The Price Of Friendship free porn video

The Price of Friendship By The Professor I was just in the middle of my junior year at Cal State Fullerton when the dot com industry hit the wall. I mention that as a turning point in my life for two reasons - one is how I thought it would affect my life and the other is how it really did affect it. I'll explain the first reason first. I was a Computer Sciences major in those days. I was born the week IBM unveiled the personal computer, so I guess I could boast that I just grew up with computers. From the time my parents bought me an Atari 800 to play games on, I was hooked. Before you could say Space Invaders, I was actually programming my own games using cumbersome Atari machine language. By the time I reached high school, I was supercharging all the Macs in the computer lab to do things even my teachers didn't think they could do. Naturally by college, I was destined to be a computer whiz. With dot coms all the rage, I seemed to have a bright future in front of me - especially since I wasn't exactly the stereotypical computer geek. Reasonably good looking and passably athletic, I expected to start my own company, generate an IPO, and retire a multimillionaire all before the age of thirty. I might have made it too, in spite of the nosedive the industry took - except for the second reason I mentioned. The second reason involved the house next door to mine. Well, I suppose I should say the house next door to my parents' house. My dad made his money the old-fashioned way - he inherited it from his dad. Well, really he inherited the company, a firm headquartered in Wyatt's Grove, the town we lived in. Dad's company made casters - those little gadgets at the base of wheeled carts used by everyone from highly-paid technicians on their lab carts to street people pushing supermarket shopping carts. In other words, he made something everybody needed, and it meant a good lifestyle for our family. Our house was worth seven figures on the market, but that's a low seven figures. This wasn't one of the monster houses Southern California was famous for, but it was large enough to be impressive and was located in the right neighborhood. Of course, all of Wyatt's Grove was the right neighborhood. The little town had become a refuge for the well-to-do, another expensive suburb that had helped to make Orange County the hotbed of Republican politics on the West Coast. Of the four houses on the stately cul-de-sac where I lived with my parents, all had pools and two (but not ours) even had tennis courts. The house right next to ours was undoubtedly the most expensive, sporting a four-car garage, built-in HDTV, pool and one of those tennis courts, gazebo, and lots of other toys. Maury Wilcox and his wife had built the place just after the IPO for his dot com had put fifty million dollars in the company and a substantial amount of that had trickled into his pocket. Good old Maury was sitting on top of the world - for about two years. To make a long story short, Maury Wilcox lived well, parlaying his little dot com into a "market force" until he sold out to an even larger dot com. Maury just made one mistake - he sold out for stock. When the dot coms got trashed, his millions became thousands and the grand house he had built became an albatross around his financial neck. So I wasn't at all surprised one cool February day to see the moving vans in front of his house carting away all that remained of the Wilcox fortune. "I'm not surprised," my father said with just a bit of smugness in his voice. He was sitting with us for a usual weekday's breakfast of bagels, orange juice and coffee as he watched the movers over the top of the morning's Orange County Register. "I told you Maury's company was a flash in the pan. Didn't I tell you, Donna, that his company was a flash in the pan?" My mother didn't even bother to look up from the cinnamon bagel she was slathering with low-fat cream cheese. "Yes, you did, Paul," she agreed. I smiled inwardly as I treated myself to a bite of my own bagel. Dad may not have thought much of Maury or his company, but Dad had lost a tidy chunk of change on high-tech stocks over the last few months. Oh, we still had plenty left. After all, the caster business wasn't exactly high-tech, and it seemed as if everyone still needed casters even if they didn't need web sites. I imagine Dad was like a lot of businessmen - just a wee bit smug about how his relatively low-tech enterprise continued to chug along while every dot com in sight seemed to be crashing in flames. So the house next door sat vacant for a few days. Well, not entirely vacant, I supposed. My girlfriend from Cal Fullerton, Tanya Daly, and I made use of it on Saturday night, or at least the pool, for a midnight swim. "We shouldn't be doing this," she whispered to me as I pulled the top of her bikini off. We lay together on the lawn a few feet from the pool. "Your family has a perfectly good pool." "True," I agreed, "but we might disturb my parents." She giggled at that. Actually, I was a little sensitive about living at home. Many of my friends had already graduated from college and had their own apartments by now. A couple had even bought homes. There I was still living with my parents. I had taken a year off to bum around Europe and do some serious skiing while I was there. Then I took another year off from school to do some sailing with a friend of mine who needed crew for his charter in the Caribbean. Who was I to say no? So when I came back to go to school, my parents offered me the opportunity to live at home. In return, they paid all my tuition and bought me a car - a sweet Mustang GT - to commute to school. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Of course, that was before I realized what a damper it would put on my love life. Don't ever try having sex in a Mustang unless you and your girl are contortionists. There just isn't enough room. And besides, as I quickly found out, college girls are a little more sophisticated than the mattress queens from high school. College girls actually expect to be taken back to an apartment for a long evening of foreplay and lovemaking rather than a quick bang in the back seat. Unfortunately I didn't have an apartment, and neither did Tanya. Like me, she lived at home. So that meant our lovemaking had to be, shall we say... opportunistic. And what could be more opportunistic than the neighbor's pool? It was actually a little dangerous as well as being romantic, and that appealed to both of us. I thought sometimes Tanya must be part Gypsy with her olive complexion and her dark, curly hair. And like the Gypsies, she seemed to live life of the edge. Having sex in dangerous places, which had already included a classroom at Cal Fullerton and her parent's own bed seemed to turn her on. So making love on the neighbor's back lawn next to their pool was just what she craved. "What if somebody sees us?" I whispered to her as she tugged off my trunks. Of course, I really didn't expect that to happen. It was dark and the fences were fairly high. The residents of Wyatt's Grove expected privacy and were able to pay for it. I only asked the question because I knew it would turn her on. "Then we'll have to put on a good show," she breathed, squeezing my cock as I pulled the bottom of her suit off. Of course, while there was little chance of us being seen, a casual passerby might easily have heard us. Tanya was not exactly quiet at making love. I suppose I made a bit of noise, too. "God, that was good, Darren!" Tanya sighed when we finished. I smiled. Actually, I had been rather proud of my performance, if I do say so. If I had been any better, Tanya would have aroused the entire neighborhood. I had met Tanya at the start of my junior year. Well, I suppose that isn't quite true. We were in high school together but I never really knew her there. She was a sophomore when I was a senior, and to be completely honest, she had been a late bloomer. When I was reintroduced to her in a class at Cal, I hadn't even remembered her. Now it would be hard to ever forget her. Let's make one thing perfectly clear: Tanya and I were madly in lust but not madly in love. We both knew that so neither of us was duping the other. We made love like minks but we fought like alley cats sometimes. It just wasn't the sort of relationship to plan a long-term marriage around. Tanya had her career goals and I had mine. Neither of our goals included marriage - at least for the foreseeable future. "Maybe we should try to get inside and do it again," she suggested. "I'd love to," I said honestly, "but the house is alarmed. I don't know the code even if I had the key." Our conversation was interrupted by a sudden creak, which seemed to come from inside the house. It's a good thing it hadn't happened before we made love or I would have wilted in a heartbeat. "What was that?" I asked nervously. Unlike Tanya, I didn't like the idea of being discovered while making love. Tanya laughed, "It's probably just the house settling. Look for yourself." I turned and looked back at the house. Sure enough, everything was quiet, although I couldn't really make out anything in the darkness inside the house. Just for a moment, I thought I saw the outline of someone small, a young girl perhaps, but I realized almost at once that it must have been my imagination, for the outline merged with the darkness to form the shape of a tree in the window beyond the one I was looking into. With a meaningless shrug, I lay back down. "Who's moving in?" she asked as we lay together naked on the beach towel I had smuggled over from our house. "Beats me," I shrugged again. The real estate sign out front had a big white banner with red letters on it that said, "Sold," so we knew someone had bought it. "Whoever it is, maybe they'll have a cute daughter." "Bastard!" "A cute rich daughter," I amended. "Yeah, but will she do the deed like I do?" Tanya wanted to know, laughing. I laughed, too, and one thing led to another. And that led to something else again. God, that was a good night! I didn't have to wait long to find out who was moving in. Monday morning as I was getting ready to drive to classes, there was a moving van waiting out front, its engine idling away. The van told me nothing, though. Usually, a moving van touts its home city in prominent letters along the side of the trailer, but this van was completely devoid of any markings. The metal was silver, shining almost with the appearance of an expensive car rather than a van. I couldn't even read the state the tractor was licensed in since it sported a nondescript white plate with black letters that could have been almost any state. Two movers, both big burly men were setting up a ramp at the back of the truck. From their size, I knew they'd have our new neighbors moved in, in no time. I waived at them as I pulled away. One of them, a huge guy with an almost comically feminine face and long copper hair, waived back. Looking in the back of the van as I drove away, I could see what appeared to be a disassembled white canopy bed. Maybe with any luck they really would have a cute, rich daughter, I thought. It gave me something to fantasize about as I drove off to school. By the time I returned home, the van was just pulling away. A couple of fine cars were parked in front of the house - a black BMW 740i and one of the new little Lexus hardtop convertibles in white. Considering the fact that the two cars had a combined worth of about a hundred and forty thousand dollars, I decided our new neighbors would fit into Wyatt's Grove just fine. I parked my Mustang in the driveway since I might be going out later. Tanya was going out to eat with her parents but we had talked about getting together later. It wasn't a date cast in stone though. I was in such a rush I didn't even notice the figure standing just across the property line maybe twenty feet away. "Hi." The voice was sweet and feminine - the sort of voice I liked to hear, even if it did sound just a little on the young side. I looked up and saw her for the first time. The first word that came to my mind was "cute." The second word was "young." Let's take them one at a time. She was definitely cute. Her hair was honey blonde, tied into a long ponytail. She had that healthy tan so many California girls enjoyed, and from what I could see of her considerably exposed skin, it was the sort of even tan that comes from basking in the sun with very little on. Her top was white spandex, doing little to hide well developed if not entirely mature breasts. The denim shorts she must have had trouble pulling up over her nice hips were short enough to please any typical young male, such as me. She was barefoot, showing off little pink- painted toes and a couple of ankle bracelets. In short, she was a fine looking girl. Now to the other part of the impression - the young part. I guessed her age at no more than fifteen, and as I found out later, I was right on the number. Unfortunately she was a little young for me, but that didn't mean I couldn't look. "Hi," I replied with a smile I hoped looked more brotherly than lecherous. "I'm Dannie," she said, approaching me with a small outstretched hand. "It's short for Danielle, but nobody calls me that. It's just Dannie Winters." "Darren Post," I replied, taking her small hand in mine. "Dannie and Darren," she said with a smile. "That's easy to remember." I found myself hoping Dannie had an older sister - someone about my age. If she had an older sister who looked anything like her, I might find living with my parents just a little more palatable. "We just moved in," she said, stating the obvious. "Oh sure," I commented banally. "You have any brothers or sisters?" Did I sound too hopeful? She shook her head. "Nope. Just me and my parents. How about you?" "I have an older brother," I told her. "He's married though and lives down in San Diego." "Aw, too bad," she said. "I was hoping maybe you had a sister - you know, somebody about my age." I flushed a little, realizing I had been hoping the same thing but for a different reason. If only she had had an older sister... "You know," she continued, "it's tough starting school in the middle of the year. It would have been nice to know something about the school." "Well, I might be able to help you a little," I allowed. "I went to high school here in Wyatt's Grove. Most of the teachers who are there now were there when I was in school, so I can tell you about them." Her face, which had looked a little sad a moment earlier, brightened considerably. "Hey, that would be great! I don't have to start for a few days, but I've got to decide what I'm going to take before then. Maybe you could come over later. We could sit out by the pool and you could tell me about school." "Well..." Oh come on," she pleaded. "After all, I know you like our pool." With that, she smiled a strange little smile and ran back to the house. "Come on over after dinner!" What did she mean by that comment about the pool? I wondered. I shrugged it off. It was probably just a casual remark. After all, Maury Wilcox had built what was by far the nicest pool in the neighborhood. One thing Mom always insisted was that we eat as a family. When Bud, my older brother, was still home, the four of us nearly always ate together, and now that Bud was gone, the tradition continued. Mom was a stay-at-home Mom and a damned good cook, so there was plenty of incentive for Dad and me to be at the dinner table on time. "Save some room," Dad warned me with a chuckle as I shoveled an extra helping of Mom's special meat loaf on my plate. "There's peach pie out there for desert." "That's not our pie," Mom said primly as she shot me a disapproving glance over my table manners. Dad's balding forehead wrinkled in a combination of puzzlement and disappointment. "It's not for that church bazaar, is it?" "That's next week," she informed him. "The pie is for the Winters family." "Winters?" Dad repeated in confusion. "Oh, next door," I told him. "Darren, don't talk with your mouth full." "Sorry, Mom." "I wasn't aware that you had met Sarah and Bill," Mom said to me. "I didn't," I replied, assuming that Sarah and Bill were Dannie's parents. "But I met their daughter." Dad grinned. "That figures. Is she cute?" "Very." "But a little young for you," Mom said with an obvious note of disapproval. "True," I admitted. "I guess she's about fifteen. But I did offer to help her pick some classes over at the high school - since I know most of her new teachers." Mom smiled. "That's very nice of you. Then you can both go with me when I deliver the pie." So after we got the kitchen cleaned up, we prepared to go next door for the official meeting of the new neighbors. "Now I'll warn you," Mom said, stopping us before we could walk out the door. "Sarah and Bill are just a little odd." "Just a little?" I mocked. "Yes," she replied, ignoring my witticism. "They both seem a little nervous. I suppose it's moving to a new neighborhood and all." "Where are they from?" Dad asked. "I'm not sure," was her answer. "I think I saw California plates on their cars, but Sarah didn't say where they were moving from. Bill is into investments and works out of his home, so I guess they can live wherever they choose." "He must be into some damned good investments to be able to afford Maury Wilcox's house," Dad commented. "Now don't get started on business," Mom cautioned him as we crossed the lawn to the Winters' new house. "I was just thinking maybe he could steer me into some good investments," Dad mumbled, ignoring Mom's commanding stare. I saw just what Mom meant about the new neighbors when Dannie's mother opened the door. She had a hesitant - almost frightened - look on her face until she spotted Mom. "Oh, hello... Donna!" I could almost sense her tension dissipate as she asked us in. Her husband, Bill, was right behind her. Mom handled the introductions and we were invited in to a living room, which was surprisingly well ordered given that they had just moved in. Bill was quiet, letting Dad do most of the talking. Actually, that suited Dad just fine since talking was what he enjoyed doing most. Of course, Mom got her share of the conversation in, too, telling Dannie's parents everything she could think of about their new town. It was all pretty normal and low-key, but I noticed after a few minutes that any questions my parents asked their new neighbors were either vaguely answered or deflected entirely. As I sat there trying to be quietly sociable for about ten minutes, I began to realize that I still knew nothing about Bill and Sarah Winters except their names. One thing I did notice about them though was that they were a very attractive couple. Bill had the look of a man who would be equally at home in the boardroom or on the deck of a sailboat, with his tanned California casualness. His wife, Sarah, was very attractive, and I could see where Dannie got her good looks. She had the same honey blonde hair her daughter enjoyed, and with her warm brown eyes and youthful face, she could have had some of my own friends howling at the moon with one of her smiles. There was one thing I did find odd about Sarah Winters, though. Unlike most good-looking women I had seen, she seemed almost uncomfortable with her appearance. When Mom said something to her about liking her hair and suggesting a hairdresser she might like, our new neighbor looked almost embarrassed for some unknown reason. And when Mom said something about how "cute" her little overshort outfit looked, she actually turned red and seemed to be fussing with the hem of the denim shorts as if to make them stretch further over her smooth legs. "Hi." I was brought out of my reverie by a sweet, feminine voice. "Hi, Dannie." Our parents heard us and another round of introductions was made. But when Dannie's mom got around to me, she ventured, "And it sounds as if you two have already met." Dannie giggled. "Yeah, Mom. Darren is going to help me pick out what courses I should take since he went to high school here." "That's very nice of you, Darren," her mother said cautiously. Something was bothering her; it was easy to see. "And he's going to be my best friend," she added. Sarah Winters' face suddenly turned pale. "Dannie honey..." "Oh don't worry, Mom," Dannie said brightly. "It'll be all right." I was a little unsettled by their conversation to say the least. Of course, I could understand her mother's concern. There I was - over twenty-one years old and an adult by any measure of the law. Dannie was scarcely more than a child, really. At fifteen, she wasn't that far away from pigtails and dolls and Mary Janes. But she was a well-developed fifteen; anyone could see that. And I wasn't so old that I didn't remember being fifteen and watching girls my age awakening sexually. And since girls seemed to mature faster than boys, it wasn't that hard for a fifteen year old girl to be more infatuated with a guy my age rather than her contemporaries. "I'm just helping her learn who the best teachers are. It shouldn't take too long," I assured her mother. What I was trying to get across to her was that I had no lecherous interest in her daughter. Her eyes didn't signal me that she was relieved, though. But then again, she didn't seem to be looking at Dannie with motherly concern either. I noted she also caught her husband's eye and saw strange concern there as well. "Well, come on," Dannie said, impulsively grabbing my large hand in her dainty one. "We can talk out by the pool." "Dannie..." he mother began tentatively. Dannie rolled her eyes. "Oh mom, we're just going to talk." For some reason, that seemed to relieve her mother - a little at least. Of course I would have imagined that her mother would be more concerned about what I had in mind instead of what her daughter had planned. I tried not to think of her sexually as she led me to a pair of white wrought iron chairs placed next to a matching table. It was hard to do. It's strange how society thinks nothing of a six year age differential among a couple, say, in their twenties or beyond. But a twenty-one year old and a fifteen year old getting too close was obviously frowned upon. Not that I was interested in a relationship with Dannie. After all, I had Tanya and who could ask for more? In fact, I recalled, Tanya and I had enjoyed ourselves in front of this very pool only a day or so before. "Tell me about the neighborhood," she requested, handing me an icy can of Diet Coke before she sat down, taking a sip of her own can. I looked at the can strangely. Diet Coke was my drink of preference, but how had she known that? For that matter, where had the can come from? As we had walked to the pool, she had been holding my hand. And I hadn't noticed her carrying the cans in her other hand. I was sure the table had been bare when we came out, so the cans couldn't have been there... "Is something wrong? Would you rather have a beer?" "Oh! No, this is fine," I managed to say. "I just..." "You were about to tell me all about the neighborhood." I was? "Oh, sure. Well, the Logans live on the other side of us." "Any kids?" she asked, taking another sip. "No, they're both doctors and I don't think they're ever together long enough to start a family. You know how it is with doctors; they're busy all the time." "That's sad," she mused. I shrugged. I had briefly toyed with the idea of becoming a doctor, but my interest in biological sciences had always been outweighed by my interest in computers. Besides, it was too late now. I had played around a bit in high school, and my college work would hardly qualify me for medical school. "I think it's by choice. I really don't know them very well. They moved here after I started college." "And how about the house next to ours?" I laughed. "Oh, that's... well, uh... two business partners live there. They have a high-end antique store over in Laguna Beach and another one in San Diego." She looked at me with amusement. "Business partners?" "Well..." "Darren," she sighed, leaning back in her chair. "I'm fifteen, for God's sake, and I wasn't raised in a convent - at least not exactly. Are you trying to tell me that they're gay?" Olin Palmer and Frank Kelly could have been the Advocate's Couple of the Year if the magazine had such an award. Neither was what I would call "flaming" and they stayed to themselves. Even my socially conservative father had once remarked that at east their presence meant there wouldn't be a bunch of unsupervised screaming children at the far end of the cul-de-sac. "Yes, they're gay," I finally admitted. "What a waste," she commented, as if she had seen them. Maybe she had. Both Olin and Frank were good-looking guys. Even I could tell that. "And beyond their house?" she asked. I started to say that there were only four houses on the cul-de-sac, but that wasn't right - there were five. How could I have forgotten about the Shaws? Carter Shaw even worked out at the same gym I sometimes frequented, and Melissa Shaw with her long, copper hair was not to be forgotten, even if she was probably in her mid-thirties. What a body! "The Shaws have lived there about four years," I told her, surprising myself as I rattled off details of the couple almost like a computer spitting out a report. Dannie didn't see to take notice, though, listening to me patiently as I recited. It was funny that I had forgotten the Shaws. Their house was al the way around on the cul-de-sac - the first house anyone passed entering our little street. When I thought about it, I could visualize the Shaw's impressive house easily, but just for a moment, I could also visualize an empty lot where their house stood. "Well, then that's it," Dannie said, smacking her hand down on the table. "You and I are the only young people on the street. We'll have to be best friends." I know my mouth must have fallen open. It was such a strange statement from a girl who seemed to be as odd as she was attractive. "Dannie... I'm a little..." I started to say "old", but it was hard to think of myself as being old at my age. "Don't worry. It's not important," she laughed, almost as if she knew what I was thinking. Maybe she did. "Now tell me about the high school." Relieved to move on to that subject, I gave her a rundown of what she could expect when she started classes. Of course, I knew few of the students now. The only ones I knew were the younger brothers and sisters of my former classmates. For that matter, Tanya had a sister who was fifteen. I made a mental note to try to introduce them soon. But I was able to tell Dannie which teachers were the best and which should be avoided if possible. I could also give her a heads up on places that were considered cool and those that weren't - or at least as of four years ago. "Ready to go, Darren?" It was my mother calling me. Apparently our parents had decided to call it an evening, so now it was my turn. After all, it wouldn't do to leave me out in the dark by the pool alone with an attractive young woman. Thinking back to my recent activities with Tanya by that same pool, I suppose leaving was a good idea. "Gotta go," I said, feigning reluctance. In fact, I was ready to leave. As we had talked, Dannie was getting more and more intimate - in the non-sexual use of that word - with me. It was starting to make me feel a little uncomfortable. I could tell she was starved for a friend. It was only natural, I supposed. Her family had moved her to a strange town where she knew no one, and to make matters worse, they had moved her to a neighborhood that was devoid of any young people her own age. If I had been fifteen, I fantasized for a moment, I could be the boy next door. At fifteen, I would have loved to have a girl like Dannie next door, even if she was a little odd. She was attractive enough that I could have put up with odd. "See you tomorrow," Dannie replied with a grin. I returned the grin but secretly hoped I could avoid her tomorrow and a lot more tomorrows before things got out of hand. I was afraid she was developing a crush on me. In retrospect, that was probably just my male ego talking - considering what did happen later. Dannie's mother gently touched my arm and indicated that I should fall back for a second as her husband chatted at the door with my parents. She looked around to make sure Dannie had stayed by the pool. "Darren," she began just above a whisper, "you need to stay away from Dannie." I felt my face flush. "Now wait a minute, Mrs. Winters. Dannie is very nice looking but - " "Darren!" she said sharply, cutting me off. Then more quietly, she continued, "That's not what I mean. You don't have to defend yourself. I just think Dannie... How can I explain this? She's... different. You don't want her to get attached to you. The consequences are... well... I can't explain it. Just please, Darren, promise me you'll avoid her." "Like the plague," I blurted out, harsher than I had planned. To my surprise, she nodded and replied, "Good!" "Dannie seems like a nice girl," Mom said as we walked back into our own house. I grunted noncommittally. Mom looked at me in surprise as we walked inside. "But you seemed to get along with her so well. The two of you were chatting by the pool for over an hour." Had it really been that long? "Isn't she a little young for you to be pushing me toward her?" I asked Mom. She blushed. "That isn't what I mean." "Bill is a fine guy," Dad chimed in, oblivious to the repartee between my mother and me. "Did you know he's an investment counselor? That's where he's made his money. I'm thinking about throwing in with him - letting him manage my portfolio. Why, he's actually been making money in a down market. The man almost seems to know what the market is going to do before it does it." "And Sarah is very nice, too," Mom added, a little relieved to move the subject away from Dannie. "Although she's a little odd..." "Odd? How?" Dad asked. I was curious, too. Since I considered Dannie a little odd, what had Mom picked up on with her mother? Had she warned my mother to stay away from Dannie, too? Why? "Oh, I don't know," Mom said as she settled into her favorite chair in the den and picked up her latest sewing project. "She just acts a little... mannish." "Mannish?" Dad laughed. "In a package like that? Do you think she's butch or something?" "Oh good lord, no!" Mom gasped. "I mean, did you notice the way she and Bill looked at each other? I thought we'd better leave so they could get on to..." Her voice trailed off as she noticed I was still in the room. Mustn't say such things in front of the children, eh Mom? Poor Mom. There I was, a twenty-one year old man - almost twenty two - who had lost his virginity at the tender age of seventeen. But in her mind, I'd probably always be her little boy. I grinned. "Well, I have classes tomorrow. I'd better get some sleep." But I didn't go right to sleep. I don't think anyone would have been able to sleep in my bed with the show that was going on next door. Now let me make one thing very clear: I'm not a voyeur. But there are some things that just can't be ignored. As I lay in bed starting to drift off to sleep, one of those things happened. One of the windows in my room looked directly out at the Winters' master bedroom. Oh, their window was partially shielded by a couple of trees, but the trees hadn't as yet grown big enough or thick enough to hide the window completely. And of course, when there was a light in their bedroom, images from within the room at night were as clear as they would be watching a television. Not that this was any great advantage for me, even if I had been a voyeur. When Maury Wilcox and his wife had owned the house, the blinds in their bedroom were always drawn at night. I think it's one of those things women do instinctively to discourage Peeping Toms. Men never seem to be quite as aware of it. Or maybe men have more inclination to be exhibitionist and don't fear Peeing Thomasinas, if there are any. It seems that Sarah Winters didn't have that normal feminine instinct. The light she had left on in her bedroom was a small one, but it was enough to attract my attention. I rose up out of bed to see what was going on and was surprised to see Dannie's mother completely in the nude standing just a few feet from the window. Okay, I have to admit, I was tempted to use my binoculars. After all, Sarah Winters might be almost as old as my mother, but she sure didn't look like my mother. Her body looked young and firm, her breasts large and inviting as her hips swayed in a most provocative manner. She could have passed for late twenties if I hadn't known she had a fifteen year old daughter. She was walking into her husband's arms. He was naked as well, but who cared? I heard her mutter something to him through the open window, but I was too far away to hear. As I watched, she pulled him down to the bed. If I wanted, I could have watched the whole show, and I have to admit, I wanted to. I was becoming hard as a rock as I sat there on the side of my bed watching them make love. Damn, I needed Tanya! This was just too much, sitting there watching the new neighbors make love. I think I might have rushed into the bathroom to do something about it if it hadn't been for the giggle. It was the sound of a young girl, carried on the evening breeze. And it seemed to be coming from just behind me. Feeling icy fingers of imagination playing up and down my bare back, I turned quickly. There seemed to be an image dark on darker on the other side of my bed, but my night vision was too weakened by watching the neighbors make love with their bedroom light on. Then the image vanished and I was alone. The image looked a little like the one I had perceived when Tanya and I were making love by the neighbor's pool. I hadn't recognized the shape then, but I did now, just as I recognized the giggle. It was Dannie. "Did you enjoy watching last night?" Somehow, I wasn't surprised to see Dannie waiting for me as I hustled out to my car to get to classes the next morning. I had hoped to avoid her, even stretching my head outside the door to make sure the coast was clear. Dannie had an annoying habit of appearing out of nowhere. It was eerie to say the least, and even the bright warmth of the California sun couldn't dispel my feeling that something wasn't right next door. "I don't know what you're talking about," I replied gruffly as I threw my books in the back seat. I was feeling those cold chills on my back again. Who was this girl who looked so sweet and innocent one minute and so nefarious the next? Whatever she had done to me the night before with her ghostly presence had sapped everything out of me in an instant. As I lay back down in bed, a cover over my head in spite of the warm evening, I felt as if I could never get hard again - that's how frightening it was. I just lay there involuntarily listening to the grunts and moans of the lovemaking going on next door. "Sure you do," she grinned confidently as I tried to ignore her. "I thought Mom and Dad did very well last night, didn't you?" I turned to her, trying to look big and brave, but in fact, I was becoming very frightened of this young girl. "Look, I don't know what's going on - " "Would you like to?" she interrupted, her innocent eyes dancing with mischief. Did I want to know? There was something very strange going on in the Winters' home, and I was being dragged into it against my will. Why me? I suppose the answer was obvious if I just thought about it. If she had somehow been in her house when Tanya and I were there by the pool, she knew who I was. I had violated her home in a way - certainly enough to come to her notice. And there was the fact that I was the only person on the cul-de-sac even remotely close to her age. I flattered myself into thinking she might even have a little bit of a crush on me. But I didn't want her attention. I didn't want to be her friend - or at least not a close friend who she seemed to need and crave. Why couldn't there have been another girl on the cul-de-sac - someone near her age? If there had been, she wouldn't be the object of her attention, would I? "Would you like to know?" she asked again. "I have to get to class," I mumbled, not really answering her question. It was with a sense of relief that I saw her in my rearview mirror, still standing there, receding in the distance as I drove away. But I could swear I could still see a grin on her face, and I knew she wasn't finished with me yet. Perhaps she hadn't even started. I was so shaken I nearly creamed Mr. Shaw who was just backing his silver Mercedes out of the driveway as I shot past. It was hard to keep my mind on my classes that day. And as a Computer Sciences major in upper division courses, it was hard to not embarrass myself since the classes were small and the instructors usually knew each of us fairly well. One of my instructors even asked me after class if everything was all right. I lied and told him everything was fine. Why was I being intimidated by a fifteen year old girl? Oh sure, she had managed to spook me somehow and her mother had intimated that I should stay away. Of course, I thought, that could just be the motherly impulse of trying to keep an older, experienced man away from her sexually- awakening daughter, couldn't it? "Darren, are you okay?" Tanya's voice brought me back to my surroundings. I had been standing there in front of my last classroom just staring into space, I guess. "Yeah, I'm fine," I lied again. Then truthfully, "I just didn't sleep well last night." She grinned. "Poor baby. You slept just fine with me the other night." I grinned back. "Yeah, that was sweet." "Want to do it again tonight?" I shrugged. "If we can find a place. Our new neighbors moved in." She looked a little disappointed as we walked together to the next class that we shared. "I might be able to arrange something. Kellie Warring is staying with Brady tonight and I might be able to borrow her place." For the first time that day, I actually felt good. "That would be great," I told her as we walked into our class. "Pick me up at seven," she said, the sultriness of her voice leaving to doubt that by seven thirty, we'd be on the sheets. Tanya had done so much for my spirits that by the time I got home from classes at three, I had pretty much forgotten my concern about Dannie. I wondered if she'd be waiting for me as she had been earlier. To my relief, she wasn't. The only person outside on our cul-de-sac was Melissa Shaw, out watering her flower garden. The day was warm to be so early in the year, and Mrs. Shaw was taking full advantage of it, her body well displayed in a tank top and tight shorts that showed off her magnificent body. She favored me with a smile and a feminine wave, her long hair wafting in the light breeze. I waved back, wondering how I had almost forgotten about the Shaws when I was telling Dannie about the neighborhood. One other thing caught my eye and triggered an odd thought as I was waving at Mrs. Shaw. I kept noticing how her copper-colored hair shone and how it reminded me of something... Then I remembered: the movers. Melissa Shaw's hair was exactly the same shade as the big moving guy's hair - the one I thought looked a little effeminate (in the face at least). What a weird coincidence, I thought. It wasn't every day that you saw such a striking red color in someone's hair, and to see it on two such disparate people was really odd. Not that "odd" should have bothered me. Everything seemed odd since the Winters family moved in. I had the house to myself as I walked in. That wasn't really unusual. Dad had his business and Mom had what seemed like never-ending social obligations. She was probably over at the Persimmon Hills Country Club chairing a committee on some worthy cause or another. It was a quiet time I'd usually use to study before dinner. That left me with the evenings free, and I had a date with Tanya that had Little Darren already trying to stand at attention. As I sat up in my room, I found it hard to relax. I kept expecting to hear Dannie's mischievous giggle from across the yard, or look out and see her looking up at my room. Or worse yet, I might feel her presence in my room. I sighed putting down my textbook. I was getting carried away I chastised myself. Dannie hadn't been in my room - or in the house the previous weekend watching Tanya and me. It was just my imagination running wild. I had been working too hard, trying to do well in school. Dannie just had a natural devilishness in her and I was biting at her every playful whim like a hungry fish on a baited hook. Why, she wasn't even there, I imagined. She was probably out with her parents or something. The Winters house seemed quiet and peaceful. I looked back at my textbook: A network is said to consist of... HI, DARREN! DID YOU MISS ME? WHEN I GET HOME, WE CAN PLAY! ...two or more computers linked by... My heart leaped up into my throat. I squeezed my eyes shut, then looked back at the text. There was nothing there but a verbose description of a computer network. But I had seen the message, and I knew it was from her. My mind tinged with new fear, I threw the textbook across the room. There would be no studying today. Slipping my shoes back on, I ran to the kitchen, left a note for Mom telling her I wouldn't be there for dinner. I had to get away from the house - and quickly. I was frightened out of my wits. The more distance I could put between me and Dannie Winters the better I would feel. What was I dealing with? I asked myself as I drove over to Grove Center, the regional mall that served our town and several others in the area. A witch? No, that was stupid. Witches didn't exist except in fairy tales. But if she wasn't a witch, what was she? What kind of a girl could spook a guy substantially bigger than she was? How could she be watching me and not really there at all? How could she salt that message in the middle of my textbook - and then make it disappear? Who says there's no such thing as witches? I got out of my car still flustered and practically ran into the mall. I wanted to be surrounded by people - lots and lots of people. I never wanted to be alone again. The mall was predictably slow for a workday afternoon, but I knew business would pick up as people stopped off for after-work errands and maybe a bite of dinner. I just spent my time walking around, looking in the windows pretending I was killing time, maybe before meeting someone. I suppose that's exactly what I was doing in a way. I'd grab something to eat just before I picked up Tanya, I thought, idly looking in the window of a... Shit! I was just standing there staring at the mannequin in the window. It was wearing a dusty rose (now how did I know that?) tank top and a very, very short denim skirt. And I had been looking at it with apparent interest. No, not sexual interest; the mannequin was just one of those impressionistic headless displays. I mean I was looking at the clothing as if I was intensely interested in the outfit. I heard a girl giggle. My face turned red at once; I thought I had been caught by some girl who had been strolling down the mall and noticed my interest. With my luck, it would be some girl I knew from school - some girl who would tell Tanya about how her boyfriend was into teenybopper outfits. Reluctantly I turned around. To my surprise, there was no one there. Oh, I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised. The giggle was familiar, wasn't it? A shiver went up my spine. I couldn't get away from her. Dannie was like a malevolent spirit, attaching herself to me and watching my every move. No, that couldn't be right, could it? It had to be paranoia. It couldn't be Dannie's giggle I rationalized. Dannie was nowhere in sight. It must have been a girl who had ducked into a store. Maybe she wasn't even giggling at me. Perhaps she was just sharing a joke with a friend I had missed. That had to be it. I looked down at my watch. It was only an hour until I had to pick up Tanya. I decided to shuck off the feeling of being watched as best I could and get something to eat before I picked her up. But I wasn't really all that hungry, I realized as I stepped up to the counter at a Wendy's in the mall. Maybe just a salad and a glass of water... I sat there trying my best to enjoy the salad with low fat dressing I had purchased. What had possessed me to order such a boring meal? Possessed. My God that was an ugly word. I hadn't been possessed. It's just that as I got ready to order, nothing had sounded very good to me. At least a salad was healthy. Yes, that was it. I was just trying to eat healthy. I gobbled the last of the salad and struck out for Tanya's. I would be a few minutes early, but I could wait no longer in the mall. I supposed I could have just driven around for a while, but I was so distracted that I didn't trust myself to drive very far. Tanya's dad met me at the door. We had always gotten along well, but that evening, he seemed surprised to see me. He had a confused look on his face as he asked, "Darren? What are you doing here?" "Uh... just picking up Tanya," I stammered, unsure as to why he was challenging me. It was unusual for him to be acting that way. "Tanya's not here," he informed me. "She left about half an hour ago with some friends right after you called." "I called?" I repeated stupidly. What was he talking about? He looked at me suspiciously. "Yes. According to Tanya, you weren't feeling well." "But I never called!" I protested. His eyes squinted as he stared at me. "Darren, I think Tanya can recognize your voice by now. Besides, I'm the one who picked up the phone. Son, you don't look well at all. Is there something wrong - something you can talk about?" "Uh... no," I replied, backing away. "It's just a... a misunderstanding. Tell Tanya I'll call her later." "She may not be back until late." "Then tomorrow. I'll see her tomorrow at school," I amended as the door shut. Back in my car, I just sat there for a few minutes trying to sort things out. I know it was irrational of me, but I knew Dannie was behind the phone call. If there even was a phone call. No, I didn't think Tanya or her father were lying, but I did wonder if reality was somehow a little out of phase. Things were happening that didn't seem real. But that wasn't possible, was it? Could Dannie make them think they had a phone call they really didn't have? Could she appear in my bedroom or make words appear and disappear in my textbooks? Could she pull two cold Diet Cokes out of thin air? Of course she couldn't, could she? I had to talk to Dannie. Yes, I know her mother had warned me to stay away from her, and that was exactly what I had planned to do. It had seemed like good advice at the time. But that bratty little fifteen year old was somehow wrecking my life. Already she had me looking over my shoulder, acting strangely, and if she didn't lay off, she was about to cost me Tanya. It had to stop and stop now. I pulled up in my driveway with screeching tires and slammed the door loud enough that yard lights came on at the Shaw house across the way. I was so mad I wouldn't have cared if Melissa Shaw had suddenly come out under the light wearing nothing at all. There was only one person in the neighborhood I wanted to see and I wanted to see her right then and there. Sarah Winters came to the door at my insistent knock. I hadn't even bothered to use the bell. "Darren!" she said barely above a whisper, censure in her voice. "I thought I warned you to stay away." "I've got to see Dannie," I insisted. My eyes narrowed as I realized she was looking at me with real fear. No, she wasn't afraid of me; she was afraid for me. "Darren. I..." "Is that Darren, Mom?" Dannie called from the top of the stairs. Her voice sounded sly, playful. I felt just for a moment like an ant about to be fried by a magnifying glass. I didn't give her mother a chance to deny it though. "Yes, it's me, Dannie." "Come on up." "Dannie," Sarah called up the stairs, "I don't think that would be a very good idea." Now in my experience, most mothers would have told their daughters to come downstairs if they wanted to talk to a boy, but under no circumstances would boys go to their room. Sarah wasn't reminding Dannie of the rules; she was pleading with her daughter. It was almost as if Dannie was in charge. "Mother, I want to see him now." If I had been half smart instead of angry, I would have heard this for what it was: an order. I didn't wait for her mother to give me permission. I moved toward the stairs. Sarah Winters took my arm before I could climb the stairs. "Darren, for God's sake, be careful." I nodded, noting with discomfort the alarm in her eyes. Part of my mind still wanted to think she might be cautioning me about the impropriety of an adult male visiting the room of her young daughter, but as I've already said, her concern seemed to be for me rather than for Dannie. But whatever was going on, I should be strong enough and smart enough to hold my own against a small girl, shouldn't I? Well, shouldn't I? Dannie was waiting for me on the landing. She gave me that feisty grin again as I made my way up the stairs in purposeful strides. "I was wondering what it would take to get you to come over here. I've missed you." "Dannie, what the hell is going on?" I demanded when I was finally facing her. My fists were clenching and unclenching in frustration. Of course I towered over her and should have been an intimidating figure. "What are you doing? And how?" She just smiled to my frustration and turned toward what had to be her room. "Come on in and I'll explain it to you." Her room was, I supposed, typical of a young teenage girl's room. I had only been in one fifteen year old girl's room lately, and that was the room of Gloria, Tanya's sister. Since Dannie's room resembled Gloria's, I assumed it was typical. There seemed to be an abundance of white furniture, frilly drapes and comforters, and pillows, and pastel fabrics. The smell was sweet without being cloying, and the walls were decorated with pictures of studly young men who must have been members of the latest bands worshiped by young girls. "Sit down," she said lightly, motioning to a white chair decorated with a frilly pink cushion. "Dannie..." "Sit!" The word seemed to echo inside my head, and I felt my body half fall and half crouch until I was sitting on the cushioned chair. It that one moment, I began at last to wonder if I had been right about my ability to handle things. I had not intended to sit, but there I was. And while nothing in particular was holding me back, the thought of standing up again in defiance seemed to be a very, very bad idea. "Dannie," I began again, less forcefully than before, "please tell me, what's going on." She smiled smugly, and I realized she was now in complete control. "That's better. If we're going to be best friends, you need to be nice to me." "Be... best friends?" I stammered, not quite understanding. "Of course," she said as if it was all so obvious. "I need a best friend. This neighborhood is too dull. There's just no one nearby to chum around with. But when you're my best friend, we'll be able to do all sorts of things together. It will be so much fun!" "Dannie... I - " The situation was completely out of control. I felt as if I had to be in some sort of weird nightmare. Nothing Dannie had said or done seemed to make any sense. How could she be watching me when I knew she wasn't really there? How could she make me see things that couldn't possibly be there? How could she keep me from standing? And what was all this talk about being her best friend? "We can share so much," she went on, twirling merrily around the room. "Like nail polish. Do you like nail polish? Oh, of course you don't, but you will." I felt something brush along the tips of my fingers, almost like tiny insects concentrating on my fingertips. I looked down with trepidation and saw that my fingernails were now a little longer and given a more defined shape - and they were pink! No, it couldn't be happening. It was just some sort of illusion, I told myself. I tried to move my hand, but it refused to budge. I had to content myself with staring down at it as if it were some sort of display. She held up her own hand with nails sporting the same shade. "See, pretty, isn't it? But my hands look so much better than yours, Darren. Yours are so big and rough. And ugh - you even have hair on the knuckles. That's just disgusting!" Something clamped my hands. It didn't exactly hurt, but it was as if my hands had been pushed into gloves several sizes too small. I watched in horror as my fingers grew thinner and smaller, and my larger wrists tapered down out of proportion with my hands. "Let's just size you right now," Dannie said brightly. "I'll make you just my size. That way we can share clothes and everything. It will be a lot of fun." "Dannie..." I managed to plead weakly, "please don't do this." I of course knew now what she was doing. As impossible as it seemed to my terrified mind, she was reshaping my body into that of a girl. She had meant exactly what she had said - she was going to make me her best friend - her best girl friend. "Oh quit worrying," she laughed. "You'll like what I do for you - eventually. Just relax and let it happen. It's not like it's going to hurt or anything." But it did hurt. Now it wasn't just my hands but instead my entire body that felt as if it was wrapped in a viselike cocoon. It was as if the contents of my body were being compressed. I watched in horror as my body twisted and warped beneath my clothing, rippling as if a thousand snakes were burrowing just under my skin. I felt almost as if part of me was being siphoned off, disappearing invisibly into the air like steam from a teakettle. And the sensation was not limited to the surface of my body. Inside, I felt as if I was being torn apart and put back together. I suppose that was what was really happening to me once I thought of it. Parts of me were pushed and pulled by invisible forces as my body continued to be reshaped in the image Dannie had chosen. I looked up with pleading eyes at Dannie, unable to speak other than to utter a high-pitched moan. I got no sympathy from her though. "Now it's not that bad, is it?" she laughed merrily. Not that bad? A sharp pain in my groin told me I was no longer a man. Whatever Dannie was, she had robbed me of my very sex. I could feel tears in my eyes - tears of pain, frustration and loss. If I could have moved I think I would have strangled her, regardless of how that rash move might have left my poor body, but I couldn't move except to grimace and double over as my body was torn asunder. "Well, maybe it hurts a little," she allowed, "but only for the first time - or so I'm told." The first time? What was she talking about? Did she mean she would change me back? I could only bear the pain and hope. I gritted my teeth in anticipation of still more pain. As I braced myself though, the pain seemed to ebb. The worst of it seemed to be over. Rather than sharp pains, I felt only aches and then twinges. I could feel my body settling back into a solid shape. But I could feel other things as well - alien things that would redefine the person I now was. Unnoticed in the painful transformation, my clothing had now changed as well, so I was treated to new sensations from both my body and the clothes that covered it. The two often went hand in hand. To start with, I now had breasts. Oh they weren't terribly large. If I was to be Dannie's best friend, that meant I was probably her age. As a fifteen year old, my breasts must still be developing, but they felt heavy and unnatural to me, encased as they were in something soft but supportive. And I could feel straps pushing against my shoulders as my bra sought to distribute weight away from my chest. If these relatively small breasts could pull so noticeably against my chest, what must the really large breasts some women had be like? I hoped I never had the opportunity to find out. Over those new breasts was a yellow sleeveless tee with what I would later learn called a scooped neckline. There was even a little silver heart-shaped locket resting against my fair, freckled skin. My pants were very tight - or at least what there was of them. I had been wearing khaki Dockers for my date with Tanya, but now my sizeable butt was wrapped in denim, short and tight. I was wearing the kind of shorts I always liked to see Tanya wear - the kind that are ragged along the hem line and so short that the legs are exposed all the way up the thigh. Below them were long, smooth legs I had unconsciously tucked up into the chair with me, ending in tiny feet with little pink toenails peeking through the end of my white leather sandals. The second toe of each foot even had a delicate little silver toe ring on it and there was a silver chain bracelet on my well-turned right ankle. I couldn't see myself - my face, I mean. There wasn't a mirror close by, but I could tell what I had become just from the sensations, which assaulted me unmercifully. Long hair tickled the top of my arms and the nape of my neck. And while the hair rested on the top of my ears, I felt tiny but perceptive weight at the bottom of them, making me aware that I was wearing earrings. I imagined I was cute, though. After all, Dannie wanted me as her best friend. She was cute and probably wanted a cute friend to associate with. "Dannie..." I began, then stopped. My voice was higher - not as high as I would have expected, but I've read that your own voice always sounds deeper to you than it does to others. I no doubt had a sweet, high and very feminine voice. "Oh, you just have to see!" she laughed, grabbing me by a slender arm and pulling me to my feet. Hair, breasts, hips, and slender muscles moved with alien sensations, and I found to my horror that she was at least as strong as I was now. A closet door opened by itself, and on the inside of it, I could see in the full-length mirror two girls, both the same and very different. Dannie and I were dressed very much alike, but her tee was white and the denim garment at her hips was a very short skirt. But while Dannie's hair was golden and pulled into a ponytail, mine was a rich brown, naturally curled and ending at my shoulder blades. Her skin was California tanned while mine was a little pinker, accented by small, light freckles. We both had blue eyes, but hers were vibrant and dancing in undisguised delight while mine stared in horror at the sweet young thing I had become. "You are really cute!" she announced with just a touch of a giggle. "Dannie," I finally managed, "I don't want this. I don't want to be a girl. Please... change me back." Now she frowned. "Change you back? But that wouldn't be any fun. Then we couldn't go to school together." School. Oh God, I hadn't even thought about that. I was about her age. I'd be expected to go to high school again unless I could convince someone that I was really a twenty-one year old man. And there seemed little likelihood that I would ever be able to convince anyone of my true identity. "No one will ever believe you were a guy," she whispered, apparently reading my thoughts. "You... you can tell what I'm thinking?" "No," she admitted. "Not really. I can sense moods, though. I know you're frightened and angry, but that will pass. It does for everyone - especially when they figure out there's no way back." "But Dannie, I don't want to be a girl!" She shrugged. "You'll get used to it. Besides, I want you to be a girl, and that's that. You're my best friend - or you will be when you start thinking right." "And what happens if I don't 'start thinking right'?" I asked angrily. It was the wrong thing to say. It happened so suddenly I couldn't even recognize the moment of transition. One minute I was sitting there in Dannie's room, defiantly demanding that she turn me back and the next minute I was on my back, naked, in a strange, dimly-lit room that smelled of stale smoke and cheap perfume. "Maria, you look very fine." The voice was deep and masculine and spoke in Spanish, a language I shouldn't have understood, but I did. As my eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, I saw a man - middle aged, paunchy, a mostly-gray moustache drooping in the center of a pockmarked, Latin face. He was slowly removing his trousers, and I could see a large protrusion in the front of his shorts. I was still female, I realized in fright, but I wasn't the teenage girl I had been in Dannie's room. Instead my skin was dark, my breasts large and mature, tipped with dark brown nipples that rose up in expectation. My legs were already spread across the coarse bed sheet, and no amount of effort on my part could put them back together. I watched in horror, unable to move as the man removed his shorts. My God, there was no way that thing could fit inside me, but that was where he was going to put it as he slid onto the bed next to me. I tried to speak - to tell him who I really was - but the sounds that came from my throat were not sounds of warning. Instead, they were soft moans of expectation. There was to be no foreplay, I realized as he settled himself between my legs. Involuntarily, my hand reached up to grab his penis and pulled it closer and closer to... I was back in Dannie's room, standing once more in front of the mirror. I was the fifteen year old girl she had transformed me into once more. I gasped in relief as she rewarded me with an amused smile. "It was an illusion!" I blurted out. "Was it?" "You know it was; you caused it." Her eyes narrowed. "Of course I caused it, but the only reason it was an illusion is that I wanted you back here to be my friend. If I had chosen, you'd be little Maria, the Mexican whore. You wouldn't be the first person I had left in a brothel. Now what's it going to be, Darla, because that's your name now? Are you going to cooperate and be my friend or shall I send you back to your customer?" I wanted to defy her. I wanted to tell her she could go to Hell before I'd be her friend, but the one who would be going to Hell would be me. She could do it; she could really send me back to that brothel. I had no doubt that she could. But if I went along with her plans - at least for a little while - maybe I could convince her to change me back. Besides, how was she going to explain my disappearance? I had no ID or anything, did I? "All right," I said quietly, refusing to look her in the eye. "I'll do what you say." "Then tell me you'll be a good little girl." "I said I would, didn't I?" "Say it, Darla," she pressed, the menace in her voice obvious. "Say it just like that." "I... I'll be a good little girl." The smile returned. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it? Oh Darla, you and I are going to be very good friends." There was something else in her eyes, but I wasn't sure what it was. "You'd better go home now. I'm very tired and tomorrow we both have to go to school." "But I can't go home like this!" I protested. "Sure you can," she told me. "As far as your parents are concerned, you're Darla Sue Post, their fifteen year old daughter." "You mean no one knows who I am - was? You can change reality itself?" I didn't know whether to be pleased or saddened by that. It was sad to think that everything I was would be forgotten, but I certainly didn't want everyone laughing at pointing at the man who was changed into a teenybopper. It was better to be seen as a normal fifteen year old girl than to be thought of as some sort of sorceress's victim. "Not exactly,"