Trouble Part 1 free porn video

Chapter 1 Late August in Winnisimmet was a tough time for kids. The weather was beautiful but school was just starting. For a group of seven, it was even tougher as they would start at a new school. Four were your average students, ones who flew below the radar and went unnoticed by most. Two were known to those in their grade as well as many of the students at their school through the family grapevine. One was starting over her school life as a whole new person among her peers letting them see the real her for the first time. Three of the seven were transgender. Each new student had their own stories and issues but three had the added scrutiny of being sixth graders and enduring puberty as girls while other girls looked at them with scorn. The trio were just happy to transition, but it was still a time of angst and fear among them. Mia Flynn had been in transition since February and had taken to her hormones quickly. She was lucky to be part of an early developer family, on both sides no less. Her mother's family had large bosoms while her paternal family were smaller but still large, giving her hopes of a solid D-cup in the future which her parents tried to warn her isn't exactly a good thing to have. Mia was joined in her anxiety by her distant cousin, Kylie Pena. Being the daughter of the police chief and deputy attorney general afforded her some sense of safety but she still lagged behind the other girls in development as her paternal family was small and slow to develop. Her mother was large breasted but her father's family were on the small to nonexistent side regarding breasts and as was pointed out by her biological father's cousin Katie, they tended to start puberty later than most. The third joining their anxiety was the only one of the trio who was a, "Full girl" in that she had a vagina instead of still being, "Intact" like the girls. Nichole Smith had been a girl the longest and was the one who had the strongest connections to their new teachers and school yet she acted as scared as the others. She had just started to bloom and was the least developed among the girls, which to her was a source of sadness yet she never showed it to the others. Her maternal family was small and her paternal family didn't develop until age 14 giving her some solace but still feeling the sting of jealousy. Their friends were, "Normal" but each was also having to endure their own troubles. Nancy Flynn was always on the watch to ensure Mia was alright while Dante Kelly tried his best to keep anyone from bothering the group as their de-facto protector. Margaret Douglas and Steven Pierce had to endure the reputations of their older brothers as their new teachers compared the elders to their younger siblings. The group descended upon the middle school with their classmates and other students watching and whispering about them. They didn't have to wait long as their new teacher, Mrs. Shriner, met them outside and greeted their parents with happy introductions. It was as expected, she chose to not make light of their being together and led them to their class as the first ones to arrive with their parents taking their younger siblings to day care or their own school. Mrs. Shriner asked about their summers, getting various shrugs as they didn't want to say too much. She asked how the California trip went and got them to tell her about the various places visited and things that they had seen. It was a good ice breaker as she started to get them to open up to her and see her as not a threat, but as just another teacher- albeit, one who was aware of their activities from others. The kids talked about being stuck babysitting at times with Nichole adding, "At least you haven't gotten sprayed by a baby boy." Nancy and Mia glared at her with Mia adding, "She still makes a big mess and likes to giggle as we put diapers on her." Dante added, "I did get sprayed! Thank goodness Benny's almost fully potty trained now or I'd refuse to go anywhere near him." Mrs. Shriner asked about that, which Dante explained, "My cousin Benny Herman. Nichole has a little brother named Nigel, Kylie has a little brother named Billy, and Mia and Nancy have a baby sister named Jasmine." The kids showed pictures with Mrs. Shriner recognizing some of them, smiling as she recognized the Hermans from union events. Other kids started to enter the classroom which was cause for Mrs. Shriner to start. When the last came inside she introduced herself to them. She asked the students their names with some getting surprised that Mia was a Flynn and Nancy's sister. Mrs. Shriner started off by telling the students the rules of the school and had them sign off on them as acknowledgment of them. She paid close attention to the rules regarding sexual orientation and gender, noting specifically that anyone violating the rules would be suspended or expelled. This was followed by the ubiquitous complaints which she was proud to explain, "This school doesn't mess around when it comes to those rules, we protect our students. Many have been expelled for violating the rules and we are not afraid to both expel and prosecute violators." She then told the kids that it might be best to not lie to the others and confess why the rules were so important. Kylie, Nichole, and Mia each stood up and announced, "We are transgender." Nichole added, "Most of you know this, Mrs. King didn't mess around in elementary school and Mrs. Porter and Mrs. Taylor won't mess around here. They protect students and have fought and won against students and parents trying to harm students like us. We know this from our siblings and parents dealing with this." Mrs. Shriner asked what she meant, so Kyle grinned and admitted, "Dad is the chief of police, mom is the deputy attorney general. Our Uncle John and Aunt Valerie rewrote the school's rules, and Uncle Ricardo has made the city and state enforce them for us and for other cities and towns." She waited for Mrs. Shriner to say something but Mrs. Shriner just smirked- she knew all along. Mrs. Shriner asked about the kids' families, which Margaret, Nichole, and Steven reluctantly admitted that Mrs. Shriner had their older siblings as students. Dante blushed and admitted that his cousin had been her student as well, while Kylie just shrugged and added her brother was her student too for half of the year before he was moved to another class and her cousin Eric had her for a student for the full year. It was clear that they knew her style well. Nichole cringed as she added, "My brother, sister, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law were in here too, you had them eight years ago. My brother and sister weren't Smiths, they were Morris then." That caused Mrs. Shriner to laugh, adding, "Paige and Pete. I don't think for a second anyone else would have dared to date your siblings. I won't hold that against any of you, your siblings are their own people." She started class with it going well for the most part. During lunch Mrs. Shriner asked Dante about his cousin, getting a meek, "She's Francesca. I think she was White-Clark then but she's Herman now." She just nodded, it was just another link in the family chain that the kids would have to endure. The kids sat with their 8th grade counterparts as they hadn't yet felt comfortable eating with their classmates. The four siblings were far enough away from one another to allow their love interests to have some closeness but not go overboard. Margaret's brother Kyle was extremely protective of his sister ever since she had started to grow breasts and needed her first bra, frequently annoying her with his protectiveness but giving her potential boyfriend Dante some leeway. After lunch the group enjoyed a typical, "Who are they" series of questions from their classmates. Kylie blushed as she announced, "Diego, Stephanie, and Rosalind are my first cousins, they are also Nichole's second cousins. Kyle is Margaret's brother and Oscar is Steven's brother. Amy, Trina, Al, and Polly are their friends and related to some of our cousins' boyfriends and girlfriends." The kids started to take a keener interest in the girls as the older guys were some of the best looking in the school and they drooled over them even if they had girlfriends. The only one they didn't drool over was Ashley Byrne-Toro, but that was only because he was average looking to them and didn't yet have the power that the others had. School was uneventful with the kids' parents meeting them afterward as they broke up to head to their homes. It was one of the few times that Margaret hated living farthest away but she tempered it by going home with Amy Bollinger as Kyle and she worked on homework. It meant that she got to play with little Walter Bollinger, which was good enough in her eyes. Observing all of this excitement was the four, "New Jack Kids". They were the self-appointed rulers of sixth grade. They saw the girls as something to conquer, they were five, "Hotties" who deserved guys like them: tall, strong, and the best looking guys in school. Or so they believed, none of the girls in their grade paid attention to them for a reason. They were new to the school, having spent their previous 12 years in neighboring Pullen Point before being expelled for bullying after assaulting four of the smallest students in school, including the town's only transgender student. They made the mistake of assaulting the nephews of officers Sebastian and Fabian Perez, who promptly arrested them and ensured that the school didn't sweep the incident under the rug again. The families scrambled to find a proper school and had to resort to claiming to live in Winnisimmet using a random address just so the four boys could attend school again. The four didn't know the history of either Nichole, Kylie, nor Mia so were trying to get close to girls who were the exact kind of girls they used to torment back in Pullen Point. They were crass, abusive, and not afraid to show off for girls yet hated boys who were, "Sissies" even if they were not feminine. It was a game to them to torture their classmates, leading them to go after the Perez boy in the first place. One of their former classmates moved away from their abuse and ended up in Winnisimmet in the girls' school but in a separate class. Maisie Campbell noticed the boys immediately and told the girls to watch out for them. She was vague about why, but the way she worded the warning gave Nichole the gist of it: they were trouble and should be avoided at all costs. Maisie calmly told the girls, "They can't find a new school so their families are sending them here. Your parents need to be careful of the boys and their families. Their parents aren't afraid to rough up other parents to get their way and scare them off. Mine barely got away from them and if not for dad being a Deputy US Marshal they'd have hurt me badly, the Perez family helped us out but it was not going to stop them. Be careful. They are dangerous." She didn't know about the girls nor their family connections, she warned them out of kindness. Nichole assured her, "Kylie's dad will know about them. We will watch out for them, but why do you care?" Maisie winced then admitted, "They tormented me when I was a boy. When I started to become a girl they fought me but was stopped by the Perez brothers. Mom and dad tried to have them arrested but their families are too powerful. They got away with hurting me but not before mom and dad got the school to accept an expulsion for them. I hope they don't find out I'm here, I don't want to leave again." The girls nodded to one another, then Kylie explained, "We will talk with dad, they won't do anything to us and you if they think they are going to get arrested. Dad will ensure they go to jail, he isn't like Pullen Point's chief- he will protect all of us." The kids enjoyed a fun afternoon with the kids getting used to their new situations. The group who lived in Twattville, the name for the neighborhood home of most of the Finn Family members, enjoyed some time to enjoy themselves while their parents got home from work. Despite it being a relatively easy day the trio still felt exhausted from the introductions and enduring their teacher's attention. Kylie told her parents about the troublesome boys with Kennedy Pena listening to the story about the kids being allowed to harass the boys in their school until caught by someone who couldn't be forced to accept their bullying. She made notes then spoke with someone in the DA's office to get the relevant information from the school, she wasn't about to let their actions go unanswered legally. The girls were asked about the girl who talked with Nichole, getting a shrug as she blended into the background at school going unnoticed by them. Kennedy understood why she was doing that, she didn't want anyone to know her status outside of class. She'd talk with her herself, this had to be addressed so she was able to go to school without fear. The next day, Kennedy sought out Maisie and was confronted by her mother. She was pleasant to her, asking to speak with them after showing her work identification. Mrs. Campbell agreed, not wanting a fight that they couldn't win against someone powerful. Kennedy laid out what Maisie had told the girls and asked about it. She was told the whole story then had to hold back anger as she heard it. Her anger was seen as a bad thing but Kennedy assured her, "Your daughter just opened a can of worms that can't be closed. My office will investigate her situation and ensure that what happened to her never happens to another girl again. This is much deeper than you realize, it may be the start of a major investigation." They were relieved to hear that. Kennedy added, "She won't get any of that here. I know the principals personally and her own principal is experienced with children like your daughter so she will keep a close watch on the boys from now on. She isn't alone in the school, she has help if she needs it from several kids like herself. They know what to do and will not hesitate to protect her." They asked about the others, getting a sly grin and quick, "Five are like your daughter. They are close with one another and are good with others like themselves. She will probably hear rumors about them, if the kids choose to tell her it's their own choice. She will do well at the school, just give her time." The boys didn't make any moves on the girls. They were warned off by the boys of their school and the 7th and 8th graders about doing something regarding the girls. They came close to blows with some of the 7th graders but were smart enough to back off when Zeke Bollinger, the gym teacher, caught them. When they spotted Maisie they tried to make a big scene but were told off by her classmates. She had actually made a strong impression on them as she was both feminine yet intuitive regarding the girls' habits making her a fun person to talk to. They started to see her as one of them, and in time they had gotten so used to her being around them that they didn't see her as anything less than normal even if she wasn't a friend to them. Their failures stung the boys. They lashed out at classmates earning a string of suspensions throughout the fall, forcing them to be told to cool their jets by their parents before they screwed up yet again and got themselves expelled from school. It was humiliating to them that they weren't the top dogs, causing a further spiral downward. ------------------------------ As school school was starting in Winnisimmet, across the country in Minnesota two young girls ran off from their foster home. They had just the clothes on their backs and $500 stolen from their foster father's wallet. They were prepared for the fall weather but ill prepared for anything past October. This fact didn't matter to them, getting away did. The kids fled out of necessity. Their foster family was just a front for sex crimes as the two were going to be used for prostitution by the couple that fostered them. The elder of the two had been through this before, she was used to guys hired by her foster father using her for their jollies but her younger sister was too young for it. It didn't help matters one bit that her sister wasn't really a she. Despite the feminine demeanor and long sandy blonde hair she was a boy underneath her clothes. It was an open secret in their hometown, her sister was transgender and living as a girl but most saw it as a source of humor while their foster parents now saw her as a way of earning a lot of money for being a novelty: a young, virgin, tranny girl who was perfect for whatever they wanted to do with her. She had kept on claiming that she was a girl and needed to dress like one which only helped their foster parents. A girl like her could fetch a pretty penny from perverts around the country. They saw her as their ticket to the big time, but a night of heavy drinking and drugs over landing a huge offer for the young girl's virginity turned out to be what the girls needed to escape their clutches. 11-year-old Fiona Richards was overweight, short-haired, and loved fighting and sports. 8-year-old Flora was waifish, long haired, and loved dolls and playing pretend. The two were polar opposites in their personalities with Fiona being masculine while Flora was feminine. The girls had a rough life as their parents were dirt poor alcoholics who abused them constantly since they could walk. Their father was killed by a freak tractor accident. Their mother was no better, dying from alcoholism a year later leaving the girls with no home, no family, and stuck in foster care. Their troubles only began there. Their foster families abused them whenever possible and only really cared about them for the money they received from the county and state. They were frequently shuttled around from family to family as the feminine Flora and masculine Fiona were seen as freaks. They finally found a permanent home after several months but the girls being so different their counterparts brought them constant abuse and ridicule from teachers and other parents. The fact that they were poor wards of the state only added to the troubles as they struggled to live with foster parents who had done terrible things to Fiona before she was the age of 10. She vowed to escape one day, she just never envisioned it would be two years into their stay with their foster family as her sister grew more and more feminine before it happened. The night of their escape, Fiona drugged her foster parents. She put in a double dose of sleeping pills that she had been prescribed by her doctor to cause her to fall asleep allowing her foster father access to her body. She knew what it would do to them, it wasn't strong enough to kill them but it was potent. When they were drunk and unconscious, she gathered Flora and fled as quickly as she could in their car before stashing it five miles outside Minneapolis. The two made good time to the bus terminal but found that the could only get as far as Chicago before they had to change buses. It was good enough for them, they'd hide out in Chicago for a bit before fleeing to another location. September in Chicago was alright with the kids as they found a decent hideout and blended in among the families visiting the city. They bummed rides off caring bus drivers and station attendants, letting them ride all night on the air conditioned trains allowing them to sleep in peace most nights. The few nights they were booted from trains they simply waited for the next train and fell back asleep as the station attendants kept them in sight to remain safe. The kids had caught the attention of the conductors and train operators and were allowed to sleep on the trains as it was safer than them sleeping out in the open where someone could harm them. They didn't try to contact the police or social services, the kids were polite and didn't ask for help and as far as they knew they were simply homeless and trying to remain under the radar of everyone. They had managed to help several elderly passengers during the evenings and stopped several muggings before anyone could get hurt earning them the protection by the crews. They wanted to be left alone but still acted like good people when it mattered earning their privacy even if they should have called in help from police and social services. The kids tried to keep up with school despite being out on their own. They found several workbooks that kids in Chicago schools in the third and sixth grade used giving them a chance to learn even if it wasn't quite the same as learning from a teacher. Flora was smart for her age while Fiona was intelligent yet held back from advancing to middle school due to the constant ridicule from teachers and students in school. She hid her smarts but somehow Flora was always able to coax it out of her head at times when they needed a serious plan of action. The fun lasted until they were in a library during school hours and got noticed by a caring police officer. The girls fled, but not before having to shed some of their clothing to appear to be other kids. It worked for a bit but they were constantly on watch for the officer making returning to the library impossible. The two had to leave, taking the train to Union Station and stowing away on-board an Amtrak train heading East towards Washington, DC. They covered themselves with bags, not moving when the train stopped and keeping themselves hidden when the compartment opened. It worked for them as they arrived in Washington and quickly fled into the vast Union Station complex where they were able to blend in among the passengers and shoppers. Washington proved to be a bust. There wasn't many places to sleep and the transit system shut down earlier than any other in the country. It was also expensive to eat, their meager savings dwindled as they stayed in the city until mid-November when they chose to finally give up and go north to New York. Their attempt to stowaway again failed as the trains going to northeast changed crews and always checked tickets in the station making it harder to access without a ticket. They managed to go an indirect route via a commuter train to Baltimore and jump on there, hiding in the bathroom then pretending to be part of a group while spending much of their time in the lounge car. The ploy worked, the crew didn't give notice to them as they blended in well enough but once the crew changed at New York they had to run off in fear of the police. New York was better than Washington but still had its drawbacks. They had to avoid drug pushers, pimps, and perverts while trying hard not to get noticed by police or social services while going out of their way to avoid schools during school hours. The train crews were not as helpful to them, several were well-meaning by calling social services to help them but when the duo noticed that a person who got on at the most recent station was making their way towards them they fled to another car then ran from the next station. Flora was feeling terrible about this whole series of events. She blamed herself for forcing Fiona to flee from their home. Fiona couldn't break the news to her that she had saved Flora from a life of horrible sex and abuse by people who only wanted her for the money they could make from her and may do horrible things to her body if they paid their foster parents enough money. She deserved better than a life of sex, she was only eight and innocent despite being a pest most of the time. The two settled down in a nice spot near Coney Island where they were able to raid the trash at several restaurants and find OK food but it was still a tough life. The girls distracted themselves by working on schoolwork and by reading whatever they could find to keep their skills up. It was a simple thing, but it was enough to get focused away from other things like the dropping temperatures and longer nights. They were lucky to have been able to sneak into hotels and YMCAs to take showers. It was a small thing but it enabled them to remain somewhat clean and in turn keep people from asking questions about them. Despite their maturity, they were still two young girls all alone in the big city and at any moment could be hauled away to a foster home by police or social services. When their money finally ran out, the girls had to resort to shoplifting from stores to get food and clothing. Fiona was quick with her hands while Flora was a good distraction as most ladies looked at her with bright eyes as she shone a brilliant cuteness that unintentionally forced all eyes on her. They managed to steal several hundred dollars worth of clothing and toiletries as well as basic food and drinks during their time, letting themselves enjoy a bit of luxury but still always on guard just in case of trouble. Their luck ran out as they were caught by an astute trainee at one of the large department stores. Flora froze while Fiona dragged her away, causing others to take notice of them. They barely made it out before getting stopped, running at full speed through the shopping plaza in midtown Manhattan. They went in the opposite direction requiring them to double back on the train. This timing was bad as they were on the same train to Brooklyn as one of the people who were chasing them. As they sat down, she showed a badge and asked to speak with them causing them to freeze and surrender. The two were brought to the nearest social services office to talk, with the young social worker listening to their story of escape and evasion for the past three months. When they stopped, she called their former foster parents to speak with them regarding the girls, getting the expected runaround then demands that the girls be turned over to them. They were practically threatening her which alarmed her. She listened as they complained about the girls stealing money from them and demanding their return to pay it back. There was no note of concern, only anger and threats of violence against the girls. She tried hard to think but her supervisor told her to put the kids on the next bus to Minneapolis and let the Minnesota social services handle the girls from now on. Hearing this both girls pushed their way by them and ran for their lives. They were smart, they went one direction but doubled into another when their pursuers passed them. There was nowhere to go, they had to get out of New York now of else they would be sent back to face certain abuse. Fiona wisely chose to take the train. She used a prepaid Visa card to buy tickets for them on the next train to Boston. It took the last of their meager savings, money earned through some busking in the park the week before, but it was their only option. The conductors didn't really care too much about them being alone, a lie about them meeting their parents with it being arranged by officials was enough to satisfy the bored conductor. On the train, they relaxed for the next four hours as the train rolled on. Boston was going to be tough but they would survive, they had to. The two had no idea about the layout of the city nor how to get around, all they cared about was getting away from an immediate return trip to their dooms. The girls were awoken by the conductor as they readied for arrival at South Station. They weren't impressed with the scenery of Massachusetts or the concrete chasm leading into Back Bay station, but once outside they were in another world compared with the bustling, loud, enormous New York City. It was closer to Minneapolis than any of the other cities yet was still so different, a whole new world. The girls found a place to lay down for the night after wandering around the abandoned downtown area. It was cold, wet, and loud but it was their new home. It would be tough but it was better than what would have happened to them if they were put on the bus back in New York. They settled down in a parking garage under a nondescript building. It was quiet, warm from being close to the steam pipes heating the building, and dry. It wasn't ideal but it was their new home. The girls spent the night huddled in a corner then as the first rays of light appeared they scattered to find a place to lay low until they could return. The girls weren't too keen on staying around, it looked like a nice place but they didn't want the business people to see them. Their worst fears were that they would be turned over to social services yet again, only this time they might get arrested first. The girls would spend their days going to various libraries around Boston, Cambridge, Brookline, and Quincy. They were given library cards at the Boston Public Library so they could keep themselves entertained, happily fibbing about their home addresses which were claimed to be in a nearby city. The library was a good source for them as they found places to bathe, get cheap food, and where they could hustle for money if need be. They kept a low profile for much of November. They had to huddle more and more for warmth as the temperatures dropped and their clothing proved to be too thin for the surprising New England nasty late-fall weather. They did their best but eventually they had to resort to their old ways of stealing and hustling for money, often getting away before getting caught but doing enough to manage to get some clothes but not enough to survive much longer if the temperatures dropped. Their thin blankets, lifted from Goodwill and Salvation Army stores, were starting to fray and turn nasty from the gunk accumulated by the parking garage forcing them to have to find new ones soon. They had terrible luck in finding replacements as they were run out of every store in vicinity and lacked the money to go farther out. It was looking like they were finally going to be forced to seek help but help found them in the form of someone who had unintentionally taken notice of the constantly disrupted pile of garbage strewn in the darkened corner of the garage and the sounds of someone whimpering among it. Chapter 2 The girls shivered as the night had been brutal to them. The night had dipped to the single digits and the day was promising to be even worse, as it was snowing with temperatures in the upper 20s. The girls were left with little choice but to flee but they didn't have the strength to do so, hypothermia had set in making them borderline incoherent, barely conscious, and their bodies were starting a downward spiral towards death as their body temperatures were dangerously low. Taking a rare very early meeting with clients teleconferencing from Wales as well as hoping to beat the snow induced traffic snarls, Greta Nelson spotted the girls huddled in their corner after Fiona groaned. They were shivering to the point of being unable to do anything else, prompting Greta to call 911 to get an ambulance to respond. She wasn't liking what she was seeing from the girls, they needed help right away before it was too late. 10 minutes later an ambulance arrived with the crew immediately checking out the girls. Astrid Flynn, the senior paramedic assigned to the response, wasn't liking what she was seeing and rushed them to the nearest hospital to combat the cold and ensure no further damage was done to their bodies. Their internal temperatures were too low for their own good, they needed immediate treatment. Astrid saw the look on Greta's face and offered her a knowing nod, she'd ensure that she was told what was going on when she found out about it herself. It would be tough to do so though. The mother in Greta was overriding her business sense, she wanted to help the girls but had to tend to her call first. Greta trudged through her conference call and barely held herself together for much of the morning as she was on edge waiting for word from Astrid. Astrid did text t to tell her that she had saved their lives, any longer in the cold and they may have died from hypothermia complications. She felt some solace, but still felt like the girls were still in danger for some reason. Astrid filled in the local Department of Children and Families(DCF) representative as they responded on the girls' behalf. The woman was eager to help until she was told by the doctor at the ER that one of the girls wasn't a biological female. This led to a frantic phone call and requests for help from her boss, she didn't know how to react to the news and more importantly- how it would impact her. Her boss simply relieved her, with training assigned so she learned the proper response to a girl in Flora's situation as it had clearly not taken hold the first time. Chloe Daniels was assigned with her boss Mark Sylvester keeping a close watch on things for her should they get dicey. She was used to these tough situations, she didn't mind them and happily fought for the girls' and boys' rights. Chloe greeted Astrid with a hug when she met her at the hospital. Astrid was there on another call but was able to fill her in on the initial assessment with the doctors doing their best once she was done. Chloe asked about the girls and was given the basic news that they knew so far. Both girls were malnourished and likely barely able to eek out an existence on what they could find. Flora was skin and bones while Fiona was starting to lose her body fat. She was still at least 10 pounds overweight but she was losing muscle mass more than anything. They feared that both girls may start to have issues if she didn't get on a normal diet quickly. The girls were put into Chloe's temporary care with Chloe not wasting any time in signing off on all needed medical treatments. The doctors just nodded, took a variety of blood vials to run a gamut of tests, then told her that they'd be out of things for a day but should be alright once they had fluids and nutrition into their bodies. She just shook her head at the sight of the girls, they were pretty but each in their own way. After work, Greta called Chloe for an update on the girls. She wasn't able to tell her much beyond that they were doing better, but was willing to offer her that she had saved their lives as Astrid had said. Chloe was trying to give the girls their privacy, but knew Greta meant well in her inquiries. Greta felt bad about he girls and went home upset. Her husband Quentin tried to comfort her but she was just too saddened to take much affection. Quentin knew best to just let her work out her problems, whatever was bothering her was big and she needed to work through it on her own. After a forced dinner, Greta started to think about the girls' future and asked her husband if he had thought about fostering children now that their son and daughter had moved out. This was the big break Quentin needed, what had upset Greta had involved kids and was causing her maternal instincts to go into overdrive. He calmly explained, "If you feel we should, we can open up our home to kids in need." Greta smiled at that, then called Mark to ask if there was a way of fostering the girls who were placed into Chloe's care that day. Mark just grinned at the call, it would save him a lot of trouble as he looked over his list of potential families for the girls with few being able to house two girls their age. It was made worse due to Flora's gender issues, which he knew Greta would not have a problem with. Mark steeled himself for the inevitable backlash as he stated, "We have your background checks on file and approve of you as foster parents. I must inform you though that there is an issue with one of the girls that we have to get sorted out with a proper specialist. Are you ready to deal with this issue?" Greta sighed, then admitted, "If it is what I think it is, then you already know the answer. I will deal with it as it comes up. She will need support, and given her age she likely didn't have it. I don't know about the other girl but she looks like she may have her own issues. We will deal with them in time." Mark grinned and told them he'd bring over the paperwork shortly. Chloe was called and told the news, getting a full agreement with Greta being told to come by the next morning as she'd hand off care then. Greta went to bed with a smile on her face, with Quentin happily embracing Greta for her good deed. In the morning, Greta drove to Boston following Mark's lead. They first stopped off at his office then drove on to the hospital where the girls were being held. Chloe signed off on the transfer allowing Mark to go to work in finding about the girls, albeit tentatively with little available information. The girls regained consciousness a few hours later, seeing tubes and wires attached to one another as they looked around. Flora was frightened while Fiona announced that they were in trouble and were going to be be sent back to Minnesota for sure. Flora was in tears while Fiona fought her own tears. Greta and Chloe entered as the alarms went off regarding the girls. The nurses checked the girls then gave them the all clear, their heart rates were spiking due to their fear and anxiety. The duo just nodded and let the girls settle down before saying anything. Chloe first introduced herself to the girls then asked who they were. Fiona saw no reason to lie and gave their true names, Fiona and Franklin Richards from Lake Wobegon, Keillor County, MN. Flora flinched at Fiona using her legal name but neither lady said anything about it. The girls expected the worst, but Chloe explained, "We will speak with authorities out there. If your family is able to then we will arrange transport west. It shouldn't take but a few days to get it cleared up but until then you will have to remain in our care." The girls shed a tear over hearing that. Flora blurted out, "Please don't send us back! They are going to hurt us!" Fiona had to explain, "We don't have any family. We stole money from our foster parents to get away from them. They wanted us to act as their whores. They wanted Flora to be their shemale twink, she is supposed to be worth a lot of money to guys in Minneapolis and Chicago. Please don't send us back there! We will run away again if we have to!" Chloe nodded to Greta who started texting someone. Chloe offered the girls a warm, "You won't go back there. This is a serious allegation and we will investigate. We have people who won't let this injustice go unanswered. We will fight to keep you here if need be, but yon won't go back to that foster home." This was the best news the girls could hear. Flora now found the courage and asked, "Do I have to still be a boy? I can't live with being a boy anymore! Please don't make me be a boy!" Chloe offered the only words she could, explaining, "You will get an evaluation by someone we know and trust. It'll go a long way towards your being allowed to be a girl. She has dealt with dozens of girls and boys like you and will ensure that you are receiving proper help and guidance. If you truly are a girl then she will happily let you be a girl, but she needs to see you first." The girls lay quiet as Greta fielded phone calls from her business partners Karen Smith and James York over her having to call out that day. Both were sympathetic and were more than happy to cover for her especially as it was literally a life and death situation. James was going to tell his sister-in-law Astrid the good news about the girls, allowing her to feel some relief over their being safe and on the mend. Quentin stopped by after work and was introduced to the girls, getting a joint meek, "Hello" from both. Greta had to assure them that Quentin was fine with them and Flora's situation. He didn't make any light of it, only asking if they were getting an evaluation to confirm her being transgender. The girls fell asleep after their heavily laden soup dinner allowing Quentin to ask if the Minnesota social services had gotten back to Chloe or Mark. Greta just shrugged but the entering Mark offered a full explanation to them. His expression was dour, they expected the worst from the news. Mark sighed and explained, "The local police are seeking the girls in response to an apparent theft of $500 from their foster parents. They are insisting on pressing charges, yet there is no evidence that the girls stole the money as the only apparent income is from disability checks and social service payments on behalf of the girls. Social services have heard about the allegations against the family and have investigated them and have determined that the threats were real as their foster father had sent out feelers to several dozen local pedophiles which included undercover officers in the twin cities. The girls won't be allowed to return to their former foster parents." He shook his head and added, "The local sheriff is refusing to drop the charges against the girls. However, the state won't extradite them and with only their foster parents as witnesses the state has refused to prosecute the girls. He is suspected to be part of the ring, but he is also toothless now. With the state having no way of protecting the girls and with it being clearly a dangerous situation, they have agreed to transfer the girls to our care. As of this evening, they are now officially in our care." That gave Greta some solace while Quentin added, "If he comes after them, we will be ready. You know he will come, he needs them to fulfill whatever contract he had with the people trying to have sex with them. They are safer with us than anywhere else." The girls heard everything, they had perfected not moving nor making a sound while adults talked as a means of self preservation. They were happy to not be going back but scared about the Nelsons. This was uncharted territory for the two girls- willing and protective parents. The girls were released the next day once a thorough physical and mental evaluation showed they were back to normal and there wasn't any lingering effects from the hypothermia. Greta drove them home with the girls being told that Quentin had an important project at work to work on that day. The girls didn't say anything, it didn't matter one way or another if he was there as long as they were free from the hospital. The drive was shorter than expected with the kids looking over Twattville with wide eyes as the close homes were different than the ones they had seen in the other big cities. Greta smiled at their reaction, it was the same that her own kids had when they first arrived in Winnisimmet nearly five years before. It was different than they were used to, and with time they'd get used to their new home. Greta was met at the house by her daughter Jessica and future son-in-law Eric Vincent. The two didn't make a fuss about the girls being there, they simply asked Greta what the girls needed. Greta was blunt, saying, "They don't have anything except the clothes on their backs and even then they aren't that good. Get them jackets, skirts, leggings, t-shirts, panties, socks, and pajamas. Flora is roughly Ella, Daisy, and Faith's size and I think Fiona may be Stephanie's size. I'll get bra and shoe sizes in a bit." The girls heard all of that and gave her a concerned look. Greta sighed and told them lovingly, "All of that is necessary for you. You need new clothes, you need underwear and pajamas. It's not costing you a penny, it's part of being a parent. Any parent who charges their child for their basic needs doesn't deserve to be called a parent. It's alright, Jessica is a great shopper and will get everything that you need and more. The only thing she can't get is a bra for you, that will have to wait until later." Fiona blushed at hearing that. Greta nodded, adding, "You may have been overweight but you were still blooming up top. Your buds are prominent, boys will notice them through your shirt. They need support and judging by the amount of growth, it's beyond training and into a regular AAA or even AA cup." Flora asked if she had to wear boys clothes, getting a solid, "No. You are presenting as a girl strongly and I don't believe it's in your interest to buy boy clothing just to wear only for one day. Buying them may do more harm than good and I have known too many young ladies like you to not see that this is a forgone conclusion. You are a girl inside and need clothing to match what you truly are." The two were shown up to their rooms with Flora getting a very feminine violet, lavender, and pink painted room while Fiona got a tan and light blue room. Both were bright and airy but clearly meant for different people. They liked the looks of the rooms with Flora fawning over the furniture and bed while Fiona simply was happy to have a bed to sleep in after three and a half months of being on the streets. Greta knew they had the right rooms just by their reactions. She happily explained, "Flora has Jessica's old room while Fiona, you have my son Scott's old room. He won't meet you until Christmas due to his military training out in Missouri. I figured you two would like those rooms, they fit your styles." Flora was lost in thought as Fiona finally relaxed in her own bed for the first time in years The girls loved the idea that they had rooms, beds, and clothes all their own and had a foster mother who was trying to be the right person for them. It was tough to comprehend, but Greta was doing what others had never been able to do for the girls- show them care and attention and be there for them as parents. The girls were lost in thought and fell asleep, only to be nudged awake by Jessica returning with their new clothing. She shooed away Eric, then told the girls that it was best to try on the clothes to ensure that they had a proper fit and any that didn't would be returned for larger or smaller sizes. She had bought multiples of everything for them, allowing them to have a small wardrobe that would expand in size in the near future when they had more time. Flora was eager to try on the clothes to the point that she was out of her clothes and in just a towel before the first had been taken out of the bags. Jessica handed her panties, telling her to wear them as her old ones were too small and worn out to wear again. She didn't bat an eye at seeing Flora's, "Extra" parts, just handing her the panties and preparing the first outfit. Flora blushed as she realized Jessica had seen her secret. Jessica just smiled and admitted, "My oldest and dearest friend Jaimie is like you, as are several girls we know. It's not the first birth defect on a girl I've seen and it won't be the last. Just don't think about it, most would never know you had the defect." The fashion show went on for an hour as each piece of clothing was tried on with several needing exchanging but for the most part Jessica had gotten the right sizes. Fiona watched in awe as Jessica handled Flora with ease and did her best to make her feel comfortable as she struggled with some outfits while having to be shown how to put on others. She treated her like she was any other girl, giving Fiona some solace that for the first time ever Flora was not an oddity and was just a normal girl. Jessica moved on to Fiona's clothes and had a tougher time. She was stouter than Stephanie, which made some of the clothes too long and caused Fiona to feel like a freak. It wasn't her fault, she had her father's frame and try as she might she could never lose weight causing her to grow larger than others. Jessica tried to assure her that it was alright but it was tough. The clothes were baggy, the t-shirts were loose to the point of swimming on her. Her small breast buds were all but hidden due to the bagginess, giving her the image of being a boy more than a young girl. Jessica just smiled at the sight. She told her warmly, "I know a couple of girls who had this style and are perfectly normal. You will find your style, we have to go shopping for bras anyway so you will find something that you like in your size at the store. I think you might look good in a punk rocker style, with some styling you look like you could rock it easily." She looked up at Jessica who showed a picture of a girl her age wearing a similar style of clothes but with a different haircut. She was mesmerized by the girl to the point that she was almost drooling. Jessica noted this reaction and thought best to talk with her about her sexuality at a later point. This was a bit too much of a reaction to her clothes, it was almost like she was trying too hard to be feminine to hide something even more troubling about herself that others didn't understand or want to accept. The doorbell broke Jessica's concentration as three younger girls entered followed by a grumpy boy. The girls looked up at the new people and were afraid, Jessica shooed them away while explaining to them, "Those are our cousins Ella Finn, Daisy Peterson, and Neil and Faith Jones. I guess mom forgot that she had to babysit them. It's not her fault, you two are important and needed her focus." The girls sought out Jessica only to find her with Fiona. They stopped cold at seeing the new girl, with Jessica explaining to them, "This is Fiona. She is staying with mom and dad. Don't bug her, she is just getting settled in." The girls nodded and moved on, only to run into Flora. Jessica saw the concern on Flora's face and added, "This is Fiona's younger sister Flora. Maybe the three of you can help her with some things as she's your age." Flora's face was one of concern but Jessica's nod and smile told her it was alright. The girls went into Flora's room and looked over her new clothes, asking about them. Flora bit her tongue, not wanting to say the wrong thing but eventually blurting out, "Mrs. Nelson bought them for us. She said we couldn't wear our old ones anymore." The girls looked over Flora's things and spotted something that was familiar to them but not noticed by Flora before. They whispered to one another before Faith asked, "Why do you have a gaff? Do you need one to hide your birth defect?" Flora's face went white as she tried to fight for the right words. Faith realized her mistake and hugged her, telling her, "It's alright, our cousins had birth defects too. They got them corrected by surgery." Daisy and Ella nodded to one another with Daisy explaining, "We used to have thingies too, but we had operations to change them. We have girl parts but our cousins don't. Are you like us or them?" Flora started to cry as she blurted out, "I am a boy outside. I don't have anything inside. I wish I did." The girls hugged her, offering their own tears over her feeling so terrible about making her upset. They didn't intend to make her feel bad, they just wanted to know the truth. The trio hugged her until she stopped crying, letting her calm down before Faith added, "Maybe you will get to be in our class. Mrs. King normally puts girls like you in Mr. King's class and she trusts us to help you out." The thought of normal school scared Flora. The girls started to talk about the school and the kids in it and the girls who were in their class. They acted like Flora was going to be with them no matter what without knowing if she was actually going to be placed in their school at all. Fiona watched the girls getting close to Flora, treating her like another girl and almost like she was one of them. Jessica saw this look and added, "They have a lot in common with one another. Faith was born without any issues but she was still mistreated in Kindergarten because of Neil being an outcast. Ella and Daisy were both born with birth defects and raised as boys for years and had to undergo surgery to correct the problems so they know what it is like to have the world think you are a boy but are really a girl. She's in good hands with them, they won't let harm come to her." Neil came upstairs looking for the others only to stop short as he saw Fiona. His natural 10-year-old hormonal instincts caused him to notice her small bosom then blush and walk away, causing Fiona to think that she had done something wrong. He looked scared and repulsed by her, causing her to feel embarrassed at his reaction to her body. Jessica just grinned and casually explained, "You are a girl with breasts. He's almost 11, when he sees them he gets embarrassed by the unintentional feeling in his groin. It's natural, he's embarrassed that he felt his penis stirring in his pants at seeing you. Give it time, he will calm down." She realized what really happened and asked, "Hasn't a boy ever had that reaction to you before?" Fiona shook her head no, to which Jessica added, "Then you should get used to it, you have a pretty face and are already starting to get larger than other girls your age. Boys will be drooling over you for decades." Fiona had a big glare in her eyes as she told her, "I don't like boys! I don't want any boys looking at me!" She was near hysterical but held herself together, causing Jessica to hug her in assurance. She hugged Fiona tightly, then kissed her forehead as she added, "Maybe you like girls, but boys will be boys no matter what. It's just how they are. Some boys like boys and some like boys and girls but most look at us and only think about sex. He's a good boy, just give him time to get to know you so he can show that he isn't like those hormonally crazed neanderthals you dealt with before." Neil came back once his reaction had dissipated. He saw Fiona had a sad look on her face and asked what happened. Jessica teased him with, "You ran off scared at seeing her boobs popping out at you." He grew a deep shade of red which was what Jessica wanted. Fiona saw that he didn't mean her any harm and noticed that he was twitching, moving around in place. She didn't need to see any bulge to know that he was having a reaction to seeing her again and thinking about her boobs but wasn't trying to act like a jerk or try to impress her. The three sat down and waited for the four girls to finally calm down once their talk ended. Fiona asked why they were so close, getting a surprising, "They have been together for months and are related to one another. It's really complicated but Ella and Faith are related through their birth dads, Ella and Daisy through their birth moms, and Daisy, Ella, and Faith through Faith's dad and Daisy and Ella's moms." It was complicated but she noticed the word, "Birth" in there. Jessica added, "Daisy was adopted by her mom and Ella by her dad and mom. Things are really complicated beyond that, but they are related and are close to one another. Faith and Neil are my cousins through mom, which is why they are here." She sought out Greta who was looking around for somewhere for the kids to go. Greta failed and had to tell the girls they were going shopping with Neil being forced to go along with them. He didn't feel the need to complain, he kept quiet about it and knew he'd be a pack mule for the girls. Jessica helped Fiona with her hair then chose one of the new outfits that was loose fitting but still in her size for her to wear. The jeans and t- shirt made her look goth, which Jessica grinned at as she added some mascara and eyeliner to complete the look. Fiona was nearly in tears as she saw how she looked, it was beautiful yet unique and entirely her own with Jessica adding, "Maybe some blue or purple highlights or streaks will make it even better but that can wait. Jessica drove Fiona and Neil while Greta drove the energetic foursome to the shopping mall. The girls chatted away with Flora who had been all but entrenched with them with little chance of backing away from their group. She was happy to have friends in them, with the girls seeing her as another friend to them as they loved what she had to say and what she thought about things. Fiona was quiet while Neil was trying hard not to catch glimpses at Fiona. She was prettier now than she had been before, he felt like she was the most beautiful girl in the world. Jessica had to fight a smile as she saw her young cousin fighting his urges, it was sweet and a big step into manhood for him. The trio took Flora to the kids' section while Jessica took Fiona to the juniors' section. Neil was forced to go with the girls as he wasn't comfortable being around the bras and panties that were part of that section. It was funny to Jessica that Neil was acting that way, she had missed out on it with her own brother but Scott had his reasons for not acting like that at that age and was glad that Neil had taken the path towards being a good young man like Scott would later become. The girls had a lot of fun looking at clothes with each trying to steer Flora towards their own styles. Faith was the most into cartoon characters and cute animals. Daisy was into dresses and long skirts. Ella was into t-shirts with funny jokes and an array of flashy colors. Flora had no actual style of her own. This was the first time she had ever shopped for girl's clothing in a store. Every piece of clothing she had gotten before had come from shoplifting or hand-me-downs from her foster parents thinking she would make a good cheap thrill for some guy looking for girls like her. The experience was jarring but only so much as she was overwhelmed by the choices. She had to try on her clothes to see how she looked before she could make her own selections. It was expected of her, she had no idea how she'd look as a regular girl and not as a caricature of a girl her age. The trio were eager to help and knew what she was feeling from their own experiences. Off to the side, Greta let the girls have their fun. Ella took charge as she always did with Faith offering her caring help while Daisy had the strongest critiques. The girls were so alike yet so different and from the looks and sounds of the girls teasing one another and trying to get Flora involved, they were friends with her in full and on the verge of ensuring she never got away from them. The girls filled the shopping cart with different outfits that they thought Flora would look good in, helping her try out anything in the hope that something would catch on. Greta looked through the pile and saw just who suggested what without having to ask, with each suggesting something that wasn't normally what they would wear but may look good on Flora. It was just as she expected, the girls had gone full speed into helping Flora but wasn't trying to influence her choices. Flora tried on multiple outfits with the girls helping her dress. She didn't like dresses due to the feeling of being constricted and making a mess while going to the bathroom. The girls had to nod at that, only Faith didn't fully understand but blushed as she realized it was due to her cousins' former birth defects. Flora had trouble with jeans as well as slacks, she didn't like the feel of them. She loved the skirts and leggings, they felt right on her and coupled with her gaff they made her feel like she had nothing, "Down there" and was a regular girl. The others agreed, with Daisy's suggestion for skirts winning out. Tops were tougher as the t-shirts were tough to deal with. Flora didn't like the styles and cuts, not really liking most of them and opting for simple blank shirts. Blouses, on the other hand, were different. She enjoyed most of them and with some undershirts added she looked both pretty and smartly dressed. With Flora settled, Greta went over to check on Fiona and Jessica. Jessica was eagerly helping Fiona size things, showing her different outfits that kept getting rejected by Fiona. She didn't want to show off skin nor did she want to appear too pretty to anyone else. Greta had her watch the girls as she intervened to help Fiona. It was clear to Greta that Fiona wasn't into feminine things and while she meant well, Jessica was actually hurting things rather than helping. Greta just asked her to pick out her own clothes and within minutes had gotten her to get some nice t-shirts and jeans and hoodies, all in dark colors but more feminine than masculine and while hiding much of her body they also accentuated it so she wasn't fully hidden from view. Fiona was grateful that she wasn't being criticized for her choices. Whenever she shopped with her parents or foster parents she got ridiculed for choosing things that weren't pink or white or pastel. She didn't hate the colors, she just didn't like how they looked on her which only infuriated them. Greta sensed that this was a sour issue and offered a somber, "You are old enough to choose your own clothes. I don't mind them, my only restrictions are on anything that shows off too much flesh. Believe me, Jessica tried to pull a few stunts with hot pants and crop tops at your age. She tried hard to be older than she was while you, on the other hand, have reason to be dark and moody and look the part." That brought a small smile to Fiona, which was hidden badly by her. Greta had unknowingly touched a nerve in her that was starting to heal properly, one of confidence and offering trust towards her choices. Fiona had appreciated that someone had seen she wasn't a little girl anymore and she wasn't all sunshine and gum drops and rainbows as her adult minders had thought her to be over the years. Greta was happy to have made a difference in Fiona. That little confidence boost helped her towards the next stage. Bra shopping would be tough, especially with someone like Fiona who had a huge body image problem. Fiona dreaded that moment but Greta was warm in her assurances. She explained, "You will need one for school especially gym. Zeke Bollinger is lenient with clothing but he asks that the girls have them so the boys don't get too frisky or start giving girls wrong reputations. It's better to get you one now than after something happened. It'll also help you accept that you are no longer a little girl, you are a young lady. Judging by your development, if you haven't had one of your first periods you should not be far off from having one. Your unfortunate lack of proper eating due to your necessary fleeing could have prevented your first ones." Fiona reluctantly went inside the cubicle and tried on the first sets of bras, then asked for help as she couldn't understand how they worked. Greta didn't react to her lack of knowledge, just showed her how to put them on right then how to adjust the straps. Fiona blushed throughout this, letting Greta do all of the work while listening intently to what she was saying. Once Fiona had tried on each of the bras, she complained that they were still tight. Greta just grinned and shot back, "You are larger than we thought, congratulations young lady!" She went to get a larger cup size then had Fiona try them on, getting a blush from her as she admitted, "They fit now." Neil was hovering around looking for his aunt and accidentally saw Fiona's shirtless body. He froze, blushing deeply as he moved away. Jessica had to rescue him, with Greta shaking her head at Neil being so unlucky with Fiona thus far. The poor boy had gotten a glimpse that boys his age would kill to see, yet all he could do was back away in shame and embarrassment. He was so much like his father it was hard not to smile and think the best regarding him and his maturity. Chapter 3 Despite it being an accident, Fiona was distraught over a boy seeing her topless. Greta sighed and had to explain to her, "This was actually my fault, not yours. I asked you to come out so I could see not thinking that you might be seen by anyone in the department. This is like earlier, he's embarrassed to see a girl's boobs than at seeing you. He doesn't mean offense, it's a natural response. He could have stayed there staring but moved off in respect to you. He's a gentleman, he'll apologize but he doesn't actually need to do so. Please, don't blame him. I am sorry for this, I didn't mean for this to happen." Fiona felt better that Neil wasn't try to peek at her. He was actually the first boy who ever treated her like she was a person not as a sex object. The older boys at her school had tried constantly to feel her up or kiss her making her think every boy was that way, Neil wasn't like that though. Neil did apologize to Fiona, who hugged him back and kissed his cheek for being such a gentleman and apologizing when he didn't have to. That made him blush again but made her feel better. He was simply a typical prepubescent boy, one who just happened to catch her at a bad moment. He was a good kid, she liked him for that. It made her feel better about her new bra and what it meant to her as a girl. That out of the way, Greta paid for their clothes. Flora tried to say something about Fiona dressing all dark and moody by but Greta's stern expression stopped her cold. Fiona felt good about that, it was a subtle way of showing that Greta cared about her feelings while Flora got a needed dose of discipline that Fiona felt Flora needed at times. The group were met at the Nelson home by Daisy's mother Lilly Peterson and Neil and Faith's father Mick and brother Brent Jones. The two girls were all smiles while Brent put on his cute kid act and yelled out, "Cousins!" to the girls when he saw them. His hugs were energetic, he was so used to relatives that he saw them as new cousins without them being more than foster children to the Nelsons. Lilly took the girls upstairs to help them put away their clothes with Fiona carrying Brent, who had latched onto her and insisted on being held by her. Lilly told the girls how to hang their clothes so as to not stretch them then put away their underwear, having Flora know to change every day. She blushed at that, but Lilly added, "It'll get hot wearing it, you don't want certain smells trapped in them. You need at least four more gaffs so one is always at the ready. I think Jessica is getting them for you." She moved on to Fiona's bras and explained how to wash them. The foursome snickered but she shot back, "Laugh now, but in three years you will need to know this too. You have seen how your moms look up top so expect similar sized ones too." Fiona was embarrassed to show them to Lilly who only gave them a cursory glance before hanging them on hangers in her closet while adding, "Thankfully she didn't go with basic Playtex ones, then again Jessica would have you in sheer ones" getting a snicker and small smile from Fiona who realized she was telling her they were good choices for her. When the ladies were out of earshot, Mick asked Greta about the girls. Neil was told to check on the girls, but he refused to go. Greta told him that he wouldn't like hearing what they had to say, only leading Neil to point out, "I heard about Jaimie and Deborah. I know what happened to Reyna and Nichole. I saw Deborah kidnapped and was grabbed by that English scumbag. I'm not too young to hear someone hurting another kid. I'm 10, not five. I can handle it." Greta's gaze showed it was serious but Neil refused to leave, whatever there was to say they'd have to say it in front of him. She finally relented and explained, "The girls fled from their foster home to avoid Flora being sold as a shemale prostitute to a bunch of pedophiles. She's transgender, which made her highly desirable in the pedophile community. They stole money from their foster parents and fled to Chicago then Washington then New York. They were starved and nearly frozen when I found them in the garage." Mick saw Neil was getting angry but didn't say anything. Greta added, "Their former sheriff is trying to get the girls back. He is suspected of being part of the ring but nobody has had evidence yet. The state agency tasked with investigating their activities is hampered by not having witnesses and lacking local support thanks to the sheriff." Mick nodded, adding, "They do now. The girls are their ticket. This sheriff is about to face the one group he doesn't want to mess with. I'll call in a few favors from the FBI, if he's willing to go halfway across the country to get them then it's big and they will thank me for it." Neil simply looked online and blurted out, "He's related the foster parents. He has to be. He wants them back so he can get some revenge on them for humiliating his relative. Even if he isn't directly part of it he is still misusing his office to take revenge. Hopefully he doesn't have a warrant yet." Mick just grinned as Greta hugged Neil for trying to help and giving his dad something to work toward. The boy had found an angle that would work, he may have kept the girls away from extradition as they fight back. The sheriff has a clear conflict of interest and if his hunch is right the Commonwealth would be reluctant to extradite them for such a small crime especially with it being known that it's not a fair situation for the girls. Lilly came down with the girls and an overly happy Brent. Neil had to pry him away from Fiona which she gave him a kiss on the cheek for. He didn't react, he was still thinking about the girls' case. The Joneses and Petersons left allowing Greta to get things together for dinner. Jessica slipped out to go back to her own home and fill in her friends regarding the girls. The three cooked with each happily helping Greta make different part of the meal, allowing them to unwind while focusing their energies on something other than their anxieties or their fears. Quentin came in to the smell of a hearty meal, the first one the couple had eaten in months. Jessica normally ate with her friends or Eric's family, the couple rarely cooked more than a simple quick meal as they were both busy with work. The girls had given Greta drive to cook something homemade, not boxed which Quentin was grateful for as he had grown tired of those kind of meals. Quentin cleaned up while the girls wound down for the night. Greta had to tell them that they would be staying with a friend the next day while she got them an appointment with specialists. She didn't say why Fiona had to go but Greta had a hunch that the girl was hiding a deep secret about her time with her foster family. Fiona washed up while Flora waited, hiding herself in her new bathrobe so Greta didn't see her body. Greta just smiled and handed her pajamas, leaving the room so Fiona could change. Fiona felt relief, Greta hadn't said anything about how she looked without makeup but feeling naked without it. Flora took longer to clean as she had to endure the embarrassment of having Greta help her due to not knowing how to work the shower head. Greta didn't say anything about her birth defect, in fact she didn't even notice it at all. Flora blushed as she realized she turned the knob the wrong way and that the hose was caught on the faucet, Greta just chuckled and added, "Scott did the same thing his first night and Quentin did it a couple of times when he had to get up in the middle of the night." When she was finished, Greta helped her with her top and combed out her hair. It was a little gesture but it was also the first time a parent had treated her like that. It was just a simple combing to remove tangles but it meant the world to Flora who hugged and kissed Greta for doing it for her. The girls went to bed with genuine smiles on their faces. They had endured embarrassment of being with people they didn't know, stuck having to endure kids who weren't told that they were there and were trying hard to help them, and had endured a boy who was actually being nice to them. They had fallen asleep feeling like things were going their way for once in their short lives. The next morning Olivia Samuels was introduced to the girls. She wasted little time and told the girls that they had appointments later for evaluations and that she needed them to take a few tests to assess their level of learning for school. Neither girl could refuse to comply, both knew this was important. Flora was fearful, meekly asking Greta, "Does she know"? Greta just smiled brightly and explained, "She knows. Her own daughter is transgender as is her future daughter-in-law. She's a nurse and her husband is a doctor so they want what is best for you and that is being yourself- your true, feminine self." Olivia had them work on their schoolwork until they finished it, then had them eat lunch. As they ate, she received a phone call and shook her head. It was going to be a surprise for Flora but it was a happy one and might help her a bit. The doorbell range and Olivia answered, ushering in a petite, honey blonde haired girl. Olivia smiled at Flora and explained, "This is Sydney Stoner, she has to stay with me for a bit due to her lab being closed for the day. She won't disturb you but I think you and she may be in need of a long talk." Sydney caught her drift and asked, "Is she like me?" Olivia nodded, then added, "Flora, Sydney is a girl like yourself. She just started living as a girl full-time back in October. You and she should talk, it helps to talk others who know what you are going through." Flora led her up to her room to speak privately. Fiona asked if this was wise, getting a nod and happy, "Sydney has felt like an outsider due to being both a genius and forced to be among others who don't understand her. She may not have had the same issues as Flora but she is still a good person to talk to and gives her a chance to tell things that she wouldn't tell you or Greta. She's a sympathetic ear who can empathize with her on her level and may share some of the same past as Flora." Fiona asked about Sydney, intrigued by her. Greta happily explained, "She's almost 14, lives with a strict yet caring father, has a mother who is also like herself but is recovering nicely from her final surgery, and has an aunt, uncle, and grandmother that are some of the most amazing people I ever met." Fiona caught what she said, asking, "What you do mean 'final surgery'?" Olivia just grinned and added, "She had her gender reassignment surgery. It's where her genitals were altered and converted into a vagina. She is resting comfortably, Sydney isn't allowed to see her during school hours so she had to come here with me. Before you ask, no she can't have it yet. She's too young and only in extreme cases is it ever allowed on children. Sadly my daughter and Sydney's cousin had it done due to their injuries." She felt embarrassed, but it was a legitimate question. Olivia gave her an assuring hug, telling her, "You were trying to be a good sister to Flora and tried to do what is best for her. You wouldn't have asked if you weren't sure it would help her. Her time will come, she will be in good hands if you continue to stay with Greta." Upstairs, Flora asked if she really was like her. Sydney nodded, explaining, "These are fake boobs. Mom got them for me because I need to look my age or older. I still have everything down below, I won't have surgery until I am 18. We can't have it until then, it's the rules. I don't want you or me to have it anyway, if it happens it's because our parts are hurt badly and can't be 'normal' anymore." Flora winced with Sydney nodding to make the point. She then showed Flora what she used to look like when she was forced to dress as a boy with Flora not believing her. Sydney hugged her tightly, it was unintentional but meant a lot to her. The girls talked about when they first started to feel like girls. Sydney had tears in her eyes as Flora explained how she would steal her sister's clothes just so she could wear panties and dresses. She then explained about getting tossed around the room by her parents for making a mess of the old, tattered dress that she had stolen from the trash, one Fiona hated wearing and was glad to throw away. Sydney explained how she'd spend all of her time with her mother because nobody wanted to know them and how her mother enjoyed playing with her as a girl. Her mother knew her inner feelings well before she did, she thought it was making her mother happy but she continued on unprompted and until she was caught dressed up alone and had to undergo an evaluation to see if she was just a cross dresser who liked to dress as a girl or transgender she never thought about being a girl all of the time. Sydney had her captivated. She wowed Flora, it made Flora happy to know that Sydney had someone who understood her. Sydney pointed out that she was now staying with the Nelsons and they were just as understanding as her parents and would help her just as much if not more. Sydney helped Flora with her wardrobe, talking with her about her outfits and what was good to wear for what weather and why others weren't good. It was a little thing that the girls hadn't done the day before but it was a nice gesture on Sydney's part. She had to admit that Flora was a quick learner and if she had her way Flora would have her complete support but that wasn't happening due to her schooling and Sydney's busy lab schedule. Fiona asked Olivia what was the deal with Sydney being there, she should have been in school. Olivia just smirked at Fiona sensing something was amiss. She grinned and explained, "She graduated already. She doesn't have to attend any more school, she graduated over four and a half years ago." Fiona wasn't buying it so Olivia had to tell her, "She's a PhD student. She earned a master's degree in engineering and has two, nearly three, patents already. She should have been in her lab but it but the lab was closed due to a water main break as well as a power outage to the building. Her adviser/overseer is dealing with the issue but she couldn't remain there due to issues. I was asked to keep an eye on her but I suspect that your lawyers thought best to have Flora meet a girl like herself for a little private chat to reassure her about your situation." Fiona was flabbergasted. Olivia nodded and added a happy, "You may not believe it but that young lady has over $130 million total in her bank account. She is going to be highly sought-after by companies when she earns her doctorates, in fact she may end up the next big thing in mechanical science." Fiona had to think about what she was just told. It was unbelievable yet Olivia didn't seem like the kind of person to lie to her. Olivia added a happy, "She's trying to be a normal kid outside of the lab, it'll take her a long time before she can date but she will find herself a young lady who will love her for what she is not for what she has in her bank account." She felt odd hearing that Sydney liked girls. Olivia sensed the inner turmoil and asked, "Do you have a problem with Sydney liking other girls?" Fiona didn't say anything, she didn't know what to say. Up in her room, Fiona felt herself feeling horrible. She thought it wasn't right to like girls. She had tried hard to avoid them, hoping to be like boys to find them attractive but that wasn't happening. She tried to fight her urges but she kept feeling like she was another guy among them and joined in on their joking about girls. It failed badly, they kept joking about her being a lesbian and being a boy like them. She thought it was helping her, but it only served to hurt her reputation that her sister had already caused to falter due to her gender issues. She had never had sexual feelings for boys, but she did have fantasies about kissing some of the girls in her class. During the early summer she actually kissed her classmate and the closest she had to a real friend during one of their sleepovers at her friend's house. Her friend blushed and said it felt nice, while Fiona was left speechless and gasping for breath. Olivia sensed that she might have hit a nerve in Fiona with the revelation that Sydney was a lesbian. It wasn't a reaction of being upset and feeling disgusted, it was more along the lines of Fiona feeling like she had a secret that she was fighting to keep quiet. She'd talk with Greta about that reaction, knowing the girl might have an internal struggle going on about who she was sexually especially as she now had support to help her and saw that it wasn't odd nor wrong to feel that way. The time finally came to get the girls ready for their appointments. Sydney left with them, going to an appointment with her psychiatrist in an adjacent hospital then to visit her mother in a nearby hotel. She and Fiona were silent as Sydney sensed that Fiona was thinking hard about something involving her while Flora was oblivious to the world around her as she thought about her own appointment. Sydney was happily greeted by her father, Justin Stoner, at the door with the girl rushing off with him. Justin thanked Olivia for helping, getting a happy, "It was good timing for her" in return. Justin gave her an odd look to which he saw a nod and subtle glance at Flora, letting it dawn on him that the girls were a lot alike but it wasn't best to make light of it then and there. Greta had filled out most of the forms already so all Olivia had to do was submit them to reception when they arrived. Her word was taken as being official given her family's connection to the hospital, her filling out the forms was no big deal as long as she had all of the pertinent information. Greta was delayed but would be there so Olivia just had to wait with the girls until then. When Greta arrived she was with Quentin, who had forced himself to be there for the girls' evaluations. He didn't want to leave anything to chance, he was going to assure the girls that he was in support of them even if he had to work a lot. They deserved his support, and it also gave more work to his subordinates allowing for more leeway on projects in the future. Greta thanked Olivia, with Olivia slyly telling her to talk with Fiona about her sex life. Greta sighed and asked, "Was it bad?" Olivia didn't know, only adding, "She reacted to Sydney liking girls. I think she may be fighting that she is a lesbian but might have had issues in the past with it causing her to see her sexuality as being wrong or something to feel terrible about." This was another thing added onto the list of things that had happened to the girls. Fiona was a mixed bag of issues, the more Greta dug into the bag the more issues came out. This was one that could shape her as a person for years to come, especially if a reaction to her sexuality had gone horribly wrong. The girls were focused on the others inside the waiting room. Greta spotted some friendly faces and gave them a signal to stay back, she didn't want the girls distracted. Neither girl noticed this, they were too busy looking at the magazines in front of them to see anything else. Kennedy had to hold back her daughter Kylie from the girls, if Greta wanted them to hold off then this was important for the girls and needed to be done on their own. Kylie was miffed but a whispered, "They need some alone time" calmed her. Their time would come, from the looks of Fiona she was about the right age to be put in Kylie's class in school and likely to be around Kylie by default if she stayed with Greta and Quentin. Dr. Alison Eliza greeted Flora and Greta and ushered them inside, with Quentin opting to remain with the quiet Fiona. She didn't have to wait long, Dr. Charles Dane came out to talk with Fiona prompting Fiona and Quentin to go inside with her. The two had coordinated this, normally Quentin would be in the room with Flora and Greta but Fiona's needs were just as important and may lead to more from her. Kennedy saw what was happening and told Kylie firmly, "Don't ask about Dr. Dane's appointment. If she opens up to you, that's fine. Please don't force her to talk about the appointment. I feel that this is something very serious, she isn't looking like a kid should look talking to Dr. Dane. Please, don't ask." Kylie just shrugged, she didn't have a clue about what was going on only that it was important. All she cared about was her own appointment with Alison Eliza. She knew Dr. Dane dealt with kids struggling with issues that she didn't understand, whatever that girl was enduring wasn't for her to ask about. Over in Alison's office, Flora was introduced to her with Alison complimenting her about the girls' choice in clothes. She blushed and pointed out that it was Sydney who chose the clothes, getting a nod and happy, "She has an eye for what is right to wear for certain people. She is still overcompensating at times, but mostly she knows what is good and what isn't just by instinct. You look great regardless." Alison asked her about her earliest feelings for wanting to be a girl. Flora blushed and told her, "I saw that girls had no front parts and thought they were special. They said that I was weird for having something there and that I was always acting like a girl. I wanted to cut mine off to be like them but the teacher stopped me. I was almost suspended but the girls admitted that they told me I had to do it to be like them. My teacher talked with me about the differences between boys and girls and told me that as a boy I would need to do certain things but playing with girls was one thing that was alright to do. I didn't feel the same after that, it felt right to want my thingy gone and have what girls had." Alison looked concerned about the potential mutilation, Flora blushed and admitted, "I only tried to do that once, I never tried it again. I started to tuck my thingy away when I played with them which nobody said anything about as they thought it was as close as I could get to being like them. I liked dressing like a girl after that, the girls would play with me and invite me over to play with them which mom and dad loved since they could drink more. Fiona would always go out with the boys and play leaving me with the girls. She didn't like to do girly things, she only like to do what the boys did. She likes girls, she won't say so but I know she does. She said I'm more of a girl than she is." Alison looked at Greta for guidance to which Greta added, "She's closeted. She had a reaction to hearing that Sydney liked girls and based on her actions and attire I think she is trying hard to hide how her feelings are affecting her. And before you ask, she isn't transgender. She may just be butch but I think she is actually goth or emo in style and hasn't had the opportunity to express her real self let alone her true sexuality." Alison nodded then asked Flora about school, getting a warm, "My teachers loved me and my class just acted like I was a girl. They thought I was actually Francesca instead of Franklin because everyone saw me as a girl because of my hair and how I acted. I wore boy clothes but they knew my parents were poor and couldn't afford good or new clothes so thought they were from my cousins. The few who knew I had boy parts didn't correct the girls and acted like I was one of them all along." This was abnormal so Alison asked about her teachers. She smiled and admitted, "My teachers knew that I was a girl inside. They didn't say anything and didn't encourage anyone making me act like a boy or anyone correcting my name. The principal didn't care, I was a nice kid and outside of a few nobody knew that I wasn't a 'real' girl. He left it alone, he said as long as nobody knew then it was alright." Alison asked about her parents, getting a solemn, "They didn't like me being a girl. Daddy used to hit me hard and mommy used to make me sleep naked if she found something that belonged to a girl in my room. They said I was bad and needed help but refused to get me help. When they got themselves killed I was happy, they wouldn't hit me anymore and I could be a real girl now." Alison had hit a nerve but asked about her foster parents. Flora looked scared to which Greta admitted, "It's alright to tell the truth. They can't hurt you. We won't let them hurt you." Flora looked at the floor and barely above a whisper explained, "Pop and Ma used to make me dress up like a doll and show me off to their friends. They let me be a girl all of the time and in school made the principal allow me to be a girl by giving him money to tell everyone to treat me like a girl. He tried to act like it was wrong but gave in and told them that it wasn't right but he did it anyway once his money cleared the bank. The girls were happy to have me as a girl while the boys stayed away from me. A lot of parents wouldn't let their kids near me but some thought it was alright. They said it was good for me as I was a real girl now." She stopped and cried. She confessed, "In order to let me wear girls' clothes I had to do fashion shows for their friends. They would send Fiona upstairs with their friends to do some things that Fiona refused to talk about then said one day I'd be forced to do the same. Fiona hated it, she said that if they ever tried to do that to me we would leave and never come back. In August she heard them talking about what I was going to do soon and dragged me away, making us leave town for good. She said she didn't want me hurt, that they were bad people for wanting me to do what they had done to her. She hated them and wanted me to not be hurt like they hurt her." Flora was getting worked up and turning red. She didn't fully understand what Fiona had done upstairs, she just knew that they had done a lot of bad things with her and that she wanted Flora to be safe. Greta was writing something down with Alison doing the same, it was clear to Flora that what she had said was not something that was good and they were going to do something about it. Flora tried to plead with them not to do anything to Fiona. Alison got up, went to Charles' office, then came back and warmly told the near distraught girl, "We are required by law to report what we hear in regards to certain crimes. What happened to your sister is a crime, a very serious one at that. What they wanted to do to you was even worse as you aren't aware of what was going to happen. What was done to you was nothing short of a huge act of abuse, they had no right to make you model for their friends like that and I suspect that they were using the two of you as part of a terrible sexual assault ring that involved children. Your sister saved you from becoming their next victim, and in doing so she may have caused their downfall. I won't let this lay until I am sure you two are safe. You need safety." Greta had to add, "My husband is a police office and is required by law to report abuse like that. Even if it happened in another state this is a serious offense and needs investigating. My brother-in-law will have some friends look into your foster parents and their friends, they will ensure this doesn't happen again to girls like you or like your sister." Flora was still upset but Alison managed to get her focused on herself and asked about Flora's feelings once they left Minnesota. Flora was happy to tell her that nobody knew that she wasn't a real girl or that she and her sister were all alone. She hated that they got sick and had to go to the hospital but were happy to have been put with the Nelsons, smiling to Greta as she said that. Alison nodded and kept writing notes, noticing that she wasn't trying to please Greta. Flora was looking at her with a sense of her being her mother even if she wasn't her, "Real" mother. It was a clear signal that she had latched onto Greta and was unintentionally hoping to remain as her daughter for good, Flora had felt that she had found her true home and one that she was finally safe in. Greta asked Alison if she had a diagnosis, getting a nod and happy, "She's a girl. It's too soon to confirm fully but she has been showing strong signals for years that she is a girl inside. I recommend that she be allowed to transition fully. You should have little trouble with the schools, I suggest Yvette King's school and her husband's class. And not just because of the girls, although that is a benefit to her." Over in Charles' office, Fiona was asked about her life so far. She looked down in fear as she confessed, "My parents were drunks who had us because they couldn't afford an abortion and by the time they had realized mom was pregnant she was showing making it impossible to get anyway. Both of us were unwanted, and it got even worse when Flora started to act like a girl all of the time outside of school." Charles asked about that, getting an angry, "She's a girl, I could see it from when she was a toddler. Mom and dad hated it especially as he thought she was going to be his ticket to fame and fortune. He tried to make her do every boy thing imaginable and she failed badly. He'd hit her to make her do better but all it ended up doing was make her do worse. She hated it." She got misty-eyed as she continued, "I tried hard to do what he wanted and was good at sports and was doing things with dad that he wanted Flora to do. Mom would hit me for not playing with my dolls or getting my dresses dirty. I couldn't help it, I am a tomboy. I like to do what boys do. I love wrestling and playing in the dirt and fighting. It's fun. But mom hated it. Dad would hit me because mom said to. Mom wanted a prim and proper girl who would find a 'perfect husband' and pay for them to get out of our dump. It sucked. I don't want a husband." Charles sensed a strong spot and asked about that. She started to cry and told him, "I don't like boys like that. Every boy I ever met has tried to make me show him my privates. I always did better with girls. They treat me like I'm normal even if I look at them differently. The girls in my class got used to my looks and thought I was jealous because I was so large. It's partly true, I wish I was skinnier. I liked how they looked and felt weird around them, like they were more than friends. They didn't care that I played like a boy, I was still their friend and liked me for me. One even liked me a lot more than normal and kissed me, telling me that she wished I was a boy. I felt bad that I wasn't, I didn't want to like her that way but I did and she knew I did." She sighed and explained, "My foster parents didn't care that I was always around boys. They thought I was their girlfriend. My friend's parents told them about our kiss and they told me that if I did it again they'd show me what a real girl does. I hate how I felt, I can't help myself. I liked her." Quentin wrote something down to which Charles nodded. It was clear to them that she was fighting her sexuality and the more she fought, the harder it was to remain true to herself. She was trying to please everyone but all she had done was make herself into a caricature or worse. She was in love with girls, she just had not yet had a chance to be true to herself. Alison entered and slipped a note to Charles, causing him to cringe as Alison nodded. He asked, "Tell me about your parents' friends." Fiona's mouth dropped then tears flowed from her eyes. Charles didn't need to know the full story, something was amiss with them especially given Alison's urgent memo. Fiona looked down in shame and told the full story:, "My foster parents, 'ma and pa' as they insisted we call them, made money from selling me to their 'friends' but they were really people from around the state who wanted a good time. That's how they made most of their money, they would pimp out local girls to people. I was their pride and joy, their biggest money maker. From when I was ten until we fled I was with someone each night. I am lucky that I didn't have a period yet, I would have been pregnant already. Mom and dad had hoped I would be, that way they could sell my baby online to some rich couple and I'd be stuck with the shame while they made a big profit from my misery. Social services would just take me away, they didn't really care what happened to me as long as I made them money." Quentin was taking notes with Charles nodding in agreement. Fiona simply continued, "That wasn't the worst they did. They made Flora dance around in her girl clothes for them, making money from her dancing and changing in front of them. She didn't know that they were using her, they let her be a girl so she could agree to the whole striptease act. To her it was a dream come true, but they were just using her to satisfy a bunch of sick men." Charles encouraged her to continue. She had nothing left to lose so she added, "The worst of it was when they agreed to start her down the path I was put down, with their customers getting a chance to have sex with a real young, virgin shemale. She was going to be used by them, I couldn't let that happen. She is innocent! She didn't know what they were going to do to her- she would have been hurt by them!" She broke down now, crying in her chair with Quentin comforting her. His touch made her flinch but seeing that he was trying to hug her she gave in and cried into his shoulder. The father in him was enraged, but he knew not to yell as it would only upset her more. Quentin told Charles, "Under the laws, I have to report this to the State Police. I believe you have to do the same to both DCF and the police. I don't know if Flora told Alison the same story but I suspect she did and gave you the memo to get this out of Fiona. They aren't going back, no way in hell are they going back to that godforsaken county!" Charles nodded in agreement, with Quentin walking Fiona outside as Charles made his required phone call to DCF regarding Fiona. Chloe answered on the first ring and listened to Charles' claims. She felt pain towards the girls and assured him that they were not going back to Minnesota without a federal warrant and even then it was clear that they were going to be harmed. Outside, Flora asked why Fiona had been crying. Fiona gave her an angry look and blurted out, "I had to tell them everything. I didn't want to but I had to tell them everything about what mom and dad wanted you to do before we left. I'm sorry, Flora. I had to tell them everything. I couldn't lie to Quentin, I didn't want to tell him but I couldn't lie to him." Quentin quietly made another appointment for Fiona as Greta made one for Flora. It was going to be tough but the girls needed to talk with Alison and Charles to overcome their separate issues. Fiona was suffering from the after effects of consistent abuse, while Flora was going to be in for a hard lesson when she suffers her first bout with someone who is ignorant or hateful towards girls like her. Kennedy watched the action before Greta caught her eye. Quentin sighed and asked to speak with her in private regarding a matter of utmost importance, getting a nod with Greta knowing what was going to be discussed. She led the girls away, telling them, "Quentin is talking with the one person who will ensure that you never have to return to Minnesota. She will ensure the right people are put in prison. She has the ears of all of the right people and knows what to do and say to ensure something is done to both protect you and ensure those bastards are rotting in prison for the rest of their lives." Kennedy and Quentin found a quiet office thanks to the receptionist and once the door was closed, in his best police officer voice, told her, "Pursuant to the laws of mandatory reporting, I must ask that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts seek a sexual assault investigation into Fiona Richards and Franklin, aka Flora, Richards. Fiona alleges sexual assault on herself and conspiracy to commit the same against her sister. She alleges that her foster parents were intent on prostituting Flora alongside continuing to prostitute Fiona. I ask that the state inform Minnesota that the girls are safe but fight their extradition back to their home state due to the imminent threat of sexual assault against both girls." Kennedy nodded, adding, "We will investigate this matter and will have the State Police force their counterparts with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to investigate those people. This won't be swept under the rug. As far as their extradition, what would be the charges against the girls?" Quentin grumbled, "Theft of $500 from their foster parents along with stealing their car. The girls don't deny having done either, given their story it fits the reasoning. It was also only reported to the sheriff after the girls were found by Greta and DCF contacted them. It smells fishy and the sheriff there has been alleged to have ties to the activities of the two, but nothing concrete yet." She nodded, adding, "It's not enough to extradite them back to Minnesota. In fact, I might even have enough to show that this is directly linked to their knowledge about the sexual assault ring and is an attempt to cover it up by intimidating the girls through imprisoning them. Likely Fiona would get the record while Flora is let off allowing them to use her as they saw fit." Kennedy called her people and had them contact the Minnesota BCA immediately. She wasn't fooling around, this was a serious crime and the girls were pawns in a game of brinkmanship with powerful foes. She had everything in her power at her disposal and she wasn't afraid to use them to keep the girls safe from harm. They were not returning to Minnesota. Chapter 4 Back at home, Jessica awaited the results. She hugged Fiona tightly upon hearing what she had said then just nodded at Flora's evaluation results. It was as expected, she didn't need to know the full details as anyone who had ever met her for more than a few seconds could see that she was a girl inside. The girls were sent upstairs to relax while the three Nelsons talked. Jessica gave them a glare as she demanded to know what they were going to do about the girls' legal issue. Quentin only uttered, "I told Kennedy" which was enough to satisfy Jessica, she knew Kennedy would show no mercy in ensuring proper justice was brought on the girls' behalf. Jessica asked about the next day, getting a grin and happy, "School. Or signing them up for school. Dorothy and Yvette are expecting them after we sign them up. I don't think their records will be sent anytime soon so they are going to ignore this and allow them in at the grade they should be in." Jessica could only grin, knowing full well where both were going to end up. Faith, Ella, and Daisy weren't gong to let Flora go at things alone while Fiona would have a hard time keeping Mia, Kylie, Margaret, Nancy, and Nichole from helping her adjust to her new class. They would also help her deal with the worst predators of all- boys their own age. Upstairs, the girls talked about what they had said. Fiona realized that she had admitted to Dr. Dane that she had been having sex with men and that they wanted the same from Flora. Flora was concerned that she may have upset Fiona by telling them what the adults had done to her. Both felt as if they needed to get away from the Nelsons before they ended up n jail because of what they had said. Greta sensed something was wrong and noticed something drop from the back porch. She walked outside and saw the girls trying to flee, both now in tears at getting caught. She ushered them inside to talk, while Jessica took their clothes back upstairs to give them some privacy. Greta asked why they wanted to leave. Neither girl said anything. She then asked, "Did you think that what you told Dr. Eliza or Dr. Dane was going to make us send you away?" Both nodded at hearing that, shedding tears in fear of what she may do. Greta sighed then hugged both, explaining, "You told the truth about someone hurting you. What your foster parents did was abuse, specifically sexual abuse. We are required by law to report that. Quentin talked with a friend of ours who is going to ensure that you are not taken away and that you are not leaving this state. You don't have to go back, she won't let Minnesota take you away. She cares about what happens to you, she is fighting for you. She will ensure that everyone involved in harming you goes to prison for a long time." The girls seemed to calm down but were still on edge. It was understandable to Greta, it was tough to tell the truth about someone hurting you especially as it was going to happen to another loved one. The girls were scared, until they had their day in court they would be on edge about their happiness ending. She saw Jessica creep away with a big smile, looking at her phone she grinned. The little minx had taken a picture of Greta and the girls and sent it off to someone. She would get her back for that, she deserved a little bit of humble pie but loved that she had accepted the girls so readily. The girls stayed huddled in Greta's arms until Quentin returned with dinner. He knew that she hadn't been able to cook due to the girls' mini- breakdown and brought home some Chinese food for them. It was a good gesture, the girls loved the food and Greta was grateful to not have to cook so late especially as she didn't think that the girls would stay there without her keeping a close eye on them. When the girls went upstairs Greta told Quentin what happened. He just nodded, then added, "I'll ask about us adopting the girls. I saw the look in your eyes, you are their mother now in your mind even if you haven't had the heart yet to vocalize it." Greta blushed but he kissed her cheek. She shed a tear as she finally broke down, telling him through sobs, "I just can't help myself. They need a mother. They need someone to help them and protect them. I don't want them to get hurt. I don't want them lost anymore. They need help and we can help them. They need family, we are the closest they have ever had to a real family." Quentin just kissed her again, warmly adding, "Scott was blood to you but these girls are innocents. I agree that they need family and support, you give them both. We will ask them tomorrow, we can't do this if they don't approve. It wouldn't be right. Scott will understand, I know that Jessica already does." The girls were nearby and heard everything. Fiona was being emotional while Flora was unsure about what to say. Fiona hugged and kissed Greta, begging her, "Please be our mother" over and over again. Flora finally caved in and asked the same, forcing Greta to tell them she'd adopt them as her own. She did something else for Fiona, taking her upstairs to have a special talk. Flora tried to ask what was going on only to be offered a cringing, "She's giving her the period talk. Greta thinks your sister may be on the throes of having her first. She is helping prepare her for the inevitable. It may explain some of her opening up to Dr. Dane, it could be the best possible time to have it happen as she got the right people made aware of your situation even if she now has to endure the unpleasant side effects of it." Flora cringed at that, getting the same, "Tell me about it. I still don't like that Jessica and Greta has them but it's part of becoming a woman. I'm sorry you won't have that happen but be glad you won't. It's the biggest thing you should be glad you won't experience even if it's associated with motherhood and having children." She impulsively hugged and kissed him, to which he added, "Being a woman is more than just making babies, some women have been blessed to have children fall into their laps. You met Daisy, well her brother and sister-in-law had that happen to them. You met Olivia, well her son and future daughter-in-law are having that happen to them in a few months. It could happen to you, don't give up hope as you could adopt and give a young child like yourself a loving home." He understood her, he didn't need to reassure her but the act was enough for her. She kissed him for being the dad that she needed, with Quentin hugging and kissing her back. Quentin had won her over without trying to do so, he simply told her what she needed to hear and she loved him for it. Upstairs, Greta sat Fiona down and showed her some, "Supplies" she'd need. She preferred a different style feminine product than Jessica, but Fiona's personal choice would come in time. She listened to Greta intently and asked the important questions, getting responses that were mature and educational but came from experience. It was simply a mother teaching her daughter what to do. To Fiona, it was embarrassing but Greta was doing it for her benefit and wasn't trying to make her feel uncomfortable or amuse herself at the expense of Fiona's dignity. Fiona started to understand the different things and while it was cringe-inducing at times she felt better knowing how to do things than being caught unprepared. After she finished, she shed a tear of happiness over the whole talk then hugged Greta and kissed her cheek, telling her, "Thanks mom." The words were out faster than her brain could register what she had just said. Greta shed a tear at the words, herself adding, "It's part of the job of being your mom." Fiona felt terrible but Greta hugged her again, this time telling her, "If you want to call me that it's OK, you need a mom and I want to be her. You asked for and I agreed to adopt you so it's alright to call me what I'm going to be anyway. Besides, I loved hearing you say it. It felt nice to know it comes from your heart." The two waited in silence as Fiona tried to fight for the right words. She meekly asked, "Can I call you mom? You are what I always wanted in a mom and Quentin is what I always wanted in a dad. Please, can I call you mom?" Fiona's hormones were playing tricks on her but it really was a plea straight from the heart. Greta just nodded, with Fiona adding a soft, "Thanks, mom." Greta laid her down to sleep, putting the products near her as it was clear that she was about to start that night. It was a subtle gesture, but Fiona would appreciate it. Downstairs again, Greta told Quentin what Fiona had said. Quentin just nodded, while Flora asked if she could call her that as well. Flora was happy when both said, "If you want" with Flora smiling and nearly crying, saying, "Goodnight mom, dad" to them as she went up to go to sleep. The couple kissed as Greta's tears welled up. She wasn't prone to rash decisions but it felt right to help the girls who had won her heart. They needed stability and love, she had love to give them. The next morning, the girls woke up with smiles on their faces. Flora asked if last night was a dream to which Fiona asked, "If it was, we both had it." They went downstairs to an upbeat Quentin cooking breakfast for them as Greta slowly awoke from the stressful slumber. Quentin left, giving the girls kisses causing blushes but showing it wasn't a dream, he was going to be their new father. The girls slowly got dressed with Greta telling them that it wasn't going to be too bad. The two took a bit of time choosing the right outfits, going with smart conservative looks for the day. They were delaying the inevitable, they were fearful of how the school would react to Flora. Greta told them, "Yvette is fine with you, she handled several girls like you already. You already know three of your new classmates, they are respected and feared. They won't let your classmates or others harm you or allow any kind of bullying. Daisy is not afraid to set someone straight, she will defend you." Fiona was concerned about other things. Greta sighed and had to tell her, "Dorothy has dealt with kids who are different too many times to count. She and Alice are disciplinarians and won't let you slack off nor will they allow bullying or forced exclusion. You will make friends and enjoy your time in school." The three left for city hall to sign the girls up for school. The assistant superintendent had little trouble with Flora once Greta presented the statement from Dr. Eliza. Fiona was just given a glance and told that due to the superintendent fiddling with the numbers Fiona was likely to be in Alice Porter's school due to an imbalance of students, which was a concern to Greta and caused fear in Fiona. Alice's school was the tougher children, those who were struggling academically and who needed a push from teachers. They were taught the same things, but the styles were different. Her students were routinely shifted around when they proved too advanced or there were issues in Dorothy's school that needed to be worked out forcing a shift of students to remove problems and give those problems a chance to work themselves out in a new environment. Fiona was going to endure the school due to numbers. Her new teacher was supposedly a good teacher, but Fiona was going to be targeted immediately by the girls and boys of her class. Some students unfortunately get lost in the shuffle but Fiona was a survivor and would try her best despite the issues in class and hope that Greta and Quentin didn't realize keeping them was a mistake. The drive to the elementary school complex was quick but the girls saw a lot of the city they hadn't seen yet. Mrs. King met them at the school's main office and only looked over the paperwork, signing off on Flora's assignment to her husband's class. She smiled at Flora, telling her warmly, "You will love Ivan's class. He has a way with kids and I suspect you will make quick friends there." The four walked to Ivan's class, with Ivan giving the kids a short break so he could talk with Yvette. He greeted Greta and was formally introduced to Flora, with him kneeling down and explaining that he'd keep a close eye on her to ensure she wasn't bullied or worse. Greta grinned and added, "She knows three of your students already. She had the pleasure of shopping with Daisy, Ella Finn, and Faith." Ivan grinned at hearing that. Yvette just shook her head, adding, "Woe be to the person who upsets Daisy. There's something about those Finn ladies. I shudder to think about what Cat Finn will do when she gets here in two years. Maybe I'll put in for early retirement." Ivan had to suppress his smirk as Greta added, "They are their mother's daughters. You knew Karen at that age, I know full well that Valerie was just like that, and Gabby and Jake have told me Lilly was the same. They are their mother's daughters, biological or not they are taking after their mothers." Ivan entered his classroom and announced, "I have good news for all of you. Tomorrow we will be receiving a new student. She is a smart young lady who will take a bit of time to adjust to school here so please give her the benefit of the doubt. Daisy, Faith, Ella, you know her already so please continue doing what you did over the weekended. Just keep the talking to a minimum." The girls let out a joint, "Flora!" which Ivan nodded at. He started class again but the girls' minds were on Flora and the next day. Flora heard their joint expression and felt great, they were the first girls who had shown a true interest in her and were eager to see her the next day. The trio left Yvette to handle the complaints that would come the next day as she informed parents that Flora was going to be in their class and would not be discriminated against. Flora was quiet as Fiona felt like she was going to her execution. She was alright with school, but she felt let down that she was going to be in a worse school than the one she was supposed to be in. The group were met at the main office for the middle school by Alice Porter who felt bad that Fiona had not gotten assigned to the proper school but she was overruled by the superintendent due to what was claimed to be overcrowding in Dorothy's school. Dorothy's school was almost at capacity while Alice's school had multiple openings and she had to actually transfer several students from Dorothy's school to alleviate the overflow of remedial students but there was still an open slot or two for sixth graders in Dorothy's school. It was a shame and several students were affected but it had to be done. Fiona wasn't the only new student who got shifted. Maisie Campbell, the girl who warned Mia, Kylie, and Nichole about the troublesome boys in August, was reassigned to Alice's school and would be in the same class as Fiona. Maisie had gotten chosen due to no ties to the school and being the newest student that year and struggling due to undisclosed classroom issues she was chosen over others. Greta had to accept this but added that the seven in Mrs. Shriner's class would not be happy. Fiona was a hot topic for them and as four had experience in foster care Fiona would have had support from them. The kids would endure and they would have opportunities to help Fiona, just not during class. Fiona was led to her new classroom and spoke with her new teacher, Ms. Putnam. Ms. Putnam put on an overworked and stressed to the maximum act with Alice having to tell her that they were taking care of the problem for her and it needed more time. She sighed, then told Alice that she'd keep an eye on Fiona but hoped that she didn't need too much supervision. The group left, with Alice having to quell the rambunctious class that got out of hand once Ms. Putnam stepped out to speak with Fiona. Greta saw immediately that there were four ringleaders and the way they acted it was like her son Scott all over again. She quietly told Fiona, "Be careful of boys trying to get on your good side especially those four boys. They may seem nice but looks are deceiving." On the way out they passed Mrs. Shriner's class and Greta had to tell the seven to keep going. They noticed Fiona and Flora and wanted to say something but had to keep moving to music room. Greta hated to have to do that but she didn't have the heart to tell them Fiona wasn't joining them. Once they left, Fiona asked what that was about. Greta sighed and explained, "That was Mrs. Shriner's class. Seven of the students are close with Scott and Jessica. You haven't had the chance yet but the kids have banded together into a tight knit group. You heard about Daisy, Faith, and Ella being closely related, well it's even more complex than that with them. I'm not related to any of the boys or girls but they call me 'Aunt Greta' due to their connections. It will take you hours to learn the connections, but I expect to be asked later on by their parents what happened to you joining their class and they won't be happy to hear it. Alice and Dorothy are great people but even they can't have their way all of the time especially as they are overruled by someone above them." Greta received her upset phone calls but only Kennedy seemed to understand that bureaucracy sucks at times even if it didn't make sense. Karen Smith expected something was going to happen with the boys in Fiona's class once she heard whose class she was assigned to and told her to keep a close eye on Fiona. The boys had been nasty since the start of the year and with Fiona she feared they may use her as a test case for bullying outright instead of covertly if they didn't do something worse to her. Quentin came home early and was exhausted from tiresome meetings with people who didn't seem to understand that zoning and ordinances were put in place for a reason. The girls listened to him talk and were enthralled by something so simple yet so important to his job. He appreciated their interest and felt like he was doing something with his job instead of just going through the motions. The family ate dinner in silence with Greta sensing something was going on that Quentin didn't want to talk about with the girls there. Once they were done and helped cleanup the dishes Quentin finally sat Greta down to talk about some things. His look wasn't good, it was his, "This is bad" look. The two went up to Quentin's office in the attic, knowing the girls would not violate the closed door. Inside, Quentin explained, "I received a phone call from the sheriff out in Minnesota. He wasn't happy that the girls had not been returned to him. He told me that he was going to personally extradite the girls and would ensure that both of us were put in jail for harboring fugitives. I tried to explain that we were doing this under orders from DCF but he didn't care one bit about the truth, he wanted the girls." Greta asked a quick, "Did you record the phone call?" He nodded, adding, "I told him immediately, he said he didn't care and told me he was coming in 10 days. I told Kennedy who just nodded." Greta thought for a minute then grinned. She surmised, "He can't just drag the kids off, he needs a valid warrant for arrest then has to go before a judge. This is where she comes in, she won't let the girls go." Quentin just nodded silently. Greta sighed and told him that they'd talk with Kennedy and the state about the girls' rights. If need be, they'd beg the governor for help to keep the girls safe. Quentin called his brother-in-law to tell him about the girls' being sought by the sheriff. Mick Jones listened, laughed, then shot back a terse, "They were never charged with a crime while in the state, they were only charged after New York contacted them but the charges weren't officially filed until after we contacted them. They are seeking extradition for a small amount, one that could be argued to be barely a felony and in all cases was not extradited. It won't fly." Mick hung up and had to think. He called his colleagues at the Minneapolis FBI office and had them update him on the status of the investigation. They heard rumblings about the girls returning and were of the belief that the ring was active again, specifically thanks to the girls. When Mick told them that they were being extradited back to Minnesota they laughed then thanked him for sending them down a new path in their investigation as it was now shown to be directly connected to the sex ring. Mick's mouth had a huge smile. He asked if they could obtain the court records regarding the arrest warrant for the girls, leading to the FBI agents to blurt out, "There isn't one!" Mick swore loudly as he heard that, with the agents taking this to mean that the girls were in trouble and they may have just caused Mick and his colleagues to scramble to keep the girls safe. Sighing, Mick asked that they obtain all court records and fax them directly to Kennedy. They asked why, getting an exasperated, "She's the only person who can be trusted to ensure that you don't lose your star witnesses. She's the one person who can be trusted to fight for the girls against political pressure and ensure that you get your interviews with them and ensure that the politicians who will be dive bombing your investigation are taken out by her crack team of legal snipers. That is before the girls' own lawyers bring out their own legal artillery to destroy the case. My sister alone is enough to scare most judges in the Boston area, and that's before she even presents her case before them." Across town, Kennedy was writing up her notes and found irregularities in the girls' stories. The more she read, the more things didn't add up. Why had nobody asked their former foster parents how they were able to steal $500 if they had no job, no visible means of support, and were living off county welfare? In fact, how had they even been allowed to be foster parents in the first place if they not visible means of supporting themselves. It made no sense to her, yet the girls had admitted to stealing money they didn't officially have. She smirked at the oversight. It was the ticket to showing that the couple were using the girls for illegal things and what they really were looking for were the girls not justice for the theft. They thought they were doing something slick in extraditing the girls, they were going up against an enraged Kennedy who had no problem making them pay dearly for this affront to justice. Kennedy's legal team were hard at work finding legal precedents for denying extradition due to choice. Legally, the governor could deny the extradition on any grounds but she wanted more. The girls would likely end up severely hurt or worse if she failed to find enough legal ammunition to back her up so she had to be sure of what they were arguing and have everything covered. By late evening, she found just what she needed. The two of them were wanted for the same crime which was stealing a small sum of money, the amount of which was a misdemeanor instead of a felony, and was reported well after they had fled the state. All of this was grounds for denying the extradition despite the warrant and could be grounds for having the warrant rescinded outright. She called her boss, Angela Victor, and informed her that the Commonwealth had a case that was going to be tricky. When she told her the details Angela laughed and joked, "They really thought they were going to just bully their way around without seeing the inside of a courtroom? Jones is involved, I don't have to know anything else to know that he has people looking into this out in Minnesota. This will get political, but the fact that a couple of young girls are being forcibly removed to another state to face charges for petty crimes that are dubious at best, hard to prove at worst, will be a huge issue for them and if their governor doesn't respond he can kiss his future goodbye." The duo formulated a plan and notified their counterparts in Minnesota that they were going to deny extradition without a probable cause hearing as well as a citing an active federal investigation into the girls that will be disrupted if they were returned. They were blunt in their statement, leaving no wiggle room for the girls to be seized. The federal court would have a hard time granting the extradition as it is a direct violation of their writ of habeas corpus as their crime wasn't enough to satisfy their state's own laws regarding extradition. It was a long night but Angela was more than happy to work it out and ensure that the two girls had full coverage with no legal loopholes. She was a master at finding those loopholes and had worked hard to close them. Kennedy was a master at citing legal precedent, together they were an unbeatable team. The next morning, the girls were anxious as they showered and ate. Greta was ready in case they needed her but hoped she didn't have to leave work. Fiona dragged her feet, it was the start of a new life for her but she still had trouble accepting that she was returning to a normal life. Flora was dropped off first, with Faith running full speed for her. Greta was offended that she didn't show her that kind of attention, getting a smile and hug before she went back to Flora. Ella simply hugged Flora and led her inside while Daisy was quietly thinking about homework. Lilly offered to take Flora home after school, knowing that the girls would want to stay together for as long as possible. Greta reluctantly agreed, it would be good for the girls to unwind and let Flora get a chance to see the others outside of the Nelson home. It also allowed Greta to catch up on work, with a few things needing to be done quickly and knowing Fiona would go home with one of the other kids. Inside the cafeteria, the girls introduced Flora to their classmates. The other girls looked over Flora and assessed her, noting that she was cute and had great hair and a nice sense of style. Her being close with the trio added another level of scrutiny as the trio normally kept to themselves and didn't interact with people except their younger cousins. Flora got to next meet Trinity Eliza, Tyler Reagan, and Virgil York. The trio hugged Flora with Trinity grinning widely at Flora for some reason. Daisy whispered to her, "She's like you, she was born a boy." Flora couldn't believe it but the girls nodded. Trinity nodded too, not needing to be told what they had said. Flora had to hide her tears, she wasn't going to be the only girl born wrong in the school. The girls led her to the disabled restrooms to clear her head with Trinity following and offering her a hug. Trinity looked nothing like a girl just starting out like Flora. Flora still had semi-short hair that was easy to put into a boy's hairstyle while Trinity had long auburn hair down to the middle of her back. She was also the prettiest among the girls, she could have been a model in Flora's eyes but looking at Trinity she could tell that Trinity wasn't trying to be overly girly- she just was. The four told Flora to go to the bathroom before class, knowing that it would be a while before she could go herself. It also ensured that she was fully calmed before class, allowing her to enjoy Ivan's teaching without an emotional response. After doing her business she was excited to go to class, it was actually the first time she could do so as a normal girl and not as a walking joke by her foster parents. Ivan greeted the girls outside the classroom and seated Flora next to Faith. The two were fine with the arrangement as there had been uneven number of students making the trio work together. Faith was actually a good choice to counter Flora, she cared a lot about Flora but wasn't irrational as either girl. He asked Flora warmly if she was ready to learn, getting a reluctant nod as the other kids started to enter and whisper about her being there. Faith just grinned at them, she made it clear that Flora was with her and not because she had to be. Ivan saw the closeness and grinned, it was perfect for Flora. After the last student entered, Ivan stated, "We have a new student joining us today. I refuse to lie to you about her so I will tell you that she is special. She was born in the wrong body and is becoming a girl. I told you yesterday to take the notices to your parents and grandparents, well Flora is why. She is to be treated as everyone else and I will not hesitate to have you suspended if you break the school's rules." He went over the rules again, this time ensuring that they kids knew them inside and out before starting class. Flora was grateful that he did that, he made it known right away that he was supporting her and not just saying that he was doing so. Flora felt great relief when Faith and she worked on their classwork and earned praise for doing so well, with Flora doing better than Ivan had expected. During lunch, the four ate together with their classmates staying away but being close enough to hear what they were saying. They didn't talk about much, Daisy was complaining about her brothers and sister doing something annoying while Ella whined about not helping her brother Michael plan his wedding. Faith mumbled that Neil had been acting weird since he met Fiona getting Flora to joke that maybe he had a crush on her. The girls giggled at that as Neil was sitting with his friends Ethan Smith, Logan Finn, and Junior Kelly as well as Logan's ever-present girl friend. They were joined by three girls who were always with them, which Ella jokingly called, "Their girlfriends." To Flora, it was clear that the girls had crushes on the boys and were talking with them, it was sweet that the boys knew they were closer than normal but were doing their own thing while still doing the girls a service by talking to them as friends. Faith pointed out, "They are all going to Michael's wedding. They are the boys' escorts. They got invited because the boys didn't want to go alone and all of the older kids had dates." The girls giggled at that, but it was sweet to Flora to see the boys doing things differently. It was the orphan in her talking, but it was also the little sister in her that wanted to see the bigger boys happy. She did like that the boys were acting different than other boys and had made her see boys differently. Back in class, the kids enjoyed a few hours of fun as Ivan worked them up into a learning frenzy. Flora started to have trouble adjusting to his style, she was so used to rigid systems so being around a teacher who enjoyed his students' learning as much as he enjoyed teaching was completely new to her. She had to admit that she was learning more from him than she had in first or second grade, with her teachers being tough to understand at times and fighting constant boredom as they droned on about things. After the class was dismissed, the interrogations by their classmates started. Flora was asked about where she came from, what she did before she came there, about her family, and about her friends. It was tough to answer for her, she didn't want to tell too much but it was also tough to not be honest with the kids for fear that they may find out later and think she lied to them. She finally admitted, "My sister and I fled our home because our foster family wanted to do bad things to us. We moved to Chicago then Washington then New York before settling in Boston. Our new foster mother found us in her office building and got us to a doctor then took us into her home. We are staying with Faith's aunt and uncle. They want to adopt us as their daughters." The kids picked up on, "Foster parents" and asked about that. Flora wouldn't lie, telling them, "Our old parents are dead. We were put into foster care but had to leave because of the bad things they wanted to do to us. Please don't ask what it was, it was really bad and Fiona won't even tell me why." The kids were shocked. Daisy blurted out, "Bad touching" which the kids gasped at. Daisy added, "Her foster parents were really bad to her sister and wanted to do bad things to Flora too. They are in deep trouble, Aunt Sarah is going after them for what the did and Uncle Mick won't let them get away!" The kids left it alone after that. They understood what Daisy said and even those naive about sex knew what, "Bad touching" meant especially as they had been told to report it to teachers and doctors. Daisy wouldn't have told them if it wasn't serious and real, giving them a sense of Flora's troubled past. As they exited the school their parents were less than happy to learn that their children had been in class with a girl like Flora without them being informed far in advance. It was expected from many, they had an image of a large, muscular boy with a shaved head wearing a dress acting like a caricature of a girl while trying to kiss their daughters and sons. None of them recognized Flora as the girl, in fact they were starting to toss around accusations about the boys in the class, many of whom were feminine looking yet who were like any other boys. Yvette let them ramble on and watched as their children listened in shock at their parents' reactions. They had just seen how bad their parents could be towards children who were different and didn't like it. Flora had done nothing wrong, she had only shown up for school and done what other girls did. Yvette let them ramble on and accuse one another for a few more minutes before declaring that they should move their discussion inside away from the children, lest they be exposed to their real parents. Her words cut deep, she had gotten their attention while their children glared at them angrily. She had also caused them to take notice of one another and just how different they truly were from appearances. The parents entered and once inside, Yvette took a deep breath and informed them, "You were notified yesterday that a transgender student was joining your children's class. Her joining is nonnegotiable, she will be a student as she is legally entitled to a free and fair public education. She is no danger to your daughters nor your sons, she has no interest in sex and at eight years old none of your children should. She will not be removed nor will I allow you to harass, abuse, or exclude her." She smirked as she then added, "She is in the care of two highly respected individuals whose family I know through extensive work with over the years. Her foster father is a reserve police officer and highly skilled architect, her foster mother is a respected investment banker. Their in-laws are entrenched in the law enforcement and legal community so please don't think that you can bully your way into a courtroom to have her removed as it won't work. We know the legalities of her being a student as well as her rights and we will enforce both. It's your right to try them but you will lose." She dared them to respond. They just got up and walked away, with several vowing to remove their children from the class. This only led to more arguing as friendships frayed and inner people came out. Yvette walked outside to Ivan's bright smile. He hugged and kissed her, telling her affectionately, "She's got the perfect principal to help her. Woe be the person dumb enough to challenge you."