ChangeDay: Advent - Part One free porn video

======================================================================= DISCLAIMER: The following story is based on the ChangeDay universe, created by BobH. However, below I use exact dates that are NOT conducive with the universe canon and should not be confused as such. As part of my creative process, it helps if I have exact dates, but, again, these dates are NOT universe canon. If you feel the inspiration to write in this universe, I would suggest contacting BobH first. He's a very nice man and incredibly helpful. It's been a pleasure to experiment with this universe, thus far. I apologize for how long it has actually taken me to finish this much of the story. It has been a while since I announced on the "hyperboard" that I was writing this. Sadly, life has occasionally gotten in the way. Other times, there was some major game launch during this holiday season that distracted my attention. Yes, I'm a gamer and highly recommend my distractions of Fallout: New Vegas, Fable III, and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood to those interested parties. Other than that, the holidays are a busy time for a lot of people. On this final day of the first decade of the 21st Century, I submit this tale to you. I hope that you enjoy it. If so, do not fret, there are more installments of the tale to come. I don't know, yet, how long the tale is going to be, but it should be a great ride. If there is sufficient response, I may extend the tale longer than anticipated. Feeding my ego is very welcome. xD ======================================================================= ChangeDay: The Advent by Danielle Krieger (c) 2010 - Prologue - "...A day which will live in infamy!" Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, said that on December 7, 1941, after the Japanese had attacked the Navy at Pearl Harbor that Sunday morning. Admittedly, it was a terrible day for anyone who was alive to see it. In the collective minds of the United States, it unified the country into a new resolve to end the isolationism that had permeated since World War I and march headlong into its successor, World War II. Certainly, it was a day that has lived in infamy. However, it's not the most infamous day in modern human history. There was another day, not too long ago. If one takes certain things literally, then strange happenings occur on planet Earth every single day. Television shows, books, stories online, movies, and even religious texts tell of such amazing things that it's impossible to categorize and list them all. The tales are so elaborate that it's hard to fathom all the alternate realities that could be generated from them. In all reality, however, life on Earth is rather mundane and humdrum. In the early part of the 21st Century, there are amazing things that happen, but they can all be explained by science. Gone are the days of wonderment when Henry Ford first capitalized on mass production of the automobile; or when the Wright Brothers first put Bernoulli's Principle to the test at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and launched us all into an age of manned flight; or the days when mankind was taking its first steps off the confines of the planet we've called "home" for more than 10,000 years and then proceeded to walk upon the moon. All these are in the past though ingrained in our collective psyche as great things man has done. However, as I stand naked as a newborn babe in front of the mirror in my bedroom, I await with hesitant anticipation the recurrence of an event that changed mankind forever. The event was so profound that it uprooted deep-seated cultural and philosophical beliefs that had been a part of humanity for longer than I can recall. With baited breath, I check the time on my radio alarm clock. Thirty-five seconds remaining. The entire world was on the very same countdown. It had been this way since the first day it had happened two years ago. The one and only truly paranormal event to ever be catalogued into the history books as true fact that it very much happened. To some, it was very much the day that will live in infamy as the day that is more infamous than all the others. In retrospect, it was not a terrible tragedy, after all. However, when you add into the equation the mass hysteria and confusion that occurred all over the world, it trumps any preceding day, easily. In random places all over the world, there were car accidents, riots, frightened mobs, and even mass suicides on that day and those following it. In my lifetime, I have never seen so much panic, despair, and confusion from the human race. The news reports were filled with all manner of human beings showing the negative side of all of us that we never want revealed in polite company. It begged us to question every "moral" value we ever had. The new day that will live in infamy for the whole world was June 2, 2008; the first Monday in June a little more than two years ago. From that day forward, mankind has never been the same. That was the day the first "Change Day" occurred. On that day, every man, woman, and child suddenly felt strange and fifteen minutes later found themselves in a body that belonged to the opposite sex. Naturally, given our bonds to our own physical sex and the social constructs of gender that accompanied such a thing had been officially challenged. There was panic, confusion, and despair to go around for everyone. However, not everyone acted this way. Certainly, the media had a field day with this information, so that is what they broadcast. In truth, most people (though very disoriented) would deal with such a thing on their own terms in a calm and rational matter. Most, though, feared the change was permanent and the ramifications of such a suggestion was not comfortable for them. However, four weeks later, at the exact time of the first, the second Change Day was upon us and we all reverted back to what is now referred to as "the alpha stage" or the original sex we started out as. Many were relieved, others were complacent. It took us, as a worldwide society, quite a while to catch on that this cycle would likely continue on for the rest of our lives. In my own experience, it took a very long time to catch on. I was nearing my seventeenth birthday, coming in October that year, and looking forward to becoming a junior in high school. I did not take to Change Day very well, at first. Though, it's said that the younger generations adapted to everything much sooner than the older ones. Still, many remember exactly what they were doing at the very moment the first Change Day came upon us. It's the same as any other significant event in history that people still ask questions about, such as: "Where were you when J.F.K. was shot?"; "What were you doing when you learned Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated?"; "Where were you when they were chasing O.J. Simpson on the L.A. freeway?"; "Where were you when the Twin Towers fell on 9/11?". Many people ask these same questions today and the answers are much more numerous and varied. I remember very vividly what I was doing the exact day the first change hit us. Allow me to share with you my experiences during those first few cycles. Perhaps, someone will read this at some time in the future and learn something from an average citizen of this time... the time before Change Day was common place. - Chapter One - Friday May 30, 2008 - 3:15pm Mountain Daylight Time (MDT, GMT -6) The final dismissal bell for the day echoed through the hallways of Century High School in the sleepy "rural metropolis" of Pocatello, Idaho. Like any Friday, students flooded into the hallways with the decibel level steadily rising as their excitement grew. The day had come. It was finally the last day of school before Summer Vacation and many were discussing their plans for the next three months. It being the last day and all, we'd already taken our final exams and were not really doing much at all, besides turning in books and finalizing our grades. Most carried emptied backpacks and folders they wouldn't need until next year. I emerged from my final class with a smile on my face. My history teacher had just reassured me that I would be maintaining my 4.0 Grade Point Average with an "A" in his class, my father would be pleased. There were a few people that greeted me in the halls and wished me a happy summer. I wasn't too popular, so there weren't many at all. I navigated through the crowds and went straight for my locker. Unfortunately, most of the student body had the same idea at that point. Most people were digging things out and clearing everything in preparation for the next fool that got assigned their locker next year. I, however, typically kept mine in immaculate condition. Save for the single mirror inside (yes, I was a little vain), there were only 3-ring binders and a few notebooks to collect and take home. "Ready for the camping trip this weekend?" a voice greeted me from over my shoulder with a volume level sufficient to override the dull roar of the hallway. I glanced up from stuffing my backpack to view the visage of one of my best friends. Kaleb Anderson and I had known each other since my family moved to the Portneuf Valley when I was still in the early years of elementary school. He was a little older than me, having just turned 17. He stood a little taller than me, as well. He was about six feet even and I was holding at five feet, ten inches. His brown hair reminded me of Christian Slater when he'd played "Will Scarlet" in that Robin Hood movie we both liked so much, starring Kevin Costner and filmed way back in the early 90's. His eyes were a neutral blue color and I envied his physique. He had some really nicely toned muscles and never went to the gym. I almost hated him for it. "Oh, hey, Kaleb." I grinned stupidly at him. "Yea, dude, I'm pretty psyched. My parents aren't big fans, though." He cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "Why not? Don't they trust me, yet?" I shook my head as I continued to stuff my bag. "Nah, that's not it. I think they have a problem with the idea that there'll be girls there the whole time. You know, the parental paranoia of 10 teenagers out in the woods with no supervision." I let out a sigh. "That, and Dad wanted to take us all out to Massacre Rocks again for Memorial Day." He scoffed. "You guys do that every year. Can't the old man give it a rest for this one time?" "I know what you mean." I rolled my eyes. "He makes us suffer because he's such a huge history buff that he's even a History Professor at I-S- U." My father pretty much ran the History Department at Idaho State University. Since we moved to the region, he's been climbing the ladder up to his current position. "Not only that, he gives us a new factoid about the region every year and tests us on it before we can get new clothes for school in August." I could see the pain in his face. "Oh, man, that's rough. Doesn't your mom speak up about it, though? Wouldn't she vouch for you?" I finished gathering the notebooks and binders, grabbed my mirror, and slammed the door shut. "Heck no! She's on his side!" I felt quite a bit deflated. I had actually forgotten about the ill-fated camping trip until he had brought it up. I zipped my backpack closed and stood up just in time to have a large hand land on my shoulder. Startled, I spun around to face the grinning visage of my other best friend, Mekaisto Lahoma. He was an inch taller than me and quite the muscular Native American. His ancestors had been Apache, so I had long ago assumed that there was a genetic predisposition for him to be one big side of beef. He had typical features of dark skin, black hair, brown eyes, and almost no body hair to speak of. I always thought it sucked that he'd likely never grow a beard... and thanked I my lucky stars that I was only a quarter Native. My family was predominantly Irish, but my mother was half Sioux. "Geezus, Kai! You scared the frakkin' daylights out of me!" I shouted. His laugh billowed. Oddly, for such a big guy, he had a pretty decent tenor voice. "Relax, man. It's not like I'm gonna scalp ya." Kaleb and I both rolled our eyes at his reference to his tribe's legacy to the ages. "So not funny, Kai," I glared. He shrugged. "You white boys are just jealous that I can get away with sayin' it. And, Mike, you really need to lay off the Battlestar Galactica. It'll rot your brain." "What? Because I used 'frak'?" I protested. Kaleb shook his head. "I keep telling him that." Kai pursed his lips. "So, what were you guys talking about before I almost made Mikey here wet himself?" "His dad's a douche bag," Kaleb sighed. "I could have told you that," Kai chuckled. "Seriously, what's goin' on?" I almost spoke, but Kaleb beat me to it as we all continued down the hallway. "Kai, you're coming camping, right?" "Hell yea! Wouldn't miss it! Why can't Mike go?" I rolled my eyes and released a very guttural grunt. "Because my parents are afraid of my ability to reproduce but not considering my overriding sense not to. That and Dad's doing his thing at Massacre Rocks again this year." Now Kai scoffed. "Doesn't that guy ever get tired of that? I mean, haven't you guys done that for 10 years straight, now?" I nodded. "There's only so much you can learn from one place, man. Believe me. I've been on that Sho-Ban reservation for a few years. There's only so much desert and mountains you can explore and learn about before you want to scalp yourself." We all laughed. "Yea, they really put those guys on a crummy piece of land, didn't they?" Kaleb added. "No joke. You should see the Apache lands, though. They're almost worse." Kai nodded. "It's either in the middle of nowhere in Oklahoma or out in Crapsville, Arizona." Kaleb looked a little uneasy as we traversed the threshold of the school out into the late May sun. "So... anyway... camping?" I shrugged, becoming more deflated as the time passed. "I dunno. I'm ready to give up, really." "Some warrior you are." Kai furrowed his brow. Then, his entire face lit up with some sort of realization that was some kind of profound importance. "Hey, wait a sec. Does your mom stick pretty heavily to the Sioux ways or would she let me do some kind of vision quest with you?" I stopped dead in my tracks. "Kai, neither you nor anyone in your family is a recognized medicine man. My mom would know that. There's no way you would get that to slip past her." He shook his head. "No, no, hear me out... I tell her that, yes, we'd be going up camping with everybody, but I'd take you off and show you some of the more traditional ways to become a man in Native culture. Specifically, Apache, but we might make it work. She knows more of the Shoshoni, Bannock, and Sioux stuff, but she wouldn't know about the Apache ways. I'm pretty sure of that." Kaleb threw his hands up in surrender. "I'm out of that discussion. You both know I'm just a clueless white boy when it comes to that stuff." Kai's face turned to pleading. "C'mon, man. It's this or you do that boring history crap with your dad again this year." I took a moment to consider the options. I sure as heck didn't want to be stuck going back to the same historical location my family visited every single year. I often wondered why we never toured the battlegrounds where Lt. Col. Custer had skirmishes with the Nez Perce tribe and Chief Joseph. Combining U.S. History with a little Native American history would have done us all some good. Alas, my father was hooked on the history surrounding the Oregon Trail. He still goes out and finds lost pieces of the route by observing the environmental damage of hundreds of wagons following the exact same route when he has days off. He's mapped about 6 miles of previously unknown forks in the path. It somewhat unnerved me, really. I let out a long sigh. "Okay, let's see what we can do. Kaleb, you got a ride home?" He nodded sharply. "Yep, I'm good. I was gonna hang out with Danika for a bit." "Still chasing her, eh? You know it's really unlikely she's gonna cave to your whiles, right?" Kai smiled as he attempted to stifle his laughter. Kaleb tried to object, but I stopped it by interrupting. "Okay, so, Kai's with me?" He grinned. "Lead on, dude. Let's work a little magic." Again, I was rolling my eyes. * * * * * * * Sunday June 1, 2008 - 9:30pm MDT The fire at the center of our campsite snapped and crackled through the wilderness' ambient sounds that were always ever present. Somewhere in the distance, there was a pack of coyotes whose cries echoes across the mountaintops. A few owls hooted. Of course, there was always the near constant crickets chirping. We'd been out here for a night and a full day already and I still couldn't believe that Kai had convinced my parents to let me come along. Along with the sounds of nature were the sounds of several adolescents on the cusp of adulthood chattering, laughing, and otherwise making whatever noise felt good at the time. My eyes drifted skyward and I couldn't remember the last time they'd viewed such beauty. In the mountains outside of Hailey, Idaho, there were no cities to produce enough light to obstruct the view. I would guess that we had a better view of the stars and one arm of the Milky Way galaxy than many astronomical observatories. As predicted, there were about ten of us. Kaleb and Mekaisto were off to one side, supposedly discussing courtship ideas for the young, fair Danika Haines who had several times previously rejected such advances. The short (5'5") brunette with astonishingly pleasing proportionate curves that had had Kaleb lusting after her for almost a year. She and I got along well, but Kaleb was always asking me to "put in a good word" with her. He was my best friend, but I really hated it when he put me on the spot like that. She was sitting on some camping chairs discussing I could only guess what with Jessica Newton and Jakobi Langley. Jessica was something of a late bloomer. She stood about five feet, four inches and her curves had yet to be truly defined. She kept her nearly platinum blond hair in near perfect condition at all times, even out here which I imagined was quite the feat. Jakobi, however, stood over both of them at five feet, eight inches and truly had a model or dancer's physique. Being on the drill and flag teams had sculpted this, I'd wager. Her chocolate tresses always seemed to be in a ponytail, so I didn't give it much thought. As for the other guys in the troop, most of them were horsing around somewhere down by the cars. I knew Marcus Sanchez and Silus Ramsey fairly well, but the other two guys I didn't know. There was another girl with Danika, Jessica, and Jakobi that I'd never met as well. Marcus was a wiry half-Hispanic who got all the Hispanic benefits of dark black hair, brown eyes, and nice tan skin, but all of the European disadvantages of a tall, lanky frame with very little muscle tone. He was a six-foot tall distance runner on the track team, so he didn't give it much thought. Silus, on the other hand, was the group's "super jock". He stood six-foot-one, had muscle tone at every angle, played almost every sport, and could have any girl in school he wanted. He had that perfect combination of blond hair, blue eyes, and blemish-free fair complexion that was the envy of just about everybody. To say that I was jealous would be a massive understatement. For the moment, I was alone with my thoughts. If I wasn't staring blankly into the fire, I was glancing up considering the vastness and infinitely beautiful wonders of the universe. This is what ancient man must have seen many years ago. I knew that the land this national forest we were in had been the hunting and foraging lands of at least six local tribes. For me, seeing the silhouette shapes of the mountains against the interminably numerous stars above was something I almost never had the chance to see. Back then, they wouldn't have appreciated the beauty as much because it would have been common place for anyone who wasn't using the stars to make one prediction or another. Back then, they used the stars for everything. My thoughts began to wander to the fact that I could never truly understand some of my heritage the way that Kai could. He was fully Native American. I was only one-quarter. I looked like the invading "White Man" instead of having some Native features show. It frustrated me when some would doubt that I was Native at all. Looking at me, one could see a young man of fair complexion, a small bit of muscle tone, naturally red hair (if I slept with anyone, they'd know that for certain), and not a freckle on me. One good thing about my heritage, I could actually tan and not have hundreds of little brown spots all over. I kept my dull red hair rather short in a style that even Danika had said reminded her of Leonardo DiCaprio, except that he's blond. She also compared my eyes to what the waters of the Caribbean Sea look like on a fair day: a deep light green, I'm told. I felt torn between two worlds. Little did I know that in just over 14 hours, the feeling would be even stronger. In my daze, I didn't hear Danika approach and sit down on the log beside me. At this point, my eyes were focused on the dancing fire before me. She mocked clearing her throat, which sent a jolt through my body as she pulled her legs toward her chest and wrapped her arms around them. I offered a weak smile. "Hey, Danika," I stated softly. "Hey, yourself. Penny for your thoughts? There seem to be a lot of them." She noted. I shrugged. "I'm fine. Just got a lot on my mind, I guess." "And...?" she almost pleaded. "Just some stupid stuff." I sighed. "Enjoying the trip, so far?" She rolled her eyes. "I guess. I might enjoy it more if Kaleb would back off a little. I should bring a whip next time so I can actually yell 'Down, boy!'" She threw her head back and let out a good giggle. I joined her. "Yea, that might actually work. Though, I'd be careful. He might actually enjoy it." She visibly shuttered. I shook my head. It took all of my strength to stop myself from slapping myself with the palm of my hand, the fabled "facepalm" maneuver. "Hey, look, I'm sorry. If there was anything I could do about the situation, I would have done it. They guy's like the friggin' Energizer Bunny, he doesn't know when to quit." I let out a sigh. She shrugged. "I know, Mike. I'm not mad at you, though. You're not his keeper." She gave me a reassuring smile that I was obliged to return. She let out a quick breath and continued on another topic. Girls seem to be proficient at such a task. "So, why not hanging out with the guys?" I glanced over at Kai and Kaleb, then back at her and pointed to them with my thumb. "Them? Oh, they're finding new and dubious ways for Kaleb to seduce you. I'd wear your armor if I were you." She nodded. "Oh, really...? Thanks for the tip." "You're welcome." She indicated by moving the crown of her head quickly toward the other male bonding occurring. "What about the other guys?" I glanced over in their direction. "Oh, those guys?" I shrugged. "I dunno. I guess I'm not all that great at this 'male bonding' thing. They kind of strike me as the 'Neanderthal' type and, even though I play football, I don't see us having much in common." She furrowed her brow. "You are a tough one to crack. No wonder she's into you." My eyes widened and I could swear someone had dropped a pin and scratched a record in the same instant. "Um... what? Who?" A raucous laughter emitted from her luscious lips and perfect teeth. Though, I found myself somewhat self-conscious at this. She reached over and playfully slapped my arm. "You are pretty dense, Michael MacAllister." She nodded. "You haven't been noticing any notes in your locker for the past couple of weeks?" Was there some sort of female interwebs that guys were just not privy to? How does this sort of news get around? "Um... yea, I found some notes. They were interesting. Why do you ask?" She let out a quick sigh and shook her head. "You still haven't figured out who sent them, have you?" I shook my head. "And, I'll bet you haven't noticed the eyes baring down on you in U.S. History, either. Am I right?" Again, I shook my head. Girls really knew how to make a guy feel totally inadequate and foolish. There's a sucker born every minute, they say. "So, you couldn't possibly have a clue that the same girl is actually here tonight?" My eyes darted over to the new girl. I really had no idea who she was. Sure, I'd seen her around campus and in classes, but her name eluded me. She, unlike some of the other girls, was full-figured. I'm not saying she was grossly overweight, but the girl probably enjoyed a slice of pizza or a burger more often than most girls would. She was a brunette and wore a stylish cut, but I'd never noticed her soft, subtle eyes behind the glare from the fluorescent lights on her glasses. Tonight, she wasn't wearing said glasses and I think the other girls may have helped her do her hair. As for her height, I don't think she ever came close enough to me for me to make an accurate guess to how height compatible we were. "The... new girl? The brunette over there that usually wears glasses she's not wearing tonight?" I wanted to point, but I knew it was rude and would likely embarrass the poor girl. "Catches on quick, doesn't he?" Danika grinned sarcastically. "She's been eyeing you since she overheard you telling Marcus about a lightsaber thing your parents had gotten you for Christmas." I nodded, knowing she was referring to my Force FX Lightsaber gushing. I had been a very spoiled geek that Christmas. Before the lightsaber, I'd unwrapped a new, bigger hard drive for my Xbox, Fable 2, Gears of War 2, Fallout 3, and Dead Space. The lightsaber trumped them all. "Yea, I was a little excited about it." I could feel my cheeks warming as I blushed. She let out a quick sigh. "Yea, it was a little too obvious, if you ask me. I mean, my dad bought me a brand new car when I turned 16, but you didn't see me gushing over it all over the school did you? Don't get me wrong, I love my car, but you got a little annoying about a plastic stick that lights up and makes noise through a speaker at the bottom." I lowered my head in near shame. "Danika, I know you're not a near total geek like I am, but could you not stampede all over my hobbies like that? It's a little harsh." She sighed. "Sorry, Mike. You know I don't get into that stuff. Though, she does and I'm sure she'd like to hear more about it. You up for it?" My head quickly came back up again. "Um..." my palms started to sweat and my heart rate increased dramatically. "You're playing 'Matchmaker', aren't you. That's the whole reason she came." "Hey, I didn't have to drag her kicking and screaming. Do you wanna hang with her or not?" "Sure. What the heck." I shrugged. She gave me a devious grin as she bounded back over to the other girls. With each passing moment, my anxiety grew. I watched as Danika gracefully walked over to the others and nodded her head for some reason. Jessica and Jakobi looked rather excited, whilst the new girl seemed pretty apprehensive. She was shaking her head and mouthing the word "No" several times. Finally, the other girls lifted her up and brought her over to the log and sat her down beside me. You could cut the tension between us with a butter knife. "Shelby Whitmore, this is Michael MacAllister. Mike, this is Shelby," Jessica introduced. Without glancing over, I nodded. "Hi." "Hi," she stated meekly. - Chapter Two - Monday June 2, 2008 - 10:15 am MDT After unzipping the door, I climbed out of the tent I shared with Kai and stretched as far and wide as my body would allow. The morning air was crisp and clean with a slight chill to it that was quickly fading since the sun came up. I had slipped on a hoodie over my white T-shirt with some design I forgot about and khaki-colored cargo shorts. Today, we'd be picking up camp and heading back to our families back in Pocatello. But first, the girls had prepared breakfast. I grabbed a plate, piled on an assortment of eggs, hashbrowns, and bacon, and sat on my trusty log once more to enjoy their culinary prowess... or lack thereof. I would soon find out which it was. "Thanks, girls," I stated through half a mouthful of hashbrowns. They all giggled. "You're welcome, Mike," Danika smiled. At that very moment, it struck me as a little odd that the girls were doing most of the cooking during the whole trip. None of them ever struck me as the type and I'd never seen any of them perform any semblance of domestic duties. Yet, here they were making sure all of us were fed and nourished the whole time. I began to wonder if such a thing was hard-wired into the female psyche. Was it natural for a woman to perform such duties or was it something that society had always told them that these things were precisely what was expected of them? In the proceeding years, I would find the answer to that question sooner or later. It bothers me, now, as I think back on that day about how much of blur that morning was. Minutes after everyone was fed, we began cleaning up the campsite and packing our vehicles for the trip back home. The previous night, everyone stayed awake much longer than our parents would have allowed were we still at home. The conversations carried on into the wee hours of the morning, including the one Shelby and I had once we actually got going. She seemed like a smart girl and I was actually willing to give her a chance. It surprised me that she wished she'd had the chance to attend E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) before they became a press only event. I had similar feelings, though I'd been to [San Diego] Comic Con and PAX (Penny Arcade Expo) more than once each, already. There was just never enough time, though. It's funny how life hands people these situations more than we'd like to realize. I'm sure that in the face of tragedy or other significant event that many people wished for the same thing I did on that morning: more time. At least, it would have been nice to get a warning. - 11:55 am MDT - We had finished packing everything in the vehicles we'd brought with us. Now, the campsite appeared pretty desolate with only some camping chairs around that still belonged to us. We'd left the fire going while we packed everything away. The sun was now blazing high in the sky and we were all warmed by the physical exertion as well. I'd taken off my hoodie and set it in the front seat of my car. Now, I was back on the log where I'd been sitting last night. Most of the guys were wearing the same ensemble of T-shirt and shorts. The only real variety was which guy was wearing the khaki, cotton, or denim shorts. I didn't care to make a head count. The girls, however, were another story. Shelby wore denim "short-shorts" and a tanktop with her bra underneath. Jessica and Jakobi wore large T-shirts and cotton shorts with their bikinis underneath. I think they hoped to go for a swim before heading back home. Danika, however, was the odd one out. She had on some sort of summer dress with a box neckline and a sports bra underneath. At least they looked relaxed. Exhausted, we had resolved to lounge around for a bit while cooling down, catching our breath, and enjoying a cold soda. Everybody talked amongst their perspective cliques, unfortunately. Kai, Kaleb, and I were chatting about the possibility of taking a boat and some jet skis out to the American Falls Reservoir in the next week or two, after we recovered from this weekend. Marcus and Silus also expressed an interest and hoped we could invite the girls along to, as they put it, "enjoy the sights, too". I'd imagine the girls would have been less than impressed with the wording of that particular idea. There had been some sporadic clouds that had rolled in throughout the morning. During an Idaho summer, they never really got much bigger than a few square miles unless it was some sort of major storm that would be gone in a few minutes anyway. Some of them had a black-ish gray bottom which meant they probably bore rain, but nothing too overly concerning. - 12:00pm MDT - There are a million different theories about what happened the moment the clocks around the world hit a specific time. Every human being on the planet experienced something at that exact moment. The strangest thing of all, it happened at the exact same time for everybody. For us, it was just as the clock reached the noon hour. Scientists, religious leaders, politicians, conspiracy theorists, and paranormal investigators all have their own theories. Many times, it's conflicting. Most of the time, all the stories are different. Even now, there is no clear explanation of what exactly happened. All we know is what happened next. On my grandmother's grave, I could swear that I saw a bright flash at that exact moment. I'm not sure everyone had that experience, but I know for a certain fact that I did. To me, it seemed as though someone had taken my picture with an old-fashioned film camera with some sort of flashbulb. It wasn't too intense, but it was enough to have my attention. Less than a nanosecond later, my entire body began to tingle as I looked around for the source of the flash. The tingling feeling was very faint at first but became very apparent in the next second. "Whoa, dude... I feel really weird," I stated. A chorus of "me too" and "yea, I know, same here" came from my compatriots. Some of them were shaking their hands or their feet as though they'd fallen asleep. The sensation was like nothing I'd ever felt before and everybody I've ever talked to about it has said the same thing. Like watching Neo dodge bullets in "The Matrix", time seemed to slow to an incredibly crawling pace. Something was really off. For a few minutes I had this sense of vertigo like the ground was coming at me. At the same time, I felt as though something had begun to tickle the back of my neck and my shoes felt a little loose. I held my knees together and rested my elbows upon them as I placed my palms on my forehead. I closed my eyes and tried to breathe carefully. Even that young, I'd been drunk before and that's something akin to what I was feeling. The tingling feeling remained and I could almost feel like something was tugging on my clothes or someone had lathered my whole body in Vaseline. It was just an all-around strangeness that I couldn't wrap my head around. A moment later, something was tickling both the side of my face and the back of my neck. I didn't open my eyes until I heard some sort of hysterical whimpering and the sounds of clothing beginning to tear and buttons popping. My eyes shot up and darted about my surroundings. Nothing could have prepared me for the sight before my eyes. Everyone, save for me, was actually standing and their eyes darted from themselves to others with bewildered and frightened looks on their faces. I had a very strange perspective. To my right, the girls all looked like they were getting much taller and their hair seemed to be receding into their scalps. To my left, the guy looked like they were getting much shorter and their hair seemed to be growing at a rapid pace. The whimpering was coming from the girls, though mostly from Shelby. She seemed about six or so inches taller than she had last night and her body was straining against the confines of her clothing. All the girls seemed as though their clothing were ill fitted and odd looking on them, while the guys appeared to be swimming in their clothes. I couldn't stop staring until the waistband of my shorts started to pinch me. My eyes lowered and I panicked at what lay before them. My legs and arms, which had been toned and athletic before, seemed very much a diminutive representation of themselves. I looked pale. Even though I hadn't had much body hair at all, it seemed to have completely disappeared. My muscle tone was much more sleek and lean. I could feel and see something budding on my chest and rubbing against my shirt. Now, I stood up to grab the waistband of my shorts and alleviate the pinching feeling. The vertigo was back. The world seemed bigger than it had a few minutes ago and so did all my clothing. Horror rocked my senses in the next moment. Once standing and looking down at myself, whatever sensation my chest was giving me was right before my eyes. Two small mounds were visibly growing larger and pushing against my T-shirt. I pulled out the neck and found my fears to be true. I, Michael MacAllister, was apparently growing breasts. I released the neck and it snapped back into place, albeit loosely. Some strands of hair fell before my eyes and caught my attention. I grabbed a lock and pulled it taught in front of me. Earlier that morning, my hair had been the color of rust. It was bland, light, unassuming, and on the threshold of blond. However, now whatever was growing from my head appeared to be a shade somewhere between fire and blood. My vote went to "cherry", but others had different opinions. Now, I was really freaking out. Not paying any attention to the others, my eyes frantically darted over my own form. Breasts were still growing at an alarming rate on my chest. I ran my hands down my sides, starting at the ribs, and noticed that I now possessed a natural waistline. My hips were flaring outward right before my eyes, which is what had been tugging at the waistline of my shorts. Suddenly, a wave of shock washed over me. I pulled out the waistline of my shorts and underwear and flew into a panic. My penis, which I'd actually been rather proud of, was a size I hadn't seen it as since I was six years old. It was so small and flaccid, yet appeared to be getting smaller and retreating into my groin. Just above it, though, was a strange mound of flesh I'd never seen before. Unlike most other guys, I'd never seen a pornographic magazine, movie, and any visual whatsoever. I had no idea what that little mound was. My pubic hair, though more straight than curly now, was the same color as the hair on my head. At least I was still a "real redhead". A rational person would equate that all of this should actually hurt. You "reinvent the wheel" with the human skeleton and it isn't pretty. All of our skeletal structures were completely changing, along with a few choice internal organs. We should have been writhing in agony over this. However, no one I've ever talked to about this had any other physical sensation than the background tingling sensation all over their bodies. Mental sensations, however, were varied depending on who you talked to. For example, I was panicked, frightened, and just freaking out in general (as were most that first day). Physically, though, I was completely healthy... about as healthy as one can be when they transition from one sex to another in the span of about fifteen minutes. A few moments later, about fifteen minutes from the time it all started, the tingling sensation became a decrescendo and faded away. We were still ten teenagers on a camping trip, but our demographic had completely changed. Six boys and four girls had made the trip. Now, there were six girls and four boys. Even though I'd watched many of the changes happen, I didn't really recognize anyone. In shock, everyone was slowly examining themselves with their eyes and could scarcely believe what had really happened. Though, we should have taken pictures of that. I think back on it now and can joke with my friends about how we looked that first day. There were six girls who looked like they had raided their brothers' closets and joined some nature cult that burned their bras. Adversely, there were four boys who looked like they had raided their sisters' closets and had terrible "drag moms" that didn't tell them how to properly fit their sizes. Their clothes strained against them and their empty bras lay flat on their chests. "H-holy... fuck... dude!" I heard someone shriek to my left. I looked over in time to see an impressively beautiful and lithe Native American girl cup her hands over her mouth. "Shit! Is that my voice?! Fuck! It is!" From what she was wearing and her ethnicity, I knew that had to be Kai. The girl looked like she was wearing a nightshirt and her legs were exposed because her pants had long since surrendered to gravity and fallen to her ankles. "This is some whack shit, yo!" another girl shrieked. At least, she looked like a girl. For all the world, I swear she looked just like she could be J-Lo's daughter. My mind told me that had to be Marcus. "Tell me this isn't fucking happening... somebody tell me this isn't happening! I can't be a fucking chick!" a rather anorexic-looking blond screeched with tears building up in her eyes. Her long, straight platinum blond hair hung loosely at her shoulders. She had somewhat small breasts, but looked like she could be captain of the cheerleading squad to me. I conjectured that must be Silus. He would be the one thinking it was a curse to become a woman, as much as he lusted after them almost constantly. "You can't be a chick?! Look at me, fucker!" a deep, billowing voice came from the other side of the camp. I'd almost completely forgotten about those that now looked like guys. My eyes darted back to them, now, to find the source of that voice. "I mean, my fucking God! My clothes are ruined and I'm hanging out at all angles and you're crying about being a chick?!" My eyes met the voice. From the outfit, it was Shelby. She... um, he?... looked like the worst off, in the manner of wardrobe malfunctions. The tanktop had almost completely torn off, the bra was useless, the button and fly of the shorts had flown off, and the socks were in tatters. During the transformation, she'd grown almost ten inches of height and had the physique of a very lean wrestler in a "heavy weight" class. Unfortunately, with the fly open, the pink cotton panties could scarcely contain the bulge that now resided in the nether regions. It was very apparent that they didn't just look like guys. Everyone, including me, was very shocked and stood in awe at the "Greek God" that stood before them. However, now was not the time to gawk. He looked incredibly uncomfortable and vulnerable. I don't know what came over me, but I marched right over to the... guy? "Um... Shelby?" Lord, had I gone through puberty in reverse? My voice was about the border of alto and soprano - low enough to almost sound sexy but high enough to break glass if I screamed. "I've got some things that you can borrow, if you want." This big guy's eyes dropped on me. He looked positively huge compared to my perspective. He squinted a little, taking off Shelby's glasses. "Wait... Michael?" I nodded quietly. His eyes grew huge. "Holy shit, you should look at yourself! You're a fucking knockout!" He squinted again. "Hey, weren't your eyes green last night?" "Wait a second..." another deep voice stated. "His eyes have always been the color of the Caribbean Sea." I heard footsteps and another guy, though not as tall but still towered over me, came up and squinted at my eyes. He was wearing a dress and a sports bra. This was Danika. "Holy shit, you're right! Those are the most stunning dark blue eyes I have ever seen in my entire life!" I could see his eyes move toward my head. "And your hair's darker, too. Man, that's weird." The other two guys came over and were saying the same things. I was hot. I had deep red hair. And, my eyes were blue. With all the gawking, I could feel my cheeks warm up. I was completely embarrassed and did not want to be standing here being fawned over, right now. The warmth in my cheeks intensified and I could feel it in other places, too. This had to stop. "Will you stop that!" I shrieked. It sounded so very strange coming out of my mouth. "This is not the time for this! There is someone here who could really use a change of clothes. You want weird? How about I've got tits and no dick?! How's that for weird?!" I growled, though it was a much less imposing growl belonging to the fairer sex. The three fawning over me looked very apologetic. "Sorry, Mike. That was kinda fucked up," Danika stated. "We should really be worrying about other things... like calling our parents?" "Oh, yea, that'll really work! What are we gonna say?" Kai chirped. In the next moment, the girl brought her hand to her ear and mocked a phone call. "Oh, hi, sorry Dad. I know you don't recognize my voice. I'm a chick, now." She brought the "phone" away from her ear. "Yea, I can already tell you that's not gonna go over well." "So, what? You suggest we stay up here for the rest of our lives?" Another billowing male voice that I didn't recognize came from behind me. I could see Kai's point. If we couldn't recognize our own voices, how would our parents? A girl I didn't recognize who'd likely been one of the guys I didn't know strutted towards the fire. "Um, bad news everybody: There's a problem with that idea. I got no signal at all up here." Suddenly, there was a mad dash around the camp. Everyone was digging through their pockets and purses to grab their cell phones. As soon as they were retrieved, they were switched on and everyone was playing the game of "Can you hear me, now?" by holding the phone at arm's length and slowly walking around the campsite to try and achieve some sort of reception level. I didn't bother. We were in the mountains in the middle of nowhere in Idaho. There would be no chance of getting any signal from where we were. Now, if we drove down the mountain and crossed over the Galena Summit to Sun Valley or Ketchum, then we might get a signal. Scratch that, all the rich Californians lived there. There'd be signal. After the futile search, everyone looked a bit more deflated. "We're not going to get a signal until we get off the mountain and into Ketchum or Sun Valley, guys," I stated plainly. "Okay, so let's pack up and get out of here," Danika stated plainly. "First..." I stated, grabbing the incredibly muscular forearm that now belonged to Shelby. "...I think somebody would really appreciate a new set of clothes to wear." "Got that right," 'he' stated plainly. The deep voice was really playing with my head?about as much as my own lark voice was. "Wait... we're actually gonna go out among other people like this?" Girl-Silus looked frightened. "You got a better idea, Miss Pretty Little Thing?" another deep voice I didn't recognize retorted. It had to be either Jessica or Jakobi. I hadn't heard either of them speak much. As Boy-Shelby and I trudged out of the camp, a verbal battle drew to crescendo and I'd wager anyone in the mountains could probably hear it. A couple of things I couldn't help noticing were the natural sway my hips took on as I walked and just how scratchy my clothes felt as I moved along and my skin came in contact with the fabric. I ignored that and the incessant jiggling on my chest as I guided the poor "lad" to my car where my pack was. Once beside my little 1996 Toyota Camry, I swung open the back door... right into my chest. A twinge of utter pain erupted through my whole body and I visibly recoiled. "Fuckin'... OW!" I screamed. Boy-Shelby chortled, "Found the door, did ya? With... your boobs?" "I guess so," I whimpered. "Fuck, that hurts!" I rubbed my chest, which wasn't a bright idea. It didn't alleviate the pain, but as the fabric ran over my nipples they grew stiff and I could feel some sort of electric pulse through my body that ended in my groin. Besides that, my breasts felt huge and really squishy. I saw his lips crease into a grin. "Welcome to the joys of womanhood... and all the 'OW' that goes with it." My eyes seeing a guy, doubled up my hand into a fist and threw a punch which met with abdominal muscles (damn, I'm short!) and I quickly learned that wasn't brilliant. I cracked a couple of knuckles and it hurt, but it didn't break anything. All that happened was boy-Shelby winced a little. It didn't even phase 'him'. "I guess that rumor that redheads are feisty is as true as they say," 'he' laughed. I glared. "Look, do you want clothes or would you rather stay in those rags?" I'd never seen anyone stop so quickly. "You're right, sorry." I slowly turned and carefully opened the door, this time. Lowering myself into the car, I could feel the full weight of the mounds on my chest. It was a very strange and awkward feeling. As I rooted through my pack to grab appropriate clothing, the fact my pants kept wanting to slide down my ass annoyed me to no end. The Vaseline feeling was ever present as well. Not that I was all oiled up or anything, but my skin just felt so much softer and everything just slid over it with relative ease. However, my clothes still felt really scratchy and that was annoying, too. In moments, I had a T-shirt, shorts, a pair of socks, and a pair of boxers. Though, all the girls had taken off their shoes when we underwent the transformation and they no longer fit. Thus, grabbing the socks was likely not such a good idea. I turned around to boy-Shelby and handed him the clothes. "Here ya go. I grabbed a pair of socks, but I don't know how much good they're going to do you out here without shoes." "You don't have another pair of shoes?" 'He' almost looked pathetic when he asked. "What do I look like, a Payless? No, I had one pair of shoes and that's all I need," I shrugged. He nodded as he took the clothes, set them on the trunk, and began to undress. I folded my arms, suddenly feeling a little chilled as the sun was blocked by a cloud. Trying to ignore the odd sensation of my nipples becoming erect and rubbing against my shirt, I watched boy- Shelby try to make sense of the tattered clothing. He hadn't succeeded in pulling the tanktop over his shoulders, so he simply tore it off. It was on its last leg anyway. Now, he stood there bare-chested with the exception of a pink bra that hung on his shoulders. He pulled at it and it slipped right off. He was better formed than I could have ever hoped for. His muscles were so well formed and toned that I found myself very jealous. I smirked at the little chest hairs he had and the little "happy trail" from his belly button to his... "Whoa! Dude!" I quickly turned my head. I'd seen something I didn't want to. "What?" I assumed he looked at me with my head turned and one hand shielding my field of vision from him. I could almost sense him look down. "Holy shit! A boner! So, that's what that feeling was?!" "Oh, come on! How could you not know you popped wood?" I protested. "Gimme a break, Mike! I've been like this for how long?" he growled. Wow. Did I sound like that when I growled? It sounded almost menacing and imposing, something primal. At least, I could hear him getting dressed. I heard another couple of tearing sounds. "You're safe, now. I've got the boxers on." He seemed to grimace. I turned around to see him slipping the shorts up to his hips. His legs were really hairy. "Everything fit okay?" He nodded as he buttoned the fly. "Yea, surprisingly." He looked over at the pile of tatters that used to be her clothes. He picked up the bra, of all things, and looked a little somber. "Damn. The clasps are all ruined. This was one of my favorite bras, too." He sighed. Sighing in reciprocation, I patted his shoulder. "It'll be all right. We'll figure this out, right? Maybe there's some fluke and somebody can change us back?" He balled up the rags in his hand. Jeez, it was huge. "At least you're optimistic." "Yea." I shrugged. Then, a thought hit me. "Hey, why'd you pop wood, anyway?" He chortled. "Hey, if you could get a good look at your ass, you would too. You've got a pretty nice ham, there, Missy." I furrowed my brow. "Please, don't call me that." Oddly, it was that moment that I noticed just how quiet it was back at camp. There wasn't so much as a peep from anyone and I didn't even hear the fire crackling. However, people were filing out of the campsite with whatever trash we'd left, the camping chairs, and several pairs of women's shoes. The guy in a dress, Danika, and the girl in the nightshirt, Kai, seemed to be leading the group and walked toward boy- Shelby and I. Girl-Kai had a pair of denim shorts draped over one shoulder. "There's the two love birds." The Native girl grinned. "How'd it go down here, you guys?" Boy-Shelby shrugged. "It went okay, I guess." He looked at me with a knowing smirk. "Found out that I really am a guy, though." Boy-Danika looked at him quizzically. "Oh, yea, how so?" I was flushed before he said anything. "Well, Mike here was bending over into the car to grab clothes. I had a really good view of her ass, especially with her shorts falling down every few seconds. Let's just say that nature is a sick, twisted bitch." He stuffed his hands in the pockets and lowered his head. "Honey, we knew Mother Nature was twisted. We've had periods, remember?" Boy-Danika stated plainly. Kai's eyes lit up. "No way! You seriously got a case of the 'stiff rod'? Damn!" Shelby almost shamefully nodded. Boy-Danika shook his head. "Okay, look, guys. I think it's pretty safe to assume that we all look like a bunch of idiots, right now. Especially those of us who were actually girls until not too long ago. We've formulated a plan, based on Mike's offer to Shelby for clothes. We're gonna go down into Ketchum and grab something to eat. We're hungry. Now, to do that, we're going to need a change of clothes. Many of us have agreed to exchange clothes, provided the sizes fit. Are you guys on board for that?" Boy-Shelby pointed at the new T-shirt and shorts. "I think what I'm wearing solves that problem." "Mike, what's your take?" Girl-Kai asked. I blinked. "What, Kai? Are you nuts? Put on girls' clothes?! Um, no, you can count me out!" "Mike, you should really look in a fucking mirror. Wake up, Geronimo! You are a girl!" Kai screeched. In hindsight, there wasn't any arguing with his logic. However, I still wasn't thinking like that. "No fucking way, dude! There's no way I'm a chick!" Classic case of denial, I was. Girl-Kai dropped everything she was carrying and glared at me in a manner that was difficult to decipher. "Mike, stick your hand down your pants." I furrowed my brow. "What?!" "Stick... your... motha-fuckin' hand... down your motha-fuckin' pants!" She paused for a moment. "Did I stutter that time?" My response was an expression of apprehension. Boy-Danika scoffed and rolled his eyes, moved over to me, grabbed my arm at the wrist, pulled open my shorts, and firmly stuck my hand in my pants. As an added measure, he held it there. I could feel just how very soft my skin had become and just the top of my pubic hair. I looked up. "Keep going," he stated firmly. I moved my hand down further, feeling the mound, now. Continuing, I could feel the space where my penis and scrotum used to be. Most of it, now, was dead space. I bent my wrist, maneuvering my hand toward my crotch. In the next moment, my fingers felt an alien presence. "What the fuck? Is that what it feels like?" "Soft skin, slimy, warm, and the sides grip your finger like your crotch is kissing it?" he asked. I thought for a moment and all the descriptions were accurate. "Yea, I guess." "Congratulations, Mike. You're the proud owner of a new pussy. How do you feel?" Girl-Kai imitated a game show host, though sarcastically. I slid my hand out from my pants, now that boy-Danika had let go. I slid across a surface that sent a powerful shiver through my whole system, knocking me off balance. "The fuck was that?" Boy-Danika and Boy-Shelby laughed. Boy-Danika spoke up. "Careful with that little rosebud until you're on private time. It's a doozy." He winked. "That was the clit? Damn..." I stood astonished. Boy-Shelby shook his head. "You have a lot to learn." - Chapter Three - Coming down the mountain took a lot longer than any of us ever expected. First, we all exchanged clothes that we thought would fit each other. Danika, Shelby, Jessica, and Jakobi were the lucky ones. They had the pick of six wardrobes to choose from. The rest of us were stuck with things that were either too loose, too tight, or fit so well it was frightening. As one would imagine, many of the former guys were very apprehensive about the wardrobe choices. All the former girls were fairly girly. Since many of us had our own vehicles, we decided who would ride with who, who was sticking around in Ketchum to figure everything out, and who was just going to make a beeline for Pocatello and put the whole nightmare behind them. Some of us were fairly hungry. Girl-Kai, Girl-Kaleb, Boy-Shelby, and Girl-Me (yes, I'd finally admitted it) had all piled into my car. Boy- Danika, Boy-Jessica, and Boy-Jakobi had all piled into Danika's neat little Volkswagen GTI. Everyone else just simply decided they would head straight through to Pocatello. They hadn't changed clothes and wanted to reveal the bad news to their parents. Meanwhile, the rest of us were prepared to go among the public... in a manner of speaking. Boy-Shelby had put some of my clothes on. Boy-Danika and Boy-Jessica had borrowed clothes from Kaleb. Boy-Jakobi and Girl-Kai had simply switched wardrobes. Girl-Kaleb had borrowed clothes from Boy-Jessica. As for me, I was wearing Danika's clothes. It felt so weird. Though, the 'girls' had one rule: nobody wore their panties. It was explained that for one girl to share another girl's underwear was not only an invasion of privacy, but also had hygienic concerns that they weren't going to go into. It would take all day to explain, they said. I had opted for something so strange that I wouldn't have thought about it before that morning. Danika handed me a sports bra which, amazingly, kept my new "assets" in check and was quite comfortable. It also kept my nipples from rubbing against any fabrics and annoying the hell out of me. Next, I opted not to wear any underwear. My own was chaffing me so badly that I just threw them in my bag and didn't think about it. Doing so had confirmed the existence of my new feminine crotch. Danika handed me a pair of leggings which were about three-quarter length (they fell just below my knees, which she explained was "Capri length") that she didn't mind whether I wore underwear or not with. On top of it all, she had this interesting tie-dyed short dress that she usually wore with her bathing suit. It pretty much looked like just and over-sized tank top, but it served its purpose. Top it all off with a pair of Jessica's purple sandals and I was good to go. Except, Danika thought of pulling my hair back into a ponytail and holding it down with a scrunchie. I was thankful for that. Girl-Kai, however, was pretty "plain Jane" about everything. She slipped on a pair of jeans, borrowed a pair of tennis shoes, wore a sports bra, tied her hair back into a braid, slipped on a T-shirt and was ready without complaint. Kaleb, on the other hand, had the worst time of it. He didn't like the idea of a bra at all. Though, once he moved around in a T-shirt long enough, he was begging for one. He hated how tight the jeans were and I could almost swear I heard him say something like "jeez, they make my butt look big". Neither of them could wrap their mind around the idea I was actually willing to wear leggings and a dress. It was a day full of strangeness. As we drove into town, things began to take on a whole new light. There was evidence of some sort of chaos. There were car accidents that the workers were just cleaning up. Hundreds of businesses were closed. There was hardly anyone on the sidewalks. I had been to this town before and it was usually teeming with life. Now, it felt like some kind of glorified ghost town. It made us all a little uneasy. At least Denny's was still open. Finally back to civilization, everyone grabbed out their cell phones and immediately called home. It was really strange, but those seven conversations filled the dead air of the town. Some people passing (the ONLY pedestrians since we arrived) would look over, eavesdrop for a moment on the conversations, knowingly nod, and walk on stating "teenagers" or something similar. Dreading talking to my own parents, I found a quiet corner to sit down as I pressed "send". Try as I might, I had no idea how to explain to my parents that they now had three daughters instead of just two, reducing the amount of sons to only two. My nerves were on edge by the third ring and I heard the line being picked up. "Hello?" an unfamiliar man's voice greeted. I blinked. "Uh... yea, hello? Who is this?" "This is the MacAllister residence. Whom am I speaking to?" That tone sounded familiar. I let out a long sigh. "Well, I don't know how to explain this, but it's Michael. Who are you, anyway?" "Oh, thank the Creator!" The man let out an exasperated and relieved sigh. "Michael, this is your mother speaking." I could have sworn I heard a record scratch. "Last I checked, you had to be a woman to be a mother." "And yet, when you left here you didn't sound like a sixteen year old girl, either. I fear the situation is much more complicated than you're aware of, sweetheart. Where are you?" Had to admit, the guy had a point. "You're my mom? Prove it." I could hear a growl. This wasn't going to be pretty. "Michael Anthony MacAllister! I did not spend thirteen AND A HALF hours in labor with you for you to give me this much grief at a time like this! Now, where THE HELL are you?!" Yep, this was definitely my mother. Only she ever emphasized "and a half" when talking about how long she dealt with the pain of my birth. I facepalmed. "Sorry, Mom. It's been a really confusing morning. I'm at the Denny's in Ketchum. We're going to get something to eat and then we're hitting the road for home." "Just in Ketchum? It's nearly two o' clock. What's taken you so long to get there?" "Uh... gee... I dunno. Until two hours ago, it was six guys and four girls on a camping trip. At about noon, the dudes turned into chicks and the chicks turned into dudes. It's been a rough morning and really confusing." "I knew that camping trip wasn't a good idea. Is Mekaisto with you?" I glanced over at girl-Kai. "In a manner of speaking." "Good, his mother is worried sick. Why don't the two of you come over here when you get back?" "I thought that was the idea? I've got to drop off Kaleb, first, though." "Okay, that's fine. You be safe out there, sweetheart. It's been a very bad day on the roads and really confusing for everybody. We'll fill you in when you get home. I love you, sweetheart." I felt weird saying it this way. "I love you, too... Mom." With that, I hung up and ventured inside. Girl-Kaleb and Girl-Kai were inside, joined by Boy-Jakobi. They all looked pretty shaken up. For a second, I thought I saw that Kaleb had been crying. I slipped into the booth with them, letting out another sigh. "That was quite possibly the most confusing phone call I've ever made." I stated softly. "Yea, I think everybody's got the same idea on that one," Boy-Jakobi agreed. Girl-Kai's eyes were wide and she was shaking her head. "My grandmother was way too confusing. At least, I think it was my grandmother. Sounded like a guy to me." "Same here... with my Dad, tho