As Jane watched a beautiful young girl continue to primp in front of the mirror, she had a realization that heads would turn when they viewed this lovely young girl. She also had a realization of what would be on the minds of some of those heads, and knew she or Marie had to be with Charlotte any time she was out of the house. Unless...

"Charlotte. Charlotte," Jane called to the girl now twirling around and trying to watch herself in the mirror. But Charlotte was lost in her own new world, and never heard her name called. She came out of it soon enough when she heard, "CHARLOTTE!" Charlotte instantly stopped spinning and faced Jane with a huge smile on her face, a smile that disappeared so fast it might not have formed at all. Charlotte was now staring into the face of a slightly angry Jane Thompson, a Jane Thompson who was not used to repeating herself to her girls. In controlled anger Jane said, "Young lady, when I call your name I expect you to respond instantly. And not ignore me or Marie. Do not allow me to call your name twice in a row again, or I assure you, there will be consequences. Do. You. Understand. Me. Young Lady??"

Jane was having a hard time understanding why Charles was merely staring at her instead of hanging his head in shame because of her chewing him out. He hadn't flinched, blinked, or moved in any way as Jane laid down the law. And she wasn't ready for, "I understand, Aunt Jane. And I apologize for upsetting you, it wasn't intentional," from Charles.

Jane schooled her face so Charles wouldn't see the confusion she felt over how Charles responded to her anger just now. She needed to know more about this boy. "Let's sit on the bed, Charlotte. And remember what I said about your dress before sitting down."

Jane let Charlotte move to the bed first, watching as she walked like she'd done this her whole life. And watched as she turned around, pulled the back hem of her dress forward and sat down with her knees together, placing her hands in her lap. Charles was a remarkable fast learner, Jane thought to herself as she walked over to the bed and sat beside Charlotte. Charlotte looked at Jane and could see her forming her thoughts, before she said, "Charles, I find it necessary to learn more about your personal life from you. You've explained some of the things I pointed out, but I need to know more about the training you've had." She held up her hand to stop Charles from speaking, as she continued with, "I need to know because as you've discovered, you present as an extremely attractive young lady. And because of this I'm concerned the attention you'll get when we go out could endanger your life. I need to know what training you've had and can you defend yourself if you were grabbed by some small brained individual."

Jane saw that Charles had dropped his head and seemed to be staring at his fingers, as they moved through what appeared to be a rhythmic pattern. The pattern started to get more complicated and faster, before it stopped with one hand on top of the other with the palms down in his lap. Charles looked up at Jane, before he said, "Aunt Jane, I can give you a general rundown about the training I've had, but I've given my word to my senseis, and others, not to speak of some things I know. The exercise you just saw is a prime example of just one of the things I promised not to talk about. I will tell you this, though. It is a form of self defense."

Charles then spent the next thirty minutes explaining the training he received from Officers Weber and Hansworth and the general training he received at the Dojos he attended. He then explained that because of his aptitude for Martial Arts, his senseis had taken him aside and given him individual training. Training he had been sworn not to reveal. He then answered Jane's other concerns, that yes, he could defend himself if grabbed by some moron who fancied Charlotte for something more than just to look at. And should that happen, that moron would find himself waking up in the hospital.

When Charles became silent Jane asked, "And if you should find yourself facing more than one attacker? Can you defend yourself then?" The expression Charles now had on his face, because of Jane's question, even frightened her. A woman who is never frightened of one of her wards.

When Charles answered her question, it was with a cold and precise voice. "Aunt Jane. Should I find myself attacked by multiple individuals I can defend myself. And when it's over, one or more of the attackers may lay dead on the ground. It is how I was trained to handle multiple individuals."

As Charles watched Jane got up off the bed and began pacing the length of the bedroom. Charles' last statement made her realize the lengths Charles would go to defend himself, and should that occur, he would be found out to be a young man. This could cause major problems for her and Marie, as she and Marie would be questioned by the police and possibly the State Child Protective Services. And likely end up in prison. She continued to pace as she thought over the problem.

As Jane walked back and forth the length of the bedroom, Charles had turned his head one way then the other, as he followed her pacing. It took a few more moments before he realized why she was pacing and asked her, "Are you worried by what I said there at the end? About how I'd handle a group of attackers? Because if you are, and worried what it might do to you, Marie, and your school, I can give you my word not to give the morgue any more work than it already has at the moment."

Jane stopped dead in her tracks because of what Charles just said. She turned and looked at him, then asked, "You can do such a thing? Not kill but protect yourself against multiple individuals?" When Charles nodded his head, Jane then said, "Then give me your word not to kill any attacker, but not necessarily keep them out of the hospital."

As Jane watched, Charles did something rather strange to her. He got up from the bed, walked over to her, crossed his arms over his chest, bowed and told her, "I pledge my word to do as you ask. There will be no deaths, but lessons taught that will be remembered for all time." He then straightened and took his normal ready position. Jane had to blink a few times due to what she just saw and heard. She did recognize it as a formal giving of a person's word, and knew it would not be broken no matter what.

Jane again gave Charlotte an appraising look, before mentally shaking herself and telling Charlotte, "Now, when we leave this room, and until you leave my house, you are to be Charlotte in every way. Your current posture is excellent for a young girl waiting to be heard, waiting to be told what to do, or listening to what she's being told. Francis is doing well at the moment, so you won't need to act out, in some manner, when I nod to you. Let Francis think you're the new girl in my home. Let her tell you what she thinks you need to hear. Question what she tells you, get her to explain the whys and hows. I want her to learn she can talk with you openly when she thinks I'm not listening. I want her to learn how to trust someone, something that's caused her problems in her home life. And if she's having a bad day, and you'll know it when you see it happen, let her talk with you about it. Be there with a shoulder to cry on when she gets really upset."

"We will be going to my study, the room which is used to admonish my girls. When we go in there Francis will believe you are about to get the same lesson she received on several previous occasions. What we are going to do is give you more lessons about being a girl. I'll have you practice walking around the room, so you develop a better feel for how to walk more feminine. I will also have you experience my special chair, so you'll know what Francis and our new girl experience when they are in that room with me. I also want to go over your academic record, so I can plan lessons for you to work on as I do Francis, and like our new girl will be doing. Sometimes those lessons are punishment for an infraction, and sometimes they are actually papers for a particular course they are studying. Now, because you're just starting to wear heels, remember when you descend stairs to step on the ball of your foot as you step down each tread. Coming up the stairs you'll step naturally on the ball of your foot, so that shouldn't cause you any problems. Going up or down the stairs, you will place your hand on the railing in case you lose your balance. And you will continue to use the railing even when you've gained confidence ascending and descending the stairs. And until you do become more confident, don't rush up or down, take your time. More will be explained once we're in the Study. You will follow me down the stairs, I want to be in front of you in case you suddenly stumble and start to fall. So my new girl Charlotte, let's go introduce you to the world, shall we?"

Jane opened the door to Charlotte's bedroom and Charlotte followed Jane out of the room, to the stairs, and descended behind Jane without any difficulties. When they reached the foot of the stairs, Jane pointed and told Charlotte to sit on the bench against the wall until she returned. Charlotte did as she was told, remembering to sweep the back of her dress forward before sitting and to keep her knees together. Just as she sat down, she heard the door to the kitchen squeak open and close, and squeak open and close again before Jane reappeared. Francis was behind Jane now, and all Jane did was point to the bence. Francis sat down next to Charlotte, before Jane said, "I'll call you in a moment, Charlotte. Stay seated on that bench until then."

Again, Charlotte gave Jane that same puzzling look, the one Jane questioned when she first saw it. It wasn't anger, nor arrogance, nor contempt, nor fear. It was actually a blank look, one Jane had yet learned how to read. She'd have to question Charlotte about that look. She did, however, receive an, "Yes Aunt Jane," from Charlotte.

Jane went into the Study, opened two cabinet doors and turned on the monitor that watched the bench area. She turned up the sound and waited. It wasn't long before she heard Francis say to Charlotte, "Aunt Jane must have really been rough on you before you came downstairs."

Jane watched as Charlotte turned her head to look at Francis before asking, "Why do you say that, Francis? It didn't seem Aunt Jane was rough on me. She did tell me the rules, showed me how to do my makeup, though I made several mistakes and had to start over after washing my face. She explained my wardrobe and all of the contents on that chest of drawers. It didn't seem out of the ordinary to me." The look on Francis' face spoke volumes as Charlotte spoke. Francis was confused. She saw Charles arrive at the train station, enter Aunt Jane's house, eat dinner with them, then go upstairs with Aunt Jane. Now all she saw was Charlotte, and no trace of Charles. And Charlotte said she didn't think her time with Aunt Jane in Charlotte's bedroom was out of the ordinary.

Charlotte had seen the hidden camera watching the area where she was sitting; that had been part of some training Charles pledged not to reveal. So once she spoke to Francis, she continued watching Francis and waited until Francis spoke again. And it wasn't long in coming. "How can you say it wasn't out of the ordinary? It was terrible for me! I put on and took off a bra so many times my finger tips started getting raw. Aunt Jane had me putting on a dress and taking it off until my arms ached from stretching further than they could. And when she had me put on my makeup, I washed my face so many times my skin started getting raw. And then there were the high heels, I almost broke my ankle when I first put them on and walked around the room. And then there was me being a boy dressing like a girl, it was embarrassing." Charlotte watched as Francis hung her head and tears fell into her lap. Charlotte glanced at the hidden camera and noticed a red light blink twice before going out. Charlotte then did something while Francis wasn't watching and held out two fingers and wiggled them up and down. The red light on the camera responded with two blinks. She then folded one finger in and wiggled the one finger from side to side, watching as the red light blinked twice. Jane understood one finger for 'no' and two fingers for 'yes.' And she'd use the small red light on the camera to answer.

Charlotte put an arm around Francis and pulled her into a hug, watching the light on the camera as it blinked twice. "Francis, maybe it was embarrassing right then, because unless you'd worn girls' clothing before, it wasn't something you were used to doing. Right?" When Charlotte felt Francis nod her head, she continued with, "But look at you now. All I see when I look at you is a very pretty young lady. I don't see the boy you are underneath. And just think, we're getting to experience something not many boys would get to do, see how the other half lives and how people treat them. And as pretty as you are right now, I'd even guess some boys have looked at you when you're out with Aunt Jane, right?"

When Charlotte told Francis she was a pretty young girl, Francis straightened and looked at Charlotte. "You... you really think I'm pretty? You're... you're not just saying that, are you?"

Charlotte smiled, reached and gently wiped tears off Francis' cheeks, before saying, "No Francis, I'm not just saying that. You do make an extremely pretty young girl. Even if you're a boy underneath." And she winked at Francis, letting Francis know that fact was just between the two of them. Francis suddenly reached over and pulled Charlotte into a hug, which let Charlotte spot another hidden camera, who's red light blinked twice before going dark. Charlotte gave the camera a concealed thumbs-up.

When Francis broke the hug, Charlotte told her, "Oh, you better go and fix your face. If Aunt Jane sees you right now I don't think she'll be happy to see how you look."

The red light on the camera Charlotte had spotted blinked twice and went dark, before both girls heard, "Charlotte," said by Jane from within the Study.

As Charlotte stood up, Francis grabbed her hand and told her, "Charlotte make sure to knock and wait for Aunt Jane to say 'enter' before you go into the Study. And make sure to close the door after you, or she'll get angry with you. And thank you for being here, and being kind to me."

Charlotte smiled at Francis and said, "Thank you for telling me to knock first and about closing the door after me. And Francis, I'll be here for you as long as I'm in this house." The girls squeezed hands, before Charlotte let go and walked to the Study door, where she knocked on the door and entered when Jane said "Enter."

Jane pointed to the single chair in front of her desk and said one word, "Sit." She then went back to studying the papers in front of her on the desk. The chair in front of Jane's desk, in the Study, was an uncomfortable chair, with a straight back, short seat front to back, and lacked any seat cushion. It forced the girl to sit up straight due to its design, and became quite uncomfortable over an extended period of time. When she looked up she expected to see an uncomfortable look on Charlotte's face, not the calm, patient one she saw at the moment. It was that same look which kept puzzling her, and she was going to learn why. Jane gave Charlotte a measured look before asking, "You have me puzzled, Charlotte. The times I expected certain facial expressions on your face, you presented the one I see on your face now. Why? Why do you keep presenting the same neutral facial expression? As long as I've had you sitting in that chair, you should be feeling very uncomfortable right now. But you look no different than when you first sat down. Why? Don't you find that chair uncomfortable?"

As Jane watched, Charlotte dropped her head and her fingers did another elaborate dance before once again lay in her lap, palms down, one hand on top of the other. Charlotte raised her head then said, "Aunt Jane, the neutral look you have seen on my face comes from lessons I've had in the past. Any time I face a situation unfamiliar to me, or someone intent on threatening me, I keep my expression neutral so as not to give away something I may be going to do. Also, if it's a person intent on harming me, or confronting me, a neutral look doesn't look threatening to that person. Without breaking my word, I can tell you no more than that."

When Charlotte finished speaking Jane asked in a gentle voice, "Do you consider me a threat, Charlotte?"

Jane's question touched something within Charlotte, and tears fell from her eyes as she shook her head and said in a choked up voice, "No, Aunt Jane. I consider you my friend." Charlotte then put her head in her hands and wept. Because Charlotte was a special case, Jane broke a rule she'd held since her school started. She got up out of the desk chair, walked around the desk, knelt before Charlotte and pulled the distraught girl into her, letting her cry on her shoulder. In a muffled voice, and between sobs, Charlotte asked, "Why Aunt Jane? Why accuse me for something I haven't done? Why would they believe me when I told the truth?" Few of Jane's other girls had made her want to have a few minutes with those who caused this girl grief. Charlotte was one of those girls. When the new boy arrived, Jane vowed to get the truth out of him by whatever means she had to use. She then mentally kicked herself and amended that thought. By any means short of violence.

When Charlotte had regained her composure, Jane took a tissue and gently wiped the tears off her cheeks. She then got up and returned to her desk chair, looking at the monitor as she did. Francis was wiping her eyes, likely because she'd heard Charlotte crying and knew what that could mean. That was good, it meant Francis had bonded with Charlotte, felt for Charlotte, and they could use this to help Francis more. She turned her attention back to Charlotte and asked her, "Are you feeling better, Charlotte? I think you have something more going on in your life that we might want to explore, if you'll trust me." Charlotte nodded her head and Jane continued with, "But for now, I want you to help me with Francis. She must have heard you crying, which is not a bad thing, if you've been told about boys not crying. She herself was crying, likely thinking about what might be happening in this room. What I'd like to do, if you'll go along with me, as you leave the Study, I'll angrily tell you to go and attend to your face. That I don't tolerate girls with messy faces. I then want you to yell 'fine,' and slam the door as you leave. Of course I'll be even angrier because of how you acted, and will shout for you to return to my Study. Francis will of course act shocked by your actions, making her all that much more worried about you. When you enter the Study, I'll yell at you for not knocking before entering, at which point you'll stomp out of the room, slam the door again, and this time I want you to pound on the door. Francis will hear me angrily tell you to 'enter,' at which point you come into the room, slam the door again, then come and sit in that chair. I'll then start admonishing you loudly so Francis will be able to hear everything I say. When you leave the Study again, I want you to open and close the door softly, but look angry, and mumble to yourself as you stomp up the stairs towards your bedroom, then wash your face and reapply your makeup. Okay? If what I saw on the monitor is correct, Francis will be beside herself with worry about you. That you're already in trouble with me and you just arrived."

A Mona Lisa smile appeared on Charlotte's face before she said, "Understood, Aunt Jane. This should be fun." As Jane watched, Charlotte's face took on a mean, angry look, before she said, "Okay Aunt Jane, I'm ready."

All Jane said in reply was, "Then go." As Charlotte reached the Study door, and placed her hand on the door handle, the minute the door opened, Jane started her rant.

Francis was worried about Charlotte, since she was new and didn't know the rules of the house. She had heard Charlotte crying, which caused her to cry, and was wiping her eyes again when she saw the door to the Study open and heard Jane yell, "I DON'T TOLERATE MY GIRLS HAVING MESSY FACES. GO UP TO YOUR BEDROOM AND SORT YOURSELF OUT. I WILL INSPECT YOU WHEN YOU RETURN."

Then she heard Charlotte yell, "FINE," and stomped out of the Study, slamming the door behind her.

Then Francis heard, "CHARLOTTE! GET BACK IN HERE!"

Francis' hands flew to her face, cringing at what Charlotte had just done and Jane said. She knew Charlotte was in deep trouble now, and feared Aunt Jane might send Charlotte away. She almost screamed, 'NO,' when Charlotte walked directly into the Study without knocking. She then heard Jane scream, "HOW DARE YOU WALK INTO THIS ROOM BEFORE KNOCKING. GET OUT!! AND DO AS YOU WERE TOLD BEFORE ENTERING A ROOM!!" Francis watched, tears streaming from her eyes, as Charlotte stomped out of the Study, again, slammed the door, again, then pound on it as though trying to knock it down. Francis had heard Jane use the next voice only once, and it meant she was beyond angry. "Charlotte Thorton, get your ass in here. And if you slam that door one more time you'll be on the next train back where you came from. DRESSED EXACTLY AS YOU ARE AT THE MOMENT!!"

Francis had been so intent on what Charlotte was doing, she didn't see Marie watching her. She nodded her head, seeing the effect Jane's play with Charlotte was having on Francis. She went back into the kitchen, picked up the phone, dialed two numbers, and when she heard Jane's voice, told her they were having the desired effect on Francis. Francis was worried that Charlotte would be leaving.

The minute Charlotte had closed the door to the Study, Jane put a finger to her lips, signaling Charlotte to remain quiet. As they had planned, Charlotte sat in the chair as Jane continued on. "Young lady, I don't know how people treat other people's homes where you came from, but IN THIS HOUSE, YOU DO NOT SLAM DOORS OR ACT LIKE A PETULANT CHILD. Young ladies in MY house don't throw temper tantrums, or yell at their elders. Young ladies who do find themselves writing very long papers on the subject they failed to learn at an early age. Just as you're going to do. In two weeks, you will hand me a paper of ten thousand words on the proper behavior of young ladies. It WILL be written legibly, you will use correct grammar and spelling. And if I find any mistakes, you will correct it with a fifteen thousand word paper. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR, YOUNG LADY?"

Jane then motioned for Charlotte to speak, loudly. All Francis heard was, "YES, AUNT JANE!"

Then Francis heard from Jane, "Good. Then go fix your face as I told you to do the first time. And remember what I said about slamming doors.!"

As Francis waited, she saw the Study door open then softly close, and Charlotte walking by her mumbling to herself. She looked really angry. Francis caught a bit of what Charlotte was saying as she walked by. "That stupid bitch. How dare she yell at me for slamming a door. Shit, it's only a damn door. Stupid damn paper, who the fuck cares about some stupid paper."

Francis had both hands covering her mouth, a shocked expression on her face. She couldn't help herself, as she said to Charlotte, "Oh, Charlotte. Don't let Aunt Jane catch you talking like that, or it will be worse for you."

Playing the part, as Jane sat watching on the monitor with approval, Charlotte said, "Oh screw the ol' bitch," before going up the stairs in a huff.

Charlotte had played her part exceptionally well, as a worried Francis stood up and began pacing back and forth in front of the bench. Jane smiled to herself as she heard Francis say as she paced, "Oh gawd, she's going to send her away. What can I do to stop it? Oh gawd, what can I do to stop it? I need Charlotte here, I need someone I can talk to. Oh gawd, oh gawd, oh gawd." She then sat down and began to cry, crying over the thought of being alone again. Alone without anyone she could talk to. Jane smiled because Francis was finally thinking of someone other than herself.

Francis was so lost with worry that she didn't hear Charlotte come down the stairs. She did feel herself being pulled up off the bench, arms go around her, and heard, "It's going to be alright, Francis. I'm not going anywhere soon."

In a thick voice she replied with, "I'm worried Aunt Jane will send you away. I've been so lonely, I need you to be here."

Charlotte gently lifted Francis' chin so she could look her in the eye, and told her, "I'll be here for you Francis, just like I said I would. But right now I think you best go fix your face. You heard how upset Aunt Jane gets when she sees her girls with messy faces." She kissed Francis on the forehead, then gently pushed her towards the stairs. Charlotte waited until Francis had gone up the stairs before going to the Study doors, knocked, and waited until said, 'enter.'

As she entered the Study, Jane was beaming, and pointed to the chair in front of the desk. Once Charlotte was seated, Jane said, "Charlotte, that worked exactly as I hoped. You are a wonderful actress. That was a nice touch telling her to go and fix her face, acting the part of a big sister looking out for her younger sister." She then noticed a questioning look on Charlotte's face, and asked, "What bothers you, Charlotte?"

"Aunt Jane, Francis seems to have lived an isolated life. She acts like she's never had a friend, a close friend. Is it out of line for me to ask why?"