next. One by one everyone said a little something about their situations, showing that we all did have a little in common, even though some of them had compulsions and personality shifts thrown into the mix as well.
When everyone else was finished, it was my turn. I hesitantly stood up and said, “My name is Serenity Jones, but I used to be Dan Jones. Some of you knew me before my twist, or at least heard of me.”
“That’s why no one wanted to go ask you to join us when we heard about your twist,” Rob said. When several others glared at him, he shrugged. “But it’s true…”
“We really should have invited you as soon as we heard,” Chloe admitted. “We probably could have helped you deal with it…”
I smiled faintly at that and said, “I don’t blame you for not wanting me here. I was a real jerk…”
“Not as bad as Simone can be,” Jen commented.
“The thing is,” I said carefully as I looked around the room. “I’m happy about being a girl. It’s a bit of an adjustment and I still have a lot to learn, but I like who I am now.”
“Yeah, but have you had your first period yet?” Lori asked with a visible shudder.
“That is one thing I do NOT miss,” Rob muttered.
“Not yet,” I admitted, knowing that mine was probably due within a week or two at most.
When I thought about going through my period, I felt an odd mixture of dread and anticipation. On one hand, it would be gross, unpleasant, and thoroughly disgusting. But on the other hand, it would be a confirmation that I really was a girl now.
At this point, the conversation became almost a free for all as everyone began talking about their experience with periods. Rob and Mike told about their first periods, and how glad they were not to have them anymore. However, those who’d turned into girls had the more interesting stories.
I stared at Lori in disbelief when she told everyone that she had her periods all at once. According to her, she released more than a gallon of blood and stuff all at once, then was done until the next month.
Blake said that her periods only lasted a couple days, but that they were very heavy and painful. I shuddered at that, hoping that I just had a nice normal period, and promising myself that I wouldn’t freak out when it happened.
The meeting only lasted an hour before it was over and everyone began to leave. I remained behind for several minutes, thinking about what everyone had said. It had all been a bit odd, but kind of fun as well. It had been nice talking to people who knew what it was like going through a sex change and having to reinvent yourself.
Once everyone else was gone, I started to leave as well. I had just reached the main entrance to the building when I realized that I wasn’t alone. Tommy stood there, glaring at me with an angry expression.
“Now it’s just you and me,” Tommy stated.
I didn’t bother looking around since I knew he was right. There was no one to see us and interfere with him this time. I could probably scream and get the attention of anyone else who was in the building, but I didn’t bother. Instead, I stood there and gave Tommy a level look.
“You’re gonna pay for what you’ve done,” Tommy exclaimed, shoving me so that I slammed hard into the wall.
“Is this what you really want?” I asked Tommy. “To beat up some helpless girl who can’t fight back?”
“Shut up,” Tommy snarled. “I know you’re not really a girl…”
I felt a little offended by that but wasn’t about to argue with him. It was already obvious that he didn’t see me as Serenity, only as Dan in a new body.
There were a lot of people who had good reasons to dislike me, but Tommy wasn’t one of them. As far as I knew, I’d never picked on him at all, so this was something else.
Tommy shoved me back against the wall again, this time hard enough that I was probably going to have some bruises on my back. He just seemed angry and frustrated.
“Let me guess,” I said. “Someone is messing with you…making your life a living hell. And you can’t do anything about them so you’re taking your anger and frustration out on someone you can push around…”
“Shut up,” Tommy yelled, shoving me back again, even harder than the previous times.
I winced at the bruising but continued to meet Tommy’s eyes. He was bigger and stronger than me, but I wasn’t afraid of him. Instead, I felt sorry for him.
“I understand why you picked me,” I said quietly. “You don’t have to feel bad about picking on me. You can tell yourself that you’re teaching me a lesson…that I deserve it. You might even be right. I probably do deserve it.”
Tommy glared at me, though he looked a little startled by what I said. “You may have fooled everyone else around here,” he exclaimed. “But you haven’t fooled me.”
With that, Tommy shoved me again, this time knocking me to the ground. I got back to my feet, noticing that all he’d been doing so far was pushing me. He hadn’t actually given me any real punches.
“Did you think that maybe I don’t like the person I used to be either,” I told him grimly. “That I’m trying to be someone else?” Then I stared him in the eyes again and said, “But if you need to make yourself feel better, go ahead. Get it out of your system.”
Tommy snarled and shoved me again, though this time I didn’t go down. He shoved me several more times, seeming to get more angry and frustrated.
“Why won’t you hit back?” he demanded.
“I don’t want to hurt anyone anymore,” I told with a wince. “Go ahead…”
With that, Tommy raised his fist and looked like he was finally going to punch me. I just stood there and let him. But then he paused and lowered his hand.
“I can’t punch a girl,” he spat out bitterly, looking like he was going to start crying.
I stared at Tommy’s arm, noticing that when he’d been about to punch me, the sleeve on his shirt and fallen back and revealed a bruise on his arm. Without a word, I reached out and touched his arm. I let out a gasp as I suddenly felt as though I was bruised on my back, side, and arms.
“Someone has been hurting you,” I said with a gasp. “But they didn’t leave any marks on your face or where others could see…”
“How’d you know?” Tommy demanded, yanking his hand away from me, though I’d already healed him. He had a strange look on his face, probably due to realizing that he didn’t feel any of those bruises anymore.
“Probably a family member,” I added quietly.
Tommy’s eyes widened at that, telling me that I was right. It was a family member who’d been hurting him. I suddenly felt even more sympathetic to his situation.
“You wouldn’t understand,” he said bitterly, backing up almost as though he was afraid of me.
“You’d be surprised,” I responded in a near whisper.
“It’s not my mom’s fault,” Tommy blurted out, obviously shaken by this odd turn of events or he probably never would have said this to me or anyone else at school. “Her temper is part of her twist…”
“My dad didn’t have that excuse,” I told him sadly, shuddering as I remembered just how many times I’d been hurt by my dad’s temper. “And even if it is part of her twist, that doesn’t make it right.”
For a moment, Tommy just stared at me with a look of understanding in his eyes, as well as one of guilt and shame. I knew those emotions very well indeed. I felt them every time my dad went off on me, and whenever I’d taken out my anger and frustration on other people.
Then Tommy abruptly blurted out, “I’m sorry,” before he turned and ran away as fast as he could.
As I watched Tommy leave, I wished that there was something I could do to help him with his situation. Unfortunately, I knew quite well that there was no quick and easy solution to a problem like that. All I could do was hope that he found his own solution.
--------------------
For most high school students, lunch was considered to be the best part of the day, and I was no different. Today, lunch was even better than usual. After eating as quickly as I could, I’d raced out to the school courtyard and found myself a comfortable place to sit. Only then did I bring out my flute.
A beautiful tune filled the air, bringing a smile to my lips and joy to my heart. This was the same tune that I’d practiced last week and had impressed Gary with on Saturday, and now I chose to share it with anyone who wanted to listen. Many of my classmates paused to listen, seeming to enjoy my music.
Gary sat beside me, watching me with a smile. When I stopped playing, he said, “That was great. You sounded even better than the last time.”
“Thank you,” I responded happily.
Alicia, who’d been standing nearby nodded agreement. “He’s right,” she told me. “You sounded really good…”
A few of the other students who’d been gathered nearby nodded and made complimentary noises as well. That just made me grin even more before I raised the flute to my lips and began playing again. This time, I started on a new tune that I’d been practicing over the last few days. I wasn’t as good with it as the other tune, but I thought it was coming along nicely.
I continued playing until it was nearly time for lunch to end, then I reluctantly wiped off my flute and stored it in my backpack. “I wish I could play longer,” I admitted to Gary and Alicia.
“You should sign up for the school band,” one girl told me with a grin before walking off.
“I should get going,” Alicia told me with a broad grin. “I’ll see you guys later…”
I nodded at that and looked around the courtyard one more time, noticing that Amy was sitting next to Jarrod and talking to him happily. Then the two got up and walked back into the building, side by side. I couldn’t help but smiling faintly at that, thinking that the rumor I’d started about Jarrod in the locker room must have taken root. Of course, it didn’t hurt that it was actually true.
“What are you so happy about?” Gary asked me with a grin of his own.
“Oh, nothing,” I answered him cheerfully. “And everything.”
Then I noticed something else that suddenly caught my eye. Dylan Hastings was been sitting by himself on the other side of the courtyard, but when a group of girls got up from the table where they’d been chatting, he watched them. One of them looked in his direction, but he quickly looked away, as though he’d never looked at them.
“Serenity,” Gary said awkwardly, “I wanted…”
“Just a moment,” I told Gary gently. “There’s something I’ve got to do.
I slowly walked towards Dylan, noticing that he was still watching the girls. When Rebecca separated from her friends and went inside, she paused just long enough to take another look back at him. I shook my head at that, smiling faintly as I did so. It was obvious that Dylan had a thing for her, and from what I’d overheard her saying in the locker room, I knew she was interesting in him too.
“Hey Dylan,” I said when I got close to him. He gave me a look of surprise. I just smiled told him, “Just ask Rebecca out already…”
“What?” he blurted out, blushing brightly.
“It’s obvious you like her,” I told him with a giggle. “So ask her out…”
“But what if she says no?” he responded awkwardly.
“You won’t know until you ask her,” I pointed out. “Besides…I have a feeling she’ll say yes…”
With that, I turned and walked back towards Gary, who was giving me an odd look. I glanced back at Dylan and saw that he was starting back towards the building with a new look of determination on his face. I just hoped that it worked out for him.
“Did you just play matchmaker?” Gary asked me curiously.
I just gave him my best innocent look, which was actually pretty good now, and answered, “Maybe.”
Gary gave me another odd look, then said, “Somehow…I have a feeling this isn’t the first time.”
“Maybe,” I repeated before I burst into giggles.
“How do you do it?” Gary blurted out, staring at me with another odd look.
“How do I do what?” I asked in confusion. “I mean, it’s obvious Dylan and Rebecca like each other…”
“No,” Gary responded with a shake of his head. He smiled and said, “After your twist, you came to school expecting everyone to hate you and attack you…but you weren’t afraid. I mean, you literally said, just get it over with…” He shook his head at that. “You looked more like you were bored than afraid…”
“I was just getting what I deserved,” I said quietly.
“No,” Gary said again, putting a hand on my shoulder. “You’re always talking about how you have a lot of bad karma to burn off, but I think you’ve already dealt with more bad karma than anyone should. You’re a good person. I mean, you even heal anyone you think might hurt you…even though you feel their pain by doing it. I think the only would-be bully you haven’t healed is Tommy…”
“Actually,” I responded with a wry smile. “I kind of healed him the other day…”
Gary rolled his eyes at that. “See what I mean. If anything, you’ve got a lot of good karma coming…and you should just accept the fact that you deserve it.”
I smiled at that, feeling happy about the compliment. “Thank you,” I told him, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
Gary just blushed at that, then said, “I’m proud that I finally got to know the real you.”
This time, it was my turn to blush brightly. I took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes, then carefully said, “You had a big jerk picking on you for who you were…making you miserable. But you never gave in. You never let him change who you were. I…I always respected that.” I gave Gary a tight hug and whispered, “You’re a better man than I ever was.”
We remained like this for a minute, even though everyone else had already gone inside. We were both going to be late for our next class, but I don’t think either of us was really concerned about that at the moment.
Finally, Gary said, “Serenity…” He paused and blushed brightly before blurting out, “Will you go out with me?”
“Like a date?” I asked, excited but a little afraid that I misunderstood what he really wanted. “Like a real date?”
“Um…yeah,” Gary responded awkwardly.
“Of course,” I exclaimed, grabbing him in a hug again and then giving him a kiss. “I’d love to…”
The two of us hurried to the school entrance hand in hand, giving each other goofy grins. Once we were back inside the school building, we quickly promised to talk about this again later, then we split up and went in different directions.
The rest of the day passed in a blur and I could scarcely remember anything from my remaining classes. All I could really think about was that Gary really liked me…and that I had a date with him. A real date. I was simultaneously nervous yet excited by the very idea. After all, this would be the first real date that I’d been on in my entire life. Before my twist, there hadn’t been a lot of girls lining up to go out with me.
When the last class of the day ended, I was ready to race out the door so I could get home and tell mom the good news as soon as possible. However, I noticed Gwen was slowly packing up her backpack and was going to be the last one to leave. Ever since I’d suggested she go slow and pay extra attention, she’d been doing just that. It hadn’t made her clumsiness go away, but it had made it so that she had far fewer accidents.
“Do you need a hand with that?” I asked Gwen.
“I’ve got it,” Gwen told me with a smile. “But thanks anyway.”
Once Gwen had her backpack filled, she double checked the zipper and then slung it over her shoulder. She went slow and was obviously paying close attention to every movement she made, which was why she hadn’t accidentally dumped the contents of her pack out or tripped while loading it.
“How are you holding up?” I asked her carefully.
“I’m managing,” she told me with another smile. “It isn’t easy…but you know how that is.”
“Yeah,” I agreed.
Gwen and I were the last ones left in the classroom so we left together. She seemed happy for the company, but when we stepped out of the classroom, I noticed Tommy was standing across the hallway. He’d obviously been waiting for me.
“I can probably break his glasses with my trick,” Gwen told me as soon as she noticed I’d stopped to stare at him. “If he can’t see you…”
“I think I’ll be fine,” I told her, giving her a reassuring smile. “But thanks…”
Then I turned my attention back to Tommy, who wasn’t glaring at me as he had been every time he’d ambushed me. Instead, he had a look of shame on his face. He held out his hands to show he wasn’t armed, which didn’t really mean anything since he hadn’t been armed with anything during any of his attempts to mess with me. However, I wasn’t afraid of him.
“I just wanted to say I’m sorry,” Tommy told me, looking genuinely guilty.
“Thank you” I told him quietly. “I understand.”
And there was no doubt that I understood exactly why Tommy had tried pushing me around. I knew quite well what it was like being filled with anger and frustration…and wanting to take it out on someone else. I also knew that as far as Tommy had been concerned, I had been the perfect scapegoat for all his problems. After all, not only was he bigger and stronger than me, but it would have been extremely easy for him to convince himself that I deserved it. I didn’t blame him for it at all.
“I…I thought about what you said,” Tommy said awkwardly. “I talked to some people and…and they’re gonna make my mom get some help.” He took a deep breath and looked me in the eyes before adding, “Thank you.”
“Then I’m glad it’s working out for you,” I told him honestly.
Tommy stared at me for a moment, looking almost surprised. Then he blurted out, “Are you really the same person?”
There was a long pause before I responded, “Does it really matter?”
Though I liked to think of myself as being a different person from the brutish thug I used to be, I knew the truth was that I was just a different part of him. I was grateful for the people who were giving me the chance to be a new person, who were giving me the opportunity to discover just who Serenity was, but I knew that I was still responsible for what I’d done as Dan.
I gave Gary a gentle smile and said, “Good luck,” before I turned and walked away.
When I got home, I made myself comfortable in the back yard and began to practice with my flute. I was bursting with different emotions over what had happened at school, but playing allowed me to just relax and let it all go. Playing the flute by myself allowed me to feel the serenity that I’d been named for. However, that peace and calm was broken the moment my mom finally returned home from work.
“Guess what,” I exclaimed in excitement and rushed to meet my mom at the door. Mom winced slightly and took a half step back, obviously having a hard time dealing with that level of energy being directed at her. I took a deep breath and struggled to contain my excitement. I lowered my voice and tried to remain calm as I told her, “Gary asked me out on a date…”
“A date?” she responded in her usual quiet voice, giving me a look of surprise and then a smile. Then she gently hugged me and said, “Good for you. But I have to admit, I’m a little surprised. You’ve only been a girl for a couple weeks…”
“I know,” I said, blushing self-consciously. “But…”
“But a pretty girl like you was bound to start dating sooner or later,” mom told me with an amused smile.
“But I don’t know what to wear,” I blurted out, suddenly feeling nervous again as I remembered this was my first date, and not just my first one as a girl. “I don’t know what to do…”
Mom just smiled and put her arm around my shoulder. “It’s all right,” she assured me gently. “I’ll help you pick out an outfit and get ready.”
I gave mom another hug, then I pulled away and just grinned, feeling incredibly happy and excited. Then I couldn’t help but thinking that maybe Gary was right. After all, I must be doing something right in order to have this much good fortune coming at me.
--------------------
I stared at my reflection in the mirror, feeling a swirling mixture of nervousness and excitement, of pride and doubt. My date with Gary was only a short time away and I kept alternating between thinking that I was ready and worrying that I wasn’t.
At the moment, I was wearing a dark green dress that looked very nice on me, making me look a little sexy without being at all slutty. The fact that I was wearing low heels rather than stilettos definitely helped keep me from crossing the line. All in all, I thought I looked really good.
“Are you sure this dress looks right?” I asked my mom nervously. “Maybe I should go with a skirt...”
“You look perfect,” mom told me with an amused smile.
“Maybe I should wear high heels,” I thought aloud. “If I looked a little taller…”
“I think these heels are enough for now,” mom said patiently. “You should get comfortable with these before you worry about anything higher.”
I relaxed a little at that and looked myself over in the mirror again. My ears had been pierced so I now wore earrings, and mom had even helped me with my makeup. I made a mental note to have her give me some real lessons with makeup. After all, I was a girl now and every self-respecting girl needed to know about makeup.
Then as I looked myself over, I cupped my breasts and hesitantly asked, “Are my boobs big enough?”
Mom rolled her eyes at that and muttered, “Was I ever this bad?” Then she stared me for a moment before adding, “Probably.”
“Maybe,” I started in on another worry.
“Enough,” mom said, raising her voice to a normal conversational level. For her, that was about as close as she could come to yelling so it immediately caught my full attention. She put her hands on my shoulders and smiled. “You’re a lovely young woman and Gary is lucky you agreed to go out with him.”
I blushed at that, feeling pleased by the compliment. Then I giggled, saying, “He must be doing something right then.”
“Well, he does have good taste,” mom agreed with a broad smile of her own. Then she gave me an odd look and said, “You know, you’re a natural.” At my blank look, she explained, “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’ve always been a girl.”
“Thanks,” I told her, feeling rather pleased.
Mom just gave me a proud look and added, “I’m starting to think that maybe this is who you were always meant to be.”
I smiled happily at that, pleased that mom was coming to the same conclusion that I already had. As Serenity, I was far happier than I’d ever been as Dan, and a part of that was that I actually felt…real. I felt like I’d finally become myself…and that I was becoming even more so the longer I lived as Serenity.
Gary arrived a short time later, dressed nicely and wearing a nervous grin that looked adorable. And in spite of my mom’s assurances that I looked nice, I was still hit with another case of nerves.
“You look…wow,” Gary said, staring at me with a look that clearly indicated that he liked what he saw. He blushed brightly and said, “You’re beautiful… I mean, you always look pretty but…” He blushed even more and I couldn’t help but giggle.
Mom watched this with amusement, then told me, “Have fun, but don’t be out too late.”
I nodded at that and promised, “I will and I won’t.”
We’d already talked about when I was expected to be back, but mom wasn’t comfortable with being pushy about it, especially in front of Gary. Still, I knew when she wanted me back and I wasn’t going to take advantage of her twist by ignoring her wishes.
Gary and I went out to his car, or more accurately, his dad’s car. It was one of those ground based cars with four wheels as opposed to those fancy hover cars that actually floated a foot or so above the ground, but it wasn’t that old and it was in pretty good shape.
“My dad let me borrow the car for tonight,” Gary told me unnecessarily. Then when we got in, he exclaimed, “Oh, these are for you… I forgot to bring them in…” With that, he handed me some roses which made me gasp in surprise…and delight. No one had ever given me flowers before.
“Thank you,” I said, trying not to tear up. I didn’t want to ruin my makeup before the date even began, especially since I didn’t know how to touch it up or fix it.
When we arrived at our destination a short time later, Gary proudly announced, “Here we are.”
I just stared at the restaurant, surprised since it was a nicer one than I was expecting. I looked at Gary, impressed that he’d actually bring me to a place that was kind of expensive. He just gave me a goofy grin, obviously pleased with himself.
Once we were inside and seated, I looked over the menu, nearly drooling over all the good food. However, I had to remind myself that my appetite wasn’t nearly what it had once been and there was no way I’d be able to eat most of this. And then there were the prices, which suddenly made me feel a little guilty.
“What’s wrong?” Gary asked me with a look of concern.
“I’ve never been to a place this nice before,” I admitted, not sure that I deserved to have him spend this kind money on me.
“Never?” Gary asked me with a look of surprise.
I shook my head at that, not wanting to talk about how my dad’s idea of eating out was going to a fast food place. He’d hated wasting money on ‘fancy’ food, and as far as I could remember, the nicest place he’d ever taken me had been Denny’s.
“Then you’re really going to like the food,” Gary told me with a grin. His good mood immediately brought my spirits back up. “You might want to try this one.” He pointed to an item on the menu that was some kind of fancy chicken with risotto. “I had that one when my family came here for my dad’s birthday. It’s really good.”
I took Gary’s recommendation and was glad that I had. The meal was just chicken and rice, but it was done a lot nicer than I was used to and tasted absolutely delicious. Gary kept watching as I ate, obviously happy that I was enjoying the food.
We talked as we ate, though we kept the topics light and avoided any mention of my life before my twist. However, Gary had no problem talking about his own past and told me several stories about the trouble he and Alicia had gotten into, as well telling me about what she’d been like before her twist. In the process, he also gave me enough material to tease them both with should I ever have the urge.
I had a great time, even better than I’d been expecting. By the time we were done eating, I was in such a good mood that I was sure I’d never be able to get the goofy grin off my face. And from the nearly matching grin that Gary possessed, it was obvious that he was having fun as well.
“Thank you,” I told Gary as we began to leave, taking his hand in mind and then giving him a kiss. “This was great…”
Gary blushed at that, but as he was about to talk, something suddenly hit me in the leg hard enough to make me stagger. I looked down, startled to see that it was a little girl of about four years old who was running through the restaurant.
“Careful there,” I bent down and warned the girl with a smile. “You don’t want to accidentally get hurt…”
“Sorry about that,” the girl’s mother said, looking embarrassed. She looked down at the girl and sighed, “Come on Kimberly… What do we say?”
“Sorry,” the girl said, looking like she was more interested in continuing to play than in apologizing.
“It’s no problem,” I said, both to the girl and her mother. Then I took another look at the girl, who was wearing a cute little dress. However, what caught my attention was the large pink bandage on her knee, probably due to falling and scraping herself. “I noticed the band-aid,” I said to the girl’s mom, gesturing down to the girl. “I have a trick that can heal injuries…”
“It’s just a scrape,” the mom said, giving me a curious look as though trying to decide if I was trustworthy or nod. She apparently decided that I was, because she added, “If you could heal her, I’d appreciate.”
“No problem,” I told her as I bent down to touch the girl. “There. All better.”
The mom gave me a curious look, then bent down and removed the band-aid to confirm that I really had healed the scrape. Only then did she give me a broad smile and say, “Thank you.”
“I’m glad I could help,” I told her before waving at the little girl and leaving the restaurant with Gary.
Gary stopped outside the restaurant and stared at me with a strange look that suddenly made me wonder if I had food on my face. I wiped at my mouth and cheeks, only to have Gary start laughing.
“You really are something,” Gary said, his smile and the look in his eyes indicating that this was a good thing.
Then Gary gently put his hands on my shoulders and pulled me close, giving me another kiss. This was more passionate than the one we’d had inside and I could feel sparks shooting through my body. I was definitely getting turned on.
“What now?” I asked curiously.
“Um…I’m not sure,” Gary admitted self-consciously. “I was kind of focused on the dinner and didn’t think about what to do after…”
I just smiled at that and said, “Then I guess we’ll have to figure something out.” I paused and let out a sigh before reminding him, “But it is a school night and I do have a curfew…”
“We can go to my house,” Gary suggested hopefully. “We have time for one movie before you have to be home, and I’ve got a good movie collection…”
“Sounds good to me,” I responded with a grin, taking his hand in mine.
Gary and I were just about to reach where his car was parked, when something suddenly grabbed my hair and yanked me back. My scalp hurt and I let out a scream of pain and surprise.
Then a familiar voice snarled, “I finally found you, you damn cunt.”
A cold chill went through my entire being and I gasped, “Dad…”
Dad used my hair to swing me around and slam me into a nearby car. I let out a gasp of pain as I hit, then I turned around and stared up at him. Dad was wearing rumpled and dirty clothes with unkempt hair and at least a week worth of stubble on his face. Then I was hit with the stink that spoke of not only of his desperate need for a shower, but also of having too much alcohol.
All I could do was stare up at him in terror, remembering what he’d done to me the last time he was like this. I’d always been afraid of my dad, but I was suddenly very aware of the fact that I was smaller than I once was and nowhere near as strong.
“The police are after me because of you,” dad snarled angrily.
Dad picked me up again but Gary yelled, “Leave her alone…” Gary had a look of fear on his face, but also one of anger and determination. Then he repeated, “Leave Serenity alone,” and charged right at my dad, drying to shove him. However, my dad was more than twice his size, which made what he was doing both foolish, and all the more brave because of it.
“Stupid punk,” dad spat out, dropping me and then punching Gary. Gary went flying back, leaving me no doubt that half his face would be badly bruised from that hit. Then dad took several steps towards Gary and exclaimed, “You’re the kid who called the cops on me…”
“Don’t you dare hurt her,” Gary exclaimed, getting back to his feet though he still looked both terrified and determined. He pulled out his cell phone and yelled, “Run Serenity…”
“Rotten little bastard,” dad snarled, knocking the phone out of Gary’s hands and then stomping on it. “I’m gonna teach you a lesson about fucking with me…”
“Leave my boyfriend alone,” I screamed, charging at my dad even though I knew it was stupid and punching him in his back.
Dad snapped around and backhanded me across my cheek, knocking me to the ground. “Boyfriend?” he demanded in shock and anger. “First you turn into a whore and now you’re a fag…”
“I’m a girl,” I blurted out angrily. “How does liking boys make me gay?”
“You turned into a mouthy little bitch,” dad spat out, giving me several swift kicks, one of them hitting my ribs in almost the same place where he’d previously broken them, and another hitting my wrist which snapped painfully. “You’re just like your damn mother…”
“Good,” I responded bitterly. “I’d rather be like her than you.”
Dad had never liked it when anyone contradicted him or talked back, so this only made him angrier…if that was possible. I knew that it wasn’t smart to push these buttons, but I was no longer strong enough to fight and my mouth was the only weapon I had. And honestly, it was either this or curl up into a ball and cry.
Gary suddenly threw himself at my dad again, swinging punch after punch. It was obvious that he didn’t know how to throw a punch and that he stood absolutely no chance against my dad, however…he still tried. I felt an even greater respect for the boy who didn’t stand a chance, yet still gave it everything he could trying to protect me.
“You asshole,” Gary yelled. “I told you to leave Serenity alone…”
Dad snapped around and punched Gary, sending out a spurt of blood from Gary’s nose, which had probably been broken. Then he punched Gary several more times in the stomach while I screamed for him to stop. Moments later, Gary was on the ground, broken and struggling to get up in vain.
By this time, other people had noticed the fight had had come running. One large guy went straight for my dad, grabbing him by the shoulder and angrily trying to pull him away. However, my dad just snarled and punched the guy several times, taking him down as well.
“Mind your own damn business,” dad snarled, turning to glare at the other people who’d come to see what was going on. They all backed up, not wanting to face dad after seeing what he’d done to the large man. However, several of them did yell out that they’d called the police.
Dad glared at Gary again, looking as though he was about to start kicking the helpless boy. I glared at my dad, still terrified though I was also angry. Anger was a familiar emotion, but one that I’d barely felt at all since my twist. It was an emotion that I’d been happy to say goodbye to, but now it all came back, bubbling up inside of me.
“You fucking coward,” I screamed at dad, getting fully back on my feet and trying to ignore all the pain in my body, as well as my nearly useless hand. “Beating up people who are smaller and weaker than you because you don’t have the guts to fight someone your own size…” Of course, I knew that dad would be perfectly happy to fight a larger opponent too, but the insult was enough to get his attention off Gary.
I made an attempt to rush around dad so I could heal Gary, but dad was faster than most people would assume from someone who looks like he did. He grabbed my hair and yanked me back, which was enough to get some of the audience ready to change in again. He slammed me hard into the side of a car, then snarled at the onlookers. And after he took a swing at another of person, they backed off again.
“You’re going to give me the respect I deserve,” dad stated in a menacing tone as he grabbed me again. “Your twist seems to have made you forget everything I ever taught you, so it’s time to give you another lesson.”
With that, dad got a good grip on each of my arms and lifted me up into the air. His fingers dug painfully into my flesh and would leave some good bruises, but I barely felt that when he was putting pressure on my broken wrist. Tears of fear and pain ran down my cheeks, but I refused to give dad the pleasure of having me scream. Instead, I met his eyes and glared at him furiously, refusing to look away.
I tried struggling but knew it wouldn’t do much good, not when dad was so much bigger and stronger than me. I could no more beat him in a fight than a toddler could beat me. However, I had to try. Gary had tried his best so I was damn well going to do so as well.
“A real man,” dad began, as he sometimes started his painful lessons.
Then I suddenly realized that I might be a lot smaller and weaker, but there was one way I could still hurt dad. I swung my leg and kicked him as hard as I could between the legs, feeling a grim amusement as I did so because I knew I wouldn’t have been able to even reach him there if he hadn’t done me the favor of lifting me up. Dad immediately let go of me and dropped to his knees in agony.
“You’re NOT a real man, “I snarled at dad furiously, then kicked him between the legs again. “A real man doesn’t bully people who are smaller than him...he protects them. He protects the people he cares about.” I looked to Gary as I said that, then kicked my dad again.
“You little bitch,” dad gasped through the pain.
I slapped dad across the face as hard as I could, hurting my hand more than I hurt him. “You’re not a real man,” I spat at him in disgust. “You’re just an overgrown toddler who throws a tantrum whenever he can’t get his way. You’re…pathetic. I’m ashamed I ever tried to be like you.”
Then as I stared at my dad, my anger faded. I realized that I was no longer afraid of him as well. I felt disgust and pity…but no fear. After a moment, I suddenly wondered if maybe someone had pushed him to become this…thug. Maybe he’d ended up losing his real self the same way I had until my twist. Or maybe…this was his real self. I couldn’t decide which of those would be worst.
After a few seconds, I turned away from dad and hurried to Gary. I bent down beside him and said, “I’m so sorry…” I braced myself for the pain, then I bent down and kissed him, activating my trick at the same time. All of his pain was added to my own, letting me feel his broken nose, his cracked rib, and the countless bruises. Then his pain faded away, as did a little of my own.
“You called me your boyfriend,” Gary said, giving me a goofy smile that seemed odd after he’d just gotten his ass kicked so badly.
I blushed at that and admitted, “I guess I did…”
“I was going to ask you tonight,” Gary told me, giving me a worried look as he hesitantly reached out to touch my bruised cheek. “I was going to ask you to be my girlfriend. Officially.”
I gasped at that and felt a surge of glee that almost made me forget what had just happened. “Really? Then yes…” I gave him another kiss.
Then I heard the noise from behind me and snapped around to see my dad had gotten back to his feet, still looking like he was in pain, and also glaring at me with a look of pain. Suddenly, he began to shake and collapsed face first to the ground, revealing a woman who’d come up behind him. She was the same woman I’d talked to inside the restaurant, the mother of the little girl. And in her hand, she held the taser she’d just used on my dad.
It was at this point that police cars arrived. “About time,” Gary muttered while I nodded agreement, wondering why they couldn’t have arrived sooner.
Police climbed out of the cars and rushed over, though one person climbed out of the passenger side and surprised me. It was a strawberry blonde girl who was wearing a super hero costume.
“Chloe,” I said in surprise, wincing as I moved and got a surge of pain from my wrist.
“Oh my God,” Chloe exclaimed when she saw me. “Serenity? What happened?”
“Her dad attacked her,” Gary said angrily, glaring to my dad who was starting to move again.
“He did this to you?” the cop who’d been driving Chloe asked with barely contained anger.
Gary nodded and said, “She was even worse before she healed my injuries…”
Chloe’s eyes seemed to go even darker, as did those of the cop beside her. The other cops were starting towards dad, pulling out their handcuffs.
“Even worse,” Chloe muttered, walking over to dad and grabbing him by the ankle. Then she levitated into the air, taking dad with her and dangling him by his ankle. “So you’re the bastard that…”
“Put him down,” the cop told her, though he looked like he would have been happy to watch her go a little higher first. “Gently.”
“Sure,” Chloe said with an almost evil grin. “But first…is there a nasty dumpster around here?”
Gary turned to me and smirked faintly, saying, “Your dad just got his butt kicked by two women…and now he’s being manhandled by a third. This really isn’t very manly of him…is it?”
“Not at all,” I responded with a faint giggle. “This is REALLY going to hurt his pride.” I remembered the ‘lesson’ he’d given me after Chloe had beaten me, so I hoped his pride hurt a LOT.
--------------------
The air was filled with the delicious smelling aroma of freshly made French toast. The scent of cinnamon and nutmeg tickled my nose and the taste lay pleasantly on my tongue. I closed my eyes, savoring the just finished meal and feeling proud about my part in making it.
It wasn’t even noon yet but today was a good day. Of course, the fact that it was Saturday and I’d been able to sleep in had something to do with that, though not everything. After I’d gotten up, mom not only suggested that we make a late brunch together, but she’d also said I should invite Gary and Alicia.
“That was really good,” Alicia said from her seat at the table. “That was better than my mom makes…”
“Yeah,” Gary told me with a grin. “Awesome breakfast.”
I blushed at that, then mumbled, “Thanks.”
Mom stood back, watching with an amused look. Though the two of us had made breakfast together, I was actually the one who’d done all the work while she gave me directions and supervised. I was pretty sure that if it had just been me and the cookbook, the French toast wouldn’t have been nearly as good.
A moment later, I began clearing off the table, which wasn’t easy since I only had one good hand. Dad had broken my wrist the other day, and though it had healed a bit, I still couldn’t put any weight on that hand. That had made it a little difficult to prepare breakfast, but even worse, I couldn’t really practice with my flute.
“Here, let me,” Gary said, snatching the plates out of my hand.
“You cooked so we’ll clean, “Alicia added with a grin.
“They have a point,” mom told me with a chuckle.
I snorted at that, then responded, “You’re just saying that so you can make me do all the cleaning after you make dinner…” Mom just smiled at that, probably because I usually volunteered to clean up after dinner anyway.
Gary and Alicia quickly began cleaning up while mom helped them. Whenever I tried to help, someone would snatch the plate or dish cloth right out of my hand. I ended up standing back and trying to look like I was pouting, though Alicia kept sticking her tongue out at me and making me laugh.
Once the dishes and cleanup were done, we went into the living room and sat down. I would have turned on the TV, but we didn’t have one. Mom had no interest in watching TV, though she had said she’d get me one for my bedroom.
“I forgot something,” Alicia said, getting back up and going back to the kitchen.
“Thanks for the breakfast,” Gary told me, holding my hand and giving me a kiss that made me grin. “It was really good…”
“Thank you,” I told him again, pleased by the compliment. “Mom has been teaching me how to cook.”
“Well, I’m certainly not going to let my daughter live on McDonalds and microwave meals,” mom said in her quiet voice. Then smiled and added, “Before long, we’ll be taking turns cooking dinner…”
I just gave her a mock glare and said, “I knew there was an ulterior motive…”
Suddenly, I heard Alicia cry out, “Ouch,” from the kitchen. I immediately jumped to my feet, just in time for her to come into the living room while holding her hand. Alicia gave me a wry smile and announced, “I accidentally cut myself.”
“Are you okay?” I gasped, rushing to her side and grabbing her hand for a better look. She had nasty cut right through the meat of her palm. It was bleeding pretty badly as well so I immediately used my trick to heal her wound. “There…”
“Thanks,” Alicia said with a nervous smile.
I stared at her for a moment, then at her palm, which was covered with blood but no longer injured. Then I suddenly wondered how she’d cut herself like that when all of our knives had just been put away. Then it hit me.
“You did that on purpose,” I blurted out in realization.
For a brief moment, I wanted to ask why…but I already knew the answer. She’d done it to help me. After all, every time I used my trick to heal someone, I got healed a little as well. And even after I’d helped Gary the other day, I still hadn’t fully recovered. Admittedly, the last of my bruises seemed to have just faded and my wrist did feel a little better.
“Don’t do that again,” I told Alicia. “Please don’t hurt yourself for me.”
“Okay,” Alicia responded, surprising me with a quick hug. “I just wanted you to get better faster.”
Just then, there was a knock from the front door which was immediately followed by our birdsong doorbell. “I’ll get it,” mom told me with an amused look.
Seconds later, Chloe came into the house and gave me a self-conscious smile. “Hey, Serenity. How are you holding up?”
“Fine,” I responded, a little surprised since I didn’t think Chloe even knew where I lived. Then I glanced to Gary and Alicia, neither of whom seemed surprised to see her.
“Lori would have come too, but she had to work,” Chloe told me.
Then I looked at my mom, who was still smiling faintly. Normally, mom wasn’t comfortable with a lot of people around, especially when they started to get noisy and boisterous. And right now, she didn’t seem surprised about Chloe’s presence either.
“Okay,” I said suspiciously as I looked around the room. “What’s going on?”
Alicia reached into her pocket and pulled out a five dollar bill, which she then handed to Gary. He just looked smug and said, “I told you she’d figure it out.”
“It’s a surprise party,” Alicia exclaimed, only to pause and look at my mom with an apologetic look. Then in a quieter voice, she said, “Surprise.”
I was definitely surprised, not to mention confused. “What?” I asked. “Why?”
“You’ve been through so much lately,” mom told me with a gentle smile. “I wanted to show you how much I appreciate having you here, so your friends and I decided to have a party to celebrate your new life.”
For a moment, all I could do was stare at my mom in awe. I knew how difficult it was for her to be around a lot of loud people, that it pushed her nerves and made her feel vulnerable and awkward. So for her to intentionally subject herself to something like this for me, it meant a great deal.
“Thank you,” I told her quietly, giving her a firm hug and feeling the tears start to flow.
“Your father never deserved you,” mom told me firmly, though she was starting to cry as well. “After everything that man did, you still came out of it as a wonderful kind-hearted person. I’m so proud of you Serenity.”
Once mom and I pulled apart, I was a little embarrassed because everyone had been watching. I wiped my tears away and gave mom a self-conscious smile.
“No offense,” Gary told me, taking my hand in his. “But your dad is a real asshole. I’m glad he’s in jail and hope he stays there for a long time after what he did to you.”
“None taken,” I responded. “I kind of hope he stays there too.”
The police had told me that between his most recent attack on me, the one from a couple weeks ago, and the one from a couple months ago, that he’d be locked up for a few years at least. And once he did finally get out, I’d be able to have a restraining order against him.
“About your dad,” Chloe said, looking just a little self-conscious. “Well, you know I work with the police as a junior deputy in training...”
“Yeah,” Gary responded with a nod. “Most kids our age are working in fast food, and you’ve already got an in with the cops…”
“It’s just part of my whole super hero twist,” Chloe said with a self-conscious shrug. “Honestly, they just have me there so they can keep an eye on me. They’re afraid that because of my twist, I might go off on my own and do some super heroing…”
“About her dad,” Alicia said, gesturing to me and trying to get Chloe back on topic.
“Oh yeah,” Chloe said with a chuckle. “Anyway, a lot of the guys at that station weren’t happy with him once they found out what he did, so they’ve been keeping things a little…uncomfortable for him.” Then she gave me an almost evil grin and added, “And Leila came down to the station for a visit, and well…she used her trick on him.”
I blinked at that, then asked, “What is her trick?”
“She can change the color of things and make them pink,” Gary said with a chuckle. “I once saw her turn some guy’s clothes pink after he kept hitting on her.”
“Really?” mom asked quietly, but with a look of amusement. “And this girl turned Dan’s clothes pink?”
“Worse,” Chloe responded with a smirk. “She turned his hair pink.”
Mom and I both burst out laughing at that, and I couldn’t remember ever hearing my mom be so loud. Gary just snickered, saying, “That doesn’t exactly sound all that manly either.”
“The other prisoners are really giving him a hard time about it,” Chloe stated with a grin. “I think his new jailhouse nickname is Pinkie.”
We joked about dad’s situation for a few more minutes, making me feel better because it was hard to think of him as intimidating or threatening when he was locked up in jail with pink hair. I think that was why my friends continued to joke about him.
While we were doing that, mom went into the kitchen and pulled out a cake from where she must have had it hidden. I’d been making brunch in there not long ago, and I hadn’t seen any sign of it.
Then the doorbell began chirping again, making me wonder who it could possibly be since I didn’t know who else could have been invited to this little party. Mom hurried to answer the door, then I heard a familiar voice.
“Hello Gabriella,” Mrs. Fritz greeted mom from the doorway. “How is your daughter doing?”
“Come on in and ask her yourself,” mom responded.
“Oh,” Mrs. Gabriella said as she began to come in. “My grandson recently moved in with me so I brought him along. I hope that isn’t a problem…”
“Not at all,” mom told her.
“Hi Mrs. Fritz,” I greeted her as she came inside, though I felt a little self-conscious about her seeing me this way. I wasn’t sure why since she’d already seen me as a girl.
Then a boy came in right behind Mrs. Fritz and I froze, immediately recognizing him. “Tommy?”
Tommy stared back at me, looking just as surprised as I felt. “Serenity?”
“I take it that you two know each other,” Mrs. Fritz said with a chuckle.
“We go to school together,” Tommy said, suddenly looking uncomfortable. Then he looked at me and admitted, “I didn’t know we were coming to see you. Grandma just said we were visiting a former neighbor…”
“She was the nice boy who used to help me with my groceries all the time,” Mrs. Fritz stated with a smile. Then she looked at me and added, “You were such a nice boy, though you make a very lovely girl.”
“Thank you,” I responded with a blush.
Tommy stared at me for a moment, perhaps surprised to hear Ms. Fritz refer to me as having been a nice boy. Since he knew what I’d been like at school, I was pretty sure he was about to argue that point.
Tommy leaned over and whispered something to Mrs. Fritz, then she gave me a look of surprise. I winced and prepared for the condemnation that was sure to come.
Instead, Mrs. Fritz exclaimed, “So you’re the one. Tommy said a girl at school inspired him to get help…”
“What?” I asked in surprise.
“My youngest daughter had difficulties controlling her twist,” Mrs. Fritz said with a scowl, taking Tommy’s hand in hers and giving it a gentle squeeze. “I had no idea how much until Tommy told me.”
“I didn’t know you were related,” I told her, not sure what I could say to the revelation that this kind old woman’s daughter had physically beat and abused her grandson. I could only imagine how horrible the discovery would have been for someone like Mrs. Fritz.
“I’m grateful to you for your help,” Mrs. Fritz continued, giving me a sad smile. “If you hadn’t talked with Tommy, then things may have continued as they were. At least now, my grandson is safe and my daughter is getting the help she so desperately needs.”
Gary took my hand and then quietly stated, “See, you build up good karma way faster than you ever did the bad.”
I smiled and gave Gary a kiss on the cheek, wanting to do more but not in front of my mom. “Thanks,” I told him quietly.
Tommy stood back, looking awkward and uncomfortable. In fact, he looked like he wanted to just run away and hide, and I couldn’t blame him. It was embarrassing to have everyone know your personal issues.
“Can we eat the cake now?” I asked mom, trying to change the subject. Tommy looked relieved when everyone turned their attention to the cake.
A few minutes later, everyone was eating cake and several people began pulling out small presents for me. I was surprised when mom gave me a necklace, though giddy when Gary gave me a book of sheet music for flutes.
“Thank you,” I exclaimed, giving Gary a hug.
I stared at the book he’d given me, knowing that I’d have to learn sheet music now. My fingers twitched a little as I imagined playing my flute, then I smiled, deciding that my wrist was probably healed enough for me to try playing again. But that could wait until later.
I continued hugging my boyfriend, smiling happily as I did so. Then I looked around at the people who’d come to my party, feeling touched that they’d come here for me. It seemed amazing and wonderful, especially considering the history I had with some of them.
As I sat there, it suddenly struck me just how lucky I was. Ever since mom had told me about karma, I’d feared that I’d never get out from under the bad karma I’d built up in my old life. But now, I was seeing the effects of good karma...sooner than I’d ever expected and more than I’d even believed possible.
My old life seemed like it was a long time ago, yet not nearly long enough. I’d hated that life…and the person I’d been. I’d been trapped as a brutish thug who only saw a dismal and miserable future ahead of me. Then came my twist, and not only was I given a new body, I was also given a new life and a new future.
I tightened my hug on Gary and deepened my contented smile. I absolutely loved my new life and everything that came with it. I loved having friends and being able to help people instead of hurt them. I loved the opportunity to discover who I really was and explore the things that made me happy. But most of all, I just loved the fact that I was finally happy being me.
THE END