Standard warning and disclaimer: All characters are fictional. If you see yourself, buy a new mirror. Contains subjects some people may find offensive. If you are one of them, why are your reading this? Protect your kids. If you are worried about them reading this sort of material, please censor free speech and use a safe surfing program such as net nanny. Or better yet, teach them early and lovingly to understand and accept different lifestyles. Before they learn from bad experiences.

All constructive comments are welcome. Please e-mail to me: Sam@pobox.alasaka.net or samanthas_michelle@yahoo.com

Finally, this is a piece of adult fiction. If you are underage, or if you find it offensive, please go elsewhere. Quickly.

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Emily and Me             by: Samantha Michelle                 © 2000

 

It took me years to quit hating my parents. They never intentionally mistreated me or my sister; rather, they were the most wonderful, loving people one could imagine.

But when we were born they were still young romantics, with the common sense of clams. I guess they had just finished French history when Mom gave birth us, fraternal twins.

In a strange fit of insanity, they named us after some French relatives many generations back. Thus I, the boy, became Francis Emile Bordoun, and my sister Frances Emilie Bordoun. And like the good parents they were, they immediately went and requested social security numbers for us.

Perhaps there is more Irish in my father's blood than he claims; we must have a relative named Murphy watching over us. The only difference in our social security numbers were the last two digits. Mine ends in 96, hers in 69. With Frances coming before Francis, and 69 coming before 96, hers was always the first record reviewed.

As we grew up there were constant problems with people confusing us with each other. It did not help that we were so similar in appearance many thought us identical twins. Or that our artistically inclined parents made us both grow our hair long. And insisted that we be called by our given names. So most everyone thought we were both girls.

At six we entered the public school system with a thud. We lived in a small community near the coast where there was only one class for each grade. Mom enjoyed sewing far too much, and so we were wearing almost identical outfits, French-style drawstring pants and beautifully embroidered poet's shirts. Appropriate for Paris, perhaps, but not for rural Maine.

By the end of the day the teacher had a headache. We had been so well taught at home that we were far too advanced for the class. So the next day we started 2nd grade, and found to our dismay that we were both the most advanced and the smallest children there. Our teacher tried unsuccessfully to settle problems with other students harassing me about my long hair and clothing. We both were teased about our names. Thus we began a lonely several years of growing up.

At home, Mom taught us about theater and acting, and modern and classical dance. Dad taught us art and music. By the time we were in fifth grade people were used to us, and Mom and Dad were also teaching the same classes as volunteers at our school. Finally we were able to share some of our interests with others.

I guess that we inherited some of the nonconformity of our parents. We quickly learned to use our almost identical appearances to our advantage. We never got in too much trouble, but we sowed confusion whenever possible. Besides, who would expect twin girls to have that as a hobby?

Most of the families in our area were poor, blue-collar types, so our highly educated, eccentric parents and culturally rich upbringing made us black sheep among the locals. We were, however, finally accepted by a few of the kids as "odd but nice", and enjoyed a little company as we grew older.

Frances and I remained almost identical in growth. Like our parents, we were small and slightly built, with heavy, soft brown hair. Since we stayed in the same school through the 8th grade, most everyone was used to our appearance, But I was still constantly harassed.

Neither of us was very big. We barely tipped the scales at 120 pounds, and stood just five feet three in our stocking feet. Although I had hoped to grow more, our doctor told Mom that we were probably full-grown at fourteen. We were a bit taller than Mom, who weighed a little more then us, and just an inch shorter than Dad. We actually looked taller than we were, because we both had long, muscular dancer's legs.

We were not looking forward to high school with our acquaintances, so when Dad came home one July evening and made a momentous announcement, we thought it was the answer to our prayers. He and Mom, who we knew had been struggling to pay the bills, had accepted teaching positions at a small college in western Maine, so we would be moving within the month.

We said a few good-byes that August, and moved into our new home in a village near the college just before the start of classes. There was no high school in our little village, so we, and the few other secondary school students, all older, had to take a bus almost twenty miles to the county school, located in a fair-sized manufacturing town.

Once at school, things went relatively smoothly, aside from the kidding we expected because we looked alike. I found myself, almost unexpectedly, being treated as a girl. I guess my long hair and delicate features didn't help much. My small stature made me look even more girlish. We found the school, which was somewhat overcrowded, had scheduled us for all the same classes. Mom and Dad had not filled out the registration forms carefully, and the school assumed that since we were twins, we were identical twins.

For our first period we were scheduled for home economics. It was there that my problems really started. The teacher, a matronly woman, immediately mispronounced our names, and tried to tell us that Frances was to use her first name, and I was to be called by my middle name, "Emily", to reduce confusion. When I politely, and privately, informed the teacher that my name was Francis, with an "I" and that I was a boy, not a girl, she got upset. Apparently there was a policy (which she had insisted on) that home economics was a "girl's only" class. So she took me down to the office and quickly found that they had us both registered as girls. She wasn't the brightest star in the sky.

She told me that the school said I was a girl, and for her class a girl I would be, so addressing me as "Emily" she assigned me a seat next to my sister. It was kind of strange to be in a class of twenty-eight girls, a lot of whom looked quite attractive. No one seemed to notice us, except that we were twins. The rest of the day went the same way. I didn't feel like arguing about who or what I was, so I quickly got used to being called Emily. Even Frances picked it up quickly.

We both were signed up for dance classes as, thanks to Mom, we were by now accomplished dancers. The school brochure had indicated that all dance students were to bring leotards, tights and dance (not ballet) slippers. To us this did not seem at all odd.

When Frances and I went looking for the dance class, our final class for the day, we were directed by a teacher to a room located near the school's auditorium. We were almost late, and failed to note the sign on the door as we followed other students rushing inside.

The sign, I found out later, read "Girls dressing rooms".

Once inside, we were told to find a locker, and change into our dance clothes. Because we were late, we wound up in the area normally reserved for the advanced students. We had been in professional dance studios and theaters before, and were used to everyone changing in the same room. It was only after I stripped out of my shirt, slacks, and underwear, and started pulling on my gaff that everything got eerily quiet. Startled, I looked around and saw everyone staring at me, and I realized that I was the only boy in the entire room. Frances looked at me, looked back at them, and started giggling. I frantically got the gaff in place, and pulled on my tights and leotard as several of the girls started to laugh while others grabbed their clothes and covered themselves.

Thinking they were going to kill me, Frances and I ran into the dance studio. I knew I was dead when a couple of girls went over to teacher and announced that there was a boy in their dressing room. She let loose a relatively mild curse, and stating she would throw the offending male out in the hall naked, strode right past me into the dressing rooms.

I could not figure why she did not grab me. A moment later she re-appeared, and looked around until she saw Frances and me trying to disappear into the background. With a puzzled look she called us both over, and looked each of us over carefully. It was then I realized that, with the gaff on, I looked almost exactly like my sister. The same two girls came over and pointed at us, saying, "One of them is the boy that was in the dressing room."

In front of our accusers she asked my sister and I who, or what, we were. Frances answered first, and again giggling, introduced me as her twin brother Emily She coughed and corrected herself, re-introducing me as Francis. Shaking her head, the teacher, told me to get out of the class immediately. Several of the older girls popped up with "Since he looks like a girl, make him dance like one." She started to smile. Turning to me, she began "well, young lady, since you have decided to join us here, I guess that it would be fitting for you to participate in today's class. Unless, that is, you want to be suspended for what you did." I gulped and nodded.

She introduced herself to the class as Ms. Osborne, and gave a list of credentials that was unexpected for someone teaching at such a remote public school. She also reminded us that we would be there for several hours, well past the end of the regular school day, as this was also to be auditions for the differing dance groups.

We were then paired off, each new student with one of her most experienced dancers. She made a point of matching me with a tall, really muscular girl named Natalie, who I had seen in the dressing room, and ran us through warm-ups. Throughout the warm-ups Natalie continuously berated me for my small status and appearance, calling me a sissy and a wimp. She seemed surprised when I was easily able to keep up with the warm-ups, including some very advanced moves.

To find out what we knew, Ms. Osborne then put on a series of popular and classic pieces, and told us to dance solo to each piece.

Most of the new (and from my view many of the older) students were pathetic. Natalie looked at me just before we started and challenged me to keep up with her. With all her teasing, I was less than cordial, and almost hissed as I told her to try and keep up with me. She looked surprised at being challenged. We started with a waltz, and ran the gamut from classic to modern. Natalie was an excellent, aggressive dancer, more experienced than I in the most modern pieces, but woefully lacking polish in the classics. Soon she had to quit heckling, and was using all her energy to keep up with me.

Ms. Osborne announced a fifteen minute break, and advised us that the next couple of dances were the hardest, and would be partner dances for only those students she was considering for the "upbeats", which was the school's top dance group. I headed for Frances, who had been paired with a tall, beautiful, china-doll blond named Beth, whose graceful, precise movements bespoke of years of formal ballet training. Frances was smiling, and said that Natalie and I were being watched by everyone. I groaned, and she said she thought we would both make the advanced group. I thought it possible, then remembered that I would be booted out of the class after today. I stood silently for the rest of the break, feeling sad.

Ms. Osborne spoke up "Each pair I announce will dance both pieces. I am looking for both individual talent, and the ability to interact dynamically with your partner. There are twelve positions in the upbeats. She then began to call off pairs. Soon sixteen of us stood in front of the class, including Frances and myself.

She continued "The first piece is the theme from the movie "Dirty Dancing", and the second is the theme from "Grease". For the first piece the more experienced student will take the male lead. For the second, they will take the female. Use the whole floor, as these pieces are, shall we say, energetic.

We spread out, and she started the music. I always thought that the theme from dirty dancing was fun. I now found it was erotic. Natalie was, if nothing else, uninhibited. Her body contact, which was technical before, now became sensual. It did not matter if I was dancing the female role, I too abandoned myself to the music, and the electricity flowed between us and across the floor. All to soon, the music stopped, and I found myself in a tongue-sharing embrace with Natalie that took a physical pull and disapproving frown by Ms. Osborne to separate.

I don't know who was more shocked, Ms. Osborne, Natalie, or myself. After determining that we were both all right, she started the music from "Grease".

I tried to take the male role, but it was immediately apparent that I did not have the strength to carry out the part. Natalie shrugged and started leading. Again we abandoned ourselves to the music, and when it stopped we found that we were being watched carefully by the entire class. I wanted to run and hide, but Natalie was holding me close and personal, and refused to let go.

It felt so good, I was afraid. I'd never been this close to a girl, other than my sister. This time Ms. Osborne did not try to separate us. She announced the names of those chosen for the advanced class, and I grabbed Natalie even closer when Frances, Beth, Natalie and I were all in the named group. The six non-selected students were dismissed, and we were told to gather around the water fountain. Natalie finally released me, and if Frances had not been there to grab me I think I would have melted onto the floor.

"Wow, I've never seen you dance like that. What did she do to you?" Frances asked. I gave her a foggy look and silly smile. Little did I know that the same type of conversation was going on between Beth and Natalie. After some cool water, Ms. Osborne addressed our small group.

"You young ladies are the best dancers I have had here in many years, and there is not a senior among you. We will have the best high school women's troupe in the state by the end of the year." One of the other older girls spoke up. "Ms. Osborne, one of us is not a girl, remember?"

She looked at Frances and myself, shook her head, and muttered "Oh Dear!, I forgot completely when I watched her dance. Him dance. Dammit!" She paused, looking very annoyed. Natalie grabbed me and gave me a crushing hug, then spoke up.

"So, let -her- stay a member of the troupe." All of the other girls echoed Natalie's statement. Ms. Osborne looked confused, then addressed my sister and me.

"You twins are the most advanced students that I have ever had start in any of my classes. Where did you learn to dance like that?.

Frances jumped in and explained "Our mother is an accomplished actor and dancer, and taught us as soon as we were able to walk."

Ms. Osborne shook her head. And again looked me over carefully. "You dance, move, walk, and speak like a girl. Except for what was reported in the changing room, no one would ever ask the question. Unfortunately, in this backwater school, if you want to be in dance you must be a young woman, as there are no dance classes for boys." I looked sadly at the floor. Dance was one of my few great pleasures in life, and dancing with Natalie had opened up a whole flood of new, wonderful, and scary emotions.

Natalie piped up with, "That's not fair," and the others loudly echoed and nodded agreement. Frances began giggling and said "Since the school already goofed and has Emily, er Francis, registered as a girl, why tell them differently?" I gave her a funny look. Just then a tousled looking man poked his head into the door and called out that if we wanted to get home the bus was leaving in two minutes. This broke everyone's concentrations, and we all dashed for our lockers to grab our books and clothes. I guess because I was in shock, and did not change, it did not sink in that I was back in the girls lockers, And no one seemed to notice me either.

Still dressed in our dance gear, Frances and I hopped in the bus. I guess we were too stinky from dancing, or everyone else was tired, but no one bothered us and we reached home uneventfully. Mom and Dad, seeing how tired we were, sent us for showers, and let us eat a quiet dinner before quizzing us on the day. I guess it was the proverbial silent communication between twins, but neither of us brought up the mix-up in my registration.

Frances and I discussed trying to pull off the charade. I was scared that I would be found out, but she pointed out that we had been doing the same thing, always pretending to be girls, successfully to other people for years. There were none of our former classmates here, and as long as I did not take off my underwear, there was nothing to give me away. That hurt, as I knew how little I looked like a boy anyway. She pointed out that she had observed the smaller boys getting picked on. I nodded, having seen it myself. If they thought I was a girl, my size would not matter. She also pointed out that girls taking dance did not have to take gym. I did not like gym; I'd been picked on and roughed up too many times.

Finally I acceded to her wishes, and agreed to try. We had been together in classes since we started school, and neither really wanted to venture forth separately. Yet.

I suddenly remembered a real problem. "What about clothes, and going to the bathroom..." Frances looked thoughtful.

"We dress almost alike anyway, and I almost never wear a skirt or dress, so that's not a problem. And the girls' restrooms all have stalls with doors, so if you go in and sit down no one will know." She paused "Just don't stare at them or let them see your underwear." She giggled, and I groaned.

I had mixed feelings, as girls' bathrooms had always been forbidden territory. I started to say something when the bus pulled up, and we had to change topics.

The day was anticlimactic. I was petrified when I made my first trip to the bathroom, but nothing happened. I changed into my gaff in a bathroom stall just before dance class No one said anything when I changed to my dance gear in the dressing room. I was, however, watched carefully by Natalie, Beth and a few others.

Again we decided we were too tired to change after class, and like most of the others, simply put on whatever shoes we had and dashed for the bus, carrying our clothes.

It may sound silly, but for the next couple of months playing the part of a girl at school, and a boy at home was simple, and became automatic. I really didn't think about acting like a "girl", or a "boy" because nothing changed except the sign on the bathroom door. Making sure Frances called me Francis rather than Emily at home was the biggest worry. It was a Friday in mid-November, just after our fourteenth birthday, when disaster struck. There was a power failure around noon at the College, and with all classes canceled Mom and Dad decided it was a good time to see our school first-hand. So they dropped in at the school office, and received permission to visit us in dance class.

It happened to be one of the days when we had a long last period, so they headed for the dance studio. We were already practicing, and they slipped in unnoticed. It was only at the end of class they came down to the floor. Frances's whispered "Oh my god" caused me to turn, and there they were, right next to Ms. Osborne. I made a mad, but stealthy, dash for the dressing room.

While I was departing in haste, Mom was introducing Dad and herself to Ms. Osborne, who immediately lavished great praise on their two daughter's prowess. According to Frances, who was listening to everything, it took Dad a minute to realize there was something wrong. I guess when he pointed it out to Mom, Ms. Osborne become conscious she had forgotten I was a boy, and got really quiet. Mom then realized that there were no boys in the class. I guess Mom was really quick on the uptake at that point. She dragged Dad out of there before he caused a scene.

Frances collared me in the locker room, and told me what had happened. I wanted to hide, but the bus was due to leave, and I hoped to sneak on and avoid going back with my parents. It was not to be. Just before we reached the bus, Mom grabbed us and said to come with her.

Dad was in the car, with a distinctly peeved look on his face. I could not read Mom's expression, but it was not pleasant. We were unceremoniously told to sit in the back seat and be quiet. The drive home was ominous. Frances and I held each other's hands. When we arrived, we were told to sit in the living room and wait for them. Mom and Dad headed for their bedroom, and we could hear the sounds of arguing. We would up hugging each other and promising mutual support.

They both looked tired and upset when they returned. Dad looked at me, and started in. "Well, children, since we seem to be the only ones not involved in your latest escapade, would you mind terribly filling us in on why Francis is impersonating a girl?" He looked at Frances "And don't get any ideas, young lady, about pleading innocence. I'm sure you are at least as responsible for this ridiculous charade as anyone." She sank quietly back against the couch.

I started in "Well, it began the first day of school, when we found out that the registrations you filled out were not quite complete, and they had assumed that since we were twins, and looked so much alike, we were identical twin girls." I paused, letting them absorb some of the blame -- I hoped. "Then our home economics teacher told me, despite my protests, I was a girl until the school told her otherwise, and it was easier to not argue, no one seemed to ask any questions until dance..." I paused again.

"Well, what happened in the dance class. It's obvious that they think you are a girl..."

Suddenly Frances started to giggle. Dad gave her a disapproving look, and she spoke up "Can I tell this part? Please?" I gave Mom and Dad a pleading look, and they acquiesced.

"Well, we didn't know that dance was reserved for girls, so we headed into the dressing room, and..." When she finished the part about the teacher running back past us into the dressing room looking for the offending boy, Mom and Dad lost it. They started to laugh so hard they were crying. I guess the theater bug was still in them. Finally Dad got Mom some water, and asked Frances to continue.

Fortunately for me, Frances left out the part about Natalie and me getting close and personal while dancing. For some reason, neither of our parents was looking as upset anymore. Frances finished with, "It was the only way that Francis could stay in the class, and since he is so small, and he has such pretty long hair, by pretending to be a girl it keeps the bullies from bothering him." Dad winced. "Besides, I enjoy having a twin sister to do things with." I looked at her in amazement, as she had never expressed that to me.

Mom and Dad were staring at each other. After a bit they got up and told us to fixe dinner, and left the house together. We managed to get everything ready and on the table just before they returned. Dinner was quiet and tense, but neither parent was saying anything. After dessert, they told us to clean up and meet them in the living room. It sounded like we were about to be sentenced to something. Something really unpleasant.

Mom started first. "Francis, your father and I really need you to answer one question. Do you mind being treated as a girl?"

I had to think about it. Frances and I had swapped places before, almost always pretending we were girls. And I liked the company of the other girls, they were less pushy and more fun than the few boys I had been acquainted with. I fit in with them, especially the girls in the dance class, like Natalie. With the guys I was always too small or too weak to be a part of their games. I guess that was my answer.

"Well, I really don't think about it much, but the girls treat me like one of them, and I'm not always being pushed around because I am so little..." I paused. "And I've made friends with several of them and none of them treat me like I'm a freak or anything..."

Frances spoke up. "And everyone likes Emily and thinks she is really cool..." and then she realized what she had called me, and slapped her hand over her mouth.

"And who may I ask is this 'Emily'?" Dad inquired knowingly. Frances looked like she had eaten a toad. I just felt a tad green.

"That's what they, the teachers that is, started to call her so they knew which of us they were talking to. It's how they first mispronounced her middle name, and it kind of stuck." Mom looked at Dad.

"Did you know that you have not once referred to your brother using a masculine pronoun?" I stared at Frances, and she looked scared.

"I just don't think about it, it seems so, well, natural..." I got a really uneasy feeling. Dad looked upset.

Dad spoke up. "Francis, who at your school knows that you are a boy?

"Well, there's Ms. Osborne, who I guess forgot, and Natalie and a couple of the other girls in the dance class, if they remember the first day, but that's all." I paused "And, of course, Frances."

"How much do you want to continue your little game?"

I had to think about it.

"Dad, it really doesn't seem like a game. It's just what I do when I'm at school so I can be in the dance class with my friends..." I had to think some more "And no one has picked on me this year, at least not like they used to, so I've been a lot happier, and I have made a lot of new friends, and..." I paused again. "And I really don't act any different. And girls aren't always fighting with each other, or trying to be macho and show off, like the guys, so I feel comfortable when I'm around them."

He and Mom looked at each other. "We need to talk some more" They headed for their bedroom. It was a while before they returned.

Mom was the spokesperson. "Francis, we've decided to let you continue with this charade until at least the end of the semester." Frances and I grabbed and hugged each other, and started bouncing up and down. "But if you are going to play the part of a young lady then you will have to do it all the time, including here at home." I gave her a 'so what' look.

"That means wearing only girl's clothes, having your hair and nails done, and learning how to behave like a proper lady. This will give you a chance to really understand what it means to be a girl." I gave her a startled look. "Since Frances seems to need the same training in proper manners and behavior," Frances made gurgling sounds "we will start tomorrow. Or, if you want, you can go back to being a boy, and we will notify the school so they can assign you to the proper classes."

Frances and I sat down hard in the same chair, and we looked at each other. She begged "Please, please, please do it Emily, it's been so much fun being sisters, and we can share clothes, and that way you can stay in dance..." I looked at her and then at Mom.

"Will I have to wear a dress?" I think I sounded scared.

Mom smiled, and Dad winced. "Dresses and makeup and panties and stockings and heels and every other wonderful thing all the other girls wear." I think I whimpered, but Frances started bouncing again, saying how much fun it would be to have someone with whom she could play dress-up.

I had worn girl's clothes in theater productions, and they mostly seemed to be too many layers and too frilly, but clothes to me, up till now, were just clothes. But the idea of girls' underwear bothered me. "Um, Mom, girls underwear won't fit me because, like, I..." I sort of pointed at my crotch "and you don't make Frances wear a bra, 'cause she doesn't need one." Frances gave me a dirty look.

"You will have to wear a dance gaff all the time, and even Frances has to wear a slip with her dresses." Frances nodded. I looked at her, then at Mom and Dad. Dad looked disgusted.

There didn't seem to be much of a choice. If I wanted to stay with my friends, and be in dance, then I was going to have to follow their rules. It wasn't much of a decision. "Okay, I'll do it." Frances grabbed me and gave me a great big kiss on my cheek. Dad looked disappointed. Mom was shaking her head. I don't think they expected my answer.

We were told to get some sleep, and Mom indicated we would have a busy day Saturday. As we headed for bed Mom and Dad were sitting at the kitchen table, holding hands.

It took me a while to get to sleep. Visions of Mom dressing me up in a pink chiffon and lace outfit, with a bow in my hair like a six-year old kept running though my head. I did not sleep well at all.

Mom roused me out of my sleep like it was time to go to school. I took a minute for me to remember it was Saturday. Frances was apparently already up. I started to get out some clothes, but Mom stopped me, and pointed to a small stack on my dresser. "Take a shower, shave your legs and armpits, wash and condition your hair, put these on, and then join us for breakfast." I stared at her as she headed for the kitchen. Was a girl's life always this complicated? The shower was easy, shaving was weird.

I carefully laid out what was in the stack. Mom had not been kidding. She had borrowed some of Frances' things for me to wear. There was a note included.

"Put the panties on after you put on the garter belt and stockings. Wear the slip. Try on the shoes and see if they fit. They should be not be tight in the toes."

I had seen Mom and Frances dress before, so I knew what went where. The cotton panties felt like my shorts, only much lighter and softer. I thought the stockings would feel like my dance tights, but instead on my bare legs they felt smooth and silky and really nice. The nylon slip felt funny on my chest. The dress was long and fitted, reaching to my calves.

It took a minute to get the shoes on. They had about two-inch heels, and were held on by a small strap around the ankle. I guess dance training helped, because I had no trouble standing or walking in them. I twirled in front of the mirror. Before, at school I had looked like a small boy or a really underdeveloped girl. Now I could barely see any boyish hints. I looked pretty. "What am I thinking?" went through my mind. But I had to admit I liked what I saw. The thought scared me.

I tried to move as femininely as possible as I walked towards the kitchen. The shoes helped. Mom intercepted me in route. "Let's get your hair and makeup fixed before your father sees you." Now I was really scared. She pulled me into her dressing room, and shut the door.

It took her only a minute to brush out be out using a blow drier, ans I soon had a head-full of soft, wavy hair. Makeup followed. This was just like in theater, but when I looked in her mirror I sat back in shock. It was not me staring back. It was my sister, only cuter. Mom looked at me, shook her head, and we headed for the kitchen.

Frances was dressed in an almost identical outfit, her hair done like mine. Dad was in the middle of taking a bite of breakfast, and when he saw me, he stuck himself in the nose with his fork, dropping his food in his lap. Frances got up and looked me over. "Wow, Emily, you look fantastic!" Mom was still shaking her head. Dad knocked over his coffee as he tried to clean the food off his lap. He finally gave up and sat there quietly with a stunned look on his face, and coffee dripping off the table.

Mom grabbed a towel and started mopping up. Dad got up in disgust and headed for the bathroom, coffee dripping down his pants.

I helped Frances and Mom finish cleaning up, and had finished a breakfast of fresh fruit and cereal by the time Dad came back out.

He had changed, but his expression was unhappy. He looked at Mom, shook his head, and then looked at us. "Your mother is right, you do make a striking young woman." It sounded like sour grapes.

I guess I was a bit too theatrical at heart. I grabbed Frances by the arm and said "Lets go, dearie, before he changes his mind." With the help of the heels I pranced out, trying my best to swivel my hips like the models on TV. I think I succeeded. There was a gasping sound from the kitchen. I decided not to look back.

Mom joined us outside, and advised me in no uncertain terms not to tease my father too much. "He's having enough trouble with this as it is, so please don't rub his nose in it." This took me down a notch, but I still felt like I was doing everything right. This was a feeling that did not last long.

We drove for nearly two hours, our destination, Bangor. Once there we headed to an older part of the city. We wound up at a house with a sign proclaiming "Theresa's Timeless Fashions - hours by appointment only."

"Girls, Theresa used to make most of my clothes when I was a young actor. I had been promising myself that as soon as I could afford it I was going to take Frances here, and outfit her as a proper young lady. When I found I have, at least for now, two daughters, I called her last night, and she agreed to fit you both. So be on your best behavior." Mom looked at me. "And, Francis, she knows you're a boy."

I looked at her in shock. "Mom , I thought that you were not going tell anyone about..." Her look said 'be quiet'. I took the hint. "In the theatrical world, many men and boys dress like women, so she is used to it." I gave her a funny look. "So let's head inside."

The inside looked like a set from an 18th century movie. Theresa greeted Mom with a big hug. She looked like she was in her early fifties, tall and slender, with an hourglass figure. "Marie, it's so nice to see you after so many years." She gave us an appraising look, then shook her head. "You said they were fraternal twins, but I can't tell one from the other. They look like they stepped out of the same mirror." Mom chuckled.

"The one in the brown dress in Frances, my daughter. The one in the blue dress in Francis, my son, now known as Emily." Both Frances and I curtsied in unison.

Theresa was shaking her head. "You are sure you are not pulling my leg, Marie, I know you used to play pranks on everyone." Mom shook her head, and blushed. This was a side of Mom we had not been told about.

"Even I did not believe how much they looked alike after I dressed them this morning. Their father had a fit and wound up wearing his breakfast." They both laughed at that. Frances and I just giggled.

"Well, follow me to the fitting room so I can get their measurements."

Almost an hour later, Frances and I were still standing on little platforms in our panties, as Mom and Theresa poked and prodded us and took measurement after measurement. I was as red as a beet. I almost screamed when a young woman named Mercy, whom Theresa said was her protégé, came in and helped. She was pretty, and I started to get aroused, which simply made me hurt, but I could not reach down in front of her to re-arrange things. I was pretty miserable by the time they decided we could break for lunch.

"Eat lightly," was Theresa's advice as we left after dressing.

When I asked Mom why, she simply smiled at us both and said we would understand this afternoon. We wound up having soup and a salad at a quaint little café. It was good, but both Frances and I were still hungry. Mom reminded us of Theresa's warning. It didn't help, but we complied.

When we returned, Theresa and Mercy were waiting for us with big smiles. "Marie, just after you left, Mercy remembered that several years ago an Englishwoman had her twin daughters fitted here, and they never returned to claim their garments. They had spent so much money we were loath to throw them out, or send them to auction, so Mercy stored them in the attic. She managed to find them, and they are so close in size to your daughters that we may not even need to do adjustments." She looked at Mom, then at us.

"There are four complete sets of undergarments, and three formal gowns for each child." She looked at us again, and then at me in particular. "There is only one problem with them. The mother loved historical fashion, and demanded that the cut be as realistic as possible, so the garments are, well, more fitted than you had intended. Especially for Emily." I had a sudden urge to get out before I found out what she meant by fitted.

"What is the waist size?" Mom left the question hanging.

"We had agreed on a twenty-four inch final measurement for your daughters. The gowns are cut for between twenty one and just under twenty-two inches, and can be taken in another two inches without difficulty.

Frances and I looked at each other in shock. Our waists were about twenty-six inches, and we thought we were thin. Mom had a thoughtful look. "They both dance and will have to be able to move."

"It should not be a problem, with proper training and exercise. Why don't I show you the gowns, and then we can fit them into their new undergarments if you approve." I wondered why we would have to be fitted into underwear, and Frances' expression said the same thing.

Mercy led us back to the fitting room. Neatly draped on mannequins were three pairs of the most beautiful dresses I had ever seen. One was a peaches and cream ball-gown, done in the airy style of the old south. Another was a formal Victorian, beaded and embroidered, done in heavy, dark green velvet and brocade. Frances went over and petted the velvet, enthralled.

It was the final creation that caught my eye. Plainer than the others at first glance, it's beauty was in the thick, soft, earth-toned fabrics that matched our hair. A cross between something one would imagine on an Emily Bronte' heroine, the garb of a lost princess on the Scottish moors, and the bosom-revealing style found on romance novel covers, it called intoxicatingly to me. I lifted it's bulk from the mannequin and, hugging it to my body, began to waltz slowly around the room with my eyes half-closed. I had never found any clothing that was so, well, intoxicating.

Mom finally intercepted me and sat me on one of the stools, rescuing the gown and placing it back on the mannequin. I found everyone staring at me. I blushed bright red, and tried to hide my face. "Wow, I think she likes it" was the only thing anyone said. And it was Frances's comment.

After I regained my composure, Frances and I were told to make a trip to the washroom, then remove everything but our panties again. Soon we found ourselves back on the little platforms Frances's "Oh my god!" caused me to turn around to see what Mercy was holding, and I almost fell off. I had seen corsets in costume books, but they never looked as formidable as the ones she bore in her arms I gave Mom a panicked look. She was smiling. I suddenly felt like things were getting awfully involved.

They started with a thin cotton undergarment that draped tightly over our upper bodies. Then the corsets were draped around us, hooked all the way down the front, and the shoulder-straps fastened in back. Mercy came back in with a step-ladder and hung a wide wooden bar, from which descended soft rope loops, from the ceiling. She adjusted the height so with our hands through the loops we hung standing on tiptoe. I noticed that once our hands were in place, we would not be able to get free until they lifted us several inches. For some reason this gave me an erotic rush, which pain from my tight underwear quickly subdued.

Theresa and Mom started with Frances. In segments, they laced the corset on, tightening it firmly. It pulled her shoulders back and made her stand rigidly erect, with perfect posture. After the second tightening, they checked it for pinching and fit. Satisfied, they lifted her effortlessly so she could put her hands through the loops. It took them only a minute to tighten the laces another inch, and when Frances was lowered back to the ground, I saw her trying to breathe.

The corset gave her an almost hour-glass shape, except for her lack of a chest. When she turned around, I was shocked to see that there were still several inches of adjustment in the corset. She looked in the mirror, and ran her hands across her compressed torso. She looked pleased. Mom tapped me on the shoulder, indicating it was my turn.

With great trepidation I helped them wrap the corset around me, and they repeated the same procedure as before. By the time I was lowered to the platform, I had to breathe shallowly, but the confining tightness of the corset was enthralling. I slowly examined myself in the mirror. Francis seemed to fade into memory, and I started to shake.

"Emily, what's wrong?" Mom dashed over to me.

"It's, well, it's like I was never meant to be a boy..." She looked alarmed.

"Do you want to stop now?"

"No!" was my instant and emphatic reply. "I love the way this feels, and I won't let you stop until I can wear that beautiful dress!" It came out on its own, and I grabbed Mom and hugged her until the shaking passed. Mom was watching me carefully, like I was not quite with it.

After I assured everyone I was okay, they had Frances do some stretches, and then lifted her back to the bar for more tightening. This time she made grunting and gasping noises, and when they let her down she seemed a bit light-headed. Mercy took a tape and measured her waist. "Just another half an inch. One more try, and she should be able to try on a gown. Frances looked pale, but nodded.

I was next. Much tugging later I was again examining myself in the mirror. Mercy checked my waist, and the dress, and told Theresa that it would take at least another inch. I felt like one more tightening and I would break in the middle. But the dress kept calling out to me. "Do it," was all I could manage. I tried to sit, but the corset restricted my movements. Theresa brought me a tall stool, and showed me how to properly settle into a sitting position. I managed to relax, letting the corset support me, and soon was watching Frances get her final adjustment.

She hung almost limply from the bar when they were finished, and Mercy checked her measurements before they lowered her. After a few sips of water, and some slow and steady breathing, she stood proudly as they lowered the peach gown over her head, and began the long process of buttoning it in place. As Mom and Theresa were finishing the buttons, Mercy returned with white elbow-length gloves, some cone-shaped pads, and a carefully arranged wig, which was close to Frances's hair color.

She placed the pads in the bodice of the dress, giving Frances a more mature figure. Frances looked really embarrassed when Mercy played with their fit. When the wig and gloves were in place, Mom lead her unsteadily over the to the large mirrors in the far corner of the room.

Gone was my sister. In her place stood a striking young woman awaiting her prince charming. Slowly she pirouetted and studied herself. Between the corset and dress, she was forced to move with grace. I saw a tear run down her face, and she grabbed Mom and hugged her. "It's so beautiful..." Mom had a tear or two in her eyes.

Slowly she came over to me. "Do you really want to try it?" she paused looking me in the eye "Mercy says the dress you like is smaller than Frances's gown, and I'm afraid it will be very uncomfortable if we are able to lace the corset tight enough."

I nodded. For some reason I really wanted, no, needed to try on the dress.

Soon I was hanging from the bar as both Mom and Theresa tugged on the laces. Mercy held me in place against their efforts. Just before I fainted from the compression, I felt them tie the laces in place, and lower me to the floor. They set me on the tall stool, gave me some water, and Mercy kept me from falling until I regained the ability to breathe and balance by myself. Mom and Theresa looked anxiously at me. "Are you sure you're going to be all right?" I carefully stood and stretched. Despite the crushing pressure on my body, I felt oddly excited, yet at ease.

"It actually feels wonderful. I never expected to enjoy this." Mom and Theresa exchanged surprised looks. I slowly stepped down and went to the mirrors. I was beautiful, my tiny waist contrasting against the muscles in my thighs. I realized giddily that I was becoming aroused at my own image. Mesmerized, I started to caress myself, when Mom came over and gave me a disapproving stare. Mercy was giggling, and Theresa had an amused look. Because the dress had a relatively high neckline, Mercy pinned a set of pads into the top of the corset. It felt weird to have her play with my non-existent breasts.

Back on the platform, I raised my arms and Theresa slid the dress over my head, and began to lace it on. Lacing was much faster than buttons. Soon I stood there as Mercy placed a wig similar to Frances's on me and pinned it in place. When they led me to the mirror and I saw myself for the first time I almost forgot to breathe. Entranced, I slowly danced with myself in front of the mirrors. I was beautiful, my now-proud bosom thrust forward by the corset, setting off my tiny waist and slim hips. It was like I had suddenly emerged from my cocoon, and was spreading my wings for all to admire. I was lost in a land of make-believe.

I saw Frances looking at me like I was a ghost, and managing a ballet-like curtsey, took her hand and drew her into the dance. I drew her close, and we moved together in time with an unheard orchestra. Finally Theresa drew us apart, breaking the spell.

Mom grabbed me and hugged me. "Emily, you and Frances are the most beautiful daughters a mother could ever dream of having." I saw tears running down her face. I felt the tears well up in my eyes. I dimly heard the word "daughters", but it kept echoing in my mind.

We held on to each other like we were afraid that if we let go it would all end. I forgot to breathe, and quietly fainted in her arms

I awoke to Mercy and Theresa unlacing my corset, and Mom wiping my forehead with a damp cloth. I slowly shook the cobwebs from my consciousness, and realized that it had all been real. I smiled at Mom. "Emily, are you okay?" were the first words out of her mouth. I nodded.

"Yeah, I mean yes, I think I'm fine. It was like a dream...'

She gave me a loving grin, and stood me up so they could unhook the corset. It felt so good to take a deep breath, but I missed the confinement of the corset. Soon we had unlaced Frances, who did not want her corset removed either, and dressed in our travel clothes. Theresa invited us all into her parlor, where Mercy served us tea and some sort of delicious, tiny pastries.

"I'm afraid it's going to take me years to pay you for all these clothes," Mom said sadly to Theresa, who grinned.

"They are already paid for. All you owe is for today's fittings, and any accessories you need me to provide."

Mom looked at her in shock. "But those gowns must be worth..." Theresa cut her off.

"They were collecting dust in my attic. It was payment enough to see your daughters fall in love with them." Mom got up and hugged her. "The other undergarments and corsets should fit without any changes, but I recommend that you read the instructions for each corset. At least initially, the girls need to wear one at all times, even when sleeping. They should loosen them slightly, but not remove them, when dancing, at least until they have attained the proper shape and posture. After that, they should go un-corseted for several hours each day." She paused.

"Make sure they exercise daily. This is not the eighteenth century, and you don't want them to become dependent on the corsets for support." Mom nodded, then looked concerned.

"The corsets you fitted them with were rather, well, limiting. How are they supposed to wear something like that to school." The same thought had crossed my mind.

"Those were the formal corsets. There are also short, flexible ribbon corsets for daily wear, and sleeping corsets. I suddenly sneezed, and managed to dribble tea down my chin and into my underwear. I managed to keep it off the dress, but things were distinctly sticky underneath. Frances started to giggle, and Mom hushed her.

Theresa and Mom left the room for a minute. When they returned, Mom looked flustered. "Emily, please go with Theresa. You need to change before we head home" she looked at me. Frances started to snicker, and Mom gave her a "don't think about it" look. I headed off with Theresa towards the fitting room.

She pointed me towards a washroom, and handed me a towel and some folded clothes. "Go wash up, dust yourself with some talcum powder, and put these on." I scurried off, and soon had managed to clean up the sticky mess. I washed out my panties and the gaff, then wrapped them in the towel. I found the talcum powder, and once thoroughly dusted, unfolded what she had given me to wear. There were a pair of white satin elastic women's briefs, which looked way too small, and a cotton undergarment almost identical to the one I had worn under the corset.

I quickly found out the briefs were designed to stretch, and I was able to tuck everything away. I put on the chemise and stepped into the fitting room. Theresa was waiting, and telling me to put my hands back through the loops on the bar, lifted me up. I sort of hung there, stretched out, and watched as she unwrapped a fairly short, flexible corset. "This is one of the ribbon corsets. When your mother asked if I had any clean clothes that would fit you, I suggested you wear this home." I nodded, smiling.

Soon I was laced into the corset, and Theresa began the process of tightening it down. "When you were dancing with yourself in that gown, what were you thinking about?"

I pondered this for a moment. "It was like I was a fuzzy, ugly caterpillar that had come out of it's cocoon, and turned into a beautiful butterfly for all the world to see." She pulled the laces tighter.

"Who were you dancing with?"

"Myself". She did seem to like that answer.

"Well, if you had to be dancing with someone, who would ity be?" This made me think, and I was starting to notice that it was harder to breathe.

The answer almost surprised me. "I would be dancing with Natalie, and she would be wearing a gown like mine. And we would be dancing really close."

"Who is Natalie?"

"My best friend at school. She is my partner in dance class. She's really tall and super-strong, with these wonderful, expressive eyes..." I paused "And since there are no boys allowed in the class, she always leads, because I'm too little, and compared to her, weak. Sometimes when we finish, she will pick me up and carry me off the floor, like I belong to her." It was getting harder to breathe, but Theresa had finished lacing, and lifted me so I could free my arms.

Once I was standing on my own, I did a series of dance movements, and found the corset did not limit me too much. The tightness felt wonderful, and despite it's flexibility, I appreciated how it made me stand and sit much straighter.

"Have you ever thought about dancing with or going out with a boy?" Her question caught me off guard. I sat on one of the tall stools, and stared at her.

"If you mean, am I gay, the answer is I don't think so." She looked guilty. I thought for a moment. "It's funny that you asked, because I have never even considered it. I really like girls, and..." I paused "Will you promise not to tell this to my mom?" She nodded. "Well, I get really aroused when I dance with a girl. Especially Natalie." I guess I blushed, but Theresa was watching me intently. She smiled.

With her help I put on the dress I had worn to the shop, which had not gotten dirty, and pulled on the hose, fastening them to the garters on the corset. The dress now fit loosely, and I had to tighten the belt two full notches. I realized Mom would soon have to take in all of Frances's outfits. Theresa frowned, and telling me to stay put, went to get something. She returned with an unexpectedly heavy, padded bra.

"Take off the dress and put this on." I slipped off the top part, and made a fool of myself trying to get the bra fastened. She chuckled, and hooked it behind me. After adjusting the straps, she helped me re-fasten the dress, and took me over to the mirrors. I stared at myself. I no longer looked like a kid. Staring back at me was a cute, slender teenager with a definitely feminine build. When I moved my fake breasts swayed slightly, and it felt weird to have that weight jiggling against my chest. I liked how I looked and felt.

"Frances will be jealous." I grinned. She went and brought back another, identical padded bra, which she handed to me. We headed back to the parlor, where Mom and Frances were packing up the last pieces to put in the car. The look in their eyes when they saw me was priceless. Frances was green with envy. I handed her the padded bra, and she dashed for the washroom. Mom was just green. Frances returned with a smile, and a better figure. Before we left, Mom insisted on fixing our makeup.

I quickly found out that, at least in a car, I was going to have to sit very straight, which eliminated any chance of taking a nap. Frances tried to jab me in the ribs, and when she hit the corset, she gave me a dirty look, and whispered in my ear that she wished she was wearing hers. The trip back was quiet, with Mom sending occasional furtive glances my way.

We stopped in route at one of the new mega-stores, where mom bought me my own panties, and several slips. She seemed thoughtful. She found a long cotton flannel night gown with a high neck, and told me to try it on. It fit comfortably, and mom bought all four they had. I finally wound up with several new dresses, three jumpers, and lots of stockings. We then stopped in the shoe section, where she bought me two pairs of girls' flats, and a pair of two-inch heels like I was wearing. There was hardly room for us in the car for the rest of the trip. The trunk and half the front seat were piled high with clothes and accessories.

Dad was waiting for us, scowling, when we arrived. When he saw me he looked even less happy. Mom looked worried, and told us to put away the clothes in our rooms. She and Dad waited until the car and trunk was empty, and drove off without another word. Frances almost dragged me back to her room.

Laid out on her bed was a corset like I was wearing, and a chemise. "My turn, Sis" was all she said. Soon I was lacing her into the corset. She had to hold on to her bedpost while I pulled the laces tight, like I had seen Theresa do. When she put her dress back on, it fit more loosely than mine.

"Do you want me to loosen it a bit?" She shook her head.

We stayed corseted through the evening, and when it was an hour past our normal bedtime, decided to close up and get some sleep. Frances made me undress first, claiming I had been wearing my corset longer.

Soon we were both down to our panties. She then pulled out a thin cotton nightgown and another corset from one of her drawers. "The instructions said this is a sleeping corset". She handed me a typewritten sheet. Longer than the ribbon corset, it was very plain, and cut differently. I went and found mine. It was not long until we were both laced up, using a tape measure to make sure everything was adjusted properly. We agreed to start at twenty-four inches. It did not feel as tight as the others, but it was rigidly boned and the shoulder straps forced us stiffly straight.

She then found the new flannel nightgowns Mom had purchased, and when we put them on we looked like something out of a movie. We giggled, and hugged each other. Hugging someone in a corset while also wearing one was a strange feeling. We snuggled together on her bed, and when she pulled up the covers I didn't complain. We fell asleep next to each other.

I awoke early, learning a quick lesson: corsets compress the bladder. It took a minute to remember why I was asleep with my sister, and lot longer to figure out how to get out of bed wearing a corset. I made a mad dash to the bathroom, and realized that the only way I was going to make it was to lift everything and sit. When I was finally finished, I looked at my self in the mirror, and smiled.

From the look of the kitchen, Mom and Dad had made it back late. I checked the clock, and it said six AM. I heard movement from the back of the house, and waited for the expected flush. Frances came in and joined me. "You too?" I nodded and she giggled. We were both disheveled looking, but seemed more, well, mature in our corsets and nightgowns.

Frances suggested we clean up and make our parents breakfast. I agreed, but recommended that we get ourselves presentable first. Ten minutes later we had straightened our corsets, brushed each other's hair, and Frances was cleaning the last traces of makeup off my face. She found us a pair of Mom's aprons, and soon the kitchen was spotless, with fresh coffee brewing. It did not take long for the smell to waft through the house. Dad was the first one up.

He was up, but not awake. As he walked by me to the table he said "Frances, please make me some toast and get me two aspirin." I managed not to giggle, and started his toast. Frances served him coffee, and went to get two aspirins. When she delivered the aspirin a the same time I handed him his toast, he woke up with a start. "Arrgh!" Frances rescued his coffee before it was knocked over.

He looked at each of us through bleary eyes, shook his head, and reached for the aspirin. I got him a small glass of water. He whined "Don't do that to me so early in the morning!"

"Do what?" came Mom's voice from the hallway. She came in, stopped, looked, and continued, "Oh my," and started to laugh. Dad held his head in his hands. Giggling, Frances and I curtsied in unison to them, and served Mom her coffee. Suddenly she sat up and stared at us. She motioned us both to come over, and she carefully poked a finger into our midsections. "Ahh... That explains a lot..." Dad looked up.

"Explains what?" Mom gave him a "you don't want to ask" look, and he studiously spread jam on his toast. We made mom her toast, and then sat ourselves down to breakfast. A bowl of cereal and fruit was enough for our now-compressed stomachs. By the time we were finished, the aspirin had relieved Dad's headache, and he was looking at Mom with that "it's time" expression. I nudged Frances, and we started to sneak out of the kitchen.

"Ahem! Going somewhere?" Mom asked, just before we could disappear. We moved back into the kitchen, and stood like recruits awaiting inspection.

"Girls, your father and I spent a long time talking last night about, well, Francis and his pretending to be a girl..." she looked nervous "and we are not sure that it's a good idea." I looked at them, then at Frances, scared. "See, boys who try to look and act like girls can get, well, confused, and..." I looked at her.

"Mom, I'm not gay." Frances started giggling. "I know what you and Dad are thinking, but I like girls, not boys."

They stared at each other. "So much for your theory, my husband." Mom looked tired. Dad just shook his head. "So why did you and your sister dress like this today?"

Frances spoke up. "We haven't changed since last night, and we are only following Theresa's instructions." Mom nodded.

"Theresa?" Dad inquired. Mom gave him a "later, dear" look.

"Children, it is time you prepared for the day's activities." We looked at Mom, and beat a hasty retreat. I was getting my clothes ready when Frances walked in.

"Emily, we are going to have to move into the same room, because we can't get dressed, or undressed, without the other's help." I nodded slowly. She quickly stripped off her nightgown, and I unlaced her. She repeated the favor, and claimed the first shower. I finished undressing, and after selecting clean panties and gaff, wrapped myself in a towel and headed into the bathroom. Frances was just getting out of the shower. I stared at her, and she quickly covered herself. A moment later she laughed, and lowered her hands. "Sisters don't have any secrets from each other." I blushed.

She grabbed her towel and started to dry off. "Now it's your turn." She pointed to my towel. Slowly I removed the towel and stood there in my panties. "All of it." I turned red, and turned away, pulling the panties off. The sharp snap of a towel on my bare bottom caused me to spin around, things swinging loosely. She was giggling and pointing. I jumped into the shower, and heard her leave. Once clean, I was drying off when she returned, still wrapped in her towel. She wiped down the large mirror that covered most of the door.

We stood there and compared bodies. Except for the not-so-obvious differences below the waist, as everything of mine was trying to hide, the only other visible things were her much larger, swollen nipples. I had never seen them so big. Even our backsides looked the same. She rubbed her nipples and they got instantly hard and pointy. I did the same, and nothing much happened. Frances smiled. "I'm finally starting to grow! Do you know how hard it has been being the flattest girl in school?" She suddenly realized what she said. "Oops, well, try biological girl."

I gave her a dirty look. I was jealous, which didn't seem right. "It's not fair!" Now it was her turn to look at me funny.

Mom's shouting from the front of the house, "Children, we need to leave soon," ended that train of thought. Re-wrapped in our towels, we made beelines for our rooms. We wound up in Frances's room to lace up, and found it was much easier than yesterday, so we went for the same tightness. Mom came by and knocked on the door. "By the way, it's been snowing, and is just above zero out, so you need to dress warmly. Fortunately the chemises and corset-liners we had chosen were short, so we wore Frances's jeans. She searched her closet, and found two thick, clingy sweaters that molded to our shapes without advertising the corsets. We left off the padded bras. I had to go back to my room to get an extra belt.

We each grabbed heavy socks and headed for the kitchen. They looked us over as we walked in. We looked much less daunting to Dad, I guess, because he smiled. Frances went to get our boots. We had to help each other get them on, as the corsets made bending difficult. Mom snickered, and Dad seemed to miss the significance. As we headed out, I noticed Frances was carrying her shoulder bag. I didn't even have my wallet. Mom was dressed in nice clothes, so we got stuck shoveling off the car, walk, and driveway.

It was going to take some time to get used to breathing properly, as we had to stop several times to catch our breath. At least lifting properly was a given. Keeping our backs straight was not merely an option. The roads were plowed, so the trip to town took just a bit longer than usual.

Our first stop was at a bookstore, where Mom picked up an order. We wandered around, and found some SF we had not yet read. There were several guys about our age there, and we were carefully watched. It made me nervous, and Frances whispered that we were the cutest girls in the place. That didn't help a bit. We convinced Mom to buy the books for us.

Our next stop was the only mall in town that was open on Sunday. Frances whispered something to Mom, and we detoured to a store to buy me a leather shoulder-bag. Checking her watch, Mom then told us to wait and headed into a drug store. She came out with a small sack, which she proceeded to empty into my shoulder-bag. When I saw the tampons, I turned beet red. She laughed. "A girl has to be prepared." I turned redder. Frances was giggling so hard she almost ran out of air.

We had to walk almost to the opposite end of the mall, and I saw what was to be our destination. It was a brightly lit entry that proclaimed "Alma's Beauty Cache." I tried to head the other way, but Mom and Frances pulled me inside. Mom was apparently a regular customer, and introduced us as her twin daughters Emily and Frances. That got most of the staff to come and look us over. I was still blushing, and Mom explained that I was the shy one. Soon Mom was telling them she wanted both of us to have our hair trimmed and set, our nails done, and have a makeover.

Looking at our bulky sweaters, they told us we would have to take them off. We both blushed, again, and stammered that we didn't have shirts underneath. So we wound up in a private room in back, where the two shampoo girls settled us in, and helped us peel off the sweaters. The audible gasps when they saw our corsets was making me want to run and hide. "Your mother makes you wear those? Is she that old fashioned? Aren't they uncomfortable?"

We smiled. "They are a bit tight at first, but you get used to them, and they do such wonderful things for our figures..." They could see how small our waists were. Shaking their heads, they wrapped us from the neck down in towels, and leaned us back into the sinks. I had not had my hair washed by anyone since I was a little kid, and it felt good. They had to wake me up when they were finished. When the beauticians came in to do our hair and nails, we had a repeat of the corset questions.

It took over an hour to set and dry our hair, and do our nails. When they finished, they carefully helped us put on the sweaters, and brought us mirrors. Mom had made our hair look nice, now it looked fantastic. It was full and curly, and fell in shiny waves past our shoulders. The girls at school would be envious. But it was my nails that got my attention most. They had built them up, and lengthened them, so they stuck out past my finger tips. They were so feminine and beautiful I just stared. Frances was having the same reaction. "This is the first time Mom's let me have my nails done..." I nodded. I had never expected to have mine done.

Mom came in and looked us over. She seemed satisfied. Next came the makeup, which was way too complicated. We were warned that we was expected to duplicate what they were doing, so I started to pay close attention. Mom bought a collection of what they finally selected. I had never realized how expensive it was to be a girl.

We left together, and were headed out of the mall when Frances spied a jewelry store, and ran over to look at the earrings. We followed, and I suddenly realized jealously that she had pierced ears, and I didn't. Mom saw my expression. "Emily, do you want to have your ears pierced? Even boys wear earrings these days." I nodded quickly. When Mom found they used a piercing gun, she hustled us out of the store, claiming that they were unsanitary.

She found a line of telephones, and checking the yellow pages, made several calls. "You are in luck, one of the good places is open today." So we headed out to the car, brushed off an inch or so of fresh snow, and drove back towards home. We stopped at what appeared to be a tattoo parlor. "They use sterile procedures here." Soon I was seated, and being marked for holes by an older woman who looked like a cartoon. Mom agreed to my getting two holes in each ear, which made Frances envious. The rubber gloves, antiseptic, and what looked like huge needles scared me, but Mom was smiling. Each hole hurt sharply for a moment. Soon I was sporting four heavy silver rings that clinked together when I moved. I loved the feeling of them swinging. It was, well, sexy. I began to understand why girls liked big earrings.

Frances started to beg and plead, and Mom finally agreed to get her another set of holes. When we left she had four earrings identical to mine, and we had instruction sheets and disinfectant. Mom looked us over, shook her head, and muttered, "Your father is going to have a cow." She looked again, and giggled. "Make that twin calves, hooves, horns, and all." We all laughed. We made it home without further stops.

Dad was taking a nap, which gave us a chance to unload and take a bathroom break. Mom suggested that, because it was so late, we change after dinner, and eat a snack while she was preparing food for the family. We split a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich, then realized that we had not done our homework. We let Mom know what we were doing, and took over the living room. It was a late dinner time, almost ten, when we finally completed the last piece.

Mom asked me to wake Dad, and Frances to set the table. It took a moment of thumping on their door to wake him. I made it back to the kitchen and sat down before he arrived. He sat down, and was reaching for a roll when he froze, and looked at each of us, taking in the new hair, earrings, makeup, and nails. His hand remained in mid-air as he started to mutter something to himself.

Mom then spoke up. "Something wrong, dear?" She was attempting an innocent expression. Frances and I were grinning from ear-to-ear.

"I thought you said you were going to go easy on feminizing him." pointing at Frances. "He looks like a, a, a..."

"I look like a what, daddy?" I spoke up, in my best little-girl imitation, then looked at him. "And your elbow is in the mashed potatoes."

He very slowly raised his arm, and Frances took his spoon and removed the excess to his plate. He managed, "That's not fair, trying to confuse me."

Mom exploded in laughter, and he started to chuckle. "All right, I give in. You make as good a girl as your sister. Whichever you are. Just don't start bringing home dates, unless I know who they belong to. Ouch!" Mom had kicked him under the table.

Dinner went quietly from then on, as everyone was hungry, and tomorrow was a regular school day for all of us. I managed to eat more than yesterday. Mom reminded us to get up early as it was taking us longer to get ready.

After removing makeup and washing up, we changed into our sleeping corsets and nightgowns, and decided to sleep together again. It felt so good to snuggle, and soon we were asleep.

When we awoke to Frances's alarm, it took us a while to decide to move. As we were getting better at lacing, we actually finished dressing half an hour early. We took the time to try out the make-up, and managed to keep from looking like clowns. It was warmer, but not too much, so we carried our flats and wore boots.

Monday was the beginning of Thanksgiving week, so everyone was impatient to start the holiday. No one seemed to notice us as we waited for the bus, and the roads made the bus late, so we had to dash for class. I had expected comments, but was essentially ignored. It was at lunchtime the boys came out of the woodwork. Like termites. Before, we had blended in, but with our new hair, nails, and corset-accentuated bodies it was no longer possible.

We managed to eat in between interruptions. I mentioned we needed some wolvesbane. Frances suggested flea repellent. We managed to escape alive, and I began to appreciate why many of the other girls treated most boys like live frogs.

The rest of the afternoon went smoothly, and we headed for dance. I was looking forward to a girls-only environment when I remembered that Mom and Dad had confronted Ms. Osborne on Friday. Frances had to drag me to the dressing room so I would not be late.

We quickly undressed to change, and there was a sudden hush in the room. We looked at each other, standing there in chemeses, corsets, and panties, and at the other girls, who were pointing at the corsets, eyes like saucers. Frances did a vamp, and that broke the tension. When we finished dressing we headed for the studio. A quick side-glance at Frances told me that the corsets were clearly outlined by the stretchy fabric. Several girls, including Natalie, encircled us, and studied us intently until Ms. Osborne's voice broke through.

"Everyone please pay attention!" We formed up in front of her. She saw us and looked startled, but continued. "We have been asked, no, make that told, at the last minute to put on a square dance demonstration for the Thanksgiving pageant on Wednesday. That means we need sixteen dancers, eight to take the male parts, and eight the female. We will have to stay very late today and tomorrow to practice. If anyone can participate, please raise your hands." I looked at Frances, and she raised her hand. I followed.

There were a total of twenty volunteers. After calls to parents, we were down to seventeen. Ms. Osborne pulled out a member of her beginner's class, thanked her for volunteering, and told us to wait in the advanced studio area. She then started everyone else on their warm-ups.

While we were waiting Frances and I had to field questions about the corsets. Beth looked jealous. The look on Natalie's face, however, was predatory. When Ms. Osborne came in, we gathered around her.

"How many of you have square-danced before?" Fourteen of us raised our hands. "Good. Now I need volunteers to dress for the male parts." Seven people raised hands. I looked hard at Natalie. She shrugged and raised hers. Her expression said, "You owe me."

"Those dancing the male parts will need to wear jeans, cowboy boots if you have them, regular boots you can dance in if you don't. You should also wear bandannas, western type shirts, and," she looked at several girls, "if you are well endowed, a tight sports-bra or an elastic bandage." I heard several load groans.

"The rest of you will need to wear ankle-length circle skirts or similar, with white blouses, and cowboy boots or dance boots. You will also need to wear your hair in braids or a pony tail, and tie it with bright colored ribbons." She looked at all of us. "We will practice today, and have a full dress rehearsal tomorrow evening. Now everyone get warmed up, and I'll be back to choreograph the dances shortly." She headed for the main studio.

This was the first time we had really tried dancing in our corsets, and there were a few fancy movements we could not do. Most were fine, and I quickly noticed that we moved with greater grace and poise. When Ms. Osborne returned, she told us to pick a partner if we had a preference. I almost screamed when I was picked up from behind by Natalie. "Mine," she said firmly. I blushed a Rudolph red. Frances paired off with Beth, who surprisingly had volunteered to dance as a boy. Beth towered over her, and I was shocked when Frances gave her a rather friendly hug.

For the rest of the afternoon I was too busy to think. Ms. Osborne, noting our corsets, told Frances and me to take sips of water at every opportunity. It helped, but we were winded sooner than the others. By the end of class, however, everyone, even Natalie, was staggering. "Your parents should be here in fifteen minutes to pick you up." was her final announcement, followed by a reminder that tomorrow was to be a dress rehearsal. She also praised our entire group, as we were already dancing all the routines without major errors.

Mom and Dad came inside to get us. When we saw Dad, I was afraid he was going to make a scene, but he simply waved to us, and ignored Ms. Osborne.

Frances and I slept all the way home, and barely managed to eat and prepare for bed before snuggling in for the night.

Tuesday was a repeat of Monday, except we had to carry extra clothes with us. We were again being pestered at lunch when Natalie and Beth came over to join us. Before, they had always eaten alone. When one particularly annoying greaser type tried to squeeze between Natalie and me, She grabbed him, hard, by the crotch, and threatened to rip it off if he ever bothered us again. He looked pale and pained as he limped off to the laughter of some of his accomplices. I blushed scarlet, and she kissed me. We spent the rest of the lunch period undisturbed. My head kept spinning, though.

I thought about Natalie defending my honor, and I realized it was the reverse of the American tradition. She knew I was a boy, and she was a girl. This led to other questions about why, but I had to pay attention in class.

Ms. Osborne had canceled all other dance classes for the day to let us rehearse for tomorrow's show. It was a good thing she had plenty of safety pins, as most of us needed to adjust our outfits once we tried dancing in them. When the "boys" appeared, we all laughed. Several looked almost convincing, especially Natalie, who I thought must have bound herself flat with duct tape. Beth, however, even dressed in pants and a cowboy shirt, still looked like a ballerina. Frances went over and gave her a hug, and she looked like she would make it.

By seven we were thoroughly tired, but had managed a complete run-through correctly. Everyone was congratulating the others when parents started showing up, and we all dragged ourselves out to the cars. Mom had brought snacks and liquids with her, and we nibbled all the way back. Dad had made dinner, and after some more food, Mom helped us change into our nightclothes, following our guide on how tight to lace us. As Frances and I snuggled together, it occurred to me that Mom and Dad were theater people, and understood the rigors of last-minute preparation. I made a mental note to tell Frances, and to thank them, as I fell asleep.

Wednesday we barely managed to get dressed, eat, and meet the bus. There were only two morning classes scheduled, and they went quickly. We met the other dancers in the dressing rooms, and it was a flurry of activity trying to get garbed up and ready in time. We were not scheduled to dance until almost noon, but had to take our places in the pageant like everyone else.

I was surprised how well the different skits went. I did not think the school drama classes could put on a puppet show, but they must have practiced all semester. The choir and band managed to stay at least somewhat in tune. Finally, we were called up, and the band started a round at the same beat we had practiced. I wondered if Ms. Osborne had threatened them with mayhem if they were off-time. I felt we did great, which was echoed by the multiple rounds of applause when we finished the last piece.

After the obligatory speeches, by the principal and department heads, we were treated to a decent thanksgiving lunch. Even the turkey and mashed potatoes were real. Beth and Natalie cornered us on the way to the bus, and asked if we had any plans for the weekend. When Frances said that other than Thursday we were open, Natalie got a gleam in her eye, and said they would call us on Friday morning to see about getting together. Frances looked thrilled. I didn't know what to think.

We chatted on the bus home about dates with the other girls. Frances seemed unperturbed, but I felt funny about it. At least the way I was dressed. It was two when we got home, and Frances suggested that showers were in order. Soon we were clean and decided to dress for sleeping early.

When Mom and Dad came home we were nowhere to be seen, so they checked our rooms. They found us curled up together on Frances's bed, oblivious to their presence. They decided to let us sleep, so it was the smell of dinner, and the need for a bathroom, that finally got us up.

Mom said we could sleep in tomorrow, and after we had cleaned up the dishes, we went back to bed.

Thanksgiving day went like most Thanksgivings, too much good food and not enough space to eat it. Frances and I thought this was a good time to thank Mom and Dad for their support the last several days. The corsets limited us to sampling, but we sampled all day long. It was almost bedtime when we remembered that Natalie and Beth wanted to get together with us on Friday. Both Mom and Dad had to attend meetings, so they were concerned about leaving us alone. We agreed to call and leave a message for them if we went out, and headed for bed.

We didn't get up until after nine on Friday. Beth called, and soon we were waiting, still in our night-clothes, for Natalie and Beth to arrive. We were surprised to see Natalie driving, and then I remembered her sixteenth birthday had been back in October. My stomach growled, and I realized we had not eaten. It turned out neither had they, so we were soon sitting at the table, discussing things we could do, and cleaning out the refrigerator. Beth ate a little more than either of us, but Natalie seemed to be feeding a hollow leg. When I asked where she could put all that food, she grinned and said, "High metabolism."

When they saw we had satellite television they freaked, and suggested loudly that they wanted to spend part of the day at our place. Since neither of us usually had time to watch much TV, it sounded okay. Frances reminded me that we needed to change, and when we tried to excuse ourselves, they said they wanted to see the corsets. So Frances went and got us both clean underpinnings, and making sure the curtains were closed, we undressed in the living room.

I was embarrassed when I peeled off the nightgown. Natalie slowly walked around me, intently studying the corset. Beth did the same with Frances's. When I unhooked the busk, and peeled off the corset liner, revealing my now-narrowed waist, Natalie whistled. "I wish I could wear a corset like that." I blushed to my toes.

Beth smiled, and wiggled at her "I want one, but I don't need one". Which was true. She already looked like she would blow away in a strong breeze. But she was mostly shaped like a slightly curvy pencil.

I looked at Natalie. "Why can't you?" She looked at us, shrugged, and started undressing. Frances and I made stopping motions. Natalie ignored us and stripped down to her panties. Her waist was much larger than mine, and appeared to be rock-solid. I stared at her. She had tiny breasts with huge, erect nipples. It was now obvious that her bra was heavily padded. She stretched like a cat, and I saw why she could dance the way she did. Every movement revealed another muscle rippling just below her skin.

"It wouldn't change anything. I'll never be soft and feminine like you two, or willowy like Beth." She sounded wistful. Beth came over and gave her a hug. Natalie gave Beth a kiss that was much more than just friendly. Our expressions must have bothered Beth, who spoke up.

"See, when my Mom moved here after Dad died, I looked like a shapeless, walking twig. Or at least more so. Natalie lived next door, and one day when she saw some of the boys teasing me, she, well, sort of beat them up." Natalie looked embarrassed. "So we got to talking, and she found out I had an eating disorder, and we started to do things together. She almost force-fed me until I quit looking like a skeleton." She gave Natalie a loving look. "I think she saved my life. The boys were always accusing her of being, well, queer because she was so buff." Beth softly rubbed Natalie's muscled arm, "And I hated all the boys because of the way they teased and ridiculed me. So we wound up as best friends."

Natalie picked her up and gave her a crushing hug. "Beth taught me to dance, and made me feel like I wasn't a freak. I loved it, and her. So that's who we are." I looked at Frances.

"So why are you two so interested in being friends with Frances and me?" Beth looked at Natalie, who replied.

"Because you two are different from the others at school. You're not judgmental, you're smarter than everyone there, yet you don't brag about it." she looked at me "You are the first boy who I felt cared about me." She smiled "And you made so horny I soaked my panties when we first kissed." I turned several shades of red all the way to my toes. Beth and Frances were giggling.

She grabbed me and rubbed herself against me as she gave me a deep, sensuous kiss. I responded vigorously, and she laughed as I pulled away and tried to cover my panties, which were bulging. Frances and Beth were giggling. The "Yep, she's a boy at heart" from Beth didn't help at all. I sat quickly on the couch, and covered my crotch with my nightgown. Beth walked over to Natalie, and in one sudden motion pulled her panties down to her ankles.

Natalie screeched, and tried to pull them back up. Beth looked at her crotch. "Don't feel left out, Emily, she's reacted the same way." Natalie yanked hard at her panties, which ripped neatly in half. Frances had to sit on the floor, she was laughing so hard. Natalie gave Beth a dirty look, and tackled her. It took her only a moment to strip a squealing and kicking Beth of all her clothes, and flip Beth over her knee. Something told me that this was not the first time. Frances was eyeing them carefully, but her expression startled me. It was, I thought, one of envy.

Natalie proceeded to give Beth a real spanking. At first I thought it was all play, but the loud impact and bright red hand-prints said otherwise. Soon Beth was whimpering, but she was also grinding herself against Natalie's lap. She had just started to bounce around when Natalie stopped.

"No, don't stop, not now. Beth was begging "Please, please, I'm so hot I can't stand it...."

Natalie was smirking. "Maybe, if you're a bad girl, I'll finish later."

Beth stood up and pouted. "Fink." There was no mistaking her arousal, both her nipples and nether regions were puffy and swollen.

I tried to take the opportunity to make a dash for my room, but I had traveled only a couple of steps when a hand grabbed the back of my panties and pulled them down to my ankles, tripping me, then pulled them off. I rolled over indignantly, and found myself staring at Natalie's bush as she straddled me, dangling my panties like bait. I got even harder. Embarrassed and ashamed at my reaction, I curled into a little ball and began to cry.

Natalie picked me up and set me on the couch, and asked Frances to get me a blanket. She gently covered me, set my head on her lap, hugged me, and started to weep. Soon Frances and Beth joined in on the hug. I felt like a little kid. I stopped crying long before Natalie. When I shifted around to hold her, the covers fell, and I wrapped them around both of us. We wound up with our heads on each other's shoulders, arms wrapped around the other. When she finally got her composition back, she pulled away.

"Dammit, I let my muscles do my thinking again and, and now I've ruined everything, and now you hate me and, and..." she started to wail again. But I didn't hate her. I was just scared and embarrassed. Something told she needed proof I still liked her. So I gave her a kiss. Her eyes snapped open, and she pulled me against her and nearly squeezed the air out of me.

I freed my mouth and gasped, "I still like you. Just slow down: I don't think I'm ready for, for..." I made body to body rubbing motions. She smiled. I looked around, and saw Beth sitting with Frances on her lap, watching us intently. Frances winked at me. I suddenly realized that I needed to go to the bathroom. Now. Everyone laughed as I streaked, literally, for the facilities. I stopped at my room for fresh undies on the way back. Beth had put hers back on, and Natalie was looking with disgust at the remains of her panties.

"I wore a short skirt today and now I'm gonna freeze my..." We all started to laugh. She looked at us and joined in. I suggested we get dressed so that if our parents suddenly came home we would not be grounded till we were thirty.

Soon we were working on being properly clothed, and Frances showed Natalie how to lace me up. I was still able to breathe when she was finished. Frances got the tape out, and checked my waist. It measured just under twenty-three inches. I started to bounce up and down "only one more inch!" Natalie looked at me like I had lost it.

Beth took the tape and wrapped it around her. "Mine's still smaller." We all stared. Her natural waist was just under 21 inches. I took the tape and tried to measure Natalie. I only bounced once when she tossed me onto the couch. "She's sensitive about her measurements." This from Beth. I had gotten the idea, I thought, as I managed to stand and check for bruises.

Natalie suggested we head for town and wander the malls. "All the kids will be there, and it's the biggest shopping day of the year, so the people-watching will be great." I wondered what she meant by people watching.

After we called the college and left a message, we headed out to Natalie's car, a foreign model four-wheel drive station-wagon, and hopped in.

And dove back out as Natalie screamed like she had just been stabbed. When we carefully looked inside, she was pulling her short skirt under her, and shivering. "A bit drafty?" quipped Frances. We all laughed, but Natalie was giving Beth a dirty look.

When we finally found a parking spot at the mall, it had gotten windy. Natalie looked funny trying to walk with her legs tightly together, holding her skirt in place. Once inside, Beth told all of us to wait, and headed into a department store. She came out waving a pair of frilly pink satin panties covered with little red hearts. "Lose something, Dahrling?" she vamped.

Frances and I laughed ourselves giddy. Natalie turned a matching pink, and grabbed the panties, which lifted her skirt, giving everyone watching quite a show.

"You... Will... Pay... DEARLY... For... This..." she growled at Beth as she clamped her legs together, and moved stiffly for the nearest restroom.

"I hope so!" was Beth's response, as she joined us in laughter. When Natalie came out she was walking funny, and grumbling.

"These damn things are too tight, and they tickle!" she said, looking at Beth, who had moved behind us.

Beth's, "That'll teach you to leave me stewing," got some really strange looks from some of those watching. Natalie hrumphed and we set out to explore. It was obvious she was not too mad, as she and Beth were holding hands. It looked, however, more like she had one of Beth's arms pinned behind her.

I found myself checking out the other girls. Some looked interesting, but I found myself comparing Frances' and my appearance with theirs. Natalie bought us all sodas, and we wound up sitting on top of a small set of stands that had been assembled for a performance later in the day, looking down at the crowd.

Soon our discussions turned to dissections of selected guys and girls. I had never before spent much time looking at other people, and the opportunity made me reflect on the strange turns my life had taken.

I found myself asking Natalie about her childhood. Beth and Frances were discussing the merits of ballet versus modern dance. Natalie snuggled next to me and began.

"My parents are bikers and physical fitness freaks, and met at a competition in 'Frisco. Dad drove a semi, and Mom learned to drive truck to stay with him. When she found she was pregnant with me, they decided to get married. I was almost born on the highway, and I grew up in the double-sleeper and jump-seat of their Kenworth." She smiled "They said I'd traveled well over a million miles before I reached kindergarten.

When I reached school age they decided to settle down, and Dad had friends here, so they wound up buying a big house. They'd taught me as much as they could on the road, but I wound up starting school a year late. I was the biggest and strongest kid in the class, which got me in all sorts of trouble. Especially 'cause I learned a lot of words and things from Dad's biker friends and the other truckers."

She grinned "Nice little girls don't call people fuck-heads and know all about condoms and sex." I was beginning to realize just how sheltered a life we had led. "Anyway, they got tired of rescuing me from the principal's office, and figured that maybe some martial arts training would help me learn self-control. I loved the intense physical effort and body contact, and the mental dicipline soon helped me learn to think before I spoke or clobbered someone. I also worked out with them every day to burn off extra energy." She paused, thinking.

"Because I was considered to be really wild by the other parents, they wouldn't let their daughters play with me, and the boys couldn't stand a girl that could out-do them. So I kind of grew up alone." She started sniffling and I held onto her for a couple of minutes.

"Anyway, I was thirteen and had not started my periods, when they took me to a doctor. That's when they found out my body was just reaching puberty. I was fourteen when they ran blood tests, and learned I was putting out way too much testosterone. They gave me a shot and some pills to fix things." She looked sad "It got my periods started, and made my nipples grow, but then I got real sick and they found I couldn't take any of the medications again. That was in eighth grade, and the doctors told me I was going to have to get used to shaving and having a boyish figure. They weren't kidding."

"Ever since then, they've treated me sort of, well, like something they've broken and can't fix, and are really sorry that it happened. So I get lots of stuff, but it's more like they feel sorry for me than they love me." She sniffled.

"It was that summer I met Beth, and she's already told you a little about us. The school won't let me participate in team sports because of the extra testosterone in my system, so it's been pretty much Beth and me since then." And then we met you two. She grinned. You were a boy that looked like a girl, and didn't seem to care, and I thought that, maybe, there was a chance for us both to have some real friends. Someone else who was different, and who would not treat me like I was a mutant..." She gave me a big hug. I noticed that Frances and Beth had been listening.

Beth gave Frances a hug, and started in "Since it seems to be true confessions time, I guess it's my turn." She got a far-away look. "Mom and Dad grew up together in a town near Boston, where everyone had money and roots back to the revolution. They married when they graduated college, and he started working for IBM back when they were much smaller. Mom had studied ballet like forever, and was starting to be a recognized performer when she got pregnant with me. I guess she really didn't want kids, but when I was born she became super domestic. My brother was born three years later, and Mom suffered some nerve damage from the anesthesia that left her unable to dance." I didn't know she had a younger brother.

"She had some sort of nervous breakdown, and we were raised by a governess for almost a year. When Mom came back and saw how tall and graceful I was, she decided that I would be the ballerina she could never again be." Beth looked angry "And she drove me like I was a slave. My life centered on ballet practices and competitions. I was just not quite coordinated enough to be a leading star, but I danced well. When I turned twelve, I suddenly started to grow up and out. Mom berated me every time I put on a tiny bit of fat, and I got hooked on having to look super-thin to meet her expectations. It almost killed me." She looked lovingly at Natalie, who reached over and stroked her hair.

"Anorexia is like that, you know, you begin to think you're too heavy even when you are starving." She sighed. "Dad died suddenly, and Mom was so upset she failed to notice how weak I was getting. One day my brother found me passed out in the hall, and when the ambulance took me to the hospital they found I was starving myself to death. I spent a couple of months in the mental ward being counseled and force-fed" she grimaced "and they told Mom I needed to get away from ballet and all the stress if I was going to live.

We had lots of money from Dad's insurance and stock options, so she went looking for a quiet place, and we wound up here. I still looked like a bunch of walking toothpicks, and all the kids teased me. I really wanted friends, especially a boyfriend, but all the boys avoided me, or called me 'splinters'. That was about the time Natalie kicked their butts out of my yard." She smiled and hugged Natalie.

"I never had any real friends, 'cause Mom made me spend all my time practicing, and, well, it was like a whole new experience." She grinned "And once I got my strength back I wanted nothing to do with boys, but I was always horny, and," she rubbed against Natalie, "I stayed at her house one night when her parents were gone, and well..." Natalie was blushing, and Frances seemed to have an itch under her dress. "So we've been really close ever since." She climbed on Natalie's lap and gave her a long, deep kiss.

Frances and I looked at each other. She looked like she wanted to join them. I guess I looked shocked. "What's the matter, Sis? Jealous?" was her comment. I wasn't sure what I was.

Beth broke loose for a moment. "I forgot about my brother. He is the most normal jerky little monster one could hope to avoid. He's a jock who plays football and every other sport and has a real bleached-blonde ditz of a girlfriend who spends more time on her knees than in class... Ouch!"

Natalie had pinched her. "What's wrong with spending time on your knees?" She licked her lips sensuously and I turned red. Beth's "Please? Pretty please with whipped cream and cherries?" Caused me to clamp my legs together and moan. I was getting over-aroused, and dressed like I was it hurt. All three of them laughed.

Frances then gave them the capsule version of our lives. When she finished, Beth looked at Natalie. "That sounds so, so, well, boring." Frances and I nodded in agreement.

"Except for Emily's constantly being teased about her size and long hair."

They decided it was time to head back. In a little while we were sitting in our living room watching Beth and Natalie doing a sloppy attempt at mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Finally Natalie asked if we would loan them a bedroom for a little while. Beth was panting. Frances got a mischievous look and said, "What if we say no?"

Natalie grinned and they demonstrated. It was an educational experience. I had read about lesbians. Watching was a whole lot different. They even provided sound effects. Lots of them. I looked at the clock, and realized that Mom and Dad should be home in half an hour. I was getting ready to pull them apart when they collapsed separately on the floor. Frances made a mad dash for the bathroom, but I didn't hear a flush for a long time.

We managed to clean up and spray some air freshener to dissipate a distinct musky smell before Mom and Dad got home. I figured the roof had started to come off our sheltered lives. I didn't know how right I was.

Mom and Dad arrived right on time, and we introduced them to Beth and Natalie, who were on their best behavior. After they left, things went back to normal, whatever that was. Frances and I managed all our chores, including laundry, before showering and heading for bed.

We stayed up late talking quietly about what had happened. She admitted having fantasized about sleeping with another girl for a long time. I admitted to having masturbated thinking of Natalie. We both agreed that we needed to slow down until we really understood our emotions. Frances shyly asked if that meant no more masturbating, and I told her we'd explode if we didn't. Her comment that exploding was a boy's problem, not hers, got her clobbered with a pillow. We snuggled together and went to sleep.

The next two weeks went quietly, until Natalie and Beth cornered us at dance and asked what we were planning to do over the Christmas break. Aside from the usual family stuff, we had figured on watching TV and reading. They suggested a sleep-over for the New Years weekend.

When I mentioned that we weren't ready for their games, they giggled, and told us not to worry. We should have worried. That night we brought it up, and Mom and Dad liked the idea, saying that it would give them a chance to party with their friends. I think they were glad we seemed to finally be making friends in the local area. I called Natalie and she said she would take care of everything.

Frances and I dressed up in our gowns on Christmas eve for the first time since we brought them home. We had to over-tighten the corsets a bit, but we loved every minute of it. Dad seemed to have resigned himself to my being a girl, and it was a nice evening. Our Christmas presents, which for years had been frugal, now included matching silver jewelry for each of us. We found Mom some of her favorite perfume, and got Dad a Game-boy. He was still zapping aliens when Mom dragged him off to bed, scowling at us.

The sleep-over was planned for four days and three nights at Natalie's. We made sure everyone had all the needed telephone numbers, and our parents, over our objections, bought us a whole pile of non-snack health food to bring along. I collected music and books, and Frances did the packing. When they dropped us off, they told us to stay out of trouble. We had already agreed on the rules, and I guess they figured that other than a fire, what trouble could four girls get into. Well, three and a half girls. I had begun to wonder if Mom and Dad had forgotten entirely about Francis.

Natalie's house was huge, and had a basement. We wound up hauling everything down to a recreation room that was complete with a wooden bar and a nautilus machine. My "Where's the TV?" got me a funny look.

"My parents don't like television. So they won't get cable and all that's available are the two local stations." I gave her a sympathetic look. A loud pounding on the door upstairs signaled Beth's arrival. She was carrying a duffel bag almost as tall as she was.

"Clothes and party supplies and things to play with" was all she would say. It took the better part of an hour to sort out and refrigerate all the food. "Wanna drink?" Beth went to the bar, pulled out a beer glass, and decanted some dark, foamy liquid.

Frances got wide-eyed, and moved towards me. "Um, I thought you said this was going to be a safe party?" Beth tried to look menacing, and Natalie finally lost it.

"My parents don't allow alcohol in the house. That's home-made root beer on tap." Frances warily sniffed the glass, took a sip, and smiled.

"Yep, root beer. Good root beer."

Soon we had fired up the stereo, made dips, and relaxed. Something was bugging me. "Hey Natalie, where are your parents?" She and Beth looked at each other innocently.

"We didn't tell you? They've gone to Bangor for the whole long weekend, so we have the entire place to ourselves."

"Oh, Oh..." was Frances's comment.

"Don't worry, we won't make you do anything you don't want to."

It was my turn to say something. "Urk!" was all that made it out. I felt like a canary. Natalie sure looked feline.

The rest of the evening went quietly. Frances and I trounced them in scrabble, and we were thoroughly annihilated in ping-pong. I swore Beth could teleport herself anywhere around the table. Soon we were hauling mattresses and linens down from the upstairs into one corner, where it began to look like something out of the Arabian Nights. Dinner was junk food heaven. The corsets served a new purpose - we couldn't eat enough to get sick.

Earlier, as I was helping move mattresses, I saw a room full of bookshelves. "Hey Natalie, what was with the room full of books?" That got us a tour of their library. Frances and I were salivating when we left, each with several books from our favorite SF authors we hadn't read. Beth found some quiet piano sonatas and put them in the CD changer. Soon we were all snuggled up together reading.

I awoke to Natalie's gentle shaking. "Don't you need to, well, change for sleeping?" I looked at the clock, which said it was after eleven. Beth and Frances were sound asleep.

I managed to wake Frances, and Natalie woke Beth. Soon we had changed, and surprised to find the other girls also had put on thick flannel nightgowns. "I thought you two never wore clothes?" got snickers from both Natalie and Beth.

"We turn down the heat at night, so..."

Beth came over and tapped Frances on the shoulder. "Wanna snuggle?" Frances looked at me, at Natalie, who was looking at me, and smiled at Beth. Soon they were giggling and cuddling under a small mountain of covers.

Natalie's, "Said the spider to the fly," sent a shiver down my back. She pulled me down to the floor, and covered us in blankets. I was expecting to be molested. Instead, she curled up against me, nuzzled my neck, and whispered "Mine, all mine. All of you" Soon we were fast asleep. I had the weirdest dreams.

I awoke to a full bladder, and a warm, wrapped up feeling that was not just my corset. I had to pry Natalie loose, and she simply curled back up as I slid out from under the covers. A single, large lump under the other covers had to be Frances and Beth. When I came back, Beth and Frances had their heads poking out from opposite sides. "What time is it?" I had to find my watch.

My "Seven thirty" elicited a groan from under the remaining blankets. Soon everyone had managed to get up, at least for a quick run. My stomach was making hungry sounds, and when I hinted I was starving, we decided to head for the kitchen. Beth made omelets out of eggs and lunch meat that were delicious. She ate a decent amount. Natalie ate as much as the three of us.

She then pulled out a bottle of vitamins the size of jelly beans, and gave each of us one. "Super multi-vitamins". We shrugged and managed to down them. We went back to the basement, and chatted for a while. Natalie then announced it was her exercise time, and suggested we join her. Beth suggested that if we valued our health we do our dance warm-ups instead. We liked her idea better. As we cleared space for us, Natalie stripped and put on her exercise outfit.

Beth suggested we get comfortable, and soon the three of us were down to panties. We spent the better part of an hour exercising, and marveling at Natalie's physical prowess. It was also the first time in many weeks we had been without our day corsets. It felt, well, nicely different. Sodas and showers later we were dressed for the day, and discussing possibilities. Beth suggested she go over to her house and bring back a VCR and some movies. We almost tossed her out the door. We spent the morning watching a bunch of old cartoons and acting like little kids. Lunch munchies were straight out of the fridge.

In the afternoon, Beth dug out an original Tarzan flic, and an old melodrama. We were rolling on the floor laughing as the strong-but-dumb-as-rocks hero kept rescuing a bound and gagged heroine from railroad tracks, buzz saws, and other ridiculous predicaments. When the last feature was over, Natalie got up on a stool, beat on her chest, and tried to emulate Tarzan. It just didn't sound right in the upper registers. We hissed at her till she stopped.

Beth pulled a piece of rope out of her duffel bag, tied it firmly around her ankles, and hopped around. "Help, Dudley DoRight, Help!" I almost inhaled my soda.

Natalie jumped up shouting "Unhand her you foul fiend! Only I can tie up this poor maiden!" She grabbed Beth and quickly tied her hands behind her, and then tied her hands to her feet with a short length of rope. "Now I get the ransom!" Frances was laughing so hard I had to pound on her back to get her to breathe again.

Instead of untying Beth, Natalie picked her up and set her on one of the mattresses, covering her with a blanket up to her neck. Beth had this really far-away look in her eyes. Frances commented in a small voice, her eyes wide open "Um, Natalie, you're not going to leave her tied up like that, are you?"

"Why not? She likes it." Natalie slowly stroked Beth's hair. "Don't you Beth?" Beth nodded slowly, her eyes focusing on Natalie, her expression one of pure pleasure. Frances looked scared. I wanted to trade places with Beth. "You never played tie-up games when you were little?" Frances shook her head. "Not even cowboys and Indians or cops and robbers?" She kept on shaking her head.

"Can you teach me, please?" came out of my mouth. I think I was as shocked as Frances, who stared at me like I was squirrel food.

"Do you really mean it?" Natalie sounded ecstatic. She looked at Beth. "Is it okay with you?"

She smiled. "As long as you don't forget about me..." spoken in a soft voice.

Natalie kissed her. Beth grinned.

"What am I supposed to do, sit here and watch you turn Emily into a piece of macramé?" was Frances's next comment.

After the obligatory delay before the pun bomb went off, Natalie and I both broke into a laughing fit, and Beth was giggling so hard she drooled. "Macramé? I've heard or read about it being called a lot of things, but never macramé!" she paused to regain her composure. "Why don't you keep Beth company?" Frances looked at Beth, who gave her a "please" look. Natalie had moved over to Beth's duffel bag and was fishing for something.

"Well, I guess that would be okay..."

A moment later Natalie had Frances tied up the same as Beth, and tucked under the same covers. Frances's indignant "Hey' I didn't mean tie me up too!" fell on deaf ears. Beth gave her a kiss, which shut her up, and they squirmed around so they could watch us.

It wasn't long before the only things I could move were the various parts of my face. As she was completing a particularly complicated loop of rope, I had this sudden flash of inspiration, and began singing softly, "The ankle bone's connected to the knee bone. The knee bone's connected to the thigh bone..." She laughed so hard she had to sit, and she still had trouble tying the last knots.

Her, "Don't go anywhere," got her a lot of "duh, really?" stares. She ran up the stairs. When she came back down she was carrying several large feathers. I heard Frances gasp out, "You wouldn't dare..." Soon I was twitching and laughing and trying desperately to move parts that were completely immobile in an attempt to avoid that damned feather. And I was horny as hell. Having my legs tied together didn't help, for every time I twitched I rubbed. When she saw I was running out of air, she relented, and positioned me so I could see her advance on Beth and Frances.

They could move a lot more freely, but also had a lot more skin available to tickle. Natalie took pity on Frances after a while, and set her next to me. After loosening Beth's clothes, she returned to her task in earnest. Frances was watching intently as Natalie started to work the feather over Beth's inner thighs and breasts. Beth stopped laughing and started moaning and began begging Natalie to finish. Soon she was thrashing around like she was having a seizure and wailing softly. When she slumped bonelessly to the mattress, Natalie untied her and stretched her out under the covers.

Frances's, "My turn?" caught me by surprise. I looked at her. She was rubbing her thighs together as much as she could. "I thought you said..."

She hissed at me. "I've never been this hot in my life..." Natalie came over. "Please..." She really was begging. Natalie carried her over to another mattress, and repeated her feather art. Frances went wild almost instantly. Soon she was tucked in next to Beth.

When Natalie advanced towards me I started to shake. I wanted her so badly I was almost crying, but another part of me was saying "It's not right. You're a boy and she's a girl..." Natalie sat down next to me and stroked my cheek. "Having fun?" I nodded, then shook my head, and finally gave her a panicked look. She looked concerned, and started to massage my forehead, which felt so good. I barely noticed she was slowly undoing the ropes, and my clothes.

It was not long before she was massaging my arms and legs, working out knots that had formed during my earlier struggles. I lay there like piece of putty, with a hard place sticking straight up. I was trying to be embarrassed, but it felt too good and I was too aroused to fully engage my brain. I didn't fight when she pulled off my panties, and started in with the feather once more.

It wasn't long before I knew the meaning of "exquisite pain". She would bring me, quivering, almost to a climax, then move elsewhere. I had been reduced to little more than a bundle of over-stimulated nerve endings when she concentrated on the base of my erection, and I tried to emulate Vesuvius. Instead of seeing stars, I saw the entire galaxy.

I woke up in her arms. She was looking at me with this goofy "I love you" smile. My answer was to pull myself closer and snuggle quietly as I went back to sleep. It was to the smell of hot cocoa I woke up the second time. Frances calling out "Hey, Natalie, she's returned to the world of the living" were the first words that made sense to my foggy brain. I sat up, and saw everyone else sitting, drinking cocoa and eating.

Beth's "Thought you were going to sleep through the new year" filtered in, and I realized I was in desperate need of a bathroom. I hopped up, and headed across the room, realizing as I left I was not wearing any underwear. It probably saved the carpet. I came back wearing a towel, and soon was dressed appropriately, if a skirt and corset could be called appropriate. Looking at the others, it seemed to fit. Natalie handed me a mug of cocoa, and gave me a kiss. I should have been embarrassed or angry, or something. But I felt wonderful. Tired, but wonderful.

We listened to the New Year announcement a portable radio, toasted each other with root beer, and made resolutions to party till we dropped. In a few minutes we had re-made the mattresses, put on our night clothes, and paired off for bed. Beth and Frances were already entwined, I rested my head on Natalie's shoulder and we kind of melted into oblivion.

New Year's day dawned late and COLD. I realized I was shivering, and then that I was sleeping alone, which bothered me. A quick glance around confirmed there were two under the covers on another mattress, but Natalie was nowhere to be found. I wrapped myself in a blanket, visited the bathroom, and headed upstairs. She was nowhere on the first floor, so I headed up to the second floor. I had not been up there before, so I didn't know which room was hers.

Familiar sounds mixed with a weird buzzing noise were coming from one room, so I slowly opened the door and peeked inside. Natalie was on her back squirming and twitching with something that looked like a giant mushroom jammed against her nether regions. "Vibrator!" made a debut in my consciousness. She was obviously enjoying herself, and suddenly I felt left out.

It wasn't like I was jealous. Rather, I wanted to be the source of her pleasure. I slowly snuck in, closed the door, and crawled over to the bed. An idea dawned. I pulled the plug out of the wall just as she started to moan loudly. She let out an "Arrggh!, not now", bounced up, and looked at the vibrator cord. Which put her eye to eye with me. I think she hit the ceiling she was so startled. She landed madly wrapping herself in a blanket, and stared at me guiltily.

"I woke up cold and lonely, so I went looking for you..." I paused, trying to sort out my feelings, "and you were here playing by yourself..." I gave her an unhappy look "and I felt left out." Her eyes got wide as I plugged the cord back in to the outlet, and grabbed the buzzing thing off the bed. "And it's my turn to play..." I slid the vibrator along her leg and up one inner thigh. Her whimper was music to my ears.

She was on her back, muscles straining, arching her self upward trying to make contact with the vibrator again. I had quickly found out that a light touch drove her up the wall, and I was determined to make this last as long as possible. I had never been this close to a vagina since I was born, and I studied her as I played. I was as aroused as she was, well almost, but pleasing her was foremost on my mind. Finally she grabbed my hand, and the vibrator, and pressed it solidly against her bush, and pinned it between her thighs. The resulting convulsions were awesome. When she turned the vibrator off, she looked at me with glazed eyes and drew me against her. I managed to pull up the covers as she fell asleep.

We dozed together for quite a while, until Beth tracked us down, and announced that it was breakfast time. We sat in the kitchen, drinking hot cocoa, and discussing plans for the day when something crossed my mind. "Um, Natalie, where did you and Beth get into tying each other up?"

Natalie looked at Beth, who nodded. "Well, I told you that I helped Beth after I found she was anorexic?" We nodded. "One day we were in my room and she was really upset and refusing to eat and started threatening to kill herself..." We all looked at Beth, who smiled sadly.

"I really thought about it a lot back then". That scared me.

Natalie continued "And I needed to get her some food and was afraid to leave her alone. Then I remembered sneaking off with some of my Dad's magazines, and reading about people being tied to beds..." She looked at Beth, who was blushing. "So I grabbed some panty hose and stretched her out like a big X in the middle of my bed, and tied her so she could not get free. I expected her to fight me, but instead she started to give me this really..., well, passionate look."

When I returned with something fattening, she was trying desperately to rub her thighs together, and I saw her panties were really wet." Beth looked embarrassed. "Knowing what that meant, I found some feathers I had gotten for a school project. Soon she was willing to do anything, even eat, if I would help her finish." I looked at Beth. She was nodding, and her hands were moving in her lap. I snickered, and she stopped moving.

Beth spoke up "Soon it became a game with us. Even if I would not eat on my own, when I was tied up I was willing to do anything she wanted." Frances blushed. "Yep, anything." She struck out her tongue and licked her lips slowly. Now I blushed. And Natalie really likes to be in control." It was her turn to smile. "I spent a lot of time over the next several months, tied into various positions, being fed healthy, fattening food." She stuck her tongue out at Natalie, "With miss insatiable here as both appetizer and dessert."

Frances was even redder, but she was also squirming. I think I was jealous.

Mom went ballistic when she caught us one day..."

Natalie butted in "I had tied her to her bed, with her legs spread really wide open, and was busy with a feather when her mother opened the door."

Beth continued. Mom shouted and yelled and threw stuff at Natalie, until I screamed at her that she was interrupting my fun. That got her to stop for a moment. It gave Natalie a chance to grab the cheeseburger she had brought with her, and start feeding pieces of it to me. That stopped Mom cold, because I normally would have violently refused one or heaved it up. She was so confused she got up and left us alone, and closed the door."

Natalie started to chuckle. "We thought it was all over, and I'd be banned forever, but Beth was still so aroused she begged me to finish. Her mother walked back in just as she came..."

Frances and I were giggling uncontrollably.

And there was no mistaking what Beth was doing, or that she was enjoying it immensely. Her mom was so embarrassed she simply stood there with her mouth open. Until Beth quit quivering and moaning. Then she sat on Beth's chair and stared at us. I untied Beth, and snuggled up with her in the bed."

Beth continued. "We spent a long time talking. It took her a while to understand that we had been doing this for months, and the girl-girl sexual stuff really bugged her. See, she was like a prude and totally straight." Beth wrinkled her nose "Anyway, she finally had to admit that I had been getting a lot better since Natalie and I had started spending so much time together. So she agreed not to interfere, and asked us to lock the door from now on so she wouldn't see us doing it again.

When she realized that Natalie was better for me than her high-priced psychiatrists, she started asking me what it was like, and soon dumped the damn shrinks. I'm still not sure she understands. I bought her a vibrator for her next birthday, and she turned red as a beet. But I've heard it buzzing away regularly ever since.

Beth started up again, giggling "After I had gotten stronger, Natalie, well, let me start to reciprocate..." She paused

Natalie's, "Oh, really, and how come you have more muscles in your tongue than I do?" caused Frances to fall off her chair, and I tried to hide my face as I involuntarily started liking my lips.

"And now it's one of the games we like to play."

My underwear was way too tight and I squirmed, wondering what the other games were.

As we were moving used bedding to the laundry room, the discussion devolved into what felt the best when we were playing with each other. Beth made it clear that her nipples were the most sensitive part readily accessible. Natalie claimed it was her ears.

My, "I wish I had big, sensitive nipples like yours," to Beth got Natalie's attention, and a weird look from Frances. Natalie got a thoughtful look and headed back to her room. The rest of us continued washing, cleaning and packing. She returned with several large bottles.

"Remember when I told you they had given me hormones to try and make me develop more like a girl? We all nodded. "Well, they kept sending me the refills long after I found I was allergic to them, and I just put the bottles in my drawer. They warned me never to let anyone else have them, because they would really mess up most girl's systems, and could do funny things to a boy..." I got this really funny feeling like everyone was looking at me. They were. "So when I started to get sick, I looked them up and read all about them."

She looked at me. "In small doses they can keep a guy from growing a beard and body hair and big muscles, and will usually make a guy grow breasts and hips and a big butt like a girl." She smiled, then looked at her trim hips and behind and winced. "In big doses, they can make a guy lose his ability to be a boy." I sat down quickly, as the room seemed a bit animated.

I didn't want to quit being a boy. But I was happier being treated like a girl. And the idea of having my own, sensitive breasts seemed, well, more than interesting. "How can you tell if the dose is too big?" I manage to blurt out. Beth was looking at me with a grin. Frances looked like I had lost my mind.

Natalie chuckled. "When you have trouble getting hard when properly stimulated, it's time to take less." Beth cracked up.

Frances had a troubled look on her face. "Emily, what if you want to go back to being Francis? And what will Mom and Dad do when they see you growing boobs?" I started to think, and everything got hazy, and I started to cry. I spent the next few minutes being held by Natalie and soaking her shoulder.

When I finally regained my composure, I realized I had made both a discovery and a choice. Everyone was watching me as I managed to blow my nose and clear the tears, "You answered your own question, Frances. I'm Emily Bordoun, your sister. And girls are expected to grow breasts." She threw her arms around me and started to sob. "And I'm not going to entirely quit being a boy..." I looked at Natalie, who was smiling wickedly, then at Frances "But I'm staying a girl. And I want to enjoy being one, even if it means I can't go back." This got us both hugged by Natalie and Beth.

We finally disentangled and finished cleanup. Natalie put all the bottles of pills in my bag, and told me to start at one of each type per day. She pulled out two pills, and poured four glasses of root beer. We toasted my decision as I downed the pills. Natalie reminded me that it would take some time before they would start to have an effect.

We had even finished most of the laundry when Mom and Dad arrived, late, to pick us up. They looked worn out. "Good party?" Frances quipped, and they gave us silly smiles. Frances and I slept all the way home. Dinner was reheated frozen leftovers.

By late January my nipples has started to grow, and hurt like heck. They were so sensitive I had to start wearing a softer chemise. Natalie made good use of the sensitivity. I loved it. I was also getting fewer unwanted erections, but Natalie made sure I was capable of having one when appropriate. I was also finding myself riding an emotional roller-coaster, which included crying jags and weird mood swings.

By March I was almost the same size as Frances, who had suddenly blossomed. I made sure that I was never undressed around the parents, and officially blamed the corsets for my improving figure. Dad always looked worried, and I wished I knew how to tell my parents about what was happening. Our hips and thighs and bottoms were also growing, which accentuated our narrow waists even further.

The four of us became inseparable. It wasn't long before I was prepared to challenge Beth in the tongue Olympics. Natalie proved she, too, had an oral fixation, and sixty-nine became our favorite number. I accused her of having a relative named Hoover. It took her a week to figure that one out, and when she did I spent a long time trussed up like a turkey while she played nasty with the feather. Frances and Beth liked to run around with silly smiles on their faces after doing circles under the covers.

We made it through the school year without any major disasters. I was scared silly when it became obvious I was going to have to wear a swim-suit during the summer The gaff and Natalie's pills, along with a conservative, skirted one-piece suit Beth found got me no more attention than any of the other girls. Which meant way to much. I learned to give boys the brush-off by myself. Natalie took care of those that didn't get the hint. Mom thought I was being careful to use the silicone breast forms she had purchased for me.

It was the end of June when I thought the end had come. Natalie drove us back from a morning swim, and when we pulled up at her house, I saw my parents' car. Since all the parents had met several times, it didn't worry me.

It was when we trotted inside we were met by the execution squad. Three mothers, all with unhappy looks on their faces. They ushered us silently down to the basement. It felt more like a dungeon. The other two parental units were there. Scowling. On the bar we saw the bottles of pills Natalie had given me, the log Beth had been carefully keeping of Frances's and my development, and the gaff I kept at Natalie's for emergencies. Natalie caught me as I fainted.

I woke up in Beth's arms, my head on Frances's lap. Natalie was standing guard between the adults and us like a wolverine. When Mom tried to approach me to see if I was okay, Natalie growled at her, and she retreated. Once Beth was sure I was coherent, she got me a small glass of water. Natalie slowly lifted me into her arms, and hugged me. "It will be all right. I won't let them hurt you." I buried my face in her neck, and started to cry.

A few minutes later I had stopped shaking, and quietly assured everyone that I was going to be okay. Mom looked relieved, but Dad was still scowling. Beth's Mom suggested we all find seats, and try discussing the situation. I nodded at Natalie, and soon we were grouped near the bar. Frances decided to bartend, and once everyone had something cold to drink, we stared at each other.

Natalie's Dad looked at her. "What in the hell are you doing lying to us about sleeping with this, this girly-boy, and doing it right here in our house? You could get pregnant, or..." Her Mom looked upset. Natalie looked insulted.

Dad spoke up "And these pills Natalie gave you, they're female hormones..." He looked at Natalie's muscular body. "I bet she's forcing you take them, so she'll have you under her thumb." I shook my head. Natalie looked like she was ready to explode.

Frances and Beth walked between us and them, looked at each other, and screamed at the top of their lungs. I jumped into Natalie's arms and tried to hide, Mom grabbed Dad, and Natalie's mom grabbed her husband.

Beth's mom seemed almost unperturbed. Beth spoke up. "Quit accusing Natalie and Emily of doing things they haven't done. They don't deserve this from somebody who is supposed to love them."

She looked at Natalie's parents. "Ever since you learned Natalie would never grow up into the young woman you wanted, you've treated her like... like... like she is defective and you are to blame." They looked horrified.

Frances looked at Mom and Dad. "You are the ones who gave us the funny names and dressed us both like something out of French history, so Emily was always being teased and beaten up." Dad looked shaken. Mom started to cry. "And now she's found she is really happy being a girl and you want to go and ruin it for her." She paused. "And when Emily was sleeping with Natalie, do you think I was sleeping alone?" Beth came over and wrapped Frances in her long arms. There were looks of disbelief mixed with fear. Mom and Natalie's mom, however, were nodding like it didn't bother them.

Natalie looked at Beth's mom. "You've already had to come to grips with some of this. You wanted Beth to be what you couldn't, and she nearly starved herself to death for you." Beth's mom nodded quietly.

Except for the sniffling and occasional whimper, everyone was silent for a few moments. Something inside rebelled, and I knew it was finally time to stand up for myself. "I think it's my turn to say something." came out as I pried myself free of Natalie's protective embrace.

Natalie tried to hush me, but my expression stopped her. "No, I have to do this myself." I said firmly.

I looked at each person, then focused on Natalie's parents. I guess a lot of what I needed to say had run through my mind time after time. Now it was showtime. I tried to keep my voice steady. "The truth is that Natalie and I have slept together at every opportunity since Thanksgiving. We love each other." I paused letting it sink in. "But we have slept together as girlfriends, and made love together only as lesbians." There were various gasps. "Someday I will make love to her. As a boy. But only when we are ready for that commitment."

I turned to Mom and Dad, who were staring at me. "No one other than you two have ever forced me to do something or be something that I am not." Mom looked hurt, Dad looked defiant. "Natalie offered me the hormones that couldn't help her, with all the warnings and cautions, because she saw how happy I was dressing and living as a girl, stuck with the body of a boy. I willingly chose to take the hormones, because I am never, ever, going back to being the little boy I never really was." I paused again. Now they both looked scared.

I paused again, and pulled Natalie over to me. I gave her a hug, then continued. "It was an accident that I wound up playing the part of a girl in order to be in dance with my friends. You never questioned why it was so easy for me. Now I know it was because I was really playing the part of a boy for all those years."

I pulled Natalie close. "I love Natalie more than you can understand. As a boy, and as girl. I don't want to lose either part of me."

Natalie pulled me closer and started crying. We were quickly joined by Beth and Frances. When the sniffling ended, the four of us separated, but only slightly. Natalie looked at me, and I nodded. Facing the adults, she spoke, her voice dripping with emotion. "Well, what have you to say to us now, are we the perverted little monsters you were making us out to be?" She paused. "Or are we the kids you say you love, only maybe now you understand a little more about us?"

I walked over to Mom and Dad. They looked at me and each other. Mom grabbed me and hugged me and Dad, tears streaming down his face, hugged us both. "Emily, we were scared and afraid..."

Frances came over and joined us. "So we're not grounded until we're eighteen?" They both shook their heads and held us.

When we pulled apart enough to see the others, Beth was in her mother's arms, smiling, and Natalie was standing with her hands balled into fists, facing her parents, an angry look still on her face. It looked like a Mexican standoff. I motioned to Beth, and we eased over to Natalie. Our loud "BOO" almost caused her to jump out of her swimsuit.

She landed, staring at us, then slowly sank towards the floor, crying. Her parents caught her and held her close. She looked at them "Mommy..., Daddy..." She sounded like a little girl.

He put a finger to her lips. "It's gonna be all right, sweetheart. We love you." She burst into loud sobs and they held her until she stopped.

When everyone had regained some semblance of composure, Beth's mom suggested that we take a break and get something to eat on neutral territory. Beth's whining, "Mom, all you think about is feeding me. I've been gaining weight," caused Natalie, Frances, and me to start giggling. Natalie's Dad suggested a nearby barbecue place that had a big outdoor picnic area. Natalie's, "I hope they're all-you-can-eat today" got her jabbed in the ribs by Beth. We agreed not to discuss anything until after we had some food digesting.

It was still early in the afternoon, so we were able to take over a large table away from anyone. Frances and I looked at each other. Our "Hey, no corsets!" got us funny looks from everyone.

A light dawned over Mom's head. "Don't overdo it."

We smiled. The corn bread and ribs were great. Frances and I ate slowly, knowing we would get sick if we ate too much. Beth kept just ahead of us. But everyone was staring at Natalie. She looked like a demented food processor. The waitress seemed afraid to reach near her, like she would become part of the meal.

My father's, "How do you afford to feed her?" caused Mom to slug him in the arm, and Natalie's father to grimace.

Her Mom's "well, we never waste any leftovers," got her a dirty look from Natalie, whose mouth was too full to speak. Beth made oinking noises, and we had to pound on Natalie's back to dislodge a French-fry she tried to inhale. Everyone finally slowed down, and started looking at each other like it was time to continue the arguments. Since there were no others near us, it seemed as good a place as any. Beth's mother got up, and requested everyone's attention.

"I guess I'm the one least involved in this, so far anyway, so I'm going to try and summarize what is upsetting everyone." She looked around "And yes, I took a minor in political science way back when." Dad chuckled. Natalie's father grimaced.

She continued "Other than hurt feelings, which seem to be running rampant today, no one has actually been damaged by any of this, except possibly Emily." Does anyone want to contest that point? There was a lot of whispering between parents. Finally they all shook their heads.

"Now we get to Emily and her, or his, taking Natalie's hormones." She stared at me, and I felt suddenly warm. Something about being under a spotlight at center stage. "There is no question in my mind that indiscriminately taking hormones is physically dangerous. It can also be psychologically dangerous, although most people don't know it, because the hormones cause changes in the way a person thinks and acts." She looked at all of us. "And that whatever the hormones have done up to this point is already history. Is there any argument so far?" There were no takers.

"So at this point it seems that we are all quite upset, to use the hackneyed old adage 'over spilled milk'. I think we should be more interested in helping these children, especially Emily, grow up healthy and happy." She reached over to Beth and hugged her "Lord knows, I nearly killed my own daughter because I was more worried about how I felt than what was good for her." There were tears in her eyes.

Everyone was silent for several minutes. Natalie, Beth, and Frances came over and we all sort of had a group hug. When we broke up we saw all the parents staring at us. Mom and Dad came over. Mom spoke for them. "Emily, we really do love you, and want what's best for you. Are you willing to work with us, and a doctor, so that whatever you decide to do is at least monitored to make sure you aren't hurt?" I grabbed both of them and started hugging them and crying like a little kid. I think that was my answer.

Natalie' parents repeated, in similar words, the same with her, and got the same response. Beth was already hugging her Mom. I suddenly realized that left Frances alone. She looked like she was ready to burst into tears.

"Come on, Sis, We all need to do this together."

She looked afraid. "Mom and Dad hate me..." We all stared at her. "They as much as said that when I told them I was sleeping with Beth; that I was a lesbian and, and..." She started to cry.

I was reaching for her when suddenly Mom burst out laughing, which caused us all to stare. She looked at Dad. "Honey, I think it's time to tell her..." He looked embarrassed, but nodded. "Frances, before I met your father I had never slept with a man. But I'd slept with a whole lot more women than he had." Dad was turning red. Frances's, Beth's and Natalie's eyes got really wide.

Frances almost jumped on Mom. "You mean you really don't hate me?" Mom shook her head, and hugged her tightly. Dad joined them.

Natalie's mom seemed to be having trouble keeping a straight face. Her Dad was looking up at the sky, trying to whistle. She walked over to Mom. "I think we have a lot more in common than we knew. Mr. Macho, over there," she was pointing at her husband, "owes somebody an apology about calling someone else a 'girly-boy'." Her dad was looking for a place to hide. "You knew we were both bikers?" Mom nodded. "Well, he rode with the leather and lace crowd in 'Frisco, and I was a member in good standing of the 'Dykes on Bikes' out of San Jose." Mom's eyes got really wide.

Beth's mom started to chuckle. "I guess I led a really sheltered life growing up in Boston..."

Natalie started to sputter, "You mean, that you two are, were, like both of you...?

Her father's, "Yep. Queer as a three dollar Clinton. But it would really be bad for our trucking business if this ever got out..." Natalie started to laugh, and sat down, missing the bench and wound up on the grass.

"No wonder you didn't seem to care if I had other girls sleeping over so often. You thought..." She looked at her mom, who was nodding. "And all that time I spent trying to hide, and I could have just told you..." Her mom nodded again. "Arrghhh!" She started pounding in frustration on the grass.

Beth went over and rubbed her head. They looked at each other, and started to laugh themselves silly. I suddenly felt like the world was not such a bad a place.

The parents split the bill, and we all headed back to Natalie's place. This time when we went downstairs, it was hand-in-hand with our parents. I was advised by everyone, including Natalie, that I would see a doctor next week and get the proper dosage of hormones. I figured that arguing was a bad idea. I was also informed that if I was planning any 'boy-girl' intimacy, we were to use protection. I turned bright pink. I was pretty sure Natalie looked interested.

We all agreed that we needed to talk to our parents about how we felt, and that they needed to give us the benefit of the doubt before jumping to conclusions.

We headed home. Sunday was a "get to know your family again" day. Monday, Beth's mother located a doctor who was willing to discuss my needs. I was scared silly, but Natalie agreed to come with me. It helped a lot. I was poked and prodded and questioned, and the doctor took way too much blood. She wanted a semen sample, and after way too much effort, Natalie decided to help. Mom did not object, and soon I provided everything I could possibly produce. Natalie had a smirk on her face. The doctor told us to come back on Thursday, and to continue with the hormones until then. She also told Mom that I needed to be evaluated by a psychiatrist specializing in something called "gender disorders".

When the doctor explained what it meant, she was describing my life. I broke down and cried and the doctor gave me a shot she said would help me relax. I don't know if it worked, as I slept soundly for the next twelve hours.

On Thursday the doctor gave me a clean bill of health, and actually increased my hormone dosage a bit. We had another family meeting, and Dad finally seemed to be accepting that I was really a girl at heart.

By August, my parents and I had seen a psychiatrist several times, and I wondered why I had to keep going back. I had reached a "B" cup just like Frances, and we were getting far more attention than I wanted from boys. And even a few girls.

Just before school started, the four of us were returning from a picnic when we saw my parent's car in Natalie's driveway. I started to panic, but Natalie managed to grab me and carried me inside on her shoulder.

The, "We're downstairs," didn't sound anything like our previous inquisition. The lights were out, and I could see shadowy figures.

They turned on the lights, and there was a big cake which said, "Happy Birthday Emily". Natalie set me down, grinning from ear to ear.

"But, our birthdays aren't until November..."

Beth sat me down, and Mom handed me an official looking piece of paper. It was a copy of a birth certificate. For Emilie Frances Bordoun, the twin sister to Frances Emilie Bordoun. I started to cry and everyone gathered around me and tried to give me a hug. "But, but how..., the psychiatrist said it could take years..."

Beth's mom remarked, "Money may not be able to buy happiness. But it, and a good lawyer, can sure make the wheels of bureaucracy turn faster." I tried to hug her to death.

Natalie peeled me off, and sat me back down. It was the best birthday party I had ever had.

School registration went much easier this time. Like most twins who dressed the same, we still sowed confusion, especially among the boys. Frances and Beth discovered they were not totally lesbians, and found themselves interested in the same guy. Instead of fighting, they both jumped him. I guess they finally had to set sharing rules so he could get enough sleep.

He also learned the hard way to confirm which twin he was grabbing. Natalie tends to be a bit protective. Frances and Beth had to play girl-only games for several weeks while he recovered.

Natalie and I, well, we're kind of like attached. With superglue. Her parents made us go see a gynecologist together, and learn proper methods of birth control. Since Natalie can't be on the pill, we use two methods of protection, and still avoid certain times. But then, she always has liked my educated tongue.

And when she graduates she will drive truck for a year for her father's company, so we will start college together. She's already talking about what to name our firstborn.

--Finis

 

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