Missguided free porn video

Missguided By Samantha Michelle Copyright 2001 Our family is certifiably strange. See, there are four parents and six children, and all of us children are related. Except for my sister Mathilda, who is the same age as me. Rebecca and Jeff, they're my biological parents, and Penny and Chuck are Matty's biological parents. Anyway, just after we were born both sets of parents got divorced, and not too much later Rebecca married Chuck and Jeff married Penny. So Matty's and my half-sister Hilda and half-brother Andy were born to my mom, Rebecca, and Chuck, and Matty's and my half-brother Zachary and half-sister Polly were born to my Dad Jeff, and Penny. If you are not yet confused, it gets better. Since all four adults are really good friends, and everyone sort-of had joint custody of Matty and me, we were usually together and sort-of considered all parents equal. This led to all sorts of trouble when somebody yelled for mom, so they, meaning the adults, decided we should all call them by their first names. Kind of weird, but it worked. Matty and I were ten when my house, meaning Jeff and Penny's house, burned to the ground one Friday afternoon when a brush- fire got out of control on Mr. Grecheld's farm, jumped the creek, and turned our place into charcoal. We all got out safely, but everything we owned was toast. Finding a temporary place to live on a Friday evening in the summer was near impossible, so as the insurance companies argued about who would pay whom, that night we all moved in with Rebecca and Chuck. I wound up sharing Chuck's little camping trailer with Matty, which left the house to the four adults and the screaming mob. We had to go inside to use the bathroom, but both agreed it was a small price to pay for our sanity. There was also the problem that all our clothes had gone up in smoke. For the younger set that meant borrowing jeans from each other. But Matty was really into dresses and things like that. Which left my butt in, well, the breeze. Meaning that, except for what I was wearing, I was going to get stuck in her stuff until we could go shopping. She thought it was absolutely hilarious, and gave me a flannel nightgown with little bears all over it for the night. I griped, but it was really comfortable, and we snuggled up together and managed a really good night's sleep. In the morning I wore my clothes from the day before, but they were pretty ripe, and in the late afternoon I finally borrowed one of Matty's robes and went inside to take a shower. When I returned to the trailer my stuff was already in the wash, and Matty said I would be living in a robe unless I put on the long skirt and blouse outfit she had found me, complete with some of her undies. I knew she wasn't joking, and decided to see how silly I would look. When I was finally dressed she made some odd noises, and telling me not to move, ran to get her hairbrush from inside the house. There was no mirror in the camper, but when she finished, she said she was jealous, and put on a nearly matching outfit before we went inside. "Jonah, we are going to freak everyone out." "I feel like a freak." The truth was that her clothes, including the borrowed panties, felt really good, and I couldn't figure out what made them so nice to wear. "You look great. We could be sisters, instead of brother and sister." "Just what I didn't want to hear." The idea of pretending to be a girl for a couple of days sounded like a lot of fun, but I couldn't tell her that. We made it to the upstairs bathroom unnoticed, and Matty made a trip to her old room, which was now the domain of Rebecca and Chuck. When she returned she was giggling. I saw the makeup kit and protested, but not hard enough to keep her from doing both our faces, and then our nails and even toenails. I squeaked and squawked, but I was enjoying the attention, and how I looked. She finally went and found us some of her tights and shoes. I was surprised that a pair of the shoes fit me, but Penny had apparently purchased Matty's favorite style in several sizes and colors when she had found them on sale. Matty checked each of us over carefully, and added some colorful bands and clips to my hair. I sort of posed in front of the mirror, and she giggled again and asked if I was having fun. "Of course not. I'm a boy, and what would I want to dress up in girl's stuff for, anyway?" It came out really lame. "Maybe because it's fun and you do look really good." I tried to make argument, but it wouldn't come out. "Okay, I don't know why, but this really is pretty neat. And I think I'm prettier than you." She gave me a raspberry and a pout. "But now it is time to freak people. Ready?" She smiled, and we headed out the door to the living room where everyone else was congregated. Zach was the first to see me, and stood there pointing and making faces as we pranced into the middle of the room. After a lot of exclamations and laughter, Zach and Andy said I looked stupid, Hilda and Polly said they liked me better like this, and the four parents all said we both looked cute, and pointed out that we were going out for dinner. I got some butterflies from the idea of being in public dressed like a girl, but they quickly disappeared when I realized how much I wanted to show off the new and different me. So over Zach's objections that he would be forever embarrassed, we were soon on our way to Kalamazoo. Dinner was great, but both Moms kept correcting my manners and movements, saying I had to behave like a young lady. I would have screamed, but they were just as hard on Matty. And for some weird reason I wanted to do better than her. After dinner I had to use the washroom, and everyone giggled as Matty dragged me into the ladies room, after warning me to close the door on the stall and sit. Other than being cleaner than the boy's room usually was, and having nothing on the wall to pee in, it was, well, a bathroom. We made it back to Matty's house without falling asleep, but five minutes after I donned the nightgown and joined Matty in bed; we were out, oblivious to the world. Sunday morning Matty brought me a really pretty dress and real stockings, and soon we were properly dressed for church. Usually we didn't go, as only Penny attended church regularly, but our parents said that we had a lot of things to be thankful for, so we all were going to church today. Matty said that I couldn't be her sister with a name like Jonah, and she renamed me Joanie. I liked it, and when we joined up with everyone to head out, Matty announced my new name. Zach and Andy's comments were drowned out by Penny, who threatened them with three months of dishes if they made a fuss. Instant quiet. No one seemed to notice anything strange at the Church, and we all got a lot of condolences about the fire. It was afterwards that Mark, one of the kids from school, realized who I was and almost hurt himself laughing. When Penny explained to his parents that everything we owned, including my clothes, went up in smoke, and all I had to wear was Matty's stuff, Mark's Mom and Dad landed on him like bugs on spilled soda. The other kids took the hint from what was happening to Mark, and kept quiet. I behaved as much like a young lady, as I knew how, and almost got beaned by Matty, who said I was showing her up. On the way home Jeff asked me what I was going to do about school tomorrow. "You said we don't have the money to go out and buy a lot until the insurance company and everyone agree on what was covered. The other kids may think its silly, but if I have to, I can wear Matty's stuff for a while until we get things straightened out." Penny gave me a strange look, but Jeff seemed unfazed by my suggestion. "You are going to get a lot of comments." "So?" He just shook his head, and said I had been warned. When we got back there were representatives of our and Mr. Grecheld's insurance companies waiting for Jeff and Penny. It had started to rain, so Matty and I changed into what she called casual clothes, meaning short skirts and T-shirts, and preceded to raid the house for board games, which we set up on the small table in the trailer. Matty went and fixed us sandwiches, and said that Jeff and Penny were at the remains of my house with the insurance people. We played Scrabble and Monopoly and Clue and even Parcheesi until we heard Jeff's car pull into the driveway. I stuck my head out in the rain and asked how it went. They said to come inside, as they had brought back dinner, and they would brief everyone at the same time. When I saw the pizza boxes being unloaded from the trunk, I almost dragged Matty inside. We sat around munching dinner while Jeff gave everyone the good and bad news. At first it sounded all good. All of our stuff was covered, even my rock collection and since the house was declared a total loss, they would probably pay enough for us to completely rebuild. The bad news was that since everything was completely destroyed, they would be paying us the entire amount within a month, and it would be up to us to find a place to live and make all the arrangements for having the house rebuilt. They did agree to pay us what they called a stipend to cover living expenses for four months, but with tourist season starting it would not be nearly enough to cover our living costs and renting a place in the local area, if we could even find a place to rent. "So it looks like we will be living together as one family for a while." All four of the younger set applauded. They really liked being together all the time. Matty gave me a hug and said she liked sharing a camper with me. I had the same feeling. "We will have to watch our expenditures carefully until we see what it will really cost to rebuild. So it looks like everyone will ride the same bus to school on Monday, and I will call the school from work and make sure they understand what happened." "Um, what about our school books and homework, and..." Jeff smiled. "They will just have to believe that you did the work. And they will replace the books. At least there are only two weeks left before summer vacation starts." He looked at me, and shook his head. "But if Jonah goes to school as Joanie..." He made helpless gestures. "There are going to be a lot of interesting problems." Penny spoke up. "As to Joanie, if anyone tries to give her any grief about anything, they can call any of us and get an earful. Now we adults need to discuss logistics, and the six of you need baths and to get to bed early. And no long showers, or someone will run out of hot water." I beat Matty to the bathroom, and promised she would get the second shower. So she found us clean clothes, and between us we managed, after washing our hair, to use up all the hot water. And Zach was third in line. Oh well... In the morning we caught the bus without incident, and when we got to school, I caused a lot of confusion until I explained to Mr. Handell, our homeroom teacher, about what had happened. He looked at me really strangely, and muttered something about people not doing things like this when he was young. But the next kid who made a nasty comment about me and my skirt got sent to see the principal. Which was a fate worse than being sent to prison, or locked in a dungeon full of kid-eating ogres. Most of the girls thought my wearing a skirt was great. Christopher, a shy, quiet kid in my class that normally blended into the scenery, smiled at me and whispered that he wished he could dress like a girl every day. That was really confusing, but I smiled at him and whispered back that he didn't want his house to burn down. He seemed thoughtful, then nodded and disappeared back into the woodwork. As the day progressed I forgot about how I was dressed, or at Matty's urging being called Joanie by almost everyone. I was feeling a strange calm, like there was something right about the day and what was happening. And I didn't even get yelled at when I used the girl's washroom. Not that I was even thinking about it being a problem. We took the bus home, and as usual, got home well before our parents. Matty and I made snacks, and directed cleanup efforts, including laundry, saying that all the parents would really need the help. Even Zach agreed, and soon the place was straight and everyone had clean sheets. Penny called and said that she was stopping at the store for groceries on the way home. So we all gave our inputs, and she suggested we consider baking a cake or two for dessert. Hilda and Zach claimed the idea as theirs, so we left the kitchen to them, and started on our homework. Fire or no fire, getting bad grades was a fate far worse than death. Because death would be quick, and our parents had repeatedly promised bad grades meant slow and lingering torture. Hilda came out to get us around seven, saying dinner was ready. Our brains were already well toasted, so dinner sounded good. We could smell the roast chickens on the way to the front door. Yum. I think Rebecca is a better cook than Penny. And the cake was great. The rest of the week went really well. I got teased a lot, but after several kids from other classes got sent to the principal, most of the teasing stopped. And the other girls decided I deserved their protection, and they were scarier than the principal. Girls attack in packs, and don't follow any rules of civilized combat. Or willingly take prisoners. I was enjoying school more than usual, but didn't understand why. What I did realize was that I was now answering to Joanie faster than Jonah, and that no one was calling me Jonah anymore. Not even my parents or siblings. Over the weekend there were a lot of discussions about finances, and what was to happen to all our plans for summer vacations. Our parents' employers required vacations to be scheduled many months in advance, and that meant any changes equated to no vacations at all during the summer. But the first vacation was not scheduled until the Fourth of July week, so we had some time to decide. Rebecca took Matty and me shopping, and against Matty's loud objections, bought us both jeans and shorts, and regular socks and tennis shoes. So I went back to mostly being Jonah, but quite a few people, including Matty and Zach, kept calling me Joanie. Most of our friends didn't seem to care if I wore jeans or a skirt, and I refused to quit using Matty's lip gloss or putting colored ribbons in my hair. Matty finally admitted that shorts were better than skirts for yard work and playing catch. I was almost too busy doing homework and enjoying being Joanie to notice that Matty and I now had a lot of new panties, courtesy of Rebecca The last week of school was normal pandemonium. All six of us managed A's and very few B's, so the parents were obliged to take us out for ice cream. And we all said short good-byes to our friends the last day, knowing we would see most of them during the summer. It was a very full and happy bus that carried us, some of our friends, and the contents of our lockers home that afternoon. The parents completed their promises, and brought home steaks and potatoes for the grill, and with the weather deciding to cooperate, we ate and partied until it was time to close up and get some sleep. I briefly wondered, as I was drifting off, if Christopher would ever get his wish to come to school as a girl. Saturday was one of the strangest days of my life. It started early in the morning with a thunderstorm with incredible lightning and high winds that rocked the trailer so badly we were afraid it would tip over. Chuck came out and dragged us inside through the rain in our nightgowns, and down to the basement, saying there was a tornado warning. The wind got stronger, and there were booms and bangs and crunching noises. But when the wind died down after dawn, we left the basement to find the only damages were a couple of broken windows and lots of limbs and branches all over the place. Which the radio said was all that happened in our area. The trailer had blown almost to the road, but was fine. Our stuff, however, was scattered all over the inside, and it took two hours just to put things back where they belonged. Rebecca and Chuck headed off to town to get some new window glass, but quickly returned super-excited and empty-handed. Without explanation to any of us, they dragged Jeff and Penny out with them, and told us to finish the cleanup and to watch out for the broken glass. Most everything we could do was done by noon. Matty and I had removed the old caulking and prepared the frames for the new glass. We even covered the open windows with heavy trash bags and duct tape to keep out the bugs. Zach cooked up some hot dogs and Hilda made salads, so we were eating lunch when the parents, all excited, returned and called us together. Jeff did the announcements. "Remember Juliet Heymand?" We all nodded. Her daughters had grown up with our parents, and had been their closest friends until both Juliet's daughters and their husbands entire families were killed in a plane crash while on vacation somewhere in South America a couple of years ago. Penny and Rebecca were really upset back then, and still managed to spend an awful lot of time with Juliet, helping her through the loss of her children and grandchildren. We missed Gina and Anne, her two daughters and only children, even though we only met them a few times. "She finally listened to her doctors and friends, and decided to move with several of her other friends to an assisted living country club over in Battle Creek. Anyway, she's already moved into her new place, and has been in the process of putting her house up for sale. When we met at the store today, and she learned our place had burned down with everything we owned, she made us an offer that we couldn't refuse." All the kids stared at him. Juliet's house was a huge old mansion just outside of town. "She wanted to sell us her house at a real bargain price. But even with the insurance money as a down payment, Penny and I couldn't afford the monthly installments. Then Rebecca came up with a wild idea, and we..." he indicated all four adults, "really think the idea is great. So we want to know what all of you think." He stopped and looked at us expectantly. "Um, Dad, what idea?" Jeff looked at me, and realized he forgot the rest of the story as everyone snickered. "Oops, I guess I should tell you. The idea is that Chuck and Rebecca sell this house, and we all move into Juliet's place together. It's much bigger than our old house and this house together, so there's more than enough room, and..." The resulting shouting made it clear that we liked the idea of being together. Rebecca made a telephone call, and we were shocked when she told us that Juliet wanted us to move in the next weekend. The next few days and evenings were filled with packing and planning, and realtors who wanted to help Rebecca and Chuck sell this house, and all sorts of other busy stuff. By noon the following Sunday the only thing left in Matty's old house was dust. We didn't have anything, which helped, and with all of us working hard, the move went fast. Since Juliet had already moved to Battle Creek, she told us we were welcome to, meaning stuck with, everything she was leaving behind, with a few exceptions which she specified. When she said it would take at least all summer to go through everything, we thought she was joking. We found she being kind. She was a packrat, and after her children died all their belongings had been shipped to her, and were stored in the basement and attic and wherever there was an open space. So we did some really fast re-arranging, and barely found space for ourselves and our things. There were two master bedrooms, which went to the adults. The three large bedrooms were parceled out to the six of us. Hilda and Polly got one, Zach and Andy took the second, and despite our parents offering Matty and me individual smaller rooms, we decided we wanted to stay together, and moved into the third large bedroom. Many sneezes and far too much dust later, we were settled into our new home. Zach and Hilda claimed the kitchen, with its two stoves, breakfast room, and pantry as their domain. Matty and I claimed, without argument, the attic, basement, and storage areas, and all the stuff Juliet had left. Andy and Polly, the two youngest, claimed the now-unkempt gardens. All four adults claimed exhaustion. Even with the almost instant sale of Matty's house, we knew money would be really tight for a while, as there were some rather large expenses, such as roof repairs, that couldn't wait. Which meant that unless it was needed, things we wanted would have to wait till next year. But that didn't deter any of us from enjoying having a huge yard and woods and lots of room to play. Or stop Jeff and Chuck from complaining about having to mow a couple of acres of grass. Matty and I volunteered, but they wouldn't let us drive the tractor. Our friends quickly started to come to visit, as we only lived a couple of miles from our old house. Since Matty and I both liked soccer and badminton, the furthest corner of the yard became a playing field. Steve, the resident soccer addict at our school, got his father, who is a contractor, to build us some goals out of pipe and netting. And while his dad was installing the goals, Chuck and Jeff talked with him and somehow we got a really great deal on the roofing job. Better than it looked. See, Chuck is a computer network engineer, and Steve's father's company needed a new computer system set up for them. So they did some unofficial trading, and Rebecca said our finances were now in better shape. It turned out that Christopher lived less than a mile further out of town, and had to stay home with a baby-sitter all summer while his parents worked. So he asked if he could spend the time at our house, 'cause he was really bored being home during the summer. Our parents said it was okay after talking with his parents, and his dad started dropping Christopher off on his way to work. Christopher usually walked home, or waited at the gate till one of his parents drove by, and got a lift back. His parents were nice people, but seemed, well, bland. Soon he was more active than we had ever before seen him. He even tried to play soccer, but it was obvious he didn't like that type of sports, so he became the ball retriever, which didn't seem to bother him a bit. He loved badminton, but was not much competition for Matty or me. It was during the last week of June the weather turned wet, and we wound up with lots of inside time. We hadn't even begun exploring, so this seemed the time to start. Christopher was dropped off as usual, and asked if he could help. So the three of us headed for the attic, glad for the rain and clouds as it was now cool enough not to bake us into gingerbread cookies, and began our explorations. By late afternoon we were tired, dirty, and convinced that adults kept the strangest collection of trash. Following Juliet's requests, all of the personal stuff, like pictures and letters and financial papers, were separated out for her disposition. Everything else was ours to do with as we saw fit. The trash collection grew quickly. Zach and Hilda were drafted to go through a dozen boxes of kitchen stuff, and in return for the goodies they found, they got to haul the trash down to the garage. All the extra stuff that was useable was re- boxed. Penny had made arrangements with a local resale shop she said was trustworthy, so if we didn't want something, or didn't want to try and sell it ourselves, the people at Reruns would buy for a reasonable price anything they could use. If the volume we were boxing was any indication, Matty and I would have a small fortune in the bank before school started in the fall. Christopher worked hard, and always seemed like he wanted to say something, but when we asked, he just shook his head. Then he would look wistfully at me and smile. He was rather subdued when his dad came by to pick him up, but said he would be back early tomorrow. Matty and I really needed the showers we took before dinner. We were closed up and in bed when Matty asked me what I thought was bugging Christopher. "He's a really nice little kid, but he always acts like there's something haunting him." "He's a couple of months older than us. So he's not a little kid. He's just not real big or strong." I lay there quietly thinking. "Did I ever tell you what he said the first day I came to school wearing your stuff?" Matty shook her head. "He said he wished he could come to school dressed the way I was every day." "Strange. You mean he wants to have to wear a skirt and..." "I guess that is what he meant. I wonder... He keeps looking at me like he wants something. Do you think he's jealous because I always have all these ribbons and things in my hair?" "Maybe. But it is still strange." Matty snuggled against me. "So tomorrow let's ask him. The worst he can do is run away screaming." I snuggled back, and smiled. There was something that felt really good about sharing a big bed with Matty. The next morning the weather was worse. Cold and drenching wet and really windy. Christopher was wearing a raincoat when his dad dropped him off, and was still soggy. So were we by the time the door was pushed closed against the wind. Christopher managed "Yeech. And I took a shower last night." We snickered, and echoed the same sentiments. He wasn't wearing a hat, and had apparently gotten the entire contents of his parent's awning down the back of his neck. Suddenly Matty made a really funny face, started to giggle, then ran out of the room. When she returned her face was red, but she was able to whisper to me that she had a really crazy idea. "Christopher, why don't you come upstairs with us and we'll find you something dry to wear." He quickly agreed, then finished draining the water out of his sneakers into a potted plant by the door, leaving the sneakers in the entry to dry. When we reached our bathroom, Matty shoved him inside, telling him to dry off and toss his wet stuff out the door so she could get it in the drier. She added that she would bring him some dry stuff in a couple of minutes. I went to get Christopher some pants and underwear, and got bopped by Matty. "This should be good." She handed me a pair of her panties, then pulled the really cute jumper that was too small for either of us, and still too big for Polly, from the closet. I almost fell on the floor laughing. She added some tights and a pair of girl's heels she thought would fit his feet. In route, she snagged a slip and several of the brightly-colored hairbands and clips that we both liked so well. Folding everything up in a towel, she knocked on the bathroom door, and when Christopher carefully handed out his wet stuff, she handed in the package. We began a countdown, and when we reached one-hundred without hearing anything, we got worried, and knocked on the door. Instead of a reply, the door opened and a smiling, tearful young girl who looked a lot like Christopher came out. We stared at the transformation. "Th... Th... Thank you." He started to shake and collapsed on the floor sobbing. We picked him up and carried him back to our room, setting him carefully on the bed. He grabbed us and held on like it was the most important thing he had ever done. So we snuggled up to him and waited until he got his act together. "Christopher, are you going to be okay?" I was getting really worried. "Please, call me Crystal, and I have never been happier in my whole life..." he suddenly looked really scared. "Oh my God, say you meant this to be something good, and not a joke..." "Christo... Crystal, is this what you really want?" Matty was eyeing him carefully. "We aren't making fun of you. Joanie told me that back in school you said you wanted to dress like a girl, and we figured if you really meant it this would be a good way to make sure." "I have never wanted anything more than this, to be a girl, just like you, and when I saw Jonah come to school as Joanie, and like doing it, I was so jealous I wanted to kill myself, and..." "So if you have to dress like this whenever you are over visiting, it won't bother you?" The smile in Matty's voice was obvious. So were the suffocating hugs that Crystal, as he called himself, gave us till we threatened to clobber him if we didn't get some work done today. Matty got another strange look on her face, and soon Matty and I were both wearing short skirts and tops, and the three of us looked like almost-teen girls. "Let's go freak Zach and Andy." We had to explain about the four others. Zack freaked, Andy gave us a "you're sick" look, but Polly and Hilda suggested we throw a girls-only party and kick Zach and Andy out in the rain. Faced with five girls, they got really nervous, and Crystal, Matty and I all laughed when Polly and Hilda dragged the two of them upstairs, protesting loudly, saying it was time to play dress-up. When they came back down, we were introduced to Zelda and Andrea. Two very confused, nervous pseudo-girls. Zach, now Zelda, was actually really cute. It was obvious that Andrea was really perturbed, and not going to be convincing. Zelda, as Polly called Zach, didn't seem all that upset, and we finally relented and let Andrea return to being Andy. So Andy got drafted to be the waiter at our party, which suited him much better than Hilda's skirt, and we pretended to be teenage girls. Well, pretended as far as age went. I was surprised when Zach agreed without argument to having his nails done by Hilda, and makeup by Matty. There was no question that Crystal really loved dressing like a girl. And as Crystal, the shy, quiet Christopher disappeared. In his place was a happy, outgoing kid who suddenly seemed in tune with the world. It was mid-afternoon when we were finally partied out, and even Andy was ready to do something different. So Zelda returned to being Zach, and off came his nail polish and makeup. The trouble started when we told Crystal it was time to return to being Christopher, and to get ready to go home. It was like someone had slapped her, and then threatened to put her in front of a firing squad. We had to chase her down, and after a lot of screaming and crying she said she was never going back to being a boy, that she hated being Christopher, and if we tried to make her she would run away. That scared us really bad. So we got the four younger kids to play warden, and hold her while Matty and I talked. We finally came up with an idea that didn't include tying her up, or calling our parents. "Crystal, I thought you said you wanted to come over and let us dress you as a girl on a regular basis." She looked at Matty, and finally nodded. "Well, then what is the problem?" "I hate being Christopher and then pretending to be Crystal, and I don't want to have to pretend and..." "Then don't." Crystal and the four younger ones all have her a "WHAT!" look. "See, you've got it all wrong. Just answer one question. Which are you really, Crystal or Christopher?" It was like she suddenly saw a miracle, and Crystal's eyes went wide open. "Oh My God, you mean..." "You really are Crystal, aren't you?" She started to cry and nod and made all kinds of "thank you" sounds. "Then you have really been pretending to be Christopher all this time." Matty and I and the others, even Andy, gave her a group hug till she stopped shaking and crying and turned into a great big happy smile. "And I bet you can manage to pretend to be Christopher while we work on how you can become Crystal all the time." I held her as I spoke, and realized deep down that Crystal was as much a girl as Matty, just in a different shell. "But to keep all the adults in the dark, we need to get you back into Christopher mode before they get home." She agreed, and soon Christopher was back. Andy seemed much happier. Zach said he needed some time to think, and asked Polly to come up to his room to talk. I stayed as Joanie, as I often did, and even though Crystal said she was jealous, she kept smiling. Tomorrow was Friday, and we had to warn Crystal that our parents would be home all next week, and we would be stuck doing chores. When she asked if she could come over anyway, Matty said she would be stuck as Christopher, and she looked really sad, but said she would manage. Friday was almost as wet as Thursday. Minutes after the adults left, Crystal, dressed in one of Polly's short wrap skirts and an old blouse, joined the rest of us in finishing off the attic collection. Halfway through, Zach got covered with some soap powder that had spilled in a box of kitchen stuff, and when he came back up after showering, Zelda was back, and smiling. Andy made comments about being the only normal person in the house, and finally agreed he was just a different weird as we were preparing to stuff him in a box and mail it to Grandma in Wisconsin. I was perfectly fine as Jonah in my shorts, so I was sort of the odd one all day. Saturday the weather was clear and sunny, and the six of us begged the four adults to have a barbecue, saying we'd get the grill ready by noon. Once we forced them to agree, or be whined slowly to death over the weekend, Penny headed to town for supplies, and Matty cheered when Jeff suggested we invite Christopher and his parents. I made the call, and Jeff talked to Christopher's dad, who said they'd be over at eleven. The big brick grill on the back patio was clear and ready for the charcoal when Penny arrived just before the Connors. It was a great afternoon. Aside from Chuck turning one batch of hamburgers into hockey pucks. Christopher, as I had to remember to call him, had said very little about his parents. They seemed to be nice people, just really quiet and somewhat shy. His father was an accountant, and his mother turned out to be a secretary for the high school. And his mom brought a whole bunch of fruit and whipped-cream salad that disappeared faster than the hamburgers. I pulled Christopher aside when we were thoroughly stuffed, and asked him if his parents knew about Crystal. He got a really scared look, and motioned me to follow him. We were way out of their sight when he finally stopped. "Mom's caught me wearing her stuff a few times, and really got upset, saying that it was wrong for a boy to dress as a girl." "Do they know about my going to school in a skirt when our house burned down?" He nodded. "They both thought it was really brave of you, and said they couldn't have done something like that no matter how bad things were." I wondered what they would do when Crystal finally made her official debut. "Well, then we're going to have to convince them that it's okay to be pretty. But not today. Ready for some exercise?" "Ready for a nap. Let's get back before they send a search party." When we returned I made sure that the ribbons and things in my hair were neat, and really visible. And briefed Matty on what Christopher had told me. We decided to think about it later, and soon all seven of us were in the family room, sacked out on various pieces of furniture. Asleep. The adults had to wake us to say it was time to clean up, and after Christopher and his parents had headed for home, Rebecca declared us all too full for dinner. Matty and I agreed, and sort-of waddled our way up to our room. Sleep... Chuck and Jeff must have been drill sergeants in a previous life. We did house chores and yard chores and chores to create more chores. Christopher pitched in, and after two days decided that being bored was safer. We asked to join him. Fat chance. So the place was really neat and clean, and we were nearly dead by the next weekend. The one really good thing was Chuck and Penny wanted garage space back, so they made several runs to the dump with the stuff we had labeled trash, and two trips to Reruns with our "to be sold" collection. When they presented us with just over a thousand dollars on Saturday, we were in awe. Matty and I kept a little over four hundred each. And at our parents private urging, we split the other two hundred something dollars five ways, and gave the money to Christopher and our siblings, who thought we were the greatest people in the world. The four younger ones even volunteered to help with the rest of the sorting, for a fee. Monday everyone was back at work, and Crystal was back from vacation minutes after Christopher arrived at our door. So were Joanie and Zelda. We had the day all planned out. Movies, food, and more movies. Andy was acting rather upset most of the morning, and when we finally pinned him down; he said he felt left out. "Hey, like none of us is trying to keep you from having fun." "You all seem so happy to be acting like girls, and..." "You don't have to if you don't want to, it's just something Zelda and I like. Besides, even you agree that Crystal is more real than Christopher." He nodded, but still looked unhappy. "Maybe if I could wear something I liked I might feel different." Matty stared at him in shock. "I hate those funny little skirts and things all you like to wear." He suddenly looked embarrassed, and Matty gave him a gentle hug. "So is there something you want to wear?" Now he turned red, and then managed a nod. "So tell us, and I promise we won't laugh." "I really like those long dresses like the girls on that TV show, Little House on the Prairie, wear." It came out in a rush, and he clammed up and seemed ready to scream. So we held him and said we'd see if we could find something for later in the week. And promised not to laugh. He seemed a bit better when we went back for more cartoons, but even Hilda said he was acting like something was really bugging him. Crystal said she was going to take the first step in letting herself be known to the public just before she changed back to Christopher. And when Christopher left for home, he was wearing a softly colorful ribbon in his hair. Matty and I were worried, but knew he had to do something eventually, and that seemed a fairly safe place to start. Tuesday we cleaned, and Crystal reported some strange looks, but no comments, from her Mom and Dad. The rest of the week the weather was perfect, and every day we headed to town to join up with our friends at the park and wear ourselves to frazzles, then came home and played soccer till dinner. Crystal had to be Christopher the whole time, but each day the ribbons got brighter, and bigger, and she grew a bigger smile. A few of the other kids made rude comments, but Matty dropped the hint it was a family thing and even Zach and Andy joined in. So the comments sort of died off, other than people saying we were weird. Which was fine. We were. Saturday we got together, and convinced Penny and Rebecca that we needed more clothes, and we would buy some of our own if they would provide transportation for the seven of us, since Christopher wanted to come along, to the big thrift shop in Kalamazoo. They agreed, and even said they would kick in thirty dollars for each of us. I whispered to Christopher that I would cover her stuff, and she whispered back she could afford her own. So at noon we arrived at the huge store, and after a short look and some purchases of their own Penny and Rebecca said they had other shopping to do, and would pick us up at two. As soon as they left, we got down to shopping in earnest. The prices were really low, and there was a lot on sale, so we filled a couple of shopping carts. Most was regular stuff for me, Hilda, and Andy, who were still awfully short on everything. But Zach, Crystal, Polly and me collected a bunch of really nice girl's clothes. Finally Andy dragged me to the girl's section, and red- faced, pointed out a small collection of things he had found. Matty had followed us, and smiled when she saw his selection. They were all long peasant or pioneer style dresses, and were really nice. So Matty went and found all the other pieces he needed, like slips and things, and she even got him, blushing furiously, to try on a bunch of girl's shoes and boots till she found several that fit. Then she added some extra clothes in his size without telling him. We hoped we had enough money, and could get everything bagged up before the parents got back. The lady at the checkout seemed amazed at the amount of stuff we were buying, and I explained that we had been burned out a couple of months back. She called someone, who came out and asked us about the fire, and who then told the clerk to give us everything at fifty percent off because we were a charitable cause. WOW! We made it to the door with everything neatly bagged just before Penny and Rebecca returned. And had spent only forty dollars of our own money. Crystal apparently had a large allowance she never used, so she only winced when her total came to a little over a hundred dollars. She didn't catch that some of her things had been added to our baskets. It was a good thing that we brought the big van, but we still wound up with packages of clothes and other stuff at our feet and on our laps. Matty and I said we would take care of washing everything and distributing the clothes to their owners. The adults loved the idea, and we relaxed, knowing they would never expect who were the actual owners of much of the stuff. Monday we, meaning everyone, spent the day in shorts and grungy shirts cleaning and doing laundry. Tuesday was to be a dress-up day, but the weather was too nice, and we headed for town to be with our friends. Even Crystal, who was a complete loner before, now had people who liked being with her, and whose company she enjoyed. As we were playing, some people from the city came by and posted big signs all over that said the park would be closed Wednesday through Friday so they could spray the trees for bugs, and do repairs on the playground. So we all agreed to meet there on Saturday if the weather was good. And played hard all afternoon. Wednesday we waited for Crystal to arrive, and then prepared the upstairs for our fashion show. Andy was as nervous as a grasshopper, but managed to pitch in and help. Then we all showered, and helped each other with our hair and nails. Matty and Polly did the basic makeup, and we were all surprised how well Andy was doing. Meaning he wasn't screaming or foaming at the mouth. Crystal, Matty and I did the first show. A couple of the outfits we got turned out awful, and were consigned to the get-rid-of bin. Crystal was in hog heaven, and modeled feminine outfit after feminine outfit, until Hilda said she was jealous. Zelda had a weird taste in girl's clothes. The outfits mostly looked like she was either going to church, or to a rock concert. But there were a few combinations that looked a lot like what the girls at school usually wore. Polly's new wardrobe was sort-of utilitarian, mostly school stuff, but she had found a couple of nice dresses, and said she was happy. Hilda just giggled a lot and showed off her collection, which reminded me a bit too much of what came with a Barbie doll. When it was Andy's, make that Andrea's turn, there was a lot of silence, and Matty had to help him get dressed. But when Andrea came shyly out of the bathroom in a long, fitted peasant dress with her hair in braids, she was smiling, and Hilda ran to her, saying she was really pretty. And she was. She showed off all four of her special outfits, and at the end started to cry, saying she really felt like one of us again. We hugged and snuggled her until she was back to smiles, and decided to have a formal tea since we were all dressed for the occasion. Polly took the hint, and changed into a dress. It was Andrea, not Crystal, who was the center of attention. It was like Andy had completely vanished, the assertive, downright irritating little pest replaced by a shy, soft-spoken girl. Crystal finally asked her, in front of everyone, why she was acting so different. "I don't have to be like the other boys when I'm like this. I can smile and cry and be afraid and no one will think I'm a sissy." We all stared at her in shock. "Which is why I was so afraid the day Hilda made me wear her skirt. Because I liked the idea, and it made me scared, and as a boy I can't be scared, and..." Zelda gave him a hug. "But being a boy is fun too, right?" Andy nodded. "It's like there is a boy me and a girl me, and they are both me but just different. Does that make sense?" I started to sniffle, because that was exactly how I felt. Zelda echoed the same sentiments, then everyone looked at Crystal, who was nodding her head. "So that is why I was able to live as Christopher all these years without going crazy. I guess there is a boy part of me as well, I just always thought there were two separate people inside, fighting against each other." She seemed to stand taller, and smiled. "So being Christopher to me is sort of like being Zelda to Zach. It is a part of me, but not the part that is most important to who I really am." Zelda and Andrea and I all nodded. "So it appears that all of us have a boy part and a girl part." I looked at the three real girls. "What about you three?" They asked for some time to think, and we agreed that it was a good place to break for lunch. As we were eating Polly spoke up. "It's funny, but I think I've got a really big boy part, 'cause I act a lot like a boy most of the time. Like when I'm trying to run everything and getting upset when other girls don't do their part." She giggled. "And since no one even thinks about a girl wearing jeans, the subject never came up." Hilda echoed her sentiments, but said she had a little tiny boy part. Matty was really quiet, and I started to get worried about her. But she took a deep breath, held my hand, and said it was her turn. "This is really weird, because I usually dress really girly." Everyone nodded and made funny noises and faces, which she ignored. "But I guess in a way I'm a lot like Polly. I'm really happy when I do boy things, and don't have to be soft and cuddly and little miss nice person." She gave me a really sad look. "That is some of why I really like Joanie as much as Jonah. With her I don't have to be all prim and feminine." She paused, and seemed to be having trouble speaking. "And I just realized what all this may mean, so don't anyone freak on me, okay?" We all nodded, and she addressed me. "Joanie, if this bothers you, I can move to another room. See, if what I just figured out is correct, I am probably going to be one of those girls who likes other girls." I stared at her. "In simple terms, I'm probably a lesbian, which means you will hate me and..." She started to run, but I grabbed her and held her while she sobbed. "Matty, you're my friend, and I don't care if you like boys or girls, as long as you like me." She looked up at me, and started to shake. "Besides, I guess I'm nearly as much girl as boy, so..." It was like someone had poured ice water on her. Her eyes snapped open and she grabbed me and started saying how much she loved me. When she finally slowed down she noticed the four younger kids making gagging noises and everyone started to laugh. Then Polly muttered something about the time, and looked at the clock. Several panicked screams later; we dashed upstairs to turn Crystal, Zelda and Andrea back into boys before the parents got home. It was close, but we made it with enough time for the smell of polish remover to dissipate. I stayed as Joanie, but remained in my room, as I had a lot of thinking to do. Over the next few days Matty and I did a lot of talking, and decided that we were too young to worry about sex and homosexuality and things like that. And much too young to make any long-term commitments. So we put the issue on hold, and went back to having a fun summer. It was in late July when Crystal arrived on foot on a Friday morning, without the usual ribbons in her hair, and with fear and depression written all over her tear-streaked face. We managed to get her changed, but the usual happy aura didn't appear, and she simply sniffled and held onto us like she was about to die. "Crystal, what happened?" She tried to say something, and broke down sobbing. So we held her until she finally got her composure, and indicated she was ready to talk. "Last night Mom and Dad blew up at me, and said that no son of theirs was going to go around looking like some fairy. Mom took all my ribbons and pretty things and threw them out, and Dad said that after work today he was going to take me to a barber for a crew cut. They told me to stay at home and not come here, and they were going to have someone come by the house later to keep an eye on me." She paused "And so as soon as they left I grabbed what money I had and decided to run away, but as I headed out of town I knew I couldn't do it alone and so I came here and I don't know what to do and if Dad cuts my hair I'll kill myself and..." The tears started again and we all held her till she cried herself out. I looked at Matty, and she nodded and made dialing motions. I nodded and turned back to Crystal as Matty quietly slipped away. "You don't have to go anywhere. You can stay here with us until we find a way to convince your parents that you are only doing what you need." "They'll call the police and have me arrested, and then they'll lock me up in some hospital and..." "And they won't do anything unless they can find you. Zach, Polly, how long will it take to make that little apartment over the garage ready for Crystal?" They hopped up and ran off without answering. "But they'll ask you if you know where I am, and I don't want you to lie, and..." "And we will tell the truth. That we have not seen Christopher since he came by early this morning and said he was afraid his parents were going to hurt him and was running away." Crystal, Andy, and Hilda gave me funny looks. "I don't see Christopher anywhere. Just a girl we know named Crystal." Andy almost fell over laughing. "And there never really has been a boy named Christopher, he's like the invisible cat in one of my stories, something only his parents could see." We stared at Hilda, and I nodded. "So I won't have to lie, 'cause lying is bad." Crystal gave her a hug and we stared at each other for a few minutes. Zach, Polly, and Matty came back into the living room together. The strain was visible on Matty's face, but she was smiling, and seemed a bit calmer. "How about the four of you helping move Crystal into her new room, cause I need to talk privately with Joanie for a couple of minutes?" There was only a little bit of argument, and the moment we were alone Matty almost collapsed into my arms. "I talked to Penny first, and then she got me onto a conference call with Rebecca. All I told them was that Christopher had run away from home and was afraid of his parents, and threatened to hurt himself, and that we were going to hide him and keep him safe until we could fully explain what was happening and make sure that he would be okay. Penny wanted to call the police, but I managed to make sure she understood there were things she needed to know first, and she would have to hear them from Christopher personally. So Rebecca said she would call Jeff and Chuck, and that we were not to tell anyone anything until they got home this afternoon and had a chance to find out exactly what was going on. She was really worried that Christopher might be dangerous to one of us, and I finally convinced her that the six of us could handle any problems. "Did she say they were coming home early?" "Apparently they are all super-busy, and Penny agreed that unless it got really dangerous, taking some time to cool down would probably be a good idea." When I explained about my idea concerning telling the truth about not having seen Christopher since early this morning, she got a well-needed laugh, and said it was perfect. We went to lock the front door, and then headed via the back hallway and stairs to the apartment over the garage. Crystal was sitting, watching the four smaller kids finish making the bed, and move all of her clothes and things into the closet and dresser. When she saw us she made some motions like she didn't believe what we were doing, so Matty went and held her. When everyone was finished, we sat her on the bed, and Matty, taking a deep breath, told Crystal about her calling our parents. She sort of came unglued, so we held her till she quit shaking, and seemed to accept that nothing would happen until everyone was sure she would be okay. Then she got really freaky again. 'But your parents will think I'm some sort of sick weirdo and throw me out and..." "They didn't freak all that much about Joanie, or my continuing to be Joanie on a regular basis." "And they will be facing Zelda and Andrea when the time comes. 'Cause Zelda and Andrea are also here to stay." Zach was holding Andy, who was nodding. "We know it's really strange, but we like being girls every once in a while. And it doesn't hurt anyone. But do we have to hide here all day? Cause it's lunch-time, and we're hungry!" We trooped down to the kitchen to collect food, and soon were munching assorted sandwiches and chips in the basement as we watched movies. Matty and I got worried when Zelda and Andrea re- appeared in their most feminine forms, but after a lot of discussion, Joanie joined the group, and despite the feeling of impending doom, we all managed to have fun. The doorbell scared us so badly I think Crystal tried to pee herself. Polly and Zelda quickly escorted Crystal up to her room, and Matty and I headed for the front door, which was now being pounded on loudly. I did the honors, not opening the door more than the security chain would allow. As expected there was a policeman at the door. "Hello officer, can I help you?" He looked a bit exasperated. "We are looking for a young boy by the name of Christopher Connors. He has run away from home and his parents believe he might have come here." Matty released the chain, but left the screen door closed and latched. "He was here this morning, right after breakfast, for a couple of minutes, and said his parents threatened him and he was scared his parents were going to hurt him and was running away." I nodded in agreement. "So we called our parents and told them and he disappeared and we haven't seen Christopher since then." It came out perfectly calmly. When the policeman heard the part about threats and fear of being hurt, his expression changed. "Well, if you see him please give us a call. His parents are frantic, and are searching everywhere for him. We would appreciate it if you called us rather than them, and we'll look into why he would be afraid of being hurt." He handed me a card, and headed back to his police car. We closed and locked the door, and after a badly needed hug, ran up to where the others were keeping watch over Crystal. When Matty repeated exactly what she told the officer, the others, including Crystal, broke into nervous laughter. "Remember, that means that Crystal will have to be the only guest here until this whole thing gets worked out." That got her a lot of hugs from Crystal, who promised that Christopher would never come back unless asked. So we went back to movies, and had just realized that Andrea and Zelda needed to change back to Andy and Zach when we heard Penny and Rebecca calling for us. There was no way to get them to their rooms to change, so we decided to do it all together, and dragged a very scared Crystal down the stairs for her debut. We were met by all four parents, whose expressions ranged from pure shock to disbelief. Matty began. "Please, don't say or do anything until we have had a chance to explain. Please?" They managed to nod. "And it is long past time you met Crystal, Andrea, and Zelda. So let's all get together in the living room and we'll try to tell you the whole story." The parents seemed to have trouble navigating, and when we all were finally seated, I got up and started in at the beginning. I was followed by Zelda and then Andrea. She was behaving just like one would expect a girl her age, shy and flighty, but she really made a point when she made it clear that Andrea was a part of Andy that she really liked, and would never give up. Finally it was Crystal's turn. She clung to me and Matty for support, and started. "I've never told anyone, even Joanie, my whole story, so here goes. I'm an only child 'cause something went wrong with mom when I was born and she can't have any more kids. So I guess my mom and dad were really protective of me, and it didn't bother them that I didn't like to do the noisy, physical things that the other little boy-kids my age were doing. "But I didn't not do them 'cause cause of my parents. I always wanted to play with the other girls, and they just didn't understand. I even played dress-up when I could, but one of the girl's moms found out and made a fuss, so I had to quit. But I played house and with their dolls until my dad decided I needed to do the things that other boys did." She looked really unhappy. "I got stuck in cub scouts and Dad made me get my hair cut short and I cried a lot, and was told that boys didn't cry, and then cried some more because I didn't want to be a boy. When I told Dad that I wanted to be a girl, he got all upset and paddled my bottom so hard it was purple. And mom said I had better never, ever, say anything like that again to him." Crystal shuddered, and we held her tighter until she said she was ready to continue. "So I promised myself I would never tell them anything about how I felt, and would pretend to be a boy until I was old enough to run away. But when they were not home I tried on Mom's stuff and it felt so good and wonderful, but she caught me and threatened to tell Dad and that scared me so much that I only did it a few more times, and couldn't stand the fear of being caught. And at school I just tried to be inconspicuous and not be anything, boy or girl." He took a deep breath. "And sort of pushed myself into a shell, and survived." "Then this spring Joanie came to school wearing his sister's clothes and it looked so wonderful that I couldn't keep from telling him I wished I could dress like him, and when he didn't freak or anything I thought there was still hope for me. And when everyone moved out here and Joanie kept dressing up I got really lonely and when my parents agreed to let me come over and play I hoped I would get the chance to really become Crystal. Then that wonderful day when I got soaked and they gave me some of Matty's old clothes to wear it was like the whole world changed and I was who I was really supposed to be. "And they said I could be Crystal anytime I was over, and now I have friends as both Crystal and Christopher, and everything was so wonderful until yesterday, and..." She took a deep breath "and I meant it when I told Joanie that if my Dad makes me cut off all my hair I'll kill myself. For the first time in my life I'm happy and feel like I belong." Everyone stared at her except Matty and me, who were holding her tightly, like we were afraid she was going to hurt herself right then. "Penny, do you think that psycho-whatever friend of yours, Theresa something, would be willing to make an emergency house call?" Jeff had a strained look on his face. "This is way out of control, and the police are not likely to do anything intelligent unless someone who is a professional gives them direction." Penny and Chuck headed out of the room. Jeff looked at Crystal. "So you hate your parents, or do they hate you?" She shook her head. "They just don't understand and they won't listen and..." Jeff waived her to stop. "Then they probably are scared to death you are lost or hurt. Like any of us would be in the same situation. So we need to find a way to let them know you are okay." "But they will come and get me and cut my hair and make me go back to being a boy and..." "No they won't." We stared at Penny and Chuck, who had just returned. "We just got off the telephone with Theresa, who is on her way over here as fast as her car will go. She said we are not to leave Crystal alone under any circumstances, and not to call her parents or the police until she and Crystal have had a chance to talk." Penny had a really grim look on her face. Chuck took over. "Crystal, what if the police say that you have to leave your parents and never go home again if you want to live as Crystal?" She looked frightened, but managed calm herself. "I love Mom and Dad and don't want to leave or hurt them but I can't live any more as Christopher and, well, I don't know what I'd do." Chuck and the other adults came over and hugged her and said they understood and that she was a good kid whether she was Crystal or Christopher. After the tears cleared, Rebecca suggested it was dinnertime, and we should all eat. But at least two of our parents stayed with us, and kept an eye on Crystal. I wondered what they would do if she had to go to the bathroom. We were halfway through our quick dinner when the doorbell rang, and shortly Crystal was introduced to Dr. Theresa Wollman, who we recognized from things she and mom had done together. Crystal almost freaked when Theresa said they needed to talk privately, but we managed to calm her down, and escort them both up to Crystal's little room over the garage. When we left them and came back downstairs, Penny, who looked really stressed, called us all together. "Theresa has already called the police and told them that Crystal, as she calls herself, is both alive and an extreme suicide risk." She waited until that sank in. "She said the way you six handled Crystal's situation this morning was almost perfect. She also said that there is no way Crystal is going home to her parents until she has had a complete psychological evaluation, and her parents are able to accept her for what she is. If necessary she will have the police will place her in protective custody and turn the whole thing over to the family court for resolution." "But that will mean Crystal will be isolated from everyone, and..." Penny stared Zelda down. "Crystal is in great danger from herself. And maybe even from her parents. Theresa said that half the kids like her, if Crystal is what Theresa thinks she is, try to commit suicide." Several of us looked sort of green, and Andrea started to cry, so Jeff picked her up and held her. "The good news is that they know how to work with kids like her a lot better now than they did a few years ago. So her chances are good. And she has friends, meaning all of you, who accept her as a girl. But then there is also the matter of Jonah, Zach and Andy." We stared nervously at her. Chuck took over. "It is not all that uncommon for boys to enjoy wearing girls clothes, but to fully take the role of girls in social settings is rather rare. Especially kids your age. Theresa is worried that, with the exception of Jonah, what Zach and Andy are doing is a form of imitation, and could be the sign of other problems." They looke