The Life And Times Of Kelly Anderson - Part 6 free porn video

The Life and Times of Kelly Anderson Written by Kristine Roland Edited by Joni W Part 6 - This is the Sequel to Jason's Story. Chapters 15-26. The continuing story of Kelly Anderson, a young transgendered teen, as she faces the challenges with her mostly supportive family and friends. Author's Note: My sincere thanks to Joni W for all her efforts! Chapter 15 Kelly handed a box up to John, who was in the moving truck with Meghan's father. She looked back at the house and her friends all here to help Meghan's family on moving day. It was now late April, what would be a pleasant spring day, if not for the task at hand. A lot of discussion between Meghan, her parents and the Andersons, had taken place in the past couple of months. The job situation in the area had just continued to deteriorate and Meghan's family had to make the tough decisions about moving back in with her grandparents. In the end, her parents decided that it was in Meghan's best interest to stay with the Anderson's, to take advantage of the opportunities at Jefferson. Kelly thought wryly about how the biggest sticking point came to Meghan's parent's insistence, that they would have to pay for her room and board. Her own parents said that, that was silly, the room was empty, and how much could Meghan eat. In the end, they had compromised and it was decided that they would send fifty dollars a week to the Andersons towards the groceries bill. Once that was settled, it was just a matter of getting proper release forms signed and notarized, so that in case of an emergency the Anderson's could get Meghan medical treatment. Meghan was now covered by the states Family Care, health care program. Kelly looked up and down the street, she shook her head at all of the real estate signs. Many of them, like Meghan's house, had "For Rent" signs; several had signs indicating the homes were in foreclosure. She just shook her head and said a silent prayer that things would turn around soon. She knew that there were huge debates going on at the federal level, on how to best stabilize the economy, but it was just more then she could grasp. Listening to the news and hearing arguments from both parties, she sometimes wondered if anyone really put the face of families, like Meghan's, to the problem. It seemed too overwhelming to her at that scale. She shook her head, and got back to work. Later that evening, Kelly sat with Meghan in the former guest bedroom, which was now Meghan's room. They were both in their nightgowns and bathrobes; they left the door wide open. "You ok, Meghan? I know it was hard to say goodbye today." "I'll be fine. It's not the first time I've been away from them. I went to a sleep away camp, one summer. I think the problem is that we really don't know how long this will be. Certainly till the end of the school year, but if nothing has changed, I'll be back here next year too." "That is too much to worry about right now. They are not so far away that you can't see them if you need too. It's just a couple of hours drive. They will be coming to see you at least once a month. And your grandmother has Internet, so you can Skype them with the webcam or telephone every night." "Oh, I know that, Kelly. I'm just sad that this had to happen. Dad was so excited when he got that job at Jones, and we could finally start to get back on our feet. He is really depressed right now. I'm worried about him." Kelly put her arm around Meghan's shoulder and pulled her close, letting her just cry on my shoulder. Kelly's mom walked by and Kelly made eye contact with her and mouthed, "Please, not now." Kelly saw in her mother's eyes and face, the look of concern and empathy for Meghan, but she nodded her head in acknowledgement then backed away. Kelly turned her attention back to Meghan and just continued to hold her tight. When she finally began to quiet down, Kelly said, "Shh... It's going to be fine. Your dad is going to be ok." Meghan sniffled and said, "I know and Lord knows, there are people that are worse off, that don't have family they can fall back on, I just... it just isn't fair. Daddy works so hard." "Yes, he does. This thing is going to turn around; you wait and see. In the meantime, you and I are going to do everything we can to help those that are struggling. Minister Goodman mentioned last week, that they need help; he is going to use the fellowship hall and the kitchens, to provide hot meals to the needy. He asked for volunteers to work with serving, cleaning, and collecting donations of food. I already volunteered and you would be very welcome." "But I don't go to your church?" "You don't have to. Minister Goodman won't care and he won't proselytize to you, believe me. He will appreciate your help. Julie has already agreed to help too. I plan on asking the whole gang." "Ok... I think that is a great idea. Thanks Kelly." They sat together neither one saying anything for a long time. Meghan broke the silence first, "Kelly, how do you do it?" "What?" "You are so... I don't know, supportive. I never knew you as ... well, as you were before. I've only known you as Kelly. But from the day I met you, you have been subject to some pretty intense stuff, from Courtney to Brad, to the nonsense with the news. That doesn't even bring up your blasted Aunt and cousin, and their minister. Yet, you never seem to let any of that phase you, you don't even hate them for it. Some of the people you will be helping are the same people that called and left hate messages on your answering machine and you don't care. And here I am, why, because you cared enough to make it happen. I don't think that I could be that forgiving." "Meghan, believe me, it phases me. You did not see what I was like the night that we first heard that I was being trounced on national TV. I was really even more upset after the BNN response; I had to have an emergency visit with my doctor that day. But for all of those things, I have been blessed to have parents that have stood by me, as well as my grandparents and my other relatives. I have Julie and all of you as friends. That is what gives me the strength to get through every day. I know that some of the people, that I will be helping, will not approve of me, and will probably resent that I am there. I can't help that, but maybe a few of them will look differently upon me as a result. I can only hope. As for you, you're my friend. You stood up for me the first day of school, when you had no reason to, other than that you saw someone being mean. You could have kept quiet and not said anything; no one would have thought less of you for it, but you didn't. How could I sit back and not help any way I could." Meghan said, "I know you told me you weren't trying to replace my family and you were right, because no-one is going to replace my parents. But I don't have any brothers or sisters, or at least I didn't, I do now. So what are you, five days older then I am? How's it feel to be a big sister?" Kelly laughed and said, "It feels good. Come on little sis, let's go watch a movie, cause I won't get any sleep now." "That sounds good to me." Chapter 16 Kelly looked out at the tables set up in the fellowship hall. She and her friends were all helping out several nights a week and as word had gotten around, the number of people showing up for dinner every night was growing. Several of the other area religious institutions had come together and decided it was better to work together then to have separate efforts. Minister Goodman, having started the project and also having the building with the largest capacity, continued to host the meals, but was more than happy to accept the help from the other area churches, synagogues and mosques. The area grocery stores all had donation boxes setup for people, to drop non-perishable foods into. Many of the local business had canisters out for loose change to help and the local restaurants were donating the food that was not sold each night that was perfectly edible, but could not be sold the next night. Kelly was proud of how her community was coming together to help. "Miss... May I have some of those potatoes?" An older gentleman said to Kelly. "Oh, certainly sir, I'm sorry." Kelly spooned a portion of mashed potatoes unto the man's plate. "Gravy?" The man nodded, and Kelly took the ladle and poured brown gravy on the potatoes. "There you go." "Thank you, Miss." "You're welcome sir." "Oh... Missy. Can I have some potatoes, Missy... Miss, my ass," a boy about Kelly's age said. "Randell Moran," Kelly said, with a frown, but she served him his potatoes. "Don't forget the gravy, missy." "Here." Kelly poured the gravy on his potatoes. "Excuse me, Mr. Moran. I believe you owe Miss Anderson an apology." Minister Goodman said from behind Randell. "No way, I won't say sorry to it," Randell said. "Mr. Moran, this is a church building. Miss Anderson is here helping in our mission and I will not have her spoken to in such a way, now you will apologize, or you may take your meal and leave. I won't withhold food from you, but you will not be welcome here, if you cannot be civil." "Randell, tell him you're sorry," Randell's mother said, pointing at Kelly. "That's enough. Mrs. Moran, I will not permit such behavior in our church. Meghan, please bring out some containers for the Moran's dinner, they will be taking them with them. Mrs. Moran, when you and your family are prepared to be civil you may return. In the meantime, here is the location of an alternative program." "Minister... that isn't necessary. I'm sorry that they feel that way about me, but I'm not here to be a distraction. They need the church's help, or they would not be here. Whether you want it or not Randell, or you too Mrs. Moran, I forgive you, and I will pray for you." Minister Goodman started to say something, but looking into Kelly's eyes, he saw her pleading him to back down. The Moran's, took their plates and went to sit down, but Kelly saw Mrs. Moran look back at her, with a puzzled expression. When she saw that Kelly was looking at her she quickly turned away. "Meghan, please take over for Kelly. Kelly, come with me please." Meghan took the spoon from Kelly, and Kelly followed Minister Goodman to his office. "I'm sorry sir. I came here to help, not to be a distraction." "Kelly, I'm not mad at you, heaven's no! I just want to make sure you are alright. You should not have to put up with that kind of thing here." "No sir, but they need the help. It's hard enough for some people to admit they need the help, but then to have to accept it from someone that they thoroughly disapprove of, can make it even harder. That is not why I'm here." "Maybe not, but I for one hope that you will open some minds as a side result. But you are right to point out that we have a mission to help and that has to come first. Just don't be surprised if you become the focal point of one of my sermons, about tolerance, love and acceptance." He laughed at the look of horror on Kelly's face. "Don't worry, I won't embarrass you that way," he laughed even harder at the look of relief. "Go on, back to work with you." Kelly went on back, to help out. The doors had closed, and they were starting to clean up the serving line. Kelly chipped in and helped with the cleaning. After the last of the guests had left, she helped with cleaning the tables and folding them up to be put away; so that the hall could be used in the morning as a gymnasium for the preschool. Once the tables were folded up and put away; the floors needed to be mopped. Kelly lifted a bucket into the sink in the kitchen to fill with water. As she struggled to lift the now full bucket out of the sink, Cliff Mccullough came over and said, "Here, Kelly. Let me get that for you." Cliff reached around Kelly and grabbed the bucket, brushing up against her as he did so. "Uh, thanks." Kelly said, as she moved out of his way. Cliff easily lifted the heavy bucket and Kelly noticed for the first time how handsome and strong he was. Cliff put the bucket down into its wheeled base and made sure it locked in tight and then he turned to Kelly and said, "There you go." "Thanks." "Kelly..." Cliff blushed. "Yes, Cliff." "I just wanted to say... Look, I'm sorry for what Randell said to you earlier. He can be a bit of a jerk sometimes." "It's hardly your fault, Cliff. You have never been anything but polite to me." "um... yeah, I know... Look Kelly, I know that you and Julie are together, so please don't take this the wrong way, but... I just wanted to tell you that I think you are... well one of the prettiest girls at Jefferson. I think Julie is awful lucky to have you as a girlfriend." Kelly felt her stomach do a summersault, and said, "Oh... well, um... Thanks." Cliff blushed and went off to finish what he was working on. Later that night at home, Meghan cornered Kelly. "So what was all that with Cliff?" "It was nothing," Kelly said. "Was nothing... it sure looked like something to me." "We just talked for a minute." Kelly said. "Uh huh... I saw the expression on your face. I'm glad Julie wasn't there." "Oh... it was nothing. I'm in love with Julie. I was just startled." "Was that when he reached around you, or when he told you that you were the prettiest girl at Jefferson?" "Come on Meghan. Ok, I was startled, because I was surprised when I realized I was actually seeing him as handsome. I've never felt that way about a guy before. But it does not change how I feel about Julie. I'm sure she has seen some guys and thought they were handsome." "Sure, she has and I'm sure she did even before you met her, but this is new for you. What do you think it means?" "Nothing, I'm a girl; there is nothing wrong with me noticing a boy is cute." "Oh, now he is cute..." "Well, isn't he?" Kelly said with exasperation. "Ok, yes he is." "So, what's the problem? I didn't kiss him or anything." "Did you think about it?" "No... well... only for a second. Look I told you I love Julie. Cliff is a nice guy, and he is cute. And he knows who I am and I guess he is interested, but he knows I'm with Julie. Nothing happened, and it's not going too!" "Good." "Good," Kelly asked? "Well first of all, I would have to be mad at you if you were going to cheat on Julie, and second of all, he is cute, and if you aren't going to do anything with him, he is fair game for me." Meghan smiled. "Oh..." Kelly fought the feeling of jealousy and said, "Of course... go for it." Meghan, "Oh, do you have some thinking to do, Sis. I saw that look." "Meghan... It's fine. I just wasn't really expecting this to ever come up. I am very happy with Julie, and if you can get Cliff to open his eyes and see that you are far prettier then I am, I'll applaud and be happy for you both. I promise. I'll even help if I can." "Well... if you are sure?" "I'm sure." The two of them spent the rest of the evening plotting out Meghan's assault on Cliff, and by the end of it, Kelly was feeling much better about things and was hoping that Meghan would succeed. Chapter 17 Kelly answered the door as the first of her slumber party guests arrived. Deb from the TransTeen Group was standing on the front steps holding onto a small duffle bag. Her mother was standing next to her. "Hello Deb, I'm so glad you could come." Deb and her mother came in, Kelly's mother greeted them and she and Deb's Mom headed into the living room. Deb said, "My pleasure, this was a great idea. You have a very nice house." "Thank you. Come on, we're going to be downstairs. Let me introduce you to Meghan." Kelly led Deb down to the family room. "Meghan, this is Deb. Deb, this is Meghan." "Hi Meghan, it's a pleasure to meet you. Kelly has told me a lot about you. How are things working out staying here?" "Hi Deb, Kelly has told me quite a bit about you too. She looks up to you, thinks you really have it together. I miss my folks, but the Anderson's have really been great. It's kind of cool having a big sister," Meghan said and gave Kelly a smile. "I'm having fun too, lil sis." Kelly returned the smile. The doorbell rang again, and Kelly said, "Let me go get the door. Deb help yourself, Meghan will show you what we have." Kelly went and answered the door and let Julie, Kathy and Sue in, then following right behind, came Carol and her mother. Kelly asked Julie to take Carol and the others down to the family room. She brought Carol's mother to the living room. It was not too long before Joan and Samantha also showed up; they went downstairs; dropped their duffle bags in the corner with the other girl's things and the party was able to get started. Each of the TransTeen girl's mom's had stopped in and met with Kelly's mom before heading out. Joan's mom in particular was hesitant about leaving Joan; especially with the presence of Kelly's local girlfriends, but in the end she relented and told Joan to have fun. Kelly said, "Alright gang, I'm so glad you could all make it. I hope we are all going to have a lot of fun tonight. I have a treat in store for you, my Aunt's friend Michele, who runs a salon, is coming to give us all makeovers. " Kathy immediately said, "Cool! She's great!" Julie, Meghan and Sue agreed and Kelly's group of friends smiled in anticipation. Kelly smiled, "Yes she is. We also have a bunch of movies to pick from. We have Pizza coming a little bit later on. Mom did lay down some ground rules, so let's get that out of the way. Most of them are pretty obvious, like the standard no drinking, no drugs and no smoking. In light of our special circumstances, there will be two rooms for changing, later and as you were instructed, she is insisting that we wear pajama's, no sexy nightgowns. We are going to be leaving a light on; we need to sleep in our sleeping bags; and expect random spot checks during the night. I think frankly, that was aimed at Julie and me, as much as anyone." Julie blushed, and said, "We can still cuddle up next to each other, safely ensconced in our sleeping bags." It was Kelly's turn to blush and say, "Yes, I suppose we can. Any questions? ... Good that is done with then." While Kelly's mother was paying the pizza delivery guy for the pizzas, Michele came in with her makeover kit. They set the pizzas in the dining room and they each grabbed a slice; then looked on as Michele set up in the kitchen. She placed a business card holder on the table that had a little placard that read, "Makeover's by Michele." "Ok, who wants to go first?" Michele asked. Kathy raised her hand and practically jumped out of her chair. Michele laughed and said, "Ok, Kathy. I have some new products you might like, assuming you are tired of the old ones already!" Kathy blushed, "Oh you know me Michele, I'm always looking for a new look." Kathy sat in the chair and Michele wrapped a cape around her to protect her clothes. The girls all looked on and watched with fascination as Michele cleaned away Kathy's current makeup and then began building a new look. When she was done, Kathy looked on and said, "Michele, you really are incredible. Too bad Steve isn't here tonight. Michele wrote down the names of what she had used and gave it to Kathy. "Who's next?" One by one they all took their turns with Michele. When it was Carol's turn, Carol blushed and said, "I don't know. I know you know that I'm not really a girl Michele and since I'm sure you know about Kelly that probably doesn't bother you, but I know that I just look like a boy in a dress. Not much to work with." Kelly spoke up, "Carol, before I had Michele help me the first time, I looked like a boy in a dress. Michele has lots of practice with girls like us. And yes, Julie, Kathy, Meghan and Sue might be easier for her to work with, but believe me, she knows what she is doing." Michele added, "We all had to start somewhere, Carol. Years ago, I was just like you, but I didn't have a support group like you do. I can't tell you how much it pleases me to see you girls and know that things have begun to change; that groups like yours exist and that a party like this could be happening." Carol, Samantha and Joan both looked at Michele with a wide open mouth. "You are ... " Michele smiled, "Yes, I am. You are all so brave and lucky to have each other. These friends of Kelly's are so special as well. Now, would you like to see what we can do for you?" Carol bolted into the chair. Michele took her time and first worked on her face, explaining what she was doing and why, for each step of the way. When she finished with her face she said, "Ok, now we need to do something with the hair." As she had done for Kelly, she made little cuts here and there, making sure that Carol would not have a problem when she was in her boy mode. She used hair extensions to add length and give her more to work from. When she was finished, Carol was in awe. "Where is the boy in a dress? I don't see him at all." Joan was next and hopped eagerly into the hot seat. Once again, Michele took her time and when she was done with Joan, she was just amazed. When they all had their turn, they enthusiastically thanked her. Michele gave them each a small kit made up of the things she had used on them. For Carol and Joan she also told them the hair extensions were theirs to keep. After Michele left, the girls headed down into the family room, and they decided to watch When Harry Met Sally. Kathy said, "Ok, I hope I won't offend any of you, but I have to ask. Are you all attracted to girls like Kelly is, or are some of you attracted to boys?" Deb answered, "It's a mix, just as it is with born girls. I am attracted to girls." Samantha said, "Not me. I like boys." Carol said, "I kinda think boys are cute." Joan said, "Well... I am definitely attracted to girls, but I am also jealous of them. I rarely get to be Joan; tonight was a big exception, normally I'm only allowed to dress at the group meetings. Mom only allowed it this time, because she was considering this to be an extension of the group." Sue asked, "Have any of you dated a boy and did they know about you?" Samantha said, "I have dated a few. Some knew; some didn't. I don't go around telling people about that. I wouldn't let anything get serious with a guy without him knowing, but a simple date is not a reason for me to go into major confession mode. I'm not ready for anything serious enough now, where it would put me in a position where I needed to tell him." Kathy asked, "Have any of the boys you dated ever found out later?" "I don't think so. Those were all summer vacation kind of dates, you know, spend some time, but you know once the vacation is over you aren't going to see them again." "Well you know my preferences," Kelly said, as she smiled at Julie and held her hand. Meghan coughed. Samantha caught the look and said, "Oh ... sounds like someone is not being entirely forthcoming ... spill girl!" Julie gave Meghan the evil eye. Kelly blushed, "Well ... recently, I had a guy tell me that I was one of the prettiest girls at school, even though he knew about me. He said that Julie was really lucky to have me, and well, I noticed how strong he was and that he was cute. I was pretty surprised, because it was the first time I ever noticed a boy that way." Julie said, "Meghan's just jealous, because it's a boy that she is interested in." Julie stuck her tongue out at Meghan, but then she laughed. Kelly said, "Well he is cute, I can't deny it, but really I am very happy with Julie and have no desire to switch teams." Julie said, "Seriously though, Meghan how is 'the plan' coming along. Haven't you got Cliff wrapped around your finger yet?" Meghan smiled, "It's a work in progress, but I think I'm getting there. He asked me to the movies tomorrow night." "You go girl," Julie said with a smile. Carol said, "Mom would never allow it. I'm in a similar situation to Joan, except that since my Dad left, I have been able to be Carol at home. At least I will, unless the court gives him custody." Kelly said, "What is happening with that?" Carol said, "It's not going well. We had a number of experts telling him why I should be allowed time as Carol, but my Dad's lawyers got those two doctors that Firefly had on, to rebut their testimony. It looked to me like the judge was agreeing with them. Mom is really worried, and so am I." Sue asked, "What will happen if he rules with your father?" Carol said, "Then I will have to go live with him. He will put me into a program with those two doctors to try to 'cure' me. I'm not as worried about that as what he will do; I know that there is no way they are going to cure me. I AM a girl and nothing they can do will change that!" Kathy said, "What will he do?" "Depends on how drunk he is. He tried to beat my mother and me, the night he left." Sue said, "Surely they won't put you back with him if he would hurt you?" Deb answered, "Unfortunately, they might. There was no evidence of physical harm and they may convince the judge that it was a false accusation, designed to keep custody away from her father." Julie, "Carol is old enough that she should have some say in where she goes." Deb shook her head with a sad smile, "Except if the judge rules that the treatment that is allowing Carol to be Carol, is harmful to her and that the proper treatment is with the other doctors, then he will discount Carol's wishes." They all sat quietly for a little while, until Carol finally said, "Look... no sense worrying about it tonight. I came to have a good time and to just relax and be Carol. So, I know one other thing that is supposed to happen at a slumber party..." Carol grabbed a pillow and hit Samantha over the head with it shouting, "Pillow fight!" The girls all squealed and dove for their own pillows. Soon all out pillow warfare was commencing as they would temporarily team up together, only to betray each other with a pillow in the back. Finally they all fell down exhausted, but laughing. Mrs. Anderson came down and said, "Well ... nobody seems to be too badly injured... and the basement is still in one piece ... I don't suppose anyone wants some late night ice cream?" All the girls jumped up and said, "I'll have some!" They all gathered round the table and Mrs. Anderson had put out several different kinds of ice cream, as well as different kinds of Sundae fixins. They each made their own and then settled down together in front of the movie. The rest of the evening they spent laughing, crying and just being a group of girls letting their hair down. When they were settling down for the night, Kathy said, "You know, when Kelly invited me to come tonight I was a little unsure as to what to expect. I want you all to know this was great and I think you are a great group of girls. I hope we can do this again soon." The next morning Joan's mother had come to pick her up, Joan pulled Kelly aside and said, "Thanks for inviting me, Kelly. I have never in my life felt more alive than I did last night. It was great to just be myself for an evening and have everyone just accept me. Your friends from school ... it was wonderful." Joan gave Kelly a hug and then left with her mother. One by one, the group girl's mothers came to pick them up. Each of them thanked Kelly and her parents, for a great evening. When they had all left, Kathy and Sue also said their goodbyes, leaving Julie and Meghan to stay and help Kelly to clean the disaster area that was known as the family room. Meghan said, "What do you think is going to happen to Carol?" Kelly said, "I don't know. I'm worried for her though. Whatever happens, I'll just have to be there for her." Meghan and Julie smiled, "You mean we will all have to be there for her." Kelly smiled back at them and said, "Thanks." Chapter 18 Memorial Day weekend, the county had always had a big joint picnic. It was usually a big fund raising event and the proceeds paid for a number of things throughout the year. This year there was some discussion about cancelling the picnic due to the economic situation. Once again the community pulled together and this year, instead of being a fundraiser, everything was free. Local businesses supplied the hot dogs, soda and beer. Those that could afford it, were asked to donate other food items, or money to the picnic. There were races, ball games and the evening dance planned. There was usually a big fireworks display and that had been expected to be skipped this year, except an anonymous donor had arranged for a shipment of fireworks to be delivered to the fire house, fully paid the week before. So the fireworks were back on the schedule. Kelly was there as part of the school choir. They would be singing the National Anthem to start the festivities. As always, they were dogged by the ever present stragglers from her Aunt's church, protesting her presence. The local police kept them back however and did not allow them to disrupt the proceedings. Kelly sat up on the raised platform, with the choir, after they had finished singing. The mayor of her town spoke briefly and then invited a representative from the VFW to speak, to honor those that had given their lives in service to the country. After the speeches the choir sang America the Beautiful and the picnic was officially open. --- Kelly's cousin, Billy, was with his mother and his brother, with the other protestors from their church. They had stood, waved signs and made a lot of noise, until the choir began signing, but Reverend Triphard had told them, that even with his cousin singing, they should show their respect for the flag and country. So they had stopped to face the flag and salute it during the song. Billy still did not understand what the big deal was. So Jason was dressed like a girl, it was silly, but Jason always liked to be silly. It was fun. He missed playing with Jason. Billy saw his Cousin Emily standing by his Aunt Sally. He missed her too. She looked over at him and waved. He waved back. His mom and brother were not paying attention to him, so he decided to go stand with Emily. He saw that his Aunt Sally was busy talking to another lady and had said something sharp to Emily when she tried to interrupt. He started towards Emily and Emily started towards him, they met in the middle. Billy said, "Hi Emily. I've missed you." Emily said, "I've missed you too, Billy." "Do you know why my Mom is so upset with Jason?" "She is not called Jason anymore, her name is Kelly now." "Why? Mom says that Jason is a boy and that he should stay a boy." "I'm not sure. I miss Jason sometimes, but Kelly is great too. My mom says that Aunt Jessica doesn't understand and that this was something Kelly had to do. She says that until Aunt Jessica changes her mind, we won't be able to see you." Billy said, "I know. Look, let's hide from them, so we can play for a while." Emily got a smile, "Ok." They took each other's hand and ran over towards the woods. --- After the speeches were over and the choir finished singing, Jessica turned to Tom and noticed that he was not holding Billy's hand. "Where's Billy?" Tom said, "He was right here a minute ago ..." They look around and call out, "Billy!" No one answered. Sally starting to get worried, shouts, "Billy!" Again no one answered. Tom said, "Mom, there is Aunt Sally. Maybe Billy saw her and went to her. You know he has been upset about not getting to play with Emily." "I'll tan his hide if he went over to them," Jessica said, as she marched over to Sally and said, "What have you done with Billy." Sally looks at her and said, "What do you mean. I haven't seen Billy. Emily, have you seen Billy?" She turns behind her and realizes that Emily is not sitting on the bench behind her. "Emily ... EMILY where are you?" The little girl that Emily had been playing with said, "Ma'am. Emily said she had to say hi to her cousin. She tried to tell you, but you were busy talking to my Mom. She went over there and then they went that way into the woods." "What?" Sally and Jessica said at once, and they both ran over to where the girl had pointed. "Emily!" "Billy!" "Come on you two, this isn't funny. Come here now!" They searched but did not see any sign of them. Sally said, "Jessica ... we are going to need help. They could have gone anywhere in here, or they could have been followed in. Tom, go find your Uncle Richard or Aunt Kristine, tell them what has happened, that we need to get a search party together. They will get Officer Dowling." Jessica said, "Not them!" "Damn it, Jessica! It's time to put this stupid feud behind us, at least for now. Tom --- go!" Chapter 19 Billy chased after Emily who was shouting, "Run, run, fast as you can, you can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!" Emily made sure to not get too far ahead and when Billy would get close she would move on again laughing. As Billy got closer, Emily turned to run on again and her foot caught on a branch and she went down in a crash, crying out, first in surprise then in pain. Billy caught up to her and said, "Emily, you ok?" Emily was holding her ankle, crying. She had scraped her hands, and elbows, but her ankle was badly sprained. "Emily?" Billy sat next to her, not sure of what to do. "Want me to get your Mom?" Emily said, "Yes!" Billy got up and looked around and said, "Which way do I go?" Emily looked around and said through her tears, "I don't know." Emily stopped crying as she tried to remember which way they had come. She tried to stand, but quickly cried out in pain, and fell down again. "Ow!" Billy started to cry. Emily wincing said, "Billy, we'll be ok. Come on don't cry." "I want my mommy. I wanna go back!" "I do too, Billy. But I can't walk and we don't know how to get back. We need to wait here for someone to find us." "No, I wanna go back now!" "Billy, do you remember my daddy?" "Kind of." "I used to go hiking with him and mommy and we even went camping once." "So?" "He used to tell me if I ever got lost in the woods that I should hug a tree and wait. That if I kept wandering, I would make it harder for them to find me. So we need to hug this tree and wait. So come sit down and we will play some games right here." When Billy had sat down next to her, Emily used a twig to draw a Tic- Tac-Toe board in the dirt. She said, "You go first." --- Tom ran out of the woods and went looking for his Aunt Kristine or Uncle Richard. It took him a few minutes, but then he saw them. He ran over to them and said, "Aunt Kristine!" Kelly's mother said coolly, "What do you want, Tom?" Out of breath Tom said, "Billy and Emily snuck off together into the woods, and we can't find them. Aunt Sally sent me to find you or Uncle Richard to ask you to get your friend Officer Dowling." Richard said, "How long have they been gone?" Tom said, "Not sure. Sometime during the Mayor's speech." Richard looked at his watch and said, "That's at least forty five minutes, maybe longer. Shit they could be pretty deep in the woods at this point. I'll call Tim." Richard got out his cell phone and dialed, "Hi Tim... Richard Anderson here... No, Kelly is fine. But my niece and nephew are missing. They supposedly went into the woods and my sisters can't find them. We think it's been about forty five minutes. Thanks." Kelly, his mother and Tom looked at him, and he said, "Ok... Tim is calling it in. He said he would meet us in about half an hour. Tom, show us where they went in." Tom lead them to the spot in the woods where Billy and Emily had been seen entering. They could hear Sally and Jessica calling out the children's names just inside the woods. Kelly said, "Mom, Dad... Let me go try to find them. I know these woods, I've been camping in them a bunch of times." Kelly's mother said, "I don't know if that is a great idea, what if you get lost too." "Kristine, Kelly has been in these woods plenty of times. She knows them, and the sooner we find them the better. The camping gear is in the trunk of the car; grab the first aid kit, the walkie-talkies, compass and the water bottle. And grab a buddy to go in with you." Tom said, "I'll go with him." Kelly's mom and dad both started to correct him, but Kelly beat them to it saying "Tom, do I look like a him anymore? I am a girl, my name is Kelly. If you want to come with me, fine, I know you are just as worried about Billy and Emily as I am. But you will treat me with respect, or you can wait here." Kelly's parents glared at Tom, who quietly said, "Ok. Kelly." Kelly ran and got the supplies, filled the water bottles, handing one to Tom and said, "Ready, Tom?" Tom said, "Yeah I'm ready. Let's go." They headed into the woods, Kelly said, "I think they would have followed this trail to start, it opens up a little ways in and that is where we will have to see what we find and try to decide which way to go." They walked along the trail in silence. Kelly kept her eyes on the path in front of her, looking to see if she could make out any sign that her young cousins had passed this way. As she came to a muddy area, she put out her hand to stop Tom, and said, "Look... there, on that rock. That's a fairly small sneaker print. I can't tell for sure that it's them, but the mud is still wet, so it can't be too long ago." Tom looked at Kelly and just said, "Who are you, Tonto?" Kelly said, "No, I wish we had a real tracker, but we need to keep our eyes out, there are places where we will have to decide which way to go." They continued to follow along the path. Every once in a while one of them would point out another small footprint. They soon came to an area where there was a bit of a clearing, and several different ways the kids could have gone. Unfortunately, it was very dry, so no obvious footprints to go by. Tom said, "Ok, Kemo Sabe, what do we do now?" Kelly stopped and looked around. She said, "Well, they came from there, if we assume they weren't really paying much attention to where they were going, they would probably have kept walking that way. They don't know where any of these go; I'd say they went that way." Tom said, "Maybe we should split up... We could cover more ground." Kelly said, "No... We need to stay together. We only have the one walkie-talkie; we would have no way to let the other know if we found them." "I suppose you're right. Alright let's get going." They followed the path that Kelly had picked, looking for any sign that they were on the right path. Kelly was the first to see a match-box car lying just off the side of the path. She picked it up, and saw in writing on the back, it said "Billy." She said, "It certainly looks like we are on the right track. Here save this for Billy." Tom said, "You found it, you should give it to him." "I wouldn't want to be accused of trying to molest him," Kelly said, with a touch of anger in her voice. Tom looked away and said, "Mom was wrong to say that." "She was wrong... what about what you did? How could you do that to me, Tom?" "I was trying to save you." Kelly looked at him in disbelief. "Save me? How, by getting me killed?" "No, it was supposed to make you renounce your sin and realize that you needed to accept what God has given you." "Has it ever occurred to you that I have accepted what God has given me? God has given me this challenge and I accept it and will make the best of it." "God doesn't make mistakes; you are a boy, because you are supposed to be a boy." "I never said that God makes mistakes. He made me physically a boy, but he wired my brain as a girl. He gave me loving parents and family, that could help me to cope with that challenge. I have accepted the challenge and will take advantage of the other gifts that God has given me, such as the medicines that prevent my body becoming more masculine and some day to physically match my body up with my brain." "Cross-dressing is a sin." "Oh... on whose authority?" "The Bible tells us so." "Where?" "Deuteronomy 22:5" "Oh, yes, that's right... Of course Deuteronomy 22:11 prohibits the wearing of mixed fabrics... Isn't that a poly blend you are wearing right now? Oh, and Deuteronomy 22:12, where are your fringes? Last time I was at your house, I didn't see a railing around your roof. Deuteronomy is Mosaic Law, it is not moral law. Jesus fulfilled the law." "Those things are different." "Why, Tom? Because you do them? Because 'Everyone' does them? Maybe it's because gender and sex are intertwined? If God was so determined on it, why would he bury the only comment on cross-dressing in the whole Bible within a bunch of ceremonial laws? Face it Tom, you and your church are picking and choosing which things to condemn from a long laundry list? Why, because people like your Reverend Tripard need to focus hate on someone, and it is an easy target." "What do you mean by that?" "How's the collection plate been going since he started his crusade against me?" "You take that back. Reverend Tripard is a representative of God; he isn't interested in money. Collections keep the church running!" "I understand that collections are necessary for a church. You know I do, look at what our church is doing with the meal kitchen. Funny though, your church is the only one in the county that isn't taking part, either in our program or one of the others." "How do you know that?" "I heard Minister Goodman discussing it with one of the other church leaders." "I'm sure there is a good reason." "Sure there is. Look you know what; I didn't mean to get into an argument with you. I know what your beliefs are; I accept that. I was hurt more then you will ever know by what you and your Mom did to me, but I have forgiven you, whether you want me to or not. I know that in your way you were trying to do what was right, but I can't be what you want me to be, Tom. That is not going to happen, I AM Kelly, and Kelly is me." "Why? What was so bad about being Jason? Why would you choose to..." "Choose to what? Give up being male? Choose to be 'the weaker' sex, to get paid less for the same work, to be treated with less respect, to have people stare at my chest instead of talking to my face? It's not a choice Tom; this is who I am. It's who I have always been. Jason was the lie; I couldn't take another day of it. I guess in one way I owe you a thank you, if you had not sent that damned e-mail out, I would still be going to school as Jason." "You say that you were always Kelly, but you were never effeminate. Ok, you didn't like football, which is questionable, but you were good at other sports. Baseball, soccer and you like hockey. Hell, you're a better fisherman than I am. Until Emily came around, I never saw you playing with girl things. You're dating a girl, so you aren't even a fag. Bottom line is you are still male, under all of the makeup and clothes, you have a dick." "Tom, do you have to be so crude? You don't know any girls that are good at sports or that like them, Tom? What century do you live in? Hell, my dad tells me your mother even liked to fish when she was younger. I know you will never understand this, hell it's hard for me to understand at times. Yes, I have a penis. Yes, I am attracted to girls as well, then again so are lots of other girls. Sexual attraction and gender identification are not the same; they are controlled by different parts of the brain. Growing up though, I knew what society wanted me to be and I tried, really tried, to be a boy, Tom. I can't say I absolutely hated being Jason, I didn't. I just never felt comfortable and I could not help but feel jealous and sometimes even bitter that I couldn't be a girl. When I finally got up the nerve to talk to my parents and actually got to be myself, well there was no going back." "So you're going to have it cut off then? Self-mutilation?" "I don't know yet what I'm going to do. I admit that having it surgically removed is scary. But if I do it, it won't be mutilation; it will be correcting an anatomical anomaly, like if I had an extra finger or something like that." "An extra finger? It's hardly the same thing." "Why, let's say I had an extra finger and it was perfectly functional, it might even be advantageous in some ways, would you have a problem with me having it removed?" "No." "Why, God doesn't make mistakes, I would have been meant to have that extra finger. It was useful at times, why would you think it was ok to have it removed? "Because people would always look at you funny. You would have a heck of a time getting gloves for the winter, and you would just be trying to correct something that happened in the womb." "Well Tom, that is what I am doing. Something happened in the womb, my brain got the signal to be wired as a girl, but my body didn't get the same message, so here I am with a deformity that makes it difficult for me to get the proper clothes and makes people look at me funny." "You have a justification for everything, but you are deluding yourself." "I could say the same to you. Look, we aren't going to agree on this Tom. If I'm wrong about it, then someday I may have to face God and be told that I was wrong. If so, I'm prepared to take responsibility for my actions, are you? Think about how Jesus treated people Tom, and ask yourself if your Reverend Tripard is emulating Jesus. I don't want to fight anymore Tom. I hate that you and your family have withdrawn from the family over this. It is especially unfair to Billy." Tom started to respond, held back and looked thoughtful. Eventually he said, "I have to give that some thought, Kelly. Come on, let's go find them, and you give Billy his car." "Fair enough." --- Officer Dowling and several other officers met up with Kelly's parents, and her two Aunts. They had brought one of the K9 dogs, and asked if they had anything that Emily or Billy had worn recently. Sally gave them a sweater that Emily had worn earlier in the day, when the temperature had been cooler. The officer let the dog smell the sweater until he got the scent, and began sniffing the ground and the bushes near the entrance to the woods. A few moments later he let out a yip, and began following the scent. They followed after. Kelly's father took out his walkie-talkie and pressing the send button, "Kelly, come in?" A few moments of static later, they heard Kelly respond, "Kelly here, we are still looking Dad, but we are on the right trail. Just found one of Billy's matchbox cars." "Good, hopefully you will find them soon, but we are following along, the police have brought one of their tracking dogs." "That's good, because we already had one spot where we were really not sure which way to go, and got a little lucky." "Let us know if you find them." "Will do. Kelly out." Officer Dowling said, "We will find them. They clearly have a pretty good lead though, so lets keep moving." With that they picked up the pace and headed on, following the dog. --- Billy was crying. Emily was holding on to him, trying to keep from crying herself. Her ankle had swollen up and was throbbing in pain. Through his tears, Billy said, "I'm thirsty! And I'm hungry. I wanna go home! I want my mommy!" "Me too, Billy." They sat there holding each other, Billy sobbing. Emily thought she heard something and said, "Did you hear that?" Billy said, "No. I didn't hear nothin. I want my mommy!" "Shhh... keep quiet a minute and listen." Billy stopped and tried to listen, as did Emily. He was just about to start up again, when very faintly he heard someone shouting, "Billy! Emily!" They both looked at each other and shouted, "We're HERE!" They both heard the response, a bit louder now, "Stay put, we are coming to you! It's Kelly and Tom." Ten minutes later, they saw first Kelly then Tom come through one of the paths that led into the clearing they were in. As soon as he saw them, Billy ran to them and said, "Jason! Tom!" Kelly kneeled down and grabbed him into a hug. Kelly said, "Whoa Billy, it's going to be ok now. We have you." Kelly stood up and handed Billy over to Tom, then looking over at Emily she said, "Do you both know how scared your Mothers are? Emily, you know better than to go running off into the woods alone!" Tom had also kneeled down to hug Billy, but now stood up and said sternly, "And so do you, Billy." As they walked over to where Emily was still sitting by the tree, Emily said, "I know. We just wanted some time together. We haven't seen each other since his birthday last year." Tom and Kelly both looked guilty about that. Kelly saw Emily wince. "Emily, are you ok? What did you do?" Emily started to cry, "I hurt my ankle." Now that she did not have to be strong and brave for Billy, she broke down and cried. Kelly came over and looked at her ankle, "oh yeah... Tom, she is not going to be able to walk. Here is the walkie-talkie, let them know that we found them and that they're ok. Emily either has a really bad sprain, or she may have broken her ankle." Tom took the walkie-talkie. Kelly got her water bottle and said, "Emily... here, you're a bit dehydrated, have a little bit of water. Not too fast. Tom, Billy needs some water too." Tom handed her his water bottle, and she gave it to Billy. Billy grabbed the bottle, took a drink and said, "I'm hungry." Kelly said, "Billy, take small sips, you don't want to get sick." Kelly took a couple of candy bars out of her back pack and said, "Here, one for each of you. Next time you run off make sure you eat first." They both took the candy and quickly ate it. Billy said, "Thank you, Jason. Can I have some more?" Tom said, "Billy, you should call her Kelly now." Kelly turned her head toward Tom in surprise and said, "Thank you, Tom." She then looked at Billy and said, "Billy, I am Kelly now. I'm sorry that things happened the way they did at the lake and we didn't get to go swimming together. Maybe someday your Mom will let us all get back together, but I have to respect her wishes. Just know that I have missed you very much." Billy said, "I know that, Kelly. Mommy really was mad at you. She said you were sick. That we had to stay away from you. But you don't look sick to me, Jas.. I mean Kelly. I think you look nice." Kelly smiled, gave Billy another hug and said, "Thank you Billy, now let me see what I can do about Emily's ankle." She turned to Emily and said, "Emily, I'm going to take your shoe off, we need to get that wrapped up." She took Emily's leg and carefully removed her shoe from the injured foot. She got out the first aid kit, found an ace bandage and an ice pack. "Emily, I know that this has got to hurt. While running off into the woods was definitely wrong, I am proud of you for keeping strong for Billy, you are getting to be a big girl." Kelly wrapped the ace bandage around Emily's ankle and then squeezed the ice pack to activate it. "Here, hold this on your ankle, it will help." She then used some medical tape to secure it, making sure that it was not touching directly on her skin. Tom said, "Ok... I let them know we found them. Is she going to be able to walk?" Kelly said, "No, I don't think so." Tom said, "Alright, I'll have to carry her then. At least until we meet up with the search crew. Help her onto my back. Emily, you are going to have to hold on, please." Kelly helped Emily unto Tom's back. Tom held her legs while Emily wrapped her arms around Tom's shoulders. Kelly took Billy's hand and said, "Ok, come on, follow me. We will take it slow. Tom, let me know if you need a break." Kelly led them back along the way they came. They stopped every now and then to give Tom a break. They soon met up with the searchers. Emily and Billy both shouted, "Mommy!" Tom knelt down and eased Emily down to the ground. Kelly walked Billy over to his Aunt Jessica and put Billy's hand into hers. "Emily! You gave me such a scare!" Sally said. Jessica said, "Billy, you too! What were you thinking?" Then both mothers grabbed a hold of their children and hugged them tight. Sally said, "Kelly, Tom, thank you for finding them." Tom, looking squarely at his mother said, "Kelly is the one that found them, I couldn't have done that on my own." Jessica looked like she was eating worms, but she looked over at Kelly and said, "Thank you... Kelly." Kelly said, "You're welcome." One of the police officers knelt besides Emily and said, "This is a pretty bad sprain; it might even be broken. You did a good job on it, but we need to get this x-rayed as soon as we can." Kelly's father picked up Emily and they all headed back towards the fair grounds. With the men taking turns carrying Emily, they were soon back. An ambulance was waiting and Emily was soon on the stretcher. Kelly, Tom and Billy gathered around the gurney, with their parents right behind. Billy said, "Thank you Emily for taking care of me out there." Kelly said, "You will be fine, Emily. If you need a cast, I can sign yours this time." Emily smiled and said, "Thanks for finding us, Kelly. Thanks for carrying me out, Tom." Tom said, "No problem, Em. I hope you feel better." With that, the gurney with Emily was put into the ambulance, her mother was allowed to go along with them, and they were soon on their way to the hospital. Kelly's parents told her Aunt Sally not to worry about the car, that they would take care of it and meet them at the hospital in a little while. After the police had finished taking statements, they left; leaving Kelly and her parents standing there with her Aunt Jessica, Tom and Billy. They stood together, in an awkward silence. Billy grabbed Kelly's hand and turned to his mother saying, "Mommy, You are wrong about Kelly. She is not sick and she IS a girl." Reverend Tripard came over and shouted, "Get your hands off that child, you pervert! He is under the protection of God and he will strike you down if you don't let him go this instant." Kelly glared at Reverend Tripard then turned to Billy and said, "Thank you Billy, but I don't want to cause you a problem with your Mother. You need to listen to her, she loves you and is just trying to do what she thinks is best for you." Billy said, "No. She said you were a sinner and that you had spurned God, and that you are not a girl. That is why she won't let me see you, or Grandma and Grandpa, or Emily. It's not fair!" Jessica said, "Billy, come here." Billy said, "No!" Kelly said, "Billy, you must do what your mother says." Kelly walked to Aunt Jessica, looking her directly in the eye and put Billy's hand into hers." Jessica said quietly, "Thank you, Kelly." Reverend Tripard explodes, "THANK YOU, KELLY? Jessica, have you lost your mind. This abomination is not Kelly, its name is Jason and it is an abomination in the eyes of God. Billy is now on the path to hell, because of his exposure to this tool of Satan and now you are on the slopes as well. You must purge yourself and your family of these sins." He closed in on Billy and grabed him from Jessica and grabed him by the shoulders, "You will Burn in the fiery depths of Hell, if you don't ask God for forgiveness. God hates sinners and he especially hates those that spurn his gifts. Do you want to burn boy?!" Billy trembling shouted, "No! Let me go." Reverend Tripard shook him harder, "Then beg for forgiveness! Renounce this creature, or you WILL Burn!" Billy, crying saying, "No, No... Let me go! No I don't want to burn." Tripard slaped Billy and Billy collapsed into hysterics as his bladder cut loose from fear. Kelly, her parents, Tom and Jessica had all been frozen in shock at the Reverends outburst. But shee saw him slap Billy, something snapped in Jessica. She turned on Reverend Tripard, grabbed him and hit him hard across his face. "You bastard, leave my son alone! He is only five years old!" Tom grabbed Reverend Tripard and spun him around, "keep your hands off of my brother!" Kristine said, "What kind of monster are you? You are sick! It's bad enough you have targeted Kelly for your hate preaching, but that was child abuse!" Kelly went straight to Billy, and pulled him into her arms. "Shh... Billy, it will be ok, you will be fine." Reverend Tripard said, "Tom, you understand? You have to understand." Tom said, "I understand alright. I understand that you have lost it. I can't believe that I ever listened to you. Now get away from here, before I do something you will regret." Tom shoved him away and then turned towards Billy. Billy was in Kelly's arms, his Aunt, Uncle and mother all trying to comfort him. Jessica was holding Billy saying, "Billy, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. He is wrong, baby. God loves you, he would not treat his children that way." Kelly mouthed to her mother, "Can you get Minister Goodman?" Kristine said, "Jessica, come with us. Kelly, bring Billy." Jessica nodded and followed along, Kelly got up and holding Billy in her arms, they went to where Minister Goodman had set up the church's food station for the picnic. When they got there, Julie and Meghan who were helping, looked up and said, "What's going on?" "Where is Minister Goodman?" Kristine asked. "Here I am," he replied, "what is going on?" When Richard told the Minister what had happened, he said angrily, "That is inexcusable. Kelly, can you bring him over here, where it is a little private. Jessica, Tom, I'm Minister Goodman, please come with me as well." Kelly, Jessica and Tom followed along and they found a table in a quiet area. Kelly handed Billy to his mother, and then the Minister said, "Kelly, please let me talk to them now. Thank you for your help." Kelly backed away and went back over to her parents. It was quite a while later, when Jessica, Tom, Billy and Minister Goodman came back to them. Jessica said, looking straight at Kelly, "Kelly, thank you. I um... I was wrong and I'm sorry for the pain we have caused you." "It's ok, Aunt Jessica. I understand. Is Billy going to be ok?" "I think so. Minister Goodman spoke to him and told him that God is not the vengeful being that Reverend Tripard makes him out to be. We are going to meet with him again tomorrow and see how things go. Richard, Kristine, I'm sorry. Can you forgive us?" Kristine gave Jessica a hug and said, "Of course. We have missed you." Richard nodded and gave her a hug as well, then said, "We really need to get over to the hospital now, we got a call from Sally, Emily's ankle is just a sprain, but we need to go pick them up." Jessica said, "You go ahead, I'm going to take the boys home, we have a lot of thinking to do. Please tell Sally I will call her later and to let me know if she or Emily need any help." As they said goodbye, they all gave each other hugs. When Tom and Kelly came together, Tom said, "Kelly, I'm sorry too." Kelly said, "It's ok Tom." She reached out to hug him; Tom hesitated at first, but then returned it fully. Chapter 20 Tom went into the kitchen and found his mother working on dinner. He watched as she put down the knife she was using to cut up some potatoes, and leaned over the counter and started to sob. Tom went to her and said, "Mom?" Jessica jumped, "ohhh... Tom... I didn't realize you were there." "What's wrong, Mom?" Jessica hesitated and said, "Nothing." "Mom?" Just then the front door opened, slammed, and Bob Merrick shouted, "Jessica!" He came into the kitchen, and said, "What the hell happened today? I got a call from Reverend Triphard; how dare you defy him. He told me that you, Tom and Billy had turned your back on God." Jessica said, "Triphard assaulted Billy; he threatened him, told him he was going to burn in hell, and shook him and hit him. I'm not going to stand by and watch anyone hurt Tom or Billy, not even Triphard!" "Reverend Triphard is the voice of God, if he told Billy he was going to hell, than it was to save him. You're a woman; don't interfere in men's business." "No Bob. I've played the dutiful wife for 16 years, I've deferred to you since before we married and became a good wife as per Reverend Triphard's teaching, but no more. I will not let him harm my children!" "Woman, I am the man of this house, and you will do as I say. Now tomorrow you will send a formal apology to the Reverend, begging for his forgiveness." "No Bob, I will not," Jessica replied, her voice taking on an edge. "Dad, I was there, he was out of control. Mom was right!" "Don't you start with me Tom, I heard all about you too. You went off into the woods with that faggot cousin of yours and I don't know what kind of bullshit he pulled over you, but you are going to come back to God." "I went in the woods to find my brother, and it was Kelly's skill that found Billy and Emily, not mine. She knew the woods; she knew how to find the tracks they left." "His name is Jason; he is a faggot boy, not a 'she.' You know that he is an abomination to God, what is wrong with you!" "Nothing is wrong with me, Dad. I've just seen the light. Reverend Triphard is wrong and so are you and so was I to follow him." "Look what you've done, Woman. Our sons have rejected God and are going to burn in hell. This is all your fault!" "Bob, neither Tom or I have rejected God, we have rejected Reverend Triphard. Believe it or not they are not one and the same, though having listened to his teachings for all of these years; I can understand why you seem to think they are!" "Dad..." "You stay out of this!" His father snapped at him in anger. "Tom, go check on Billy," his mother said. Tom shook his head and went upstairs to Billy's room. Billy was curled up on his bed. Tom went over to him and asked, "Are you ok, Billy?" "Mom and Dad are fighting aren't they?" "Yes, they are." "Because of what I did today?" "No. Because of what Reverend Triphard did today, it's not your fault Billy." They sat in silence; the only sound was that of the rising argument coming from the kitchen. They could not make out what was being said, but it was clearly not going well. They both jumped as a crash, followed by a door being slammed and then the sound of a car starting and rushing off. A few moments later the door opened, and their mother came into the room, with two duffle bags. She handed one to Tom and said, "Tom, please go pack some clothes for the next few days into this. Don't forget your toothbrush." She then proceeded to start to pack the second bag with Billy's things. "What's going on, Mom?" Tom asked. "We are going to spend a few days at my parent's house, till your father and I can work out this situation," she said. Tom's stomach turned at the thought, but he shook his head, and headed into his room to pack. Chapter 21 Kelly's mother hung up the phone. She came back to the dinner table and said, "Jessica and the boys are at your parent's house. Bob blew a gasket when he came home; apparently he took Triphard's side." Kelly and Meghan both looked at her with disbelief. Kelly's father said, "That figures, I should have seen that coming. Are Jessica and the boys alright?" "Yes. They are understandably upset of course, but overall they are ok. It's been quite a day for them. Mom said that she and Jessica had a l