Majorette 2
Night of Fire
Chapter 1: Dreams
Steven Andrews lay on his back, under his covers. In his
mind, he was making love to a luscious, graceful majorette. Her blonde hair
blew in an unseen wind, and she moaned with pleasure. They lay in each other's
arms. He reached up to remove the crimson mask, but her hands stopped him. Who
was she? His real-life encounter with this fantasy image last night seemed to
be bordering on fascination.
He got up, crossed to the computer desk, and turned on his
PC. In a text document, he entered what he knew about her. A bit shorter than
him… he guessed 5'7", athletic build, paranormal. Eyes… He couldn't
clearly remember her eyes. They were sort of nondescript in color. Caucasian.
Whoever she had been, she had also had his cell phone number.
Then he pulled up articles from various local newspapers.
Eyewitness accounts stated that she had leapt from the bleachers at one point,
a twenty-five foot drop. Another stated that her acrobatic abilities seemed to
indicate formal training.
Steve's mind went back to Laura Sanders. She was a recessive
paranormal. She was blonde, and she was on the gymnastics team. But he'd run
into her at the game. For that matter, she stood there while the majorette had
been on the field fighting.
On a wild goose chase, Steve searched the Beneficial
Mutations Archive website, trying to determine if anyone had ever exhibited the
ability to project another tangible body. No such luck. Maybe the majorette
wasn't real, but only a visual image with telekinetic additions. He brushed
that away quickly. He himself had kissed her, smelled her, and spoken with her.
She was real, all right.
What did that leave? Another gymnastics member? That would
mean an activated paranormal that no one knew about in their high school. He
felt very uneasy at that thought, for some reason.
He sifted through newspaper articles. Finally, he realized
he just didn't have enough information to continue the search. He reached for a
copy of the school newspaper. Maybe the kids in journalism class had gathered
more info. He checked the school website. No new articles had been posted since
last night.
Steve stopped for a moment. Think. The editor of the school
paper would be the point where all that information would flow. He looked at
the paper. Brandon Shay was listed as Editor. He'd seen Brandon at the game,
working concessions.
He flipped through the town phone book, looking up 'Shay'.
There were twelve entries. He had no idea where to start. So, starting with the
first number, he made a call. No luck. The second number, while not Brandon's
house, was the house of his uncle. They directed him to the correct number. The
phone rang.
”Hello?” Came a soft male voice on the other end.
”Umm… Hi. I'm wondering if Brandon is home?” Steve said.
”This is Brandon. May I ask who's calling?” Brandon stated.
”Hi, Brandon. This is Steve Andrews. I wanted to know if any
of the folks on the school paper have gathered any information on that
majorette that showed up last night,” Steve said.
”No one has contacted me yet. Actually, I was kind of hoping
I could talk to you at some point about it. I hear you had some action
yourself. I didn't see it though,” Brandon said excitedly.
”Yeah… I spoke with her several times and even threw a burst
at the green haired guy she fought. I think I'd be fine with being interviewed
for the school paper, if you keep me informed about anything that comes in
about the mystery girl,” Steve said.
He didn't care about everyone in school hearing about his
part in all this. Everyone knew he was paranormal. No one would ever mess with
him because of that, and if he could get some positive press, considering how
some people freaked when they found out he could burn through plate steel, he'd
be all the happier. Considering the reaction to the majorette last night when
she left the field, he figured the school was hyped about him as well.
”Sure. Would you like to meet somewhere today?” Brandon
asked, nearly elated about the story this would make.
”Alright. How's the library work for you?” Steve asked.
”Great.” Brandon looked at the clock in the kitchen of his
home. It was just after 10 AM. ”How about noon? Hey, would you rather go eat
lunch somewhere, instead of meeting at the library?” Brandon suggested.
”Now you're talking. How about we meet at … I don't know…
Taco Bell or something?”
Steve picked something cheap.
”Great. See you there at noon, then!”
Brandon hung up the phone, very excited.
…
She was free. She wore the bright red, white, and blue
uniform of a Marshal High majorette. She went through the routine with the
other majorettes as the band blared behind her. It was the half-time show. The
crowd cheered. Her best friend stood on the sidelines in a cheerleader uniform.
Her boyfriend stood near the cheerleader. Cameras flashed, as her mom and dad
sat in the stands, proudly taking pictures of it all. The band finished, and
she walked off field, toward her friends. She felt so alive. As she came
close, they looked at her, but the expression on her best friend's face was
wrong. The look of recognition was absent. The world was silent. Everything
moved in slow motion. She wanted to say ”It's me, it's…”, but she didn't even
know how to finish the sentence. She couldn't remember her own name. She
couldn't think through the pain in her leg. She looked down to see what was
wrong. Blood rolled down her shin where it was split open to the bone. In her
vision was a streak of green and the face of a young man in front of her. The
face was Mike Mazzy. He said something. She thought it was "We do what we
please, and I'm going to make you bleed, faggot". She wanted to cry. She
didn't understand what was going on. Finally, her boyfriend jumped in to save
her from the horrors. He shoved away the green-haired assailant, then turned to
comfort her. He ran his fingers through her hair, in a petting gesture, and in
great handfuls, the hair fell out. The cheerleader still didn't know her. Her
boyfriend was backing away like she was a deformed freak, and all over, cameras
were snapping pictures of this horrific moment. She reached for her face to
hide her tears, only to find it was covered, and tore away the covering. It
didn't stop there. Her entire uniform began tearing at the seams. As it fell
away, she tried to cover her breasts, but to her horror, she found that they
too were pealing away, like so much leprous flesh. Naked now, she trembled as
the weight of thousands of eyes fell on her. Finally, she screamed in terror.
Glen sat up, not knowing if he had actually screamed, and
waiting anxiously to hear whether his mother would come running in to check on
him.
"God" he thought, ”what a nightmare,” and sank
back from his sitting position.
He realized the uncomfortable dampness of the pillow and
sheets beneath him. He sat up and found that he'd soaked his sheets with sweat.
He stood up and walked into the bathroom, then sat down and
began to relieve himself. He usually sat when he peed, unless it was just
terribly inconvenient to do so. If he stood, it just reminded him of 'plumbing'
problems he had. The word 'bleed' was echoing in his mind, although the content
of the dream he had was already fading. He checked the leg that had been
bleeding in the dream. It didn't have as much as a scratch, but his mind was
now starting to pick apart the dream, and remember what had been reality.
He wondered if his parents were up, concentrating on the
sounds around him. He found it odd that he could hear his mother softly
shuffling in the kitchen, even over the sound of his father in the yard on the
riding mower.
He even heard his mother take a deep breath. At this, Glen
covered his ears.
”Glen!” she shouted up the stairs from the kitchen door.
”Yeah, mom,” he returned.
”Are you up, honey?” she asked.
”Yes mom, I'm… in the bathroom,” he said a little
embarrassed.
He frequently wished she wouldn't yell across the house.
”Well, I've made something for you to eat. Do you feel well
enough to come down?” she bellowed.
At this, Glen realized they expected him to be sick by now.
The truth was that Glen thought it had already come and gone yesterday. He felt
fine, other than the slight sensitivity to light.
Glen eventually finished his business, washed his hands, and
went back to his room to throw on some jeans and a t-shirt. He trotted down the
stairs quickly and silently. His mother stepped into the door of the kitchen
just as he was about to walk in. She looked startled.
”Oh! Glen. My Lord, I didn't hear you come down the stairs,”
she exclaimed.
Glen just smiled. He looked at the clock. It read 10:12 AM.
He'd slept ten hours. It surprised him, because he usually woke up early. Maybe
he was still experiencing some effects from the virus. He ate the soup and
sandwich his mother made him. After finishing it, he made himself another peanut
butter sandwich, with a massive spread of peanut butter. He washed it down with
two glasses of milk. He was rooting in the fridge when his mother came back in.
”Are you still hungry?” she asked.
”Yeah… kind of…” he admitted.
”What do you feel like eating?” she looked at him,
questioning.
”Honestly, mom… I think I could eat a cow right now. I'm…
starving.”
Glen had not noticed until the food hit his stomach how
empty it had felt. Even with what should have been a large meal, he was still
almost ravenous. She set an apple in front of him, and started making a frozen
pizza.
”Oh, Glen, will your belly be able to handle this?” she
asked.
”I could seriously eat anything right now. Chili-dogs and
sauerkraut, I don't care.”
Glen was nearly laughing at the image of what he'd just
said. He munched a big bite of the apple. Then the phone rang.
”Hello?” he said, trying to talk through the apple in his
mouth.
”Hi. This is Brandon Shay. Is Glen home?”
Glen nearly choked on the apple. He swallowed most of the
rest of it and replied.
”Oh… Hi. This is Glen. What's up?” he said.
”Well… I told you I'd call you today, didn't I?” Brandon
said sweetly. ”Actually, I was wondering if you were feeling better, and would
like to meet me and Steve Andrews for lunch.”
Glen felt himself get a very weird flash from that
statement.
”Why…” Glen paused to clear a piece of apple from his
throat. ”Why are you having lunch with Steven Andrews?”
”Because he wanted to discuss the mystery majorette from
last night,” Brandon stated in a mater-of-fact tone.
Glen's heart was beating hard, and he felt trapped. He'd
been busted.
”Why do you want me there, then?” he finally asked,
wondering if he'd regret the answer.
”You obviously spoke to her as well. You passed that message
on to Fade for her. I was hoping to get everyone together to compare notes, you
know?”
”Who's 'Fade'?” Glen asked.
”You know, Gerald Johnson. I call him Fade, because he… you
know… fades,” Brandon said, then added ”And besides… I really wanted to see you
again.”
Glen blushed.
”Okay,” he finally relented. ”When and Where?”
Chapter 2: Reality
Gerald Johnson sat in his bedroom in a cramped trailer. He
stared at the ceiling tiles, wishing he knew what to do. Six times this
morning, people had come to the door of the trailer. That was about normal.
Gerald's mom was one of several small time drug dealers in the city. His mother
might be strung out and messed up, but she kept a reasonable operation going.
Gerald didn't like how thin his mother always looked, but he had no good ideas
of getting them out of the situation they were in.
Several nights ago, he'd seen a car cruise past. He only
took note when it went past again the next day. Twice this morning he'd seen
the same vehicle. He had the sneaking suspicion that someone was casing the
place, and from the looks of the well worn, heavy, late-seventies sedan, and
the passengers inside, he didn't think it was narcotics officers.
He was afraid. Not for himself, though. He knew he was
basically untouchable by any conventional means. If he was ghosted, no solid
matter could touch him, so he had no fear of bullets, bombs, and the like.
However, his mother didn't share his unique protections, and he was afraid that
it was her that the people in the car were concerned with.
He walked down the short hall to the kitchen, listening to
his shoes stick to the floor. Roaches scattered as he flicked on the light. His
stomach rolled. He sighed in frustration, continuing into the living room. His
mother sat in an overstuffed recliner, watching the huge television that was
the centerpiece of their home.
”Mom, I need to talk to you,” he announced.
”Can it wait? I'm right in the middle of a movie,” she said,
in a somewhat far off voice.
Gerald knew she was high. He never got into needles or
opiates. Unfortunately, his mother did. He walked up to her to block her view
of the television, looking straight in her eyes.
”Mom… listen to me. It looks like some guys are casing our
trailer. It might be a rival dealer, and I think that maybe we should go
somewhere for a few days.”
He saw she was looking at him, but he couldn't tell how much
his words were sinking in.
”You worry too much. Here, go get yourself some lunch. We'll
be fine,” she said handing him a roll of bills.
He flipped through them, realizing there was something like
four hundred dollars there. She was out of it. He stood there, not able to come
up with a reasonable plan for her protection.
He turned back toward his room, and gathered his military
surplus field jacket. He did a quick check out the windows of his room before
ghosting through the wall. Once his mostly insubstantial form settled to the
ground, he resolidified. He dug the keys from his jacket pocket, opening his
rusty old Nova.
He rolled out of the trailer court, not knowing exactly
where he was going. He needed help, and no matter how messed up his mom was, he
didn't feel right involving the police. He wanted to help her, not watch her
sent off to prison. But prison was better than being murdered. He felt sick
with anxiety, as he turned toward downtown where all the fast food restaurants
were.
…
Laura Sanders lay on Lisa Cross's bed, watching her at the
computer. They had been working together on Lisa's grades all year. Lisa's
unique learning problems had put her somewhat behind in several classes, mostly
her computer related ones. Laura had made it her mission to keep Lisa's grades
up, so she could remain on the cheerleading squad. The new flat computer
screens had helped immensely. Lisa couldn't watch normal cathode ray tube
monitors, including televisions. Her eyes were much more sensitive to visual
stimulus, and the scan lines were intolerable to her, regardless of the
monitor's frequency. Only something with constant lighting or a non-lit LED
screen prevented her from suffering the equivalent of motion sickness.
”Great,” Laura stated. ”Now turn the page. Keep your eyes on
what you're copying, and make sure you keep your hands on the correct position
on the keyboard.”
Lisa tapped away at the keyboard, not watching her hands as
she read the text on the page. She had gotten up to nearly thirty five words
per minute. A little faster and she would have no problem passing the final
test in her keyboarding class. She finished the sentence, and swiveled in her
chair to look at Laura.
”Hey… Who do you think that girl was last night?” she asked.
”No idea. Why do you ask?” Laura responded.
”I think it'll be a while before anyone figures out who she
is, what with her disguise and all,” Lisa continued.
”I don't know. Regardless of what comic books would like us
to believe, I don't think a mask is all that great of a disguise. I mean, her
eyes, mouth… most of her face was still uncovered,” Laura returned.
”Yeah, but everyone's looking for a blonde. I think that'll
throw people off for a while,” Lisa commented.
”Well, she WAS blonde,” Laura stated.
”No… she was wearing a blonde wig,” Lisa corrected.
”How do you know she was wearing a wig?”
Laura was intrigued by the juicy tidbit.
”Thermals. I see infrared, you know. She had too much heat
on her head. She also had a LOT of padding on her chest,” Lisa proudly stated.
”Wow… We ought to…”
The chirp of her cell phone interrupted Laura's statement.
She flipped it open.
”Hello?” She said. ”Oh, hi Steve… Yes I do, but she's
sitting right next to me. I could just ask her instead.” Laura spoke her side
of the conversation, then turned to Lisa. ”It's Steve Anderson. He wants to
know if we want to meet with him, Brandon, and Glen for lunch, to discuss the
mystery woman,” Laura said with great excitement.
”Oh, yeah. That sounds much better than studying. Are you
cool with taking a break?” Lisa asked.
”For this? Sure,” She stated, then turned her attention back
to the phone. ”Sure, Steve. We could meet you at… What? Yeah. I guess we could
see if we could catch a ride with Glen. I'll call you back in ten minutes if I
can't arrange something. Okay… bye.”
She ended the call, and typed in Glen's number.
”Hey Glen, this is Laura. Steve just called, and wanted us
to meet him for lunch. Would you be all right with swinging by to pick us up?
Yeah… We're at Lisa's…Cool, thanks. Are you feeling okay? …No, you just sound a
little shaky, that's all… Oh, okay. Well, see you in a few minutes!”
She folded the little phone and put it back in her purse.
”Why's Glen going to this thing?” Lisa asked. ”I thought he
got there after all the excitement.”
”Well…” Laura wasn't normally one to spread gossip. ”Glen
and Brandon… sort of… went out last night after the game. Maybe they found
something out about her.”
Laura felt a bit bad about spilling the beans.
”Glen and Brandon Shay? Oh my god! They'd make such a cute
couple!” Lisa squealed.
”Yeah. I thought so too. I think it's about time Glen
started having boyfriends… or romantic interests, or whatever,” Laura said.
They rushed outside the large, opulent home Lisa lived in,
and stood in the cool shade of a large oak. The rolling meadows separating the
homes in this area of town spoke volumes about the wealth of the neighborhood.
”So, I guess this rather confirms Glen's orientation,” Lisa
stated as they stood, waiting for Glen to arrive.
”Sort of…” Laura hesitated.
”What does 'Sort of' mean? Is he bi?” Lisa pressed.
”No…” Laura thought about how to put it. ”I don't think Glen
sees himself as a 'he',” she finally tried to articulate.
”Glen wants to be a girl?” Lisa asked, somewhat stunned.
”It's not exactly that he wants to be a girl… more that he's
always considered himself one. Does that make sense?” Laura struggled putting
her perception of the situation into words.
”Oh…” Lisa said, staring off in thought.
”What's 'Oh'?” Laura grilled.
”It's… nothing…” Lisa stated, looking troubled.
”Liar. What's up?” Laura pressed.
”Look… I could be way wrong… but… I told you I could see
thermals. It wasn't just the head and chest of our mystery girl that was wrong.
She had…” Lisa sighed, somewhat embarrassed. ”Her crotch was the wrong
temperature. Guys' testicles are colder than the rest of their body. I think
this girl had… you know… balls. But if she did, they were small.” At this Lisa
began blushing.
”Oh my god! You can see people's genitals! Now THAT is a
super power!” Lisa exclaimed.
They both burst out laughing. After the humor died away,
Laura began looking very serious.
”But that girl had serious powers. You saw how she moved.
Glen doesn't have any powers…”
Now it was Laura's turn to look off in thought.
”Ummm… damn. I don't want to add fuel to the fire, but Glen
got a shot yesterday after school. He said it was for some gene error they
found in the testing that we had done for our life science class. But he didn't
have the Conrad Sequence.”
The two girls stood in silence for a few moments. Finally,
Laura took a deep breath and exhaled.
”Well, I think there's only one good way to find out if he's
our girl,” Laura stated.
”And what's that?” Lisa inquired.
”I'll just ask him,” Laura stated flatly.
The two stood in the cool autumn breeze, listening to the
leaves rustle. Only a few minutes passed before the familiar little Honda
pulled into Lisa's driveway.
Glen waved at the girls cheerfully. Lisa opened the
passenger side door and climbed into the back seat. Laura sat in the passenger
side front seat, and closed the door. She looked right at Glen.
”Glen, before we take off to meet the boys, I have a
question for you,” she said seriously.
”Sure, what's on your mind?” He asked, looking somewhat
surprised.
Laura again took a deep breath and exhaled.
”Are you the majorette that was in the fight last night?”
she asked, looking right in his eyes.
Glen was stunned. He had no response. His mind raced, trying
to come up with anything, and finally realizing that the delay had answered the
question. There was no sense in trying to lie to Laura at this point. Glen
realized with some disappointment that his 'secret identity' had been figured
out by two separate people. He was no good at this.
”Yeah,” he finally admitted, with his eyes cast down.
To his shock, Laura's face lit up.
”Oh, Glen, you SO kicked ass last night. And you looked
really good in the uniform!” she said, beaming a smile at him.
At this, he brightened.
”Seriously Glen, you were incredible. But I think we need to
work on your makeup,” Lisa added from the back seat.
”Thanks… both of you. Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you last
night. But no one can know about this. I…” He looked nervously at the two girls
in his car. ”Look… I went to the doctor yesterday. They were going to 'repair'
a gene problem I had. My testosterone reception was messed up. I didn't want to
be all… stinky and hairy, so I switched the sequencing sheet of the DNA rewrite
virus, and inserted the Conrad Sequence, hoping for shape shifting abilities.
You both saw what I got instead.”
Glen felt horribly guilty over his actions of the night
before. Lying was something that he hated to do, but spent a lot of time doing…
Lying, and hiding the truth about who he was, and how he felt. It was a matter
of survival. If he were open about his feelings, he'd be even more ostracized
than he already was, not to mention what his parents would do if THEY found
out.
”Well, we should at least tell Steve and Brandon” Laura
said.
At this, Glen's eyes widened and he shook his head.
”Please don't… especially not those two. I…” Glen looked a
little bit embarrassed. ”After all that fighting and stuff was over last night,
Steve… kissed me. Well, he kissed the majorette. It was glorious. Then later, I
went out with Brandon, and we kissed too. It was very nice, but… it just…
wasn't right. I told you yesterday about feeling like a girl. Brandon sees me
as a boy, and it just does nothing for me to be thought of that way. Steve saw
me as a girl, and… for me… that was magic. Please don't ruin it for me. I don't
know what to do, and I know it will probably fall apart or blow up in my face,
but I have never felt anything like this… and I don't want it ruined because…
because of what's between my legs” Glen said.
He felt excited, and sad, and hopeful. The world was
spinning. He looked imploringly at each of the girls in turn. Both girls looked
rather shocked by the admission.
”Glen, why didn't you tell us about how you felt before? I
mean, none of us on the cheerleading squad ever teased you or gave you crap. We
all like you,” Lisa said.
”It's not that easy, Lisa. Every time I think of telling
someone, I think of how they'll react. I can't tell. I didn't think Laura would
be weirded out by it, but she knows me better than anyone else does. Seriously,
please don't tell anyone else about this. It's bad enough already,” Glen
admitted.
”What, because the two of us know?” Laura asked.
”Three people know. Ms. Lynn figured it out last night,”
Glen stated.
”How?” both girls stated almost in perfect unison.
”She's been teaching me Aikido. I was using my jo sticks for
batons, and I only picked one up. She picked up the other one, and returned it
to me last night after the fight,” Glen answered.
Both girls looked at him somewhat in wonder. Finally Laura
broke her stare, and glanced at her watch.
”Oh, we gotta get going. Okay, I agree to say nothing about
this to the boys, but you need to come clean eventually, Glen. If you, as
Majorette, continue anything with Steve, he's going to feel like he was
manipulated when he finds out the truth. And I said 'when', not 'if'. He might
be smarter than any of us here, and I don't think it'll take him long to put
the puzzle together.”
Glen started the car at Laura's urging, and sped off toward
the fast food strip downtown. After a moment, he spoke again.
”How did you figure it out? Who the majorette was, I mean,”
he asked.
”I knew she was wearing a wig, had her chest padded, and …
had other anomalies,” Lisa stated proudly.
Glen spared a glance back at her as he drove.
”How did you know that?” he asked in surprise.
”Along with being able to create photon bursts and split
light, I can also see way beyond normal spectrum. I see infrared and
ultraviolet. Several specialists have speculated that I might see other
electromagnetic frequencies as well,” Lisa announced.
”And my heat signature was wrong,” Glen stated,
understanding the problem with the disguise he'd created.
Chapter 3: Some Assembly Required
Laura had a momentary thought, almost like a mental demand,
and looked in her purse. Then she belted out ”Glen, turn into this bank parking
lot on the right. I need to get some cash from the ATM.”
Glen made a rapid course correction, and went through the
process of dealing with an automated teller.
In moments, they were back on the road, and headed again
toward Taco Bell. Directly behind them now was a light brown Chevy Nova. Gerald
Johnson drove it, and took note of the vehicle in front of him.
Reflexively Gerald followed it into the parking lot. What
now? Why had he bothered following this car? It belonged to that guy that had
passed on the message from the majorette. Maybe that answered his question.
He got out of his car. Three kids had emerged from the car
he'd followed. One was the guy that spoke to him last night. The other two were
cheerleaders. One of those was Lisa Cross. He'd sat in on briefings about
school policy concerning use of beneficial mutations with her. She was
activated. Gerald wondered what was going on.
Lisa got her tray of food, and wandered over to a table
where Brandon and Steve sat. Her jet-black hair bounced as she walked, and she
gracefully brushed her skirt under her before sitting down. Steve noticed how
pretty she was. Next to arrive was Laura. Steve studied her closely, knowing
his hunch that she might be the mystery girl had already proven false, but
still wanting confirmation.
Glen stood waiting for his tray to be filled. He glanced
back at the register, and saw Gerald Johnson standing there. His heart jumped.
It was like some kind of twisted fate to have all these people together in one
spot.
”Hey,” Glen said weakly, as their eyes made contact.
”Hi. I need to talk to you and…” Gerald looked over to where
Lisa had gone. He immediately spotted Steve Andrews. ”… your friends,” he
finally said.
”Sure, come join us,” was all Glen could manage.
Glen's tray was filled, and he headed over to where the
others sat, already discussing last night.
”We have another member of the ensemble,” Glen stated
looking back toward Gerald. Brandon took note, and his eyes were glistening
with excitement.
”That's Fade. Wow… all the school's activated kids here at
once. I think he spoke to the majorette too. This is totally unbelievable,” He
said, in a high, excited voice.
Steve looked somewhat uncomfortable with Brandon's
'screaming queen' routine. Glen threw glances at both Brandon and Steve. Laura
and Lisa watched the entire scene with interest, and now with a bit of pity for
Glen's predicament.
Gerald finally sat down with the rest of them. Glen,
Brandon, and Laura introduced themselves to him. He knew Steve and Lisa
already. Laura was the first to start in.
”I have a thought. How about we all just eat our lunch, and
talk about normal stuff. When we're done, we pack it up and head over to the
park, where we can talk without so many other people around,”
She looked serious. The activated kids knew that their
congregating might attract unwanted attention and be considered gang activity,
particularly with their abilities posing potential threat.
They ate in relative silence, and finally got up to go. Glen
felt nearly sick with nerves, but still managed to eat eight soft tacos. He
wondered if the acceleration to his metabolism would ever come back down.
The trip to the park was again almost in silence. Three cars
pulled into parking spots near a small man-made lake, and the half dozen
high-school students congregated again on a picnic table. This time, Gerald
began speaking first.
”I don't know why you all came together today, but I'm glad
I found you. I have a real problem, and I was hoping one of you knew how to get
a hold of that chick that showed up at the game last night,” he said.
He watched the group, seeing an initial reluctance. Steve
spoke next.
”I called Brandon to get some folks together to compare
notes. I was kind of hoping to figure out who she was. So, I don't know how to
get a hold of her, but she knows how to get a hold of me. She called my cell
phone last night,” he added.
”I spoke to her earlier this morning,” Lisa finally said.
”She left a number to call if we ever needed to contact her” she lied.
She threw a quick glance at Glen, who looked somewhat
relieved by her pulling heat away from him. Still, the lie was eating at him.
”Hold on”, Glen said.
He got up and went to his car to retrieve his gym bag.
The girls watched him, and finally Laura got up and
intercepted him before he returned to the table.
”What are you doing?” she asked, looking at him intensely.
”Look… It's going to come out soon enough. I don't want to
lie to them any more. What I did last night was to keep the school from finding
out. I need to own up to this, especially if I…” he stopped. ”Especially if
these people ever plan to consider me credible.”
He approached the table again, with his gym bag in his hand.
”Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, unzipping the bag. ”Let me
introduce you to Majorette.”
With this, he laid out a majorette uniform on the table,
followed by a blonde wig, jo sticks, and the rest. He sank back to a seated
position, waiting for the hammer to fall. Brandon's face found new levels of
excitement. Gerald's forehead furrowed as he tried to work through what was
going on. Steve looked somewhat angry.
”Cute, Glen. I don't care how you got the outfit. Where is
SHE?” he said sharply.
Glen knew Steve probably already guessed the truth, but didn't
want to believe. Finally he managed a meek whisper.
”I'm she,” he admitted.
Steve stood looking like he'd been slapped in the face.
Gerald ran his eyes up and down Glen, still rather disbelieving. Finally he
snorted a little chuckle and shook his head.
”Dude, no offense, but you make a better looking girl,” he
finally said.
Glen managed a little smile, despite the pain he was
feeling.
”That is just sick, Glen. You fucking…” Steve began, not
knowing where to go with his tirade.
”What? Fag? Pansy? Sissy? Pussy? Poofta? Queer, queen,
pantywaist?? GODDAMN IT, Steve, I've heard enough of it. You, of all people
should know what it's like… having to hide who and what you are. Being laughed
at, being ridiculed. Never fitting in.”
Glen surprised himself with his outburst. The rest of the
table stared at him in near awe. Glen Camdon simply never acted this way. This
was Majorette. Glen's voice pulled into a range uncomfortable for most males.
She was alive again. Suddenly… the name popped into mind. Gloria. She would be
called Gloria.
”Look. Accept it. It's the reality of the situation. I came
to you all with the truth. I feel you should know it, particularly if I am
going to coordinate this bunch into a team. Gerald… I owe you one for last
night. What do you need?”
There was silence as this all sank in. They were declaring
themselves an organization. It was illegal for more than two activated
paranormals to participate in a single organization. For five of them to be
together in a group of six, they were looking at serious criminal charges if
caught.
”If this is going to work, we need someone who will be the
eyes and ears of the group. Brandon, and Laura, neither of you are powered.
That means if you both want to participate, you get to play lookout. If you are
not interested, I'm going to ask that you get up and go to the cars now. I
don't want to involve anyone who is not willing. That goes for you guys too.”
She looked at Steve and Lisa. She took charge. Everyone was
still stunned.
”How do we know if we're in or not if we don't know what's
going on?” Lisa asked.
”Fair enough. Gerald…” Glen prompted.
Gerald came looking for help, and now, at the moment of
finding it, realized how messed up this was going to sound.
”My mom… I think she's in trouble. Look, I appreciate the
honesty you've shown, and I guess I should be level with you all. She's a
dealer. I've seen someone cruising our neighborhood and I think they're there
to… maybe take out competition. I'm not thrilled with my mom's choice of vocation,
but I've got half a year before I'm out on my own, and I don't want to send her
to prison, and myself to a foster home. All I want is for you guys to maybe
hang out in the neighborhood near my house, in case anything nasty starts. Give
me one evening. Maybe it'll give me enough time to come up with a better plan.”
Gerald looked miserable, opening himself this way.
”I'm in,” Glen said. ”I do owe you for last night, and I
want you to know I'm with you on this.”
”Great, so we're going to go guard your mom while she deals
dope,” Steve said hotly.
”Steve, if you have a problem, you are free to get up and
leave,” Glen returned coldly. ”As I said last night, you are probably the most
powerful activated paranormal in five miles, but I want to be clear on this… I
will not stand for you passing judgement on me, Gerald, his mother, or anyone
else. If you have a problem with me, you and I will settle it separately.”
”Who died and made you queen anyway?” Steve shot back.
”No one. Not a single person had the brains, guts, and
ability to do what was done last night. Not me, not you. I was lucky enough to
see it coming, and… excuse the pun, but I had the balls to do something about
it. If you all feel better about anyone else here coordinating our little
group, feel free to nominate, and we'll decide by vote. Otherwise, the next
thing I want to hear from you is one of two words… 'In' or 'Out',” Glen said,
still in a high feminine voice.
The others stood by enthralled with the power Glen was
showing. Seconds passed. Steve stared coldly at Glen, and took a deep breath.
He sat back down, thinking. The rustling of leaves and honking of geese in the
nearby lake were the only sounds breaking the silence. Finally, he met Glen's
eyes again.
”In,” he said.
Glen smiled sincerely and nodded.
”Lisa?” Glen asked.
”This is illegal, isn't it?” she inquired.
”Yes, it is.” Glen said softly.
Lisa chewed on her thumbnail nervously.
”In,” she finally said quietly.
”Laura?” Glen asked.
”In.” she said, without hesitation.
”Brandon… before you answer, I want you to understand… You
cannot publish my identity in any story. You have to swear journalistic
confidentiality on this,” Glen stated.
”I know. No names, unless you agree individually. I'm in.
This is awesome,” He said with a huge smile on his face.
”Great.” Glen said, smiling.
He looked at the others. He had an odd feeling like maybe he
had found where he belonged.
Chapter 4: Just the Girls
General consensus was that it was likely the people cruising
the trailer park weren't going to do anything until after dark. In the event it
didn't pan out that way, Glen had given Gerald his cell phone. Gerald stayed at
home, making sure nothing would happen. Brandon went off to research if any
other hits on rival dealers had happened in the surrounding cities in the
recent past. Steve also went home, planning to meet up with the others again at
5 PM. Glen set out to take Lisa and Laura back to their study session.
The plan was that after dark, they would be in several
groups. Brandon and Laura would be together as lookout at one end of the
street. Lisa would be at the other. Gerald would stay inside the trailer, and
Steve and … Majorette would be within a short distance of the trailer, in the
event they were needed. That was the plan anyway, but it would be hours till
dark.
Glen pulled up to Lisa's house to drop her and Laura off.
Instead, Lisa asked if Glen would like to come in for iced tea. The three went
in the house, and settled into the kitchen. At Lisa's urging, Glen had brought
the gym bag, with the majorette uniform. After serving drinks, she set about
working tangles out of the old theater wig. Glen just sat and watched.
”Laura said you've always seen yourself as a girl. Is that
right?” Lisa finally asked.
”Yeah… ” Glen said softly.
Lisa was a bit confused at the switch in personality she saw
in Glen.
”Do you have a girl name?” she asked.
”Actually, I just had one come to me today,” Glen said
rather proudly. ”Gloria.”
Both Laura and Lisa smiled at this.
”Well, Gloria… We're going to see if we can't make you a
little more… passable in costume,” Lisa said, throwing a glance at Laura.
Lisa took Gloria's hand and led her into the bedroom. Then
she sat her in front of the vanity. Glen… Gloria had gone through this routine
with Laura as well, but this seemed different. Lisa was more serious. The two
girls consulted over the matter for a few minutes, and finally agreed to start
at the beginning. With that, Gloria was ordered off to the shower. She was
instructed to clear off leg hair, armpit hair, etc. Once stripped, and in the
shower, Lisa and Laura gathered the old clothes and put them in the wash. They
went through Lisa's clothes to find appropriate replacements.
The panties they picked were simple pink nylon. Lisa borrowed
one of her mother's bras, which would likely fit Gloria. It was a C cup, and
would need some filling. Lisa then retrieved a pair of flesh colored hose for
Gloria. The water in the shower had stopped running, and Laura went in to give
Gloria her new apparel. Lisa could hear laughing from the main bathroom, as she
stood in the half-bath off her bedroom, looking through the medicine cabinet.
She found a pair of color disposable contacts in brilliant blue and joined the
fun in progress.
Lisa's first glance nearly made her do a double take. Minus
the short haircut, Gloria's body was very well shaped for a girl. Her hips were
perhaps a bit narrow, and of course, she had no chest to speak of, but she had
beautiful legs, and her shoulders, neck, and collar bones all looked very
feminine.
”Here” Lisa said, handing over two little packets to Gloria,
with the color contacts in them.
Gloria worked for about five minutes to finally get the
contacts in place. The effect was stunning. Her bland eyes were now a striking
blue.
For hours Gloria sat with the two, as they worked on her
nails, eyebrows, and finally makeup. With all that complete, Lisa gave her a
little black dress to wear, as they worked on her costume. They all agreed that
mostly it was just the mask that needed work. Laura was half decent with a
sewing machine and went to work. The end result was that the eyeholes were much
more open. Gloria wanted to work on the jo sticks, but the other two kept
telling her to sit still until her nails dried. So she paced around Lisa's
room, looking at herself in the mirror on Lisa's dresser. She looked great she
had to admit. The two girls had done a wonderful job on the makeup.
Gloria finally folded up Glen's clothes when they were dry,
and stuck them in the gym bag.
The afternoon was flying past, and they were all sitting out
on the deck when Gloria heard a car pulling up the driveway. She felt her heart
rate quicken.
”Lisa… someone's coming,” she said nervously.
”Yeah, that's my parents,” Lisa said, not thinking about it.
”Lisa!” Gloria hissed. ”I don't want them to see me like
this. They've seen me before. They'll know who I am,” She said now feeling
almost terrified.
”No way, Gle…Gloria. No one would recognize you. Trust me,”
Laura stated.