The Transfer

by Prudence Walker

 

Part 2

 

"Mary, I thought you were leaving him the other night?" the woman said, stroking back Stephanie’s hair.

"I…was…" Stephanie gasped, "but he saw me today and…" she adlibbed. Sobbing a little.

"Oh, you poor girl, let’s get you cleaned up and then we’ll discuss this later, okay?"

Stephanie, with Christine’s help, managed to walk into what seemed the cleanest room in the house. Christine turned on the taps throwing some scented bubble bath into the water as she held a shaky Stephanie.

Lowering her into the hot water made Stephanie feel almost human again, as the heat soaked away the last of the pain from her bruises. The aroma of the bubble bath washed away any lingering smell of vomit, as Christine gently laved her body with a soft sponge.

The experience with Chad brought home to her how vulnerable she really was, and she wished she had her old body back. At least then, she had parents, a family to fall back on. Now she was alone, with nothing and nobody to help care for her.

During the bath, Christine lit up two cigarettes, offering one to Stephanie while she chattered on filling Stephanie in on the situation with Chad. Stephanie felt the urge hit her and in the state of mind she was she didn’t resist. It seemed to calm her nerves and she realized why it was so hard to give it up.

"You have to get out of here, you know what Chad’s like, and he’ll have you servicing his clients again."

"Christine? I nearly died the other night from a forced overdose, now I don’t remember anything. Hysterical Amnesia I think the doctors called it. She explained, trying to make up a believable story. She found an ashtray and realized with horror that she’d smoked the cigarette to a butt. Vowing to overcome this habit, she discarded the remains of the coffin nail in the ashtray.

"Oh honey, then it must have been ten times worse for you then," Christine murmured, consolingly. "Wait here," she urged, moving out of the bathroom.

Stephanie stood up and reached for a towel, glad to see it was clean and smelt fresh. Wrapping it around herself, she stepped out of the bath, and looked at herself in the mirror. ‘Funny,’ she thought, ‘there’s no sign of what I just went through. It’s like everything just washed off, leaving just a few bad memories and a little soreness. I just hope the bruises don’t show up later.’

As she dried herself off, Christine burst in with an arm full of clothes.

"Here’re some of your old clothes, they’re clean. Okay?"

"Thanks, Christine. Now all I need is a new life," Stephanie sighed, as she started getting dressed.

"Oh that reminds me, your friend rang me from the hospital," Christine said, as she helped zip up Stephanie’s dress.

"My friend?" Stephanie asked, puzzled.

"Yes Mary, um Stephen, I think he said."

Stephanie froze, as she was putting her shoes on. ‘Mary had rung here? Perhaps she had something for me, in case I turned up here,’ she wondered.

"Oh? What did he say?" she asked, her heart pounding in anticipation.

"He said it was important for you to ring a number…to get back your life, I think he said."

"Christine, give it to me please," she begged.

"Oh I wrote it down, as I can never remember them 5 minutes later, I’ll go get it," she said, rushing off again.

Stephanie came out of the bathroom, pulling a comb though her hair. Just as Christine came out of another room holding a piece of paper in her hand, the front door opened, and in entered Chad. He took in the tableau of the two women about to exchange something and moved quickly, snatching the paper from Christine’s hands.

"What’s this?" he snarled, opening the folded piece of paper and reading it. "Is this number one of your new boyfriends?" he yelled in her face.

Stephanie was stricken, knowing the importance of the number to her and the chances of seeing it, diminish with Chad’s rising anger, she tried to say it was just a girl friend’s.

Chad snorted in disbelief and tore the note to shreds. Seeing the look of dismay on Stephanie’s face, he sneered.

"A girlfriend huh? Pull the other one you bitch," as he slapped her face. "Get her ready Christine, I’ll be back in 30 minutes and she better be ready." He stormed out and they heard the car start up and leave with a squeal of tires.

Stephanie stood stunned, her life had just taken a turn for the worse; something she didn’t think possible after the ordeal in the bedroom. Her hopes had risen, thinking she was going to piece together the life she had now taken over. Now, those hopes were dashed and she was back to being an unwanted street kid with no identity.

Recovering from the shock, she suddenly realized time was passing, time needed to make an attempted escape from Chad clutches. She looked at Christine, who had an angry expression on her face.

"You okay?" Stephanie asked worriedly, forgetting her own troubles.

"I’m really annoyed with him, that’s all. Come on, we have less than 30 minutes to get you out of here and somewhere safe." She explained.

"But won’t he take it out on you, if I’m gone?"

"Yeah, he’ll be ropeable," (furious) but I can handle him, unfortunately, he’s my brother. I wish now, mother had aborted the bastard," she said vehemently. "Come on, I have an idea."

Ten minutes later, a youth, carrying a sports bag and wearing a reversed baseball cap, loose tee shirt advertising one of the ‘All Black’s’ faces on the front, and a pair of jeans with a few rips. A nondescript pair of sneakers completed the androgynous look. Anyone looking would assume he was just like a thousand other sports mad boys that wandered the streets.

To Stephanie, this was the ultimate irony: To be masquerading as a boy, after spending countless hours trying to emulate the ‘perfect’ feminine look. At least it wasn’t hard to do. After all, a lifetime of male behaviour now stood her in good stead.

Walking along the street heading away from the house in a casual manner, her hair tucked up under the cap, she was aware of the bindings that squeezed her breasts, minimizing them. She was standing on a bus stop waiting for the 3:15 to the central city, when she saw Chad driving past, heading for the house.

Once she was on the bus, she relaxed, knowing she was free. Thinking back, she wondered if she would ever find out what it was that Mary had tried to give her.

===========

Stephen, as Mary had decided to call herself, was looking out the window watching Mt. Ruapehu pass by, way below the jets wings, as they were on the flight up to Auckland. She was thinking about how her real parents would feel about hearing from her (Stephen, that is) on the phone.

She was glad she’d given the message to Christine, and she hoped that she would soon meet up with her old body. Finding out from the police, that ‘Mary’ was in the rehab. She knew Christine would either meet her there or see her eventually as ‘Mary’ sleuthed out her previous address from the cops.

She hoped that she would be accepted back with open arms and might make a ‘better fist’ (better go) of her life than she had. She was beginning to try and fit in with just who s/he was now and the hardest thing to do was thinking of her/his self in the male pronoun. ‘HE’ was going to try really hard to manage this, as ‘HE’ didn’t want any slip-ups to mar ‘HIS’ fresh start. One thing... it was getting easier, being referred to as Stephen by his parents was helping a lot. He was looking forward to seeing his new home and trying to find out what sort of surprises it held in store.

In less than an hour’s flight time, they landed at Auckland airport and were soon on their way in a taxi to Parnell, one of the richer areas of Auckland. Seeing the Harbour Bridge and the Sky tower for the first time was exciting, and he was overwhelmed by the size and spread of the largest city in New Zealand.

He watched avidly as they turned into a drive past a pair of ornate cast iron gates. Seeing the house, he almost exclaimed out loud, at the size of the place. A two-story building with a contemporary style sat perched on the hill that overlooked the harbour and the spectacular views of the yachts below.

Stephen was shown to his old room and left there to unpack the things he’d brought from his flat in Wellington. He found a few items of clothing secreted in the back of the wardrobe that were definitely feminine and holding them against his body, realized that they would fit him. Still unsure of his feelings about becoming a man, he put them back and made sure they were hidden again, ‘time for that later,’ he thought.

A call from downstairs saying lunch was ready, had him discover that the Wallis’s had a live in cook and a maid. ‘Wow! They must be loaded,’ he thought to himself. Sitting down to a sumptuous lunch, Stephen played the loving son to the hilt, thinking he’d landed in heaven.

The maid, who doubled her duties as kitchen help and butler, served him his meal with a smile that went beyond that of normal decorum. This started some odd feelings he’d never felt before. His penis, that up to now had been a source of curiosity now started tingling and started to grow hard. This made things uncomfortable down there, and he had to ‘adjust’ things surreptitiously, without anyone seeing.

‘This body has a mind of it’s own,’ he mused, while making covert glances at Kelly, as the maid was called. Unfortunately, Stephen was a beginner when it came to keeping his attentions hidden. Kelly saw his interest, and a smirk crossed her face, unseen by Stephen, as she started a subtle flirting game with him.

Stephen saw her loosen something on her bodice to show slightly more cleavage, and she bent lower as she adjusted something on the table. She looked up meeting his eyes and gave a slow wink and a smile that spoke volumes.

‘Oh boy,’ he thought, as something in his pants twitched. ‘She’s flirting with me. What do I do, now?’

============

Stephanie made a quick change using the nearest ladies public toilet, after getting off the bus in the city. Just by taking the cap off and letting her hair flow over her shoulders, took away the ‘boy look’ so that she wasn’t challenged. Opening the sports bag, she took out the clothes she was wearing, before her ‘disguise.’

Taking out her purse with the all-important card, she stuffed her ‘disguise’ back into the bag. Feeling better, she exited the toilet and walked casually along to the nearest ATM, where she waited in the small queue, until it was her turn. Drawing out the daily limit of 500 dollars, she turned and went down towards the Backpacker hostel further down the street.

To say Chad was angry was the understatement of the year. He nearly came to blows with his sister, only the look of terror on her face made him hold back his fist. Instead, he rang his two mates, the ones that acted as lookouts the night in the alley. He sent them out to do the rounds to locate Mary, with orders to tell him right away. He thought of how nice it would be to get his hands on her again, especially with her memory gone... hmm a nasty idea was starting to percolate in the back of his mind.

Stephanie had secured a room for the night under Stephanie Wallis, and then calling a cab, she went back to the rehab and quickly stuffed her belongings back into the suitcase. Luckily, nearly everyone was at lunch and she saw nobody that may have questioned her. The smoky atmosphere again awakened the urge to smoke, but she fought it off by nibbling on some roasted peanuts she’d bought. She had to fight the urges with a conscious effort all the time.

Back at the hostel, Stephanie sat on the bed of her somewhat cramped room, and thought of her next move. She needed to find out where Mary was so she could ask her for the number again. She went to the payphone in the foyer and first tried ringing her old flat. No answer, the phone just rang and rang until the automatic disconnect left her with just a dial tone.

She never really expected to get one, not after the police had been there. Would she be at her parent’s home in Auckland? Unlikely, unless her parent’s were notified, would they find out about what she had been wearing, if so… would they even consider Stephen as their son any more? Or disown him as some sort of pervert and never talk to him again. She wondered if she should try telephoning home, but if Mary wasn’t there, what could she say.

"Oh hi mom, it’s me, your son. I’m just in a woman’s body now. Can I come home and stay with you?"

‘Yeah! riiiight, like that would happen,’ she thought morosely.

‘Well I guess I wont know if I don’t try,’ she thought, reaching for the phone again.

‘Brrriinnng… brrriinnng…click’… "Hello, the Wallis’s residence, Kelly speaking. Can I help you?"

Stephanie paused, so this was the sound of the new maid’s voice. She had heard from her mother that they had hired one not long after he left for Wellington. Probably to do the work he’d been doing around the home prior to his leaving.

"Um, is Stephen there?" she asked, warily. ‘Kelly’s voice had a sexy contralto that just oozed out sex appeal,’ Stephanie thought, wondering what she looked like.

Kelly, noting the caller ID on the phone saw it saw a Wellington number and wondered if it was one of Stephens’s girlfriends. She liked the look of Stephen herself, and had ideas of maybe furthering a closer relationship between them.

"He’s not here right now," Kelly lied, not wanting any competition.

"Do you want to leave a message?"

"Ah, okay. Can you get him to ring this number and ask him to leave the message again for Mary?" Stephanie asked, giving the hostels number.

"Yes, I’ll tell him as soon as he comes back in," Kelly replied, screwing up the note she’d just written, and throwing it in the bin.

"Thank you, I’m so grateful," Stephanie’s voice came back.

Kelly felt a momentary twinge of conscience, but decided it wasn’t important. Probably just asking for his opinion on something. She put the phone down as Stephen entered the room, smiling a thousand watt smile at him. He blushed and spilt his drink he was carrying as he blundered into the doorframe. ‘Yessss,’ she thought, grinning inwardly. ‘He’s got it so bad; I think a few more nudges and I’ll have him in the sack.’

===========

Chad was fuming, his deal had turned sour, ‘no thanks to that bitch,’ he thought angrily. ‘He knew his supplier had a thing for young girls that would suck him off, now with Mary gone, he’d have to recruit a new girl after breaking her in first,’ he mused. He had heard from his boys that she wasn’t in the usual places she frequented.

‘Now where would she go?’ He thought, trying to put himself in her shoes. Suddenly with a flash, he knew why she wasn’t to be found in the places she usually stayed at. ‘She lost her memory, so where would I stay with limited money?’ Hotels were out, so it was either the ‘Y’ or the backpackers. Ringing the boys he sent them checking, receiving in half an hour, the confirmation he needed.

"She’s staying at the backpackers under the name of Stephanie Wallis," he heard over the cell phone.

"You’re sure?" he asked, excitedly.

"Yes I showed then the photo and it’s her all right," was the reply. She’s booked in for a week."

"Okay then this is what I want you to do once she goes out in the morning"…

===========

Stephanie was feeling low, unless Mary rang, her life was in limbo. After looking for something cheap to eat, she settled for one of those long reheated pies from the adjacent food cart outside the main railway station, she walked back across the road to the backpackers to spend another night alone. In the morning, after checking to see if any messages had been left, she walked to the nearest café to get some breakfast.

The urges were back along with the jittery feelings of withdrawal symptoms. She wasn’t about to indulge them by continuing to feed her new body the drugs it was calling for. Fortunately her poor cash reserves added another reason why she shouldn’t buy any cigarettes and not being a drug taker knew little about the procuring of drugs.

She canvassed a few fast food outlets trying for a job, but it seemed even for that you needed a diploma (almost). No, it was the lack of documentation that prevented them hiring. And so the story went, she was getting scared now, her money wouldn’t last long and with no income or resources, she would be back on the streets begging… or worse.

Trudging back to the backpackers, head down and deep in thought, she missed seeing the police cars that were parked across the road. As she came to her room, she saw the door was ajar. Alarmed at the thought of having her stuff stolen, she rushed in. As she surveyed her gear, the door slammed open and two burly policemen entered with pistols drawn.

Frightened, she drew back against the bed as the men came forward ordering her to lie down and not to move. She complied, thinking, ‘its because of the rehab thing.’

One man cuffed her and read her, her rights, adding that they had a call informing them of a drug stash. The other cop searched, and came up with a brown oblong package about 6 Inches Square. Immediately their attitude changed, becoming cold and rough. The man bagged the package being careful not to smudge any possible prints. And she was hauled out while still protesting that it wasn’t hers, into a waiting car.

Sitting in a jail cell with several other female prisoners, Stephanie thought to herself ‘what else can possibly go wrong?’ then shuddered at the thought as if it was tempting fate already. She had found out that her trial was scheduled in for Wednesday, which meant two days in jail. Once she had been booked and charged with possession, she was allowed a phone call. Trying to decide to call a lawyer she couldn’t afford or her old parents hoping to get hold of Mary/Stephen, she opted for her parents. The phone rang and rang and she wondered if anyone was home.

===========

Both Stephen and Kelly were at home when the phone rang. Stephen was just coming out of the shower after exercising his new body on the home gym set. Kelly was in the kitchen, her hands full of a hot baking tray of biscuits.

As the phone continued to ring two separate pairs of hands reached, and lifted the handsets simultaneously. Just as Stephen was about to speak, he heard Kelly’s voice answering. Not saying anything, but feeling a little sneaky he listened to her sultry voice as she spoke.

"Hello, the Wallis residence, Kelly speaking," she answered.

"This is St…um…Mary here," Stephanie stumbled. "Is Stephen available, I need his help," she rushed out.

"Sorry he’s not back till later," Kelly lied blatantly.

Stephen was shocked at hearing this, knowing Kelly saw him go upstairs 5 minutes ago. The voice on the phone and the name Mary was like a stab though the heart. Stephen, in her body was in trouble.

"Please will you tell him to contact the police in Wellington central, I’ve been arrested, and I’ve no-one else to turn too." He heard Mary beg.

"Well I’ll let him know as soon as he comes in," replied, feeling suddenly awful at her lies.

Stephen heard the phone go down, and called out quickly before Stephen/Mary put the phone down.

"Hello, Mary, are you still there?"

He heard a gasp and a "yes" that had him wondering what trouble she was in to make her sound so relieved.

"Didn’t you get the number I left for you? You could have contacted my-your new parents."

"No, it’s a long story… look I’ve been arrested for possession, I have no one to help me. Can you give me that number? The trials on Wednesday at the main courthouse at 10 Am." She said, as she quickly explained what had happened.

"No, I won’t give you the number right now, but I’ll see what I can do, don’t give up hope. Oh…thanks for trying to help me in the alley, we’ll talk later?" and he hung up.

Stephanie was feeling mixed up, not sure whether to have hope or not. He wouldn’t give her the number to her new parents? What was that about? But he did say he’d help and that they’d get together and talk.

Later, she was taken from the cell and interrogated for several hours, where to her amazement, she was told her fingerprints were found on the package of dope. They told her it was part of a larger shipment that was found on board a freighter at the port. Apparently there was a theft and part of the shipment disappeared before it was seized.

They wanted to know where the rest of the missing drugs were, and grilled her menacingly. She could offer no explanation about the drugs, not even when they offered amnesty, saying they wanted the big fish, not just the small fry. She was in tears, fearing that they would throw the book at her, instead.

The next day was miserable, as a court appointed lawyer came and asked her questions, offering a suggestion that she plead guilty and give them the information they wanted for a reduced sentence. She told him she knew nothing, but couldn’t convince him of that. She knew that if she pleaded guilty without the information to trade, she was looking at a long stint in jail.

After a night filled with dreams of prisons and huge women forcing their attentions on her, she woke to the sound of the clatter of cell doors opening. After a cold breakfast of cereal, served with lukewarm milk (a pet hate), she tried straightening her clothes to present as decent a picture as possible to the judge.

===========

Stephen came downstairs wanting to find out about why Kelly had lied about him being out. As he entered the hall, he saw Kelly near the phone, head down with her shoulders shaking. As he walked closer, she turned her face away on hearing him, and tried to wipe her eyes without him seeing. Giving her the chance to speak first, he waited eyebrows raised quizzically.

"Oh Stephen…I… I’ve, done a terrible thing… I need to leave this house," she broke out sobbing.

His anger melted away, seeing her distress, and guessing at the reason.

"Tell me, then we’ll discuss who’s leaving," he said quietly.

"I never passed on a message yesterday, and now my inaction has resulted in someone being arrested."

"Oh?"

"Yes, I thought it was an old girlfriend, and I wanted a chance at you myself. Plus, I didn’t think it was serious." Kelly said, trying to push past him.

Stephen wasn’t prepared for such an open admission and was rather taken aback at her candor. He reached out, restraining her, while it sunk in.

"Look, no need to go," he said. "It was important. A person who was very close to me is in deep trouble, but there’s time to fix things, if you help."

"Oh please, I promise I’ll never do anything like this again," she said with a hopeful voice.

"Then help me pack, I haven’t much time. I need to get a flight back to Wellington," he said, moving to the phone.

===========

As she was led into the courtroom, Stephanie looked around to see if a certain person was present. She saw a few of the usual gawkers who often frequented the courtrooms. Her lawyer was there, looking worried and ill at ease. Looking towards the back, her heart skipped a beat; sitting there with a smug look on his face was Chad along with his two cohorts. Instantly, she knew who was behind her arrest. Chad had found out where she was staying and had planted the drugs, unfortunately it didn’t explain her fingerprints. Mary must have put them there some time prior to the swap.

She didn’t see Mary there in her old body. Her heart sank. Only Mary knew the facts, even then would she be able to explain her fingerprints on the drugs without making things worse. If she was actively involved, then it didn’t look good.

The police trotted out their nut and bolt explanation of the charges and the evidence as they saw it, not leaving out the fact that she was a known addict and had prior run-ins with the police on various misdemeanors. The judge looked at her with barely hidden distaste and asked how she pleaded.

Her lawyer looked at her with a question in his eye. She shook her head, negatively.

He stood and intoned, "Not guilty, your honour."

She had thought of trying the only defense she knew, that of the fact that the drugs were planted (citing the forced entry to her room) and that of not remembering anything prior to her attack in the alley, due to her near death experience that resulted in amnesia. She knew it was feeble but anything was better than pleading guilty when she wasn’t.

As she was sworn in and was about to undergo cross-examination, the door opened to the courtroom and a young man entered. Stephanie’s heart almost burst as she saw who it was. Mary/Stephen had finally arrived. She strode purposely toward the bench holding up a hand as a guard went to intervene.

"May I speak?" He said with a cool authority. "I have evidence on this case that proves this woman’s innocence."

A sudden chorus of voices began. The police started protesting. Stephanie’s lawyer began calling for a recess. Even Chad stood and started calling out. Everyone was talking at once.

To Stephanie, the word innocence filled her with exultation and relief. The dread of facing a prison sentence seemed to be ebbing from her body as the hubbub quietened.

" Who are you?" asked the judge. Turning to the bailiff, the judge ordered: "Swear the lad in. let’s hear this ‘proof’ he claims to have." He then banged his gavel several times for quiet in the courtroom as the clamor renewed.

"I’m Stephen Wallis," he said glancing at Stephanie with a confident look. He went to the bench and was duly sworn in, then turning he asked if he could confer with Stephanie’s lawyer. The judge grudgingly let him have 5 minutes and let Stephanie step down and talk quietly with the two men. Stephen smiled at Stephanie and said she looked different, which made her blush.

He asked quickly for the facts, frowning as he got a quick run down. He looked back at Chad, who now seemed to be ill at ease. Taking out a cell-phone, Stephen quietly made a call. From what she could hear, it seemed to be to some police officer.

At her raised eyebrow, he winked and said: "Trust me." She hoped he knew what he was doing, but didn’t say anything of her fears. He then whispered in her ear for a minute, briefing her on what to say.

"Ahem, your time is up, are you ready to proceed?" the judge called.

"Yes your honour, but first I need to ask for a witness, I would like to call to the witness box…Chad Whitlow." The lawyer said, to the startled exclamation from the back.

"Is the witness here? And what is his role in this?" the judge asked, pre-empting a protest from the attending police prosecutor.

"He has evidence that will not only clear my client, but will ultimately show who is the guilty party here, and yes, he is present your honour." He said, indicating Chad sitting in the back.

"Call him forward," the judge sighed.

Chad tried to edge toward the door, not liking the feel of this, but was stopped by a burly officer near the door. Mumbling something about wanting to use the men’s room, he returned to his seat just as the bailiff called his name out to come forward.

He was sworn in and he sat in the witness box as the lawyer stood up.

"What were you doing on the night of the 10^th of November?"

"Objection, irrelevant," interrupted the prosecutor.

"His whereabouts on that night has a direct bearing on this case, your honour."

"Overruled… you must answer the question." The judge said to Chad, seeing his reluctance.

"Um… I don’t remember… with my mates I think," he added, slowly.

"Isn’t it true you, and…your mates were at the docks that night, unloading a certain contraband cargo, that was later seized by the police?" the lawyer went on relentlessly. "A cargo, that you took a sample of, for your own nefarious use?"

"It’s a dirty lie from that bitch," burst out Chad, getting a sharp reprimand from the judge.

"I won’t tolerate that sort of language in my court. Another outburst like that and I’ll hold you in contempt," he said, banging his gavel.

Chad sat back, trying not to show fear as the lawyer came forward.

"Was it not also true that afterwards, you coerced Mary here to unload several cardboard boxes at a secret location, saying if she didn’t you would…" and he paused, "fuck her blind?"

"NO!"

"Then, when a box broke open and revealed the contents, Mary, after picking one up to look at it, said that she was going to the police. But you took the package and threatened to pass it on to the police yourself unless she kept quiet. Saying it had her prints on it." The lawyer stated emphatically.

"But…but, she said she’d lost her memory," Chad quailed, sweating profusely.

"That brings us to another incident," the lawyer said warming up to the questioning. "Later, you decided to get rid of Mary as a potential risk by forcing her to take a drug cocktail that should have, and nearly did, take her life."

Suddenly a musical chime from a cell-phone broke the tension of the courtroom. Stephen looked at the frown on the judge’s face and shrugged as he took out the phone. After listening for a few seconds he went forward to the judge and handed it to him. The judge, looking surprised, listened for a few minutes asking a couple of quiet questions, then handed the phone back to Stephen with a smile.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it has come to my attention that a large quantity of drugs has been recovered from a garage that was rented by a Mr. Chad Whitlow. Moreover, it has the same packaging as the one recovered in the defendant’s room. Equipment suited to that of drug production was also found. Evidence has been found that supports the defendant’s claim, so I’m holding Chad Whitlow on charges of theft, drug possession and having equipment used in the production of drugs for supply."

Chad jumped up, and began running towards the doors. Stephanie too, had jumped up, managing to block his way. He struck out at her with a fist, catching her solidly, knocking her to the floor. Stephen managed in the delay to pounce on Chad, slowing him long enough for two guards to cuff him. The two others with Chad had also been cuffed and were cursing Chad for his stupidity.

Stephanie was helped up by Stephen and then screamed as she saw Chad.

"He tried to kill me the other night, by injecting an overdose of drugs into me, and those two, (indicating the others) helped him, and tried to kill another person who tried to help me," she sobbed.

She hadn’t been really hurt in the fall, her outburst was really an attempt at to put all the bits and pieces of evidence together to build another case against him, hoping that something might stick, along with some of the evidence found that night in the alley. By saying it as if she only now remembered, it might get the police to investigate further.

As the court settled, the judge called the prosecutor and

Stephanie’s lawyer to the bench, where they talked for a few minutes, then the lawyer returned to where Stephen and Stephanie were seated, giving them a quick smile.

"I’m dismissing the charges against the defendant, on the proviso that she remains available for further collaboration with the police" the judge said, quietly. "I will hold Chad Whitlow on the charges as stated along with his two friends," he continued, ignoring their protests. I will direct the police to look further into the attack on Mary and the other person on the night of the14th of November. Next case please."

Stephanie couldn’t believe it was over, she turned to Stephen and hugged him, then, on an impulse she went to kiss him on the cheek, but he too had turned his face towards her and both their lips met.

It was like a spark, leapt between them. Stephanie felt it tingle all the way to her toes, and judging by the look on Stephen’s face when they pulled apart, so did he.

She blushed and said; "Glad to meet you at last," stifling a giggle at the incongruity of it all.

Stephen said in reply, "You have changed too…for the better, I might add."

Just then the courtroom doors opened, and in entered an elderly policeman with a tinge of grey in his hair. His steely blue/grey eyes found Stephanie’s and his face lit up with a smile of recognition. He strode forward meeting them halfway as they were making their way out. Seeing her blank look, his smile wavered and a hurt look flitted momentarily across his face, but it didn’t stop him giving her a hug.

"How’s my most favourite lost soul today?"

"We need to talk, just the three of us Mike," Stephen interrupted.

"Do I know you? He said, with a surprised look on his face.

"Yes Mike, but not here. Let’s go to the blue lagoon for lunch," offered Stephen.

"Mary?" Mike asked, seemingly puzzled.

"Yes that’s fine," Stephanie agreed, wondering what was going on.

Stephen, after introducing himself, was silent as Mike drove them to the seafood restaurant. After they entered and got a table, they ordered. On Stephen’s whispered recommendation, she chose the raw mussels; Mike then sat up and looked at her with a quizzical expression.

Stephen ordered fries only. And again, Mike looked at him the same way.

"I swear you two are trying to kid me with this swap of appetite thing." Mike muttered.

Offering a cigarette to Stephanie from a packet he produced. Stephanie shook her head, saying "no thanks." Mike’s eyes widened, knowing she was a smoker and must be desperate for a fag by this time. Even Stephen looked surprised, but gave her hand a squeeze of encouragement knowing how she truly felt. Mike shrugged, and replace the packet in his pocket. ‘She was really acting weird today,’ he thought to himself.

But when the food came he watched Stephanie in amazement, as she swallowed the mussels without a qualm. She grimaced, and Mike thought, ‘oh, oh! Here its comes.’

"Why does everything taste so weird?" Stephanie grumbled, pushing her few remaining mussels around on her plate with the fork.

"Yeah I noticed the same thing. Everything tastes… better," Stephen agreed.

Stephen began talking, starting from the night in the alley and working forward to the present time, and then Stephen asked Stephanie to tell her tale, saying it had to be done.

At first, she was reluctant, but seeing that Mike hadn’t got up and left, she slowly recounted her tale stopping at some of the distasteful parts, as tears flowed from the emotions being recalled. She continued only after being hugged by Stephen as he also shed a tear at hearing her tell of her ordeal.

Mike sat there, saying nothing unit she was finished. He sighed and took a deep breath.

"Two questions," he said.

After asking Stephen a couple of questions, that Stephanie gathered were personal between them in her old life as Mary, he spoke.

"Well it seems like a story from a fairytale, but I believe you. Mary could never eat fish of any sort. When she had it in the odd time in the cells, she would throw up, saying it didn’t agree with her. Eating raw mussels showed beyond any doubt that something has truly changed. Only Mary would know those questions I asked, unless you where briefed in every detail of her life, which I doubt. I take it Stephen was…is a non smoker?"

"Yes I am and that’s one of the hardest things to deal with right now. A craving for something you didn’t start and don’t know if you can stop." Stephanie sighed.

"I’m sorry Stephanie, I started smoking on the streets and got hooked." Stephen looked contrite which didn’t quite look right on his now male face. "Mike, has been like an uncle to me," Stephen said in explanation. "He lost a daughter to the streets, and sort of adopted me when I first got into trouble." he continued.

"I think this taste thing is the fact that a smoker loses a major part of their sense of taste. Stephen can appreciate all the flavours with her nonsmoker’s body; Stephanie’s is just the opposite. Don’t worry Stephanie; it will come back if you can quit the habit." Mike postulated.

"She was so much like my daughter, headstrong and unwilling to take advice." Mike added, looking at Stephen speculatively. "It’s hard to see Mary in that body, I guess it’s a tremendous change from being female?"

"What about me? Becoming Mary, with her problems and tarnished reputation, has been so stressful I wondered if I could cope." Stephanie interjected. "No offence Mary, I’m not judging you, but you seemed to have got the better deal from where I’m standing."

"I’m sorry you ran into Chad. He was a real bastard when I first met him. Those studs and rings you removed were done while I was drunk. He said it turned men on to feel them, when I was forced to blow them." Stephen said bluntly. "I’m glad you had them removed and have changed your look to a more normal one."

"Yes I agree, girl you look almost normal… except those clothes don’t seem to fit you," Mike added, with a puzzled look.

"Um…well, they were mine before the change." Stephanie paused, feeling the embarrassment of admitting they were off Stephens (his old body).

"Ah…so I heard," he smiled knowingly. "So I guess you were lucky in one way at least… that of knowing how to dress and act," he added quietly. "Were you a TV or a TS?" he asked.

"TS." Stephanie blushed, wondering where this was all leading up to.

"Well, that’s fortunate, otherwise you may not feel comfortable being female full-time." Mike said, smiling again.

"Mike is there a way to expunge the records of my…um her misdemeanors?" Stephen asked, looking pleadingly at Mike.

"Hmmm, I could pull some strings, BUT, she will have to stay out of trouble from now on, otherwise, my butt will be on the line." He added, warningly, "that means no more hanging on the street, doing… oops sorry, I was forgetting you’re not her anymore," he apologized.

"Thanks Mike," Stephen said gratefully, suddenly hugging Mike.

"Now then, that’s enough of that. It was okay when you were a girl, but men just shake hands." He laughed, sticking out his hand.

"One thing I need to ask you Mary," Mike said looking questioningly at Stephanie. "Do you have another name for yourself, seeing you were en femme at the time? And do you have any money?"

"Stephanie, I call myself Stephanie," she answered. "I do have about $300 dollars, but that’s it. Actually, it’s money I drew out of my old account."

Stephen gasped when she heard the name Stephanie was using for herself. And when they looked at him, he shrugged and tried to act nonchalant, but Stephanie saw a look of…secret humour, flit across his old face.

"What?" she demanded.

"Oh, nothing, it’s…" he started, and then clammed up.

"While we are on the subject of names is your, um, my name really Mary Poppins?" Stephanie asked getting a little narked at Stephens little game.

Stephen laughed, "No, Mary came from Marie, and the Poppins was just a joke that stuck, your surname is Swanson" he explained, giving a look at Mike as if to say you didn’t hear that.

"Look you two, I’d love to stay and listen to all of this, but I have to go back to the office. I’ll leave you two love birds to swap your life histories. I’ll be expecting a call sometime to fill me in, okay?" Mike said with a smile as they both blushed. He got up and put a 100-dollar note down, saying lunch was on him, then he walked out giving them a wave as he went out the door.

"Look, I hate to harp on this, but being you is very hard when I have no identity other than a made up one. I can’t get the simplest jobs without a proper ID," Stephanie complained.

"I’m sorry, I know it’s not fair, but I left home because I couldn’t stand the constant pressure to achieve. One day, instead of going to school I caught a bus going into the city without saying a word to anyone. At the time I never gave a thought about what my parents would be going through, that’s one of my regrets, now that I’m wiser.

Being a street kid was fun for a while, but when my money ran out…" Stephen paused, recalling memories. "I had to blend in with the gang I ran with, so that’s why I looked like I did." Stephen looked at Stephanie, sighing. "Are you okay in there, apart from that? I mean, is it like you’d expected… to feel?"

"Being truly female is great! This isn’t exactly how I’d dreamed of looking, but the sensations of this body are really wonderful. However, I did fear for my safety with Chad, he was a real prick." She added, sounding angry.

"What about you? How are you handling it?" she giggled, realizing her choice of words sounded risqué. "What I meant was, being a guy and having a … um, you know?" She stalled, getting tongue-tied.

"I’m handling it well," Stephen smiled. "Its certainly different."

"Will you be staying a male, or will you take the road I was heading down?" Stephanie asked, curiously.

"I decided to try it as a male for now, this body does strange things to me, that I’d like to explore further." Stephen explained, relating his reactions to Kelly’s flirtations.

"It almost seems like divine intervention, that we swapped bodies. What are the chances that we both would be comfortable, if not happy with the change?" Stephanie mused.

"Yeah, I was praying for a way out. I couldn’t face my parents, with their patronising attitude, telling me. ‘Were we right or were we right?’ I just didn’t expect to become a guy to do it."

"You have parents?" A shocked Stephanie asked, feeling a surge of hope.

"Oh yes, well you have now, I guess. Do you really want to meet them?"

"Of course, it gives me a base from where I can build my life again," she said, eagerly. "Can you fill me in a bit on what I need to know? I mean I don’t even know how old I am, let alone anything else." She added nervously.

"Well you’re 17 years old and yes, I’ll fill you in, but we’ll need to plan this carefully. You can’t just waltz in and say hiiii I’m back. We need a story that will explain a few things, and provide you with a cover." Stephen replied, getting out his phone.

===========

Keith and Cathy Swanson were sitting down to dinner, when they heard an authoritative sounding knock on the door. They froze, their fears coming back as if it was only yesterday not a year ago that their daughter disappeared. They had waited and waited wondering when the day would come that they would be contacted to see if a certain body was their daughter.

Keith walked to the door slowly, Cathy a step behind. As the door was opened and they saw the uniform of the grey haired police officer, Cathy cried out, and slumped to the floor in a faint. Keith quickly knelt beside his wife looking apologetically at the officer who had moved forward to assist.

"I’m sorry, it was a shock seeing you," Keith tried to explain.

Just then, Cathy stirred and opened her eyes, seeing the officer there by her side she struggled to get up and said in a shaky voice.

"When do you need us to see the body? I take it you found her?" she sobbed.

"Mrs. Swanson, we did find her… alive," he paused as he saw her eyes widen with shock.

"She’s alive?" she gasped holding onto Keith in support.

"Yes, in fact she’s here with me now, in the car outside." He said, placing a restraining hand on her shoulder as she tried to go outside. "First, we need to talk. She’s been though a lot in the last year. We think a gang involved with child sex porn and drugs got their hands on her, making her take drugs to control her. She won’t be the daughter you knew; she’s blocked a lot of it out with selective amnesia. It’s doubtful she even remembers you, even if she does, you’ll have to treat her with kid gloves for a while."

He stepped back and allowed them past, then followed them as they raced to he car. They saw a young man opening a door as they neared, helping a slip of a girl out of the back seat. Bursting into tears both Cathy and Keith flung their arms around her, smothering her in kisses.

Stephen stood back smiling a little as they broke the huddle and took stock of their child.

"Stephanie, do you remember us?" they chorused, their voices filled with joy and tinged with a little anxiousness for their answer.

Stephanie was startled at being called Stephanie. Did they know? Had Mike told them of the change? She looked at Keith and Cathy seeing a pleasant looking couple, who had obviously been though an ordeal at losing their only daughter.

"Mom, Daddy"… she said hesitantly.

"STEPHANIE MARIE SWANSON," they both shouted, grabbing her again in a tight hug. "You scared the life out of us, we thought you were dead." They pulled her along into the house, tears running down their faces. Stephanie too, was caught up in the emotional outpouring and the tears flowed freely.

 

To be continued…

 

 

 

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