Stereotypes
By Morpheus
There was rumbling noise all around, not surprising
since it was a nice day and it seemed as though everyone
had the same idea of coming to the park. There were people
talking, vendors selling their things and children running
around playing. And at the same time, there was a steady
murmur just under it all from the nearby fountain.
At the moment, I was taking advantage of the weather
myself to goof around in the park with my best friend James
and his girlfriend Carol. We had just finished eating a
couple quick dogs and were joking around as we walked off
lunch.
James and I had been good friends since we'd been in
junior high, and we still tended to hang out together. He
was a couple inches taller than me at 6 foot 1, had a
fairly fit build and dark hair. He was a bit of a joker,
but I think that was what might have drawn Carol to him.
Carol was a very cute brunette, standing 5 foot 5.
She was something of an artist, or at least thought of
herself as such, though I had seen better paintings by 6
year olds with finger paint. Not that I'd tell her that
though. Then again, I had told her that... and had even
lived to tell the tale.
As for me, I was Tyler Grange, a normal 22 year old
who assembled computers for a living. I was about average
height, though a little thinner than normal. And for the
most part, I was a fairly quiet guy, though James did tend
to draw me out of my shell. That was one of the reasons I
liked hanging out with him.
I glanced over at the fountain while laughing at a
joke that James had just finished telling. I wasn't
completely sure how we had gotten into the string of jokes,
but we were all laughing and taking turns.
"How can you tell that a blonde has been using a
computer?" James went on with his next joke. "It has white
out on the screen..."
We laughed at that, then deciding to get in on the
fun, I asked, "And do you know how to tell if a redhead has
been using a computer? It has a hammer through the
screen..." I didn't get nearly as hard a laugh from that
one, but I don't really know as many jokes as James.
"Well how many men does it take to do the dishes?"
Carol asked with a grin. Then she told us, "No one knows.
It's never happened yet."
"What do you call it when a blonde dyes her hair
brunette?" James asked while trying to keep a straight
face.
"Artificial intelligence," Carol finished his punch
line with a grin. I think that she got a kick out of all
the blonde jokes James was telling.
James just gave a mock look of hurt feelings. "Well
then," he quickly went on to the next joke, "Do you know
what the mating call of the blonde is? Next..."
Then just as we were all laughing, a voice from
behind us snarled, "Enough!"
I snapped around, startled to see a fairly attractive
looking blonde woman, wearing odd clothes and jewelry. Sort
of like a cross between new age stuff and Goth. And she was
looking pretty pissed.
"What?" James blinked, seeing that she was glaring at
all three of us. "What's your problem?"
"I am sick and tired of these jokes," the blonde
snapped back with an even stronger glare, "And I hate that
stupid stereotype..."
"Jeez," James exclaimed, "There's no need to get so
excited."
"It was just a joke," Carol continued.
However, that didn't seem to pacify the strange
woman. "People like you disgust me. You spread those horrid
stereotypes..."
"They're JUST a jokes," Carol snapped back, obviously
beginning to get annoyed.
It was obvious that she was losing patience with the
blonde. I was slightly nervous, not sure if she might be a
complete psycho or something. James on the other hand
almost seemed amused by the situation.
Then, being himself, James decided to escalate the
situation. "I don't think she understands the concept. I
mean, she is a blonde..."
If the blonde was pissed before... Her eyes flashed,
almost seeming to actually glow. She scowled deeply, then
snarled, "Let's see how you like to be stereotyped... how
you like to be the target of these tasteless jokes..."
She spat out something in some language that I'd
never heard before. In fact, I couldn't even make out a
single syllable of what she babbling. And the instant that
she finished, she turned around and hurried away.
For a moment, the three of just stood there in
confusion. "Weird," Carol muttered.
"Definitely," I added.
James just laughed, "Definitely a grade A loon..."
We all burst out laughing at that, then slowly
continued on our way. The crazy woman had gotten what she
wanted in that we had stopped telling jokes, at least for
the moment. However, I didn't think that she would much
prefer the fact that we were making fun of her instead.
The next several hours passed pretty quickly, and
just after I had finished eating dinner with James and
Carol, we were about to go our separate ways. I suspected
that James and Carol might have a little romantic something
planned, and I certainly wasn't invited.
"I'll see ya later," I told them as we said our quick
good-byes.
"Later man," James waved absently, obviously more
interested in Carol, not that I blamed him.
But just before I started to walk away, something
caught my attention and I had to do a double take. I wasn't
sure if it was my imagination, but I could almost have
sworn that his hair was a little different. That it was a
little longer than normal... and maybe even just a little
lighter. However, it certainly wasn't worth thinking about,
so I shook it off and continued on my way home.
Home was a pretty nice little houseboat that had been
sitting in the marina for probably about 20 years. Though
it was a little old, and a bit smaller than I could have
found in an apartment, I rather liked it. It gave me a
feeling of privacy.
Once I was safely inside, I kicked off my shoes and
slipped into my favorite pair of sweat pants. They were a
lot more comfortable for just lounging around the house in.
Then I hopped online to check my e-mail before finally
settling down in front of my TV for a little entertainment.
After some time, I absently began scratching at my
arms and head. Though I didn't notice it immediately, I was
beginning to feel a little itchy. And then a little
strange. I couldn't quite place what it was, though I
started to wonder if perhaps I might be having an allergic
reaction to something.
"Damn," I complained as I scratched at my head,
wondering what the hell had brought this on. Was it the
shampoo? It hadn't ever made me itchy before so I rather
doubted it.
Then letting out a sigh, I pushed my hair out of my
eyes where it was beginning to get in the way, then paused.
My hair NEVER got in my eyes. It wasn't long enough for
that and hadn't been since a few years back when I tried
going through a long haired phase in high school.
"What the hell?" I gasped, tugging at my hair,
surprised to realize that it definitely felt longer in my
hands.
With that, I hurried to the bathroom, stopping in
front of the mirror to stare in disbelief at my reflection.
My hair was definitely longer than normal, and not quite
the right color. It had a slightly more reddish tinge than
normal. I tugged at it again, verifying that it was indeed
real, though that didn't explain what was going on.
For a long moment, I just stood there, thinking that
maybe I was asleep... or someone had slipped me a mickey. I
was certainly feeling a little groggy, though that was
nothing unusual for that time of night. Then I slowly
turned away from the mirror and returned to my seat in
front of the TV. If I didn't have any answers to what was
going on, I still had denial.
As I sat there, the strange sensations continued,
though I did my best to ignore them. It wasn't easy,
especially with the feeling that my skin was crawling. The
hair on my head continued to grow a little longer as well,
making me have to brush it out of my eyes a number of more
times, while simultaneously, the hair on my arms seemed to
be getting thinner. But, I steadfastly refused to look at
this any more then absolutely necessary, pretending that
everything was perfectly normal.
"Someone must have slipped me some acid," I muttered,
suddenly wondering if this was a joke, courtesy of James.
It wouldn't have been too surprising, though he'd never
done anything quite that extreme before.
When it was time for bed, I undressed and stood
there, taking a quick glance down at my body but still
refusing to give it too careful a look. At least at first.
I couldn't resist a second, more careful look. It was
immediately obvious that all of my body hair... except my
pubic hair, seemed to be... gone. And my skin all felt
smooth.
"Oh man," I muttered, staggering slightly under a
wave of weariness, which just washed over me. "Must have
been some acid..."
I caught my balance and then set down on the bed,
aware that there was more wrong with me than just my hair.
However, I couldn't quite put my finger on just what it
was. Perhaps it was just because I was feeling so tired at
the moment.
"Feel..." I let out a loud yawn, "weird..."
After several more yawns, I climbed under the covers,
fully aware that I would be asleep before long. And I
proved to be right as I was out almost before my head even
touched the pillow.
---
I awoke to the bright sunlight pouring through the
window, seeming as if it purposely intended to assault my
eyes. With a groan, I yanked the covers over my head for
protection, but the damage had already been done. Like it
or not, I was awake.
Though I tried to go back to sleep for several
minutes, I wasn't having any success so decided that I
might as well get up. As I sat up in bed, I smiled faintly
at the strange dream that I'd had about being drugged the
night before. At least until I realized that I felt wrong.
Very wrong.
"What..." I started as I swung out of bed, then froze
in shock as I saw myself. "What the hell?"
For a long moment, my eyes remained locked on my
body... or at least on a body. A body where mine SHOULD
have been. But it sure as hell didn't look like mine. Not
in the least.
With a single glance, it was immediately obvious that
it was a woman's body, and a pretty shapely one at that. I
had what seemed to be a pretty nice pair of tits, or at
least they would have been nice if they'd been on a real
girl instead of me. But they weren't the only thing, and
were in fact only the most noticeable part, and then only
because they stuck out so much and I could feel their
weight. The rest of my body looked like a woman's too, with
long sexy legs, a slender waist and some nice smooth skin.
"No fucking way," I exclaimed in shock as I glanced
down between my legs and saw a woman's equipment instead of
my own, surrounded by a tiny bit of well-trimmed red hair.
Tearing my eyes away from that, as hard as it was, I
held my hands up in front of my face. Even they didn't look
like mine. They were... a woman's hands. They were slender,
slightly delicate looking, with long, almost sharp
fingernails.
Thoughts about the hair thing from the night before
suddenly filled my head, along with the realization that it
hadn't been a dream... or drugs. At least no drug that I'd
ever heard of.
With that, I immediately jumped to my feet and ran to
the bathroom where I stopped in front of the mirror and
nearly filled my pants... if I'd been wearing anything at
all that was. The reflection was obviously that of a woman,
as I'd already expected after having seen my body. Even the
face belonged to a woman, a rather beautiful woman at that.
A woman with full lips, brilliant green eyes and long red
hair.
I had no idea how long I remained frozen there before
I tore myself away, too stunned for words. Too stunned to
even think clearly. There was absolutely no way in hell
that I could have somehow turned into a woman over night.
None. So then, I had to remind myself, what the hell were
the tits doing on my chest?
Once again, I resorted to an old method of dealing
with my problem. Denial. I ate breakfast, pretending for
all I was worth that everything was perfectly normal. I
refused to look at my body, to give it any more attention
than absolutely normal, as if that would somehow make the
whole thing go away. Of course I knew that it wouldn't, but
it certainly didn't hurt to at least try.
Finally though, I had to admit that what was
happening to me was indeed real, whatever it was. I
couldn't deny that any more than I could deny the fact that
my outie had become an innie. The only questions were how
and why. But even those were answered as I finally
remembered the crazy blonde woman from the day before and
her weird ramblings.
"The bitch," I snarled furiously as I stood up,
kicking at my coffee table and sending it flying over.
"AAAAGH!!!" I howled in pain, suddenly reminded that I was
completely bare foot, "SHIT! SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!!"
After this, I spent the next several minutes sitting
on the couch and clutching my foot as the pain slowly faded
away. That did nothing to help the foul mood that I was
already in, though it did give me a little time to calm
down.
If it really was that crazy blonde who had done this
to me, I suddenly realized that I might not be alone. James
and Carol had been there as well, and she'd seemed pretty
pissed at all of us, not just me. I gulped at that, knowing
that I had to check on them too.
Though I was tempted to just give James a call, I
wasn't sure how things would go if nothing had happened to
him. What was I going to do, say, "Hi... I know that I
sound like a chick, but I'm really Tyler. Honest..." Or
better yet, "You wouldn't happened to have turned into a
chick overnight would you?" Yeah, that would go over real
well.
Deciding to put that problem off for the moment, I
thought that it might be better to look for something I
could wear instead. It was pretty obvious that my own
clothes wouldn't exactly fit me at the moment. At least not
comfortably. Fortunately though, I did have a small stash
of girl's clothes lying around, partially 'donated' by
Carol after she'd had too much to drink at a party some
months back and had to leave in some of my borrowed
clothes, and some of it from an old girlfriend.
It didn't really take me too long to find what I
needed and get dressed. Though the clothes wouldn't pass
for being very stylish, nor were they extremely
comfortable, they would definitely do the job. There were
even a pair of ratty old tennis shoes, which fit me, which
was fortunate since my own shoes were just a bit too large.
Once I was fully dressed, I stood by the phone for a
minute, thinking once gain about calling James to see if he
was okay. However, I still had the same problems as before.
What could I possibly say if he was all right? And even
more importantly, how would I be able to convince him that
I was... me? After some consideration, I decided to the
easiest thing. Procrastinate. Or at least put the problem
off until I could get to his place.
"Shit," I complained as I got into my car, glancing
into the redhead in the rear view mirror, "I hope I don't
get pulled over."
Driver's license pictures were notoriously
inaccurate, but somehow I doubted that any cop would buy me
being who my license said I was. Not looking as different
as I now did. And keeping that in mind, I was careful to
stay under the speed limit and do nothing that would draw
unwanted attention.
Still, when guy cut me off, I instinctively slammed
on my horn and screamed out, "Fucking moron!"
Of course he didn't hear me yelling, and he showed no sign
of hearing my horn... or at least not of caring any. That
just pissed me off more and I let out a stead stream of
profanity.
When I'd calmed down a few minutes later, I shook my
head in embarrassment, wondering why I'd gotten so angry at
such a small thing. Sure he'd cut me off, but I dealt with
bad drivers every day and never shot off like that. It just
wasn't like me.
"Must be the stress," I muttered, realizing that I
had better not do anything like that again. At the moment,
I was trying to avoid attention, not attract it.
After I'd parked at James' apartment, I hurried up
the stairs, pausing after a short distance to grab at my
new boobs and wince. They had been bouncing uncomfortably
as I moved, making me realize just why it was that women
actually wore bras. Until that moment, I'd never really
thought about them as anything other than just women's
underwear, though now I knew that they served a more
practical purpose.
"Damn," I spat out, hating the idea of actually
having to wear something so feminine myself, but if I was
stuck like I currently was for very long, I'd probably have
to. Either that or deal with the uncomfortable jiggling. It
was a case of the lesser of two evils.
I grimaced the rest of the way up the stairs, and
took it just a little slower. As soon as I reached the
door, I hesitated, my finger just above the doorbell. Then
taking a deep breath and a nervous gulp, I finally pushed
the button, waiting impatiently. It seemed to take forever
before the door finally opened.
"Hello?" a woman's voice came from the opening door.
A second later, the woman who owned the voice was
revealed. I nearly gasped at the sight of a totally stacked
blonde. She was a few inches shorter than me, and extremely
hot looking, made even more so by the bathrobe she was
wearing. Her beautiful, wide-eyed face and pouty lips
almost screamed, 'fuck me'.
"Um..." I started nervously as I stared at the
blonde, "James..."
Her eyes shot wide in surprise and she looked down at
herself quickly before staring at me, "How did you..."
I took a deep breath, shaking slightly with the
realization that my fears had just been proven real. "It's
me," I finally managed to get out, "Tyler..." Her eyes went
even wider at that.
After was inside, James gasped, "Tyler? Oh my God. It
can't be..."
"Yeah," I grimaced in embarrassment, gesturing down
at myself, "I woke up like this..."
"Then we're not the only ones..." James exclaimed,
not tearing his eyes away from me.
"We?" I repeated, not having a good feeling about
that but having suspected it was going to come to that.
A moment later, a man stepped into the room. He was
tall... at least 6 inches taller than me, which didn't say
much since I'd obviously shrunk a little during my...
transformation. He was dark haired, with a slightly bulky
build. And... he was obviously Carol.
"Carol?" I asked, receiving an embarrassed nod in
response.
"Oh joy," I sighed as I plopped down on the couch,
"It looks like that crazy bitch got us all."
"Yeah," Carol grumbled, not looking too pleased with
the situation either.
James frowned, looking almost like he was pouting
with his new face. "What are we going to do?" He looked at
both of us, then gestured down at himself, "It's not like
we can just stay like this. I mean... my job..."
"And what the hell do I tell my family?" Carol added.
I just nodded grimly, definitely seeing the problem.
Hell, I'd thought about it myself once or twice, though I'd
made a bit of an effort not to. I'd been having enough
troubles just dealing with things as they were, one at a
time. Worrying about the future was a little bit more than
I could handle at the moment.
For some time, we all just sat there, staring at each
other in amazement. Actually, James and Carol stared at me
more than each other, having had all morning to get a look
at each other. It was hard to believe that this strange man
and woman were actually my friends. Hard to believe, but
true.
We all chattered about what we thought of the
situation, about how weird the whole thing is. However,
were kept talking at the same time so I didn't think that
any of us was really listening to the others. However, that
didn't really seem to matter since we were pretty much
saying the same things anyway.
"Look," Carol started firmly, then snapped, "Shut
up!" James and I both froze at that surprising outburst.
Then Carol muttered, "I can't hear myself thinking with you
two chattering."
"Shut up?" I snapped as I stood up, pissed off by her
snotty attitude, "Chattering? Why you fucking bitch!" My
hands were clenched in fists and I was tempted to punch
her... even if she was a lot bigger than me now.
"Please," James cried out, standing up between us and
looking a little scared. "We've gotta do something.
Fighting's not gonna help..."
Carol just snored, rolling her eyes slightly. I was
still kind of mad, but bit my lip and sat down. It wasn't
easy though.
"All right," I growled, "what is it?"
After a moment, Carol just gave a smug look. "We can
go to the park and find that girl."
It was a pretty obvious idea. Still, I snapped, "And
do what? Threaten to beat her up unless she changes us
back?"
Carol just shrugged, giving the impression that she
wouldn't mind doing just that. And though I didn't say
anything aloud, I was beginning to think that it might not
be that bad an idea either.
We were all silent for a short while, staring at each
other thoughtfully. Finally, we agreed that at the moment,
there wasn't anything else we could do. Our only chance
seemed to be finding that blonde woman, who seemed to be
the cause of our changes.
However, there was one problem to deal with before we
went. James. Specifically, getting him dressed since he was
only wearing a bathrobe. Carol was wearing some of his
oversized clothes, but he hadn't dressed at all. It didn't
take too long though to get a mix of Carol's clothes and
his own which covered him up, though he was far larger in
the chest and hips than Carol had been, and thinner in the
waist.
Eventually though, we were on our way to the park,
though James kept complaining about his clothes. I just
grunted, knowing how he felt but not feeling the need to
broadcast it. After all, it was only temporary. Or at least
I hoped that it was. At the moment, I wasn't really
thinking about the alternative.
The park was fairly quiet compared to the day before,
though it was still a far cry from being empty. After
walking around it a little, looking for the strange blonde
woman who was responsible for our conditions, we broke up
for awhile to search more ground. But had no success
either. Finally, we returned to our meeting spot, admitting
defeat... for the moment. The woman wasn't there.
"It was too much to hope for," I growled in
frustration, kicking at a nearby bench.
"I'm hungry," James abruptly announced.
"Me too," Carol added, then gestured to a hot dog
vendor, "Let's get something to eat."
I nodded agreement and we went over to get our
lunches. The guy at the stand was giving me a pretty
interested look, though not quite as interested as what he
was giving James. For some reason, I had mixed feelings
about this. Of course, really being a guy, I was a bit
offended. But at the same time, there seemed a part of me
that was jealous of James getting more attention. Hell, my
fists were beginning to clench slightly before I'd even
realized it.
"Thanks," I took the hot dog, glaring at him as
though it was all his fault, which obviously confused him.
James just grinned, "Oh boy," as he took the hot dog.
For a moment, his expression almost seemed like that of a
kid who'd just gotten a treat. And then I noticed a
slightly different expression, though I wasn't sure if I
was imagining it. He was giving the hot dog guy a very
appreciative look.
A moment later, James started to hand over the money
for the dog... pausing to look at the change in his hand.
He had a look of concentration before handing the money
over, though the hot dog guy just looked surprised.
"Um... you're a little short," the vendor said
nervously, which surprised me because I knew James had
enough change to cover the rest.
"What?" James gasped, pulling out more money, looking
confused and uncertain as he handed over more. "I don't
know why I missed that," he apologized in embarrassment,
glancing at Carol and then me.
Carol just chuckled faintly then muttered,
"Blondes..." That earned her a glare... though an
embarrassed one from James.
With a grunt, we moved to a park bench to eat our
lunches, though I was sure that I wasn't the only one
keeping an eye out for a certain blonde at the same time.
And as I sat there, I couldn't help noticing James watching
a man walking past, with a look of obvious interest. That
was an observation that sent faint chills down my spine,
though I immediately pushed it out of my mind.
Before much longer, we had finished with our business
at the park, though unfortunately without finding what we
had gone there for. We started back to James' apartment in
near silence, at least until we realized that if we were
going to be stuck like this for much longer, we would
definitely need some new clothes. And that led to a detour
to the mall.
"I hate shopping," I complained as I moved through a
clothing store with the others. I scowled as I looked
around, vaguely noticing that Carol didn't seem
particularly thrilled to be there either.
However, to my surprise, James was nearly tearing
through the clothes racks, seeming almost... excited. He
pulled out one outfit after another, holding them up to
himself in front of the mirror. The sight of James going at
it like that was completely stunning.
"Come on," James almost gushed out at me, "Try
something on. This is really kinda fun..."
"Oh yeah," I sighed as I reluctantly reached for a
shirt that caught my attention, "Real fun..."
Carol shook her head slightly, saying, "It just
doesn't seem quite the same..." Then she looked at me and
my obvious lack of excitement, "Here... I'll help you find
what you need."
Though I just grunted faintly, I was actually rather
thankful for her offer. After all, I didn't know the least
bit about women's clothes... other than admiring what they
hid that was, and of course helping to take them off. And
by the time I was done getting everything that I needed,
with a minimum of fuss, James was only halfway finished.
"Hurry up," Carol told him, obviously getting annoyed
as well. I fought back a chuckle at that since usually it
was James having to tell her to hurry up.
"I've spent more on clothes today than I've ever
spent on them," I complained when we left the store, not
impressed by how much I'd gotten for my money... or more
accurately, how little.
"Welcome to the world of women's shopping," Carol
told me absently, her eyes going to my chest and lingering
there just a little too long.
A short while later, we were back at the apartment,
where James quickly took his new collection of clothes to
the bedroom and disappeared. I just rolled my eyes
slightly, then went to the bathroom to relieve myself. Even
after most of the day in a woman's body, the experience was
somewhat peculiar.
When I was finished, I found Carol sitting on the
couch and flipping through channels on the TV. After a few
more seconds, she paused, watching something for a little
longer before finally setting the remote down. As I sat
down myself, I was startled to see that what she was
watching was a basketball game. As far as I knew, she'd
never been interested in the game before.
"You know..." Carol commented after awhile, "I never
realized how interesting this stuff is..." Her eyes
remained glued on the screen, as if afraid to miss even a
moment of the game. Suddenly, Carol jumped to her feet and
yelled, "SCORE!"
"Yeah," I muttered, "great." I felt like I was in the
damn Twilight Zone or something.
Then James came back into the room, wearing another
one of the outfits that he'd bought at the store. My eyes
widened at that. Sure, he looked absolutely hot... but it
was James. Why the hell was he playing dress up? And for
that matter, why the hell was Carol watching sports?
"Hey," Carol glanced quickly at James, "Can you get
me a beer..."
James hesitated, then nodded before hurrying into the
kitchen, coming back just a minute later and offering it to
Carol. Carol just grunted a quick 'thanks', then popped
open the can, her eyes never leaving the game.
For some reason, the exchange started to make me
angry. I glared at Carol, pissed that she would treat James
like that. And then I glared at James, just as furious that
he was just taking it. My hands were clenched so tightly
that I could feel my nails digging deeply into my palms,
though it didn't matter.
However, James didn't seem all that bothered by being
asked to get Carol a beer and then being ignored. In fact,
he sat down right next to her, sort of cuddling up, though
Carol still didn't seem to really notice. There was a look
in James' eyes as he looked at Carol, and one that I'd seen
quite often. He was sizing her up... looking rather horny.
I could barely believe it since Carol looked like a guy,
but it was unmistakable.
After a minute though, the irrational anger that I
was feeling faded, leaving me to feel a bit guilty. James
obviously didn't mind, so why should I? The whole thing was
rather confusing, so I did what I usually did when faced
with that problem. I tried not to think about it.
We continued watching the game, though I couldn't
help noticing that James and Carol were cuddling up even
closer... at least during the commercials. If I didn't know
who they really were, I might have sworn that they were a
real man and a real woman.
I turned my attention away from my friends and to the
commercial on TV. I wasn't quite sure what they were
advertising, but that cute guy on it was delicious looking.
Such a sexy body and tight ass. The very sight of him made
me wonder what it would be like to hold him tight, to be
held by him. And those thoughts were making me feel all
warm and gooey inside, not to mention between my legs.
Suddenly, James asked, "Why is that guy in the
striped shirt jumping around?"
"That's the referee," Carol reminded him in a
patronizing tone, glancing at James quickly.
James just looked embarrassed, "Oh yeah." He shook
his head, looking a little uncertain.
I stood up, at that, a little startled at what I had
been thinking just before James had interrupted my
thoughts. It had seemed so natural to slip into that line
of thinking... and that scared me. Was that what was
happening to James and Carol? Obviously we were all being
hit with some heavy new hormones.
"Just great," I muttered as I went to the bathroom to
relieve myself.
When I came back out, Carol called out, "Hey babe...
get me a beer while you're up?"
An instant later, it was almost as though a switch
went off in my head. In just a fraction of a second, I went
from perfectly calm, to extremely pissed.
"WHAT?" I screamed out furiously.
How dare that asshole try treating me like that? What
the hell did he think I was... his slave?
"You heard me," Carol rolled her eyes and gave me a
patronizing look, "I said get me a beer while you're up..."
With a deep grimace, I snapped around and marched
straight into the kitchen, grabbing the whole six pack from
the fridge and going straight back to the living room.
"Here's your fucking beer," I snarled, throwing one
of the cans straight at Carol.
"What the hell?" she screamed as she jumped to her
feet, seeming to forget the game for the first time.
"Tyler?" James gasped, looking almost afraid.
However, I barely noticed. All I knew was that I was
pissed off... more than I'd ever been before in my life.
And Carol was going to pay for being such a chauvinistic
asshole... for insulting me like that. I didn't even think
through my actions before carrying them, not even sure that
I was able to.
"And here's another," I threw a second can at him,
"And another..."
Carol howled as several cans hit her, though the only
one that really bothered her was the one that bounced off
her chin. She ducked behind the chair until I was out of
cans. However, that didn't keep me from going off on her,
screaming viscously.
Then, just as quickly as I had gone off... I stopped,
taking several deep breaths and calming down. I could
barely believe what I'd just done... at how I'd just gone
off on Carol.
"What's wrong with you?" James asked, his voice
sounding kind of whiny. "You're actin' kinda weird?"
For a moment, I thought that was like the pot calling
the kettle black. But she did have a point. I never lost my
temper like that. Never. But I'd been... touchy all day
long, and I had no idea why.
"Fucking bitch," Carol snarled as she got up and
glared at me. "Just like a redhead..."
Those words were almost enough to make me go off
again. I felt the anger suddenly building, though this time
I managed to stay in control. Maybe because I'd just let it
out a minute earlier. But then I thought about what Carol
had just said. I was acting just like a redhead.
"That's just a stereotype," I started, not sure if I
was talking to Carol or myself.
Then I looked at my friend's a cold chill going down
my spine. That crazy blonde woman. The one who'd done that
weird voodoo stuff and changed us. She'd said something
about us knowing what it was like to be the victims of
jokes... to be stereotypes. And suddenly, I knew exactly
what she meant.
"SHIT!" I snarled furiously, lashing out with my foot
and kicking the back of the couch. I gave it another couple
kicks for good measure, then stood back, feeling a little
better. "That fucking bitch..."
"What are you talking about?" Carol demanded.
I ignored Carol and stared at James. All day, he'd
been acting more and more... ditzy. He'd been forgetting
obvious things, getting confused a lot...and flirting quite
a bit. In fact, he was beginning to act more and more
like... like a bimbo. Like a stereotypical dumb blonde.
My eyes quickly went to Carol, and I knew that she
was becoming some stereotype of a man. A chauvinistic slob
who only thought about sports and sex. Well... maybe about
power tools and cars too. I didn't know about that yet. But
the changes her behavior where quite obvious as well.
And then of course there was me. The redhead. And it
appeared that I was developing the famous temper that went
along with my new hair color. Somehow, I doubted that it
was genetic... though it sure as hell might as well have
been.
"She's turning us into stereotypes," I finally told
the others, still angry but well in control of myself. My
little outburst had let off some of the pressure I guessed.
"I don't understand," James whined, giving me a wide-
eyed look of confusion that filled me with pity.
"A dumb blonde," I gestured at James, "A fiery
redhead," another gesture down at myself. "And you... a
stereotypical guy."
Carol looked as if she was about to argue, but she
didn't. From the look on her face, she obviously realized
that I was right. Like it or not... we were becoming
stereotypes.
After a long minute, I finally looked at the beer
cans scattered around... and a dent I'd but in the wall
with one of the, then said, "I think I'd better go now."
It didn't take me too long to get home, and I was
thankful for the quiet time that it gave me to think and
calm down. Especially to calm down. I still couldn't
believe how easily I'd been getting angry all day. It was
like I was becoming a stranger to myself.
"But at least I'm not as bad as James," I told
myself, wondering what it had to be like to become a
'bimbo'. Or Carol, who turning into a bit of a jerk.
Eventually, it was time for bed and I slowly
undressed, taking a careful look at my body as I did so.
How long would I look like that? Maybe it was just a lesson
and I'd be back to normal in the morning. It was certainly
a hope.
"At least I've got a nice body," I told myself for
reassurance. It wasn't much, but it was what I had.
And as I sat there on my bed, admiring my fine new
figure, I couldn't help getting a bit turned on. The whole
situation, as strange as it was, also happened to be just a
little bit erotic. Without consciously thinking about it, I
started playing with my tits, then rubbing my crotch. God,
it felt good.
"Oh yes," I gasped at the incredible sensations.
It was like a switch had been flipped, and I was
boiling way with raw, untamed emotion. Lust ran through me,
just as the rage had earlier. I continued masturbating,
fingering myself to orgasm and letting out a long, loud
scream. But that wasn't enough. Not nearly. I wanted
more... lots more.
"Oh God," I screamed out, "Oh yes..."
I had no idea how long I remained on my bed,
fingering myself to one orgasm after another. Thoughts of
that hot actor on the TV commercial ran through mind,
without my even caring that I was fantasizing and
masturbating over a guy. And somewhere in the middle of it,
before I eventually tired and fell asleep, I remembered
that redheads were known not only for having a fiery
temper... but for being very wild and passionate as well.
---
When I awoke in the morning, I sat up in my bed,
almost instantly blushing red as I remembered the night
before. It was a bit embarrassing, though whether from my
long masturbation session or because I had lost such
complete control of myself, I didn't know. All I knew was
that it had felt good. Real damn good.
As impossible as it seemed, I tried not to think
about it. Instead, I focused my attentions on going through
my normal morning routines, at least as normal as I could
get considering the circumstances. I washed up... taking a
bit longer than normal as I examined my altered body, then
had a quick breakfast. Other than a quick burst of temper
and a few broken dishes, the morning was pretty uneventful.
"I obviously didn't change back during the night," I
sighed as I left my place, realizing that this meant it was
a lot more likely that I would be stuck like I was for a
long time. Possibly for the rest of my life.
The idea was frightening, especially since I knew my
driver's license wouldn't do me any good. And I sure as
hell couldn't go back to my job looking like I did. In
fact, legally, I probably didn't exist at all. This set me
off into another outburst and a long stream of loud
profanity.
When I finally finished, I spat out, "I'll kill that
blonde bitch." And at that very moment, I think that I
honestly meant it.
Once I calmed down though and became a little more
reasonable, I felt a little bad about my sudden fits of
anger. I was worried about them actually. It seemed as
though I was losing control over my emotions. They were
stronger than ever before... at least my passionate
emotions. I had no idea how my other ones like fear and
sadness would be handled, though I suspected that they
wouldn't be a problem. After all, redheads weren't known
for those. Just being passionate, quick tempered and
volatile. And who knew what trouble I would get myself
into... or who I might hurt if I couldn't control myself.
Since I obviously couldn't go to work like I was, I
decided to make some productive use of my time. Or at least
try to. So with that, I drove back to the park and once
again walked around, looking for the blonde woman. However,
there were no signs of her. I hadn't really expected any,
but I had been hoping.
"Shit," I muttered as I left the park, feeling more
disappointed than anything else this time. I frowned,
trying not to think about what it would mean if I never got
back to normal. "Damn her... So many blondes in the world,"
I muttered to myself bitterly after another minute, "So how
am I supposed to find just one?" It certainly didn't seem
likely.
Not sure what else to do, I thought about James and
Carol. The memory of how they had been acting the night
before made me frown. But it wasn't just them who were
acting weird, it was me too. And none of us had any choice
in the matter. In a way, I think that bothered me even more
than the physical changes.
"I'm turning into someone else," I sighed, and I
didn't mean just my body.
It hardly seemed believably that someone could have
done that to me and my friends. Not to our bodies and our
minds. Nor did it seem possible that anyone would do
something so drastic to us just because of a lousy joke.
What kind of a person would do that to another?
Then I started thinking more about James and Carol,
wondering how they were doing. They seemed to be doing all
right the night before, though that didn't really mean
anything. With that, I decided to go check on them again. I
could apologize for my tantrum the night before, and see if
they had any new ideas if nothing else.
When I got to the apartment building, I slowly walked
across the parking lot, not in any particular hurry. As it
was, I was a little distracted by the sensations from my
body as I walked. Even after a day, I hadn't gotten used to
the jiggling, though the bra certainly helped with it... as
uncomfortable as that was.
As I was crossing the parking lot, I noticed a man
standing beside what I assumed was his car and watching me.
From the look on his face, it was obvious what he was
thinking, and I couldn't honestly blame him since I knew
that I looked pretty hot. However, it did make me feel just
a little odd having a man look at me like that.
"Hey babe," the man greeted me as I started to walk
past, then stepped into my way. "I don't think I've seen
you around here before." He had a cocky grin on his face,
though his eyes never left my chest. For some reason, that
annoyed me.
"Because I don't live around here," I snapped rather
abruptly and started to step around him.
However, the man immediately changed position so that
he was blocking my path again. "Don't be like that," he
told me with a smirk, "Why don't you let me show you a good
time?"
I scowled and tried moving around him again, but the
man continued to try blocking my path. "Get out of my way,"
I demanded in a cold voice, beginning to get really angry.
"Only if you give me a kiss first," he told me with a
smirk.
It seemed like the idiot in front of me knew exactly
the wrong things to say because I nearly exploded at that.
Without even thinking about what I was doing, I lashed out,
leaving a trail of scratches on his face. The man howled
and grabbed at his face while I quickly walked past him.
"You fucking bitch," he yelled after me, glaring but
not bothering to follow.
At the moment, I didn't mind being called a bitch in
the least. In fact, I actually felt kind of smug...
deriving some satisfaction for what I'd done to that idiot.
He'd deserved every mark that I'd put on his face... and a
whole lot more. By the time I actually got up to the
apartment door, I was in a pretty good mood.
"Hey guys," I greeted them as I went inside, having
to pause and take a second look. I still had a hard time
believing that they were James and Carol since they looked
so different.
"Hey babe," Carol commented, barely taking her eyes
from the TV. A quick glance revealed that it was on ESPN.
"Hiya," James giggled with a slightly vapid look on
his beautiful face.
After a moment, I sat down and carefully asked, "Are
you guys all right? I mean, how are you with this..."
Carol just nodded, taking a drink from a beer before
responding, "I'm fine..."
A second later, James giggled, "This is kinda fun..."
Then James leaned up close to Carol, his hand going
onto her knee as she looked at him with an expression that
startled me. It was an expression that I had always dreamed
of seeing on the face of a beautiful woman who was looking
at me. It was a very sexual look.
Suddenly, I was certain that they had actually had
sex in their new forms. It shouldn't have surprised me
since I'd been getting turned on by men since waking up
like that, and they were affected just as much as I was if
not more, but it did startle me a little anyway. Then I
remembered that according to the stereotype, blondes were
supposed to be oversexed... and after taking a long look at
James and his body language, I had a strong suspicion that
he now was as well. My best friend... the blond bombshell
nymphomaniac bimbo.
"Oh man," I muttered in disbelief, wondering just how
far this would go. "Did you guys sleep together?" I blurted
out a few seconds later, not sure whether this bluntness
was from me... the normally shy guy, or influenced by my
changes. Truthfully, at the moment I didn't think that it
really mattered.
"Uh huh," James giggled, not seeming embarrassed in
the least. Not until I noticed a faint glimmer of it flash
through his eyes, though it was quickly gone. Something of
the old James remained, though I didn't know how much... or
how far it was buried. "Three times..."
Carol turned and smirked at that, putting her hand
almost possessively around James. "You wanna give it a try?
I mean, I'd be happy to teach you what it's like for a
woman..."
I just stared at Carol for a moment in stunned
silence, hardly able to believe I'd heard her. And as soon
as it began to sink in, my temper started to flare.
Fortunately though, it wasn't quite enough to make me lose
control. At least not yet.
"No thank you Carol," I told her, barely managing to
keep from snarling at her. As it was, my hands were
clenched tightly and she flinched back slightly.
"Don't call me that," Carol grumbled after a few
seconds, glancing at James, "I mean, I don't really look
like a Carol right now." Then she looked at James and
grinned, "Call me Carl and her Jamie."
I had to admit that she did have a point. The names
Carl and Jamie certainly fit their new bodies a whole lot
better than their real ones. However, I couldn't help
noticing how Carol... Carl had refereed to James... Jamie
as a 'her'.
"Okay... Carl," I responded cautiously, looking to
James... Jamie to see what he... she thought about it.
Jamie was just sitting there with a look of
concentration, muttering, "How do you spell Jamie? G...
Y..."
"Now what should I call you?" Carl continued as he
looked at me. "I mean, you don't really look like a Tyler
anymore either."
"Don't worry about my name," I told him sharply,
suddenly feeling offended that he would even consider
something like changing my name.
Who the hell did he think he was? My temper was
beginning to surge again, though it didn't come up all the
way. Just enough to make me feel really annoyed.
Carl just shrugged, then started, "Hey babe..." Then
as he saw the look on my face, he obviously changed his
mind and asked Jamie instead, "Can you get me a beer..."
"Okay," Jamie responded, getting up to do as she was
asked. Carl pinched her butt as she walked past.
I remained at the apartment and talked with my
friends for about an hour, watching them the whole time and
feeling completely stunned. It was almost like they were
two completely different people. People that I barely even
recognized as my friends anymore. It was definitely weird.
Though I had been thinking about our next step in
trying to find that crazy blonde woman so we could get back
to normal, I began to realize that Carol... Carl and Jamie
weren't quite as interested in getting back to normal as I
was. In a way, it made sense. Carl was becoming the
stereotype of a man... and probably too macho and
chauvinistic to ever want to go back to being a woman. And
Jamie... Jamie was not only apparently enjoying what she
had become... but was probably too dumb to really care.
In spite of all of our changes, and the fact that we
had a lot less in common than we did before, they were
still my friends. I knew that it wouldn't be easy dealing
with their changes as well as my own, but I had to try for
the sake of our old friendship.
Finally, I said goodbye to my friends and left, not
exactly sure what I was going to do next. Looking for that
blonde seemed like a good idea, though not very likely.
Still, I didn't know what else I could do. So instead, I
decided to start back home to think about it some more.
However, just around the time I got home, I was
struck with the sudden thought about going out and having a
little fun. That would have to be a hell of a lot better
than just sitting around my houseboat and being bored. And
if nothing else, I told myself, it would be a great way to
take my mind off of what was happening to me.
It didn't take me long to find a nice quiet... or at
least nice club where I could grab a quick bite to eat, and
then cut loose and have a little fun. I drank a little,
thankful that no one bothered asking for my ID, then went
out onto the dance floor to cut loose.
I didn't even think about the fact that I normally
wasn't into dancing or partying, but at the moment that
didn't seem to matter. I was cutting loose. I was wild.
Every impulse seemed to translate immediately into action.
And though I wasn't consciously aware of it... this gave me
a strange sense of freedom.
My body moved almost of it's own accord, driving by
the raw energy of the loud music rather than of my own
conscious will. The music filled me, driving me to dance
with one person and then another, male or female not being
important. At the moment, I was alive. More alive than I'd
ever felt before in my life.
After I'd been dancing with one man for awhile and
having a total blast, I stepped off the dance floor for
another drink and was slightly surprised when he came with
me. However, I didn't really question it. I was just going
with the flow. Or at least going where the music and my
emotions led me.
"I'm Bryce," my dance partner introduced himself,
"Can I buy you a drink?"
"Sure," I grinned back at him, my heart racing with
excitement. "I'm Theresa," I came up with the name on the
spot, grinning at him. Thoughts of how hot he was flittered
through my mind and I licked my lips absently.
"God you're beautiful," he grinned at me, giving me a
very interested look. For some reason, that really pleased
me.
We talked for a short while more, though it was
obvious that neither of us was paying as much attention to
the conversation as to other things. My heart was still
racing, as were my hormones. Finally, I grabbed Bryce and
gave him a passionate kiss.
"Wow," he gasped a moment later, looking slightly
dazed but quickly recovering. "You've got some lips..."
"And you've got some bulge," I put my hand onto the
prominent lump on the front of his pants, making him gasp
again. "Your place or mine?"
If I had been thinking clearly, I never would have
made such a suggestion and would have been horrified at
myself for even considering it since I had been a man.
However, I wasn't being driven by thought and
consideration... but by emotion. By the raging fire of
passion that now burned within me.
Almost before I realized it, I was inside of Bryce's
apartment and moving into his bedroom. There was no
hesitation in me, no doubts. Only passion. Only desire. I
knew what I wanted and I was damn well going to get it. And
fortunately, Bryce was more than willing to help me do just
that.
Neither of us said a word as we nearly tore the
clothes from each other, pausing only for more kisses. And
soon we had moved to the bed, with Bryce climbing on top of
me, playing with my nipples and kissing me before finally
moving on. The whole experience was incredibly intense,
filling my body with sensations that I had never even
imagined possible before then. And when I came, I screamed
out so loud that I was sure that every neighbor within a
mile must have heard me, though I honestly didn't care.
"Oh God," I screamed out, "Oh yes..."
My legs were wrapped so tightly around him that I was
sure that he would never get away. It had been awesome, but
not nearly enough. I wanted more.
"Move over," I told Bryce as I shifted positions and
climbed on top of him.
The rest of the night was a blur of passion and
pleasure. It seemed to take forever, yet at the same time,
to be over in an instant. Eventually though, Bryce was
finished and we both collapsed in exhaustion before finally
drifting off to sleep.
---
When I woke up in the morning, it was with a deep
smile of contentment on my lips as I remembered the
pleasure of the night before. A tiny part of me felt
embarrassed for how much I had lost control to my passions,
but only a very small part. I stretched out in the bed,
feeling as though I ought to be purring.
After another minute of just lying there contentedly,
I sat up in bed and saw that Bryce wasn't lying next to me.
Then I noticed him through the open doorway of the small
bathroom that was attached. He was apparently brushing his
teeth or something, so I just remained where I was and
continued watching, wondering if he might be up for
something of a repeat from the night before.
"You're awake," Bryce stated the obvious as he came
out of the bathroom, wearing only a pair of boxer shorts. I
just nodded at that and he stretched out, then winced
slightly, "You were a real wild woman last night."
With that, he turned around to give me a look at his
back. It was covered with a number of deep scratches, some
of them almost gouges. And they looked rather painful.
"Did I do that?" I gasped out in surprise, not having
realized that I'd gotten so carried away.
"You were a wildcat," he told me with a grin, not
seeming angry about it, though he did wince slightly.
"I'm so sorry," I told him, then making a few more
sympathetic noises.
However, the truth was that I didn't feel the least
bit guilty about it. We'd been having fun and he certainly
hadn't been complaining at the time. In fact, I actually
felt a little pleased at the sight. It was almost like I'd
just got done marking my territory or something. Those
scratches clearly said 'mine'.
Though I tried getting Bryce to go for another round,
he unfortunately had to go to work in a little while. As it
was, I ate breakfast with him and we made out just a little
bit more before we left and went our separate ways. But he
had given me his number so we could get together again some
time.
On my way back home, I couldn't help thinking about
what had happened, still feeling rather pleased with myself
at the same time. However, I just couldn't ignore the fact
that what I had done... as enjoyable as it was, just wasn't
like me. At least not like the old me since the new
redheaded me was obviously a bit different.
I thought about James... Jamie and the way she had
been turned into a bit of a bimbo, and from what I'd
learned while talking with her, was almost always a bit
horny. Was that what was happening to me? Then I realized
that it couldn't be. Jamie was always horny... always
turned on, while I wasn't. It was just that when I did get
turned on, I REALLY got turned on.
"I guess redheads don't do anything halfway," I
exclaimed, not sure whether to laugh or cry.
Once I got home, I took my time cleaning up, enjoying
the warm water against my sensitive new skin. There were
some definite advantages to my new body, such as just how
nice it looked once I put on some fresh clothes. And of
course, the night before.
A little later, I got on=line to check my e-mail,
scowling the whole time in frustration at how slow the damn
machine was working. And just when I thought I was getting
somewhere, I got knocked off-line. I let out a stream of
curses while logging back on, tapping my long nails
impatiently on my desktop while I waited.
"'Finally," I growled out as I got back on. But
almost immediately, I was knocked off again. "GOD DAMN!" I
screamed out furiously.
Before I even thought about it, I'd torn the keyboard
out and was bashing it furiously against the edge of the
desk and then the monitor. However, that wasn't quite
enough and a few seconds later, the monitor was lying on
the floor and cracked open.
"Damn," I screamed out, now angry that I'd just lost
an expensive computer. I took that out by giving the case a
few swift kicks, though I didn't do anywhere near the
damage that had been done to the monitor.
It took me several minutes to calm down again, and
once I did I felt pretty bad about what I'd done to my
computer. However, I hadn't really been able to help it.
Like with the night before, impulse was immediately
translated into action. Even if it wasn't a very good
impulse.
Suddenly, I understood. Whatever that blonde bitch
had done to me, I now had a raging fire of emotion burning
inside of me. It flared up with the slightest of excuses,
erupting either as passion... or rage, depending on the
circumstances. And I no longer seemed to have the self-
control to keep it contained.
"I'm in deep shit," I muttered, knowing just how
badly this could get me in trouble. Either the uncontrolled
passion or the fiery temper could land me in a whole lot of
it. "I've got to find that bitch..."
With that thought, I immediately hurried out to go
check out the park again. I didn't even pause to think
about how I'd failed two times already, just knowing that
this was what I wanted and this was what I was going to do.
Once again, it was impulse leading directly to action
without much conscious thought being involved.
"Where are you?" I kept muttering as I walked around
the park, feeling the pressure beginning to build again.
The lack of results was really beginning to frustrate me,
which couldn't lead to any good.
Suddenly, a young man who couldn't be more than 17 or
18 stepped in front of me, exclaiming, "Whoah hot stuff...
you're setting my pants on fire. How about a date?"
A single glance revealed a small group of his friends
in the background, all watching intently. He was obviously
trying to impress his friends, who may or may not have
egged him on to hitting on me in the first place. However,
I was in absolutely no mood to play along with their little
game and continued walking right past.
The boy didn't seem content with that though and
suddenly grabbed my arm as I walked past, "Hey babe..."
There was absolutely no thought... no hesitation
before my fist swung around and caught him straight in the
face. An instant later, there was a satisfying crunching
sound and he fell back, clutching at his face and howling
in pain. Streams of red were oozing from between his
fingers and splattering on the ground.
"Holy shit," one of the boy's friends exclaimed,
while another spat out, "Crazy bitch."
There were more exclamations and insults as they
rushed to aid him, though I didn't really pay any attention
to them. Two of his friends glared at me, obviously about
to jump me. But after a few seconds, they seemed to think
better of it. Probably a smart move on their part
considering my mood at the moment.
After a moment, and once I was fairly sure that they
weren't going to attack me, I turned and hurried away, only
glancing back to make sure no one was following. But as for
the boy who's nose I had just broken, I didn't feel the
least bit of regret or guilt. Instead, I felt satisfied,
completely confident that he had it coming to him.
It was only later, once I had calmed down a bit, that
I realized something else about my changes. I hadn't been
feeling nearly as much regret or guilt about my outbursts
as I had at first, and seemed to be feeling less with each
one. Except perhaps for how they affected me. It was as
though I was losing the ability to. It was a frightening
thought, and even more frightening in how little that
bothered me.
"No hesitation," I mused thoughtfully, "No second
thoughts." That seemed to sum up the stereotypes about
redheads to a tee. In other words, it summed up what I was
becoming.
In spite of those thoughts, or perhaps because of
them, I finished looking around the park rather quickly. I
didn't have any success in finding that weird blonde, but
then again, I hadn't really expected to either. But still,
I'd had to look. And with my search of the park done and
over with, I decided that maybe I should check on James...
Jamie and Carl again.
Before very long, I was back at their apartment,
talking to my friends. The whole situation was strange, and
not just for me. All of us had gone through drastic changes
so we were hardly recognizable as the same people we had
been.
"Talk, talk, talk," Carl muttered, not taking his
eyes from the TV, "Is that all you girls can do?"
Though Carl was still my friend Carol somewhere
inside, her new chauvinistic attitude was really getting on
my nerves. But to be fair, Jamie's mindless chatter and
incessant giggling were pretty annoying too. Hard to
believe that my old buddy was in there.
As I sat there, frowning deeply, I worried that our
friendship was done for. We were all becoming too
extreme... and two dimensional. There wasn't much in common
between us...not much to talk over or that we wanted to do
together. Though there were still a few things, I wasn't
sure if even those would last.
Just then, the doorbell started to ring. "I'll get
it," Jamie exclaimed excitedly, grabbing for the phone.
"Hello?"
"The doorbell, you dumb blonde," Carl spat, gesturing
to the door. "Go answer it why don'tcha?"
"I don't know," Jamie responded with a confused look.
"Why don't I?"
I just groaned at that, feeling as though I was in
the middle of a bad joke. Then again, that had been the
point, hadn't it. To turn us into living stereotypes. Into
the butts of jokes.
Finally, I snapped out, "I'll get it." There was
probably a lot more edge to my voice than I intended
because Jamie gave me a hurt look while Carl muttered
something about my being a bitch.
When I opened the door, I saw a man whom I didn't
recognize standing there. He looked to be in his late
twenties or early thirties, with long blonde hair and was
wearing a gray overcoat and wide brimmed hat. There was a
strange expression on his face that seemed to be a mixture
of sadness and anger.
"Yeah?" I greeted him, less than politely.
The man in gray bowed his head slightly and removed
his hat. Then he took a long look at me, frowning deeply
while doing so.
Finally, he said, "Mr. Grange... my name is Joshua.
May I come in?"
For a moment, I just stared at him with my mouth
dropped open, completely stunned that he had actually used
my name. My real name. And I didn't look ANYTHING like
myself at the moment either. Finally, all I could do was
nod weakly and let him inside.
"Who the fuck are you?" Carl demanded as he stood up,
clenching his fists and looking as though he was about to
fight.
I quickly understood that it was a macho thing, with
another guy invading his territory. I'd never been like
that myself, but I wasn't being turned into some sort macho
bullshit stereotype.
"Hi," Jamie purred, batting her eyelashes and moving
closer to him.
Joshua just looked around the room, his eyes pausing
only briefly on each of us. Then he finally announced, "As
I said, my name is Joshua. And I'm here to help."
"Help how?" I asked him suspiciously, "And how do you
know who I am?"
"Look," Carol glared at me, "I'll ask the
questions..." That was enough to set me off, though a
single look from Joshua somehow kept that from happening.
"I know what happened to you," Joshua quietly told
us, "The sorceress who did this to you isn't usually one of
the more troub