"Come on out, Linda," Judge Herns told me.
"I don't want to," was my reply back to her. "I look ridiculous!"
"It can't be that bad," I heard Dr. Green say.
"Yes it can," I responded through the closed door. "Why do I have
to do this?"
"Because it's part of your agreement for having me change you
back into Linda," Judge Herns replied a little sternly. "Now come
out here so we can see how you look."
I reluctantly opened the door and stepped out wearing the
ridiculous outfit that had been given to me by Vicki Marshall, my
dance instructor. It was a full-fledged, pink ballet outfit with
a wide tutu overflowing with lace and glitter. There was even a
small crown to wear on my head as well as the tight, pink ballet
shoes with ribbons on them. I almost screamed when Vicki had
handed the outfit to me with a delightful smile that seemed to be
stamped on her face all the time. My punishment, one of them
anyway, for escaping from Andersonville and causing so much
trouble, had been to start attending Vicki Marshall's dance
studio and learn ballet. Judge Herns not only thought it was a
fitting punishment but felt it would help in my acceptance of who
I was - again.
"Oh my," Dr. Green said as she covered her face with her hand to
hide her smile. "I mean - oh my."
"It's not funny," I told her crossly.
Judge Herns placed her hand on my shoulder, smiled, and said;
"You look adorable Linda. So precious and cute."
"Maybe if I was six years old," I complained.
"That can be arranged," the Judge said calmly while raising up
her hands.
I quickly grabbed them with my own and replied, "No, that's okay
June. I didn't mean it that way."
"Are you sure?" she asked with eyes that indicated she didn't
want to hear anymore complaints out of me. "Because it sounded
for a moment like you were unhappy."
"Not with who I am," I tried to explain. "It's just that this
outfit isn't something that someone my age would wear. I mean,
look at it! It's so - so - "
"Girlish," June Herns finished for me.
"Yes, little girl girlish," I agreed.
"Your friends don't think that way," Carol Green pointed out
while trying to hide her amused smile from me.
"My friends are temps, doctor," I shot back. "They don't feel the
same way I do."
"And what way would that be?" Judge Herns asked in a somewhat
stern tone.
I realized it had been the wrong thing to say. The days of
allowing me to grow and accept my womanhood on my own timeline
were over. Judge Herns was now forcing the issue on me at a much
faster pace. Signing me up for ballet was just one of those
methods.
"Look June," I tried to explain, "I'm a adult now. Wearing this
makes me feel like I'm 6 years old again. That's not an easy
thing to deal with on top of everything else."
"So, you want to feel more like an 'adult', do you," she said
with a glimmer in her eye and a smile that caused me to fidget
nervously.
"Maybe," I answered weakly. "Look June, I'm trying. Tell her how
hard I'm trying, Dr. Green. I'm dressing more feminine, I'm
trying to be more cheerful all the time, and I'm even dating
someone on a somewhat regular basis."
"You have come far since your return, Linda," Dr. Green answered
honestly.
"I see it too," Judge Herns agreed. "Which is why I'm going to
honor your request to do something that will make you look and
feel more like an adult, young lady."
'Oh oh,' I thought to myself. When the Judge started giving you
what you wanted it only meant one thing - trouble.
"In a couple of months the High school will be doing a spring
show at the mall. Actually, they do this every year and the
promoters always ask for volunteers from high school to
participate," Judge Herns smiled. "Even though you've already
graduated, I'm sure they won't mind having you join your
classmates - in fact, I can guarantee you'll be allowed to
participate."
"I guess I could handle that," I replied cautiously.
It was another one of my punishments the Judge had assigned to
me; having to wear skirts or dresses all week long, including
Friday, which had been a casual 'pants' day for me. So now she
was going to make me walk on a stage wearing a spring dress, I
couldn't see the punishment in that.
"Well, these are sort of special dresses, Linda," the Judge
commented with a thin smile. "You see, it's a spring bridal show
and I'm going to make sure you model for both shows." Carol Green
giggled at my predicament.
"A - a - a bride!" I stuttered out. Visions of me being dressed
in white played havoc on my mind. Oh, how my mother was going to
love this.
"Yes Linda, a bride," Judge Herns said with a stern eye. "You
don't have any objection to this, do you? After all, you can't
look and feel any more like an adult woman then on your wedding
day."
What could I say? I smiled as pleasantly as I could and swore to
keep my big mouth shut the next time. I didn't think it could get
much worse but I was about to be proven wrong.
"Oh, and by the way," Judge Herns said with a somewhat evil smile
that indicated she was going to enjoy what she had to say next.
"In case Vicki didn't tell you, your dance recital next month is
being held at Peace River."
"You mean in front of Judge Jasper?" I swallowed hard.
"I'm sure he'll be there," she answered with a grin.
This time I wanted to scream out in frustration.
Fade out...
***
Voice of Dennis Butz - Thousands of years ago there was a war in
the heavens, between the gods of old and the new arrivals. During
the process the earth was almost destroyed by fire and floods as
our war ran unchecked. Finally, after centuries of conflict, an
uneasy peace was achieved between our two people. Both sides
recognized they needed the other, but neither side was willing to
trust the other. However, as man grew in power and knowledge he
challenged the gods themselves. To maintain the balance and keep
the peace, a buffer zone was needed.
It's a small town -- just like thousands of others spread across
the land. Quiet streets, family-run businesses, and Saturday
afternoon picnics. But this town is different. It's a place for
lost souls, for misguided individuals, and for those who are in
need of a second chance. It's also the last; best chance I have
of freeing my people from their captors. The name of the project
is Restoration; the name of the town is Andersonville!
***
Andersonville 10 -- Boy trouble
By Kelly Davidson
Edited by Nelson T.
This story dedicated to all the TG editors out there who
volunteer your time. You ladies and gentlemen are the backbone of
our community.
Fade in...
The car slid sideways on the back road, causing me to slow down
slightly. I didn't want to die, at least not yet. No, that honor
was for the Coon River Bridge just up the road. I wiped the tears
from my eyes and paid more attention to my driving.
'Why are people so mean?' I asked myself. 'It wasn't my fault
that I had been born with a defective gland that had left me both
fat and ugly. Why did the other kids have to pick on me? What had
I done to them?'
"Nothing," I shouted out. I had done nothing at all. I was one of
the nicest 17-year-old kids in that school and yet I was totally
friendless. I hadn't even been asked out on a date unlike my
younger sister who had to fight the boys off. She was everything
I was not; pretty, confident, and skinny. I on the other hand, I
was 350 pounds of fat that the stingiest diet couldn't fix. All
because of a gland in my body that wouldn't do it's job. The
medication I took helped but only to the point that I wasn't a
hundred pounds heavier.
As a result of my situation I was alone, even my mother didn't
feel close to me. A former beauty queen, she looked at me with
embarrassment whenever I met her friends. Most of my mother's
time was spent with my sister, as she lived out her former glory
through her. It should've been, would've been me, if it wasn't
for this damn, defective gland. I had become the forgotten
daughter, a role that I had learned to hate over the years.
Then there were my classmates at school who taunted me. I learned
to live with the names and cruel jokes over the years, but I
never learned how to not let it bother me. Many days after school
I would sit in my room and cry my eyes out. But today had been
the worse.
My tormentor's name was Daniel Lewis, a boy about my age who was
the high school prankster. He got his laughs at the expense of
others; by playing jokes and making his victims look foolish.
Even knowing this, I was so desperate to have someone like me
that when he said hello to me, I let my guard down. He was asking
me about a homework assignment in our science class and seemed
interested in having me help him out. Visions of having someone
coming over to my house to study danced in my head. Maybe Daniel
would even get to like me, and at last I would have a friend to
spend time with during the long, lonely hours of the day. I was
so caught up in the idea that I didn't feel him slip the note
onto my butt when we parted.
As I walked down the hallway I heard the other kids laughing at
me. I didn't pay much attention to it - even though they were
laughing louder then normal. That's when a teacher stopped me and
lifted off the sign. It was piece of paper with the words;
'Warning, Wide load' printed on it in bold, red letters. I looked
back to see Daniel standing next to his friends laughing his butt
off. I felt crushed, how could he be so cruel; how could they all
be so cruel? I forgot about my next class; I jumped into my car
and drove off in a cloud of dust. I couldn't stand living in this
body anymore; I just wanted to die.
I stopped the car suddenly in front of the bridge and got out.
There was nothing special about this place other than the fact I
had spent many hours here thinking and tossing rocks into the
muddy river below. It stood about 70 feet above Wild Coon River
and I knew such a fall in my condition would leave little chance
for survival. The bridge was located in a deserted area, allowing
me the privacy to die alone just as I had lived my short life. I
climbed up onto the rusted side of the bridge and stared down at
the dirty water churning violently below me.
I closed my eyes and tears began to fall, then I started bawling
loudly. I didn't want to die - I wanted to live! But living had
become too painful and this was my only option left. I hugged the
cold, metal post of the bridge for comfort then looked back down
at the water below.
"Please forgive me, God," I cried out as I closed my eyes. I
prepared myself to let go.
"Don't jump, Shannon," someone said softly.
"What?" I opened my eyes and saw a young woman standing nearby
with a sad expression on her face.
"How did you know my name?" I asked in a shaky voice. "Don't try
to stop me, I've made up my mind."
"I know you have, Shannon," the woman said while moving just a
little closer to me. "That's why I'm here. I can feel your pain
sister, and I've come to offer you another way out."
"How can you feel my pain?" I questioned with tears in my eyes.
"Look at you, you're beautiful. But I'm - I'm - UGLY!"
"No Shannon, you're a beautiful person inside. I know how much it
hurts having people pick on you the way they do, because they
only see the outside. But I can see the real you, and you're so
beautiful. I want to help you see your inner beauty as well."
"How?" I wept. "What can you do to help me? No one," I started to
break down and cry again, "no one loves me. No one cares about
me. Not my mother, not my sister, and not even my father who I
haven't seen since I was a little girl."
"I care, Shannon," the woman said softly. "Please, take my hand
and come with me. I'll take this pain of loneliness away."
"Who are you," I sniffed.
"I can't tell you," she replied. "You have to trust that I can do
what I say I can do, Shannon."
"Fat chance," I replied. "I'll jump if you don't tell me."
"I know you will," she sighed. "Okay, I'm going to break a rule
here. I'm an Angel, Shannon. My name is, Trisha Brown."
"That's a funny name for a Angel, I don't believe you Trisha! I
don't believe you're an Angel and I don't believe you really
care. I believe you're just like all the others."
"I'm not," she insisted. "If I didn't care, would I be begging
you not to jump."
I stopped to let her words sink in. I wanted to believe her; to
believe someone still cared about me. I looked back down at the
churning water below and realized how much I hated the idea of
killing myself. But I had to know what she wanted from me if I
was going to get down off this railing.
"What - what do you want of me?"
"I want to make you whole again," she replied.
"How will you do that?"
"By taking you to a place where you'll be wanted. By giving you a
new life where people will respect you for who you are. You'll be
given a new body, one that matches the inter beauty inside you.
But to do this you need to trust me and take my hand." She walked
closer and held it out to me.
"Please Shannon, this is your last chance at life. Don't blow it
because of some jerk who uses the pain of others to make himself
feel good."
"You know?" I asked tearfully.
"I know," she said sadly. "Take my hand Shannon, please." She
gave me a hopefully expression.
I grabbed her hand with mine and stepped down off the bridge
rail; hoping that the men in the white jackets wouldn't come
running out of the woods to tackle me.
"What now?" I asked.
"Now I take you to your new home," Trisha said with a warm smile.
***
The next morning Trisha and I flew to a town in the middle of
nowhere. As we drove toward downtown I stared out at the houses
positioned along the road. Everything seemed so neat and orderly,
not something you would find in a regular town. When we arrived
at the courthouse I was quickly ushered into the courtroom and
told to sit in front.
"Don't worry, Shannon," Trisha smiled, "this'll all work out
okay."
My head was spinning, and I was beginning to feel that maybe I
had made a mistake by agreeing to come here. As miserable as I
was, I wanted to go back home where everything was familiar to
me. A blonde-hair woman entered the courtroom from the side door
and Trisha went over to talk to her. The other woman nodded her
head a few times then gave me a pleasant smile.
A police officer appeared at the same door a moment later and
joined the conversation. He was a good-looking cop with a big,
bushy mustache and soft eyes. He whispered a few things to Trisha
then took his place near the Judges bench.
"All rise!" he bellowed. "The Municipal Court of Andersonville,
Montana in now in session. The Honorable Judge Herns is
presiding."
I saw a lady in her late 40's or early 50's walk into the
courtroom followed by a teenager girl. The Judge took her seat on
the bench and looked over the report handed to her by the cop.
For some reason she sort of reminded me of Judge Judy from the TV
show with the same name. I saw the teenager girl take a seat in
front of a computer and start typing.
"Officer Williams, what is the first case today?" the Judge asked
in a dry tone.
"The first case is Miss Shannon Royal. She is brought before you,
Your Honor, because she was going to kill herself."
"So I see," the Judge said while giving me her full attention.
"Do you have anything to say Miss Royal before I decide your
sentence?"
"Sentence, Your Honor?" I was confused. I was on trial? For what
crime? The Judge seemed to read my mind and answered my
questions.
"Yes Miss Royal, you're trial for a terrible crime," she spoke
matter of factly. "You were going to murder someone, yourself. In
this court, murder is considered a very serious crime. Now, do
you have anything to say in your defense?"
"Your Honor, Trisha never told me I would be put on trial if I
came here." I became worried about what would happen next. I
looked over at Trisha but she sat there with a confident look on
her face as if everything would work out okay.
"I see, so you have nothing to say before I sentence you," the
Judge told me with a frown.
"Wait," I cried out. "Your Honor, it's true I was going to kill
myself so I guess I'm guilty of the crime. But please understand,
Judge, I didn't make that decision lightly. I was in so much
pain, I still am. I just wanted people to like me and no matter
how hard I tried, I always failed. The only thing people saw was
this body, Your Honor. People can be very cruel."
"Yes, Miss Royal, they can be," Judge Herns nodded. "But that
still doesn't make your actions right."
"I guess not," I agreed while hanging my head.
The Judge looked at me in silence, as if debating my fate. Her
stern stare made me nervous and I found myself fidgeting a
little. Was she going to let me stay or kick me out? More
important, did I want to stay?
"Miss Royal," the Judge said in a cool and businesslike tone, "I
understand the reasons which drove you to try to commit suicide
that day. I don't agree with your actions, but I do understand
the reasons. I'm going to give you one last chance to leave this
place and return back home to your mother and sister. If you do,
any memory of this event will be wiped out of your mind.
"If you decide to stay I'll provide you a with new body, one that
other girls will look up to and admire. However, the price of
this new life I'm offering is that you'll have to remain in
Andersonville for the rest of your life. You will not try to
leave this town until I decide you're ready. From this point on
Andersonville will be your new home."
Judge Herns made it sound so cold and permanent, like I was
giving up my freedom. Maybe that was true but then I realized I
wasn't really free at all; not with this body I had. If I went
back I would always be the butt of everyone else's jokes and end
up trying to kill myself again. I couldn't go back there. Staying
and being given a new life was my only chance at saving myself.
"I'll stay, Your Honor," I told her.
"Stand still please," she replied.
Judge Herns raised her hands and placed them together in front of
her. She closed her eyes and seemed to be concentrating on
something in her mind. None of this made any sense to me, how was
she planning to provide me with a new body? Then I noticed the
palms of her hands were glowing and a small ball of light with
pink sparkles rose from them. The Judge slowly opened up her eyes
and focused on me. That's when I noticed my feet were stuck to
the ground like glue, and I was unable to move.
The ball of light shot out of the Judges hands like a bullet out
of a rifle. It struck me right between the breasts and although I
didn't feel it hit me, I found myself backing up as if there had
been an impact. Whatever it was caused my body to tingle from
head to toe.
"What was that?" I asked the Judge, who returned my question with
a thin smile.
"I'm sorry we don't have a male doctor for you to talk to, Miss
Royal. You'll go with Dr. Green now who is standing over there;
she'll explain everything to you when it happens."
"When what happens?" I asked in a frighten tone.
The blonde haired woman named Dr. Green grabbed my hand and
started to pull me away. Judge Herns got up from her bench and
went back into her chambers without saying another word. I
noticed the teenager girl and Trisha both followed the judge into
her chambers. The cop went out in the opposite direction leaving
me alone with Dr. Green.
"Where are you taking me?" I ask the doctor who was leading
towards some stairs.
"To my office," she replied in a comforting tone. "Just relax
Shannon, everything will be okay."
I didn't like the way the doctor had phrased the sentence.
Something was going to happen to me and I suspect it wasn't going
to be pleasant. Whatever was going to happen to me, it was going
to take place in her office and I wasn't going any further until
I knew what that was.
"What's - what's going to happen to me?" I asked in a scared
voice.
"You're going to be assigned your new life, Shannon," she smiled
while gently tugging me up the stairs. "Look, I'll explain what I
mean when we get to my office."
Fear came over me. After so many years of being mistreated by
people I no longer had the ability to trust anyone. This doctor
was being too nice to me; and the only time people were nice to
me was when they planned to hurt me. It could only mean that Dr.
Green was planning to do something bad to me.
"NO," I yelled out in fear.
I pushed the doctor from behind, causing her to fall forward and
hit her head on the stair rail. She collapsed into a small ball
and tumbled down to the bottom of the stairs. I heard a sickening
snap of a bone as she fell the wrong way on her hand while trying
to stop herself. I ran down the steps and jumped over the doctor
who was lying on the floor in a heap. I took off for the exit as
fast as my fat, little legs could carry me.
"Shannon, stop," the doctor cried out weakly.
I looked back and noticed blood coming from her forehead, which
only caused me to run faster in fear. I knew I was in serious
trouble now. I blasted out of the courthouse doors and down to
the sidewalk. There were a couple of people who looked strangely
at me but I didn't pay to much attention to them. I darted to the
nearest corner and ducked down a side street into a small dress
store.
"Can I help you?" the clerk asked me.
It only took me a moment to realize there was something
frightfully wrong with her eyes; they were flashing back at me! I
screamed in horror and turned to run back out of the store when I
crashed into a female customer.
The lady grabbed me by the arms and asked, "Are you alright
honey? What's wrong?"
Her eyes were pulsing just like the clerks, and they seemed to
flash even more as she continued to talk to me in an attempt to
comfort me. I pushed her away and ran out of the store, almost
running into a man and a woman on the sidewalk with those same,
flashing eyes. I stared at them both in shock and horror.
'What the hell had I gotten myself into?' I asked myself while
running off to find a place to hide.
***
Dr. Green was slow to get up. Her knees were bruised and scrapped
and there was a sharp pain in her left wrist indicating it was
definitely broken. The blow to her head had left her dazed but at
least she hadn't pass out. There was something warm on her head
and when she reached up and touched it, there was blood on her
fingers. The doctor got her senses together and slowly limped her
way down the hallway to the Judge's office not far away.
"Linda, help," she whispered painfully as she made her way into
the outer office.
"Carol, what happened?" Linda asked while quickly helping the
doctor to a seat. "Judge Herns, come quick!"
Judge Herns came out of her chambers with a grim look on her face
and said, "Linda, call Sergeant Williams and tell him we have a
new resident loose. He'll know what to do."
Judge Herns gently touched Carol Greens wrist. "It'll be okay my
dear."
***
Everywhere I looked there were those people with the flashing
eyes. It was like being in some kind of horror movie only it was
real. I ran into a back alley behind a store and hid against a
dumpster. I had to try and make sense of all this. What was going
on here? Was this the new life Trisha had promised me? Was that
my fate, to become one of those flashing eyed monsters? I had to
get out of this damn place.
Suddenly something started to happen inside me. It was a tingling
sensation, like pins and needles attacking ever portion of my
body. I felt my skin being pulled inward, as the fat around my
waist seemed to melt away. My relief was short live however, as I
noticed my breasts were also shrinking until they finally
disappeared. Then I felt my skin stretch as I grew almost a foot
in height and the muscles on my arms and legs got bigger - much
bigger.
My clothes changed as well, and I found my blouse turning into a
football jersey while my knit pants became a pair of blue jeans.
The coat I was wearing changed into a red and white school Jacket
with the name 'Andersonville' printed on the back, and my black
hush puppies became a pair of tennis shoes
There was a heavy concentration of tingling around my groin, and
I shrieked in horror as something long and thick seemed to snake
it's way out of where my vagina used to be. Then the tingling
stopped and I sat there looking down at my new body in a daze.
***
"I got her, Barry," Mac announced. "She's behind the China shop."
'You mean he,' Colonel Myers almost corrected the young man as he
reached for the phone. The only reason why they had her on the
screen now was because her transformation was done. Miss Royal
was now Bill Maxwell, a 15-year-old bodybuilder on the wrestling
team. The Andersonville Police Department was going to have their
hands full catching this one.
***
I stumbled out onto the street in my new body, clearly that of a
young male. I was in shock and wanted to vomit over what
happened. These people were clearly crazy; what the hell had they
done to me? I had become part of some demented experiment and
sensed I was now in real danger.
I looked around for place where I would be safe while trying to
figure out what to do next. Across the street I spotted a
moderate size department store where I could hide out. I passed
by several people with those flashing eyes; a few of them smiled
and said 'hi' to me. It turns out they knew me as Bill.
Upon entering the department store, I saw a mirror close by and
walked over to it. I was shocked at what I saw. Before I had
stood about 5'4"; now I was at least 6'1'. I touched the mirror,
then my own face. It was so mannish; nothing of the old me was
left. I lifted up my jersey and was disgusted to find my chest
flat and covered with thick, brown hair.
"Get a hold of yourself girl," I whispered. "This can't be real."
But I knew without a doubt it was.
Carefully I looked around to make sure no one was watching and
pushed my hand underneath my jeans. I was rewarded by the touch
of a warm, mass of flesh that could only be one thing.
'Oh God!' I screamed to myself as I jerked my hand back out.
'What have they done to me? Who are these people? What the hell
is this place?'
A sales lady walked over and asked if I needed any help. She was
like everyone else in this town, one of those people with the
flashing eyes. I shook my head and slowly backed away from her
like she was a plague. The lady gave me a puzzled looked as if I
had lost my marbles, which I felt that I had. Panic was starting
to take over; I had to get out of this place!
I combed the store looking for a pay phone to call home; there
was still a chance that my mother may want me back. I looked all
over the store but couldn't find one anywhere.
'What kind of store this size didn't have a pay phone?' I asked
myself.
I debated about asking for help but decided against it. I wanted
as little contact as I could with these funny people with the
flashing eyes. I decided to try my luck at finding a phone
somewhere else. As I turned to leave the store I spotted a police
officer standing less than five feet away from me. It was the
same one I had seen in the courtroom earlier.
"Stay away from me," I screamed while backing up into the
housewares department.
"It's okay son," he tried reassured me while holding out his
hand. "No one's going to hurt you for what happened to Dr. Green.
I only want to end this peacefully."
"I'm not your son, PIG," I spitted angrily back while grabbing a
big cutting knife from the nearby display. "You leave me alone or
I swear I'll cut you."
I noticed two more police officers, one of each side of me, move
in from my rear but I spun around and swung my knife at them.
Both officers backed off quickly and gave me room. I continued to
move backwards into a corner so I could keep an eye on all of
them.
"You're trapped," Sergeant Williams told me calmly. "We don't
want to hurt you, Shannon. We only want to take you to a safe
place where we can explain what's going on."
"I don't believe you," I answered, holding the knife out at him.
"Don't come any closer or I'll make you pay. I want a car outside
the store in 5 minutes.
Sergeant Williams shook his head. "That's not going to happen,
Shannon. The only way out of here is past me, and I'm not moving.
I know you're scared Shannon, but I really don't think you want
to hurt me. Now give me the knife before you hurt yourself." He
took a step closer to me.
"STAND BACK!" I screamed while pointing the tip of the knife at
my own throat. "I'll kill myself if you don't leave me alone!
You're right Officer Williams, I can't hurt you - I don't have it
in me. But I can hurt myself - I was going to do it anyway. NOW
BACK OFF!" The officer took two steps back.
"Shannon, please put down the knife," I heard Trisha Brown say.
"You LIED to me!" I yelled at her. "You said you were going to
give me a new life, instead you're using me in some kind of evil,
horrible experiment. Look at what they did to me! I'm more of a
freak now than I was before."
"It's alright Shannon, calm down" Trisha tried to reassure me.
"No it's NOT ALRIGHT," I shouted back. "If you don't get me the
car I want right now there's going to be blood on the floor."
Suddenly I felt my hand snap away from my neck and fall to the
side as if some invisible hand had grabbed onto it. I tried to
move it back up but my arm was frozen in place. All three
officers rushed over and one of them pried the knife out of my
hand. I saw Judge Herns standing there, a look of displeasure on
her face.
"Take her back to courtroom and stay with her," she told the
officers. I tried to scream but found I could no longer make a
sound.
***
"She's dangerous," Judge Herns said in a belittling tone. "That's
why we screen people first, so we don't end up with situations
like this. It was 'stupid' and 'irresponsible' bringing her here
like you did!"
"I was driving close by and sensed she was going to kill
herself," Trisha shot back in a disrespectful tone. "What was I
suppose to do?"
"YOU LET HER," Judge Herns yelled at the younger woman while
slamming her hands on the table in front of her. "She made her
decision, you shouldn't have interfered with it."
"Maybe I'm not that COLD-BLOODED," Trisha hissed back. June Herns
face turned bright red with anger.
"You're thinking of one mentally disturbed person, I'm thinking
of an entire town," the Judge shot back boldly. "I had Linda
drive Carol Green over to the emergency room to get checked out,
after I fixed her broken wrist that is. What I can't fix is any
emotional scares the poor woman may have suffered from this
attack. If you had gone through the proper procedures this
wouldn't have happened!"
"If I had gone through the proper procedure Shannon Royal would
be dead!" Trisha countered.
"IT WAS HER CHOICE!" Judge Herns yelled angrily. "Do you know how
much work you've created for the people below? It's going to take
hours wiping this from the temps memories."
"Is that how you measure a person's worth 'Judge Herns', by how
much work it creates for others. Besides, this was your fault.
Why did you turn her into a teenage boy?"
"I don't have to explain myself to you," Judge Herns snarled.
"Why I turned her into a young boy is my own business, isn't that
correct, Mr. Butz."
The director looked over at Trisha Brown, who was flushed with
anger. Judge Herns was right about one thing; Trisha had no right
bringing Shannon to Andersonville without a background check. But
then Judge Herns wasn't using very good tact in explaining the
obvious to his assistant. That was the problem with the Greek
Gods, they never had any qualms about pointing out mistakes
others made and pounding the point home. However, when it came to
admitting their own mistakes it was a little different. Dealing
with them could be quite frustrating at times.
"It is, Your Honor," Dennis respectfully replied. "I agreed to
let you decided each person's fate brought before you, and I
stand by my word. You don't have to explain yourself to anyone
here." Judge Herns gave Trisha a triumphant smile.
"What about Shannon?" Trisha asked while giving him a glare.
"She shouldn't have been brought here in the first place," Dennis
answered. "We have rules so such things don't happen, although
you're not totally to blame here. Dave Williams should've walked
upstairs with Dr. Green to make sure she got to her office
safely. That's one policy that I'm going to make sure is enforced
from now on. And I'm not happy with what you told Shannon either,
Trisha."
"But if I didn't - she would have jumped. Besides, I didn't tell
her the real truth."
"That's not the point," Dennis responded softly. "It allows
rumors to be spread that could affect the operation of this
town."
"Then erase all her memories," Trisha replied while glancing over
at the Judge.
"I can't," Judge Herns countered strongly. "Originally, I wasn't
going to have Shannon remember anything after the transformation,
but it turns out she's very strong willed. Here, check out her
profile and see what I mean."
Judge Herns pulled a piece of paper out of thin air and handed it
to Dennis Butz. The director looked over the information
carefully.
"She's one in ten thousand," he stated out loud for Trisha to
hear. The numbers also explained why Shannon hadn't been turned
into a pretty, young female. June Herns had made the right
choice, although Dennis really never doubted that she had.
"Yes," Judge Herns explained. "So nothing any of us can do will
make Shannon forget her past, although I should be able to make
her forget about the 'angel' part if necessary."
"We need to think of a way to work this out first," Dennis
stated.
"Not we," Judge Herns interrupted while pointing her finger at
Dennis, "you! Trisha Brown is your employee and that makes this
your problem. I want Shannon - Mr. Maxwell, out of my town within
the hour."
"But where can she go?" Trisha protested.
"That's not my concern," Judge Herns stated firmly. "And don't
ever pull this crap in my town again, young lady." The Judge
slammed the door as she left.
"How can you stand there and do NOTHING?" Trisha asked furiously.
"How can you let this 'egone' walk all over me like this? Have
you become one of them now!"
"Don't you ever - EVER - fucking insult me like that again,
Trisha," Dennis responded in an angry, slow tone. "Have you
forgotten what Andersonville is all about? I don't have time for
your crap today! It's bad enough I get that type of garbage from
others who don't understand what I'm doing but you - you know
exactly what's going on here. You of all people should understand
what we're trying to do here and how much we have to lose if we
fail. If you think it's easy for me to stand here and let her
take charge Trisha, you're wrong. There are plenty of mornings I
wake up and feel like I'm a traitor to my people - but the
fighting has to end or else everything will be lost."
"And what have we accomplished so far, Dennis?" Trisha asked
seriously. "All these months, and we're no closer to getting any
of our people released then we were before."
"You're talking months - how about the past 4,000 years?" Dennis
shot back. "Millions of innocent humans killed, no, murdered, for
simply being in the way. And after all that fighting, and all
that spilled blood, it hasn't accomplished anything! If we really
want to see our people released then this is the only way."
"Say's you," Trisha replied with a frown.
Dennis gave her an angry stare. "If you don't agree with me,
Trisha, the door's over there. Just don't let it hit you on the
'ass' on the way out!"
"Very funny, Dennis," Trisha answered. "You'd be lost without
me."
"I wasn't lost 60 years ago when you went off to fight in the big
war, was I, Trisha? I raised our three children all alone after
you signed up and got yourself killed over there. It wasn't easy
being a single mom raising three kids in the 40's but I managed
to do it without your help."
"I came back later," Trisha shot back.
"Only after the kids were gone and I was an old woman," Dennis
countered. "What was it, 22 years later, Trisha? I've taken care
of myself without your help and I can do it again if I have to -
so let's get one thing straight here, this is 'my' show, not
yours. If you don't like how the game is being played," he
pointed his finger at the door, "then leave!"
Trisha looked at her boss's eyes and realized he was dead
serious. She had never gotten along with the Greek Gods, they
were pompous asses. But Dennis was another matter. Trisha was
closer to him then any other family member she had ever known.
"Okay, I'm sorry Dennis for what I said and for putting you on
the spot. But you do understand why I did what I did, don't you?
I couldn't let Shannon kill herself for the reasons she was
feeling."
Dennis breathed deeply and said, "Yes, I do understand my friend.
But I also agree with Judge Herns on this one, you should've let
Shannon kill herself. It's not that I'm cold-hearted, but we have
other things to worry about besides someone who's mentally
disturbed."
"But she's not mentally disturbed," Trisha insisted. "She was
probably just scared and panicked after the transformation; who
wouldn't if they didn't have someone around to explain what was
going on and to comfort them. She'll come around, I know she
will."
"Maybe," Dennis frowned. "But right now we have to figure out
what to do with her."
"Send her back home?" Trisha suggested.
Dennis shook his head. "They found her replacement in the river
this morning - she can't go back now."
"Peace River then?" Trisha tossed out.
"Maybe," Dennis answered with a frown. "I'll use my contacts to
ask Judge Jasper but I wouldn't get my hopes up. Our best bet is
to try and get her back into Andersonville in a week or so -
providing she isn't a nut case who can't be reasoned with."
"What happens if we can't get her back in?" Trisha asked. Her
boss's frown told the story. If Shannon didn't come around they
wouldn't need to worry about finding her a place to live.
"Take her with you, Trisha. Prove to everyone that she's
Andersonville material so Judge Herns will take her back. I'll
give you until the end of the week to get her straighten out as
Bill Maxwell. If she doesn't come around by then," Dennis got a
distasteful look on his face, "then, I'll have to take care of
the problem myself. And if you're really serious about keeping
her alive, I would practice up on an apology to Judge Herns."
"I understand," Trisha told him reluctantly. "One more thing
before I go, Dennis. How's Project Peace doing?"
"It's slow, but Dr. Jensen is making progress," Dennis Butz said
with a dry grin "By the way, congratulations Trisha; it's a boy."
He turned and left the room.
***
It was late when Trisha drove me up to a modest ranch style house
located in the middle of nowhere. The sky was pitch-black and the
stars were shinning in the night sky with intensity. Toward the
southern horizon I could see the lights of a distant, unknown
city at least 50 miles away. As we drove up the dirt-covered
driveway several lights came on, allowing me to see the place
better. The dark, green grass was well maintained, as was the
white, wooden fence that seemed to disappear into the darkness.
The house was red brick with white shutters and showed no signs
of aging. Trisha parked the Land Rover in front of the 2-car
garage and turned to me.
"Before I remove the restriction that will allow you to speak, I
want to make a few things clear," she stated in an authoritative
tone. "You're a guest in my house, which means I expect you to
act like one and follow my rules. Do you understand?"
I nodded my head vigorously, mostly out of fear. Somehow Trisha
had the power to control my moments and speech, for I hadn't been
allowed to say anything on the entire trip here. She also seemed
to be able to read my thoughts. Whenever I needed to use the
bathroom she would pull over and let me go. It was a very strange
experience standing up to do my business and being able to get it
done so fast.
My captor was a young woman, maybe 24 years old, who stood about
5' 7". She had light brown, wavy hair that hung just above her
shoulders and was parted off to one side. Her face was lovely and
there didn't seem to be a flaw on her beautiful body. Her tanned,
skinny legs would've held the interest of any man, and I
strangely found myself attracted to them. Trisha Brown was the
type of woman I had always wanted to be; and I was jealous of
her. Why was it other people had all the luck?
I found myself being pulled out of the truck by an invisible
force and being forced to walk behind Trisha over to the white
painted fence surrounding the house. She stopped and looked at me
carefully.
"This is your boundary line," she informed me. "You won't try
going past the fence without my permission. If you do try you
won't like what happens. Allow me to demonstrate."
She grabbed my hand and lifted it up past the fence. Sparks flew
and I felt an electric shock running up my arm. Instinctively I
pulled it back on my own power.
"That was a light shock," she explained. "If I wasn't holding
onto you, the results would have been much more painful. If you
cross over the fence you'll be shocked every 10 seconds until you
return to the proper side. Then, you'll be shocked every 5
minutes until I make it stop. I hope that won't be necessary."
She paused for a moment to give me a small frown and added, "I
take no pleasure in doing this, Shannon. The fence covers over 5
acres of property, which will allow you plenty of room to roam.
Try not to think of this as a prison, but as a retreat for you to
enjoy. Since you're a young man now, I'll start referring to you
as such. Your new name is Bill Maxwell. While you may find
everything that has happened to you unbelievable, even
frightening, it's the reality of the situation. You are now a
young man, Shannon, and you have to accept that fact."
I was starting to feel angry inside. What right did they have to
do this to me? How 'dare' they lock me inside a male body without
asking my permission or considering how I felt! I was a girl, not
some football jock.
"Let's go inside now," she commanded. I tried not to follow but
found myself being forced to anyway.
"I really wish you wouldn't fight me," Trisha stated firmly as
she led me into the house. "I'm trying to help you adjust to your
current situation. Now take a seat on the couch."
I did as I was commanded; I found I really didn't have a choice
in the matter. An invisible hand seemed to push me down. I
crossed my legs but found that the new mass between them made it
uncomfortable to do so. I put my legs down and crossed them at my
ankles.
"I see you're learning already," Trisha said then frowned,
"although you still sit like a girl. Don't worry, I'll fix that
by the time I'm done with you."
'I don't want you to fix it you, bitch!' I tried to scream. 'I
want to be returned to who I am.' But whatever power she had
prevented me from saying so.
"I'm going to release my control over you Bill, so you can talk.
However, I expect you to be pleasant in your manner, like a true
'gentleman'. That means no yelling, no cussing, 'or threats'.
Keep your voice low and calm and we won't have any problems." She
snapped her finger and I found myself able to talk again.
"My God, what's going on here?" I asked in a manly, but
hysterical voice.
"Calm down, Bill," she reassured me gently. "Take a few, deep
breaths and then talk."
"WHO ARE YOU!" I screamed while trying to stand up. I found I had
the freedom to talk but not to move around.
"Lower your voice or I'll let you sit there another half-hour in
silence," she warned me.
I took a few, deep breaths and asked the question again, this
time in a more normal tone.
She smiled. "Good, you're learning again. As I told you before,
my name is Trisha Brown and I'm an angel. The reason why you're
here is because you were going to kill yourself. I couldn't let
that happen, not for those reasons, so I saved your life. While
you may not believe this, you're a very lucky, young man."
"I'm not a man," I stated while giving her the evil eye. She
hadn't said anything about me glaring at her.
"You are now," she replied firmly. "From now on, until you die,
you'll be known as Bill Maxwell, a young man with lots of
talent."
"Even if I don't want to be a man?" I asked her. "What gives you
the right to change me into one?"
"I didn't change you, that was Judge Herns idea. I don't know why
it was done, I only know the process won't be reversed."
"This can't be happening to me!" I began to sound more like a
frightened, little boy. "I want to see my mommy right now."
"That's going to be hard to do, Bill. You see, Shannon is dead."
"What," I cried out. "But you saved my life! I'm not dead, I'm
right here." A horrible thought crossed my mind. "You mean - I, I
did jump off the bridge?"
"Yes," she told me with almost no emotion in her voice. "I saved
your soul, but the body of Shannon Royal is now a useless shell."
Trisha hated lying but it was the only way she could think of to
get Bill to accept who he was now."
"Oh no!" I said with shock. "Then this must be - purgatory?"
"No, it's my home," Trisha sighed. "Believe me Bill, what I saved
you from was much worse. Suicide is murder, plain and simple. You
now have a second chance with a life that you've desired for so
long. A life that you could've been living right now if you
hadn't attacked Dr. Green."
"I can't take this, I have to talk to my mommy. My gosh, what
have I done to her?"
"I'm not going to judge your actions, Bill," the young woman told
me. "I'm also not going to allow you to contact anyone, not until
you accept what's happened to you. It's late, and this has been a
trying day for both of us. I'm going to show you to your room and
then tomorrow we can talk some more. In the meantime, I want you
to look at this." She handed me a black notebook.
"What's this?" I asked sorrowfully while taking it out of her
hands.
"It's Bill's Maxwell complete bio. Something we've been thinking
of testing out on our new citizens to get them acclimated to
their new home quicker. In it you'll find your entire history
starting from the time you were 3 years old until now. It may
make it easier to accept what has happened to you. Why don't you
look over it for a minute while I prepare your room?"
I scanned through the notebook that contained over 50 pages
divided into 5 different sections. The first section was a brief
history of my life, like when and where I was born, things I had
accomplished, events like the time I fell off my bike and needed
stitches. Another section contained a detailed listing of all my
friends through the years and ranked them from 1 (a best friend)
to a 5 (a classmate in school). There were well over 60 names on
the list. Sixty, I couldn't believe it. I could've counted the
number of friends of my entire life as Shannon on one hand and
still had fingers left over.
Other parts included more personal information concerning
clothing sizes, likes and dislikes, hobbies. I found out that my
nickname was 'Grizzly', a name I had earned on the football
field. I wonder if I would be able to keep up with his
reputation. I became so engross in the book that I didn't hear
Trisha enter back into the room.
"Let's get you settled in," she said with a small smile. My
captor led me down a hallway to a room made up to look like a
boy's bedroom. There were football and basketball posters on
every wall, a dresser that had trophies on top of it, and a
couple of shelves with model boats and cars I supposedly had
built. The room also contained a queen-size waterbed, a desk and
chair, and a telescope in the corner. The color of the room was
pale white but the curtains over the windows were blue - giving
it a boyish look.
"This is an exact replica of your bedroom in Andersonville,"
Trisha said while motioning me in. "Tomorrow, I'll introduce you
to other areas of your new home, but for now I want you to get
some sleep. Goodnight Bill."
Trisha smiled and closed the door as she left. I thought about
opening the door back up but decided against it. Right now I
desired the privacy to think about what was going on. My mother
thought I was dead, how horrible that must be for her and for my
sister. Worse, I was being forced to live my life as a man for my
crime and there wasn't anything I could do about it.
I lay down on my bed and cried like I had done so many nights
before. I was all alone in the world now, without the comfort of
my own mother although she had never been that much of a comfort
for me to begin with. Why didn't anyone care about me? Had I
commented some horrible crime against God that I had to be
punished for it; first by making me fat and ugly and now forcing
me to live the rest of my life as a man? Why wasn't I allowed to
be happy like other people?
After my cry, and with nothing else better to do, I opened up the
notebook that contained all the information on my new life. He -
now me - was everything I wasn't in life. He was popular,
athletic, and confident. Bill was the boy I used to dream about
being with; the boy I now was. I couldn't stand it anymore; I
closed the notebook and threw it on the floor as hard as I could.
There was no way I was going through with this charade. I flicked
off the light and laid down in bed feeling sorry for myself.
Sometime later I drifted off into a fitful sleep.
***
I woke up to the sunlight shinning through the windows in my
room. The clothes I had were wet with sweat, causing me to have a
slight chill. I sat up in bed and tried to wake up. As my eyes
focused on things around the room it became clear to me that what
happened yesterday wasn't a dream.
"Welcome to the second day of the rest of your life," I muttered
to myself. There was a knock on the door and Trisha walked in,
with a cheerful smile on her face no less.
"I was wondering when you were going to get up sleepy head," she
said joyfully.
"Why do I feel so tried?" I complained looking at the clock to
see it was almost 11 in the morning.
"That's part of the process," she explained. "The transformation
affects everyone differently. By the way, you shouldn't sleep in
your clothes on a waterbed. You'll sweat all night."
"So I see," I answered smartly while touching the damp shirt with
my hands.
"Better take a shower and change," she said while pulling some
clothes out of a drawer. "Use the bathroom across the hallway
then change into these. By the way, this is the last time I'm
going to help you get dressed." She gave me a smug smile and
left.
I looked at the clothes she had laid on the bed in front of me. A
pair of red shorts, a gray tee shirt with the words
'Andersonville Athletic Dept.', white socks, and a pair of white
jockey underwear. It looked like I was going to be working out
today.
Taking a shower was strange. Rubbing soap over my chest didn't
have the same effect as before. Where I once had massive breasts
was now replaced with a muscular chest with curly, dark hair all
over it. Worse was my new love stick that hung from my body like
a limp rod. But when I touched the thing it tingled slightly,
causing me to pull my hand back. I washed it while being careful
not to start something I didn't want to finish.
After getting dressed I walked into the kitchen where I found
Trisha sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee. Also at the
table were three people, an older man, a young boy, and a
teenager girl. By the stove stood a middle-aged woman with
slightly graying hair. Unlike Trisha, they stood in place like
statues, as if waiting for a command to do something.
"Aww, I'm glad to see you made it," Trisha smiled. "Now we can
sit down and have breakfast."
"What's going on," I asked while taking an empty seat next to the
teenage girl.
"You're about to have your first meal with your new family. Allow
me to introduce you to everyone. This is your father," she
pointed to the man who was looking at the paper. "Your younger
brother, Patrick." He was about 9 years old and had a couple of
cars in his hands, " And your sister, Samantha." My sister looked
to be about 13 years old and didn't look very happy at the
moment.
"Behind you," Trisha pointed, causing me to turn, "is your
mother. As you can see, she's just about ready to serve
breakfast. Normally you don't eat breakfast together very often
but seeing this is your first time, I wanted it to be special."
"Look," I spoke while standing up. "I already have a family, and
I have a sneaking suspicion that these 'people' aren't really
people at all; that they're like the ones I met in that crazy
place you call Andersonville. If that's the case than they're
like puppets or dolls. Well, I gave up playing with dolls years
ago Trisha, and I'm not going to start playing with them again. I
'DEMAND' that you return me back to my real family right now."
"Demand," Trisha said raising her eyebrows slightly. "You're in
no position to demand anything. In case you forgot Bill, I saved
your life. If it wasn't for me you'd be fish food right now."
"I appreciate that, but it doesn't give you the right to kidnap
me. Turn me back into Shannon Royal and send me home."
"Why, so you can kill yourself again," she pointed out to me
harshly. "Besides, as I explained already, you're already dead.
"I don't believe that. I don't believe I could've jumped and not
remembered something about it. I think you stopped me before I
jumped just like I remembered and I'm very much alive in my own
body."
"Well, technically you're correct. But in the reality of things,
you did jump and die. At least that's what people believe."
"So I didn't jump! That was just a lie."
"Yes and no," she smiled. "If I hadn't stop you then you would
have jumped, but instead of changing reality, I let it run its
course. So the reality for everyone else is that you killed
yourself by jumping off that bridge. See, I didn't lie."
"That makes no sense what so ever," I said turning to leave. "I'm
out of here, Trisha Brown, or whatever you name really is. I
suggest you seek out a good psychologist and get some help!"
Suddenly something invisible grabbed me and pushed me back in my
chair.
"I don't have time for your temper tantrums this morning, Bill,"
she said with a frown. "We're already running late and I have
things I need to do today. So let me spell this out to you real
clearly. You're going to sit here and converse with your family
like a proper gentleman or else! Who knows, you may even get to
like it once you get past the flashing eyes. Despite what you may
think about them, these temps do love you as their own child."
"Let me go!" I screamed.
"Quiet," she said while waving her hand at me. I found myself
unable to say another word. "Since you're having trouble getting
started, I'll help you out. By the way, I'm known as your cousin
Trisha and everyone thinks it's Saturday. Now try to play along
here."
She waved her hands again and the temps sprang to life.
"Hi son," my father said to me over the paper.
I tried not to reply but someone forced the words, "Good morning
dad," out of me. I turned and glared at Trisha who flashed me a
quick smile.
"Going to work out with your friends this morning I see," the man
said with a proud smile.
"Yes dad," the words were forced out of me again. "I'm meeting
Steve and Larry down at the Gym this morning. We're going to lift
some weights and maybe shoot some hoops later on."
"Isn't Larry the guy you're in love with, Samantha," my little
brother teased.
"Shut up you little rat fink," my sister hissed.
"That's enough you two," my mother interrupted as she placed a
plate of ham and eggs in front of me. "Pat, stop teasing your
sister."
My new mother placed her hand on my shoulder and said, "Good
morning son." Then she turned back to the stove to fix her own
plate.
There was more dialog between everyone as I dug into my food with
earnest. I found myself particularly hungry this morning and
ended up asking for seconds, which I got. I also figured I
couldn't talk if I had my mouth full. But once I was done eating,
I found myself unable to get up from the table. The annoying grin
on Trisha's face indicated I wasn't going to get off so easy.
Finally I got tired of having the words forced out of my month
and started talking on my own. Once I tried complaining about my
current situation but found the words quickly stifled. Seeing
that I didn't have a choice in the matter, I gave up on the idea
of resisting for now and went along with the game. Actually, I
found myself enjoying the interaction and almost forgot that they
weren't real people. An hour later Trisha asked me if I was ready
to go and I joined her in the hallway.
"There, that wasn't so bad," she commented while leading me down
the next destination. "I think you were even enjoying yourself
back there."
"I was just pretending," I lied. "I only started talking to them
on my own because I got tired of you forcing the words out of
me."
"And yet," she stopped at a door and looked at me, "you seemed so
happy when you were talking on your own; which I didn't require
you to be. Were the grins and laughter also part of you
pretending?" She gave me a knowing smile and opened up the door
to a big gymnasium.
"This is a recreation of the gymnasium at Andersonville High
School. You'll find that you spend a great deal of your time in
this room working out. Oh, I forgot something."
My jailer pulled out a box from her pocket that looked like a
small calculator and walked over to a modem connection. She
pushed the small device in and started typing something. Two
teenage boys appeared near me.
"Two of your friends. Steve Anderson and Larry Smith." Both stood
there like statues looking straight ahead.
"Which one is which," I asked.
"You can ask them yourself," she replied while pressing a button.
Both of them came to life.
"Hey Grizzly, how's it going?" one of them asked.
"Who are you?" I asked him.
The boy straightened up and replied. "My name is Larry Smith.
I've been your best friend since 4th grade when we met at the
Andersonville school picnic. We're on the football and wrestling
team together and I've been trying to get you to try out for
baseball this year with me. My likes are sports, girls, camping,
and fast cars." His glazed stare was replaced with a smile again.
"Hold it," I said, turning back to Trisha. "What just happened
here?"
"You asked him who he was and he told you. The other boy's name
is Steve Anderson and in Andersonville, they're both real boys.
There are others kids I'll introduce you to later on. I have a
complete file on all your friends in my computer."
"But I don't know them," I protested looking back at the two boys
standing there silently. "Can they hear everything I say?"
"Of course they can, Bill. The only thing is, I've programmed
them to ignore anything you say that's out of the ordinary, such
as this conversation we're having. So if you try to strike up a
conversation about who you once were, they'll just blow it off at
a joke and forget what you said. Go ahead, try it."
"Okay, I will then," I told her angrily. "Guys, I'm really a girl
trapped in this male body. This lady behind me is crazy; she
kidnapped me and brought me here against my will. I'm not Bill
Maxwell, my real name is Shannon Royal."
Both boys started cracking up, and I felt a little foolish. Then
they stopped laughing and Larry said, "Come on Grizzly, let's
practice that wrestling move we talked about earlier. Steve wants
to see how it's done."
"I'm going to go now, Bill," Trisha told me. "I have some
business to attend to but I'll be home later on. Your friends
will remain with you until I get back. Oh yes, I still have your
control program running. If you decide to act up, it'll help you
re-adjust your attitude. And remember what I told you about the
fence surrounding the house. Have fun, Bill."
She turned and left, leaving me alone with these two fake,
teenagers boys. I tried to leave behind her but found the door
was now locked. My two new friends called me over the mat, which
I found myself reluctantly doing against my will. Despite the
fact I knew they were some kind of computer program, both
teenagers seemed real enough.
"Get down on your hands and knees Grizzly, and I'll show Steve
that wrestling move I was talking about."
I did as I was asked, knowing that any attempt to fight the act
was a useless gesture on my part. Larry put his hands on my arm
and around my chest then proceeded to wrestle me to the mat.
***
Trisha arrived at the church with only a few minutes to spare.
She wasn't surprise to find the building almost totally empty.
There were a few relatives and friends of the families, but no
one else. A couple of girls around Shannon's age were there but
Trisha sensed they came only because their mothers had told them
to. Shannon's mother sat in the front pew with her beautiful
daughter right next to her. It didn't surprise Trisha to see that
Shannon's sister was the only one who seemed upset by what had
happened. Her mother appeared sadden but almost relieved by her
daughter's death - which puzzled the young woman.
The pastor stepped up to the podium and started speaking about
how precious life was. Trisha thought of the irony of all this;
since her actions to save Shannon's life had gotten her in deep
trouble. She turned on her recorder and listened to what everyone
had to say.
***
The day didn't turn out as bad as I thought it would. The three
of us practiced our wrestling moves for about an hour however, a
great deal of that time was spent joking and clowning around with
each other. Then the cheerleading squad came in and we sat and
watched them spin and twirl in front of us. Steve and Larry
remarked about which cheerleader they thought was the prettiest
and which girl they would like to take to the prom. Despite the
fact I wasn't really interested in watching the girls, I found
myself getting comfortable sitting there and joining in on their
conversation. I was being accepted as part of the in-crowd, and
it felt great.
A couple of cheerleaders seemed to know us pretty well and came
over to talk to us between sets. I noticed a few of the girls
gave me an interesting glance that made me just a little nervous.
I wasn't used to having such positive attention bestowed on me.
The only time people had paid attention to me was when there were
being mean and calling me names. I didn't know how to handle
everything what was happening to me, and it made me feel
uncomfortable.
After a nice lunch that my mom made us, we went outside and
started throwing a football around. Again, there was the
customary joking and playing around that boys tended to do and
more discussion on sports and girls. It seemed that that was all
they were interested in. Not that I minded one bit, it was great
to be able to participate in a real conversation with other kids
my age. But in the back of my mind I kept thinking about my old
life. I wasn't happy as Shannon so why did I miss it so much?
Later on that evening we sat in front of the TV and watched a
couple