Andersonville 26 – Hate crimes

by Kelly Davidson

 

Fade in – Somewhere in the Northwestern United States

Leo knew he was in trouble the moment he came out of the portal. The place where he was supposed to have gone looked nothing like where he was. Instead of being in the Arizona desert, he was in a canyon surrounded by high cliffs and tall pine trees. On one of the rocky bluffs he caught sight of a herd of wild mountain goats walking along a precarious ridge.

"Oh crap," Leo shouted, mostly out of a reaction to the fear he felt. He grabbed his cell phone to call for help, but found he couldn’t get a signal out of the deep canyon. Frustrated and scared, he glanced at his jump meter sitting on the dash to see how much power it had. It would take at least five minutes before he could make another jump. As if Leo didn’t have enough problems, the car he was driving suddenly and mysteriously stalled. The Titan God pulled over to the side of the road and tried starting it again – without any luck.

"OH CRAP," the young god repeated louder, knowing he was in serious trouble. Quickly he looked around but didn’t see anyone. Could it be that he had made a mistake when setting his destination? It was possible, although the Titan God didn’t think so. He was still trying to start the car when a shadow suddenly appeared over him, stopping him in his tracks. Leo swallowed hard, and slowly looked up.

"Hello, Leo!" Mark Merrick said bitterly. "Car problems?"

"Mercury," Leo gasped. He looked around but didn’t see anyone else with him. "How…how are you doing?"

"Better since my meeting with your friends. It took me a long time to set this all up. I was hoping to catch your friend, Lucas – not some small, insignificant weasel like yourself."

"Now lo…look," Leo stuttered as he got out of his car. "Your beef is with…with Lucas, not…me. I didn’t…didn’t touch…you…remember? I didn’t have any…anything to do with what…happened…to you."

"Liar!" Mercury hissed. "I saw you laughing while they tortured me. If it wasn’t for our healing muse, (read AV 18) I wouldn’t be here today."

"I was only laughing to make them think I agreed with them," Leo lied. "I was waiting for my chance to free you. Besides…you’re okay now, and the attacks have ceased. It’s over."

"No quite," the Roman God answered. "There’s still a debt to be paid for what your friends did to Venus and me."

Leo wiped the sweat from his forehead and tried to accept his fate. He knew it was pointless to argue anymore, or try to run. Mercury would be on him in a second if he tried.

"What do you plan to do with me, Mercury? Kill me after you had your revenge?"

Mark Merrick shook his head. "No, I’m not some Titan scum. I’m taking you to Peace River where you’ll stand in front of my father…unless!"

"Unless?" Leo found some hope in the word. "Unless what?"

"I’m a sporting Olympian Leo, so I’m giving you a chance to get away. Give me have your jump box."

Leo handed it over, and Mercury took out the power-crystal. His hand began to glow as he drained all the power from it. When it was empty, he handed both pieces back.

"It’s sunny today," Mark stated while looking at the sky. "If you keep the crystal in the sunlight, it shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes to recharge. All you have to do is avoid being captured until then. If you succeed, you can create another portal and slip away."

"Escape from you?" Leo protested. "There’s no way I can outrun you."

"Yes, I suppose you’re right," Mercury grinned. "Which is why I’m not the person who will be ‘hunting’ you."

"Who will it be?" Leo asked nervously.

"Hello Leo," a soft, feminine voice spoke. Leo spun around and saw Diana with her brother, Apollo, next to her. She was wearing a loose tunic and had a small tube filled with bows slung over her back. In her hand she held a bow.

"You remember Diana, don’t you Leo? She was the one who came to my rescue," Mercury stated impartially. "To thank her for saving my life, I’ll giving her the honor of hunting you down. And just to make it fair, I’m giving you a five-minute head start.

"FIVE MINUTES AGAINST HER, YOUR BEST HUNTER!" Leo complained loudly. "You call that FAIR!"

"You now have 4 minutes and 45 seconds," Mercury frowned.

Leo stopped arguing and ran for the woods. The needles from the pine trees were sharp, and seemed to come out of nowhere and strike him in the face. He kept looking back to see if they were following, and in the process tripped over a rock and twisted his ankle. Leo screamed in pain, then forced himself up and started limping away.

"Time’s up!" Mercury yelled.

The Titan God checked the crystal; it wasn’t even a fourth of the way charged yet. Certainly being in these trees wasn’t helping the process along. His ankle hurt like hell, and Leo sat down on a large rock to rest a moment. He looked around to see if there was a place he could hide and noticed a small hill to his left. If he could get to the top were it was sunny, maybe he could find a place to hide until the crystal charged. At least it would give him the opportunity to see if she was coming. Leo lifted himself up and started climbing. Each step was torture on his swollen ankle – yet with great determination Leo pushed himself on. Just as he reached the top Leo heard a dull ‘thump’, followed by an arrow landing between his feet.

"You’re making this too ‘easy’," Diana laughed while pulling another arrow from her quiver. Leo cursed at what a fool he had been. By climbing this hill, he had made it easier to be seen. He threw himself down the other side, which unfortunately was much steeper than it was going up. The Titan God found himself tumbling uncontrollably to the bottom. Groaning in pain, he stood and looked at himself. There was blood over his arms and hands from numerous cuts, and his ankle was now twice the size it should’ve been. The young Titan tried blocking out the pain as he made his way into a thicket of tall trees. Thinking he was safe for a moment, Leo sat down and rested. Suddenly another arrow struck the ground less than three feet from where he was sitting. That was followed by playful laughter from Diana.

"Oh crap!" Leo sprang to his feet and rushed off as fast as his hurt ankle would allow. He managed to run about a hundred yards before collapsing in exhaustion.

"I have to find a good hiding place," he whispered. He looked around the surrounding area, and spotted a crop of rocks close by. It would be a perfect place to hide. Leo picked himself up and limped as fast as he could down a shallow creek, hoping it would cover his tracks. When he got to the rocks he fell behind them and waited in silence.

For the first five minutes he didn’t hear anything but the sound of the birds calling to each other. Then he heard splashing in the creek that got closer. When the splashing passed by, Leo peeked from behind the rock and saw that it was Apollo walking in the water searching for something. Where in the hell was Diana? A hand touched his shoulder.

"Found you," Diana’s soft, feminine voice whispered. Startled that he hadn’t even heard her sneak up on him, Leo turned and took a swing at her. Diana easily avoided his efforts, and responded by hitting him in the nose with the palm of her hand. Leo fell back stunned and saw stars. Moments later he was lifted to his feet by Apollo. Mercury stood in front of him.

"You failed, Leo," he sneered. "Time to go meet Jupiter."

Mercury opened a portal and the four of them stepped inside.

********************************************

Voice of Linda Anderson - They say to judge someone; you must first walk a mile in their shoes. When I first came here, I regarded this town as a prison. In many ways that's still true, but only if you look at it superficially. Years later, with the benefit of hindsight, I can now see the town for what it is; a last attempt to bring peace between the Titans, the Olympians, and us, the human race. If the town succeeds, the people imprisoned in Peace River will finally be free and there will be peace. If it fails, the resulting war could end the world as we know it. There are some on all sides of this conflict who have their own reasons for seeing the project fail.

These are the stories of the men and women who made a difference during those dark days, and shaped history. It's also about those who had to face their deepest, darkest problems and what they gained from conquering them. It's a place of second chances, hope, and peace. The name of this town is Andersonville.

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Andersonville 26 – Hate crimes

Written by Kelly Davidson 1126

Edited by Geoff, Nelson

This story is dedicated to Laura Darlene Lansberry. A good friend who I’ll miss talking with over the Internet. She lived life to the fullest, and left us all a lot richer for knowing her.

Fade in…

I was standing on the edge of a cliff staring at the lights below. In the distance was the City of Chicago, with its tall, splendid buildings lit brightly in the darkness. How I wished I were there, or anywhere, besides here. Behind me I could hear the two of them getting it on. One was my best friend, Doug; the other was a girl we had picked up in town. She was crying…begging for help as Doug continued to deprogram her. Her first name was Jessie; I didn’t know her last. We had found her stumbling out of one of the gay bars in the town below. Doug, who was able to talk the fur coat off a poor man on a cold, winters night, had convinced her to let us drive her own home. If she hadn’t been in such a drunken stupor she may have thought better of the invitation. Instead she thanked us and got in my truck

As planned, I drove to a deserted location and helped Doug force her out of the truck. At first she screamed for him to stop, but when he didn’t, she resorted to begging. My friend ignored both as he wrestled her to the ground. Then he pulled out a knife, and held the tip to her throat. He told the young girl to stay quiet or else. Slowly, as if opening a package received in the mail, Doug cut off her clothes. She whimpered in fright, but didn’t cry out anymore. I watched and did nothing.

"I’m going to show you what a real man can do," he hissed. "When I get done with you ‘dike’, you won’t be interested in those chicks anymore." He said the word ‘dike’ with distaste, not that I blamed him. I hated gays too. While his tactic may have seemed cruel to anyone else, I saw it as a good thing. Once this lesbian found out how satisfying being with a man could be, she would drop her sinful ways. I prayed silently that God would show her the truth.

When Doug started removing his clothes, I looked away so I wouldn’t have to witness the act. However, that didn’t stop me from hearing the noises they made. From Doug there were sounds of great enjoyment, but from Jessie it was more like torture.

The wind picked up, and I could hear thunder in the distance. A bad storm was coming in, and I could smell the moisture in the air. I just hoped Doug would be done with her before it hit. As I continued to stare out at the lights, Jessie’s painful cries started to have an effect on me. I found myself questioning if we were really doing the right thing. True, it had been our religious leader, Master Komma, who had suggested the plan.

"If raping someone will turn them away from their evil, sinful ways, and bring them back to living a normal life, then it’s justified," he proclaimed during one of his 4-hour lectures. I could tell many of our members thought otherwise, but then they weren’t as devoted to the cause as Doug or I was. Yet in the back of my brain a tiny voice kept telling me what we were doing was wrong. Was it the devil, or my own conscience speaking to me?

I heard Doug grunting loudly as he came, and the girl responded with cries of her own. At first I thought they were cries of passion, but when she started sobbing uncontrollably I knew I was mistaken.

"Shut up, dike!" Doug spoke roughly as he got up. "That’s the way you’re suppose to feel after making it with a good man – emotional." He motioned me over. "Come on Eric, your turn."

I looked at the naked girl lying on the ground crying. Suddenly I felt shame and compassion for her. What had I done?

"Maybe this is a bad idea, Doug," I said.

"Are you kidding me," he replied with sternness in his voice that I hadn’t heard before. "All she needs is one more good ‘push’," he chuckled at the pun, "and she’ll be free of her faggot desires. You’re doing this in the name of God, so go on."

I stared back at my best friend, someone who I considered a brother. We had met at the ‘Word of Enlightenment Ministries’. It was a small but radical religious organization run by our leader, Master Komma. To many of the locals Master Komma was a nutcase, but to his followers, we knew he was someone who had been touched by God. As proof of this, I had witnessed many of our master’s miracles since joining the church three years ago. Once I had accepted his teachings, Doug had been assigned to help me in my growth.

It had been hard at first. I didn’t agree with many of Master Komma’s teachings. He believed the way to heaven was a very narrow path, and any deviation from that path would cause someone to go straight to hell. Therefore, for your own good, it required complete devotion to him and his teachings. Gays were one of the things he regularly talked about as being an abomination in God’s eyes. He would point out the errors of their ways, and talked about how one day they would lead the world to ruin if we didn’t do something about it. Converting gays to become straight was one of those ways.

"Go on," Doug half-encouraged, half-ordered. I looked at the girl again, still crying and trying to cover her private parts. She looked at me with pleading eyes, and it was in those eyes that I could see her suffering. I got down on my knees and tried to touch her hair, but she whimpered and backed away like a frighten animal.

"For crying out loud," Doug yelled. "Just do it so we can get out of here. She’s not going to bite."

I pushed my convictions away and nodded, then moved closer. That’s when I heard a voice yell at me to stop. It was a voice that caused me to jump and take notice.

"Get off her and back away," she spoke sharply. There was such authority to her words that I assumed it was a cop. Quickly I did as I was told. I looked to see who this person was. I was surprised to see not a cop standing there, but an older, yet attractive woman. She had her hair nicely done, and was wearing a stylish dress with expensive high heels. Everything suggested she was a harmless old woman, everything that is except for the expression on her face. I found myself shivering in fear at her stare.

"This doesn’t concern you, ‘old woman’," my friend spat out bravely.

"When it involves a young girl being harmed by two ‘cowards’, then it becomes my concern," she stated coldly.

Doug laughed defiantly at her words. "She’s no girl, she’s a queer! We’re doing Gods work here, ‘old lady’. I suggest you leave while there’s still time." He held the knife toward her in a threatening manner, but she didn’t seem impressed by his actions.

"Come on man, let’s go," I suggested, suddenly becoming very afraid. I could sense danger in her, but didn’t know why. Perhaps it was her calm yet imposing demeanor that bothered me.

"You should listen to your friend," the woman advised Doug with a tight, cold smile.

"We’re not going anywhere you old biddy," Doug snarled. "Who do you think you are anyway, interfering in our business?"

"My name is June Herns, and I’m a judge! Now lay down on the ground, Mr. Doug Cooger and Mr. Eric King, while I call the police."

"Shit Doug, she knows our name," I said in disbelief. "How could she know our names?"

"Shut up," he snapped then glared at the judge. "She’s possessed by the devil, that’s how she knows. I’ll even wager she’s one of those bleeding heart judges who believes in slapping criminals on the wrist, instead of giving them what they so richly deserve. Well, Your Honor, I’m going to make sure you don’t tell anyone else who we are."

Doug moved toward her with his knife out. Suddenly he stopped walking, and a look of fear registered on his face. He threw his knife away as if some invisible person had forced him to, then fell face forward to the ground and snapped his hands out to his sides. The woman glared at him, then turned to me with contempt.

"Your turn," she stated in a threatening manner. "Do you need help getting down?

I turned white with fear, and quickly threw myself to the ground in the same position as my friend. Jessie sat there in a very emotionally state, watching the entire incident unfound. When she saw that we were no longer a threat to her, she quickly stood and ran off crying towards where I had been standing.

"NO!" I yelled to her. The edge of the cliff rose slightly, and in the darkness it was impossible to tell it was there until you were right on top of it. I watched in horror as the scared woman ran to the edge and disappeared from sight. There was a loud scream that tapered off before suddenly stopping. It was a scream I knew I would never get out of my head.

"Oh my God," I said feeling sick. I ignored the judge’s order and stood. I ran over to the cliff and stared down at the darkness below. Somewhere down there laid Jessie. Doug and Judge Herns quickly joined me.

"She’s dead," the judge said with tempered rage.

"How do you know?" I replied in despair. "Maybe she survived the fall."

Judge Herns shook her head. "No, she’s dead – and you two killed her."

"Wait a minute, I didn’t kill anyone!" Doug snapped. "I was trying to save her life before you came along. If she is dead, she’s in hell now!"

Doug looked like he was about to say something else, when suddenly he was twisted around to face the cliff. Slowly he took a step toward the edge. Judge Herns looked at him coldly and in a chilling tone said, "You’re about to join her."

"No…no, please," Doug begged. "I don’t want to jump. PLEASE!"

I stood and watched, scared out of my wits. Doug took another step, and stood inches from the dark abyss.

"Please, he didn’t mean it," I begged. I crawled over to her on my knees and put my hands together like I was praying to her. "Please, let him live. He’s like a brother to me."

"A poor role model," the judge replied in a harsh tone. She looked at my friend as if gauging what to do. Then with one hand she pulled him back from the edge and threw him to the ground.

"What in the HELL ARE YOU?" Doug screamed.

"SILENCE!" she cut him off. "Now listen carefully. You two are in a lot of trouble. I should throw you both off this cliff and be done with it, but fortunately for you I’ve learned that acting on my anger is not the way. For now you’re coming with me until I cool down and think of what your punishment will be for murdering that young woman."

"Murder?" I questioned. "But…but it was an accident. You saw what she did. I even tried to stop…" Judge Herns looked at me sharply, and I immediately shut up. It was obvious now wasn’t the time to explain my actions.

"Both of you will sleep now," she said as if it were an order. "Sleep until I decide what to do."

I found myself growing tried, and fought to keep my eyes open. All my energy seemed to be draining from my body. I watched Doug, who was much weaker from his sexual encounter with Jessie, nod off. I turned back to Judge Herns, who had a small, tight smile on her lips. I tried to say something, but found the world closing in around me. My head touched the ground and everything went dark.

***********************************************

I moaned and stirred slightly on a hard surface. Slowly I opened my eyes and looked to see where I was. I was lying on a hard wooden bench that looked like a church pew. The light coming in from the windows dazzled me, and I had to blink several times before my eyes adjusted. Slowly I rose, and found myself alone in a magnificent courtroom. There was a groan two rows back, and I discovered it was Doug. He sat up slowly, and looked at me with surprise.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"I don’t know," I shook my head. "The last thing I remembered was running into that crazy witch at the bluff." I gasped for a moment. "You don’t suppose…that she changed her mind and threw us off the cliff anyway?"

Doug looked around and thought about it. "It could be," he said slowly. "Master Komma told us that after we die we’re judged by God. Where else would you expect to go on your judgement day but to a courtroom?"

"Then where is everyone?

Doug frowned. "Maybe our deaths were premature, and God wasn’t expecting us."

"So this is…heaven," I said in a daze. "If this courtroom is any indication of what the rest of heaven is like, then it’s beautiful." A lonesome whistle from outside interrupted my admiration for our new surroundings. I rushed over to the window and was shocked at what I saw. "My God Doug, look! I can see a train crossing the road not too far from here…and there’s people and cars outside. They look real."

Doug joined me at the window. Like me, he was surprised to see heaven wasn’t much different from a regular town. Where was the city of lights with its gleaming crystals that Master Komma had told us about?

"Look at the markings on that train engine," I pointed out. "It says Conrail. That used to be a major railroad in the northeast until CSX and Norfolk and Southern merged with it. And people are driving cars. Why would you need a car in heaven? What’s going on Doug?"

"Maybe this isn’t heaven?" he guessed. "Maybe you have to be judged first before you can enter?"

"If that’s so, then who are all these people?"

Doug rubbed his chin as he searched for an answer. "Perhaps they’re people who don’t deserve to go to heaven or hell. This must be a place in between the two – like purgatory."

Somehow his words didn’t convince me. I looked back at the train that was switching some hopper cars at a grain tower, and shook my head. We were dead, I was sure of that, but where in the hell were we?

"You’re in Andersonville," someone announced as if reading my mind. Both of us turned in the direction of the voice, and froze in terror.

"It’s…it’s you," I said in a shaky voice. Judge Herns frowned at the obvious and took a seat at her bench. Somehow she had managed to come in without us hearing her. Then I noticed two other women with her. A young, attractive dark-haired teenager and another with long, blonde hair. Both were wearing pretty skirts that enhanced their femininity.

"Approach the bench," Judge Herns told us firmly. Doug gave me a shrug and we did as she ordered.

"Let’s see, who first?" she stated in a businesslike tone. "Mr. Cooger, we’ll start with you. Do you have anything to say before I pronounce judgement?"

"Judgement!" my friend scoffed. "For what? I didn’t do anything wrong."

"I have a complete report on your life that says otherwise," the judge frowned. "However, rather then spend the whole day going through your past, we’ll stick with the murder of Jessie Ferns."

"But I haven’t been found guilty of anything," he protested.

"On the contrary, you have!" the judge answered firmly. "I was there when Jessie died as a result of the shock and confusion caused by you raping her. If it hadn’t been for you, she would be alive today."

"You caused that to happen by interfering," Doug argued. "If you hadn’t, she would also be alive today. You let her run off that cliff. Why didn’t you use your powers to stop her?"

"I was too busy keeping you in line," she glared. "If you had followed my directions instead of threatening me with a knife, I could have stopped her. On top of that, you made false judgements about her life. For starters, Jessie wasn’t gay."

"That’s bullshit," Doug shot back. "We both saw her coming out of a gay bar. Why else would she be in there?"

"Why indeed," Judge Herns told us with distaste. "Because I’m a equitable judge, I’m going to tell you why. That way both of you will know what fools you really are." The judge emphasized the word, ‘fools’.

"Jessie had a rough beginning. When she was four years old, her father started molesting her. This continued until she was 13, when the county welfare center finally stepped in and placed her in a foster home. Fortunately she never saw her father again, but that wasn’t the end of her troubles because the foster home wasn’t any better. Her foster parent’s son raped Jessie repeatedly late at night.

"Scared and confused, she ran away when she was 17 and ended up in Chicago. There she hooked up with Carrie, someone she had met on the Internet. Her friend, yes, a gay friend, took her in; but unlike her father and that boy in the foster home, Carrie didn’t force herself on Jessie in any way. As long as Jessie kept the apartment clean she was free to stay there until she got her act together. Carrie even took Jessie to the battered women’s shelter for some much-needed counseling.

"Why you ask? Because Carrie had compassion for Jessie, and cared about her as a person in need. Yes, the same people you hated and rejected treated Jessie with more warmth and dignity than the two of you combined could muster. It was only after years of counseling that Jessie was able to start moving on with her life. She ‘wasn’t’ gay, Mr. Coogar. Jessie was having a drink with some friends, who were gay, when you showed up. Her only crime was not being a bigot like you two. All she was trying to do was forget the horrors of her childhood. Then you two showed up…and brought all those horrors back! You’re the reason why she ran away, and ultimately fell to her death!"

"Oh my God," I whispered in horror at what we had done. If what the judge had said was true, then we were guilty of more than just murder.

Judge Herns gave me a swift, stern look, and then turned back to Doug. She narrowed her eyes and pointed her finger at him. "And just so you know Mr. Coogar, if it had been Carrie you picked up and murdered that night, we would still be holding this trial. I judge people by what’s in their heart, not by their words or beliefs. You have a very dark heart, Mr. Coogar!"

"You still can’t find me guilty of a crime," my friend argued vigorously. "First of all, you don’t have the authority. There has to be a trial by my peers. Second, and most important, you’re a witness to this crime that you yourself accuse me of. You can’t be a witness and the judge – it’s illegal."

"Your laws," she stated firmly, "have no meaning in this case. When you’re guilty of a crime, you’re guilty of the crime. And despite what you may be thinking young man, I find rape worse than murder."

‘Worse than murder,’ I thought. Why would she consider rape worse than murder? The poor girl was dead for crying out loud, what could be worse than that?

"This is ridiculous," Doug said in a pointed manner. "I demand to see a lawyer!"

"YOU DEMAND!" Judge Herns bellowed as she stood and stared down at him with angry eyes. "You’re in no position to DEMAND anything. This is my town, my courtroom, and you have been found guilty of your crimes. Now it’s time for the punishment phase."

Slowly the judge raised her hands in front of her, with her palms together as if she were holding something. I looked over and saw that Doug was trying to say something, but while his lips were moving in protest nothing was coming out. When I looked back I saw the judge was whispering something under her breath. That’s when I noticed her hands started glowing, and a blue ball of energy/light rose from them. It hovered a few inches over her hands, then rushed at Doug and hit him squarely in the chest. A frighten look appeared on his face as he tried to protest even more. Then he started to shrink right before my very eyes. As this happened, his face and other features also began to change. His jet-black hair turned blonde, and started getting longer as it grew past his shoulders that were getting narrower. His legs and arms grew thin, as the muscles seemed to melt away. However, that was nothing compared to what was happening to his face. The skin grew softer, and his nose became small and feminine. The eyebrows on his tiny face seemed to rise up and get thinner. Even his eyelashes become darker and longer.

His clothes, which were now several sizes too large and meant for the other gender, started to change. His coat and shirt merged together, and become a bright, yellow and white dress that hung just above his tiny knees. Doug’s pants dropped down and changed into a pair of white socks, with lace around the top. His brown, scuffed boots became a pair of shiny, white shoes that strapped around his ankles. From his size and the way he was dressed, I judged him to be about three years old. When the changes stopped Doug grabbed the edge of his skirt and held it out in bewilderment.

"What…what’s happening?" I whimpered after seeing what she had done to my friend. "What did you do to him?"

Judge Herns gave me an evil smile. "Your friend needs lots of time to grow up. Perhaps starting over as a little girl will help him see things differently." Then she turned her full attention to my friend, who was in too much shock to speak. "From now on until you die, you will be known as Cynthia Ann Zimmer."

"Cyn…Cynthia," he repeated back.

"Or Cindy if you prefer," Judge Herns smiled unpleasantly.

"No!" My friend shook his head and backed away. "No…NO! This can’t be happening. I’m a member of the word of the enlightenment church – THE TRUE BELIEVERS OF GOD’S ALMIGHTLY POWER! In his name and our master’s name, I command you to change me back you DEMON BEAST."

Judge Herns gave him an impassive stare, and motioned for the blonde hair woman to move forward. "This is Dr. Green. She is here to help you accept what has happened and teach you about your new life. You will go with her now, Cynthia."

"No, I won’t. You’re all crazy," my friend shouted like a deranged, little girl.

"Maybe we are," Judge Herns replied calmly, but I could sense bottled-up rage in her tone. "Unfortunately for you my dear, we also have the power to back up our judgements, crazy or sane. In time you’ll get used to wearing pretty dresses and playing with dolls. In time you’ll see the errors of your ways, and hopefully not make them again. But for now you’ll do as we say. You will go with Dr. Green and behave, because if you don’t…I will be very, very angry."

"I won’t," Doug answered rudely with tears in his eyes. He ran to the main doors to try and escape, but found they wouldn’t budge.

"Carol, I suggest you used the office across the hall. I made sure the security system was set up this week."

"Yes, Your Honor," the blonde-hair woman replied crisply. She grabbed hold of my friend around the waist and picked him up. "Come with me, Cynthia. We have a lot to talk about."

Doug kicked and screamed at her to let go, but the doctor held him tightly and carried him out the side door. The room they went into must have been soundproof, because I heard the door slam shut and his screaming ended. I felt a shiver of fear go up my spine at what I had just witnessed.

"It’s your turn, Mr. King," she said with no compassion in her voice. I turned slowly to face her. There was tension on her face that clearly showed she wanted justice for what we had done to Jessie. It was more than I could bear, and I lowered my head in fear and shame.

"LOOK AT ME!" she ordered sternly. I shuffled nervously from one foot to the other, and look back into her eyes…those piercing, accusing eyes. "Do you have anything to say before I pronounce judgement?"

"What am I accused of," I whispered in a scared voice.

"Accomplice to murder," she said in a neutral tone. "I could go on, but that will do."

"I’m…I’m sorry, Your Honor." The guilt of what I had done became too much for me to bear, and tears started to fall down my cheeks. "I’m sorry Judge, I really am. I’m guilty of this crime – I can see that now. Please, have mercy on me. I’m sorry. Please forgive me!"

"I’m not the one you need to ask forgiveness for," she dictated. "And sorry doesn’t bring Jessie Ferns back. There are some things you must live with for the rest of your life. Like your friend, you will be punished for your crime."

"No," I begged softly. "Please, Your Honor…I don’t want to become a little girl! I’ll do better with my life, I promise. I’ll treat people with respect, like I want to be treated. I’ll make amends for what I did. I’ll volunteer my time and money to a woman’s shelter. I’ll do anything you ask…just please; don’t change me into a girl. I couldn’t stand that…it would kill me."

"Like your hate killed Jessie," she said in a pointed fashion. "While your actions displease me a great deal, my judgement doesn’t reflect my anger. What I’m about to do I do for good reasons, Mr. King. This isn’t about punishing you. What good does it do to make an individual unhappy for the rest of their life? No, punishment should be used to improve the person’s life, not take away from it."

"But…but I promise that I’ll do better, Your Honor," I sniffed. I could see it in her eyes – she was going to change me into a girl. I started backing away while she observed me carefully, like a cat watching a trapped mouse.

"Don’t try to run, Mr. King…it’ll only make it worse." Suddenly I found myself frozen in place. I looked down at my feet and tried to move, but they were stuck solidly to the ground. I found my hands glued to my side, and no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t lift them. It felt like someone had a strong grip on my body. When I looked back at the judge, she already had her hands up and was muttering something under her breath. I saw a blue ball of energy rise out of her palms and hover there for a moment. Then like a speeding bullet it moved forward and struck me in the chest. Whatever was holding me in place must had suddenly disappeared, because I found myself moving backwards a few steps even thought I had felt no impact. There was a tingling sensation in my chest that went away after a few seconds.

"You will follow me, Mr. King," she told me.

I placed my hands over my chest but couldn’t feel anything differently. "What’s going on?" I asked a little confused. "Why didn’t anything happen to me?"

Judge Herns ignored my question as she stepped off the bench and motioned me to join her. "Dr. Green will be busy with your friend for a while, and unfortunately we don’t have anyone else who can see you. I’ll take you to a place where you will wait for her. And in case you’re thinking about leaving, the windows and door will be locked. Trust me, Mr. King. There’s no place you can go where I can’t find you, and if I have to go looking for you I won’t be very happy. Do I make myself clear?"

I nodded fearfully that she had. To be honest, I wanted out of that courtroom. If I never went back there again it would be fine with me. Judge Herns led me to a place that was set up similar to a waiting room at a doctor’s office. It was a 15 by 20-foot room with a row of chairs and a rack of books and magazines. She motioned me inside.

"There’s a bathroom over there," she pointed to door in the corner. "Dr. Green will get you when she’s done. DO NOT TRY TO LEAVE young man. If you do, I’ll know." The stern expression on her face indicated she was telling the truth.

"Yes, Your Honor," I answered meekly. She gave me one more glare for good measure and closed the door. I heard it being locked.

"What have I gotten myself into?" I asked myself. I sat down in a chair and put my head in my hands. What had I…no…what had we been thinking that night when we were tormenting Jessie? I was just one more hurtful male in the long string of hurtful males to infest Jessie Ferns life. Doug and I hadn’t been the cure; we had been part of the problem. Suddenly I felt sick to my stomach. I had stood by and cheered while my friend had raped an innocent girl – all in the name of God. It was so clear to me now how wrong I had been, why wasn’t it clear last night?

I stood and walked over to the magazine rack, expecting to see something with the title, "Welcome to Andersonville! Your official magazine to your new life." Instead I was disappointed to find just your usual stuff. I went to the window and stared out at the people walking by. On the outside everything seemed so normal, but from what I had seen I knew this was a very different town.

"Aliens?" I questioned out loud. It was possible. Perhaps we had been whisked off to a secret base on another planet. I look at the mountains in the distance, but they didn’t seem out of the ordinary. Neither did the sun seem brighter or dimmer in the sky. If this was another planet it had to be very similar to earth.

I continued standing there looking out the window at the people going by. Everyone seemed young, healthy, and dressed fairly decently. Was that the norm here? I noticed most of the cars were fairly new, although a few clunkers rumbled by now and then. There was something else different. The town, from what I could see, looked clean. It was almost as if everything was only a few years old.

After about 15 minutes of watching the people and traffic go by, I got bored and sat down. I picked up a sports magazine and started going through it, but found myself too nervous to read. I tossed the magazine on the table and put my head back into my hands. What have I gotten myself into I asked myself once more? There was a knock on the door, and the teenager girl I had seen before in the courtroom came in carrying a small cooler.

"Excuse me Eric, but I thought you might be thirsty. Would you like a pop?"

"Yes, I would," I smiled with relief at her kindness. I dug into the cooler and pulled out a Coke.

"I’m a Pepsi person myself," she grinned. The young lady closed the lid and turned to leave.

"Wait," I said, grabbing her arm. "I don’t even know your name."

"I’m Linda Anderson," she answered, eyeing my hand carefully.

"Thank you, Linda." I gave her a nervous smile and added, "Can you tell…tell me what’s going to happen to me, Linda? I’m so, so…" I couldn’t admit to this young, attractive woman that I was scared to death.

The expression on her face, one of caring and compassion, indicated that she understood what I was going through. "It’s okay, Eric. No one is going to hurt you, I promise. I know what’s going to happen, but I can’t tell you. That’s really Dr. Greens department."

My mouth went dry hearing her words, but I did feel better by her reassurance that I wouldn’t be harmed. "Can you tell me what’s going on here? Where am I – really? And who are those people out there?"

She gave me a sad but understanding nod. "You’ve seen the people outside?"

"Yes," I answered cautiously.

"About 90% of them aren’t real people, they’re computer generated images. The rest are criminals who traded their jails cells for a new life here, all except for a few who came here for other reasons."

"So most of the people here aren’t real?" I was flabbergasted.

"Correct. Except for the fact that their eyes flash, you can’t tell the real people from the computer generated ones. They’re just as human as you and I."

"So where is this place?"

"Somewhere in Montana," she told me. "Sorry, but I’m not allowed to be more specific than that."

"Earth?" I questioned with some relief. "For a moment I thought I was transported somewhere else."

"Nope, you’re still in the United States."

"So what’s the purpose of this town? Why does it exist in the first place?"

Linda frowned slightly. "I don’t know for certain, Eric…and even if I did I couldn’t tell you. There are lots of secrets in Andersonville."

"Well, the fact that Judge Herns’ not human isn’t a secret," I pointed out. "Someone needs to escape and inform our government. Whatever she’s doing, it needs to be stopped."

"First off, there is no way out of Andersonville," Linda explained. "Trust me Eric, I know. If you try to escape you’ll be caught and punished. Second, our government is involved in this project. Where do you think all our residents come from?"

"Well, I thought they came here the same way Doug and I did."

Linda shook her head. "They didn’t. In fact you’re the rarity here. Most are screened very carefully beforehand. Your crime really pissed Judge Herns off, otherwise she would’ve turned you over to the authorities in Chicago."

I looked carefully at the pretty young woman. There was a question burning on my tongue that I had to ask. "What about you…Linda. Are you a criminal, or one of those people who came here on your own?"

She looked down at the ground and frowned. "Both I guess. It’s complicated, Eric. I did something that I was never put on trial for, but I’m just as guilty as those here."

"How long will I be kept here?" I asked, dreading the answer that I already suspected.

"I don’t know, Eric. Most likely for the rest of your life."

‘The rest of my life,’ I thought. I rubbed my hand over my thick beard in serious thought. Andersonville seemed like a nice place to visit, but I definitely didn’t want to live here forever.

"Linda, I don’t want to stay here for the rest of my life. There has to be a loophole that will get me out of here. I didn’t ask to come here, and I would rather spend my life in jail than be forced to live in this town as someone else."

She nodded with a serious expression, as if she understood where I was coming from. "There’s only one way I know of that will get you out of here, Eric. Somewhere along the line they’re going to offer you a contract to sign. You see, they can’t or won’t keep you here without the proper paperwork. Maybe our government won’t allow that to happen, I don’t know. Anyway, if you don’t sign a contract, legally they can’t change you into someone else. That doesn’t mean they won’t, but if you don’t sign a contract it’s the best chance you have of getting out of here. The director overseeing Andersonville is a real stickler when it comes to paperwork."

I nodded my head slowly. "Thank you, Linda. I’m really…I’m really sorry for what happened to Jessie."

She gave me an understanding nod. "I understand, Eric. I don’t condone what you did, but I know how you feel. Like you, I watched someone else commit a crime and did nothing about it. We both should’ve stopped the other person and yet…we approved of the crime at the time. I think Judge Herns understands, and took that into account when she passed judgement on you. Most of Judge Herns’ anger was directed at your friend, she was only slightly pissed at you. Speaking of which, she’s going to come looking for me if I don’t get back to my desk. Talk to you later, Eric."

"Thank you, Linda," I replied. As soon as she left I felt lonely again. Linda had provided me with some answers, but did they really do me any good? I had been brought here against my will, and this Judge Herns didn’t seem too concerned about any contract. I drank my pop and thought about the events that had led me here. I was guilty of the crime, but being punished to live in a town run by a female alien seemed unreasonable.

A knock on the door brought me out of my thoughts. It opened, and Dr. Green stepped in smiling. If I had any ideas of rushing past her they were quenched when I saw the cop behind her.

"Sorry for the long wait," she explained cheerfully. "Your friend wasn’t too happy about her new life, and it took a while."

"You’ll find I won’t be any happier," I replied in a curt fashion. "I want to see the judge."

"Sorry," the doctor smiled sympathetically. "She’s busy right now. I’m afraid you’re stuck with me. This way, Eric."

"Where…where to?" I asked cautiously.

"My office," she beamed, being a little bit too cheerful for my taste. The cop on the other hand eyed me with contempt. It was clear he wasn’t going to let me cause any trouble as long as he was around. I shrugged my shoulders in frustration and followed her upstairs to her office. The cop closed the door after I went inside.

"Have a seat, Eric," Dr. Green told me in a pleasant manner. I did as she ordered, and looked around the room nervously. I had seen the power that the judge had, and wondered if this person had those same abilities. Still, it was hard for me not to like Dr. Green just a little. She seemed like a nice, upbeat lady who cared about how I felt. Not that she was as concern about my life as I was.

"What now?" I asked.

"I want you to play a game with me," she replied, taking a seat across from me. "I want you to start at five, and count to one." I looked at her funny, but the doctor just grinned as if everything was normal.

"Why do you want me to do that?"

"Because I asked nicely," she answered in a cheerful tone. "Don’t worry, no harm will come to you if you follow my order."

"But it will if I don’t?" I shot back suspiciously.

"Calm down, Eric. If we wanted to hurt you we would’ve done so already. Now please, humor me. Count down from five."

Her mannerisms made me nervous, for she seemed to have no fear of me. Slowly I started counting down from five like she asked. When I got to one, all hell broke loosed within my body. A tingling of pins and needles started in my chest and moved throughout my body. To my horror, I started shrinking, not only in height, but also in muscle size. There was a heavy concentration of activity located around my chest and groin, and I could feel a tugging on my hair as it grew several inches and dropped below my shoulders.

My breast started to push out against my shirt, and I watched in horror as they grew. I could feel the skin stretching, as they shot out, yet there wasn’t any pain. Then my butt move on it’s own as my hips shifted out and higher up my body. The area around my groin continued to tingle intensively, and I felt my penis shrinking as more internal changes seemed to be taking place. It was an almost pleasant, tickling effect that was beginning - I hated to admit it - turn me on. My legs grew narrower, as did my arms, and my hands got smaller. Both hands looked so tiny and feminine now, and I gasped hard at the changes being done to me.

The worse part was my clothes. They shifted and were transformed into other garments to meet the new configuration of my body. I felt a bra wrap itself around my new breasts and confine them, as my cotton underwear turned into something silky and clingy. A pair of dark pantyhose that had once been my socks quickly covered my new underwear. My shirt was transformed into a lacy, white slip that stopped several inches above my knees, and my pants moved upward and became a red skirt and white blouse. It certainly was the perfect outfit to show off my new, unwanted figure. I watched in shock as my old tennis shoes turned into a pair of red, high heels. All this took place in a manner of seconds, and thoroughly dazed me.

I felt a final tugging my manhood that wasn't painful, but caused me to cry out. It was gone – somehow I knew that without looking. The tingling stopped as if a switch had been thrown, and I sat there in a semi-state of shock.

"Take a deep breath," Dr. Green said. "It’ll make you feel better."

"No…no," I kept repeating. I didn’t want to be a girl. What had that crazy judge condemned me to?

"It’s okay, Erica," Dr. Green tried to reassure me. "It’s all over now. You won’t have to go through that again."

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" I screamed, lunging toward her. "What did you DO TO ME?" But before I could reach the good doctor someone grabbed my arms and pushed me back into my chair. It turned out to be a man; a very big, muscular man with a sneer that showed he meant business. He hadn’t been there moments ago, so where had he come from? Then I noticed his eyes flashing menacing at me.

"Don’t try that again," Dr. Green warned me sternly.

I broke. Tears formed in my eyes, and I placed my head in my hands and started bawling uncontrollably. The man let go of me, and his grasp was replaced by the warm and gentle touch of Dr. Green.

"Shhh, it’s okay," she told me. "It’s not the end of the world, Erica. This is the beginning of a new and wonderful life."

"No, no, no," I said over and over again. "I don’t want to be a girl. Please change me back."

Dr. Green must have had lots of practice in these types of situation, because she let me cry and get all my emotions out. I found myself turning to her for comfort, even burying myself into her arms, despite my mistrust and hatred toward her. I felt better being held in her arms. I bawled like a baby, pushing out all those feelings that I suddenly found inside me. Shock, horror, guilt, and then surprisingly…relief. Where in the hell was my relief coming from? I wasn’t happy about what they had done to me!

"It’s going to be okay," Dr. Green reassured me after I was done. "You’re going to get past this and accept what has happened."

"No, I don’t want to," I whimpered. "I don’t want to stay here."

"I’m sorry, but you don’t have a choice anymore," she explained. "Eric King is gone now. From this day on you’ll be known as Erica Hawk."

"STOP IT!" I screamed, and found myself crying again. I didn’t want to hear about my new life anymore. I wanted my old life back – I wanted to be me again.

"It’s okay," Dr. Green cooed. She patted me on the back, and ran her hand through my hair in a smoothing manner. I suddenly became turned on by her actions – and cursed myself for being seduced by the enemy.

"Leave me alone," I told her. I pushed her away, and found myself examining her lovely, feminine face. A wave of sexual feelings rushed through my body, and images of Dr. Green standing there naked filled my brain. I wanted her.

"What’s wrong, Erica?" Dr. Green asked in a puzzled tone. She must have noticed I was looking at her funny.

"You know what’s wrong," I yelled. My feelings for her were so strong I could almost feel my hands touching her warm, smooth body. I bet she was a tiger in bed.

"No, I don’t," she shook her head. "Let me get you some water, and then we can talk."

As she walked over to the sink to get me a drink I followed her movements. I wanted her – badly, despite my new equipment. What the hell was going on here? I had been given a female body, but not the emotions that went along with it. She returned with my water and handed the glass to me. I took a sip and continued to stare at her with lust. The doctor picked up a book from the table next to her and handed it to me.

"This is your new life," she told me. I took the book, which was several hundred pages long, and sat it on my lap. "In it you’ll find all the information and history about yourself to fit in here."

"I’m not interested," I told her sternly.

"As I said Erica, it doesn’t matter," she insisted. "You won’t be able to leave Andersonville ever again, so you might as well make the best of it."

"And if I don’t?" I threatened, suddenly finding a new surge of strength to resist my sexual feelings for her.

"I’m afraid the judge won’t be very happy if you cause any trouble," she explained. "Judge Herns can be your friend, or your enemy. Those who get on her bad side can find life most unpleasant here."

"Yeah, I bet," I snapped rudely. "You can’t keep me here."

"That remains to be seen," she nodded knowingly. "Speaking of which, I have something I need you to sign." She handed me a piece of paper.

"What’s this?" I asked, known full well what it was.

"A contract," Dr. Green replied. "I need you to sign it, so we can care for you."

"And if I don’t?" I challenged. "You can’t keep me here unless I sign it, isn’t that correct."

"Well, technically that’s true," she admitted.

"That means you’ll have to change me back!" I smirked, playing my trump card.

"No," Dr. Green shook her head sadly.

"What do you mean ‘NO’? Without a contract, you can’t touch me. Linda Anderson even told me so."

"I don’t know what Linda told you, Erica," Dr. Green explained with a serious expression edged on her pretty face, "but she’s wrong. The only thing this contract does is allow us to provide you with a new life here. By signing it, you’re agreeing to let us set you up with a new identity, job, and place to live. Your transformation has nothing to do with this contract."

"I don’t believe you," I snared.

"It’s true, Erica. I wouldn’t lie to you about this."

"So what the HELL does that mean to me?"

"It means young lady, that if you don’t sign this contract you don’t get to stay here. It means we’ll have to release you into the real world as you currently are. It means that while you won’t remember how you became a girl, you will remember who you once were. I suppose you may be able to convince some of your church members that something happened to you – but judging by the actions of your church leader, it’s unlikely they would accept you back into their fold. Anyone else you tell will assume you’re crazy and lock you up. How do you feel about a group of doctors trying to convince you that you’re really a young woman? So you see, whatever you do Judge Herns won’t change you back. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if she made you younger before releasing you, so you’d have to start all over again."

"You’re lying," I said crossly. "Judge Herns can’t possible be planning to force me to live as a girl for the rest of my life even if I don’t agree to stay here."

"What’s to stop her?" Dr. Green responded in a matter of fact tone. I thought about it; she had a point. I resorted to begging.

"Look, all I want is to be changed back into my old body. Do that and I swear I’ll leave this place and never come back here again. I promise I’ll change my ways, and help out women anyway I can."

"I’m sorry, Erica, but I don’t have the power to change you back. If I could I would, but only Judge Herns can do that."

"I want to see her," I insisted.

The doctor shook her head. "No you don’t…at least not right now. It’s going to take a least a day for her to cool down. Look, I’ll make a deal with you, Erica. For now go along with your new life. Behave, and give the judge a chance to calm down. Do that for me, and I’ll set up a time for you to meet with her tomorrow. Then you can present your case to her."

"And what happens if she turns me down?" I asked.

"Then I guess we’ll be back at square one," she shrugged. "Look, you’ve got nothing to lose by doing as I requested."

"Yeah? Well maybe I don’t and maybe I do. If I behave and act the part like you suggest, that may be the proof you need to show the judge that I can fit in here, and then she’ll turn down my request."

Dr. Green shook her head. "I have no stake in this what so ever, Erica. Believe me, the last thing I need is a client who doesn’t want to stay here. But just so you know, I have no sympathies for your current state. Your actions caused a young woman to lose her life and for what? Your bigotry? If there’s anyone I feel sorry for, it’s Jessie Ferns."

"Point taken, doctor," I expressed sadly. "Okay, I’ll take you up on your offer. What do I do now?"

"I want you to go home and study this book. Inside you’ll find everything you need to know about your current life. We’ve already made arrangements for you to miss school today.

"SCHOOL!" I choked out. "How old am I?" I suddenly realized that I didn’t even know what I looked like, let alone how old I was.

"You can read about your bio on page one," she replied. "I’ll have Officer Scott drive you home. Tomorrow you’ll report to school as planned. After classes you’ll come here. I’ll set up the appointment with Judge Herns that afternoon."

"You promise?"

"I do," she nodded.

I stood and handed her back the contract she had given me. "Okay, I’ll go along with this…until tomorrow."

"Good," Dr. Green smiled. She opened the door and told the cop to drive me home.

********************************************

The first thing I did when I got home was find my room. That didn’t turn out to be a problem. There was a sign on the door that read ‘Erica’s room’ in big, bold letters, followed by words, ‘enter at your own risk’. I peered inside and spotted a queen-size, canopy bed near the corner. A pink and white comforter with ruffles along the sides covered it. Other things revealed it was a girl’s room, like the dolls on the shelves and dresser…and the vanity table with makeup strewn about. I swallowed hard, and walked into the room...my room.

There was a full-length mirror on the back of the door. I didn’t know how I knew, but I did. Taking a few deep breaths, I slowly closed the door. The image of a young, teenager girl with a shock expression on her face appeared. As I raised my hand and touched my cheek, the girl in the reflection did the same thing. She had long, black hair that was straight and hung several inches past her shoulders. Her face, it was an attractive face, had a small, feminine nose, long dark eyelashes, and lips that looked like they were meant to be kissed. I moved my hands over my breast, which were big and firm, and down my narrow waist and past my hips. I felt a shiver of sexual excitement run through my body as I watched the girl checking herself out. It was a definite turn-on. Then I caught myself. I was the girl turning me on. ME – now a young, sexy girl but with my male emotions still intact. I flung the door open to hide the image, but when I turned I found myself looking in the mirror on the vanity table.

"Shit," I swore. I picked up a towel and covered it so I wouldn’t have to see the dazed look of the girl that I have become. I sat down on the bed and thought about what to do next.

"The first thing I need to do is get out of this damn dress," I told myself. I swore Judge Herns had made me wear this skirt because it was so damn short and uncomfortable. I started rooting through my drawers until I came across an oversize T-shirt with the words ‘Andersonville Track Team’ and a pair of gray sweat pants. I unzipped the skirt and let it fall to the floor, followed by the white blouse, the lacy half-slip, and the dark pantyhose. I suddenly felt better standing there in just my bra and panties.

"How can women stand wearing this crap ten hours a day?" I asked myself. I slipped into the shirt and sweat pants and plopped down on the bed. I opened up the book Dr. Green had given me and started reading. Despite the fact it was suppose to be an aid for my acceptance into their town, I found it interesting. I learned I was 17 years old and in the 11^th grade. I had a younger brother who was 15 and another who was 13. While I was just an average student, I was something of a star on the Andersonville track team. In fact the trophies on my shelves indicated that I was one of their best runners. I smiled, because as a boy in school I had also been a good runner. I least I wasn’t a cheerleader, or on the girls dance team.

I read on, learning about my parents, my history, and my friends. Much to my surprise, I wasn’t dating anyone. My history showed I had dated one guy for about a month but broke it off. One guy! Hell, I was a hot looking chick. Why didn’t I have more boyfriends? Then I caught myself. What was wrong with me? Not having a boyfriend was a good thing! Suddenly I became confused over the situation. Why did not having a boyfriend bother me so much?

The sound of the front door opening and closing caught my attention. I looked at the clock and was surprise to see it was late afternoon. I placed the book down and walked into the kitchen, where I found my youngest brother looking in the refrigerator for something to eat.

"Um, hi," I said.

He looked at me strangely and replied, "Hi back." I noticed the pupils of his eyes flashed weirdly at me. He turned back to the refrigerator, completely ignoring me.

"Um, what are you looking for?" I asked.

"What’s it to you, sissy?" he shot back.

I felt my ears start to burn. "What did you call me?"

"What?" he replied curtly, reappearing from the refrigerator with an apple in his hand."

"I asked, "What did you call me?"

"Sissy," he commented as if it were no big deal. "What’s your problem?"

I was about to say something, then remembered reading that this was the nickname my brother Michael, or Mike as he preferred, had given me when he was just learning how to talk. "Um, nothing," I replied. "Did you have fun at school today?"

He rolled his eyes in a disgusted fashion. "When is school ever fun, Sissy? You’re starting to get weird on us."

With those parting words, my brother picked up his books and walked past me while biting into his apple. I stood there for a moment, then turned and watched him go into his room. I was going to follow but stopped, deciding it would be better if I didn’t. Suddenly I felt so alone in this house, and wanted desperately to call someone.

‘Why not?’ I thought. ‘On one of the pages in my book there was a listing of friends. I could call one of them and then…and then what?’ I found myself asking. What would I do? Get on the phone and talk to them about makeup, clothes, and maybe even boys? I realized that I really didn’t want to just chat; I wanted to talk to someone about what had happened to me. The problem was I didn’t know out of all my friends who I could trust. I sat down at the kitchen table and stared out the window feeling so out of place.

Almost a half-hour of sulking later I heard a car pull up outside, and the sound of two doors closing. I walked into the living room to see who it was. A teenage boy came through the door holding a bag of groceries. Behind him followed a middle-aged woman, also carrying a bag. I noticed she had short, black hair that was femininely styled and curled just above her shoulders. She was also trim and attractive, and wore a dark blue skirt suit with a light, blue blouse.

"Hi honey," she smiled, while handing the bag over to me. Out of reaction I took it from her. "Put this on the counter while I get the rest."

I did as she asked, not really knowing what else to do. I followed my brother into the kitchen and placed my bag next to his.

"You can put the stuff away," he ordered. "I had to bring it in."

"Wait a minute, that’s not fair," I protested. "I had to help carry them in too."

He snorted. "Only from the front door. I carried it all the way in from the car. Besides, I have things to do."

"And I don’t," I snapped sarcastically.

"You said it, not me," he smiled triumphantly.

"Now listen here…"

"What’s going on?" my mother questioned while carrying in another bag of groceries.

"I have homework to do," my brother replied. "I asked Erica to help you put the groceries away and she threw a fit. She thinks everyone else should do all the work while she acts like a queen."

"That’s a lie," I snapped, but my mother would have none of it.

"Enough, you two," she said, putting her hands between us. "Steve, go do your homework. I need to talk to your sister in private."

Erica’s in trouble," he mocked with joy. "While you’re bawling her out mom, why don’t you tell her to hang her pantyhose somewhere else besides the shower rod. I’m getting tired of having to take them down every time I take a shower."

"Girls have different needs," she explained swiftly. "Go on, I’ll deal with it."

My brother flashed me a "you’re in trouble now" grin and left the room. My mother reached into a bag and pulled out a chicken breast. "Put this in the refrigerator, will you, Erica."

I did as she asked, and when I turned back I noticed she was staring at me with a slight smile.

"What…what is it?" I asked.

"Don’t you notice anything different about me?" Suddenly I did.

"Your eyes," I gasped. "They’re normal…like mine. Oh thank God. You don’t know how…how isolated I was feeling."

She nodded. "I understand, Erica. Dr. Green called and told me you would be staying here, which is why I came home early. Until now I was the only real person in this family."

"Who are you?"

"You mean, who was I?" she grinned, while handing me a loaf of bread to put away.

"Yes, that’s what I meant," I answered, taking the bread and then realizing I didn’t know what to do with it.

"Put it in the bread box behind you," she smiled. "I see you haven’t used your learning powers yet."

"My powers?"

"Yes, your powers. If you stop and think about a question you have, the answer usually comes to you. It’s actually pretty neat."

"Um, I’ll take your word for it," I replied. "Now getting back to my question, who are you?"

"Why, I’m your mother," she grinned sheepishly while putting some canned goods away.

"That’s not what I meant."

"I know, but it’s all you’re going to get from me, Erica. You see dear, unlike you, I like my life here. It’s…comfortable."

"Comfortable," I sneered. "So they got to you like they’re trying to get to me."

"No one got to me," she answered in a disapproving manner. "This is a new start for me, and I’m happy about it."

"Having some stranger, who’s not even real, stick you between the legs," I said crudely. "How in the hell could you be happy about that?"

My mother jerked me around with incredible strength and made me face her. "Don’t you ever talk to me like that again young lady! I won’t put up with it. In prison we have a rule; you respect your elders. Forget the fact that I’m supposed to be your mother – I’ve been here longer which means I know all the ins and outs of this place. You can disagree with me, but don’t you EVER disrespect me like that again. Understand?"

I nodded my head nervously as she glared at me with hardened eyes. Then they softened, and she released her grip. My new mother turned back to a bag and started putting more stuff away. "I’m sorry, Erica. I didn’t mean to come down on you like that. It’s just that, you have no idea what kind of hell I went through in my previous life. I can’t even talk about some of the stuff that happened to me with Dr. Green. This is my second chance at life, and I’m happy how it turned out. Please don’t do anything to ruin it for me."

"I won’t…mom," I promised a little flustered. Calling her mom seemed to break the ice, because she stopped putting the groceries away and gave me a big hug.

"It’s okay, Erica, I know you’re scared. Just remember; you’re not alone here. If you want to talk to me about your past life we can, as long as it’s in private. When there are other people around, I want you to act like my daughter – especially in front of your father and brothers. We have a close-knit family here, and I want you to be a part of it. I know we can be close Erica, if you give this a chance."

"I’ll…I’ll try," I told my mother, who hugged me even tighter.

"Good," she whispered. "Now, lets finish putting these groceries away and start making dinner. Your father should be home soon."

We made hamburgers that night and sat down to eat as a family. As we ate my father talked about his day at water department. I found it a little boring to listen to. My brothers were just as annoying at the dinner table as when I first met them. They discussed sports, girls, and other ‘macho’ things while ignoring me completely. That suited me just fine. I didn’t want to talk to them anyway.

Later on that night, alone in my room, I reflected on my true feelings about my new mother. They were mixed. On one hand I wanted desperately to be changed back into my old self, and my mother seemed to be here to convince me otherwise. On the other hand she was real, not only as a person but also concerning her happiness about being here. There wasn’t anyplace she would rather be than right here, raising her family like any other mother. She cared about us – her children.

Of course, I had no idea what she was like before coming here, since she refused to discuss that with me. Perhaps she had been an old lady who had wasted her life in jail, and wished for something better. Or maybe she was some gay man who was now getting his ultimate wish, being loved by a man each night? Somehow I didn’t think she had been gay though. Gay men were happy being male, and the thought of changing genders was just as repulsive to them as it was to me. Then again, after the shock had worn off, I wasn’t really as repulsed by my new life as I had been. Yes, I still wanted to be changed back into a man, but now I wasn’t so depressed about who I was. I was part of a normal, loving family, something that had been lacking in my life when I was growing up.

I went to bed and fell into a fitful sleep. I found myself reliving the night that Jessie had died. In my dream I was on the edge of the cliff next to her. As she started to fall I grabbed for her, but she was just out of my reach. I watched her fall into the darkness – horrible fear registering on her pretty face at the realization she was about to die a painful death. Her scream echoed in my mind. Suddenly I woke to the sound of my alarm clock going off. I hit the snooze button and laid there thinking about Jessie, and what an injustice we – ‘I’ – had done to her. Maybe Judge Herns was right. Maybe I did belong here. I wondered if Doug was feeling the same way.

The alarm went off again, and I rose slowly and got ready for school. After my shower I proceeded to put on my underwear. There was a knock on my door, which turned out to be my mother.

"How are you doing?" she asked with a tad of concern. "Do you need any help getting ready?"

"I think I’m okay," I told her. "It’s just that…well, my makeup and all. I know how to do it…it’s the forcing myself to put it on that’s the problem. It feels so wrong with me being…a man."

She smiled, and put her hand against my cheek. "It’s okay, Erica, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. You should’ve seen me my first few days. It took me a month to finally wear a dress on my own. Gosh, what a mess I was. When I look back at that time now, I think about how silly I was being."

"So you were a man?"

My mother frowned, then nodded. "I didn’t want you to find out because I was afraid it would affect our relationship."

"Look, no offense…but how could you accept this? I mean…you’re still a man inside."

"No, you’re wrong, Erica. Inside I’m not a man or woman, but a person. Look, gender…gender doesn’t mean anything to me now. Everything I wanted in life and thought I could never have has come true. Yes, I’m a woman because of it, but so what? After a while you realize they can’t change who you are inside. I still get to express myself the way I want to, I simply do it in a more feminine style. In many ways, it’s easier to live like this. I have the life I missed yet desired, which makes me incredibly happy."

"You really think this life is worth losing your gender over?" I pressed.

She sighed. "For me, yes. For you Erica, only you can decide. If you want to try and accept who you are, I’ll do what I can to help. There will be hurtles, setbacks, and even times when you’ll hate being a girl…but in the end you’ll find being a man or woman doesn’t matter if you’re happy."

"What if I don’t want to accept this new life?"

"Then I can’t help you," she replied. "I can’t make the judge change you back, and I certainly don’t have the power to do it myself. I’ll support you as much as I can, but there isn’t anything I can do to ease your pain if you decide this is not who you want be."

I sat next to my mother in a slight daze. She seemed like such a nice person, someone I could relate too and trust. I thought about Master Komma at the compound. I trusted him too, but it was a different type of trust. I would do things to please him and win his approval. My mother on the other hand didn’t require any test of loyalty to win her acceptance. I was her child, and that was all she needed. It was a better, more gratifying type of security and trust.

"I better get ready," I said. She smiled, and kissed me on the forehead before leaving. I watched her go, feeling secure for the first time in years.

***************************************

School – what can I say about it? I didn’t enjoy it much the first time around and I wasn’t having much fun the second time either. Classes were boring, especially since I had a hard time following the lectures our teachers gave us. There was history, something I did all right in a few years back, but now found that I had forgotten most of the dates. English – yeah right, I sucked in English. Worse, we had a ten-page report due at the end of the week and I was pretty sure that I, or rather the person I was supposed to be, hadn’t even started yet. The only good news that morning was PE. It gave me a chance to put away my books for an hour and exercise my body, even if it did have boobs now. It was like a breath of fresh air. Slowly I entered into the girl’s dressing room, not knowing what to expect.

"Hi Erica," a beautiful blonde bombshell said to me. She was a temp, and was dressed in a pair of red panties and a white bra that did little to hide her huge breasts. I found myself getting nervous as that familiar, sexual feeling started generating around my vagina.

"Um, hi," I replied, looking at her carefully as she slipped into a pair of tight, red shorts. If I remembered my reading from last night, her name was Amber Clark, a close classmate of mine.

"What’s wrong," she asked, a little concerned as I stood there staring at her.

"Nothing, nothing." I took a seat next to her and started untying my shoes. Suddenly I felt very uncomfortable. I looked around, and spotted other girls in various stages of getting dressed. The blonde, sensing there was a problem, sat down next to me and put her hand on my leg.

"Are you sure everything’s okay, Erica?" she asked with deep concern. "You don’t look very well. Your face looks flush. Is it that time of the month?"

"What?" I replied in confusion, and then realized what she was asking. "No, I don’t think so." I found her touches sexually arousing, especially since she was sitting there without her shirt on. The fact that she was concern about me only added to my discomfort.

"Then what is it?" she asked in a voice as sweet as honey. I turned away from her eyes, and found myself examining her large, lovely breasts.

"What are you staring at?" she accused in a stern tone, her caring and concern demeanor turning to that of anger.

"Noth…nothing," I stuttered. Suddenly I found myself the center of attention as the other girls stopped what they were doing to see what the commotion was about.

"You were staring at my tits…why?" Amber demanded to know.

"No…I wasn’t," I tried denying, but did a poor job of it. "I’m…I’m just not feeling like myself today." I grabbed my book bag and made a beeline for the door, only to have it blocked by another blonde-hair lady who was our gym teacher. She was tall and well built, wearing a pair of red shorts and a white T-shirt with the words; ‘Andersonville Athletic Dept’ printed across her chest.

"What’s going on girls?" she asked.

"Erica was gawking at my chest," Amber said loudly so everyone could hear. She stared at me hatefully, and with her T-shirt drawn over her breast added, "I think she’s one of ‘those people’."

The words ‘those people’ had a negative spin to it. I suddenly found myself feeling guilty for being different from the others.

"It was an…accident," I said. "I wasn’t really looking."

Our gym teacher, Mrs. Barber, looked at me carefully with her brown eyes, and for the first time I realized she wasn’t a temp. She frowned and said, "Why don’t you wait for me in my office while I take care of this, Erica."

"Take care of what?" I asked, suddenly getting very defensive. "I didn’t do anything wrong!"

Mrs. Barber stared at me in a stern manner. "Still, I think it would be better if you waited in my office. I’ll be there in ten minutes."

"But…"

"Go," she ordered more forcefully. I turned and looked at the girls in the locker room, all of them staring at me as if I was the plague. They hated me…for being different from them. They all hated me. I found tears forming in my eyes at their rejection, and rushed out the door. Mrs. Barber’s office was on the right, but instead of going in I started running down the hallway toward the exit. I ran to my car and got inside. I couldn’t take it anymore…I had to get out of here. Regardless of whether I was a male or female now, I had to get out of this town before I went crazy.

I drove toward downtown and took a side street that I thought would lead me away. About a mile down the road it dead-ended into a park. I turned the car around and tried another street, only to find it went nowhere as well. I found myself twisting and turning through a large neighborhood with average American homes on both sides. I discovered it was a big circle, and all the roads lead back to downtown. In my frustration, I took another road and drove as far as I could until it dead-ended at the start of some woods. I got out of the car and ran down a small, dirt path. About 15 minutes later it came to a large, beautiful lake – and on the other side I could make out the buildings that made up the town of Anderson. I had gone in a big circle somehow.

Defeated, I sat down against a tree and started crying. I felt more lost then ever before – including the time when my parents kicked me out of the house and told me to never come back. My real father had died when I was ten, and my mother later married a man who controlled every aspect of her life, right down to who she could be friends with and who she couldn’t. I could never understand why my mother would allow someone to have so much power over her.

Worse, I was just at the age where I was starting to become independent, and this didn’t sit well with my stepfather who was a major control freak. As I got older, things between us became worse as I disagreed with him on several issues. When he told me to be home at eleven, I would stay out until one. If he grounded me for it, I would sneak out of the house when he wasn’t watching. By the time I turned 18 my stepfather had had enough. He told me to leave home and never come back. My mother, my very own mother, said nothing as I packed my bags. Not once did she protest his decision, and I knew where I stood with her. I didn’t even bother saying goodbye to her as I walked out the door that final time.

For the next six months I wandered around the country, sleeping in my car and begging, sometimes working for meals. One night I saw a flyer offering a free meal to anyone who showed up at this church. Broke and starving, I had been seriously considering robbing a convenience store. Faced with the prospect of becoming a criminal, which in my heart I really didn’t want to become, or spending a few hours listening to someone spout off about their religion, I chose the latter. That night I met Doug, and he turned my life around. I thought it was for the better, but now I saw how wrong I had been.

"You should be in school," someone told me harshly. The voice startled me, for I hadn’t heard anyone coming up the path. I turned and saw Judge Herns standing there looking very stern and angry. Something inside me snapped, and I started crying again. It was crazy, because I wanted to yell and curse, and demand that she changed me back…and yet all I could do was cry and hope that she would comfort me somehow. Her comfort – hell, I should hate her guts for what she did to me. But the only thing I could think of was how I had squandered my life. So many wrong decisions and wasted moments.

The judge, upon seeing my mood, sighed and sat down on the log next to me. I continued to sob as she watched with strong, yet compassionate eyes. She pulled out a hankie from her purse and handed it to me.

"Dry your eyes and blow your nose," she ordered. I took the hankie and did as she commanded. When I tried to hand it back she refused. "Keep it. You may need it later."

"Why?" I sniffed. "Why did you make me different from the others?"

"What do you mean?" she asked with a thin smile. I knew right then that she understood what I was talking about.

"I mean why do girls still turn me on?" I demanded to know. "It’s like my body’s changed, but my mind hasn’t."

"And that’s a bad thing?" she questioned.

"I want to be normal!" I sprouted.

"What’s normal?" she asked in a serious manner.

"You know what normal is! Normal, at least with this body, is that I should like guys, not girls. Even the huskiest guys at school do nothing for me. But let me see a girl half undressed and it’s all I can do to control myself. You deliberately left me with these feelings, didn’t you?"

"Let me get this straight," she said slowly and clearly. "You think of yourself as a man trapped in a woman’s body, yet you’re mad at me because I didn’t give you the feelings that would make you feel attracted to men…which if I understand you correctly, ‘would’ make you gay. Am I missing something here?"

I had to admit she had a point. If I wanted to be attractive to guys, wouldn’t that make me a homosexual? Yet by being a girl who was attracted to girls, everyone saw me as being gay. Either way, by my own definition, I was gay.

"Look, you know what I mean. People here, they…they think I’m different when I’m not."

"Sort of like Jessie Ferns, huh," the judge pointed out strongly. "I guess you could say she felt the same way…being scared of having an intimate relationship with a man, while at the same time hanging around known lesbians who she felt comfortable with. People labeled her without knowing the truth."

"I’m sorry," I answered with tears in my eyes. "Yes, yes, yes, you’re right, I did label her unfairly. I’m sorry for what I did. I was wrong…okay? This is different. I can’t help the way I feel toward other girls. If I’m going to be stuck in this body for the rest of my life, I want to be normal like everyone else."

"Again, what’s normal?" she asked as if it were a rhetorical question. "Is it sitting around with a group of women exchanging recipes and giggling your head off? Is it wearing fancy dresses and high heels, and going to the prom with the star quarterback of the football team? Or is being normal something that comes from within? If you’re not happy with these feelings Erica, perhaps you could try having sex with a man. What was it your friend suggested for Jessie Ferns…just ‘one good push’ to put you on the straight and narrow path of true womanhood.

"You know that won’t work for me?" I protested.

"Why not? You believed it would for Jessie Ferns. One night with a good man and she would be straight as an arrow…RIGHT?"

I hung my head in defeat. In a broken tone I replied, "I said I was sorry. I was wrong to judge Jessie based on some sexual acts. What more do you want me to do?"

She grabbed my chin and made me face her. "You still don’t get it, do you…you foolish child. Sex is sex, but love is love and they’re not the same thing. Love is not about the pleasure you feel from a biological act…and sex is just an express of your love for someone. Love for a person is constant; it’s not about what happens between the sheets when the moods hits. Any FOOL can have sex…but what do they get out of the relationship, REALLY, if that’s all it’s based on? With true love, sex will take a back seat in any relationship. Don’t you see what you’re doing? You’re not condemning someone for the sex they had, but for the love they feel for each other. Straight or gay, love is real and it must be respected."

"I’m…I’m not that strong," I whimpered. "Even if I wanted to, I don’t think I could stand people treating me like a second class citizen."

"I’m sure Jessie and her friends felt the same way," Judge Herns replied mockingly.

"You…you hate me, don’t you," I said on the verge of crying again. "You told me that punishment should be used to improve the person’s life, not take away from it…but you really don’t mean that, do you? You want me to suffer for something I regret very deeply!"

I saw her mouth twitch, and a small smile appeared. "No, Erica, I don’t want you to suffer. What I want you to do is learn from your mistakes. I wanted you to feel the pain that you inflicted on others, so when the situation comes up again you’ll do the right thing. It’s a very simple lesson, Erica. If you want people to respect you, then you must be respectful of others."

"Are you go…going to let me leave?"

She shook her head. "No, Erica. I’m not changing you back nor will I let you leave, and least not for a while. While you may regret many things, Jessie Ferns is still dead. Keeping you here will help you adjust to your new life and make you, in time, a better person."

"How long?" I asked.

She looked at me carefully. "I can’t put a time limit on this…but at least five years.

"What gives you that right?" I questioned.

She frowned and shook her head. "Nothing gives me that right. What I should do is turn you and your friend over to the police. With my testimony, I could make sure you both get life for committing a hate crime, which we both know is the truth. You singled Jessie out because you thought she was gay. Is that what you want Erica…to spend the rest of your life behind bars? What I offer is a chance for you to grow and redeem yourself for your past mistakes. That’s my offer, Erica…and it’s the best offer anyone’s going to give you."

"What about today…and how I feel toward other women?"

"What happened today will be forgotten, I’ll see to that. As for your sexual preferences, for now I’ll take them away. You can think about what you want to do and let me know. However, be careful with your decision, because once you decide I won’t change you back. Frankly, I don’t care what you decide, just as long as it makes you happy."

"Who are you?" I asked in a whisper.

The judge looked surprised by my question, but gave me a small, compassionate grin. "Someone who wants to see you succeed, my child. Someone who wants to know they made a difference in your life. Who I really am I can’t reveal to you yet. Besides, it’s not important. Come now, I’ll drive you back to school."

She helped me to my feet, and together we strolled back to my car.

***********************************************

"Hi Dennis," I grinned when the director stepped into my office.

"Hello Linda," he answered with his own, warm smile. "Is Judge Herns in?"

"No, I’m afraid she’s out." I noticed Dennis seemed frustrated. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Maybe," he answered. "I’ve was told Judge Herns brought two new people in last night."

"Who told you that?"

"That doesn’t matter," he brushed me off politely. "Do you have their files handy?"

"Right here, Dennis?" I handed him both folders. "I was just getting ready to file them."

"Thank you, Linda." Dennis flipped through the contents and a look of displeasure appeared. "Where are the contracts that they signed?"

"Well, there aren’t any," I explained. "They haven’t signed one yet."

"What do you mean they haven’t signed one…that’s standard procedure," he almost exploded. "Are you telling me Judge Herns changed these two individual’s into other people against their will?"

"Well, umm, I don’t really know," I answered uncomfortably.

He frowned. "Yes you do Linda…and you just answered my question. When will Judge Herns be back?"

"It should be soon. She had to step out and meet with someone for about half an hour."

"I’ll wait for her in her office then," he stated thoroughly disgusted.

"Dennis, I don’t understand. You weren’t bothered by the other person she handled."

"Other person? WHAT OTHER PERSON?" he shouted.

His sudden anger caused me to wilt a little. I sat there silently…afraid to say anything that might make him become even angrier. Dennis seemed to recognize the position I was in, for he calmed down and approached me differently.

"I’m sorry, Linda," he said in a softer tone. "I didn’t mean to kill the messenger. What other person are you talking about?"

"It happened over a year ago," I explained. "Do you remember the Baxter case?" (Andersonville 3)

"Wasn’t he the person whose little girl was murdered by a child molester? I thought we had a contract with him?"

"We do, but not with the person who murdered his daughter. They were both apprehended in a bar just as Mr. Baxter was getting ready to shoot him. I emailed you the file."

"I read it, but it didn’t include that information," he replied. "Someone must have manipulated the file you sent to me – that’s always good to know. Who was this other person?"

"His name was Greg Saunders."

"And where is he now?"

"Well, in the park," I replied nervously. "He’s…he’s a tree."

"A WHAT?" Dennis asked in disbelief.

"A…a tree," I repeated. "A sugar maple if I’m not mistaken." I suddenly found myself wondering what difference that made.

"Do you have a file on, Mr. Saunders?" I nodded that we did. "Get it for me please. I want to look at it before I talk to Judge Herns."

I did as he ordered, dreading the meeting that they would be having and hoping I wouldn’t have to be there.

**********************************************

"I’m back, Linda," Judge Herns announced. She was smiling, but that faded when she saw my concern. "What’s wrong?"

"It’s Dennis…he’s in your office, June. He knows about the two people you brought in yesterday…and Mr. Saunders."

"Does he," she frowned, and then smiled to relieve my fears. "It’s okay, Linda, I’ll take care of it. Is there anything else?" I shook my head. "Hold my calls."

Judge Herns stepped into her office and found Dennis sitting behind her desk reading the report on Mr. Saunders. He wore a deep frown. The judge closed the door and took a seat in front of him. "Find anything of interest?" she smiled.

Dennis snorted and threw the file of Greg Saunders down in front of her. "What’s the meaning of this, Juno?"

"I don’t think I need to answer that question, Dennis," she replied in a calm but cold manner. "The file on Mr. Saunders speaks for itself."

"You need to turn him back," he stated.

"You must be kidding!" June snapped back. "You read the file, you know who he is."

"That doesn’t make any difference."

"Twelve little girls raped by him."

"That doesn’t make any difference," Dennis repeated.

"One of them murdered!"

"That doesn’t make any difference."

"The HELL IT DOESN’T," Juno exploded. "What if this were ‘your’ daughter, Rhea? Would you like to talk to the father of the murder victim and tell him that her death ‘doesn’t matter’?"

"I’m not questioning that Mr. Saunders deserves this punishment, Juno. It’s the way he was convicted that’s in question; as are the other two you brought here. I have a contract with the government concerning the rules of our operations here. They could shut us down for this?"

"That’s RIDICULOUS!" June yelled. "What SANE GOVERNMENT would argue these three had any rights, especially that monster, Mr. Saunders. A dozen children Rhea – what the hell would you have done in my place?"

"The same, Juno," Dennis agreed, then added, "maybe I would’ve given him a worst punishment under ‘other’ circumstances. But that doesn’t change anything. The rules and laws they put down for us to follow bind us. If you think the trust between your people and mine is bad, you should see what I have to deal with every day with the humans. Some of them are just looking for a reason to shut this place down, especially after the fiasco with Chris Barnes (Andersonville 23). We can’t afford to give our critics another weapon, Juno. You have to release them…all of them."

"I can’t do that," June replied. The judge stood abruptly and walked over to the window.

"Juno, this isn’t a request."

"Fine…then I won’t," she answered while peering out at the town. "Maybe your serum can change the two I brought in yesterday back to their original self’s, but I doubt you’ll have much success with Mr. Saunders."

Dennis crossed his arms in frustration. This was a very serious matter and he needed her cooperation. He didn’t like the idea of releasing Mr. Saunders any more than she did, but it had to be done. Secrets like this didn’t remain secret for very long.

"I know why this bothers you," he said, moving behind her.

"Do you?" she asked sarcastically

"Yes, I do. You can’t let this become personal, Juno."

"Have you ever been raped, Rhea?"

Dennis shook his head. "No, I haven’t. In fact, Jupiter made sure none of your people touched me."

"Cronus didn’t stop them – in fact he encouraged it."

"I know Juno, I know. It sickens me that he did so. But that was long ago, and your ex-husband is still punishing those who did that to you. Andersonville is business – you can’t let your personal feelings cloud your judgment."

"That’s easy for you to say, Rhea. Every time I run across someone like that, I want to punish them. I want them to feel the pain and violation they made others feel! I want them to SUFFER for their crimes! I want to make their punishment so HORRIBLE that they wouldn’t consider doing it again! Why is that so wrong?"

Dennis shook his head slowly and sighed. "I don’t know, Juno. All I know is that many humans disagree with those methods. All crimes are horrible in some fashion. Our job is to rehabilitate those who agree to come here, not make them suffer. One day those here will be released into the real world, hopefully as better people. People like Mr. Saunders don’t belong here, Juno – we both know that."

"If I release Mr. Saunders, he’ll go back to his old ways," she stated bitterly. "How many more children will suffer – and die – to make the humans who monitor Andersonville happy? It goes against every fiber in my body, Rhea. I can’t let him walk out of here."

"I’m sorry Juno, but we don’t have a choice. If our critics find out what you did – right or wrong, they’ll argue that you’re out of control. They’ll force the issue of closing Andersonville down once and for all – and they made just get the backing to do it. Then where does that leave your people and mine? I’m sorry, Juno, but you have to let them go."

June stared out the window in anger – knowing Dennis was right even if she couldn’t bring herself to admitting it. How could the ones involved in this project be so blinded by values and rights that shouldn’t be applied to those who didn’t deserve it? Why were the victims of their crimes treated as second-class citizens, and not the criminals?

"I’ll take care of it tonight, after sunset," she whispered. "I don’t want anyone to see me changing him back."

"Agreed," Dennis said. "I’m sorry, Juno. I don’t want them released any more than you do, but it has to be done. If the humans monitoring Andersonville were more open, I would tell them what you did and why. But I know they would only use it against me."

"Yes, I know," June answered in deep thought. "I need to go, Dennis. I have to see Mary Patterson and explain to her why her daughter’s killer is being set free. How do you justify to someone that it’s for political reasons?"

"I don’t know, Juno," Dennis replied. "It’s a screwed up world sometimes."

*********************************************

June Herns stood at the door of the homely, two-story house that Mary Patterson lived in. The Judge remembered the first time she met Mary, who was then Paul Baxter. The young man had made a mess of his life trying to track down his daughter’s killer. Juno had tried to stay objective and uninvolved with the case, but she couldn’t – not after what she knew about Mr. Saunders victims. Paul had been a victim too; only he had been partially responsible for his situation. When he had asked to stay and be given a new life, Juno couldn’t turn him down. Since coming to Andersonville Judge Herns knew he was happy, even if he was a woman now.

The Judge knocked, and a young boy answered the door. "Hello," he smiled.

"Hello," June responded with her own smile. "Is your mommy in?"

"Who is it, dear," a female voice called out. An attractive woman dressed in a green blouse and pair of blue jeans that complimented her feminine body appeared. When she saw who it was she smiled brightly.

"June, how are you?" The two women hugged, and Mary invited her inside.

"I’m fine, Mary," Judge Herns replied as she stepped into the living room. "How have you been doing?" Juno didn’t need to ask. Mary was one of the people she kept track of.

"Couldn’t be better," Mary smiled. "Leslie’s walking and talking now. She’s taking a nap right at the moment. Would you like to see her?"

"Maybe later. Can we talk someplace privately?"

"Sure," Mary answered; suddenly realizing that Judge Herns wasn’t there for a social call. "Let’s go into my husband’s office."

June followed her into a small room that could’ve served as a bedroom if the situation arose. She knew Mary had been playing around with the idea of having a baby once her husband was transformed into a real person. However, finding someone compatible wasn’t always easy, and June wanted to make sure it would work out. Mary closed the door and asked, "What’s up?"

"Mary…I don’t know how to say this," June started off. "It’s about Mr. Saunders."

"What about him?" she frowned with contempt for his name.

"This is hard…I have to let him go."

"What!" Mary cried. "Why?"

"It’s…complicated," June answered in a dejected tone. "I don’t want to do it…but if I don’t the people who fund Andersonville will try to shut us down. I’m sorry."

Mary took a seat and stared at a picture of her family on the wall. In the beginning she had regularly visited Mr. Saunders to remind her of what he had done. Lately, the visit’s had become less often, as she embraced her new family…and new life.

"Mary," Judge Herns said softly, "I’m willing to let you out of your contract if that’s what you want. You can return to being Paul Baxter again…and I would help you get back on your feet."

"Return to being Paul?" she questioned with tears in her eyes. "Oh June, if only you knew how insulting an offer that was. I could never go back to being him. I love my life as Mary Patterson. I have someone who loves me deeply, kids to care for, and good friends. I…I could never leave here."

June nodded. "I’m glad, Mary. I just didn’t know how you would feel about my news. I was afraid you would think I had lied to you."

The young woman gave her friend a serious stare and shook her head. "June, you’ve given me so much. I don’t understand all this, but things have changed for me since then. When we first met, revenge for my daughter’s death was the most important thing in my life. Now, with three kids to raise, they’re the most important things in my life. If keeping Mr. Saunders in Andersonville is going to risk what I have now, I can’t allow that. Do what you must, I just ask one, small favor."

"What is it, Mary?"

"I want to be there when you turn him back. I have to face him one more time."

Judge Herns examined her friend carefully. "It could be very painful for you."

Mary nodded. "Yes, it most likely will be. But I have to put a period on this once and for all. Do you understand?"

"I do, Mary – you’re a very brave lady. Meet me at the courthouse at 9:30 tonight. We’ll go there together."

"Thank you, June."

************************************************

Dennis and Sergeant Williams were removing the dirt from around the roots of the tree. Nearby Judge Herns, Mary Patterson, and Linda Anderson stood watching the process. Mr. Saunders was almost 15 feet tall now, with branches that spread out in every direction. There were even a couple of bird’s nests lodged in his branches. Finally Dennis told the officer that was good enough, and they both stepped away.

"I’m sorry," Dennis said to both Judge Herns and Mary Patterson, then gave his full attention to the young woman. "If there were any other way, Mrs. Patterson, I wouldn’t let him go. He deserves this."

"It’s okay, Mr. Butz. June told me you had no choice in the matter."

"Do you want to say anything before she continues."

Mary shook her head. "Everything I wanted to say to him has been said. I…I just want this to be over."

"I understand," Dennis replied. He nodded at June, who stepped forward and faced the tree. She put her hands together, and started muttering something under her breath. A ball of light/energy rose from her hand, and went forward striking the tree. The power spread, and for a moment the entire tree glowed. Then it started shrinking – and shifting into a new form…the form of a man. When the transformation was complete, the young man let out a sharp cry and fell to the ground. He rolled himself up into a tight ball, and lay there whimpering like a whipped puppy. Dennis motioned for Dave to pick him up. The officer grabbed his arm and yanked him to his feet. When Mr. Saunders saw the judge he cried out and crapped his pants. A look of disgust appeared on Sergeant Williams face as he pulled him from the hole.

"Horrible…pain…horrible!" he kept repeating. Everyone there could see his mind was gone.

"Take him to Dr. Green and see if she can help him," Dennis ordered. Mary watched as the officer hauled Mr. Saunders away. Tears formed in her eyes, and she turned to Judge Herns who embraced her.

"It still hurts!" she cried. "What he did to me still hurts! I thought this would end my pain, but it still fucking hurts!"

"I know, Mary, I know," June said softly while patting her on the back. "I’m afraid that pain will never go away. It’ll always be there below the surface. I’ll be there for you when you need me…do you hear me Mary? We’ll get through this pain together. You don’t need to carry this burden alone."

Mary rubbed her face in Juno’s chest and sobbed even louder. Judge Herns glared at Dennis, who simply turned and walked away.

*****************************************************

I sat in the courtroom wondering what was going on. A police officer had come to my house and told me I was to go with him. My mother became worried, but the officer told her I wasn’t in any trouble. I tried several times to find out what this was all about, but the cop refused to tell me anything.

A few rows behind me sat Doug, with his arms cross in a pouting manner. I tried talking to him, but the officer guarding him told me to sit there and be quiet. Another man was brought into the courtroom, more like dragged in by a cop and well-dressed gentleman in a suit. He whimpered and cried like a small child, and was pretty incoherent with his speech. The cop sat him down in front. Moments later Judge Herns entered the room with her teenage assistant. She told the cops to leave except for the one guarding the mentally disturbed man. Then she motioned for Doug and me to stand in front of her. We both looked at each other, wondering what else she was going to do to us. We approached the bench, and the judge looked down at us with piercing eyes.

"I’m giving you one last chance to sign the contracts you were offered," she stated firmly.

"This is illegal," Doug shouted before I had a chance to say anything. Clearly he thought he spoke for both of us. "I demand that you release us!"

"I don’t like your tone," the judge hissed, and held out her hand. She started pinching her fingers together, and I watched as Doug grabbed his throat and gasped for air. "I would think you would’ve learned by now, Miss Zimmer."

"Judge," the well-dressed man interrupted. "We need to move forward here."

Judge Herns rewarded him with a glare as if she were offended that he had interrupted her proceedings. "I’m getting to it, Dennis," she snapped. Then she lowered her hand, and Doug started breathing again.

"You’re being released," she told us. "You’ll be turned back into your old, miserable self’s, and returned to where we found you."

My heart quickened, and I couldn’t hide the joy I felt. She was letting us go as our old self’s. Then the next words she said made me feel like I had been suckered punched.

"You will be made to forgot your time here, so you can never tell anyone about what happened to you.

‘NO!’ I almost shouted, and my mood quickly changed to one of despair. Yes, I wanted to be me again and leave this place, but I didn’t want to forget what I had learned.

"Wait!" I cried. "What about all the things you taught me, Your Honor?"

Judge Herns stared at me sternly. "They will all be forgotten, Mr. King. Since you won’t remember your time here, you won’t remember our talk or what you learned about your true self."

I stood there with my mouth opened. There were many things I had learned about myself that I didn’t like. Now with a new outlook of what I would do to change, I would be made to forget them? I tried telling myself it didn’t matter since I wouldn’t remember the guilt of my crimes, but deep down inside I knew it did matter. I didn’t want to live my life the way I had been living.

Doug came over and slapped his little, girlish hand on my back. "Did you hear that Eric, we’re free! Didn’t I tell you I would get you out of this."

"Get your hand off me!" I told him firmly.

"What?" he squeaked in a little girl’s voice.

"I said get your hand off me, Doug. If it weren’t for you I wouldn’t be here right now. Now I’m wondering what happens if I do go back? This week it was rape and murder, what’s next? Will I end up in jail or worse – dead because of you!

"What do you mean ‘if you go back’?" he questioned suspiciously.

"I mean if I don’t sign that contract she’s offering us." Then I looked at the judge with questioning eyes. "If…if you’ll still willing to let me stay that is."

"You realize that if you do, you’ll remain as Erica Hawk for the rest of your life," she explained firmly. "You wouldn’t be able to leave Andersonville unless we allow it, and that might never happen. You’ll also have to behave as a lady and not cause trouble, otherwise you’ll be punished for it."

"I understand, Your Honor."

Doug glared at me as if I was nuts. "What the HELL do you think you’re doing, Eric?"

"I’m doing what I’ve should’ve done a long time ago, Doug. I’m standing up to you and saying ‘no’. I’m taking charge of my life. I don’t want to go back to who I once was, and I don’t understand why you would either."

"You mean that you would rather stay here as a girl, locked up like a criminal, instead of living in the real world as a man?" he asked dumbfounded.

"I AM A CRIMINAL!" I screamed. "I helped you murder someone, Doug. I feel like I should be locked away for the rest of my life. Instead I’m being offered a way to redeem myself – we both are."

"Only as girls," he said like a curse. "What about Master Komma? Are you simply going to abandon his teachings? What about his love for you? After everything he’s done for…"

"I don’t care about that fool," I cut him off. "It was his teachings that caused us to be here in the first place. Besides, being Erica isn’t so bad…I could even grow to like being a woman. Maybe for the first time in my life I’ll like myself for who I am. I never did like the old me."

"You queer!" he snapped, and then went on a rampage. "I treated you like my own brother! I took you in when no one else wanted you! Now I find that all this time you were really some homo-fag with a secret desire to wear women’s clothes and pretend you’re a girl. You’re a pervert!"

"NO!" I shouted and got his face. "You’re the PERVERT, with all your lies and hate disguised as love. It’s you who are the blight on this world, not me. Jessie is dead because of us, and for what? She wasn’t gay; she was misunderstood. Your – no, OUR intolerance to let other people live their life is what’s wrong with this world. That’s what killed Jessie – our intolerance. Even if their lifestyle is wrong in some way, our actions are far worse. I would rather be Erica than return to being that weak, hateful, narrow-minded bigot I once was. I WOULD RATHER DIE!"

For the first time since I had known Doug he looked shaken. What I had told him was my words, my thoughts…and to be honest I felt good about it. I finally felt like I was the one in control of my life, and not someone else.

"I’ll sign that contract now, Your Honor," I said. I noticed the tight, approving smile at my request.

"Go with Mr. Butz," she said. "He’ll take care of the paperwork." I started to leave, and then she added, "Welcome to Andersonville, Miss Hawk."

"Thank you, Judge." I looked back at the little girl who used to be my best friend. She was standing there with her fists tight, and looking in disbelief at what I was doing. I thought about trying to explain to him one more time, but knew it was wasted energy. Doug was beyond reasoning. I gave him one long last look, shook my head in sadness, and left the courtroom.

***************************************************

Doug woke up behind the wheel of a car. At first he was confused – how did he get here? Then he remembered. That crazy bitch judge had transformed him from a little girl back into his former self. He checked the rear-view mirror to make sure it really was him. Yes, it was his face. Doug thought about his friend – no, his ex-friend, Eric, who had decided to stay behind. Doug felt betrayed by his actions.

"Wait a minute," he said out loud. The judge had told him that he wouldn’t remember any of this, but he did. None of what had happened was forgotten. There was a moan from the back seat, and Doug spun around to see who it was. Mr. Saunders sat up with fear in his eyes.

"Monsters!" he shouted. "Horrible…pain…birds touching me…children…constant pain and pleasure."

"SHUT UP you freak!" Doug yelled. "I should leave you here, where ever here is." He started the car and turned on the headlights. "The next town we get to I’m dropping you off."

The young man put the car in drive and headed off down the dark road. In the shadows Judge Herns and Dennis Butz watched them go.

"They’re free now," she stated with disgust. "Free to ruin more lives."

"Are they, Juno?" Dennis questioned. The smug look on her face gave the director his answer. "Let’s go." The two got into Dennis’ car and they drove off in the other direction.

********************************************

"Damn piece of SHIT!" Doug cursed. "If they’re going to give us a rental, the least they can do is make sure it’s in good, mechanical shape."

Mr. Saunders didn’t say a word. Instead he sat in the back seat with his arms around his knees rocking back and forth in a paranoid manner. Occasionally he would blurt out something that made no sense to Doug, repeating it over and over again.

"Hey, I don’t suppose you know anything about cars, do you?" Doug asked hopefully. When the man didn’t answer Doug cursed and returned to his tinkering. He was sure the problem had to be somewhere in the carburetor. Just as he was about to try something else, a pair of headlights appeared around a curve. The car approached and stopped a few feet away. A spotlight came on from the driver’s side.

"Hello?" Doug called out, shielding his eyes from the bright lights. He saw two figures get out of the car and approach.

"Trouble?" one of them asked. Doug was relieved to see it was a couple of cops.

"Yeah, my car died," he told him. While he was talking to the first cop, the other officer was checking out his passenger.

"It’s too late to get help tonight," the officer explained. "We’ll call you a tow truck."

"Thanks…I appreciate that," Doug answered a little uneasy. There was something odd about this police officer. He was acting a little too straight lace about this breakdown. As for the other cop, it was almost two in the morning and he was wearing a pair of dark sunglasses. Weird.

"Is there a place I can spend the night until the car is fixed?"

"We’ll find you a place," the officer said grimly. "Why don’t you get in the back of my car and I’ll call for a tow."

"Sure thing, sir." Doug noticed that the other officer had already taken Mr. Saunders out of the car and was leading him to the cruiser. "Look, don’t you want any information or something?"

"I know everything about you, Mr. Cooger," the officer said with a stern grin. "We’ve been expecting you."

"Expecting me? But how in the hell did you know I was…" Doug stopped in mid-sentence. Judge Herns must have told them…and if that was case then that meant he was in…trouble! Doug turned to run, but found the officer blocking his path. How in the hell could he move so fast? The cop grabbed him by the scruff of his coat and pushed him over to the police car with almost no effort on his part. He opened up the back door and shoved Doug in.

"Sit down, Mr. Cooger," he said with authority.

"Who are you…and where are you taking us?" Doug demanded to know. Mr. Saunders sat next to him whimpering and repeating the word ‘monsters’.

"I’m Officer Merrick, and this is Officer Deimos from Peace River. That’s all you need to know for now. I want both of you to close your eyes and go to sleep." Mark Merrick slammed the door before Doug had a chance to respond. Suddenly the young man found himself getting very sleepy.

"What about the car?" Deimos asked as he watched the two prisoners nod off.

"I’ll drive it back," Judge Herns said as she walked out of the darkness.

"Juno," Deimos stated in surprise. "I wasn’t told you were going to be here."

She smiled. "I wouldn’t miss their trial for the world, Deimos. In fact the old goat has agreed to let me preside over their case."

"It’ll be a pleasure working with you again, Judge," Officer Merrick said respectfully. He turned to his fellow officer. "Let’s get back to town and tuck in our guests. They have a busy day ahead of them tomorrow with Judge Herns."

Both officers got into the police car and drove off the way they came. Judge Herns started up the other car and followed them into the dark night.

Fade out…

Next episode – What if?

 

 

 

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© 2002 by Kelly Davidson. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, compilation design) may printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without express written consent of the copyright holder.