Magic And Malice At The Movies (Chapters 8-10) free porn video

MAGIC AND MALICE AT THE MOVIES A GENDER SWAP TALE Rachel Rose Parker Mr Williams has trapped Joey in the job (and in his clutches) by altering her reality even further and all because Stephanie and she were developing their relationship in new ways... How are they going to find their way out of this nightmare and back into their old lives?! I'll be posting further parts of the story every few days, but if you want the full story ASAP, it is available on Kindle, just search my name. Please do enjoy, and I'd love to read any feedback! It's so nice to hear what people think of something that you dedicate so much time into! And don't forget you can find me on Twitter @RRoseParker. Thank you all so much for your continued support! I'm not sure on the etiquette for replying to comments, but I read every one and appreciate it, flattering and constructive alike! You are what makes writing this story worthwhile. Now, we are starting to get deep into this story... Let's hope you are up for keeping on the ride! **************** Chapter 8 I followed a trembling Joey to the back, into the staff bathroom, and just as we had for my transformation, we both stood and looked at the outcome in the reflection of the mirror. "I've a mum haircut and everything," Joey said, analysing her new appearance. I put my arms around her shoulders. "It's ok. It's ok." "I can't believe he did that. What was I thinking? I should have known there was no way he'd let me get away from this job. You'd think I'd have known better by now..." "Hey! Stop that! You can't blame yourself for this. For any of this. You and me, we don't deserve to have this happen to us." She sniffled. "I know you're right..." "We'll figure this out and get everything back to normal. I promise. No matter what happens, Mr Williams will not win this." "But, Steph..." Joey turned and reached into her bag in her locker. "He has really made things much more complicated now." She pulled out a picture from her purse. I looked saw a worn but heart- warming photo of my friend with two young children; a boy of about 8 and a girl maybe 5 years old. They both had her black hair, and had a strong resemblance to her. "Oh wow..." was all I could muster. "Shawn and Jamie. That's their names. Those are my two kids. Oh my God, Steph. It feels like I have known them all their lives. I have memories of carrying them, giving birth, nursing them. Holy shit, this is too insane!" She put her face into her hands. "I can feel my love for them. I can see my life with them, where I work here in the cinema to try and provide just about enough to pay the bills, feed us, and send them to school. I can feel how protective I am ever since their dad ran out on us just after Jamie was born. I can't believe how real this all is." "Joey, I can't even begin to understand what you're going through, but I promise you, we will fix it." She looked up at me in the mirror. "I hope so." *** We were making our way back out to the floor to work when Joey took a turn to head away from the concession area and down to the cinema screens. "Where are you going?" "I'm not on the tills anymore." "Since when?" "Since Mr Williams preferred to have the younger, more attractive members of staff out front to sell to the customers." "Ugh, that's so demeaning. You don't look bad at all, Joey." "Regardless, I'm now on trash duty. I have to go grab a cart and some gloves and get to screen six in five minutes." "Trash duty? I'm sorry..." "I'm sure it'll be fine. When I get in there, I'll know what to do. It might be nice to not be smiling that big aul fake grin all night." "Don't remind me..." "I'll meet you at the end of the shift, ok?" "Yeah, sure. Hey, if you need anything, just come grab me, ok?" "I appreciate that, Steph, but we both know we are both going to be model employees for the next couple of hours. Later." She turned and headed off, and I continued on to the tills. I did indeed become the model employee once again, finding myself taking up Joey's former mantel making the popcorn. I put on the black apron, fixed my nametag clearly to the front, and starting heating up some kernels. The smell permeated every part of me. I knew it was following me in everyday life now. Gross. But I had a job to do, and no way to stop myself. My instant grin, my spot-on manners, and my encyclopaedic knowledge of how to deal with a customer all returned. I filled bags of popcorn and between making sure every till had their stocks topped up, I served the overflow of customers, which was smoother than last night, given that it wasn't a student night tonight. During a lull, I checked myself out in the mirror, once again going over my new form in my uniform. At the beginning of the shift, it looked decent and presentable, all tucked in and the likes, but as the hours wore on, it loosened up and looked scruffy. I was so lost in thought that I didn't notice Mr Williams come up behind me. "Stephanie, that doesn't look like working." I turned around in surprise, my ponytail swinging as I did. "Oh, Mr Williams. I'm sorry. I was just lost in thought for a second." "Lost in thought? Why?" "It's nothing, sir. I'll stay focused." I found myself much more compliant while on the floor and on shift than when I was clocked out. "Don't be thinking about Josephine. She is perfectly happy and fine with her role in the company." "It wasn't that, sir." Ugh, saying 'sir' was still so weird. "It was nothing." He cocked his eyebrow and raised his hand towards his mouth. This was the first time I noticed his ring with its large green cube on it. It didn't look natural as a ring, but the cube seemed affixed to the gold band. "I wish you'd tell me what you were thinking." With his words, an immediate and uncontrollable compulsion came over me to answer his question and divulge my thoughts, as unimportant as they were. "I was thinking our uniform is very boring and ugly and not what you'd think of when you think of the theatre." I looked around, feeling slightly violated that I had been somehow forced to speak out of turn. Mr Williams, on his behalf, seemed to find this aside fascinating. "Hmm... I had always considered it presentable functional workwear. But I think I can see your point. Do you think other members of staff would agree that the uniform isn't... 'theatre' enough?" Giving him any ideas worried me, but I couldn't help myself. "Yes, sir. I'd say pretty much everyone would agree that you could see people working in a restaurant or bowling alley or hotel wearing this same uniform." "Thank you, Stephanie. You have opened my eyes today. I'm all about improving the quality of things around here, and I think it might be time for a uniform upgrade." I couldn't physically do it, but inwardly, I was rolling my eyes. He raised his ringed hand up to his mouth and started whispering. That must be it; the ring. That must be the source of his power. Somehow, some way, he was using it to control us. Making wishes. I needed that ring... There was another flash of light as reality changed. Mr Williams smiled proudly. "You are right, Stephanie. That is much better! Now, as you were!" He strolled off and I turned back to the mirror to see the damage done. Mercifully, it was purely clothing related. Gone was the polo shirt, now replaced with the considerably less casual combo of a short sleeved shirt with buttoned red vest complete with the cinema crest and a black bow tie. It felt constricting to have my shirt buttoned up all the way with a tie around it. The hat and slacks remained, as did my apron and nametag, but now I looked like a stock image for a theatre employee. No one would ever have to guess where I worked. I looked over and could see some of the other staff members adjusting to the shift in appearance, looking at their more formal attire, reaching up to their constricted necks. We all looked so proper and goofy. I started to heat up more popcorn, immediately noticing the waistcoat and closed shirt combo made the uniform less flexible, and therefore a bit more stuffy to work in. If only I could have helped opening my big mouth. "Next customer, please." *** Joey walked up to me at the end of the shift, now in the new uniform herself. She looked exhausted. "Hey, you ok?" I enquired. "Yeah, I'm just wrecked. I feel so much stiffer now that I've got a few extra years on me." "You poor thing. How was it?" "Fine for the most part. I'm sore from bending over so much picking up rubbish from the floor, but I'll live. Someone dropped their nachos and sauce onto the carpet in one theatre. I thought I was going to lose my lunch trying to scrub it out. I feel a bit like a glorified janitor." "I'm sorry, Joey..." "You know something funny? Most people are now either calling me Josephine or Jo. I guess calling a middle-aged woman Joey isn't as natural." "It really is the small changes that are weirdest, isn't it? They really get under your skin." "You just reminded me!" She pulled her phone out of her pocket. She slowly fumbled it open, clicking through the buttons at half the speed she normally would. "I was looking through my contacts to see what had changed and I came across this. Have a look." She handed me her phone. I giggled at what I saw. It was my name and number, and under it, she had me listed as babysitter. "Babysitter?! Are you kidding me?! Who would ever trust me with their kids!?" "Me, I guess." She laughed. "I guess you must look after my kids for me every now and again, while I'm doing extra shifts or whatever." "Oh weird. I don't have any of these new memories or anything, it's all so strange to discover for me!" "Tell me about it. I'm still dealing with the fact I never went to college." "What?" I looked at her with surprise. Joey and I had gone through all these years of college together, and were only months away from graduating. "I have two kids and I'm forty. I don't know anything about computers anymore. I've been working minimum wage jobs since I was a teenager. Crazy, right?" "Yeah... Really crazy... How does that make you feel?" "It is what it is, I guess," she sighed. "I have kids now. And all I know for sure is I have to provide for me and my family." Mr Williams work had really done a number on Joey. I couldn't even comprehend how much her reality had changed. We needed to fix this. "Joey, I think I figured it out." "What?" "How Mr Williams is doing it." Her eyes lit up. "What? No way. How?" "His ring. Whenever he makes a change, he whispers into it, but tonight, he flat out talked into it, said 'I wish' and things changed. That's got to be it. That's got to be the source of his power." "His ring..." Her excitement seemed to drop. "And how are we going to get his ring off his finger, Steph?" "I... I haven't quite figured that one out yet, but we will work it out." "Have you ever tried to pull a ring off someone's finger? It's impossible. You'd need to be holding them at gunpoint-" "Maybe we could do that..." "He'd just wish our gun turned into a fish or something." Her eyes fell to the floor. She seemed so deflated. I was taken aback. "I really thought you'd be a more excited about this than you're being." "No, no. It's fine. It's great that we now know how he does it." "But? Come on, Joey. You have a but." She hesitated before finding her words. "But it's not going to do us any good. I thought it might have been a spell book or a genie or something. Something we could go behind his back and steal, but there is zero chance we will be able to get that ring. I bet he never takes it off. And if we tried and failed, he'd immediately make things so much worse for us. Just imagine what he'd do to you. To me. To my kids." "Joey, come on. Keep it together. You got to remember, they aren't really your kids." "Fuck you!" She shot back, vitriol rising. "You have no clue how wrong you are. Those are two human lives I have memories and emotions for, that have lives and feelings of their own. It all might have been created by Mr Williams, but it exists, and it feels like it has always existed to me." "Oh wow, I'm sorry. I didn't-" "Of course you didn't. You don't think. You don't get it. You think you have it hard? You're a pretty young girl with her life ahead of you. Oh no! You're no longer a guy! Big deal. Fifty percent of the world isn't male, and most of those women would kill to be in your position." "I didn't ask for this-" "No, but you got it. Your life is probably better now as Stephanie than it ever was as Steven. You've loving parents, a blessed life, and are set to do well out of school. Some of us have a lot worse things to work through." "You're kind of underselling what I'm going through." "Am I?" she spat back. "Do you know what it's like to go without meals just so your kids could eat? Because I do." "That's not fair-" "Well life isn't fair, is it?" "Why are you being so mean?" "Because life is tough enough, but I know I love my kids, and I can't go risking having Mr Williams do something to me or to them because you thing you can pull off some insane plan. Leave it. Don't do anything, Stephanie." "You're really giving up, just like that?" "'Just like that'? I've had a half a year of this, and now a lifetime of memories and feelings. Maybe someday when you grow up, you'll get it, Barbie. You'll get some perspective and realise some people have real problems." I stood with my mouth open, too shocked to speak. Tears were rolling down my cheeks. How could my closest friend be attacking me so viciously? "Now you clean yourself up and go home," she toned herself done. "I have to get back to my mums to get my kids. She minds them while I work, you know? Because I don't have a choice. This is what my life is now, and I am working hard to make sure it doesn't get any worse." She turned and let, walking away almost calm. I couldn't believe it. My body trembled. I tried to hold myself, wiping my eyes and my nose, making sure no one had heard our encounter. I needed to get out of there and get home. Get away. I walked as fast as I could out the door, ignoring the goodnights from my co-workers, making a beeline for my home. I stopped after a bit, remembering the previous night's encounter. I removed my nametag, shoving it in my purse, and striding on, eyes to the ground. Passing by the bar again, I crossed the street as the same louts from the night before yelled gratuitously after me. What in the hell made them think any woman would ever be in to that kind of degradation and humiliation? I hoped I was never like that as a man. Arriving home, I accidentally slammed the door behind me, my emotions still high from the confrontation with Joey. I thought I could hear a stir from my parents' room, so I scooted as quick as I could to my room, closing the door behind me. Throwing down my bag, taking off my vest and bowtie, I fell face-first into my pillow and let out a scream into it. I kicked my legs in frustration as my eyes watered up again. Why would Joey say those things to me? I understood that she was having a harder run of things than me, but my life had been turned upside down as well, and all I'd done was try return her hat. It felt unfair that my entire existence had been altered simply so some sleazy manager could get another till girl. Joey might not have agreed, but that gender change really did mean a lot. The way the guys, even my teacher, had treated me during class was so demeaning. I was me, and I was right, but they acted as if I was some cute damsel there just looking pretty. Was that what I was to expect for the rest of my life? How long would it take me to cope with this new perspective the world had on me? Or would I ever be able to cope? I felt so angry that women were treated this way. And I felt even angrier that a part of me always knew it and never did anything to change it. If only Joey had some faith that we could have figured out a way to get the ring, but she was right. Mr Williams would never leave it vulnerable. We were always going to be these new lives, and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it. Through my sniffling into my bedding, I didn't hear my door open. I felt a hand on my shoulder, causing me to jump. "It's ok, sweetie. It's just me." My dad, dressed in his pyjamas, sat down on the bed by me. "Hi, dad..." I turned away, trying to hide my streaming face. "What's wrong, Stephanie? What happened?" "It's nothing" I lied, trying to wipe away the stray mascara from my cheek. My dad remained silent, trying to be there for me. "I don't want to talk about it, dad. It's just work stuff." "Oh?" He had something to work off of now. "You know, I always thought it was a bit much that you took a job during your final year of school. You've been a hardworking girl all these years. I thought you might have taken just one year to focus on your studies and yourself." "Well, I felt compelled." I half-heartedly laughed. "You know, if things are so bad that they're sending you home in tears, maybe it's time to reconsider that." "I can't just do that," I incredulously said. "Why not?" "Because..." How could I explain this so it didn't sound insane? "It's not the kind of job you can just walk away from." "I don't mean to belittle it, honey, but you work in a cinema. If you didn't show up for work tomorrow, what could they really do about it?" "They..." I stopped. Mr Williams had powers, he could do whatever he wanted, but my dad had a point. What could he really do? The amount of effort he'd have to go to find me and bring me back if I left. Why would he be bothered? He could just make his life easier by forgetting about me and turning someone else into his new popcorn slinger. Fuck it, fortune favoured the bold, and I was not going to be putting the cinema uniform back on again. I turned to my dad, who couldn't really appreciate how far a little bit of simple advice had gone. "Thanks, dad. That's exactly what I needed to hear." I may have had to live the rest of my life as a woman, but at least I was going to do it on my own terms. Chapter 9 The following morning, I woke up with a sense of purpose. I wasn't in college and didn't have to be in work until the evening, so I had a chance to try distance myself from Mr Williams and his power. My plan was simple in its obviousness; I was going to get a new job as far away from the cinema as I could manage. I had considered simply just not going in to work, but I knew in this new life, people would be suspicious if I didn't do something. A bigger part of me felt that I would be able to break my compulsion to work for Mr Williams if I was no longer his employee. While I was a member of staff, I'd do what he said, how he wanted. I'd probably walk right back in to the place when my next shift came around, but I could sneak off, get a new job, perhaps the spell would actually transfer over and cause me to be a model employee wherever I could manage to find a gig. It was worth a shot. Mr Williams had power, but it was limited to how clever he could be with his wishes. He wasn't able to stop Joey and me getting intimate until he got it on his third time with the single mom angle, and instead of us just being like zombies for his wants, once we weren't in work, we had our free will back. He was intimidating, but he was also sloppy, and I hoped if I could pull this off behind his back without drawing suspicion, I could move on with my new life and learn to embrace it. My dad was printing out CVs for me to hand out, and I was dressing myself as proper as I could manage (following another... eh, invigorating morning shower. What? I was allowed embrace my feminine side, wasn't I?!). I picked out a nice fitted white blouse and maroon pencil skirt. While I lay out the outfit, it struck me how strange it was that I had picked such a non-masculine ensemble. I guessed it was a part of the spell; that I would be able to dress and do my makeup as a woman. Sure, Mr Williams couldn't risk an employee showing up in a messy state. I wiggled myself into my leggings, getting chills from the cold softness against my legs. They seemed to both keep my legs warmed and to send the breeze right through them whenever I took a step. Putting on my shirt, I discovered it wasn't a simple shirt, but one with two strands to wrap into a bowtie at the neck. I set about making sure I looked as prim and proper as I could. I checked out myself in the mirror once I was finished. "Not bad. Go get 'em, princess." I grabbed a larger handbag that matched my skirt and shoved the CVs in. I hurried to the bus, my two inch pump heels clicking as I went. I made it in time and was on my way to a different mall on the other side of the town, far enough away from Mr Williams and his cursed cinema. I could feel the eyes of strangers on me as I sat. Looking up, one middle aged man didn't even hide his gaze, raising his eyebrow suggestively in my direction. I panicked with a polite smile before turning my head down and pretending to be intensely interested in something in my bag. Arriving at the mall, I wasted no time in hitting up the stores and handing out the CVs. The place wasn't quite as nice as the area the cinema was in, but if I could get a job here, so far away, I wouldn't care. Most of the stores I went in to, I simply asked if I could hand in the CV, gave a polite smile, and moved on, but in some places, managers gave it a quick glance while I stood there smiling. No one told me they weren't hiring; instead saying they would be in touch. I had never gone chasing a job before, but it seemed to me that people were taking my demeanour as professional and deserving of some time. Hopefully it would equate a new job. I made my way towards a record store on the second floor. Pulling out a fresh CV, I thought about how cool it would be to end up working in a place like that. I could be around music and films and games all day, sharing my passions with people. I'd have to smile that bit extra and push that bit more to try get an interview with them. Rounding the corner, my heels squeaked on the floor as I grounded to a halt. Mr Williams stopped in front of me, as surprised to see me as I was to see him. "Well, Stephanie. Aren't we looking lovely today?" Shudder. "What brings you to the other side of town?" "Nothing," I lied. "I just wanted to check out some new releases in the record store." He raised his eyebrow. "There's quite a good record store right by the cinema." "Oh, I know..." I struggled to keep him off the scent. "I just wanted to see if they might have a different selection here." He nodded in acknowledgment, before his eyes fell down on the piece of paper in my hand. "What's that there?" "Nothing." I tried to hide the sheet behind me. "I wish you'd show me what that is," he cooed out. I could feel the compulsion coming over me. I had no choice but to hand him my CV. He took, smiling in his victory, but it quickly dropped to a frown as he read. He lowered the sheet and slowly he looked up at me. "I must say, Stephanie. I am disappointed." "It's nothing, really. It's-" "Have I not been a good employer to you these past few days? I mean, as far as our new history shows, I have treated you extremely well. It hurts to see you would try go behind my back to do something like this." There was no way he wasn't just being smug. I couldn't take much more of this. "Please, Mr Williams. You've got it wrong-" "Oh, a liar, are we? That just irks me more." A liar?! Was he being for real? He did all this to me and thought he could be so glib about it all? I could barely hold it together. If I was still in my masculine body, I probably would have taken a swing at him, regardless of the consequence. "Sir, you can understand why I would be cautious-" "Oh, I understand alright," he interjected again. "And I am personally offended. I-" "YOU are personally offended?!" It was my turn to butt in. "Do you actually believe this shit you're saying or do you just get off on being a smug fat prick?" "Steph-" "Shut up! I've had enough!" My voice raised well above my stature. There was nothing stopping me now. "I didn't deserve to have someone come and completely alter my life. My friend didn't deserve to have her emotions fucked around with. No one deserves what you've done to them, and I've had enough. You can go on with your fucking cinema and your fucking bowties and popcorn, but I am done. I am done with that place, and I am done with you. I have to figure out this new life, but I'll be damned if I'm not going to do it on my terms. I can make it. I know I can. And you can't stop me." The second the words left my mouth, I regretted them. There was a deafening silence while Mr Williams came back to his senses. I guessed he wasn't very used to being confronted so viciously. "Stephanie. You've got me wrong. I don't want to stop you..." He raised his hand to his mouth, and my deepest fears were realised as he started to whisper. I couldn't make out what he was saying, but I knew I'd find out soon enough. What was he going to do to me? Would he make me a middle aged mother like Joey? Or maybe find some way to lock me in to the cinema so I'd never want to leave? Any option that ran through my mind terrified me. There was a bright flash, and he continued on, smiling. "No, I don't want to stop you at all. I just want to give you the opportunity to gain some experience. Looking at this CV, you could really use it, my dear." He handed me back the CV to my trembling hand. I look at it, finding the details that were on it had disappeared, only to be replaced by a very poorly laid out jumble of information giving dates of education and school activities. Then my hand caught my attention. It seemed smaller, smoother than before. Looking up my arm, I was suddenly wearing a heavy green jumper with a white shirt sleeve poking out from beneath. I turned, looking for a window to see my reflection, fearing that I knew all too well what I was about to see. Stopping at the window of the record store, the reflection of Stephanie the college student no longer greeted me. She had now been replaced by a Catholic school student easily six or seven years younger. My mouth dropped open, and my reflection mimicked the motion. I was in classic schoolgirl garb of a jumper with the school crest on the left breast, a buttoned up shirt, striped tie pulled up all the way, plaid skirt that stopped at the knee, where it met my knee-high black socks, and my shiny penny loafers. I put my hand to my mouth. I was a teenager... I looked like a younger version of my female self, a bit smaller in height, probably two cup sizes down on the front, and most notably, now sporting black hair. I looked down at my CV and gave it another look. Right there under education, it listed St Mary's School for Young Women, and something I hadn't noticed; I had only started there four years ago, and there was no completion date yet. I groaned at the thought of going back to school, but now with the new experience of being a hormonal teenage girl. "Don't you look smart," Mr Williams chuckled. "As you can guess, a young woman of your age, which is now just turned seventeen, by the way, doesn't have very much work experience. But I am a generous man, and I look past what someone brings to a job, and look at what they could potentially bring to a job." "You piece of shit!" my voice sounded even squeakier than before. "Oh dear, what a potty mouth. Lesson one; you can't talk to customers like that." He whispered into his hand again, and I rubbed my eyes. "I think that should take the edge off." "What did you do, you shun of a bisch?" I lisped out. My hands raced to my mouth to find prominent traintracks running across my teeth, distorting my speech. "Why would you do that to me?" The air whistled through my new braces as I talked. "It's hard to be offensive when you sound so adorkable." "Oh yeah?!" "If you want to try me further, Stephanie, I can make it full on headgear. Maybe even a helmet." I stopped. I rubbed the braces with my fingers. They would be weird to get used to. But then again, wouldn't it all? "Now, my dear," I wished he'd stop calling me that. "It is time you got some real world experience in the workplace." He whispered into his hand, and following a flash, we were standing in the lobby of the cinema. "You'll need some time and training before we can put you on the tills," he said, which seemed strange to me, but I guessed if I walked up to a till now, chances were I wouldn't know what to do anymore. "But we always need staff to guide customers to their seats, and to clean up the screens afterwards." Oh, no... I was getting shoved on to rubbish duty... "I think you'll do just fine there. You'll even be able to work with someone you know very well." He signalled across the room. "Josephine, come here for a second, would you?" Joey made her way from her cleaning trolley over to us. She stopped mid- step when she got a look at me. For a moment, I thought it was because I had been changed into a schoolgirl, but then it hit me just like it had hit her. My mouth struggled to get the word out, but only because I could barely believe it was now the truth. I peeped out, "Mum?" Chapter 10 Mr Williams had quickly set about getting the two of us to work. Joey and myself were put into action cleaning theatres after screenings, following Mr Williams changing my outfit to the standard uniform, only now, I had an additional badge on the other side of my chest that said 'trainee'. Joey and I stood by the doors of the theatre, nodding, smiling, and thanking the customers for coming as they exited. Once the final couple had left, we made our way in, rolling our cleaning trolley, putting on our latex gloves, and grabbing bin bags and brushes. We were silent as we started. I reached a seat where someone had spilled their soda, requiring me to wipe it down and dry it off. The grossness was enough to break my silence. "Oh my god, this sucks so much!" Joey, a few rows back, turned to me. "What?" I threw my bin bag down. "What do you mean 'what'? Are we seriously not going to talk about this? I'm you're goddamn daughter all of a sudden!" She shook her head in sympathy. "I don't know what you did to Mr Williams to earn this, but I told you, we had to be careful. And you didn't listen." "Are you... Are you parenting me? For real? We need to be standing together and figuring some way to get away from this. It's all so insane!" "Stephanie, how would we do that? Really, think about it. You're getting so worked up over it all, and you're not going to like me telling you this, but a lot of it is your teenage hormones." "My hormones?! What are you on about?!" "I told you you wouldn't like it." She started to walk down towards me. "Mr Williams has powers we can't compete with. He's catching on about the best ways to snare us in all this. Before, I would have joined you to try run away from all this, but now... Now, I have a family I love and have to think about. And so do you. Have you thought about your brother and sister?" It hit me like a tonne of bricks. I was no longer an only child. I was the eldest, by a long shot, but was a part of a bigger family. Joey could see it starting to dawn on me. "They look up to you. They admire the heck out of their big sister. I had you when I was seventeen, did you know that yet? Well, now you do. It's all as clear as day in here." She pointed to her head. "I remember my fear, and having to make some tough calls. When your father decided he didn't want anything to do with you, it was already too late, so I went through with the pregnancy, expecting to put you up for adoption once you were born. But then I saw your little face..." "I remember my childhood..." My eyes started to water. "We really struggled, didn't we?" "Yup. And to be honest, we still do. That's why you're here at seventeen instead of being out there partying or whatever kids do. You've only just started, hence that," she pointed at my 'trainee' tag. "But I've no doubt Mr Williams will have you being the model employee up with the customers once he feels you've learned your lesson. Until then, he will probably keep you with me, picking up rubbish. But we have to do it. For-" "Our family," I finished. Joey looked at me, and gave me a soft proud smile. "That's my girl." I leaned my head into her shoulder. "I hate picking up rubbish, mum." *** We finished up our shift and walked home in the night, a mother and daughter in matching outfits. We both still took off our nametags, to dissuade any overtly personal cat calling. I trusted Joey to lead us, since I wasn't quite sure where our new house was or how to get there. We headed in a different direction than my old place, towards the wrong side of the tracks. There was a notable increase in graffiti and bars on windows, but the area didn't feel as threatening as it did rough. As if it was a place in need of some understanding. Along our way, we passed some questionable folks hanging on street corners, most likely the illicit medical entrepreneurs of the area. They eyed us up and down and asked us how we were doing. "Just ignore them and keep walking, sweetie," my mum said. Oh wow... I was really starting to think of her as my mum. And she was being as protective of me as if I was her actual daughter (which I knew I technically was now, but memories of us playing video games together as best friends were still too fresh in my mind to shake). We finally arrived at our destination as mum opened the door beside a closed pet shop, letting us in to our apartment that was located above it. Both tired from work, we struggled to pull our exhausted feet up the worn-carpet stairs and to the scratched and damaged door that was our entryway. We stepped inside and put our bags down. My eyes scanned the room. It was a small apartment crammed with clutter like books, newspapers, kids' toys, empty take-out boxes, and dirty laundry. The place made great use of its limited space by combining the kitchen, sitting room and dining room into one small room. Two bedrooms and one bathroom led off to the side. It didn't feel like to a stretch to presume those rooms would be small and messy too. I guessed Joey probably didn't have time in her new life to look after the mess as well as she might have before. "You're going to have to remember to be quiet getting in to bed in the room with your brother and sister," she matter-of-factly stated. "What?! I'm sharing the room with them?" "Afraid so. It's the only way we could make the space work, really." I looked around the room again, dismayed by this news. Coming from being an only child, sharing a room was strange enough, but the people I was sharing it with was even weirder. "It's just... I don't even know them," I explained. "Like, they are strangers to me." "You'll just have to get used to it. They are your brother and sister, and you have all always shared a room since they were born. Apart from the odd spat, you guys seem to manage it ok." I just shook my head in disbelief. "We have to figure this out. We have to find a way to get that ring from Mr Williams." "Stephanie, come on. It's too late, let's not get in to that now." "Too late? This can't wait, mum. See? Even that; calling you 'mum'. We have to do something to change this all back before it's too late and we can't." "What's wrong with calling me 'mum'. I am your mum, you know, Stephanie?" Calling me by my full name sent a shiver up my spine, knowing she was going into disciplinary parent mode, and if I didn't back off, she would punish me. No! Come on, Steph... Steve! You have to keep things straight in your own head, no matter how hard that was becoming. I forced myself to push past the teenage worry of being grounded and focus on the issue at hand. "This isn't our lives, Joey. We have to try remember that no matter how real it is, it isn't. These feelings you have- I'm starting to have- They are manufactured by Mr Williams. Now, I think I might have a plan-" "That is enough." She was firm and steadfast in her interruption. "We are a family here, and manufactured or not, we all love each other and work hard to pull through. You are a big part of that, even if you don't realise it yet, and the best thing you could do is to let some of that love in and help me help manage things for the sake of your brother and sister." "Jo-" "And you shall start by referring to me as 'mum'. What kind of daughter calls their mother by their name?" "But-" "No buts. We need those jobs. We need to be there for each other. This is deadly serious. Mr Williams might have made all this, but look at what we have. This family is my world, and I can't risk angering Mr Williams and him changing it, making it worse. Can you even think about what he could do? We could end up homeless, or with some serious illness. Or he could even kill one of us if he decided to. But so far, he has blessed me with you three, and if you let it all in, you will get what I mean. But until then, you are the daughter. I am the mother. You will do as I say, and I say it is time for you to go to bed." I stood, shocked at the outburst. I'd never been 'parented' so much in my life. I could feel a shame and worry running through me again, that fear of a parent. But I couldn't give in to it. "Are you being serious? We have-" "I am being deathly serious. Now, straight to bed. It's late already and you have school in the morning." "School?! You're not actu-" She cut me off by simply raising her hand and pointing to the bedroom. I stared at her, looking for some give, but let out a loud sigh in defeat and dragged my feet as I went to the bedroom. Quietly entering the room, I used my phone light for illumination, not getting a good look at the room, but able to see two beds against one wall with my new brother and sister sleeping in them. On the opposite side of the room was what must have been my bed, with purple sheets and cut outs from magazines stuck to the walls. At the foot of the bed was a chair with my school uniform from earlier draped over it. I shuddered, knowing in just a few hours, I'd be having to don those threads and actually go back to school. Figuring since those clothes were there already, I might as well add to the pile, and I threw my cinema uniform on top. There was a long faded T-shirt balled up on the bed, which I guessed was probably my sleepwear, so I threw it on. Lying in the bed, I figured I'd be awake for hours, trying to formulate a plan, how to get mum back on my side, and how to overthrow Mr Williams, but after just a few minutes, my thoughts quickly started to drift. I ran my hands through my black hair, something I guess I inherited from my new mother, and tried to focus, but nothing could stop the tiredness from overwhelming me, forcing me to sleep, to be rested for my first day in school. To be continued...