My Niece's Talent
By Jerrie526
Author's note: The majority of this story is fiction but the first parts
of it are true. My niece Ashley was a joy to me in those innocent days
before puberty and the teen years. I love her highly. She gave me
permission to write her into this story because it was the only way that
this plotline would work. The parts that happen before her puberty are
real and autobiographical to me. I did go through these things with her
and truth is sometimes harder to write than fiction. Believe the first
few paragraphs but enjoy the rest.
I would like to thank Aardvark (Doug B) for the superb job of editing he
has done for me. Also thanks to Nom Deplume for his assistance with
Chapter 30. There is also some assistance given by Triss Morgan and
another person known only as T because of their help with police matters
in the story.
* * *
My niece, Ashley, was born a beautiful and rare child. She was always
happy growing up and when she was still a baby, everyone would say what a
little angel she was. It was true; she was an angel, and more, as we
learned later.
Being transsexual, I was always envious of her. She had been born female
while I had been denied the birthright. I couldn't deny my hatred for
natural females for having the right genetics while I looked like my
father and my brother, yet I loved them, too. I just deeply wished that I
were one of them.
Ashley and I got along well as she grew up. Her mother, Stephanie, was
the youngest child in my family while I was the second oldest, seven
years older than she. We'd always had a close relationship that bordered
on sisterhood, but my maleness ensured that we would never become quite
that familiar. As I grew older and more depressed over my desire to
become female, I reached my breaking point and started the process to
correct my birth defect.
Ashley thought my changes were the neatest things she had ever seen and
loved being around me. We'd go shopping whenever her mother would let us
be together. I lived 500 miles from them, so it was a rare treat for me
to see her, and whenever I did, I doted on her like a loving parent.
One day, we were on our way to a department store to do some shopping
when Ashley looked up at me with the most innocent look on her face,
"Aunt Jerrie, while I'm with you today, can I call you Mommy? You're so
much nicer than my mommy can be at times." All the while, those big
innocent eyes looked at me, shining for all they were worth. To me, it
was priceless.
Trying to hide my tears, I told her that she could call me that anytime
she wanted. I was happier that day than I had ever been. I had always
wanted to have kids, but I wanted to be the mother, not the father. That
day, I found out what it was to be a mommy to a beautiful nine year-old
child. That day, we did everything together and I loved every moment of
it.
Time halts for no one. I finally received my final letter of approval and
had my surgery after two years of transition. I was content with myself
for the first time in my life, although I hated my voice - especially
after a careless surgeon doing a tracheal shave damaged it. My dream life
became hell for me because I couldn't talk without sounding like I had a
throat full of gravel.
The love for my niece grew even more when the innocent ten year-old told
me that she would talk to the doctor and make him fix my voice. I cried
and gave her the biggest hug of her life. The love of a child to a parent
or proto-parent was all rewarding. I eventually found a doctor to try to
repair my voice, but it was only partially successful; the gravel was
gone, but the damage was done. I would never have a woman's voice.
As Ashley approached puberty, her life took a change. One day, on her way
home from school, she walked past a construction site. As she reached a
break in the wall protecting pedestrians from harm, a backhoe broke into
an unknown hazardous chemical dump. It ruptured and mixed several
containers, sending out a cloud of gas just ten feet away from her. The
air currents were just right to protect the operator, but it hit her
fully, enveloping her body and she breathed it in. Frightened and hurting
from her first menses, she stood there, not knowing what to do. The
construction workers hustled her off to a holding area, and called her
mother.
Eventually, an ambulance whisked her away to a local hospital where she
was isolated and had her skin scrubbed clean, nearly abrading the upper
three epidermal layers. She was then taken to an isolation room, where
she was examined closely.
Investigators were already at the scene of the accident, trying to
determine what the chemicals were and where they came from, but things
didn't look good. From the rust and deterioration, the barrels had been
there for at least forty years.
Stephanie called me that night after I had gotten home from work. I
immediately called my boss and requested several days off. I left town in
a hurry. I had a long drive ahead of me that night, but I didn't care.
The drive seemed to take forever. It was all interstate, but the 500
miles still took eight hours. My system buzzed with no-doze and I was
exhausted when barking dogs greeted me at my parents' house. My parents
calmed them, and I went upstairs, sacked out and didn't awaken until my
body recovered about 11:30 that morning.
When I rose, I read a note. Everyone was already at the hospital with my
niece. After a quick meal, I climbed back in my car and hurried all the
way.
Once in the hospital, I found her. My parents and my sister greeted me
outside the isolation room. There, in the pane of glass in the bed, was
my niece. She looked miserable and medical staff in rubber enviro-suits
surrounded her.
I asked Stephanie, "Will they permit you to go into the room with
Ashley?"
She looked at me with tears in her eyes and shook her head. "They don't
know what she was exposed to and they won't let anyone in the room
without the protective gear on. I want to go in there, but I get
claustrophobic in the suit. I tried last night, but I couldn't do it."
"I understand sis, but someone has to be with her. Do you think they'd
let me go in there?" I had to ask. I couldn't stand to see my niece so
alone. I looked into the room, feeling nearly helpless.
As I stared at Ashley, I noticed some very strange things about her. She
had been ruthlessly scrubbed yesterday with some heavy-duty brushes, from
what I had been told on the phone, yet her skin looked like it hadn't
been touched. There were no raw patches and it was a healthy glowing
pink, although it seemed to be completely covered in an oily sheen. I
watched as a nurse took a gauze pad and wiped her arm off. The oil soon
re-covered the area she just wiped.
I looked back at my sister and asked her, "What's that oily stuff
covering Ashley?"
"They don't know. It coming from her skin, but they have no idea what's
causing it."
I went to one of the nurses that had come out of the room and asked her
if there was any chance of going into the room to be with Ashley.
She looked on sympathetically. "I don't think there would be a problem
with that, hon. I'll verify it with the doctor." She turned back to the
room and spoke briefly with a man in there. She returned quickly. "You
can go inside, but you have to wear the enviro-suit for your protection."
I agreed and after I donned the suit I went inside. My niece looked so
forlorn lying there while people worked over her. When she saw me, her
eyes lit up, but not for long. When I tried to touch her, she cringed
away from my touch. I could tell that it was because of the suit.
The doctor finally arrived and I confronted him immediately. "Doctor, is
there any way I can take the suit off?" I asked anxiously. "My niece
needs real human contact."
He shook his head abruptly. "I'm afraid that's out of the question. It
would be far too dangerous for you."
I didn't like his attitude. He didn't know it was dangerous; he was just
guessing, or, more likely, heading off a lawsuit. I glared at him.
"Doctor, I could very easily have my niece taken somewhere else where
they would see her less as a guinea pig and more like a child!"
He frowned and looked up to me, possibly annoyed at potentially losing an
article in the American Journal of Medicine. "Very well. You may see your
niece without the suit, but only if you sign a waiver absolving the
hospital of all responsibility."
That was fine with me and as I entered the room again, sans the suit, my
niece's face lit up like the heavens. "Aunt Jerrie!" she exclaimed and
held her arms out for me. I obliged by giving her the biggest hug of her
life.
When my skin touched hers I started; I felt burning, not bad, and it only
lasted a minute or so. When we finished hugging, she lay back down, tired
but happier.
She looked exhausted, but it was more the kind of weariness brought on by
having to deal with people who cared more for her novel illness than her.
I noticed the fair amount of oil on my skin from the hug, and watched as
my skin appeared to absorb it, or maybe it just evaporated quickly, but
it didn't vanish from her skin - the places I had rubbed it off had
already been replenished with the stuff.
After what I thought was a few hours of just being with her and holding
her hand, my stomach rumbled in desire. I glanced at my watch and
realized that I'd been there for eight hours.
I touched her hair. "Honey, I'm going to get something to eat."
She rolled her head towards me. "Aunt Jerrie, will you be back?"
I was more tired than I thought. I faded from fatigue as I stood by her
side. "I may not be back until tomorrow morning, but I'll be back as soon
as I can."
She offered me her arms again. I hugged her, a little worried about the
burning I'd felt before, but nothing happened.
She smiled. "Good night, Aunt Jerrie, I'll see you soon."
Chapter 2: Changes in the making
After I left the hospital that night, I went home exhausted. I still
couldn't get over her heartless treatment at the hospital. For 'our'
protection, they said. I snorted. They didn't know what sort of chemicals
she was exposed to and it would be a while before they would know too.
I was sick with the doctors and a little with my own family. Her mother
had looked on in revulsion at the oily substance on her daughter's skin.
My own sister wouldn't go anywhere near her daughter without the rubber
enviro-suit.
My decision to go hold my niece was made from a near maternal instinct. I
saw a child hurting from having her skin scrubbed nearly off by heartless
and cold people who said they wanted to help her. Stiff bristle brushes
and chemicals on the tender skin of a child were not what I would call
helping or cleaning.
The way I felt on the way home told me that something was going on. I
remembered the oil burning my skin. I needed to wash myself and try to
get rid of whatever was making me nauseous. I hated the idea of returning
to the hospital sick to see the doctor smile in smug self-satisfaction.
However, even after a long hot shower and severe scrubbing, I felt the
same. I wondered if I might have breathed some fumes, or if the oil
really was making me sick. I felt tired, so I lay down on the bed. I was
out of it as soon as my head hit the pillow.
* * * Morning came with the quickness felt only by one who was too
tired when she went to bed. When I awoke, I felt immensely better. I
couldn't remember any time in the previous 15 years waking up so
refreshed and energetic; it was almost like I had lost that many years. I
had been dealing with a cold for several weeks, but now, I didn't feel
like I had a cold at all. I was clear-headed and even very hungry.
My morning ritual completed, I was rinsing my face off in the bathroom
sink when something caught my eye. The grainy look of my face was gone
and it seemed to be a bit lighter. Six hundred hours of electrolysis had
left small scars through my beard area and now, it looked like I had
never had it done.
Shaking it off as a figment of my imagination, I continued to get ready.
I didn't want to leave my niece to the predations of her doctors too
long. I knew already that I was going to be her biggest supporter in her
recovery. I ate quickly and went to get dressed. As I put on a pair of
jeans, I noticed that they were a bit looser. Thinking that my diet was
finally starting to work for me, I paid it no mind and finished dressing.
My trip to the hospital was quick and I was let in to see my niece when I
arrived. She looked to be doing better, but there was discomfort on her
face. Concerned, I sat down by her side.
"What's wrong, sweetie?" I asked her.
"Nothing much, Aunt Jerrie. I'm still having cramps and my tummy feels
horrible," she replied.
"Is it that stuff from yesterday that's making you feel bad?" If it were,
I would get the doctors to take a closer look inside to see if there was
anything that could show on a test.
"No, Aunt Jerrie. Mommy says that I can't talk about it, but I can tell
you anything. I got my first period the day before yesterday when I was
walking home, right about the time that stuff got on me. I've never felt
anything so bad in my life. Mommy says that I have to get used to it, but
I don't want to. It hurts too much and I don't like seeing blood come out
of me like that." She had a stream of tears rolling from her eyes. My
heart went out to her. She not only had been exposed to some sort of
chemical, she had had her first period.
I took her in my arms again and held her tight. I didn't experience the
burning like I had yesterday, so I wondered if it hadn't been a fluke
that it happened, or perhaps that I had been too tired from my trip and
things were out of sorts with me. She still had a light sheen of the oil
on her skin, but not like it had been the day before.
"Sweetie, I'm going to go out and talk to the doctor. Would you be a good
girl and try to sleep a little? I know you have to be tired and it also
helps when you are feeling like you are. If I can, I'll be back as fast
as I can. If you are sleeping, I will just sit in the chair over by the
window until you wake up. Is that ok with you?"
"Sure, Aunt Jerrie. If you talk to Mommy, tell her I want my teddy cat. I
couldn't sleep last night because I didn't have her." She looked hopeful
that she would have her toy when she went to sleep tonight.
"Sure, honey. I'll tell her, or I will go to your house and get it
myself. How about that?"
"Would you? I'd love that." If I did something for her, she would feel
that it was that much more special.
"Sure, sweetie. You try to relax and I'll be back before you know it," I
told her reassuringly.
She was really tired because she leaned back in the bed, closed her eyes
and was very soon asleep. I held her hand for a while before I got up and
worked my way out of the room. The main doctor on her case met me and I
could tell he wanted to talk to me.
"Ms. Martin, I'm sure that you are aware that we might not be able to
find out what those chemicals were that came in contact with your niece,
although we are trying hard. I need to ask you a few questions about
yesterday's hug."
I didn't really like the way he had said that, but I played along. "Sure,
Doc. What do you need to know?"
"When you gave your niece the hug, you stiffened slightly, as if you were
burned or shocked by something. I initially wrote it off as revulsion to
the oily substance, but I began to wonder if that was all it was. You
might be aware that we're trying to identify what the oil is, and we are
making progress. We've been able to identify two common body hormones as
well as certain endorphins that the body needs to heal itself. Other
substances are probably, in part, the chemicals that contacted her skin."
"So, if you know what the main parts are, what does that have to do with
me? I mean, sure, I came in contact with the oil and yes, I was repulsed
by it since it really felt nasty on my skin. You know I won't do anything
to your hospital because I signed the waiver."
"I know that," he said impatiently, "but you have to be aware that if
anything adverse happens to you, you'll wind up in the isolation room
yourself. Now, since yesterday, we've been able to determine that the
substances in the oil might be a mutagen. We..."
I cocked my head slightly. "Wait, what do you mean by mutagen? That it
will cause a person to mutate into some sort of monster? That my niece is
going to turn into a monster?"
"Now, don't go getting ahead of yourself and thinking bad science fiction
here. All we can determine is that something about your niece is
changing. We scrubbed her skin hard, unfortunately, to try to get the
chemicals off of her before it could damage her. We scrubbed her skin raw
and yet, now, there's no sign of any skin damage at all - it pretty much
healed itself overnight. The oil is probably going to be an ongoing thing
that will most likely run itself out, but only time will tell."
"Still, what does this have to do with me?" I asked.
"We aren't sure, but I have to get your word that if you notice anything
strange or unusual that you contact us immediately. Did you notice
anything at all so far, something that's not normal with you?"
"Well, to be honest, I was really tired last night, and when I went to
bed, I fell asleep quicker than normal, but that could have been the
stress of the day. This morning, I got up feeling like a whole new
person. It was almost like I'd lost 15 years. But I think that's because
I slept so soundly last night."
"How are you feeling now?"
"I'm feeling great. As a matter of fact, I haven't felt this good in
quite a long time."
"Hmm, ok. Well, as I said, if you have any problems whatsoever, please
get in touch with us and we will see what we can find. Thank you for your
time." He shook my hand and then departed.
I thought about what he said as I walked to my car and on the way to my
sister's house. Stephanie was not at home, but I knew where she kept her
spare key. I let myself in and got Ashley's 'teddy cat.' I couldn't
figure out why this child had such a thing about this old hideous toy. It
had been so ugly that it was cute when I had bought it for her after she
was born. I guess it might be because I bought it for her.
As I got ready to leave, I started having some rather horrible stomach
cramps and I had to make my way to the bathroom. Before I could sit down,
my stomach revolted and I wound up spewing into the throne. It seemed
that everything I had ate that morning was back up. I finished that and
wound up evacuating the other end in what seemed to be the most powerful
diarrhea I had ever had the displeasure of having. My bowels and stomach
continued to gurgle for some time before it subsided. I felt weak and
sweaty as well as slightly chilled. I guessed that when I got back to the
hospital, I would have to go talk to the doctor.
I decided that it would be best that I go back to the house and rest for
a bit. I might have been having an allergic reaction to the oil I'd
contacted yesterday but I had never had an allergy in my life. But with
this, you could never tell.
Even after a three-hour nap, I was still feeling out of sorts. I had to
put on my game face regardless of how I felt. I could not let Ashley know
that I was not feeling well. Another trip to the bathroom emptied my
system out again. Nothing looked normal in the remnants and I started to
feel a bit nervous. As I pulled my pants back up, I noticed that they
were markedly looser on me. My shirt was even loose on me. I must have
been really getting sick if my clothes no longer fit me. My shoes were
loose, or my feet had shrunk. That, I did not think was possible. I tied
the laces a bit tighter and left to go back to the hospital.
Life went on for everyone except me. Since I was on personal leave time,
I had the leisure to come and go as I wished. No one else from my family
was at the hospital and Ashley was looking rather forlorn without anyone
around her, but she perked up when she saw me. Her grin got even bigger
when she saw her teddy cat. I went in the room and sat down next to her
bed and handed it to her. She was in sheer bliss now that she had her old
friend with her.
I had figured that she would be feeling too sick to notice that I was not
feeling well myself, but I was surprised to see her back to her chipper
self again. I caught her appraising me before she piped up.
"Aunt Jerrie, you look funny. Did you go buy clothes that are too big for
you?" she asked me innocently.
"No, sweetie, I brought these clothes with me when I came up here. I'm
just not feeling that well and I think I'm coming down with the flu or
something." I had to stretch the truth a bit for her sake.
"But, Aunt Jerrie, if you are sick, you should see the doctor. They are
really good. They fixed me up all better and I know they could you, too."
Without a word to me, she picked up the call button on her bed and
pressed it. "See, I even called them for you. Now you can get all
better!"
The Nurse came running into the room with a panicked look on her face.
She took in the sight of Ashley sitting there on her bed with a beautiful
smile on her face. Then she looked at me and blanched. She left the room
again, but was back in a minute with the doctor as well as the rest of
the team.
They pulled me off to the side and hammered me with questions. Most of
them came too fast for me to answer, but the doctor caught the gist of
what was going on. I had blood drawn and sent to the lab. I was starting
to show an oily sheen to my skin and my nervousness increased. In the
middle of the testing and questions, my vomiting came back in full force
and it was all I could do to keep it off anyone. I did manage to splatter
a lot of shoes, but at least it wasn't people.
The hazard suits came out again and I was taken on a gurney to another
isolation room where they continued to work on me feverishly. I lost
consciousness sometime in there and I knew nothing more.
Chapter 3: It seems a new life is needed
As I reentered the land of the living, I wondered if anyone got the
license number of the truck that hit me. My whole body hurt and my head
pounded with a thousand variations of the anvil chorus, not to mention
the ringing of the bells of a thousand churches.
I opened my eyes, but they refused to focus for me. I heard voices that
sounded close by. I tried to call out, but all I did was grunt. The
voices stopped talking and I saw a colorful blur come closer to my face.
I tried to follow the blur with my eyes and suddenly, I heard someone
shouting for a doctor and then the patter of running feet.
I saw a bright flash in my eyes after feeling my eyelids pulled back. I
guess my reaction was sufficient because the light went out.
"Ms. Martin, can you hear me?" a male voice asked me.
"Yes." I said, or at least tried to. The grunt was again the only thing
that came out of my throat.
"Sorry about that. If you can hear me, just nod your head." I nodded yes.
"Good. You had us very worried. We thought we were going to lose you for
a while. You have been in a coma for the last month."
A coma? What was wrong with me?
The speaker figured that I might have a few questions. "Somehow, the oil
on your niece's skin caused a drastic reaction with your body. We found
out that it was a mutagen as suspected, and it changed you in totally
unexpected ways."
"WHAT!" I tried to yell out, but my mouth wouldn't open enough. When I
did get it open a bit, I felt the clinginess of medical tape over my
mouth.
"Wait a minute, let me get the breathing tube out of your throat." He
gently pulled the tape off my mouth and, ever so lightly, pulled
something out of my mouth. I felt it moving in my throat and I wanted to
gag and then it was over. "Now, try not to get too vocal. You've had the
tube in your throat for a month now and your vocal chords will be disused
to talking. Now, you were saying?"
My voice came out weakly, "I was trying to say, what do you mean,
changed? Am I a monster now? What about my niece? How is she doing?" I
didn't like the sound of my voice - it was all gravelly and a tiny
squeak.
"You needn't worry about your niece. She was released from the hospital
two weeks ago with a clean bill of health. She's been by your side most
of the time she could since then. You're not a monster, far from it, but
I don't think you'll be going back to your job anytime soon. Now, would
you like to see how much you have changed?"
"Doc, I can't see very well right now. I can't focus and everything is a
blur." I tried moving my hands, but they were strapped down. "Could you
release my hands at least?"
"Not right at the moment. If you get up, what you cannot see might hurt
you. It would be best if you wait until your vision returns. Your body
has been through a lot. Rest and take it easy. Good night." I felt a warm
sensation in my arm and I went out like a light.
* * *
When I finally woke up, I could see clearly again. Only this time, it
clear and sharp, so sharp I doubted that I'd need the glasses that I'd
been wearing since the fourth grade. There was a nurse standing just
outside the room and others bustling down the hall on various errands.
Knowing that I could get their attention anytime I wanted I just lay
there, stunned, thinking about what the doctor had said last night. Or
was it last night? I had no idea what time of day or even what day it
was. I had many questions that needed answers.
"Nurse?" I called. "Excuse me, but could you get the doctor for me
please?" The gravel was gone, but it sounded like I was talking with
lungs full of helium.
The nurse by the door looked in at me and smiled brightly. "What was
that, sweetie?" she asked.
'Sweetie? When did I become a *sweetie*?' I thought.
"I was just asking if I could see the doctor. I have some things that I
have to ask him." I told her again.
"Sure. He told me you woke up again last night. You sure had us all
worried last month," she said with a concerned smile on her face. "I'll
have him paged and he will be here as soon as he can get here. He's still
off shift at the moment."
"That's fine. Could you untie my arms? I'm hungry and I'll need them to
eat."
"The doctor left word that you weren't to be untied until he was sure you
weren't going to hurt yourself. You will just have to be patient and
things will work out. If you like, I will feed you." There was a sly
smile on her face, as if she was telling an inside joke.
"Sure, I guess the hospital has rules about invalid patients." I felt
odd about her feeding me like a small child who couldn't feed herself.
She brought in a meal a few minutes later and sat it on the bed table.
She took the lids off and I caught a whiff of the aroma of the food. My
mouth started salivating at the scent. I was really hungry. I hadn't been
able to smell anything like food for a number of years and I had
forgotten that food could smell so wonderful.
Needless to say, the food was absolutely fantastic. My sense of taste was
so much better now that I could smell things again. I wanted to cry over
the wonder of it all. Whatever it was that I had come in contact with had
done a miracle. Things that had been lost were now back: taste, smell,
and vision. I wondered what else was improved.
At last, I finished the fine meal even though it really was nothing more
than cream of wheat, toast and a poached egg with milk. As the nurse was
wiping my face off, the doctor strolled into the room.
"Well, Ms. Martin, you certainly look chipper this morning. How are
things with you?"
"Fine, Doctor. I can see clearly this morning and that is a surprise. I
haven't seen clearly since I was ten. I really enjoyed breakfast this
morning. I'd forgotten what it was like to smell or taste food. And I
feel like I could run a marathon and win it."
"Well, I don't think you will be running a marathon anytime soon. You
still have some recovery time and then we'll see." There was that sly
smile on his face, the same one that the nurse had earlier.
"Ok, Doc, now that we have the niceties over with, let's cut to the
chase. What happened to me?"
"Before I get started, there are some people waiting to see you." He
turned to the door and signaled. My parents walked in a second later. I
was happy to see them. But they both hung back as if they were scared of
me.
"Now, I know your background and it was quite an interesting read, let me
assure you. Your niece was exposed to chemicals from an old chemical
plant from another state. They had been dumping their waste products on
that site during the 40's and 50's, when the area was nothing but open
wasteland. Once the city started getting closer, they stopped and dumped
elsewhere. It seems that they were experimenting with a way to make
livestock production more productive using male and female hormones as
well as mutagens, but they were unsuccessful.
"Normally, these chemicals, separately, would have no effect on a human,
but the peculiar combination that got your niece was enhanced by her
onset of menses. With her hormone productivity being the highest it would
ever be in her life, the chemicals reacted with severe modifications to
her body. Nothing really visible except a speeded up healing process and
the oil. Her body couldn't handle the chemicals very well and expelled
the worst out her pores like sweat. She is still producing the oil and
from what we have been able to determine, she might be producing it for
the rest of her life."
"That's all fine and dandy, but what does that have to do with me?" I
wished that he would get to his point.
"I'm getting to that. When you came in contact with the oil, you came in
contact with the mutagens. But you wouldn't have had any reaction if you
hadn't also been a genetic male and had a high level of female hormones
in your body. You see, the chemical company had been using female
hormones to fatten up the steers and had designed the mutagens to become
more receptive to the female hormones -to enhance the effect of the
hormones. But they stopped when they started getting sex mutations."
He grinned. "I see that you're getting the gist of what I am saying. Yes,
the steers were becoming females. It made them female, genetically female
and without a uterus. But when you came in contact with the oil, it
started mutating your body to become female. Not the restructured male
one you had, but a real genetic female. You had something that the steers
didn't have: you had your niece."
"I don't understand Doc. What difference would that make? I wouldn't be
able to grow a uterus either."
He held up his hand gently, a calming gesture. "Let me finish. Your niece
was also expelling some of her DNA into the oil. When the mutagens mixed
with your body, you changed completely. Now, I don't want to scare you,
but you actually got part of your niece's genetics and you grew a
uterus."
My heart leapt into my throat. I had a uterus??? How I wished I had one
for so many years, and a leap of fate gave me one!! I grew more excited
by the minute.
The doctor continued. "Now, I know this is shocking news to you already,
but there are other things that you have to know. Mrs. Martin, could you
hand me that mirror on the dresser next to you. Yes, that's it. Thank
you." He turned back to me. "I'm going to show you something that might
freak you out." He held the mirror up so that I could see my face.
HOLY SHIT!!!!!!! Looking back at me was the near twin of my niece! Her
face was now mine. How much more did I have? I turned my head in all
directions trying to catch the full view. I had him tilt it down a bit so
that I could see the lower part of my body. No breasts on my chest, but I
could see small nipples trying to poke out of the hospital gown. Blankets
covered the rest.
"Doctor, could you please release my hands now? I have to see them.
Please?" I pleaded with him.
Silently, he released my hands; I brought them up before my face and
stared at them intently. The tiny things at the end of my arms were not
the hands I had grown up with.
"Ok, Doc, answer me this: Why am I so small and what happened to my
breasts? I had implants and they should still be there."
"It seems that your body shed any and all useless material. We had a hard
time keeping up with the stuff your body expelled. Physically, you are
now an eleven year-old girl. As for your implants, your body expelled
them too."
"But, but how can that happen? They were under the muscles on my chest
and should not have come out!" I exclaimed.
"One morning, the nurse came in to change your gown and when she removed
it, there were two silicone bags of saline with it, but no wounds in your
skin. We figure that they were pushed out of your muscles and skin and
then the wounds healed themselves up. There is no other explanation for
it."
I took all this in and was silent for quite a while. I had finally gotten
my wish, but I wasn't sure if it was what I really wanted. I was 37 years
old and now, suddenly, I looked like an eleven year-old girl. I would
have given my eyeteeth to look like an eleven year-old girl WHEN I was
eleven years old. Not now! What was that going to do with my life? I
certainly couldn't go back to work as I was. No one would believe me. I
wasn't even sure that my parents would accept me. It had been hard enough
for them to accept me as their transsexual daughter. They felt like they
had failed me and were terrible parents when I had my SRS. Nothing I
could ever say would let them think of me other than as their oldest son.
They looked at me as if I were a stranger - they wouldn't even come
closer than the edge of the door. My father had always been a strong man,
but he looked like a frightened little boy. Mom just looked on curiously.
"Mom, Dad, please talk to me. You're both staring at me as if I had the
plague. Believe me, it's not catching."
Both of them looked at me with surprise; I thought that neither of them
had expected me to say anything to them at all.
My father spoke first after a long pause. "What do you want us to say?"
he replied in agitation. "You were the one who insisted on going in the
room and taking off the protective suit. You got what you wanted when you
had SRS and now this! You can't be our daughter - you're young enough to
be our granddaughter, not to mention looking like our granddaughter." He
sighed heavily. "I'm too old to raise another child. What the hell do you
want us to do?"
"I have an idea, but it won't be my decision to make. I'll have to get
back with you on that." I was just relieved that he hadn't rejected me;
he had had such a hard time with my SRS. I turned to mom.
"Mom, I know you and dad have never agreed with my decision to have
surgery. I know I was unreasonable to demand to hold Ashley, but no one
could have expected what happened! I'm still the same person inside this
little body that you gave birth to so many years ago."
It took a long time before she said anything. "I've never really agreed
with your reasons for having your surgery, but I've always felt that I
could have accepted it in time." She shook her head helplessly. "But now,
I'm not sure what to do. I sat up here day after day while you were in
your coma. When I saw how much you were changing, I prayed that God would
let you die rather than face life as a monster. Instead, you became a
little girl.
"Your father and I had always hoped that you would eventually come to
your senses and go back to being our son. Now, that's no longer an option
and I don't know what to do. I'm sure that in time, I can come to accept
it, but it will be hard, harder than anything else I've done. It's a lot
to take in." She stood off to the side and went silent.
I sat back, thankful that I still had both parents - albeit barely.
My parents made their leave and it was just the doctor and I again. The
whole time I'd been talking to my parents, the doctor had been sitting
there quietly taking things in.
"I already had an idea what your parents were going to say, but I
couldn't say anything to you about it. There is a possible solution." He
signaled at the door and my sister and Ashley came in. Ashley literally
bounced with excitement. "Ms. Martin, your sister has an offer. Please
hear her out before you decide."
I felt that I knew what she was going to say and wanted to turn her down,
but when my sister began, I listened.
"Jerrie, I know you have had a rough life. Mom and dad didn't reject you,
exactly, but you have nowhere to go. Ashley wants me to adopt you as her
twin sister. You really are a near genetic match for her. You're my
sister by surgery, so I'm not sure how I could handle raising you as a
daughter, but you really aren't in an ideal position to justify living on
your own. You couldn't survive without a parent since you're now eleven.
Ashley is lonely for a sibling and you wouldn't have to worry about
anything. You'd have to go back to school again until you could resume
whatever career you wanted. All you have to do is let me know what you
want, and I'll go with that."
I was dumbfounded with her offer. I thought it was more Ashley's idea
than her own, but my sister had come through - she wouldn't turn me away.
Ashley wanted so much to say something, I could tell. I asked the doctor
and Stephanie to step out of the room for a bit while I talked to Ashley.
"Why do you want me to be your sister, Ashley?"
"Oh, Aunt Jerrie, I feel so bad that this happened, but you can't go back
to what you were. You look so much like me now that it's like you were my
twin sister. Oh, please, won't you say that you will be my sister? Pretty
please?"
My feelings were all over the place. It would literally be starting over.
Everything I had done and accomplished in my past life, some things I had
been proud of, would be thrown away. Starting elementary school as a
girl, living as a girl with my sister as my mother? Still, there was no
real doubt. Maybe I could have come to some compromise arrangement where
I could bend the legal system and live as some freakishly smart girl with
adult rights, but Ashley looked at me with those big blue eyes so
pleadingly, and she could always twist me around her little finger. To
grow up again with her, sharing everything as I could have never have
done as Aunt Jerrie...
I reached way down and touched her hand, now the same size as mine, from
my hospital bed. "Ok, sweetie, I will be your twin sister. Can you go get
mommy and the doctor so that I can talk with them?"
She gave a happy squeal and bounded out the door to get her mother and
the doctor. All three of them came back in the room, but Ashley was the
most excited.
"Ashley tells us that you have agreed to the conditions. Is there
anything that you feel we need to?" The doctor asked me.
Ever since I was very young, I had always felt that I should have been a
little girl and now I had the chance. I wasn't sure that I could act like
a child or how things would look if I acted too mature. I thought that
the portrayal of a much younger person might be very difficult. Childhood
had been a long time ago. But one thing was for sure, I could act like a
child and no one would think it odd.
"There might be issues, Doctor, that will have to be addressed before
things settle down. I need to find out what has been passed on to my
employer and insurance company. If everything is to go well, I have to
know what they've been told."
He looked thoughtful. "Well, about the only thing that they have been
told so far is that you were exposed to a hazardous chemical and that you
were in a coma. They haven't been told about your physical changes,
although they know about the mutagens. I think I know what you want to
do, and it might be unethical, but it might be wise to go that route
anyway."
My sister looked on, puzzled. "What are you two talking about? I don't
understand this talk of 'ethics.'"
"If I'm going to become your daughter, your sister has to die. The doctor
could sign my death certificate that says I died of complications
resulting from exposure to hazardous chemicals. I'm pretty sure that the
insurance company is going to want to see an autopsy report and that will
be the only thing that may prove to be a problem. We'd need a certificate
of cremation or something like that. Then we need a paper trail about an
unknown girl who was sick from pneumonia or something was brought to the
hospital and it was discovered that she was the identical twin of your
daughter who disappeared after you gave birth to them both.
"The doctor back then did say you gave birth to twins, but one was born
dead. How the body disappeared is still an unknown, but I know you were
not in the best of condition after Ashley was born and anything could
have happened. This scenario might be the best for us all. You are the
beneficiary of my life insurance policy and you would be able to support
both of us until I am able to graduate school again and decide on a new
career. A new birth certificate will have to be provided for me as well
as a new name. Hmm, Doc, how are my finger prints now in comparison to my
past ones?"
"We looked at them once you were stabilized and they had changed. They
are not copies of Ashley's prints but there are enough similarities that
it would be a plausible situation. Stephanie, is what she said about your
daughter's twin true?" Stephanie nodded that is was true. "It would be
perfect for this. I think it could be pulled off and the records
concerning Jerrie would have to be altered to reflect her death. I know
it's fraud, but we have to come to terms with this. We can show that she
died and, per request from your family, her remains were cremated. I am
sure that we can scrape up enough cremated remains from various
crematoriums to give the semblance of someone's remains. Let me do some
checking with the administration people and see what they say. You may
have to give me a few days to talk things through. I'll go now and get
the ball rolling." He quickly left us alone.
I had some thoughts I had to pass by Stephanie. "Sis, I know what dad
feels. If this if this is going to work, you are going to have to make
sure mom and dad go along with it. And does the rest of the family know
about me?"
Stephanie looked thoughtful for a moment. "We only told them that you
were in a coma after being exposed to the same chemicals Ashley was.
Nobody knows that you changed except for Ashley, myself, mom, dad, and
the hospital staff."
"Good. Are you going to sue the construction company?"
"We've already reached a tentative settlement with them about Ashley. It
wasn't big; they admitted no guilt over it because it wasn't their
chemicals. You can't sue anyone for your change. You signed those forms,
remember?"
I sighed at that part. It didn't really matter. I had a lot more
important things to think about, like my new life.
Chapter 4 - Homecomings
Two weeks later the hospital gave me a clean bill of health. My body
seemed to have an infinite capacity for energy that I was hard-pressed to
use. In the meantime Stephanie had sold my house, at a loss, but I
wouldn't be needing it any more.
At least I could use my pride and joy, my laptop, and that first day I
worked until I glowed. My hands cramped and my arms ached horribly, but I
was happy.
Stephanie received a first payment for Ashley's accident, and bought a
new, larger house for the three of us. She moved most of my belongings
that could fit into my new room. Ashley took no time to accept her long
lost twin sister and had been telling all her friends the story of her
twin who'd been stolen at birth, but had been miraculously found. Her
friends wanted to visit me at the hospital, but we persuaded them to stay
away until I was out. I hoped by that time I would be able to get my act
down pat and not have any problems with the pre-teen girls she associated
with.
My story was that I'd been raised in isolation and hadn't interacted with
other girls, or anyone else for that matter. I would be quite shy around
others for a while. Once I was comfortable I might open up.
My biggest problem was my parents. Stephanie had talked to them, but the
only thing they agreed upon was that I would be regarded as dead. They
were reluctant to accept me as their long lost granddaughter, but I was
sure that as time went by, they would be better with it. New things take
time to adjust.
Getting out of the hospital was a big day for me. The new house was
ready, and Stephanie and Ashley had prepared a great big welcome home
party. I was packed up and presented with my new birth certificate,
social security card, and other pertinent forms and loaded up into
Stephanie's new mini van.
The drive to the new house was quick and before I knew it, we were
unloading the van heading inside. As expected, inside the house were all
of Ashley's friends, their parents, and my now former parents. Most
conspicuous in their absence were my siblings, but that wasn't unusual. A
swarm of girls greeted me as Jennifer, my new name. They ranged from
about ten to twelve years old and I'd never seen so many giggling little
girls in one place before; I was slightly overwhelmed by the attention.
All the girls oohed and ahhed that I looked so much like Ashley. I sort
of clung to Ashley because I was a little afraid of them, and I didn't
have to act like a scared child because I was that and more.
The welcome home party seemed to run forever. Finally I relaxed somewhat,
but anytime too many people crowded me, I pulled away to hide. A few
commented about how skittish I was. Stephanie explained the story we
concocted for this occasion:
I'd been stolen from the hospital right after I was born and raised in a
very strict environment. I'd never had anyone around except for the two
adults who had taken me. I had no formal schooling, but I had been taught
things at the house. I had gotten seriously sick one day, and I wound up
at the hospital where I was recognized by one of the nurses who had
treated Ashley.
At first, they thought I was Ashley and tried to track down her mother,
but when Ashley was found where she was supposed to be, it seemed that
the hospital had an interesting problem: two nearly identical girls with
different last names. As Stephanie told it, my kidnappers vanished.
Nobody had seen them for several weeks. I had been genetically identified
that I was Stephanie's daughter and my DNA matched 97% of Ashley's. Even
our fingerprints nearly matched.
I could only hide my growing smile; the adults fell for the story.
Eventually it would become common knowledge. I just had to fulfill my
roll in the scheme of things.
The day finally ended and we were finally alone. Stephanie told me to
take a bath and get ready for bed. Since it was a Saturday, I had a full
day to prepare myself mentally for school on Monday.
I was awestruck by the size of my room and bathroom. Of course, I was so
much smaller than before. The bathtub nearly swallowed me with its size,
but I was tickled pink. Ashley had her own room and adjoining bathroom
too. There would be no need for anyone to share a bathroom in this house.
I finally got too pruned after an hour and dried off. I slipped into the
nightie that Stephanie had provided. I was a bit chagrinned over the
little girl's panties, but I put them on like the good girl I was now.
Chapter 5 - Kidnapped
Unbeknownst to the world at large, some very unscrupulous people planned
to kidnap Ashley and find out how she was able to produce the oil. It
would happen when they needed a fresh batch of the oil. The group
composed of some of the people in the research lab that isolated the
oil's components.
When they heard of my subsequent transformation and age regression, they
started trying to duplicate the oil formula. They thought they had found
the fountain of youth. But none of their efforts paid off with anything
that they could use.
They started to get desperate, and to find out what they needed, they had
to have the source of the oil, Ashley.
Ashley had been secreting the oil all along. She hated that it wouldn't
stop; it gave a new meaning to the term oily skin.
The hospital had asked Stephanie if they could collect samples of the oil
every once in a while so that they could analyze and experiment with it.
As a bold business move, Stephanie charged them for the oil. Since it had
to be scraped, it was a painful process. Stephanie charged them $1000 per
one-ounce vial, about as much as they could get in one visit. The
proceeds of that went into Ashley's college fund for later use in her
continuing her education.
The oil collecting had been going on now for two months, ever since I got
out of the hospital. I'd go with her and Stephanie and wait with her
while she was being worked on. Most of the time I sat holding her hand;
she squeezed it when it became too painful.
We became so close that we could almost tell what the other was thinking.
The closeness I had with her was more filling than anything I'd had in my
first childhood. I had spent a lot of lonely years growing up. I couldn't
play with the boys because they were rougher than I liked, but if I tried
to play with the girls, I would be excluded because I was a boy. I could
never win anything.
Because of my near shunning, I learned how to be self-reliant, as well as
my own entertainment. I also trained myself to be very observant to the
way people did things or said things that affected my life. That training
came in handy one surprising spring day six months after my
transformation.
Ashley and I were walking home from school, but had not left the school
grounds yet. We'd been talking with some of her friends, well, mine too
at that point. I remembered that I had forgotten a book I needed for a
homework assignment and told Ashley to wait for me while I ran back in to
get the book. I went back inside, grabbed my book and ran back out.
Just as I came back to the door, I noticed a dark blue van in the area
where Ashley should have been. I saw the door closing, and it started
accelerating away. Not seeing Ashley anywhere, I made note of the details
of the van as well as its license number. I wrote it down quickly,
knowing that I might not remember it in the flurry of activity that I
knew was coming.
I ran back inside and went to the office. I was a bit out of breath and
had a hard time telling them what I'd seen. Once I spilled what had
happened, they called the police, and I was taken into the principal's
office and told to wait. Stephanie, or mom now, was called and informed
that Ashley had been abducted from in front of the school. She totally
panicked and broke multiple speed laws getting to the school.
By the time she arrived, the police were there, taking my statement. She
was terrified. I couldn't blame her, since her only real daughter was
missing. I didn't want to think about what the abductors wanted with her.
The police told her that they had high hopes about her recovery,
especially since I had managed to get the license number of the van. They
had already put an APB out on the van and it wouldn't be long. Or so they
said.
Chapter 6 - Second Abduction
After Ashley was abducted, we waited for word. A week later the police
called us to tell us they had found the van, but that it had been
torched. Mom nearly went to pieces, but at least they hadn't found her
body - there was still hope that she was alive.
I hadn't told anyone, but I knew that Ashley wasn't dead. I felt her in
my mind whenever I thought about her. I could tell that she was scared,
but that she was at least being treated well. For some reason, whenever I
slept, I'd dream about Ashley being kept in some stark white room with a
bed, and every so often, someone would come into the room and talk to
her. I'd catch flashes of her strapped into a chair or on a table of some
sort and would feel pokes in my arm or scrapes on my skin. It was as if I
felt and saw everything she did. I couldn't tell where she was, but I had
the distinct feeling of ether or some other drug, and that she was
feeling rotten with the after effects.
A few days later, a family liaison officer visited us for an update.
After accepting a cup of coffee from mom, he proceeded to tell mom what
they had found so far.
"Ms Martin, with all missing persons, the first forty-eight hours are the
most crucial. This is not a missing person, it is an abduction. Therefore
we are not treating this as a missing person, but as a crime enquiry. Now
there are many reasons for abductions, and if there is a ransom demand,
there is usually a financial motive. We always deal with this as if the
abductee is still alive. However, I have to inform you so that you may
prepare yourself for the worst. Sometimes, abductions have no other
motive other than assault, either sexual, or physical. With every hour
that passes, we are doing what we can. We're utilizing heat and infrared
sensors on the helicopter, and teams of searchers with dogs.
Unfortunately, we have no specific area to search, and there are many
places that a person may be hidden, alive or not!"
Mom started to cry. It was as if she had given up on Ashley being alive
and had started the grieving process. I knew otherwise, and felt that it
was time I spoke up.
"Mommy, don't believe what the policeman says. Ashley is not dead. The
people that took her are treating her well, but she is scared all the
time and is lonely for her family. She's ok, even though they are
'sperimenting on her."
The police officer seemed to be the type that did not believe in psychic
connections between twins, and he started to tell me that I had to accept
that my sister was not going to be back.
"No, sir, you don't understand!" I exclaimed. "I can feel my sister in my
head! She is ok. I know that. They keep her awake at night and I dream
about them 'sperimenting on her. I feel them poking her with needles and
scraping her skin. They strap her down on a table of some sort in a room
that looks like an operating room on TV, or in a room that has just a bed
in it. She doesn't get to watch TV, read books or anything else. Mommy,
she is so bored, but she misses us terribly."
My words had an effect on the officer. He started to write things down
quickly as I was speaking. When I finally finished talking, he put his
pen down and looked at me. "Jennifer, honey, when you see your sister
with someone, can you tell if there is any sort of identification on
them?"
I thought for a moment. "No sir. They are all wearing, I think, lab
coats. You know, like something a mad scientist might wear on the old
scary movies."
I could almost follow his thinking by the expressions on his face.
"Jennifer, do you think that you could describe things more if you had
help? I am sure that we could pinpoint where your sister was if we could
get a good description of someone in your dreams. Ms. Martin, would you
consent to us hypnotizing your daughter? She seems to have better leads
than we do. I assure you that she will treated well and anything we learn
will be kept confidential."
Mom turned to me and said, "Jennifer, would you be willing to be
hypnotized to help the police?"
"Sure, I think I could do that. But do you think they will make me act
like a chicken or a cow, or bark like a dog? I don't think that would be
too fun."
I spotted a twitch in the corner of the officer's mouth. "No, honey, they
won't make you bark like a dog or act like a chicken and cow. All they
want to do is talk to you about what you have been seeing with your
sister. Would that be ok?"
I beamed at him. "Sure. Anything I can do to help my sister!" I wanted
him to think that I was a typical eleven year-old.
He excused himself and took a moment to make a couple of calls on his
cell phone before returning to the table. "Ms. Martin, Jennifer, I've set
up an appointment with a hypnotist for tomorrow morning. They are going
to need you there at 9:00 and it might take a while, so be prepared.
We'll see to it that you have anything you might want to drink or eat
while you're there." He picked up the scratch pad from the table and
wrote down an address. "This is where you will need to be. Jennifer,
you're a very brave girl to do this. Please stay brave and we will have
your sister back very soon."
After he left, mom turned to me. "Why didn't you say anything before
this? You could have saved me a lot of heartache worrying about Ashley."
"I know mom, but I wanted to be sure. I kept thinking that it was just
wishful thinking. But last night was what clinched it for me. I could
hear Ashley telling me that I needed to tell someone that she was ok but
scared. She told me that the people who were holding her said that they
wouldn't harm her. All they wanted to do was find out how she made the
oil and then they would let her go. Mom, I don't believe they will find
out how she makes the oil." I giggled a bit at a thought. "I tried to
tell her to tell her body to stop making it for a while. I thought that
if she did that, that she could get them to let her go sooner. She said
she would try."
"It's a feeling I have. I noticed several times that when she talks about
the oil being a pain that it starts to dry up and goes away. But usually,
it is not for very long and once she forgets about it, it starts to come
back slowly. I think that if she tried hard, she could get it to stop."
Mom looked thoughtful for a while. "Well, sweetie, I hope you're right.
Now, how about we get something to eat. You look fidgety like Ashley does
when she is really hungry and if I am correct, I heard your tummy growl
not too long ago."
I giggled. "I think you heard right, mom."
I dreamed that night that Ashley told me that she had been able to stop
the oil from appearing on her skin. She was happy when she realized that
she could keep the people from scraping her skin time and again.
The next day, mom and I went to the hypnotist and the policeman was
there. He was with several other people, one of which had a drawing pad
in her hands. I guessed that she was the sketch artist that was going to
draw the picture of the people I had seen with Ashley. Mom was given a
seat to wait in next to me that she could be kept abreast of the
progress. I was guided into the dimly-lit room and asked to sit in a
reclining chair.
I didn't have to wait long before they tried to hypnotize me. I had been
put under once, years ago, and I had been told by a friend that he had
left me with a suggestion that if I were to be hypnotized again I would
go under quickly, which I was.
I didn't remember anything when I was awakened, but the police officers
and sketch artist around me were literally beaming. I guessed that they
got what they needed. When I back with mom, they told us how proud they
were of me. I had given them enough detailed information to make half a
dozen sketches of potential suspects. If they weren't in a criminal
database, it might be a hard time finding out who they were, but they
were still going to put out the pictures on the local networks and list
them as people of interest in Ashley's abduction.
* * *
We waited for two weeks without hearing anything from the police. During
that time I kept going to school, even though I did not really care to. I
had to do something to keep from thinking about Ashley. My dreams at
night had become worrisome. Ashley hadn't been producing any oil for her
kidnappers, and they were getting vicious with her. One person had
actually threatened to kill her if she didn't produce any. I lent my
support to her, telling her we were working on finding her. She was
scared but understood.
One day, shortly after that, I was walking home from the bus stop when I
felt a sting in my back. I thought I had walked too close to a wasps'
nest, that is, until my vision started swimming and I started stumbling.
I felt my legs weakening. I tried to brace myself, but wound up falling
into the grass. I could hear people talking around me, but couldn't move
my head. I heard a siren a couple of minutes later and I was loaded on
something and put inside a vehicle. The siren blared for a couple of
minutes and then turned off. I heard a voice say, "Put her out." A
pinprick in my arm, and blackness claimed me.
Chapter 7 - Reunion
As I slowly regained awareness, I felt a hand on my forehead. A voice
called my name. "Jennifer, wake up, please? Come on Jennifer. I haven't
seen you for so long. Please wake up."
Once I realized that it was Ashley, my eyes popped open. "I'm awake
Ashley, but I feel horrible. Where am I?" I asked.
"Oh, I'm so happy to see you. You don't know how hard it has been. But
for some reason, I knew you hadn't given up on me. How long have I been
gone? They get me up at such different times and don't let me sleep
long."
"You've been gone a month, sister dear."
"A month? Oh, my gosh, it seemed like so much shorter. How's momma
doing?"
"She's been worried sick. When I found out that I could feel how you were
doing, we were at least cheered up that you were alive. The police had
almost given up on you until I told them."
"You could really feel me? I thought that I could feel you too, but I
just thought it was my mind playing funny tricks on me. But I kept hoping
that it was true. Do you think they have any idea where we are?"
Worried about any hidden microphones in the room, I replied, "I don't
know, but I think the police have a line on something, or they would have
said something to mom and me."
I didn't get any chance to say anything else. The door clicked twice as
it was unlocked and opened. I recognized the man in the doorway as one of
the people I had described under hypnosis. I had been shown all the
pictures they had drawn from my memories and I couldn't believe how
accurate it was; this guy had been drawn dead-on. He looked like
someone's father and I hoped that he wasn't the nasty person that
Ashley's feelings made him out to be.
He regarded us for a moment before speaking. "Both of you get up. We have
more tests to run. Jerrie, you are the current object of our interest. If
you make a move or shout, you will be severely punished." He smiled
grimly. "No, wait, let me rephrase that. Ashley will be severely
punished. You're old enough to know that I have no reason to bluff. Do we
understand each other, Jerrie?"
Scared, but for Ashley's sake, I could only nod my agreement.
"Ok, follow me and no funny business." He turned and we followed him out
of the room. He led us down long hallways and made turns that made no
sense unless he was trying to confuse us. I had the impression we had
come complete circle and were about to go back to the same door we had
come from. Finally, we entered a lab full of all sorts of medical
equipment with many vials for blood and other, less obvious samples. My
skin crawled. I hated needles, and I had a good idea I was going to be
poked and prodded a lot.
"Get on the table." He ordered me. I hesitated only slightly and he
raised a closed fist by Ashley's head. That threat got me on the table.
He turned to my sister. "Ashley, go sit in the chair by that desk, and be
quiet. You know what happens when you disobey." Her eyes widened and she
moved to the chair.
And then he turned his attention to me. Emotionlessly, as if he did this
every day, he strapped me to a table. Then he stuck a needle in my arm
and withdrew ten vials of blood. I swallowed when he brought a really
long needle around on a tray. He rolled an ultrasound unit over on a cart
and rolled up my blouse, applying some gel to my belly before moving a
wand over it. I couldn't see the monitor, but he found whatever he was
looking for fast enough. I cringed when he grabbed the syringe; the thing
looked like it was a mile long. I screamed when he plunged it into my
abdomen as deep as it would go, dwindling off to a whimper as he found
the right organ.
The fluids he sucked out of me were enough to make me queasy, so I
stopped trying to watch what he did. Next, he completely removed my
clothes and checked my skin. Feeling his hands on me, I could only lay
there feeling dirty and used. He took some sort