WARNING !    Part Two will make ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE AT ALL if you don’t read Part One first!

This is a continuation of a great story by Diane Christy called The Sisters of Athernia, Part One, that was written in 1997 and never completed. Diane Christy is apparently not writing anymore, and the email link is no longer valid.

Part One appeared on Michelle Johnson's site http://www.dragscape.com/stories/fantasy.html, which is also apparently inactive. No new story additions have been made in over a year. The story is at http://www.dragscape.com/stories/f124m.html
You can find the slightly modified version of Part One – which makes more sense to read because of a few changes – on this site at http://www.storysite.org/a_orphans01.html

 

More Than You Wanted To Know About Why Part Two Was Written :

I saw The Sisters of Athernia Part One on a web site and, although the thumbnail description didn’t describe anything I thought I’d enjoy, the note did say the story was long and very well written, so I started reading.

It was one of the best pieces of erotic fiction I’d read. Not only was it well written, but the plot and the details were very clever. I was more than a little disappointed to find it ended incomplete. So much time had passed since Part One had been written (over three years) there was little hope that a Part Two would ever appear. But I wanted to read a Part Two. I decided to take on the orphan and spend a few evenings writing my own Part Two and ending. How long could it take?

Had I known, a year ago, what I was in for I probably never would have started. My guess is that’s what Diane Christy felt after writing the 59,000 words of Part One of The Sisters of Athernia, and why no more was written.

From the very first line of Part Two there were a million options open to me, and with every scene or sentence there were a million directions to go. In other words, I sincerely doubt that ANY of Part Two would have even remotely been the way Diane Christy had in mind for the rest of the story to unfold, but if she reads it I hope she enjoys it.

It should be noted that because the story follows a natural escalation there are bolder sexual references in Part Two than in Part One. Part One is probably an R rating, while Part Two has a few X rated scenes.

With the addition of the 70,100 words in Part Two to the 59,800 words in Part One, The Sisters of Athernia is now 129,800 words long, the length of a modest paperback novel.

`I hope you enjoy it.

Changes to Part One.

Though I didn’t want to alter anyone’s writings there were a couple changes that I felt should be made to Part One. They are minor, but if you’re curious...

1. Jack was originally named Jerry, which I found too distracting because my brother is named Jerry. I changed it to Jack but it can be changed back.
2. I changed the name Ricky to Rick because it sounded more masculine, which I thought was more appropriate.
3. Some minor spelling corrections, such as "busom" and "bosum" to "bosom".
4. The original had many multiple exclamation points and question marks!!! Is that distracting?!?! Perhaps not for you, but it was for me!!!! Part One was written so well it didn’t need them, so I cut them to singles! Or sometimes doubles!!
5. A few things that happen in the new Part Two needed to be hinted at in Part One, so I added a few sentences here and there.
6. I changed or added about ten or twelve other sentences in Part One.
7. I made a few grammatical corrections.
8. The last few paragraphs of Part One and a few earlier sentences were changed slightly so they would lead into Part Two better.

 

The Sisters of Athernia                      by: RJMcD                          © 2000

 

Part Two

 

The drive to the residential area was very short, just a few blocks, but I was nervous all the way. I supposed it was like a girl would feel on her first date – magnified by about three million! I was alone in a car with someone who was much larger and stronger than I, and someone who was responsible for changing my body from male to female, whether or not he had actually pushed the button. He was a man and he saw me as a young and pretty girl. I felt very vulnerable. I could have really used the presence of my buddies at that moment – even if they did look like twenty-year old girls themselves!

It felt very odd to be in the passenger's seat while someone else was in control of the car. I would have been much happier driving, but of course that wasn't how things worked on Athernia – at least not for us "girls".

Peter was a perfect gentleman, however, making small talk and generally trying to put me at ease. I, on the other hand, was coy and shy and a little flirtatious! The things I said embarrassed me, and every silly feminine gesture I made just made it worse – but I couldn’t stop!

Rick, in Robert’s car, had pulled out in front of us and we were following them. A glance in the side mirror confirmed that my other pals were following us.

"Here we are, dear," Peter said. "That’s our house."

He pointed to a very attractive upscale Southern California-style home with a huge, perfectly manicured front yard. My schooling made me notice various trees, bushes and plants, none of which belonged in the South Pacific. It looked like old growth, and even the grass they had chosen was a native to the American Midwest. Thick vines climbing the 6 ft wooden fence on both sides of the house were of a group found in the Southeastern U.S. and never found out here in the middle of the ocean. In fact none of the vegetation should be growing here, but grow it did, and perfectly, too, just like everything else in this weird place!

"Oh, it’s beautiful, Peter!" I cooed.

I tried to keep my mouth shut because everything that came out sounded either deferential or like I was excited to be with him – but I had zero control over myself! What I wanted to do was throw open the door and bolt across the street and into the tropical jungle! What I did was put my slender, dainty hand on Peter’s thigh!

He smiled over at me and pulled into the driveway.

What now?! Please, please don’t get out, I begged him in my mind. I don’t want to go in your house!

Down the street I saw the other cars pull, one at a time, into the next three driveways.

Peter put the car in reverse and slowly backed out.

"I can’t wait until I move in with you, Peter. I know I’ll be the happiest girl in the world!" I said.

Lie! Lie! Lie! I’m not a girl! I’m not happy! And I’m not moving into a house with a man!

"You will be if I have anything to say about it," he said with a smile. "I hoped you'd like the house. It wouldn’t be proper to take you inside now, unescorted, but tomorrow night you’ll get to see it all."

"It’s lovely! I can’t wait!" I assured him. My heart had skipped a beat and it showed in my voice. I wasn’t sure if the skipped beat was my ring making me appear giddy or my inner terror at the idea of what these four guys had in mind for Jack, Rick, Kevin and me after our….weddings!

We drove at a very leisurely pace back the few blocks to the main building, passing the row of men’s shops on the right and, a block further, the ladies shops on the left. I remembered them from when we’d first arrived on the island. I couldn’t have imagined at the time that in a few days I’d be shopping there! But the whirlwind of events was all beyond imagining!

Peter pulled to a stop in front of the main building and the other three cars pulled in behind us. He hurried around to get the door for me and held out his hand for support as I gracefully exited, making sure to keep my shapely legs together and trying to keep my dress from riding too far up my stockinged thighs.

We each held hands with our….dates….swinging our hips and joking playfully as we walked to the doors. Peter and Sam were there first, holding the doors open for the four of us, with Robert and Alex bringing up the rear.

Without being told we automatically ascended the stairs and went to the same room we had been put into when we had first arrived on Athernia. Jack, Kevin, Rick and I lined up against the wall near the doorway, each looking gorgeous and as happy as any girl could be.

Peter took my small hand in his and looked me in the eye.

"I want you to know how much I care for you, Diana, and that I’m going to do everything in my power to make our marriage happy and successful," he said. He leaned forward and for a panicky second I thought I was going to be kissed on the lips by another guy! Instead he just pecked my cheek.

"Thank you for a wonderful evening, Peter," I answered, blushing wildly. "I’m going to try to be the best wife there ever was!"

Wife? How could I say something so stupid! I was never, ever going to be any guy’s wife! They really had the ring on maximum control tonight. Every little gesture, every word, was so damned feminine! I vowed that the moment their control relaxed I was going to run for it. I was not letting anybody put me in a wedding gown! Even if I would fit into one now!

Peter smiled. "See you at seven!" he said and turned to walk away.

On either side of me similar scenes were being played out between Jack and Sam, Rick and Robert, and Kevin and Alex. My buddies, of course, weren’t in control of their words or actions either and were acting as loony and gushy as I was! I knew damn well they were thinking of making a run for it the first chance we got! The wedding thing had all of us in internal panic!

As the men walked away the door behind us opened with a whoosh. We waved good-bye to the them by holding up a hand and wiggling our fingers, a big smile on our faces. They gave us a masculine wave back and trooped down the stairs together.

Once inside our quarters the door whooshed to a close behind us and I knew we needn’t bother to test it. It wasn’t going to open until the men wanted it to.

The four of us made our way to the now familiar couch, carefully avoiding any glance at the TV screen where the bad news TV lady had appeared. We placed our purses on the coffee table and sat down, our nylon covered thighs sliding against each other as we crossed our legs at the knees. Our posture was perfect.

Then, one by one, we carefully opened our pretty purses, took out a slim, white cigarette and fancy lighter, lit the cigarette and took a deep draw. It was terrible to see my best friends daintily holding their cigarettes with the tips of their fingers in the most feminine way imaginable. Worse yet to see them turn their heads to the side and blow the smoke out through beautiful red lips. Jack had even curled his little finger and thumb and was clicking his long, red nails together.

I hated being forced to smoke the long, slim cigarettes, and not just because I didn’t smoke! As I looked at my friends I saw that the smoking added a sort of pseudo-sophistication and very real sexiness to their feminine appearances.

I had never thought of smoking as sensual, but the way we were made to do it, it sure was! I watched Jack bring his slim hand to his lips, watched those lips open slightly with just the hint of a kiss, and watched the white cylinder sliding between them. He snugged his lipstick covered lips around the tube, gently drew a breath, and removed the cigarette, holding it in his fingers, up by his beautiful nails. His lips stayed slightly puckered for a fleeting moment, then parted sensually as he drew in air and exhaled. A stream of pure white smoke billowed out, forming a delicate cloud in the air before disappearing like the magic in a fairy tale when you close the book.

My friends didn’t actually look sophisticated as much as they looked like young girls trying to look sophisticated, and that made it all the more sensual! I knew only too well that I was giving the exact same impression as I was forced to smoke along with them! I hated every second of it, but there was nothing I could do to stop myself! I looked as calm and in control as Jack, Kevin and Rick. And just as damn sexy!

"Aren’t they sweet!" Kevin said, breaking the silence.

"And so good looking!’ Jack said with a giggle.

"So studly!" I blurted and the giggling spread to all of us.

"Well you’re right," Rick said when we’d quieted down. "They are sweet, and they are good looking! And they are studs! But don’t forget one very important thing, girls!"

I winced inside when I heard Rick refer to us as girls.

"They’re gentlemen, too!" he said.

We all smiled and agreed. I didn't want to be talking like this but none of us could stop! Would we be made to continually play this role!? The words sounded natural, but not coming from our lips! There was no one else around to impress, so why did we have to sound like a bunch of schoolgirls getting together after a date?!

"I’d say we’d have to consider ourselves very lucky," Rick agreed. "Considering what’s out there these days!" He made a cute little groaning sound. "We’ve done very, very well for ourselves!"

"Did you notice how nice they behaved on our first date!" Kevin cooed. "Alex didn’t even kiss me on the lips when he said good-bye – as much as I wanted him to!"

We all smiled our agreement and took another drag on our cigarettes, looking as sensual as any four young women could possibly look.

"I wonder what the party’s going to be like," Kevin mused.

"Reception," Jack corrected.

"Formal reception!" Rick added with a laugh.

"Does that mean…." I started, "…..formal gowns? Ohhhhhhh!" I put the cigarette in the large glass ashtray and clapped my hands together in glee. The other guys put out their cigarettes – all four of the filters, I noticed, had red rings around them – .and jumped up. We hurried into our separate sleeping quarters, hips wiggling and heels clattering.

I found myself making a beeline for the clothes closet. Opening it up I saw a beautiful red formal gown, with super fancy heels sitting on the floor just under it.

I let out a squeal just as three other feminine squeals filled the air. I grabbed the gown off the clothes rod and almost ran out the door, only to be met by the guys coming out of their bedrooms, all of us holding our formal gowns on hangers! We ooohed and ahhhhed and we all seemed excited about the prospect of really dressing up fancy.

We finally calmed down and returned the dresses to our individual closets. It was time for a quick shower! I turned from the closet and began undressing. What happened to one of us inevitably had happened to the other three ever since we’d arrived so there was no reason to think the guys were being allowed to do anything different than I was. At this very moment they, too, were slipping out of their heels and dresses.

When I was down to bra, panties and hose I started thinking about this formal reception they had planned for us. I had only been to one wedding in my life, when my older cousin got married, and I seemed to remember that the reception was after the wedding.

I unhooked my bra and put it on the bed. Having boobs was the strangest thing! I couldn’t wait until we got out of here and I got back to normal! I wanted to be a guy again so bad! I wanted to hang out at the campus bar and talk sports!

I pushed down my panties, then worked on the garter belt and all the strange button and eye things that held my nylons up.

As far as I was concerned they made a wise choice in holding the reception before the wedding – because there wasn’t going to be a wedding! That was too crazy! The ring might be strong, but I didn’t believe it could overcome the massive resistance I felt—that we all felt – to the idea of us marrying other guys! That big thing in the ceiling had done unbelievable stuff to our bodies, and the ring certainly had a lot of power. Even at this moment I was involuntarily going to the bed and getting the fresh white robe that had been put there for me. I knew that meant I was ready to take a shower. This time there were white slippers and I put them on as well.

I met Jack outside my door. He rolled his eyes and furrowed his brow as if to say how wild and unpleasant all this dressing and undressing stuff was.

"Yes," I said, but that was all I was able to get out.

We walked to the bathroom, turned on the separate showers and got in. I’d hardly started washing when I heard Rick and Kevin enter the bathroom and busy themselves brushing their teeth.

We were all strangely quiet while we showered and brushed and went back to our rooms. We smiled at each other but there was no real conversation.

Once in my room I removed the bathrobe and slippers and went to a dresser drawer, taking out matching red panties and lacy bra. I didn’t want to put them on, of course, but my hands and body just went about doing just that. The device was in total control of me. There was a point where I thought about trying to seriously fight it, but I had just been wearing the same kind of clothing before my shower so it seemed like a small point to make. I knew they could make me wear girl’s clothes. I hated it, but it was frustrating objecting to everything they made me do and not being able to change any of it. All I accomplished was to establish a long series of little defeats.

Besides, this was a long, long way from agreeing to their wacko idea of a marriage! That was my line in the sand. That was not going to happen!

I took a pair of red pantyhose from another drawer and sat on the chair in front of the vanity to put them on.

As I watched myself pull the pantyhose up my beautiful legs I had to admit that the men knew what they were doing. If I had ever wandered into some fantasy where I could have custom ordered a girl, the result would have looked very much like I Iooked!

I stood to pull the red pantyhose up, noticing that they were a continuous tone to the waist, like the kind that showgirls and barmaids wore. I adjusted them into place and sat back down, swiveling on my little butt so I could look at myself in the mirror.

I tilted and turned my head, evaluating my make-up. I could have been an ingénue or debutante getting ready for her coming out party. The make-up was flawless, but not quite right for a formal affair. Fortunately, there was a small bowl of cotton balls among the various lotions on the vanity, along with a bottle of remover. I dabbed a little of the cream over one eye and gently rubbed the coloring off. I did the same with the other eye, then went back and repeated the process to remove the mascara.

My eyebrows seemed okay, though I darkened them slightly before reapplying my eye make-up. This time I chose a high-lighter with a slight red tint, a color that would be brought out by my gown. I also added some liquid eyeliner. I reapplied mascara to my long lashes, making them even fuller and longer than before. The eye shadow I chose perfectly matched the reddish eyeliner, and then I went to my eyebrows and darkened them even more. I really liked that effect.

I sat back and looked at the result. The tiny bit of red I had added was brought out even by my red bra. With the full red gown it would be spectacular!

But of course the lipstick was wrong now. I put a small dab of make-up remover on another cotton ball and worked on my lips. It wasn’t necessary to do a total removal, just enough to get the majority of the color off.

I knew what was next and sure enough I reached for a lip liner. I outlined my mouth very carefully, choosing just the shape that would be the most attractive. Then I reached for a tube of semi-gloss lipstick. I removed the cap and twisted the bottom until the truncated red rod protruded from the top of the gold case. I very carefully refreshed the shape of my lips, leaning close to the mirror to be precise. When I was happy with the result I retracted the lipstick and put it away. Then I lightly blotted my lips on a tissue.

This red was deeper and richer in color than what I'd had on before and was perfect with the rest of my make-up and evening gown.

There wasn’t much else to do and I simply touched up my cheeks slightly, blending in the coloring with a soft brush.

The results were amazing for the little work I had put into it. Simply adding or changing color slightly and doing a little altering had changed me from a pretty eighteen-year-old girl to a much more grow-up, sophisticated look.

The jewelry box on the vanity was open and I unerringly reached into it and brought out a pair of very fancy dangling earrings. Each had what I took to be mini-diamonds, silver, and a red stone that might have been a ruby. Each earring had a teardrop shaped top section with the ruby in the middle, and a tiny section that hung from that. I put the sharp metal point through the lower piercing in my ear and snapped the female part on the back. They looked very, very sexy.

I tilted my head from side to side and the dangling earrings touched my skin. Peter was going to love them!

I was ready for my gown.

I took it back out of the closet, tossing the hanger on the bed. It zipped up the side, though the zipper was very cleverly hidden by a smooth overlay and I almost didn’t see it.

I stepped into the long gown and pulled it up my body. It was form fitting at the bust and then went almost straight down with only a hint of a waistline. It was a little snug at my hips. There was a long slit up one side. But the most unusual thing was that there was a circle cut into the gown between the bust and waist where my bare skin showed through.

From the feel of it I thought the gown would appear shapeless, but when I stood in front of the mirror it turned out to emphasize my shape instead. It clung in the right places, but was loose and shimmery enough to lend an air of class.

This was the first time they’d made us dress in long, formal gowns and I appreciated having my legs covered up. Covered until I sat, that is! The slit in the side of my dress went from the floor almost to the top of my leg so when I sat down and crossed my legs at the knees the gown came open, revealing the entire length of my legs when viewed from my left side. If I didn’t make an effort to hold the material in place my other leg would have slipped out, too. And it was cut so high I would have ended up showing more than just legs!

They made me strike poses in front of the full-length mirror. I wanted to shut my eyes! Instead, I studied myself, smiling in approval! I put my fingers on my hips and spread my feet. The slit in my gown opened up and my entire leg to the top of my thigh was exposed. I understood why they had made me wear those particular pantyhose instead of stockings!

My age was harder to guess now, but I thought most people would have said twenty-five or even twenty-seven, unless they looked close.

The formal dinner gown was almost floor length until I slipped into the fancy heels, which elevated me just enough to keep it from touching the carpet.

Back to the mirror for a final look. Would they ever stop making me look at myself?!

I reached for the jewelry case again and came up with a small pin which I attached to the dress above my left breast. The effect was just right. Damn them!

I hadn’t heard the tell tale click of heels on the hard marble floor outside our rooms yet. I figured the other guys were following the same pattern I had followed, but I seemed ready to leave. Maybe I would have to be the first one out. I didn’t want to go out at all, let alone be the first one to show myself.

Even though all of us knew that we had no choice in what they were making us wear, the make-up we had to put on, the hair styles we wore, and the attractive curves of our bodies, it was still humiliating to appear like this in front of the other guys. It wouldn’t have been so bad in front of strangers. But to look beautiful and totally feminine in front of Jack, Kevin and Rick was about the most embarrassing thing in the world! The fact that they looked just as sexy and just as feminine helped a little, but only a little!

I picked up my purse and emptied it on the vanity. I went to the dresser and from the top drawer got a small red clutch purse, covered in sequins, and took it back to the vanity, transferring all the items I’d just dumped. It was a tight fit, especially with the package of cigarettes, but I managed to get it all inside.

One final check of my hair and the smoothness of my dress and I was ready. I picked up my purse and headed for the door.

As I stepped from the bedroom I heard a clicking to my right. Kevin was coming out of his room. He looked really spectacular in a floor length ice green gown, scooped low in the front so his breasts puffed out the top. He had matched the light green of the gown with his hose, shoes, make-up and jewelry, just as I had matched accessories with my red gown.

"Oooooh, baby!" he said when he saw me. "We are going to light up some eyes tonight! You look fabulous, Diana!"

"So do you, Kathleen!" I gushed. "I’ve never seen you look more beautiful!"

He struck a pose with his legs apart and I saw that his dress was slit just as high as mine!

"Pure sex!" I laughed.

He giggled just as Rick walked out of his room.

"What about me, girls?" he said. "Do you think Alex will notice little ‘ol me?"

He was dressed in a similar gown, though the neckline was much higher. His color was a glossy caramel and he looked like a million bucks. He turned around and showed us that there was no back to the dress. He was bare to the waist!

"Oh!" I exclaimed.

"Rita, you can’t be wearing a bra!" Kevin said, feigning shock.

"I’m not!" Rick said. "It’s built into the dress!"

"Really?" Kevin asked.

"Really," Rick said. "I don’t think I need a bra anyway. I’m so firm! I bet we all are!"

"I think I could wear it," I said.

"Me, too," Jack’s voice said, and he stepped out of his room.

His outfit – gown, heels, hose, jewelry, make-up – was royal purple and it was just the right shade to show off his tanned complexion and dark hair! He didn’t have to turn for us to see the distinctive cut of his gown. From his smooth underarms to his waist, on both sides, there was bare skin! Only a single strap held the front of the gown to the back.

"Another braless tramp!" Kevin joked.

"Another firm busted braless tramp!" Jack joked back.

"Do you think these gowns will be too sophisticated for the guys?" Rick asked.

"They are rather reserved," I said.

"Not for a minute!" Jack laughed. "They'll love every bare inch!"

Whenever we started in with the girl talk I got upset inside. It was so horrible to hear my buddies carry on like that, and I hated it when I found myself joining in all the silly talk! It was so not us! How could we be standing around in dresses! How could we be talking about built-in bras! We should be talking about classes or our term papers or sports or girls! We shouldn’t look like girls! But we couldn’t shut up!

"We look like a set!" Kevin said.

"We doooo!" Jack cried. "We’ve all dressed the same, but different."

"The same but different?" Rick teased. "But you’re right. Isn’t it too fun!"

We all giggled.

"Well, the boys are going to get an eyeful tonight," I said. "C’mon, let’s go sit down."

Like a gaggle of geese we all wiggled our way to the couch and made ourselves comfortable, chatting along the way.

 

There was no possibility to avoid more girl talk and I almost wished the TV lady would come on. At least when she left they seemed to give us a period of free speech and we didn't have to sit around and tell each other how beautiful we looked or how much we were looking forward to seeing our dates again! Thankfully, at least none of us were forced to refer to the four guys as our fiancés!

I realized as I sat on the edge of the couch, gracefully smoking another slender cigarette and chatting mindlessly, that we were acting out a scene that I'd seen many times before. Girls alone, talking among themselves and making all kinds of gestures and expressions that they never would have made if there had been men present. It was terrible to think that we were girls all the time, even when we were away from the men of the island!

The girl talk seemed to go on forever, with speculation about what the insides of our future homes looked like and what the reception might be like, but the door finally whooshed open and Peter, Sam, Robert and Alex walked in. They were all wearing black slacks and white dinner jackets.

The four of us stood and greeted them. They really got a good look at our gowns then and I could tell they were a little bowled over. No doubt, we were a hit! It was really cute the way tried to sneak looks at the spots of bare skin but pretend they weren’t really looking!

"All ready, Diana?" Peter asked me.

I couldn't help but notice that his eyes wandered to the designer circle cut out below my breasts.

"Ready, darling!" I said brightly. "Just let me get my purse."

I retrieved the matching red purse from the coffee table, just as my buddies were doing with their purses, and we walked hand-in-hand out the door.

 

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

 

The club was packed. Apparently every one of the island's sixty-two people was there, all dressed to the nines. We paraded in as couples and were led to a center table that seated all eight of us. Mr. Lawson came over with his wife Karen to personally welcome us, and then crossed the dance floor to a small stage.

"Ladies and Gentleman," he said and the room quieted. "Ladies and Gentlemen of Athernia I'd like to welcome you, and give you all the opportunity to meet our newest citizens. A few of you have already met, but for the benefit of the rest of you let me introduce – Miss Jennifer Sue Thomas – Would you stand up, please, Jennifer."

Jack, blushing prettily, stood. He held on to Sam's hand for moral support.

The gathering applauded her.

" – .and Miss Kathleen Louise Benning..." Mr. Lawson intoned.

Kevin stood, blushing even more fiercely than Jack.

" – .and Miss Diana Lynette Johnson – "

I stood up, amid the polite applause, and felt myself flush. I looked around the room, as if to let everyone see me, but I was really looking at them. There were no signs of recognition from any of the other "girls", nothing that said "I know you're a guy that's been transformed into a girl, just like I was, and I understand what's going on in your head right now." Nothing but bright, perfect smiles.

 

" – and Miss Rita Ann Taylor."

Rita joined us, standing and smiling.

"Thank you, ladies," Mr. Lawson said.

We sat down, each of us grinning at our dates and squeezing their hands.

"And of course you all know the four gentlemen sitting at the same table," Mr. Lawson said. There was a little mild applause and more smiles.

"I hope all of you will do your best to make our new citizens comfortable," Mr. Lawson continued, "and give them a hand in learning their way around. And I don't mean just learning their way around the shops!"

The "girls" in the gathering all laughed. The men smiled indulgently.

"But that, too," he said. "Make them feel welcome and at home. They'll be leaving us early this evening…. They have a big day tomorrow."

There was more applause and I was shocked to see that some of the "girls" applauded the loudest. Knowing what had been done to us – what had been done to them when they came here as guys – how could they possibly applaud the idea that we were supposed to get married to men tomorrow?! They should be trying to rescue us, not applauding our planned fate!

"But I hope that each of you will be able to find a moment to personally welcome them to our community."

With that he stepped down from the stage, amidst much applause, and came over to our table. One by one he took our hands and again welcomed us to the fold, being sure to compliment each of us on our appearance. With the four men he simply shook hands and congratulated them.

Others began to drift over to the table as music started. Two couples immediately took to the dance floor and were quickly joined by a dozen more. Conversations bubbled up around the room and it began to sound more and more like a party.

"I'm Teressa Lee Wallace, but call me Tess," a beautiful brunette said to me and stuck out her hand, smiling in that vivacious way that all the girls of the island had. She wore a very expsensive baby blue chiffon dress with a dramatic V front that went down all the way to her navel. A narrow strap at her ample breasts kept the two sides of the dress from bursting apart!

"Diana Lynnette Johnson," I said, smiling back. "I'm glad to meet you."

"You should be," she said, "I'm your bridesmaid!"

"Ooooh!"

My bridesmaid! That's what she thought!

I wondered who she had been before they'd made her a girl – and also wondered how she could help them do this to me!

"And this is Barbara Jane Kesterman," Tess said, moving slightly to the side so another beauty, this time a blonde, could get close to the table.

Barbara's smile was just as big, of course.

"I just love it when we have dressy events here," Barbara said. "Hi, I'm Jennifer's bridesmaid."

Hearing his name Jack turned. "I'm Jennifer!" he said.

"I know!" Barbara said and we all laughed.

Two other girls on the other side of the big round table were introducing themselves to Kevin and Rick. One of them was wearing the sheerest evening gown I had ever seen!

"We're taking care of everything tomorrow so you don't have to worry about a thing," Tess assured me. "It's going to be a beautiful sunset wedding at the Pavilion on the beach, so we'll have all day to get ready."

"Oh, thank you! You're so wonderful," I said. "I'm going to need all the help I can get!"

Bring four shotguns and a boat, I wanted to add!

"Not to worry!" Tess said. "Well, we'll be off. We just wanted to introduce ourselves and welcome you to Athernia. I know you're going to love it once you get used to it."

That was the first time any of the women of the island had said anything that even hinted that things weren't as they appeared. But before I could react – providing they had let me react, that is, which they probably wouldn't have – she and the other three were gone, replaced by a mixture of men and women, all of whom wanted to introduce themselves, welcome us, tell us how beautiful we were, and congratulate us on what they thought was going to happen tomorrow.

The faces and expressions of good will went by so fast that none of them really made a lasting impression. The men, even though they were all in their early thirties and good looking, were a bit more varied than the "women", especially in height and weight. No one was especially tall or short, and no one was especially under or over weight, but the range was broader than with the women. It didn't look like there was two inches difference in any of the women's heights, or more than ten pounds difference from the thinnest to the heaviest.

When we'd met the last of the inhabitants of the island Peter excused himself from the table, telling me he'd be right back. Sam said the same thing to Jack, and Robert and Alex joined them. It felt strange for the four of us to be suddenly alone.

"What do you think?" Jack asked.

"I think it's lovely!" Kevin said. "Everybody's so nice and friendly!"

"And such a good looking group!" Rita said.

"We're very lucky girls!" I added. Girls?! I wanted out!

"In more ways than one," Jack said. "No one seems to want for anything here. And did you notice that Mr. Lawson mentioned the shops? I'll bet they're fabulous!"

"They have to be," Kevin agreed. "Do you see how beautiful all the girls are? They had to buy their clothes right here on the island. I can't wait to get a peek in some of the shops we passed!"

"I know," Kevin said. "Some of these dresses are killer!"

We all looked around the room. To the rest of the people here it was probably old hat, but to us everything was brand new and we were taking it in as fast as we could.

Slit skirts – slit to the hip in a couple cases – seemed to be the favored style. Quite a few were low cut, and Rick wasn't the only one wearing a backless gown. A couple girls wore sparkling gowns. I didn't know if they were sequins or what, but I was afraid it was something I was going to learn!

Even with all the beauty and provocative clothing I noticed that the men never cast a leering eye toward any woman other then their wife, and the girls only had eyes for their husbands.

There was a difference, though. The gaze of the women was adoring, deferential and loving, while the men acted confident, considerate and content. Their behavior on the dance floor crystallized the whole thing for me. There wasn't a doubt that the men were leading and that the girls were expected to gracefully follow, which they happily did.

"Here you are, dear,"

I turned to find Peter setting a drink in front of me.

"I hope I got it right," he said.

It was a Pink Lady.

"My favorite!" I said, humiliated again!

"Would you care to dance?" he asked.

"I'd love to," I said. I took a quick sip of the drink, then he took my hand and led me to the dance floor.

I wasn't surprised to find that I could dance, though I hadn't been able to just a few days earlier. I could also follow his lead, easily, and we glided around the hardwood dance floor. A few minutes later I saw Jack dancing with Sam, Sam's hand on Jack's naked back.

Before the music stopped we'd been joined by Rick and Robert, and Kevin and Alex. My buddies and I flowed with the music, as if we'd been dancing as girls all our lives!

We returned to our table. Our purses, which we hadn't even thought about, had been left unwatched, but on Athernia that obviously wasn't a concern.

We chatted more – fortunately no one brought up the wedding that they had planned for us – and danced twice more. We nursed our drinks, apparently being limited to one for the evening, and did a great deal of smiling. All four of us were holding hands with our respective partners before the evening was through!

Men, women, and couples came to our table to indulge in convivial small talk, even though each of them had briefly been by before. A couple of the men told me they worked with Peter "at the lab" and would love to have us over for dinner some evening. I, of course, replied that we'd be delighted.

Eventually everyone had come by a second time and we were left alone. We talked about the island, the shops, and the houses. Alex seemed to really enjoy dancing and kept Kevin on his feet for much of the evening. It was amazing to watch Kevin on the dance floor, in high heels, naturally moving in smooth coordination with Alex. The flash of leg when he did turns was super sexy! We had all been able to do the same thing, but being able to watch, and almost study, how the two of them moved brought home the astounding detail of the ring's control.

All the activity didn't give me much time to think. The only real moments I had were when Peter excused himself to go to the men's room. I pretended to watch the dancers but was really trying to come up with some kind of plan to get us out of here.

It was difficult to concentrate. I'd start thinking about all four of us ganging up on one of the men and forcing him to tell us how to escape and suddenly I'd find myself thinking about what kind of drapes I wanted in my new house! I would try to figure out how to storm the control room in the main building and before I could come up with anything Sam would ask me what I thought about the music. I could never seem to focus on the problem.

By then Peter was back and the men decided it was time to leave. The rest of the crowd was involved in talking and dancing and so on, and we were able to slip out without causing too much of a commotion.

Outside, we paired off, holding hands again, and the guys walked us back across the park to the main building.

Upstairs we again turned with our backs against the wall near the door and told our dates how much we'd enjoyed the evening. They said the same thing and kissed us good-night.

This time it was on the lips. It seemed so much a natural part of the flow of things that I almost didn't realize what had happened!

Another guy had kissed me on the lips! Never mind that it was a quickie! A guy kissed me on the lips! And I kissed the son of a bitch back!! I wanted to slap myself in the face! What was I doing! How could I have let him do that! What next!?

I grinned and said good-night. Peter winked at me and I bounced my eyebrows in girlish pseudo-embarrassment. He laughed and waved.

The door whooshed open and we went inside.

 

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

 

 

I awoke gently. There was no buzzing alarm clock or sunlight. It was a slow, gradual experience and by the time I was fully awake I felt alert and very refreshed. I glanced at the clock on the night stand and discovered I’d slept eleven hours!

Sitting up and swinging my legs out of bed, I was immediately reminded of my girl’s body. I was not only lighter, shorter and shaped differently than I had been a couple of days ago, but I was dressed in a modest white nightgown. It only took a second to become aware of the new me!

I slipped into the small white bathrobe and headed toward the bathroom. I almost bumped into Jack outside the entrance to my sleeping area. He, of course, was dressed in his cute little bathrobe and I could see his cotton nighty above the V of the robe’s opening.

"Good morning, Diana!" he said with a big smile.

"Good morning, Jennifer! I hope you slept at well as I did!" I answered as we walked toward the bathroom.

"It was scrumptious! I feel soooooo good!"

We entered the bathroom.

After brushing our teeth and gargling we stripped out of the robes and nighties and got into the showers. A few minutes later I heard Rick and Kevin come in and turn on the water in the sink.

"Hi, sleepyheads!" Kevin said when Jack and I stepped out of the showers.

"'Morning, Kathleen," Jack said. "Oh, I've got to tell you, I wish I looked so good first thing in the morning!"

"You do, silly!" Kevin said. "I slept soooo good!"

"Me, too!" Rick said. "I was dead to the world."

"That's good," Jack said, toweling himself off. "We've got a big day ahead of us!"

We all giggled.

I tried to initiate some normal conversation, but nothing came out. I couldn't even meet anyone's eyes and make direct contact that way!

Jack and I tossed our nighties into the disposal chute and put on our robes.

"I wonder what we're going to wear this morning," Jack said.

"Let's find out!" I said, and led the way back to our sleeping quarters.

What I found in my closet and, as I discovered a bit later, what the rest of the guys also had found, was a simple cotton sun dress. Mine was orange and quite pretty. The bra and french cut panties I found in the drawer were a very light, misty orange. The sandals in the closet had only two inch heels. Everything was cute and feminine but more utilitarian than what we'd been given to wear up to now.

It didn't take any of us long to dress and we all put on a minimum of make-up, brushed our hair and were ready to go. As soon as Kevin and Rick caught up with us we all gathered in the main room for coffee and danish.

They apparently weren’t going to give us any time to talk. No sooner had we finished than we heard the whoosh of the door opening. Two men, both dressed in expensive suits, one gray and one dark blue, each wearing colorful silk ties, stood there smiling at us. Their look said it all, and it was as humiliating as hell!

Just as quickly their expressions neutralized to mildly pleasant and one said, "We’re your drivers. Everyone should be arriving at the Pavilion within the next hour and we don’t want you to be late."

The four of us started toward the door, operating under remote control.

"By the way, you all look very beautiful," he said, his voice friendly and not the least bit flirty. Under the circumstances I suppose flirting was about the most inappropriate thing possible, even from his point of view! But come to think of it I never had seen the slightest indication of anyone flirting. The "women" did something that might be called flirting, but only with their husbands, and even when surrounded by any number of gorgeous babes, none of the men ever seemed to even sneak a covetous look at any woman other than their wives.

 

Each of our escorts held his arms away from his body and two of us hooked our arms in theirs and were escorted down the stairs and out the door.

Two expensive automobiles were at the curb and the men opened the doors for us so that Jack and I were in the back seat of the first car, and Kevin and Rick in the backseat of the other.

We were driven in the direction opposite to the housing area and there was nothing but tropical jungle on either side of the very neat and glassy smooth two-lane road. From the time we’d been awakened until now it was apparent that we were under a control that was even stronger than usual. Despite what was happening Jack and I only exchanged one quick glance in the back seat, and that was apparently meant to be reassuring. It wasn’t! At least inside. Outside I was exactly what they wanted me to be.

After only a short distance the road took an abrupt turn to the left, heading toward the beach. What they called the Pavilion came into view almost immediately. It was a one-story building and, except for the island’s main building, the biggest I had seen. It was probably half again as big as Club Athernia. There was something "beachy" about its look, even though its architecture was fairly simple. All white, with a type of sandy stucco finish and burnt-orange tile roof, it gleamed in the late afternoon sun.

Over a dozen luxury cars, mostly sports cars, ringed the large circular driveway and a couple more were parked near the entrance. Our drivers, however, took a single lane driveway around the right side of the building and pulled to a halt by a mini loading dock.

They helped us out of the cars, and led us to the concrete stairs and up to the double-doors on the dock. When they opened the doors I could faintly hear calypso music playing.

Still without speaking the six of us walked down a hallway and stopped at another pair of double doors. One of the men turned to me. "I work with Peter at the lab," he said, "and I know how hard it’s been on him all these years being a bachelor. He’s a great guy and you’re a beautiful girl. I want to wish you both all the happiness in the world."

After being so silent and almost cold since they picked us up this surprised me, especially when he hugged me and congratulated me again. I thanked him, of course, and I think he suddenly realized that it would be less than polite to ignore the others so he congratulated us all. The second driver did the same and we became entangled in a smiling, handshaking, hugging mass. The double-doors opening behind us interrupted the gaiety.

"They’re here!" a girl’s voice called out.

We all turned. The four girls who had introduced themselves as our bridesmaids at the reception all gathered around the door. From the giddiness and nervousness they displayed you would have thought it was their wedding!

The two men excused themselves, obviously a bit overwhelmed by the chatter and gushing and hugging of eight women!

The room we entered was large and utilitarian. The walls were simple cinder block, painted a light industrial green. Boxes with band instruments, sets for stage shows, props of all kinds, and artificial plants had been pushed back against the walls to make room for a long, beautiful blue brocade sofa and some free space.

Two sets of double-doors on the far right wall were marked, by stencil, Storage One and Storage Two. On the left wall was a set of doors marked Gentlemen and Ladies. There was also a blue tiled hall to the left of these doors that made a ninety degree turn after what I guessed was the depth of the restrooms. Apparently there were showers behind the restrooms, sort of like in a gym. Directly across from where we had entered there were four make-up chairs lined up facing mirrors that were surrounded by circular light globes, just like a back stage dressing room, which in fact is what the room was apparently used for most of the time.

 

"We’ve got a lot to do, girls, so let’s move along," Tess said. "Let’s get out of those clothes and get in the showers – and use shower caps so you don’t get your hair wet!"

Though she spoke with happiness in her voice it was apparent she had designated herself House Mother.

Jack, Rick, Kevin and I dutifully undressed, handing our clothes to our individual bridesmaids who quickly put them on hangers. As we got down to bra and panties they handed each of us a gigantic white towel and heavy shower cap. Even pink shower shoes were provided! It all happened so fast and so efficiently that I didn’t time to look around, and when I finally did I saw the other guys wrapped in white like I was.

We toddled off to the tile hall, made the turn and sure enough there was a communal shower with eight separate showerheads and controls in a room completely covered in blue tile. A grated drain was in the center of the slightly graded floor.

The four of us put on our shower caps, careful to tuck each wisp of hair underneath, and hung our towels on the hooks over the maple benches. As we walked toward the showers I realized that this was the first time I’d seen all of my buddies naked. When we’d been transformed we’d been naked but that was before the process had been completed. I’d caught glimpses of one or the other as we shared a bathroom in the morning, but we’d never all been completely nude since then. Seeing the three of them brought back a high school fantasy of being able to peek into the girl’s shower room after gym. Except these were no high school girls! The three nude bodies reaching for the shower controls were the finest I’d ever seen, professional models in girlie magazines included, and if I’d had a dick it would have been as hard as rock!

I saw the other guys looking around as they, too, satisfied their curiosity about what we all now looked like in the buff. We were all smiling, not, I’m sure, because we were happy but because the control wanted us to look that way. To each of us it appeared that the other three were happily accepting their new bodies, and even though we all knew better the apparent gaiety of our buddies had to have some effect on us.

It was an unnerving experience watching the hot shower water bounce off the full, perky tits of my best friends. When they turned and soaped their bubble asses and long legs the action created a strong feeling in me. Not of lust, the device saw to that. A feeling of futility. We had so obviously been created for the enjoyment of men! I knew that from the beginning, and the fact that they were going to try to get us to marry other guys made it pretty plain! So did the TV lady. She came right out and said it! But seeing those three magnificent nude bodies all together, and watching their soapy hands run over their curves, and knowing that I looked as much like them as they looked like each other – And knowing we were all behaving like it was a fun experience – So the strong feeling wasn’t one of lust. It was a feeling of futility and defeat!

We came out of the showers together and stood in the anteroom drying off. The conversation was pretty pointless, all about how good the showers felt, how nervous we were, and what our wedding dresses would look like!

We wrapped the large towels around us and padded back into the main room where we found our four bridesmaids thrilled to see us. We were each ushered to a make-up chair and the preparations began.

Having someone else apply my make-up turned out to be almost enjoyable, considering the torment I went through the few times I had done it myself. I really hated the idea of painting my face and tried to resist from beginning to end, so the device completely ignored me and made me do what I didn’t want to do. I was no more happy about having make-up on this time, but it was a relief not to be forced to do it to myself.

Tess, my bridesmaid, was very talkative, but then all of them seemed to be that way. It kept things rolling so we never got a chance to stop and think about the whole thing!

"This foundation matches perfectly," Tess told me as she applied the liquid. "I’ll make sure to write this down for you and send it along later. Do you know what you’re using now?"

I didn’t. The stuff that went on first was called foundation? "I think the bottle I found on my vanity had a number five on it, but..."

"Number Five! Good! This is another brand and it’s very, very close to what you’re already using. Men couldn’t tell them apart! How about blush?"

"I don’t know," I said. "Is that the stuff you put on with the little brush?"

"Like this!" she said and stoked a soft, puffy little brush against my cheeks. "Don’t need much of it," she said, "You’re blushing on your own!"

That made me blush more! But that didn’t stop her from applying some of the coloring.

"The key to a blush is not to use too much," she said. "Very subtle. Ooooh, that looks good! Now the eyes!"

Tess spent half an hour doing just my eyes and eyebrows. It was tedious yet interesting in a bizarre way. She kept the conversation going constantly, asking questions and telling me what she was doing and why she was doing it. I realized I was being educated in a way that would further my feminization. Did they honestly think that I was ever going to put make-up on my face voluntarily?!

The brows were first. She complimented me on how "naturally" arched they were and what a nice shape they had, then used an eyebrow pencil to define them a little better. She used another kind of base, giving me all the pros and cons of eyebrow base versus brushed on eyelid powder. She followed that with another powder for coloring and then started on my lashes. The transformation had made them longer, fuller, and added some curl, but she outlined them with two different pencils, one for above the lash and one below, each a slightly different color.

"We don’t want you to be flashy in the least," she said as she worked, "but this will make your eyes stand out nicely so the groom’s eyes will be drawn to them. Eye contact is so romantic!"

Even with my feminine lashes Tess thought false eyelashes were a good idea for the occasion. "You can wear them all the time," she said. "I do!"

I had to admit that they made my eyes look more dramatic and more female.

"Now a little mascara – waterproof! Brides have been known to cry at their weddings!"

I laughed with her but the word "bride" resounded in my head! I’d been distracted by all the things happening, the questions she was asking, the things she was doing, but the word snapped me out of that. I was being prepared to be a bride! And I hadn’t even been fighting for the last hour! I realized I was hoping for some last minute intervention of some kind. Since the whole idea of being the female in a wedding ceremony was so preposterous I’d been irrationally expecting something to happen that would set things right. Something that would switch me back to a believable life! How far could this – weird world – weird joke – or whatever the hell it was, go on?! I hadn’t really thought it out but maybe at the last minute the grooms would say, "Hey we can’t go through with this. We know these girls are really college guys inside and we can’t handle that, so let’s just stop this whole thing before it goes too far!"

But that wasn’t going to happen. This body of mine is what the men of Athernia had created, and they’d done it thoughtfully and very much on purpose. They had decided everything, from our measurements to the rules of the island. They had decided on the houses and the shops, and the clothes we would buy in those shops. They had decided our ages, and their ages. And the single men who had been chosen as our grooms had waited too long to pass up the opportunity to have a custom built wife – even if she was a man inside!

There would be no mira –

"Diana."

I was brought back to the present by Tess’s voice.

"You don’t have to daydream about it," Tess laughed. "It’s all going to be a reality in just a little while!"

I smiled back at her and apologized.

"Unless you were daydreaming about tonight!" she said with another laugh.

I blushed.

"Well I don’t blame you! Anyway, I was telling you about the lipstick. I’m going to use two layers, a light, and a medium over that, leaving just a hint of an edge. It’ll give your lips a slightly fuller look and I think Peter will like it! Then I’ll put a lip sealer on so it won’t smear. We don’t want that to happen today!"

Two lipsticks! And I was the one who hated the lipstick more than any of the rest of the goo I was forced to apply!

But she was right, in the end my lips did look fuller and more attractive.

"Now let’s get your hair fixed," she said. "The wedding will be inside, but even though we’re right on the beach we don’t have to worry about humidity here! Our men are so clever with those things! So no droopy hair and no wind-blown look! With this gorgeous head of hair we won’t have to do much! It’s so thick and naturally wavy – "

She chattered on while she brushed, reverse brushed, sprayed, blow dried, shaped, and shaped some more. For all the compliments about my hair she spent an awful lot of time fooling with it! It was three-quarters of an hour before she stepped back for a final look.

"There!" she said. "What do you think?"

She moved out of the way and let me see myself in the mirror. From the neck down I was a big white towel. But from the neck up I was beautiful! She did a better job on the make-up than the controller had made me do!

"That’s wonderful, Tess!" I exclaimed. "Thank you!"

"That’s what a bridesmaid is for," she said with a smile. "Now let’s get you dressed!"

On either side of me Kevin and Jack were getting the finishing touches put on their hair. Rick was already up and standing in the center of the room looking at the items his bridesmaid was holding in front of him.

Before I could get a good look at anything Tess put her hand on my arm and said, "Your things are over here."

She led me to an oversized dresser and pulled out one of the big drawers.

"Here we go," she said, handing me a strapless bra. "Your wedding dress is Italian satin, which will go so nice with your hair and complexion. All your undergarments are satin, too!"

I took the bra, and the matching white satin bikini panties, and turned to head to the restroom.

"Oh, here," she said. "Everybody’s too busy to look. If you’re modest I’ll turn my back, but it’s just us girls." She turned her back, and I glanced around. Kevin’s bridesmaid was still fussing with his hair, Jack’s was just finishing up, and Rick was already in his bra and panties and was sitting down drawing on a pair of white stockings. Each of them was wrapped up in his own business. Besides, we’d just all seen each other naked in the shower, and what did I care if the bridesmaids saw me naked. I took off the towel and tossed it on a chair.

The white satin bra was smooth on the inside and out. I placed my breasts in the cups, bending slightly and adjusting them. The cut of the bra pushed them up and together just a little. The hooks in the back were easy to attach and I was surprised that the bra, though snug, wasn’t tighter seeing as it had no straps.

As I was stepping into my panties I remembered that in high school and college the girls I had taken to bed always dressed by putting on their bras before their panties, just as I was doing, and I had always wondered why since I had looked on the pubic area as being more intimate. I didn’t know why I had instinctively done the same thing but I felt it must have had something to do with the fact that a girl’s genitals were internal so nothing much really showed there. Breasts were definitely external and I guess that’s why they – why I! – put on the bra first.

Tess said, "All ready?"

I felt kind of foolish now about my natural modesty and wondered if it had been me or the device. I was still monstrously self-conscious about having a girl’s body so it may have been me. Then again, it could have been the device making me behave like a shy virgin bride. I really hated not knowing if I had chosen my actions or not!

Before I could think about it too much Tess was back with more clothing. She handed me a pair of white stockings and an off-white garter belt. "Don’t worry, no bulges will show through," she said. "When you see your dress you’ll know why. Hurry up and get these on and I’ll get your dress."

A set of three familiar chimes sounded and all eight of us fell silent. The bridesmaids stopped what they were doing and walked as a group to the door, a de-animated quartet.

I felt myself stand up and walk toward the blue brocade sofa near the center of the room. Jack, Rick and Kevin were doing the same thing, all of us in approximately equal states of undress. They looked gorgeous and, though I found it hard to think it, as sexy as I’d ever seen them! I knew I must look the same to them in my satin bra and panties! We were powerless to stop ourselves but, surprisingly, we were able to look into each other's eyes and see that mixture of fear and questioning that was now so common in our lives.

We sat primly near the edge of the sofa, legs modestly together, our backs straight, and looked at the TV screen as the chimes sounded again. The blank screen came to life with the familiar image of the relentlessly cheery and deeply gorgeous woman we all dreaded seeing.

"I just wanted to pop in for a short chat and to wish you girls my very best on the most important day of your lives," she said with the widest and most sincere smile I’d ever seen on her. "I know you’re looking forward to it with all your heart, and that’s perfectly understandable. You’re probably as nervous as a cat with kittens right about now! So many details! You’re worried that you’ll be so nervous you’ll make a mistake and ruin the day for your grooms!"

She flashed another bright smile. "Well, ladies, not to worry! Your control will be working full-time to make this a perfect wedding for the men, and give you both a memory you’ll cherish for the rest of your lives. You’ll all be totally beautiful young brides and when it comes time to say ‘I do’ the words will come from your mouth with all the sincerity and affection you feel in your hearts. The ceremony, girls, will go off without a hitch and thanks to your controllers there wasn’t even a need for a wedding rehearsal!"

The last thing in the world I wanted was a perfect wedding – where I was the bride! How could I be the bride?! It was a world tossed on its head and the only thing I wanted was out! Now! I wanted this insanity to stop! I wanted everything to go wrong! I wasn’t about to be some guy’s bride! I didn’t want it to happen, perfect or not!

But all I could do was sit there quietly, a little smile playing on my lips, and watch the vivacious woman on the screen. The other guys must have been in the same situation because I didn’t catch any movements out of the corner of my eye.

The unceasingly cheerful woman resumed speaking. "Well ladies, as eagerly as you’re looking forward to the beautiful moment when you and your fiancées say ‘I do’," she said, "I know you’re also eagerly looking forward to tonight!"

Stop! I screamed inside my head. Don’t go there, pleeeze! It’s not going to happen! Not to me, not to Rick, not to Jack and not Kevin! We can not be brides! There can NOT be a wedding night! How can we be married to men?! It’s ridiculous!

"Time for a little girl talk," the gorgeous woman said with a wink. "You’ve probably heard that a girl can’t properly satisfy her new husband during their first night in the conjugal bed. Well, ladies, not on Athernia! Your controller will allow you to bring your groom a full measure of sexual satisfaction! And girls, you’ll be happy to know that, even though it’s your first time, you’ll enjoy it just as much as he does!"

She blushed and turned her head coquettishly. "You may have heard that the wedding night can be a bit painful for a virgin. Well!" she grinned, "Not on Athernia! We realize that, as virgins, the entire experience will be uncharted waters for you girls, but you’ll find yourself behaving properly coy, a little seductive, and highly passionate without even trying. It’s all designed to make you able to fully satisfy your new husband on his wedding night! So wipe those self-doubts right out of your minds, ladies!" She grinned and winked at us. "He’ll have the time of his life!"

The time of his life?! With us?! The four of us had things done to us that just overwhelmed our minds! Yet all of that was just the minor, necessary preliminary for the men of the island! This backward marriage! The wedding night! That's what it was all about for them!

It had been too crazy for me to even think about and I must have forced it to the back of my mind until now. Either that or the device hadn’t let me think about it. But here it was in front of me! In front of me and my buddies! The pretty face on the screen was blithely talking away as if we were four blushing brides about to commit our hearts to the men of our dreams! What insanity! I don’t care how I looked or how my friends looked, I was not going to be the bride in any wedding! There just had to be a way out! Please!!

I couldn't accept the fact that there wasn’t one thing I could do about it, and that it was actually going to happen! But whether I could accept it or not, I knew that didn’t matter. I knew that because, as terror stricken as I was at the moment, I still sat there wearing a lacy white satin bra and matching satin bikini panties, my legs modestly pressed together, smiling at the beautiful woman on the TV screen!

"One final note, ladies," she resumed. "Just because you’re going to be married women that doesn’t mean you can let down on any of the rules. It won’t be allowed." She brightened again, lighting the room with her big smile. "But I know that the controller won’t be necessary because you’ll constantly be striving to be the best wife your husband could want. For instance, you’ll never let him see you without make up, of course." She rolled her eyes in a way that mocked the thought. "As if you would! What if he should come home from the lab at an unexpected time? Well, ladies, I know you wouldn’t want to be caught without your face on! And even though your life will be full of dinner parties and all kinds of other things you’ll always remember that looking your best for your husband, and making sure his home is always presentable will be top priorities of your life. Remember, girls, there’s more to marriage than just sex!"

She made her face into a cute little pout and said, "And, girls, we won’t be seeing each other quite as often. I know you’ll miss our little visits, but you’ll have new lives and they’ll be very full. Of course you will all still be best girlfriends. I’m sure you were happy to discover that your new homes were all in a row on the same side of the street. After you’ve settled in you’ll be able to walk next door and visit, anytime your husbands aren’t home!"

She’d finally said something that I found heartening! I needed the reminder that the guys would be close at hand! All that it implied – that we’d be living with men in separate houses and all the rest – was still as inconceivable as before and I couldn’t hold the idea in my mind. But at least we could stick together!

As events rolled over me I was becoming almost desperate for free conversation with my buddies. I needed some sign that they were still sane, that it was still them behind their beautiful faces and feminine voices and gestures. That they hadn’t given up and that I wasn’t alone. I was less sure that there was any kind of hope in getting out of this nut house, but it made the events somehow more bearable. Plus, we’d be getting fewer visits from the woman on the TV! That was almost too good to be true! Every time she appeared we had entered a new, terrifying level in our existence as – women! The less I saw of her, the better I felt!

"Well, I must be running," the woman said. She smiled widely and, it appeared, sincerely. "Congratulations, again, ladies! You’re beautiful brides and I know the guys are going to be thrilled when they see you walking down the aisle! Bye-bye!" She wiggled her slender fingers at us in a girlish way and the screen went gradually dark.

We came out of it slower than in times past. I sensed I was able to move slightly but not yet stand up. I could turn my head and look at the others, but not yet say anything.

"I – .I don’t – ." Rick tried, then lapsed into silence. His eyes went from expressionless to revealing some anxiety and I guessed that we were entering into a period of free speech. It was slow in coming, as if it was reluctant, and none of us wanted to say anything immediately anyway. I know I was still in shock with all the implications of the brief session. The sex was the most staggering part. Sex! Of course that was always implied. Why else had they made us so beautiful, young and sexy? But to hear the TV lady say that tonight...tonight – NO! My mind rejected it! They wanted to make me go to bed with – another guy – and let him put his – in my – NO! How could they do such a thing to us!?

"There’s – Th – too – t...t...too...much..." Rick tried again. Now I could see that his eyes showed more distress. "Too..." he tried again, but again went silent.

"Brides!" Jack blurted. His tensed face immediately relaxed and he trilled, "Oh, it’s so exciting! I’ve never been so nervous in my life! I think I’m going to pee!"

Rick laughed in a high, girlish way and his feminine voice said, "Me, too! C’mon!" He stood up and headed for the ladies room, Jack right behind him, both of them swaying their hips and taking short, quick steps.

Kevin suddenly broke into tears. He lurched up and quickly sashayed into the Ladies room, taking long, fast but ever graceful strides.

I was shocked at how short our free speech period had been, and shocked again when they let Kevin cry. Nerves? Or the idea of being in a wedding and being the bride? Or the idea that a man was going to have sexual intercourse with him that night? I couldn’t tell, it was so sudden. Was he being allowed to cry or had he really beaten the controller? Just the possibility that he had sobbed when they didn’t want him to gave me hope, even as I realized it was very likely a false hope. Still – .. To test it I tried to let my mind go blank and then blurt out a negative, forbidden thought. I forced myself to relax, staring at nothing. After a moment, without even knowing myself when I would do it, I blurted, "I refu – ..." and then I said, in a much calmer, softer voice, "Well I think I have to pee, too!" and I giggled as I got up and followed the others into the Ladies room, hating every smooth step I took.

We were only in the Ladies for a few minutes when we heard the doors to the main room open again and the four bridesmaids come back in.

"Where is everybody?" one called.

We trooped out one by one, back under the total control of the device. I could feel it was so much stronger than before, and it was plain that they weren’t going to take any chances that the evening’s event would be disrupted.

Tess waved to me. She still had the white nylons and garter belt in her hand. As I put them on she went to the now open double-doors of the first storage room. Rick’s bridesmaid was already bringing out a huge white wedding gown wrapped in an even bigger clear plastic bag. Tess went inside and returned with another white gown that was just as large.

I was hooking up the nylons to the garter belt but watching her wielding her billowing package in my direction. I couldn’t get over how full it was.

"Oh you’re gonna be so pretty," she said, her voice choked up.

"Should I put my shoes on?" I asked.

"Not yet," she said, ripping the plastic bag off the dress. "Unzip it for me, hon," she said. She held the obviously heavy gown with both hands and I unzipped the back.

"Here comes the tough part," she said. She lowered the dress, pushing the crinoline petticoats down so I could step into the open top half. "It’s a lot easier without wearing heels," she said.

I stepped into the center of the pile of white, lacy material and she immediately pulled it up. I found the sleeve holes with a little difficulty and felt Tess arranging the bodice and then pulling on the long lace sleeves.

"Easier than I thought," she said with a smile. "Now let’s get you zipped up!"

Instead of letting me turn to present my back she hurried around behind me and with the fingers of one hand she held the two sides of the dress together. Slowly she zipped up the snug top half of the dress.

Hurrying back in front of me she gave me a critical once over, adjusted one of the sleeves slightly, tugged the bodice a little, then stepped back.

"Wow," she said softly. "What a wedding dress will do for an already beautiful girl. Come look at yourself, honey."

She took me by the hand and walked me over in front of a full-length mirror. A sign across the top, obviously meant for people involved in the stage plays and other entertainment held at the Pavilion, said, "Do you have ALL of your costume on?"

I looked at myself and was absolutely speechless. The wedding gown was very traditional, with lace sleeves going all the way to my wrists. It barely covered the tops of my arms – I understood why my bra had to be strapless – and the scoop across the top of my chest went low enough to show the bare beginnings of my pushed up breasts. The satin gown fit snugly to the waist, then flared out as what must have been a dozen petticoats pushed it further and further away from my body until the part that touched the floor must have been five feet in diameter. There were satin flowers at the top, along the neckline, and at various places on the gown. A flounce of lace in the same Alencon pattern as the sleeves accented my trim waistline, and was repeated on the hem of the dress.

I looked for all the world to be the prettiest, most feminine creature you’ve ever seen. The wedding dress screamed GIRL!!

"What do you think?" Tess said anxiously.

"It’s – It’s beautiful!" I said, my eyes watering. "Beautiful..."

"Yeah!" she said, a little choked up herself. "Nothing makes a girl look more feminine than a wedding gown! He’s gonna go weak in the knees when he sees you walking down that aisle! At least he will if we get some shoes on you!"

She went back to the chest of drawers and I followed, gingerly wiping my tears away so as not to muss my make-up.

"Careful," she cautioned, "don’t step on your dress."

The petticoats dragged the floor a little so I hiked them up.

"Hold my hand," she offered.

I did, and still hiking my dress up with one hand, tried to find the white satin pumps under the many folds of fabric. It took a second of foot wiggling but I finally located one and stepped into it. The second one was easier and I saw they were just high enough to lift the edge of the wedding gown off the floor. Perfect!

Tess checked her watch. "We’re doing good," she said. "The only things left are your tiara and veil." She turned back to the huge drawer.

I took that free second to look around the room. Rick was standing in front of the mirror in an off-white wedding gown just as traditional as mine but somehow totally different. The neckline of his dress was a simple rectangle which allowed his shoulders to be covered. I was sure it also allowed him to wear a bra with straps. Like my gown his fit snugly to the waist and flared out with multiple petticoats. There were design elements all over the place including a Schiffli lace pseudo-skirt that extended from the waist to just below knee level and a lace covering on the upper half of the dress as well. The material of his gown had a beautiful antique look about it. He was beaming at himself in the mirror, as well he should have. He was absolutely beautiful!

Jack and Kevin were both stepping into their gowns at that moment and I couldn’t wait to see what they looked like dressed.

"Here we go," Tess said. "It’s about time, and it looks like everyone’s close to ready so why don’t we do the final touch."

I had turned back to her when she started speaking and saw her holding an elegant white tiara and gauzy silk blusher. I bent slightly – not the easiest thing in the world to do in the snug gown – so she could place the tiara. She took her time, careful to put it firmly on my head without messing up my hairdo, attaching it with bobby pins the exact color of my blonde hair. The blusher veil fell into place, covering my face. Surprisingly, it was easy to see through, but a quick glance at the mirror showed me it looked semi-opaque to anyone else.

The veil and tiara really did it for me. If the wedding dress hadn’t been enough to convince anyone that I was the total bride those little additions sealed it. I couldn’t stop staring at myself and I teared up again.

Tess was biting her lower lip, staring at me and shaking her head slowly. I could see it took all her will power to hold back her own tears.

"Oh Diana!" Jack cried.

I turned quickly, concerned at the emotion in his voice. But he was fine. He was just looking at me and was overwhelmed. I smiled at him and he smiled back. Then his bridesmaid zipped up his dressed and helped him into his heels.

Rick, I saw, was standing in front of the full-length mirror, dabbing his eyes with a tissue, his veil and white satin flower headpiece in place. The flower pattern had been carried over from his wedding dress and looked spectacular!

Kevin and his bridesmaid had moved along quickly and she was in the process of pinning his blusher in place.

In a moment we were all ready, each of us over our happiness tears.

Before we had time to think, the main door opened and Mr. Lawson stuck his head in and started to say something. He stopped dead when he saw us. I didn’t know what to think. He slowly opened the door and walked in.

"You are the most stunning creatures I’ve ever seen," he said, a bit of awe in his voice.

We all smiled from ear to ear.

"What beautiful brides!" he said. "I’m overwhelmed!"

It was the most emotion I’d ever seen from him and it was touching.

"The grooms are already in place and the entire population of Athernia is here," he said. He pushed the doors open wide and we all walked toward him.

"Follow me," he said. "We’re just going to the end of the hall, and then I’ll escort you in, one at a time."

My legs felt rubbery as we all followed behind him, and each of our bridesmaids followed behind us...probably to make sure we didn’t fall on our faces!

Mr. Lawson stopped at a large oak door and opened it just enough to look inside. After a moment he nodded at some unseen figure and turned to me. He held out his hand.

"Diana," he said.

I was to go first! I let out a breath and took his arm. We walked through the door and all kinds of sensations hit me at one time. As he said, everyone on the island, all sixty-two people minus the nine of us, were already in the main room. Decorations of white and pink silk and satin, including white satin flowers, seemed to be everywhere. Some swaths were even draped from the ceiling, and they all combined to give what was probably a plain room the sparkle of fantasy. All the guests were seated in rows and they were all dressed gorgeously; the men in suits and the ladies in wedding party dresses. Some of the ladies even wore hats, and had flowers pinned to their bodices!

I glanced over to the front of the room and saw Peter and the other three grooms standing there in tuxedos, all looking dashing, and a bit stiff and nervous. Somehow their nervousness put me a little more at ease. But that only lasted a moment because as Mr. Lawson escorted me into the hall the familiar strains of "Here Comes the Bride" were piped into the room’s speakers! Everyone twisted in their seats to look back at me! I blushed – and now I knew why my veil was called a blusher!

If I hadn’t had Mr. Lawson’s arm to hold on to I might not have been able to stand up! My legs and hands were trembling and I was thankful the traditional walk down the aisle was so slow and methodical!

On either side of me there was a small sea of smiling faces. The men were happy, and their wives seemed to be three times as happy. But then of course women don’t hide their emotions as much as men, especially at a wedding!

Somehow I made it down the aisle, and Mr. Lawson steered me to the empty spot beside Peter. I could see he was holding himself back and wanted to grin from ear to ear. The music faded out as Mr. Lawson walked alone back down to the rear door. Peter and I kept glancing at each other, smiling, and looking away.

A few moments later "Here Come the Bride" started again and Peter and I turned with the rest of the audience to watch Mr. Lawson escort Jack down the aisle. He was absolutely gorgeous! His off-white wedding gown was perfect for him, showing off his figure and at the same time making him look demure! I was so happy for him!

The walk seemed to take forever. I had thought mine had flown by but it was just the jumbled up excitement I was feeling! Finally he reached his place next to Sam, and Mr. Lawson walked back down the red carpet.

I leaned forward a little and the movement caught Jack’s eye and he peeked around Sam’s chest. We gave a little wave to each other and the audience tittered softly.

By the time Rick was being escorted up the aisle to Robert some of my nervousness had dissipated, and when we all watched Kevin join Alex I was close to calm. Not quite, but close.

After Mr. Lawson gave away Kevin to Alex he stepped in front of us, on to a small platform about six inches high. He turned to face us and the audience.

"This is truly a joyous day," he said. "Not only for the four wonderful couples standing before you, but for every resident of our community. It’s a time to celebrate, and a time to be thankful for the tranquility of our lives and the ease of our lives. A time to remember, and a time to appreciate our present and our future. But especially it’s a time to welcome four perfect couples into our family – Well, perhaps not couples yet!"

There was an appreciate bit of mild laughter.

"That’s what we’re going to take care of right now," he said and turned to face Peter and me. My heart suddenly started beating faster and my mouth went dry.

"We are gathered here today to join two wonderful people in celebrating one of the most important days of their lives. Today you two will take the step into a marriage that will bring you both joy and happiness – Diana Lynette Johnson, do you take Peter Miller to be your husband? To love, honor, and obey him for as long as you both shall live?"

The shortness and suddenness of it took my breath away.

"I do!" I blurted.

I could feel the audience smiling.

"And Peter Miller, do you take Diana Lynette Johnson to be your wife? To love, honor and cherish her for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Peter said.

Mr. Lawson smiled. Slowly and clearly he said, "Then by the power vested in me I hereby declare you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

That was it! I was married! It was so fast that I hadn’t had time to savor it before it was done!

Peter started to lift my veil and it slipped from his trembling fingertips. He made it on the second try and leaned forward. Our lips met in a brief but emotional kiss.

The citizens of Athernia applauded!

Mr. Lawson held out both hands and we each took one. "Congratulations!" he said.

We both grinned up at him like school kids.

He moved over in front of Jack and Sam and began repeating the same words, but I was in too much of a fog to follow closely. I was almost uncontrollably happy while at the same time I had the first feelings of comprehension. Where had the last hours gone? I’d been here. I knew what happened. But I couldn’t seem to take it all in. I chalked it up to the vastly emotional atmosphere and the intensity of my nerves. I’d just gotten married! I had a right to be a little overwrought and fuzzy!

I saw Sam lift Jack’s veil and watched them kiss, and I felt so happy for both of them!

Mr. Lawson went on to Rick and Robert and soon they were repeating our performances. By the time he started the ceremony for Kevin and Alex my brain was a little clearer.

I was Mrs. Peter Miller! Wow! The change in my life was just starting to hit me. I had been single, I was a bride, and after a few words and a couple "I do's" I was a wife! That was a lot to have happen in such a short time! No wonder brides-to-be were so tense and excited!

After Kevin and Alex kissed, more music started and the eight of us, now as four couples, turned and walked arm in arm back down the aisle.

Our four bridesmaids had left their seats and were at the far end of the room, waving us over. We turned toward them and they ushered us through the doors we’d originally entered by.

"Congratulations!" Tess gushed, wrapping her arms around me and hugging me. The other bridesmaids did the same with my friends, then all tried to make sure they hugged and kissed all four of us. The men stood by, smiling patiently, looking great in their tuxes.

"Okay girls, as soon as everybody’s out of the main hall we’ll go back in for wedding pictures with Mr. Lawson!" Tess said. "Then we have to stop in at the party and cut the wedding cakes. More pictures, of course! I know those dresses weigh a ton and your nerves are probably drained but don’t worry, you won’t have to stay long! A few hugs and kisses, one dance in your lovely gowns – with pictures, naturally! – and then you’re outta here! One of the men has pulled your cars right up in front of the door so you can make a quick getaway."

"It’s clear," one of the other bridesmaids said from the door. "The photographer’s ready."

The whirlwind of activity continued as Peter and I posed with Mr. Lawson, then as a couple, then as a couple kissing, then individually. When those were done all four brides posed for a group picture, then the grooms, then all eight of us. I called Tess and the other women who had helped us so much by acting as bridesmaids and all twelve of us posed some more. Each pose seemed to require three or four shots. I thought I recognized the man who was taking the pictures but I wasn’t sure. I may have been introduced to him the first time we went to Club Athernia. The other man who was assisting him was a total stranger.

While I had been posing for our wedding pictures Tess and the other bridesmaids were helping Jack, Kevin and Rick with their make-up, hair, headpieces and blushers. When Peter and I were done I pitched in, but it still took us the better part of an hour to finish up!

Then it was through a set of doors at the far end of the hall and on to the covered patio where there were tables and tables of food and drink, plus all kinds of party decorations, from balloons to who knows what else! The late afternoon sun was just going down over the ocean’s horizon and it was really, really beautiful! There was music playing, though no one was dancing. When the eight of us walked in everyone stopped talking and applauded! The scurrying around with the photos had been a practical, "gotta get this done" kind of thing, but now we were back to celebrating!

One large table, draped in a heavy white linen tablecloth, held four multi-tiered wedding cakes. I looked for the photographer and saw him on the other side of the table, the camera already raised to his eye. We were photographed approaching, with everyone behind us, and cutting the cake, and feeding a piece (and making a mess) to our new mates. Then it was the traditional champagne glass exchange with our arm ringed in our groom’s arm. Everything we did seemed to garner either applause or encouraging laughter from the assembled guests. There’s no doubt that all eyes were on us every moment.

Someone turned the music up, and as we finished up the last pictures the crowd parted and the four grooms, standing tall in their expensive-looking tuxedos, escorted four brides, still in billowing and glamorous wedding gowns, to the dance floor.

I swung smoothly into Peter’s arms and we glided around the dance floor in perfect harmony, grinning at each other the whole time. He kissed me when the dance ended and once again there was applause from the guests.

"Time to get you folks out of here," Tess came up to me and whispered. "I don’t think we’re going to fool them and avoid the rice shower, but see if you two can edge toward the door."

As Peter and I sort of wandered in that direction Tess went to the other three couples and told them the same thing.

"Oh no you don’t!" a man suddenly hollered. They’d found us out! We all ran and we all got bombarded with wedding rice!

Peter led us quickly down a side hallway, the four of us brides running with our dresses hiked up in both hands and our veils flying. We burst out the front door and, just as Tess had promised, there were four cars waiting. I recognized Peter’s and headed that way. There were voices way behind us, but I think we were running now just to be running. It was the adrenalin!

Peter managed to open the car door for me and then we wrestled with the big crinoline petticoats, trying to fit the dress into the seat with me! It looked like I had a two-foot high pile of satin and lace on my lap!

He ran around to the other side, turned the ignition switch quickly and we were off!

The engine sounded like it was coming apart! I panicked, and then realized that somebody had tied tin cans to our bumper and hidden them under the car. We were now dragging them behind us! I don’t know where that tradition started but it was hilarious! Once out of the driveway and onto the road Peter slowed the car a little. I turned around – not an easy task! – and saw three other cars following us.

"They all made it!" I said.

"I kinda knew they would," he laughed. "I bet everybody at the Pavilion has already started to party! There was so much food!"

"And champagne!" I said with a laugh.

"Oh yeah, can’t forget the champagne!"

We suddenly lapsed into silence. We were alone together. And we were married!

The road took us by the shops and he slowed to normal speed, which on the island was pretty slow. That allowed him to turn to me and reach out. He tried to put a hand on mine but my left hand was buried in my wedding dress, trying to keep it pushed down and all together! When I saw his hand I tried to disentangle myself and finally succeeded. I held his hand – his strong, masculine hand.

"I’m very happy," he said, sincerity in his voice.

"So am I," I answered, sounding as sincere.

It was our first intimate moment as man and wife! We squeezed each other’s hand and didn’t let go until he turned into his – our – driveway.

Peter hurried around the car to get the door for me, and to help me maneuver the bulky gown. We walked hand in hand to the front door, he in his tux and me in my white wedding gown, and I glanced down the street. The other three cars in our wedding caravan were pulling into their respective driveways. It was the first time I felt that the four of us were being physically separated. Up to then it had just been a notion, an image in my mind.

The thought disappeared as Peter opened the front door; it wasn’t locked and, come to think of it, he hadn’t needed a key for his car either. He turned and smiled at me and suddenly literally swept me off my feet! I don’t know how he got his arms around me with all those petticoats, but there I was being carried over the threshold!

Peter gently set me on my feet in the front room and I grinned at him.

"Mr. Miller," I said and held out a dainty hand.

He softly took my hand and said with a smile, "Mrs. Miller."

I put my arms around his neck and went up on tiptoe and kissed him passionately. What few kisses we’d exchanged up to then had been pecks by comparison!

"I’d better change out of this wedding dress before we get it all wrinkled," I said with all the shyness I was feeling.

He grabbed my hand and, still smiling, said, "Right this way, Mrs. Miller."

Still holding hands, he led me down the central hall of the house. I blushed when we entered the large bedroom. He took me in his arms again, and again we kissed but this time we gave each other our tongues and it was even more passionate. I could feel my heart racing!

"I’d like to take a bath," I said.

"Sure," he said. "We have matching bathrooms and dressing rooms." He nodded toward a door behind me. I could see its twin in the wall behind him.

"I won’t be too long," I said.

"Do you need help with the gown?"

I did, but I wanted to keep us apart until I was ready so I said, "If you could just start my zipper..."

I turned my back to him and felt his strong hands manipulate the Italian satin until he was able to get at the zipper under the fold of material. He lowered it a modest few inches.

"Thank you, Mr. Miller," I said impishly.

He bowed, "My pleasure, Mrs. Miller."

Not the cleverest of exchanges, but we were both more than a little keyed-up at the moment.

My bathroom-dressing room was huge, with lots of cabinets and drawers, an eight-foot long vanity with a white marble top and a mirror that ran the entire length. A floor to ceiling dressing mirror at least four feet wide was on the far left wall. At the other end – past the vanity, a dressing area, a marble topped sink, and the toilet – was a Jacuzzi and a marble bath. Best of all it was expensively done up in whites with gold colored trim and fixtures. I stood just inside the door and took everything in. Like the rest of the house, it was very impressive.

Getting out of the wedding dress was my first priority, and I slipped off my heels, kicked them out from under the dress, and then attacked the zipper. I got it all the way down and was pulling my arms gently out of the long lace sleeves when I happened to turn and glance at myself in the mirror.

I was alone.

It seemed like it had been a week since I’d been by myself because so much had been stuffed into my day and early evening. But of course I had been alone last night when the four of us stayed at the main building. We had each had our own sleeping quarters.

My friends and I.

My buddies.

The guys.

Guys who looked and acted like gorgeous young women! Time Out! God, what was going on! How could I have not even fought any of what had happened today?! I’d just let it roll over me! They’d kept me busy every second – rush this, rush that, do this! But that was no excuse! I’d just doped out and gone along with everything!

I’d gotten married!

To a MAN!

I leaned against the wall for support.

I remembered it all. I remembered what was said and what I’d done, and I was filled with remorse and anger at myself. I’d never said a word! I probably couldn’t have, even if I had tried, but I hadn’t even tried! I couldn’t even remember thinking of rebelling!

I forced myself to stand up and continue getting out of the ridiculous dress they’d made me wear. All the time I was tugging the sleeves off and pushing the petticoats down to step out of the gown I was beating myself up mentally. What a dope! I’d just let them do what they wanted without even a token protest! Did the TV lady have to be right all the time?! She'd said the wedding would go off without a hitch and damned if it didn’t! And that was supposed to be the biggie for the four of us, the one clear thing that we were going to try to fight as hard as we could! And all of us went to the slaughter like lambs!

I looked in the mirror. I still had on my tiara, and the blusher was pushed back over my hair. I looked down. Strapless satin bra encasing two firm, moderately large breasts. Bare skin. Tiny waist. Satin garter belt and shapely hips. White satin panties. White nylons. Shit!

I twisted away from the mirror. How could we have let this happen?! I remember so clearly that the idea of being the bride in a wedding was too much! Even if I admitted that the device had the power to make me do it, I remember that I was going to retain some of my masculine self-respect by fighting every inch of the way! And what did I do? Zoned out! Forgot! Didn’t even think of objecting!

They must have really poured the power on the control today. There’d never been more than a brief few moments before the wedding I wasn’t at least thinking of how horrible this whole thing was! That had to be why they’d kept us so busy! Talking! Interacting with everything and everybody! Continually rushing to get things done! They always said we’d retain our thoughts and our memories! So it hadn't been just the controller. It had to have been a trick! They kept us so busy that we participated in our own defeat by not taking time to think!

When the TV lady was there I remember I was thinking that the wedding wasn’t going to happen. Of course we weren’t being kept busy then! I might have been able to mess up the wedding somehow! If not me, maybe Jack or Kevin or Rick! Maybe two of us together! I was never going to fall for that again!

Big deal. I’d already said "I do"! It was a done deal!

But I’d be on guard for that in the future. If they started pushing and rushing me for something, I’d know better. That’s not to say I’d be able to do anything about it! But then again, if I positively couldn’t have messed up the wedding then why did they bother to keep my brain so busy I couldn’t even think about it?

While I was working that thought out, I finished undressing, piling all my lingerie on the vanity. There might be something in this. I may have learned that the controller has limits. If not, why bother to distract us?

I absent-mindedly chose a bottle of scented bath crystals and sprinkled them into the tub while I ran the water. How severe were the limits? Did they always exist? Were they always the same? Had the controller been working at max all day today, but couldn’t always work at that level?

I slipped into the warm tub and my tenseness melted away. With the soft, thick washcloth I soaped my body. It bothered me that the other "women" participated so eagerly in today’s charade. They were guys inside, too, so how could they help do that to us?!

I finished washing, still thinking about everything that had gone on today. Mr. Lawson, I recalled, had used the word "obey" in our part of the vows, but not in the men’s part. That was making things pretty clear!

I dried off and used a small touch of perfume between my breasts. As I was brushing my teeth I thought about our bridesmaids. Tess was the worst! And all the time I’d been so thankful, like a dummy, for her help in making the complex business run so smoothly! Still, she probably couldn’t help the way she behaved anymore than the four of us could. It wasn’t really fair to blame any of the "women" of Athernia.

I pulled out a drawer and took out the baby-doll nightgown. The white silk bottom was very small, with string ties on both hips. The top, also white silk, came down to just below the top of the panties. If my breasts had been smaller or less firm it would have reached lower, but as it was they pushed the top of the gown out and thereby made it shorter.

I found the high heeled white satin slippers next to the chair at the vanity and slipped into them. They were backless, with a little pink fluffy ball on each one. I looked at the mirror, inspecting myself. Hair? Good. Make-up? Very good. Nightie?

Damn! I was doing it again!

I’d gotten married and this was my wedding night! That meant sex!! No, no, no, no, no!! Sex? I felt panicky!

The girl in the mirror, however, straightened her gown a little, pleased at how the thin virgin white silk let the shape of her nipples show – nipples that were getting a little puffy and stiff.

No! My body was not going to get excited about the idea of having a man between my legs! Stop it, nipples!

 

I reached up and felt them and they hardened a bit more. Touching them felt good.

Okay, forget the nipples! I am not going out that door! If that man in there wants to have sex with me he’s going to have to break down the door and rape me! Because there is no way I’m participating in this! Another guy is not jumping my bones!

I thought back to the wedding and how I’d been so thrilled when Peter kissed me, and then here at the house how I had actually been the instigator and had stuck my tongue in his mouth!

I checked the bows of the panty strings on each hip, smiling at the thought of how easy it will be for Peter to pull the strings and have access to me.

It doesn’t matter that they gave me the equipment for it! I’m not doing it! I’m not letting it be done to me! The whole idea! The picture of me with a big guy between my spread legs! – a big, naked guy!! – a big, naked guy with a boner!!!

If I could have chained myself to the fixtures I would have done it in a flash!

Instead, they made me walk to the door and slowly open it. Peter had lowered the lights a little but only enough so they weren’t glaring. Now they were soft. He was sitting on the edge of the bed wearing a black and maroon robe and matching slippers. When he saw me in the doorway he stood up and I immediately saw the tent in his robe.

"You look beautiful," he said softly, his voice deeper than normal.

I hadn’t even done anything and he already had a stiffy! How could he!

"I wanted to present the man of my dreams with a very special gift tonight," I said sweetly. "It’s something a girl can only give once, and only to one man. I hope you liked the way I wrapped your present."

He came toward me and we met halfway between the door and the bed. "I love the way it’s wrapped, Diana," he said, "and I can’t think of a more valuable or more beautiful gift."

He put his arms around me and we kissed deeply. I could feel his hands on my back through the whisper-thin fabric. His mouth came away from my lips and moved to my neck and then up to my ear. I felt his tongue swirl around and incredibly, astoundingly, shockingly, I felt my new vagina response with a tingle! I sighed in a sexy manner!

As Peter became bolder – and why not, after seeing my passionate responses! – he pressed against me. Even through the thick fabric of his robe I could feel his erection! I was in torment inside! I wanted so badly to shove him away and holler abuse at him! I was in such a weird state, yet I responded like any young woman making out for the first time! My breath quickened and my pulse raced! When his lips moved back to mine and I felt his tongue in my mouth I had the feeling that I had already lost this battle! They were going to make me sexually aroused by him! They were going to make me display passion and eagerness! They were going to make me exactly what he wanted me to be!

His right hand slid under the back of my far too flimsy nightie, and his fingers caressed my bare skin! The whole thing was driving me crazy! I bounced around between panic, passion and the recognition of defeat! It was amazing that I was so much under their control that even the high level of my emotions wasn’t coming out in the smallest way! I wanted to fight the guy! Shove him away and holler ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing, buddy!’ Instead, I reached down and untied his robe!

Peter groaned as the front of his body was exposed. When I found his heavy member and wrapped my slim fingers around it I thought he was going to have an orgasm right there! I think I heard him gulp!

"Come on," he said and gently led me to the bed.

He had already pulled the bedspread and top sheet down in preparation for the traditional honeymoon night. We stood by the edge of the bed and kissed some more. Then he reached down and grabbed the hem of my nightie and lifted it over my head!

I helped, careful to protect my hairdo! For a few moments I had been in a fog! I was protesting internally, fighting it and then somehow I had drifted into going along with the whole thing! Were they turning the power up and down on the damn controller?! Maybe, but now I was back. I still couldn’t do anything other than what they were making me do, but at least I wasn’t such a mental blank!

"Oh, wow," Peter said softly as he looked at my naked breasts and aroused nipples.

My naked breasts! It was just too much! It was bad enough I had the things! Now they were being admired by a guy!

His hands glided up from my waist and were soon cupping the firm mounds on my chest. It made me flush with excitement! When his fingers slowly slid across my already firm nipples my vagina got wet with passion!

He could hear me breathing, almost panting, with the arousal my girl’s body felt. My mind was still wracked with torment as I was forced to endure the sexual advances of another guy! I knew it was only going to get worse! This was just the preliminary!

Seeing that I was already so excited Peter didn’t linger long at my breasts. His hands slid back down to my waist and continued on to the string bows at my hips. He pulled both at the same time and I felt the thin material fall away!

"Ah!" I moaned.

Peter bent forward and licked one of my nipples and I thought I was going to go through the ceiling! The pleasure was intense and overpoweringly sexual! When he captured the nipple between his lips it was twice as arousing!

Totally powerless, I just stood there and let it happen! I couldn’t deny that my body was going haywire with excitement! My vagina was wet and my skin was ultra sensitive to every lick and caress!

I grabbed Peter’s thick bathrobe at the collar and pushed it down his back. He stood up so it could fall away and then both of us were naked – and more than ready!

We got into bed and he took me in his arms, his wet lips pressing against mine and our tongues mingling, first in his mouth and then in mine. One of his hands again found a breast and he lightly ran his fingers over the mound and the nipple as we passionately kissed.

Stop it! Stop exciting me! Stop touching me! Stop breathing so heavy! Our lips were twisting against each other but I wanted to jerk away. I was terrified! I wanted to run from the room, screaming for help! Couldn’t he sense that inside I was a guy?! He’d seen me before they’d done this to me! He knew! How could he kiss me?! How could he get sexually aroused?!

His tongue probed my mouth, slipping between my full red lips. I felt the tongue, a man’s tongue, and felt us lock in a passionate french kissing make out session!

I couldn't get over how big he felt, and how small that made me feel. He was six or seven inches taller than I was and sixty or seventy pounds heavier, and I felt helpless. Even without the device he could have overpowered me in a second. And he was in great shape, just like all the other men on the island.

He shifted his hips as we kissed, and moved one leg on top of mine! His heavy, erect organ flopped against my thigh! I lost it! My brain was screaming for him to stop but I was even incoherent to myself! I could usually think in words or clear thoughts, no matter how distressed events made me, but now my brain was a swirling mix of emotions and erratic input! I couldn’t even internally protest in a clear way! It was raw panic!

His hand moved slowly across my belly and into my soft, blonde pubic hair.

Oh no! Oh no, no, no!

A finger slid between the wet lips of my vagina and found my clit.

Oh! Don’t make me more excited! Please! Don’t do that! Don’t get me so hot! Please stop!!

He massaged my clit for only a moment, realizing I was very ready. I was so relieved when he stopped – until I realized why!

He put his arm across me, his hand on the sheet on my left side, and lifted himself slightly.

Please don’t! Oh, I don’t want to be a girl! I don’t want to be a bride! I don’t want to get laid!!

I spread my legs. All the mental toughness I could muster bore down on my shapely thighs, trying to keep them together, no matter what! But they opened smoothly and without hesitation!

Peter shifted so he was supported above me, both his legs between mine but not touching me. He bent down and kissed me on the lips and whispered, "I’ll be gentle. Tell me if I’m hurting you," and he slowly slipped inside me!

The physical pleasure was so powerful that I suddenly couldn’t even think of mentally protesting anymore! I moaned loudly.

Peter froze. "Did I hurt you?" he asked attentively.

"Oh don’t stop, darling!" I moaned back.

And he didn’t.

 

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

 

 

I woke up sometime in the middle of the night and went to my bathroom. Still half asleep I passed the long mirror over the vanity. I looked groggily at my naked girl’s body. For some reason I remembered something that Tess had said while she’d been fixing my hair before the wedding.

"You’re probably a little scared and nervous about tonight," she’d said. "Believe me, I understand completely. I’ve been there. I was a virgin on my wedding night, too."

I had thought for a moment that she was trying to tell me that she really did understand how terrified I was because she, too, had started out as a guy. But before I could say anything she’d continued. "It’s so nice for a girl to be able to go to her wedding a virgin. The men really love that. To know you’ve never been intimate with any other man before him!"

I looked at my face in the mirror. Did it show? Could anyone, looking at me, tell that I was no longer a virgin? That I’d "done it"?

I didn’t think so. Everyone would know, of course, but not because I looked different. They’d know about Jack and Rick and Kevin, too. They had been virgins. But the same thing that had happened to me must have happened to them in their houses down the street. Our experiences had all been the same up to now, and there was no reason to think our wedding nights would have been any different. My poor buddies. We had lost. Not only had we lost our virginities, but we had lost the fight.

I’m a wife now. I’m some man’s wife. We’ll be gong to bed together every night for the rest of our lives. And we’ll be making love a lot. After all the years he had to do without, all the years he had to watch all the other men and their beautiful wives, I’m sure we’ll be doing a lot of catching up. My husband will be naked, he will be sexually aroused, as I will be, and I will be spreading my legs for him. He will be between my naked thighs and he will be sliding his warm erection into me and making love to me, and I will be wet and hot and ready for him. We will go to bed together every night and we will have sexual intercourse. And every night my buddies will do the same with the men they were forced to marry.

Still half asleep, I took care of what I’d come in for and headed back to bed. Back to our bed. Back to sleep next to my nude and spent husband.

 

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

 

 

I’m not sure how I made it through the next two days. It wasn’t the days, of course, that were the hard part. It was the nights. And all day, each day, I thought about the upcoming night.

Peter, fortunately, was needed at the lab for whatever he was working on. He was very apologetic about leaving me "on our honeymoon", and to prove it he had me again the first morning. It was a hot, very physical romp and I had a massive orgasm at the same time as he came inside of me. I was prevented from telling him that the nicest thing he could have done for me was castrate himself!

"An important project," he said. "We might be getting close to solving the riddle of another piece of the technology. If it does what we think it will do, it could be important to the serenity of Athernia." He didn’t go into details and I didn’t press, though I wanted to. Anything I could learn about the island and its technology might be something I could use to escape.

Something that we could use. I didn’t like that I was starting to think of myself as in this thing alone, as if I hadn’t gotten swept up along with Jack, Kevin and Rick. Certainly the arrangement was designed to separate the four of us and create new couples. Couples! How odd that sounded! Couples!

That was why the door wouldn’t work for me. The minute Peter left I tried to follow and found myself turning around and going to the sofa and sitting down. I must have tried a dozen times in the first few hours I was alone. Even edging closer to it didn’t work. Like a dummy I tried to sneak up on the door! I felt silly, but had to try! I don’t know where I would have gone if I’d made it. Next door to Jack, and then to Rick and Kevin I guess. And then where? I didn’t have an answer for that.

Were the other "women" allowed to leave their homes without their husbands? I couldn’t recall having seen any walking alone, but then I hadn’t really been watching for that sort of thing. I did remember seeing couples, but I wasn’t completely sure that couples were all I’d seen. We may have passed women alone on our way to the Club that first night after they had transformed us. What hell it would be to be restricted to the house unless I left with Peter! I felt vulnerable and dependent enough as it was. That restriction would isolate me from the guys. It was already clear that instead of going through things with them I would be going through things with Peter. That was the intent of the men, obviously, and like everything else, they got what they wanted.

Peter called twice a day during those first two days. We didn’t talk long and it was all sweet lovey-dovey stuff. It was depressing to hear the syrupy, subservient words coming out of my mouth! I was the typical bride, girlishly in love with her new hubby!

They did allow me to go out the back door, only to find that our yard was fenced in with a solid wood wall six feet high. Of course it had doors on either side of the house, and of course as soon as I headed toward either one I made an involuntary U-turn back toward the pool.

I did want to go swimming but found I didn’t have a bathing suit and had no idea how to get one. It would have been a girl’s bathing suit, naturally, but I could have lived with that if I could have gotten one delivered via the magic cabinet in the front room. I could have asked Peter but whenever he was there I never seemed to think of it. Apparently they didn’t want me to use the pool. I couldn’t figure out what the objection could be. Was there a chance that if I swam enough I’d try to build up to the point where I would try to swim off the island? Could that even be done? Mr. Lawson had said they’d built a boat and tried to leave shortly after they’d first arrived, only to discover themselves involuntarily turning back. Could a swimmer leave? Yeah, and end up in the middle of the Pacific without food, water or a raft.

I tried the telephone a few times. All I could get was silence. I would have loved to have called the guys and seen how they were doing. Not that I wanted to hear the details of their lives because I knew they would be as horrible as mine! Just a word to know they were okay. I didn’t know their phone numbers, or even how the island’s phone system worked, but it didn’t matter because the device only worked when Peter called me.

There was a large television screen in the front room, across from the white leather sofa, and a remote control on the coffee table. At first I was afraid it was a screen for the TV lady, even though it looked less industrial than the one we’d seen. Had I not found the clicker I would have been tense all day, waiting for the chimes. Still, I couldn’t get the TV to go on no matter what I did. I intended to ask Peter about how to get the thing to work but I could never seem to remember it when he was there. The TV, like the pool, appeared to be off limits for some reason.

Our wedding pictures were delivered via the cabinet in the front room. Included was a huge framed photograph of just the two of us. I was the cute one in the dress!

I actually put the wallet-sized versions in the wallet I carried in my purse! My purse! I had purses! Lots of them! Owning purses struck me as even weirder than having a drawer full of french cut panties for some reason! I had lots of purses! Me! Different colors and different styles depending on the occasion and the dress I would be wearing!

The dress I would be wearing. The dress!

My purse.

My wedding pictures with me standing next to another guy – except you’d never know I was a guy, too.

Everything they did was so consistent, so relentless! I wanted to scream, and probably would have if I hadn’t realized that even that would have come out pure girl!

And the visual reminders were endless. I was made to check myself in every mirror I passed, and if it had been too long since I walked by a mirror I was made to go seek one out!

The big wedding picture, which I hung over the couch (not of own will), constantly seemed to be in my line of vision. And if I wasn’t in the front room – no fear! I put a framed 8 x 10 version of the wedding picture on the bedroom nightstand and another in the kitchen. I guess the second one was so I could get inspiration while I chose the menu for the evening!

Of course I didn’t need a mirror or a wedding picture. All I had to do was see my beautiful hands and long painted fingernails, or look down and see my boobs! I carried all the reminders I needed with me!

I explored the house from one end to the other. I didn’t learn anything helpful. I was surprised that I was allowed in Peter’s closet, though I wasn’t allowed to go through things. My hands just turned away when I tried to open his drawers or look in the pockets of his clothes. I got a very strong urge to dress in a pair of his pants and a shirt, even though they would have looked way too big and a little ridiculous on my new body. I’m not sure if it was the controller that stopped me or I stopped myself. I know I wanted to put on men’s clothing again, but I was also reluctant to do so. It would have only emphasized how inappropriate those clothes were for me now.

I longed for the confidence I used to have in my physical form. I missed my height, my strength and the thoughtlessness with which I used to move. Now I was always self-conscious about how I would look making a certain physical movement, and always doubtful about whether or not I had the strength to do something. That alone created a sense of dependency.

In Peter’s bathroom I saw his razor and shaving cream on the counter, and even though it had only been a few days since they’d eliminated my facial hair, I was filled with a sense of nostalgia. The razor they gave me to shave my legs and underarms was, big surprise, pink.! The shaving cream was scented with lilacs!

The second morning I contrived to watch Peter shave. He thought that was adorable.

There was a garage attached to the house, though with the climate controlled environment on the island there was no need to ever use it and it was plain Peter never did. The big garage door wouldn’t open. No surprise there. There were boxes filled with a whole collection of stuff, from old sports magazines to an elaborate model train set in HO gauge. The only thing that was surprising was a huge version of the magic cabinet that we had in the front room. It was large enough to spit out a sofa, and it probably would.

The house was my prison, forcing me to restrict my life to being a newlywed housewife. I cleaned and straightened and rearranged for Peter. I spent hours on my make-up and hair so I’d look nice for Peter. I took long, luxurious bubble baths using scented bath oils so my skin would be soft for Peter. I tried on every dress, blouse, skirt and pair of heels in my closet so I’d know which styles suited my appearance so that I would look good when Peter got home. I even spent an hour preparing the table for dinner with Peter.

It was surprising how fast the two of us were building up a set of common experiences. My new life was so all-encompassing that it snuffed out my old world. Thinking about anything as ancient as four or five days ago seemed like watching a biographical film of someone else’s life!

I wasn’t forgetting who I really was. It was just that it seemed more and more remote, and less and less important. What I had to deal with was being Mrs. Diana Lynette Miller. That’s all that was thrust at me, and that was all that surrounded me. How could I stop and think about the old Dave Johnson? My Dave Johnson life made no impression or impact on the world I was in. The real me almost became imaginary. Where, after all, was the evidence that Dave Johnson existed in any way that mattered?

The only thing that kept me going was the hope of escape. So, as the device filled my days with its step-by-step plan of feminization I tried to think of a way out of here. But even with this internal struggle one topic overshadowed everything else. Throughout both days my mind was really filled with only one thought: He’s going to have sex with me again tonight!

They put me under full control each evening. The second night I wore a sexy, red shorty nightgown to bed. He found that so exciting I got laid twice! The third night I was covered in a long black dressing gown that opened in the front – with nothing but high heels, nylons and a garter belt underneath! I had to admit that I would have turned me on a week ago! There’s no denying that I was incredibly sexy looking! And as passionate and loving as any man could want!

Though Peter never seemed to even suspect what was going on in my head, he was still considerate and took things slowly. I suppose I should be thankful for that in some twisted way.

He did know that I was a virgin and that being in bed with a man was all new to me – but he never seemed to realize how new it really was! Yet he’d seen me on the beach! He knew my name was Dave and not Diana! He knew I was a guy, not a girl! Yet he had an amazing capacity for ignoring that entirely and. Instead. went by how I currently looked and acted. I was sure that, had our roles been switched, I wouldn’t have been able to even kiss me!

They pushed up together. With no one else to talk to, separated from my buddies, and with nothing but Peter to think about, I was now forced to center my life around him. Up to the wedding they had forced my feminization. With no other stimulation, no other environment, no other person around that I knew was a male in the same situation as I was, I unwittingly continued the feminization process. There was no way to work back toward being masculine, and with no other choice I foolishly started going along with the program in some ways. At any given point during the day it was hard even for me to tell if they were feminizing me or I was doing it to myself!

On the third day after the wedding the phone rang, and it wasn’t Peter.

"Hello."

"Diana? It’s Jennifer," a girl’s voice said. Even though I’d heard Jack talk in his new female voice and knew it was totally realistic, just as all our voices were, it was still amazing to hear his voice without seeing him. Visually I would know that it was Jack behind the gorgeous girl’s face and body. Hearing his voice on the phone minimized that knowledge. I was talking to a girl and there was no doubt about it!

I was so stunned, and so elated, to hear his voice in any form that I was speechless for a second.

"And me, too!" Kevin said. "We’ve got a conference call! Rita’s going to be on in a second!"

"Here I am!" Rick shouted.

"Are you there, Diana?" Jack asked.

"Yesss!" I screamed. "Oh, it’s so good to hear your voices!" I added before I realized what I was saying.

There was a very slight pause and Jack said, "Yours, too! And I’ve got even better news! You won’t believe it but our husbands were talking at the lab and thought we might like to have a little luncheon together!"

We all yipped with joy.

I tried to ask how they were holding up but couldn’t say it. Apparently there was no free speech on the telephone, or at least not yet.

Instead, I said, "We can all get together at our house! I’m sure Peter wouldn’t mind."

"Of course he wouldn’t," Jack said. "It was his idea!"

"Isn’t he wonderful!" I said.

"You’re a lucky lady," Kevin said.

"I know!" I answered. "When do you want to do it?"

"Today?" Rick suggested. "You don’t have to do anything fancy for us. We’ll just raid your food synthesizer!"

"Fantastic! Can you come over now?"

"I’m ready," Jack said.

"Yes!" Rick said.

"I can’t wait," Kevin said.

"All right!" I beamed. "I’ll see you in a few minutes!"

We all hung up. It didn’t occur to me until that second, but how were they going to get out of their houses? If they were as restricted as I was then we’d all just gotten excited for nothing. But then again, if the husbands had okayed it then it must be possible.

To test the idea I walked to the door. No involuntary U-turn. The door was unlocked, of course, but the surprising part was I was able to open it! I stepped outside into the clear Athernian environment, walking a few steps down the walkway. I could see Rick, Kevin and Jack all coming out of their houses and heading toward the sidewalk, all waving wildly at each other as they did. I joined in the waving and started down my walkway but only got a few yards before I found myself stopping dead in my tracks. I must have reached a limit because I couldn’t go any farther.

Kevin waited for Rick and they hugged and laughed, then the two of them walked to the end of Jack’s walkway and the scene was repeated. When they got to me I was so happy to see them I almost cried. We hugged and told each other how glad we were to be together again and then hugged some more.

By the time we got in the house we were smiling and laughing and not really saying anything.

I played hostess – host – and brought everyone steaming hot coffee. small pastries, and dainty white linen napkins, kicked out by the synthesizer. They all noticed the big, framed wedding picture over the sofa and crowded around for a closer look.

"It’s adorable," Jack cooed.

"So romantic," Kevin agreed.

"Perfect," Rick said.

"Did you get one?" I asked.

They all had, of course, and it didn’t come as a surprise when I found out each of them had put their pictures up exactly where I had put mine. Ours.

Everyone sat on the sofa, smoothing their dresses under their legs so they wouldn’t wrinkle, and crossing their stockinged legs at the knees. We all placed our purses on the coffee table in front of us. I noticed that all of us had good posture, the better to show off our figures I guess.

Jack and Rick were in dresses, while Kevin and I wore skirts and blouses. We all wore strap on slides with three inch heels, a tasteful amount of jewelry, and every hair was in place.

I was newly embarrassed by my speech and actions. Everything I did was so typical of a twenty-year old girl, and I didn’t like having my friends see me like this. I knew each of them was feeling the same humiliation and would understand that none of it was my choice. In a way that helped, but in another way it made it tougher. By seeing each other we were strongly reminded that we were now girls and had better get used to the idea. It also reminded us that none of us had been able to resist the ring in any significant way.

And we knew that what had been done to us in the last three nights had also been done to the others. We’d all had sex with men! We’d all been laid! And we’d all had female orgasms when it happened! How could they do this to four guys! We hadn’t hurt anyone! We were just regular guys who had the misfortune to be in a plane with a bad engine! It wasn’t right!

Seeing the guys was a mixed blessing.

"Have you been able to get your TV to work, Diana?" Kevin asked.

"Noooo," I said. "I keep meaning to ask Peter how to operate it but..."

"I know what you mean," Kevin said.

"I had the same problem with the swimming pool," Jack said. "Not that I own a bathing suit!"

"Me, too," I said.

"Yep," Kevin said.

Rick held up his hand and smiled thinly, indicating he’d had the same problem.

There was a slight lull in the conversation until I said, "I really missed you guys!"

"We’ll have to get together on a regular basis," Rick said.

"How about the same day every week! We can meet next week at our house," Rick said. "Robert said it would be okay with him."

"Wonderful!" Kevin said and we all agreed.

It wasn’t as often as I would have liked but at least it was regular. The fact that I could count on seeing my buddies on a predictable schedule settled me down a little. It may have had the same effect on everyone because the conversation sort of died out.

What did I want to talk about with the guys? The game this coming weekend? Ha! The dates we’d had last weekend? Sure. What we were going to do after we were graduated? Right.

"I love the way you’ve arranged the front room, Diana," Jack said.

"Thank you, Jennifer," I answered. "I haven’t done much yet. After all, Peter lived here for a long time with things the way they are, and I don’t want to do anything to upset his life." A twinkle came into my eyes. "But I do have some ideas!"

"I talked to Sam about it yesterday when he came home from the lab," Jack said, "and he said he wouldn’t mind if I wanted to throw everything out and start all over again, just as long as I didn’t make it too feminine!"

We all laughed and Kevin said, "I wonder when we can go shopping? I’ve got some ideas, too! Alex has this notion that anything dark is good, but he gave me permission to lighten things up a little. I’d love to have something like this white leather sofa."

"Take it!" I joked.

"Maybe Alex would like it if he saw it," Kevin said.

"Then you two have to come over some evening for dinner," I said. "Give me a call tomorrow and I’ll talk with Peter and we’ll set a date."

"Oh that would be so fun!"

Actually I didn’t want them over for dinner. It was bad enough being a girl in front of them, but having Kevin see me interacting – kissing, holding hands, hugging, adoring, worshipping – another male was not something I was looking forward to! Seeing him doing the same kinds of things with Alex – and I knew they’d make us do that stuff – wasn’t something I wanted to see, either! But since it would drive home our new role as women and wives I knew they’d make us do it!

"Would you like to see the rest of the house?" I asked. That’s a thought that never would have popped into my mind as a guy, but it came out as natural as you please.

They all did, of course. I didn’t want to show them because taking them into our bedroom would have made them think about Peter and me in bed together, then about themselves in bed with their husbands, and if there was any subject I didn’t want to talk about or think about it was sex. That was ironic because when we’d hung around together in the bar across the street from our dorm sex was a common topic. We’d talked about girls then. Now we’d be talking about our men!!

We were all walking toward the dining room, where I figured to start the tour, when we heard a familiar sound. Chimes sounded three times. It shocked me because I didn’t think the TV lady would be in our homes! I have no idea where the chimes were located, though the sound might have come from the television speakers. It made us stop walking toward the dining room and turn back to the leather sofa.

I was crestfallen and felt defeated just by the fact that the TV girl was still in our lives! I associated her with all the things the men had done to us, of course, and the chimes told me that they weren’t through with us yet!

We looked beautiful, we acted totally feminine, and we were married and having hot sex with guys! What more could they want from us?!

We sat without saying a word and looked at the TV. It slowly illuminated and the chimes sounded again. The vivacious TV lady appeared on the screen.

"Good afternoon, girls," she said cheerily, then learned forward toward us and said in a mock conspiratorial whisper, "...or should I say women. You’re not girls any longer, are you?" All four of us blushed hotly. "Well," the girl said with a smile and continued, "I just may keep calling you girls from time to time regardless of your new marital status. After all, you are young!

"I’m sure you’re all thrilled with your new lives, ladies. The new experiences you’re having as newlyweds are exciting and rewarding. I know that you realize how lucky you are in having such good looking – and if you don’t mind me saying so – hunks for husbands. But there's one bit of good fortune that has come your way that you may not have thought about. When Mr. Lawson and the seven other original residents of Athernia landed here they shared two characteristics. The first is that they were scientists and were therefore able to figure out much of the wonderful technology that had been left here, technology that makes ours lives so comfortable and pleasant today.

"But there’s something else. They were, and are, sophisticated gentlemen. That means they know how to treat a lady like a lady. Had that not been the case I shudder to think of what our lives would be like today. So, ladies, we should be constantly thankful that we inhabit the homes of men of the high personal and intellectual level of the gentlemen of Athernia. You don’t have to tell me that you love your husbands, but I know you will want to tell them – at least once a day."

They wouldn’t want to hear what I’d tell them if I was only free to do so! And they knew it, which is why they had kept me under the total power of the ring from before the wedding – the wedding! – until now. And she’s trying to tell us we’re lucky! We’ve been changed from college guys into beautiful girls! We’ve been spreading our legs for horny, hung guys! Lucky?! I wanted to scratch her eyes out!

"Now, girls, you understand a little more abut just why you love them so much, and why you should appreciate them all the more. Knowing that will help you in our topic for today: voluntary behavior. Voluntarily fulfilling your roles as wives and lovers is one important way of thanking them for being gentlemen and allowing you to be ladies.

"You’ve been learning all about how to behave like the feminine creatures you are! From make-up and hairdos to clothing to walking in heels to pleasing your man – we’ve done our best to show you how it’s done! As you get more and more used to being a pretty young newlywed and accepting your new lives, the controller will have to be used less, and you’ll be able to behave more voluntarily. This is important to your own happiness, but more importantly, to the happiness of your husbands who want to know that you love them and want to please them of your own volition. It’s just a matter of showing you how to do the right things, and do them well! I think you’ll agree that you’ve come a very long way in a short time! There’s still more to learn, and more practice before you’re behaving properly without even thinking about it. But you’re getting closer and closer to that point every day! Isn’t that exciting to know! I’ll bet you can’t wait!"

Can’t wait? The only thing I was waiting for was a chance to get off this cursed island!

"The men’s wedding rings don’t let them be bothered by your controller, but as time goes on they’ll have a sense of appreciation for you voluntarily embracing your new life with them. Especially knowing that your femininity is now a natural and instinctive part of you!

"I know that more than anything you want to make your husbands happy and satisfied with you. The device will always help you and guide you if you’re tempted to go off course, but I think you’ll quickly come to understand that voluntarily accepting your new roles, even enthusiastically embracing them, is best for them and for you."

How could they ever think a guy with any will power at all could accept this insanity? I wasn’t going to participate voluntarily! No way! I’m sure the other guys weren’t either. To make us into girls they had to completely control us. Every time they turned down the control on our actions we’d try to get out of here! And when they turned up the control, we’d wait until the next time and try something different! Something had to work! This guy is not doing any of this feminine stuff voluntarily!

"I must say, girls, that you have done well so far," she said with a smile. "Your appearance, mannerisms, speech and movements are always truly feminine and ladylike – almost ultra-feminine – and your men must be delighted with you! What man wouldn’t be! And you’ve been maintaining the proper loving, attentive and submissive manner around men, too, which I know you’ll continue during voluntary periods. Of course your behavior and speech will still be controlled if you’re not able to stay within the rules of Athernia. But why be controlled when you can enjoy doing the same things voluntarily?"

Well, I had to admit, very reluctantly, that there was at least some sense in that idea. I didn’t want to be controlled a second more than I had to be! If I was going to be made to do something I suppose I would rather do it "voluntarily". At least then maybe I could work it so it wasn’t so bad!

"You’ll soon find that voluntary behavior is the better way because it allows your individual personalities to come out, providing more variety for your husbands and a more pleasant life for yourself. Just think, girls! You can come up with your own creative ways of pleasing your husband! And I am speaking of every part of your married life…." She blushed. "Including your marital relations, ladies. Your individual personalities will show through, even though your husbands have an input into what you find yourself wanting to wear and wanting to say. The controller will still act when what you decide wouldn't please your hubbys, so please don’t worry your little heads about that! We know it’s all new to you and you’ll goof up when making some of the voluntary decisions. Well, the device will just step right in and not let that happen. Isn't that wonderful?!

"Just a couple more things, ladies. Though the men would never think about talking to other men about their own sex lives..." She grinned infectiously and we all grinned back. ".. men just don’t share like we do, ladies!...you know it’s different with us girls, and that after our session is over it's okay to have a nice little chat among girlfriends. And it's perfectly normal to talk about your sex lives among yourselves. That’s what girls do! Sometimes it seems that all we every talk about is sex, sex, sex!" She giggled and again we were made to giggle along with her. "Just remember that you are ladies. And also remember, of course, that this kind of talk should never be used in mixed company.

"Now I have a special treat for you lucky girls! There is a present for each of you from your husband. You will walk one at a time to the cabinet below the screen, then return to your seat with your gift."

No surprise was ever good on Athernia, at least not for the "girls" of the island! The men – at least the men who looked like men – would always find our forced feminization attractive, and each bump up the ladder of feminization must make them smile. For us it was hell! Whatever was coming next I knew it wouldn’t be anything that benefited us, no matter how the TV lady made it seem.

Kevin was the first to rise. He walked gracefully to the cabinet, opened it, took out a white envelope and returned to the couch. I couldn’t imagine what was inside, but I knew I’d find out soon enough!

Jack got up as soon as Kevin sat down, and he followed the same procedure. I’m not really a leg man but Jack’s short dress topped the sexiest pair of legs I’d ever seen! If I didn’t know who he was – And that was the thing, really. The men on the island – the other men – knew that they were married to girls who had been guys. Girls who still were guys inside! So how could every single one of them be so anxious to kiss us, fondle us, and have intercourse with us? Sure, I thought Jack’s legs were sexy, but that was strictly superficial. They had shaped him after some vision of a perfect twenty-year old girl. We were all shaped roughly the same. One was a little bigger in the bust than another, one an inch taller or shorter, a few pounds here or there – but none of us could be called anything less than fabulous looking. Yet nothing could change the fact that we were not girls, and I didn’t understand how the men of Athernia could be doing what they were doing!

I was next, but even after I was holding the envelope in my hands I couldn’t guess what it contained. What would our "husbands" want us to have that could be that small?

After Rick went through the process we all looked up at the screen. The girl looked down at us with an impish smile.

"Open your envelopes, ladies," she said, barely able to contain her glee.

I didn’t want to but, as I’d learned, what I wanted to do and what I actually ended up doing were two separate things.

The flaps were barely sealed and I popped mine open as slowly as I could. There was a flat piece of plastic inside, a bit smaller than a playing card.

"OHHH!" Kevin squealed loudly.

"AH!" Jack exclaimed.

I read the printing on my card – Mrs. Peter Miller. The printing was embossed but it took me a second to realize what it was since it seemed so out of place on the island. Rick squealed and then I did, too!

"Yes, ladies, it’s that little plastic item that every girl holds close to her heart! – Each of you now has a copy of your husband’s credit card!" She smiled and I noticed that it was one of the widest and most enthusiastic smiles I’d ever seen on the TV lady "..and that mean’s SHOPPING!! – Oh, you’re going to have so much fun! "

The four of us all involuntarily turned to each other with excited smiles on our faces. Then we just as involuntarily turned back to the screen where the vivacious woman resumed speaking.

"Our little island may be small, but you’ll find there are an endless selection of pretty things in our shops, girls. You can spend weeks in just one shop and never see it all. The technology allows us to show many actual items in the small shops. But the best part is that the walls are filled with catalogs from just about everywhere in the world! Tens of thousands of catalogs! And anything you see is available – within your generous household budgets, of course!"

She smiled at each of us in turn, meeting our eyes one at a time. "You’ll just love shopping for hours and hours. You’ll meet other girls and make new friends and get invited to dinner and, in turn, invite new couples to your house! There are over twenty shops in the village, and I won’t spoil the fun by telling you what they all are. You can discover that for yourselves!

"On a personal note, I can’t stay away from the delightful ‘Sally’s Shoes’! And I never seem to have enough purses! Try ‘Purses Plus’, you’ll love it! I suggest you always go shopping with friends. The four of you, as best girlfriends, will have quite a day out! Feel free to go ahead and make plans to go shopping with girls you meet in the village! It’s all part of joining our community here on Athernia. Girls who have been here longer can help you with advice, too. They may all only be twenty years old but some of them have been married for twenty-five years and their experience in pleasing their husbands can give you some ideas on how to make your marriage more satisfying for your menfolk. Speaking of which, I know all of you will want to show your appreciation to your husbands for this wonderful gift by coming up with something a little special for tonight." She winked at us.

All five of us, the TV lady included, blushed a scarlet red. We all knew that her "suggestion" was just a way of telling us that we would find ourselves doing that very thing tonight! I didn’t even want to think what that might mean!

"One final note," the woman on the screen said. "Clothes will stop appearing in your closets after today so you will have to spend more and more time – ..SHOPPING!!" She flashed a brilliant smile. "Not so bad, is it? It's the most fun you can have without your husbands. Every girl loves to shop and you’ll get to do plenty of it! You’ll gradually learn your husband’s taste and be able to pick out clothes on your own that you’ll be sure he’ll like. By the way, there’s even a little men’s gift shop in the village so you can pick out gifts for him without having to go over to the men’s shopping area."

She sat up straighter and smiled in a friendly manner. "Well, girls," she said, "that concludes our little talk today. I know you’ll take the concept of voluntary behavior to heart. It may be a little difficult for you at first. That’s why we have the controller to help you along. Start with the small things and work your way up, and you’ll quickly see that voluntarily embracing your new life will sooth whatever conflicts you may still have. Your husband will sense and appreciate your voluntary efforts, and it will make him happy – and that’s what your life is all about: making your husband happy.

"Ta-ta, ladies." She smiled and wiggled her fingers at us in a good-bye. The screen faded.

The four of us sat there silently, hesitant to try and say anything because we never knew what would come out in our female voices. It took a minute to realize my body was signaling that I was entering a period of free speech. It felt a little different from previous times and, as I had so horribly learned, anything new was bound to be an escalation of the things they were doing to us.

I turned and looked at Jack next to me. His face was starting to show small signs of anxiety and maybe anger.

"Volun – voluntary!," he said.

Rick shifted on the sofa and I could see he was entering free speech. "Jus...Just when you thin...k...think...it’s all been d-done...and c-can’t get any w-w-w-worse – they th-throw s-s-s-some – " He lapsed into silence.

"I really – h-h-h – those ch-chi-chi-chimes," Kevin said. "I th..." and he, too, went silent.

I asked Jack, "H-how are you doing?"

He made a small smile and said, "Making it."

"Rita?" I asked.

"Yeah – ... Holding up…... Not giv...giv...giv...up!" Rick said.

I nodded agreement.

Suddenly Rick giggled, "Though I was a little sore the morning after the wedding!"

Oh no! I knew he hated what he had just been made to say, as much as I hated to hear him say it! I wanted to go over and put my hand on his shoulder to comfort him, but instead I giggled back and said, "Me, too!"

Then we all shut up, afraid that something equally humiliating would come out of our girlish mouths. Fortunately, the device let us keep quiet. Kevin, who was sitting next to Rick, did pat him gently on the shoulder. I didn’t want to watch because it was so obviously a feminine gesture – one pretty girl comforting her girlfriend, even though I knew it was a guy trying to shore up a buddy – but I couldn’t take my eyes away.

"Voluntary..." Jack tried again. "I won’t accep..." Like the last time he faded into silence.

The idea of voluntarily embracing what had been done to us seemed to bother the guys quite a bit, just as it bothered me. We hadn’t seen the girl on the TV screen in three days but apparently we weren’t rid of her yet. Every time she appeared she upped the stakes of our miserable existence.

There was a difference this time, though. Previously she had told us what would happen and it did, but this time she was talking about removing the control. She’d even said it might be a little difficult for us at first. She’d never said anything like that before, so we must really be going to move into a new period. The idea of being less under the ring’s control was suddenly very appealing.

I had to admit to myself that after four days, twenty-four hours a day, I had become less bothered by some of the smaller routine things. I still wasn’t crazy about getting dressed in frilly women’s clothing but it wasn't really as big a deal as it had been as first. I still hated putting on make-up...especially lipstick...and being made to look at myself in the mirror. But I was now sitting on the toilet without thinking how odd it felt, and I was even getting used to my new height and weight.

Being alone during the day, even though it was a day filled with grooming and rearranging do-dads and planning dinner, was almost bearable. As long as I could stop myself from remembering that I wasn’t really by myself, that a guy – my husband! – would be coming home from the lab each afternoon. That was something I couldn’t handle and knew I would never accept it no matter how long I was on this nightmarish place! I’m sure the other guys felt the same way, even though we were prohibited from fully expressing those thoughts, even in periods of free speech.

"Do they think I’d ever give up?" Kevin said in a clear and distinctly feminine voice.

We all perked up. Free speech was still in effect apparently, and suddenly seemed to be a little more permissive.

"I hat...hat...h..." I tried and lapsed into silence. I didn’t understand how Kevin could have gotten an entire clear, protesting sentence out and I couldn’t get two words out!

We all were gloomily silent until Jack said, "Do you think they’ll let me speak my real mind if I put it in the form of a question and don’t get emotional?"

Wow! Jack was an absolute genius! Apparently the controller had a flaw and he had spotted it. He formed his statement in question form, including what we needed to know to understand what he had discovered. We all brightened and sat up straighter.

"Is that something I hope we’ll try?" I asked. I wasn’t cut off!

"Do they think I’m not still shocked by the things they make us do?" Rick said. He grinned at successfully getting the whole thought out.

"Do I find every second of my life distressing?" Kevin said.

"Do I think I’m going to go insane every night? Do they know how I fear the TV girl and how she keeps hammering us with new stuff?" Jack said.

"Do you guys know how glad...and how sad...I am to hear this, so I know at least that you’re still you?" Rick said.

"Have I told you guys how important it is to stick together as much as we can?" I said.

They all nodded.

Strangely, the conversation died down. I didn’t want to talk about my horrible experiences as a subservient female any more than they did. We’d expressed our objections to what they were making us do and say, but what was the solution? It would have been too depressing to talk about the fact that no resistance was possible, that we were powerless, and that we’d probably never get off Athernia.

Kevin turned to Jack and asked, "Do you think the guys know what we’re really thinking?"

I winced at his use of the term "the guys". Hey, we’re guys, too! Never forget, Kevin! Maybe it was just a slip of the tongue. But maybe it was just a little bit of acceptance of the roles we were given when they changed our bodies. Either way it made me uncomfortable.

"Don’t you think they’d have to?" Jack said. "Didn’t they see us in the meetings with Mr. Lawson?"

"Then how….can they... you know...?" Kevin said, and blushed.

"How could they approve of the idea of changing men into women in the first place?" I said. "If they..th..th..." and I lapsed into silence. I’d slipped and forgotten to form my statement as a question.

"And how could they not know what we’re think – .think – thin...?" Kevin said, his soft voice fading out.

"Do you wonder if – ?" Rick tried and he, too faded to silence.

Panic set in, though on the outside all of us remained calm and relaxed. What had happened? Why couldn’t we seem to talk in questions anymore?

"What’s the d – ?" was as much as I could get out before being shut down by the device.

"Is – ?" Kevin tried.

"When – ?" was Rick’s attempt, equally unsuccessful.

I could only guess what was happening. Maybe Jack had actually discovered a minor flaw in the controller, but it had quickly fixed itself and stopped our phony questions. Or maybe we had been given an extra measure of free speech, something to go along with the voluntary moments the woman on the TV had talked about, and we had been allowed to go to a certain point before the device, seeing that we weren’t saying what it wanted us to say, had shut us down.

It was certainly worth thinking about, but I didn’t let my hopes grow too high. It was exciting at first, but it was an empty excitement. After all, what had we gotten away with, if anything? We found out that each of the others was as miserable as we were. Something that wouldn’t have been hard to guess! About the most that could be said for the brief free speech time was that we had done a little male bonding. Sure! Four beautiful twenty-year old girls in pretty dresses with pretty faces, firm tits and legs to die for had done male bonding!

Being able to speak our minds for a few seconds really only drove home how completely powerless we were. Even as we spoke we did so in girls’ voices, with feminine gestures.

A troubling thought occurred to me. Suppose the device had purposely let us speak just to force us to realize that it was totally pointless to resist! As long as we had the anger bottled up inside we had some kind of goal – to protest what they had done to us. Well, the device had let us protest and we’d stopped talking on our own because we didn’t want to talk about the things we’d done in the last three days. We didn’t want to admit out loud that if they could change our bodies and make us behave as women – as wives – then they had a control that was irresistible.

I wanted to be sure free speech was over, even though my body was telling me that was the case. I tried to say something that was within the rules but instead my charming girl voice said, "I can’t wait to find out what other shops they have in the village! And Sally’s Shoes is going to be first on my list! A girl can never have enough shoes!"

We all laughed our high-pitched laughs and I knew it was over for sure.

"I’ll be right there with you, Diana," Rick said. "Robert just loves me in heels! He says they make my legs look sexy!"

"Sam, too!" Jack giggled. "I don’t own anything but heels! But I do need a new pair to go with my new little black dress!"

"Ooooh, Jennifer" I cooed, unable to stop myself. "I’m going to have to borrow that some time! I’ve got a very dark Navy Blue number that really turns Peter on! But I can only wear it with panty hose because it’s so short. I’m going to have to see if I can find some opera length stockings for it. That ought to drive him nuts!"

We all giggled again.

"Men are so silly about a pretty girl in nylons," Jack said. "I wore a very short skirt yesterday, a pretty sunset red print,with matching stockings and slides with three and a half inch heels. I found the perfect sheer white blouse to go with it! Of course it’s not something I’d ever wear out of the house but I got all fixed up for Sam yesterday and when he came home and saw me in that outfit..Whew! We never even got to the bedroom! We made love right there in the front room! He got so excited he just flipped up my skirt and pulled down my panties! Matching red panties and garter belt, by the way!"

We all giggled as if that was the cutest story we’d ever heard! Inside I was thinking Oh no, Jack, please don’t! Not girly sex talk! Go back to clothes talk! Do it now! Please, please, pleeeeeze don’t start it! Talk about anything else but that! I begged him with my mind! If ever there was a thing such as ESP I wanted it to exist at that second! Don’t start us talking about that subject! Anything but that! That’s the way girlfriends talk when they get together! It’s not the way guys talk! Stop! Pleeese stop! STOP!

"That’s so romantic!" I gushed. "I’m going to try that with Peter – " I grinned mischievously, "and I don’t think I’m going to bother wearing panties!"

That set us all off on another rounding of laughter.

"Oh Jennifer you’re absolutely right about men loving nylons and high heels," Rick said. "That’s all Robert wanted me to wear to bed last night and he was more passionate than any time yet!" She lowered her voice to a semi-serious whisper, "I think he was bigger, too!"

"Oh Rita!" Jack said and playfully slapped her on the hand.

My mind was racing in terror as the conversation jumped back and forth! I felt totally chagrined at the words that had come from my mouth and would have given anything not to have said them! I knew the other guys were feeling the same way, but we couldn’t stop! They were making us have girl sex talk and there was nothing we could do about it! We smiled and teased and talked and inside we felt overwhelmed and shocked.

"Have any of you gotten to ride on top, cowgirl style? It's wonderful!" Kevin said.

Please don't, Kevin! Don't tell us that! I don't want to hear it!

"I did, just last night," Rick said. "It's so fun!"

"I don't know where I got the idea," Kevin said. "We were just lying there making out and I was stroking Alex's beautiful hard penis and I just got the notion to...well, to climb on board!" He giggled and we all laughed.

"Well, with me," Rick said, "it was almost the same. I was caressing Robert's magnificent cock and balls, and I was thinking how he'd said he'd had a busy day at the lab, and I just thought it might be nice for him if I did all the work for a change!"

"What a sweet thing to do," I said.

"Oooooh, more than sweet, Diana," Rick said. "I think Robert had his best orgasm yet! It sure felt like it, anyway!"

"Jennifer, I think you're the only one that hasn't done it yet!" I said.

"You, too?!" Jack exclaimed.

I smiled from ear to ear and nodded. "Facing front and facing backward! Peter liked it both ways, but he said he thought facing front was better because he got to see my boobies bounce!"

"Jennifer, you've got to get with it!" Kevin said.

"I'll try it tonight!" Jack blurted.

Great! I'd just help my best buddy commit to a hotter sex life with another guy!

We continued in girl talk mode, the device never letting up. The sex talk turned a little more general, to everyone’s relief, but it didn’t stop. I tried to switch my mind to something else.

I’d naturally been thinking about the control as it applied to me. Was there some other way out of this crazy life that I hadn’t thought about? What about Peter? As Mr. Lawson – and all the men – had promised, he had been gentle and caring in bed. Not that that took away the horror of the last three nights!

Still, as the girl on the TV had said, imagine if the men of Athernia hadn’t been attractive gentlemen! As terrible as it was, it could have been worse!

Peter had seen me as a guy the day we washed up on shore and – what was I thinking! I still am a guy! Peter had seen me when I still looked like the guy I am, before their awful machine had done its work. Did he know I was still a guy inside? The answer was that he had to.

It was true that all he saw now was a beautiful young girl actively kissing and caressing him, apparently thrilling at his own caresses of her body. It killed me to think that but I couldn’t deny it! It was reality! My mind would be screaming for him to stop, but what he saw was a lovely, aroused and submissive babe. I was made to say encouraging things to him, to tell him how much I wanted him, and he couldn’t know that I was using every bit of my will power to keep those words from coming out of my mouth! He couldn’t know that I had tried to tell him who I was over and over again, but that nothing had come out except a giggle or a moan – or a sensual movement of my hands or my shapely naked body!

Thinking was only making me conjure up one uncomfortable image after another so I re-joined the conversation to clear my head.

"Something I’ve found that Peter likes," I said, "is a hot bath and a massage after he comes home from the lab."

"Oh, Diana! Sounds like that could lead to other things!" Rick giggled.

"It does!" I said, showing all my pearly white teeth in a wide grin.

"Then I’m going to have to try it, too!" Rick said.

"This has been such a fun get together!" Kevin said. "I think we ought to do it every week!"

"I’ll be the hostess next week!" Rick volunteered. "I can’t wait to show you all what I’ve done with the front room! Oh, I almost forgot to tell you something, and it’s so important, too!"

Oh no, what now? I didn’t think I could handle a return to more sex talk!

"I have fresh cut flowers for the dining room table every day!" Rick said.

"Oh Rita, how do you do that?" Jack said in his most feminine voice.

"I’m not sure," Rick said. "I just kind of wanted them and went over to the cabinet and it opened up and there they were! Now I get them every day! They make the table so beautiful for Robert! He seems to like the orchids the best but I’m still trying something different every day until I’m sure."

"I’ll bet they make your settings look so adorable!" I gushed.

"They do! Diana, you should try it!"

"I will!" I agreed. At least this was something innocuous that I could agree to.

"Getting together like this is just so, so good," Jack said. "We’re finding out all kinds of ways to please our husbands just from talking with each other. The flowers are so great! And the hot bath and massage!"

"And the stockings and heels!" I added joyfully.

"And greeting our husbands at the door without any panties on!" Jack said. "Thanks for that one, Diana!"

"And Jennifer learned about cowgirl style!" Kevin said with a wink. "I can’t wait until we get a full report on tonight, Jennifer. Call me tomorrow, okay?!"

Jack grinned back at him. "I will!"

"Conference call! Conference call!" Rick said, and we all broke into laughter.

"These get togethers are going to make us into much better wives," Kevin said as we quieted down. "Our husbands will be very pleased."

Having him say it like that, in a very blunt way, made me – and all of us, I’m sure – realize why we had been allowed to get together. It was all part of the process! The TV girl, forcing us into girl talk and girly sex talk, and the trading of information on how to please and satisfy our husbands, – even the group practice and observation of feminine behavior and talk – were all part of the feminization process! I didn’t believe for a second that they cared that the four of us guys wanted, or even needed, to be together to bolster each other’s courage.

We did need to see each other and find out how each of the other three were holding up under the relentless control of the device. We needed to know we weren’t facing this alone, for all the good it did us. But I doubt they even considered that! For them the only point was in making us better wives. Wives! Even after three days – and nights! – the idea still bounced off my brain like the foreign object it was. Wives! It was like saying I was a tree or a diamond or... It just wasn’t who I was or what I was. But it was! Objectively I knew what they had made me into. I knew how I looked! Every time I turned around they were making me look in a mirror to check my make-up or hair or dress! They didn’t want me to forget how I looked now! I knew I was 5’6" tall. I knew I had great breasts! I knew there was nothing in my panties but soft fleece and a vagina! It was an appalling reality!

Now I was something I always figured I would be...a newlywed. But in my wildest imagination the thought had never crossed my mind that I would be the female half of a newlywed couple! A wife! The word kept ricocheting around in my head, trying to find a place to fit. I was married to a man! I was submissive, loving, attentive, and outwardly concerned only with his happiness. I was some guy’s wife! It just didn't seem to register! But obviously it did make sense for them, and everything that happened to me – to us – was just another step in making us more feminine, more womanly, and better wives. Our meeting – and future meetings now that we had planned to get together every week – were all about increasing our femininity.

"I say it’s about time we honor our husbands by putting their gifts to work!" Jack announced.

"Shopping time!" we all squealed!

Just then the front door opened and Peter walked in. I was made to jump up and run to him, throwing my arms around his neck and kissing him hard.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" I said, kissing him again, this time sliding my tongue into his mouth and wiggling it around.

Peter laughed and pushed me back a little. I immediately wrapped my arms around his manly chest, pressing my cheek against him, and hugged him tightly.

"You are the most wonderful husband in the world!" I said. "I am soooooo lucky!"

"Hmmmmm," he joked, "Can I guess that you got the card?"

"OH!" I exclaimed and kissed him again, again sliding my tongue into his mouth and this time making it last.

"Okay, okay," he said with a laugh and pushed me back again. He was smiling as he kissed me quickly on the lips. "Are you and your girlfriends all ready for a quick drive to the village?"

They all jumped up and crowded around us, chatting a mile a minute.

"Okay ladies, lets go," he said and opened the front door.

We all grabbed our purses and walked out as if it was the easiest thing in the world. I looped my arm around Peter’s arm and we walked to the car, right past the point I had been stopped when I went to great the guys before our get together. Peter opened the front passenger’s door for me and I sat down and, keeping my shapely legs pressed together, swung them into the car with a graceful swivel that looked like I’d been doing it all my life. He closed the door behind me and opened the back door.

"Ladies," he said with a mock bow. Rick and Jack got in, using the same ladylike swivel that I had used. Then Peter went around to the other side and opened the door for Kevin with the same bow.

The drive only took a couple minutes. We could have walked it, even in our heels, but it was nicer being driven by a man. We all badgered him with questions about the shops and how much we could put on the credit cards and who tended the shops and how we went about ordering from the catalogs the TV girl had told us about. He laughed most of the questions off in a charming way, saying not to be concerned, that it would all be clear and was all taken care of by the island’s technology. He did suggest we just visit a few of the shops for our first shopping excursion, and told us there would be plenty of opportunities to see the rest in the coming days.

We passed the small mini-mall, which turned out to be just down the street from our homes, and I looked at it more carefully than when I’d come past it before. All the shops were for men, I noticed. Like everything else on the island it looked sparkling new, yet somehow gave the impression it had been there forever. The building’s style was more vaguely Southern California than actually tropical. A couple blocks more and the row of women’s shops started, culminating in the big Athernia Club building. The Town Hall and lab, the island’s original building and the one we were taken to when we first arrived, was across the street.

"Here we are, ladies," Peter said, pulling to the curb. "You’ll have plenty of time. Sam will pick you up and drive you back."

The length of our shopping trip was going to be determined by the men. Still, we were going to be able to walk around on our own and I looked forward to that little freedom.

Peter let us out by reversing the door opening order, with me being the last one out. I found myself holding his hand as we walked around the car to join the others on the sidewalk.

"Where will we meet Sam? How will we know when he’s here?" I asked.

He smiled at me, looking directly into my eyes. "You’ll know," he said simply. He put his hands on my tiny waist and I put my slender fingers on his firm biceps. I went up on my toes as he leaned down and kissed me.

"Have a good time," he said with a smile.

"I will, honey," I answered. "You’re so wonderful!"

He laughed pleasantly and said good-bye to Jack, Rick and Kevin, who stood there clutching their purses and looking like the finest trio of young, slightly sophisticated girls you’d ever see. Just as foxy as I also looked. We all waved as he drove away.

"He’s so sweet, Diana!" Kevin said.

"And such a gentleman!" Jack said.

"And good looking! What a cute smile!" Rick added.

"That’s going to be a permanent smile after tonight! Right, Diana?" Jack kidded.

I blushed and rolled my eyes.

We all turned to look at the first shop in the row. "Cindy’s Cookware" was etched into a big wooden plaque above the door.

We turned to each other and all wrinkled up our cute little noses.

"Nope."

"Don’t think so."

"Not today."

"Next time!"

We swiveled on our heels, our skirts and dresses billowing around her shapely legs, and walked down the sunny brick sidewalk to the next shop. It struck me that we had all been able to say no to something. It was a unique and momentarily refreshing feeling and really brought home to me how my movements and speech had been controlled for every single second since the first time the TV screen had lit up in front of us.

I tried to turn away from the direction of the next shop and head toward the street, but I made all of one angled step before I turned back into line with the others. Oh well, nice try.

Further down, maybe three shops away, there were two gorgeous girls walking away from us, chatting between themselves. Beyond them I could see three equally gorgeous girls, this time all blondes, walking in our direction. One of them saw us and waved in a girlish way and when the others saw what she was doing they joined in. We waved back, broad smiles on our faces. Guys would never have waved at strangers, but we were all members of the sisterhood of shoppers!

The next shop in the row was also small. The sign over the door said "Dawn’s Dresses".

"This is more like it!" Kevin said and led us inside. The first thing we saw was a broad counter top, perhaps four feet by four feet, near the door. There was a small rectangular shaped metal box on the end near the door. It had a slot on top and one in front, but aside from that had no markings at all. At the other end of the counter was a large, vertical version of the cabinet in our homes in which things appeared. It was open and empty except for a bar across the top obviously meant to hang purchases on.

None of us paid the arrangement any attention because the shop was otherwise overwhelming. It was richly designed, with thick green, cream and black carpeting and expensive decorations.

Dresses, skirts and blouses were hung row after row down both sides of a center aisle that stretched back quite a distance. There were no shorts, women's slacks, or anything remotely as casual as jeans. The walls were lined with bookshelves, and the shelves were bursting with gold colored three ring binders, each about four inches wide. Each binder was numbered and there were thousands of them. The bookshelves ran from the front of the store to the back on both side walls, broken only by a trio of ornate dressing rooms on the right side of the shop.

We all headed for separate racks of dresses, directed toward our correct sizes. The size range was limited because all the girls on the island fell into the same general category. There were plenty of individual variations among the female half of the population, but no flat-chested girls and no D cup figures. None were skinny and none were chubby. That meant the store had to carry far fewer sizes and the selection in our sizes filled the place.

"Oooh, Alex will love this," Kevin gushed, holding up a cute aqua colored crepe dress with half sleeves. "I’m going to try it on!" he said and headed for a changing room.

"Diana, what do you think?" Jack called. I turned to see him holding a silky, sleeveless purple dress that really set off his coloring.

"On you – gorgeous!" I laughed.

"I think Sam likes me in purple," he said. "Shall I try it on?"

"It’s adorable!" I said with a laugh.

Jack scurried off to the second dressing room. My best buddy couldn’t wait to try on a new dress!

Rick and I were the only two people left on the floor of the shop and that didn’t last long. I pulled a carnation pink skirt and matching blouse from the rack, just the ridght shade for my blonde hair. The skirt was fairly straight-forward, but the blouse had all kinds of frilly details across the bodice and shoulders. It looked very expensive but I didn’t even look at the tag. I announced to Rick that I’d be right back and headed for the last available changing room.

The store, to us, was like an ice cream parlor is to kids. During the next two hours I tried on a bolero jacket, a sleeveless dress, a backless number that was really hot, three different skirts and four blouses. We just couldn't seem to stop!

Our better sense took over at the end and we ended up with only a couple dresses each, and maybe a skirt and blouse set, but all of us felt that this was undoubtedly going to become our favorite store of all time. The selection of colors, fabrics and styles was almost endless – and we hadn't even gotten into exploring the thousands of catalogs on the wall!

"We've got to come back soooon!" Kevin gushed as we carried our purchases to the front of the store.

"I'm in!" laughed Jack and we all agreed.

Without knowing how we knew what to do, each of us, one at a time, hung our selections on the rack. The cabinet closed. We slid our new credit cards in the slot of the box at the other end of the counter. The clothes, now wrapped in plastic bags inside paper shopping bags, appeared when the cabinet reopened.

We had two bags each, but they weren't heavy or very large, and we carried them easily as we emerged from the dress shop. It's amazing how light-weight women's clothing is.

"Let's see what's next!" Rick said.

It was a quaint little place called Betsy's Books and Candles, and we seemed as eager to go in there as we had been to enter the dress shop.

Though reading a book had been the furthest thing from my mind I realized that a little escapist fiction might not be a bad idea. Anything that got my mind off my existence as a woman, even if only for a couple hours, had to be good for me!

The device was unrelenting, and with all the new things that were regularly being thrown at us by the girl on the TV I could use a break just to get my nerves quieted down. Neither Rick or Kevin were big readers and they had always sought out preprinted notes on class reading assignments, but I was sure all the guys would feel the same way.

Betsy’s Books and Candles was elegant in a refined country sort of way. Like all the other shops it was decidedly feminine. They obviously never expected a male customer. The floors were North American white oak hardwood, which we all immediately recognized as not being native to the area. There were no other customers at the moment and no clerks. There was a smaller version of the check out apparatus we had seen in the dress shop.

This time there were no catalogs on the walls. Instead there were books on display, with the covers facing out. Large rustic oak tables with a light honey stain and hand carved legs were arranged in rows on either side of a center aisle. They held more books, piled in neat stacks, and there were elegantly carved signs hanging over each table telling the subject category on that table. Hanging plants and even a few small shrubs in big brass buckets were scattered throughout the store.

As we walked in we were met by a display called "Best Sellers on Athernia", which is where all four of us immediately headed, heels clacking on the hardwood floor. The sign was printed in a flowing gothic style script and the words were bordered with a thick bead of pseudo-country fabric. Below the large headline there was a list of "The Top Ten Best Sellers!" and there were ten stacks of books on the small table below that.

I suppose I shouldn’t have been startled to see that the store didn’t carry the normal selection of books. Even when the point was constantly proved it was still surprisingly easy for me to forget that everything – everything – that we said or did was designed to further our feminization! No detail was too small for them!

The bookstore had books, alright. But if I hoped to pick up a potboiler that would take my mind off what they had done to me, and continued to make me do, it was a naive thought. The "best sellers" showed us that.

The Number One best seller was "Voluntary Behavior, the Key to Pleasing Your Husband" by The Sisters of Athernia. Number Two was "Variety In Marriage - The Art of Pleasing Your Husband."

The next four were books on creating attractive hair-dos, make-up tips, a book called "Dressing To Look Your Most Attractive", and "The Woman’s Guide to Finding Out What Your Husband Likes!".

Number seven in their top ten was a cookbook called "Meals That Will Make Your Husband Smile!" and number eight was "The Successful Dinner Party - From 'The Successful Wife Series'".

Of the last two "Best Sellers" one was very specific, "Learn To Swim!" The line at the bottom of the cover said "If your husband enjoys swimming this is the book for you!" The other book covered a wider topic: "Pleasing the Man of My Dreams." Most of the book jackets had either drawings of a generic Athernian couple or no pictures, but the make-up book and hair-styling books had photographs of the smiling, green eyed girl from the TV. Just seeing her face made me nervous. I couldn’t imagine how I’d react if we ran into her in one of the stores! With so few people on the island it was inevitable. Peter and I would probably even be invited to dinner with her and her husband one day!

Though there was nothing at all appealing or interesting to me I found myself reaching for the Number Two book and leafing through it. The other guys picked up the next three titles.

"I’m getting this one," I bubbled in my most girlish voice. "It looks soooo good!"

"And I’ll get hair-dos!" Kevin said, holding up his selection. "We can trade when we’re done!"

"Make-up for me" Jack said enthusiastically.

"How to look my best!" Rick chimed in. "We’ll all trade when we’re done!"

We acted thrilled with our selections and held them against our bosoms.

"Let’s split up and see what else they have!" Rick said excitedly. We all smiled agreement and headed off to various areas of the small store.

I found myself at two tables that had been pushed together. One was filled with books of love poems – all, of course, about a woman’s love for her husband – and the other with a display of scented candles in a hundred different shapes and colors. My hand picked up three or four of the candles and brought each to my face where I sniffed and smiled. I then looked through a couple of the books of love poems, having no idea why I was picking up one title over another. I had yet to feel as if I was being given a meaningful period of the real voluntary behavior the TV girl had described.

I was allowed to look around the shop, and I saw Jack leafing through a book at a table under a sign that said, "Hair and Beauty." Rick was further down the aisle, seemingly absorbed in a book under a sign that said, "Voluntarism & Variety". Jack was equally mesmerized by a book at a table under a sign that proclaimed "Clothing & Accessories".

I put down the poetry book I had been looking at and sauntered over to the next table. "Self Help" the pretty hanging sign said, and I figured if anybody needed help it was me! Again, I was naive. There were dozens of titles displayed in stacks on the tables. The first ones that caught my eye were called "Quick Ways to Relax Your Husband!", "A Happier Husband Means a Happier You!" and "Yes! You CAN Be the Best Wife Possible!". I wasn’t surprised when I saw myself reach out for one of the books and turn it over to read the comments on the back cover.

A loud squeal, abruptly cut off, came from the back of the shop and I recognized it as Kevin’s female voice. The rest of us caught each other’s eye and made questioning faces. We all headed toward the source of the noise, filled with curiosity.

Kevin was standing by another book-laden table.

We grinned as we caught sight of the sign above the section and walked faster, our heels tapping against the oak flooring. The carved sign said "Sex in Marriage."

"You won’t believe it!" Kevin said when we got there. "Look at this!" he held out a book called "See If He Likes This One! - A Book of Positions". We crowded around as Kevin flipped through page after page of realistic drawings showing various positions for having sex. We all tittered.

"Are you going to get it?" Jack asked mischievously.

"Noooo, I couldn't!" Kevin said and giggled again.

The rest of us started looking at the various books on the big table. My slender fingers picked up "The Sisters of Athernia Present - My Husband’s Favorite Bedroom Surprise."

"I’ll get one if you get one," Jack told Kevin.

"I couldn't!" Kevin reiterated with a laugh and put the book back on the stack.

"Go ahead! You’re a married lady now!" a new female voice called out from the front of the store. We all dropped our books on to the table, like we’d been caught with our hands in the cookie jar.

Three beautiful girls, two blondes and a brunette, were walking toward us from the front of the bookstore, all looking our way and smiling widely. Each wore a brightly colored summer dress that ended just above the knees, stockings, and slides with medium heels. They looked spectacular!

"You’ll read every one of them sooner or later," the same girl said with a laugh, "and there are more of them every week." She held out her hand, "Hi, I'm Mrs. Debbie Jean Mathers." Kevin took her hand and the two dainty sets of fingers squeezed each other.

"I'm Mrs. Patti Maria Slocum," said the second blond.

"I'm Mrs. Grace Anne Talmann," the brunette said.

Smiles turned on high, the four of us introduced ourselves, and there was a confusing mix of hands and fingers as we all tried to greet each other.

It was hard to believe these were guys. There wasn’t a false move, a wrong gesture, a vocal giveaway and certainly not a flaw in their physical appearance. They were hot looking, but with that slight reserve that I remembered seeing in women who were married or otherwise seriously involved with guys. It was disturbing to face someone new and realize that they didn’t see anything false in the feminine picture I presented either. I looked and behaved like a perfect, natural girl, and I knew it. It was humiliating in front of my buddies and almost equally humiliating in front of strangers.

Though I desperately wanted to let them know who and what I was, I was sure that they already knew, just as I knew about them, and nothing remotely like that came out of my mouth.

I said "I'm Mrs. Diana Lynette Miller". Not, I noticed, simply, "I'm Diana Miller". We needed to be constantly reminded of us status as wives.

"I read a book every week," Patti said with a smile. "All three of us do, and then we exchange them!"

"Oh, that’s just what we were talking about doing!" Kevin said enthusiastically.

"But what if there’s one you want to keep?" Rick asked.

"Girlfriend, you’ll want to keep them all!" Gloria said with a laugh. "I must have three hundred books on my shelves."

"And a hundred more on your private shelves in your bedroom closet!" Debbie said with a naughty grin. All seven of us laughed. I noticed when we were made to laugh we also had a tendency to reach out and lightly touch each other, just as I’d seen women do hundreds of times without, until now, really noticing it.

In reality we were seven guys and the moment was surreal. Obviously anyone seeing us would have thought they’d landed in the middle of a meeting of national college sophomore beauty contest winners, but we were actually seven guys, each of whom knew that he and the other six were guys. But it was all in our heads. At least it was in the heads of the four of us. I wondered if the three new "girls" had been here on the island so long that they’d forgotten who they were. At the least, I assumed that they were voluntarily behaving like girls since the voluntary concept had already been introduced to us and we were very new girls. Whatever the case, they were one hundred percent convincing!

"Those are the best ones!" Gloria said. She gave Debbie a playful poke and added, "As you well know!"

"This is our first time in the store," Rick said.

There was an infinitesimal pause in the conversation. Debbie quickly said, "Then let us help you pick out some good books to start with! C’mon, girls!"

Patti took Kevin and Rick by the hand and led them to the make-up section of the store. Gloria took Jack’s arm and said, "Back here!", leading him to a section in the rear of the store.

"You game?" Debbie asked me. I smiled and nodded.

I followed her to the poetry and candles table.

We quickly picked out a beautiful set of carved white candles and she sort of urged me to the check out counter.

"I want to show you the lingerie store next door," she said. "They have great stuff!"

"My friends..." I started but she cheerfully brushed it away.

"They’ll be along in a second," she said.

I placed the candles and my book on the cabinet-like device and closed the cover. Then I put my credit card in the slot of the smaller machine, as if I’d done it a hundred times before, and it popped back out. The cabinet opened back up, but when it did it was empty.

"Too heavy," Debbie said. "If you've got too much to carry or your purchases are too heavy, like books, then they're delivered to you. They'll be in your cabinet at home. That way you can always maintain an attractive appearance by not struggling with heavy packages."

"How convenient," I said.

We met two other beautiful girls coming out of the lingerie shop, which turned out to be named Laura’s Lingerie. One was a blonde, the other had reddish auburn hair, and both were as gorgeous and friendly as the other girls on the island. We were all roughly the same height, and all in heels roughly the same height, so when we did the air kiss by the cheeks none of us had to bend or go on tiptoe. Kissing on tiptoe was reserved for when we were kissing men.

The girls told us they’d both bought something new and they just knew their husbands were gong to love their purchases. One told Debbie, whom she seemed to know very well, about a new shipment of see-through nighties and we all smiled excitedly. She had introduced herself by saying "I'm Mrs. Tammy Roxanne Walthrop", and she invited Peter and me over for dinner and said she’d call me in the next few days. The other – "I'm Mrs. Rose Michelle Morgan" – promised to call Debbie tomorrow. We all exchanged a round of compliments on how pretty each of us thought the others were and then they gaily walked off.

The inside of the lingerie shop was all softness and light. There were more types of lingerie than I had ever imagined existed, from hundreds of bra styles to thousands of styles of bedwear. I was floored by the massive display of daintiness and sexiness. And of course the catalogs on the walls held thousands of times as much.

Debbie stopped about halfway down the shop and looked around as if she was trying to find something. There was no one there but the two of us. When her gaze came around to me she looked me directly in the eye and a bit of the sparkle seemed to slide from her expression.

"My husband asked, how are you holding up?"

I suddenly felt off balance. The question was very odd. She sounded sincere, but she surely couldn’t be talking about how was I, the guy inside, holding up through all the things that were happening to me. Besides, we’d just met. How – and why – would her husband, whom I didn't even know, ask that about me?

With more hesitation in my voice than I had heard since the four of us washed up on the shore, I said, "Fine..."

"My husband says," Debbie said, "I can say a lot of things I couldn't ordinarily say by quoting him."

I was confused. What did her husband mean by that? What was she saying?

"My husband says – ...I can say a lot of things I couldn’t ordinarily say by quoting him," she repeated in a very deliberate tone.

Was the device testing me to see how I’d respond? Was this a trap? The device had been so completely in charge of my life that I couldn’t believe what I was thinking. Could she be saying….

Unsure, but willing to take a small chance, I said, "My husband says...is this free speech?"

Debbie visibly relaxed. "My husband says," she said, "not exactly. My husband says, I’ll try to explain a little more when we have more time."

I didn’t know what to say. It was very weird and I was scared of making a mistake and messing it up somehow.

Debbie said, "My husband says, just ignore the part where I say my husband says."

I nodded.

Debbie smiled. "My husband says, I understand what you’re going through."

I felt a flood of relief come over me. As much as I knew, intellectually, that all the "women" on the island had been guys who had been forcefully altered into feminine bodies and all that came with them, it was an emotional moment to hear one actually offer sympathy!

My red lips may have quivered a little as I said, "My husband says, you don’t know how glad I am to hear that!"

Debbie smiled. "My husband says, this may not last long so let me talk."

I nodded eagerly.

"In a few days, or two or three weeks at the most, you'll have what you're calling free speech all the time. It's full time once you accept the fact that you're a girl. Subversive speech is still prohibited, of course. My husband says, if you want to say something not allowed, try this way. My husband says, this may work for you with your best friends or just your very best friend. My husband says, it seems to work only for newcomers and a couple of us that have been here a while. My husband says, sometimes it lasts a long time but other times it’s over quickly. My husband sa – " Her face suddenly brightened, "C’mon, let me show you my husband’s favorite catalog of nighties! They’re from France!"

She grabbed my hand and with a twist of her beautiful body she pulled me toward a far wall.

"It took me years to find this catalog!" Debbie said with a grin. "But it was worth all those hours of shopping. When I walk into our bedroom wearing one of these Daniel’s beautiful penis is erect in about five seconds!"

I was thoroughly confused! I looked around quickly to see if someone had come into the shop without us noticing, but we were the only ones there. All I could figure was that the husband quoting thing must shut off pretty abruptly. Debbie was certainly a totally different person than she was a few seconds ago.

She reached for one of the thick three-ring binders, stretching a little to get a grip on it.

"Remember the number," she said conspiratorially. "You’ll have to get one for your husband!"

"If it makes him excited that fast you bet I will!" I giggled, and watched Debbie leaf through the hundreds of pages in the binder, looking for the special catalog.

"Most of the stores have catalogs like this," Debbie said as she turned the pages.

"I know," I said. "The TV lady told us."

"The...? Oh, I’ve heard about her," Debbie said. "They didn’t have a TV lady when I got married. Mr. Lawson explained everything."

She resumed flipping through the catalog and I watched with eager anticipation. Inside I was stunned! No TV lady? How long had Debbie been on the island? How did they –

"So you know the catalogs are from all over the world, and we can order just about anything we want?" she said.

"That’s what she told us," I said.

"Look!" Debbie said, stopping at a page filled with red nighties. "With your coloring these would be perfect for you. Does your husband like you in red?"

"I think so," I said. "They gave me a red dress to wear for him. Red, and I think he may like pink, too, at least on me!"

"Those are the things you’ve got to know," Debbie said. "How ever can you buy any clothes if you don’t know what your husband likes to see you in? You’ve got to find out right away! Of course you could just buy things in different colors and see how he reacts, but then you never know if he’s reacting to the color or the design or whatever."

"You’re right," I said. "I don’t know why I didn’t think of that before we came shopping."

"But you're probably right about red!" Debbie said.

Debbie picked out a new nightie for herself and talked me into getting one. It was very sexy, with a sheer top that wouldn't even cover all of my breasts. Through out the entire process of choosing them and checking out at the front counter she gave no hint at all about our "my husband said" conversation.

As we picked up our tiny shopping bags Kevin, Rick and Jack came into the store and told Debbie that her friends were still in the bookstore and that all the stores were closing in thirty minutes.

She air kissed all four of us and we all grinned and said we hoped we'd see again soon.

"Don't worry about trying on some of the lingerie and coming out to show your friends," she said as a parting word of advice. "Men never come into the shop."

After she left I had to show my three friends what I had purchased.

I tried to talk about escaping the island by using the "my husband said" thing but after uttering the opening phrase I couldn't get anything out. They just looked at me funny for a second, then they hurriedly split up and picked out something before the store closed. Each of them wanted something sexy to wear that night to surprise their husbands.

Sam was pulling up as we left the shop, and Jack rushed to him and threw his arms around his neck. He began kissing Sam and thanking him at the same time.

"Oh, we had so much fun!" she said. "You so are so good to me!" Kissing. "I love you so much!" More kissing. "I hope you like what I bought to wear for you!" Kissing and hugging.

The three of us stood on the sidewalk, shopping bags in our hands, purses slung over our shoulders, and smiled.

Finally Sam, who was now doing a lot of smiling himself, pulled himself free and said, "Everybody ready?"

He opened the car doors for us, provided a hand with the bags, and closed the doors behind us. Jack scooted over close to him and Sam put his arm around him, like they were two teenagers on a date. Jack told him about all the things he'd bought.

I thought about Debbie.

It was a very confusing conversation. At times she hadn't used the "my husband said" thing, and at times she had. She had said that we, like her, would be in free speech all the time in a few days, or a week or two at most. That was exciting!

Not so exciting was the qualification – it would happen as soon as we accepted that we were girls!

On the other hand, it was very disappointing that the "my husband said" didn't work with my buddies. Debbie had said it might only work with my best friend. I had to get Jack alone so I could try it!

But the really important thing was that with the "my husband said" we would be able to plan an escape without being shut off by the ring!

Or at least it looked that way.

I had to be careful. I didn't want to draw any special attention, or raise any concerns about my behavior.

How had Debbie found out about the power of pretending to quote her husband? Surely it had to have been by accident. Or maybe through years of experimenting. Hadn't she said the phrase seemed to work best between new girls and a couple girls who had been on the island for a while?

There was a lot of information there. The last guys to be shipwrecked on the island had arrived a few years ago, if I remembered what Mr. Lawson had told us when we first drifted onto the shores of Athernia.

It also meant there were others I would be able to talk to! I could find out if they had ever tried to escape, and if so, what went wrong. I could learn from all their experiences!

This was beautiful!

The car pulled into my driveway. Sam got out and opened the rear car door for me.

"'Bye-bye, girls," I said to my friends.

"'Bye, Diana," Jack said. "It was lots of fun, wasn't it?!"

I smiled back, "I'll call you and we'll do it again real soon!"

"Diana!" Kevin called.

I bent down to the open window.

"Don't forget, Jennifer promised us a conference call tomorrow!"

We giggled and Jack blushed.

Sam, with no clue what that was all about (thank heavens!), stood there not knowing how to react.

"Thank you for picking us up, Sam," I said. "You're a sweetheart! Jennifer's so lucky!"

I gave him a quick hug and went inside.

There was a lot to do, not the least of which was to try to think about a plan for escaping the island. It was wonderful that I'd found a way to talk to at least one of the long time "girls" of Athernia, and possibly even to Jack, but it was no good without a plan. Every time I'd tried to think about the subject in the past my mind had wandered onto some other topic.

I put my purse and packages on the sofa.

I had to get the device to trust me, and lighten up on the control.

The only way I could see to do that was to appear to have agreed with the idea of voluntarily accepting my new femininity.

I just wasn't sure I could do that.

There weren't any tags on the dresses or nightie I had purchased so I took them straight into the bedroom and put the nightie in a drawer and hung up the dresses.

I was going to throw the bags away but when I came back into the front room I found myself veering toward the cabinet. I opened it and there was a bag from Betsy's Books and Candles. The candles I had purchased were inside. There were also two books and I carried them over to the sofa and sat down. I didn't feel compelled to do it, so I had to assume that much was voluntary.

I held them in my lap. I had been made to pick out one book in the store. The second book was individually wrapped, with a card on the front.

"A Free Gift from Betsy's Books and Candles! We want all of our New Customers to feel you're part of the family at Betsy's. We hope you enjoy this gift and that you'll be back real soon!"

I knew, somehow, that this was the book I was supposed to read first. I also knew, from the card, that Kevin, Rick and Jack had received a copy, too.

I tore off the wrapping. It was the book on voluntary behavior, the so-called top seller on the island.

Okay. Think.

This voluntary thing that was apparently so important to the men really came down to this – voluntarily accepting not only that I was now a girl, but a girl who was supposed to be submissive, attentive, adoring, and concerned solely with making my man happy! That went against everything that I was! I think I could have almost gotten comfortable with the idea that they switched my gender. If only they hadn't wanted such a subservient role! If only there was no sex! If I could have been an independent, free acting girl –

But that wasn't in the cards. If I didn't submit to doing it their way I would be made to do it by the control.

Some choice!

I opened the book and began to read the Introduction.

 

(continued in Part 2b)

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