Author's Note: I've been an avid reader of TG fiction for quite a long time. I especially enjoy stories that are sweet and sentimental or those in which the character is punished with love and compassion (if you want to know what that means, read any of the Aunt Jane stories by Tigger). Anyways, this is my first attempt at a story and I hope you enjoy it.
All the usual copyright and "viewing if you're legal" rules apply. There is no sex in this story, the character is far too young, but there is implied violence. It is a work of fiction and all the characters are fictional, any similarities to the living are chance.
Audra: A New Life
by Joanne Foxcourt
Chapter 10: Shopping.
"Your friend is out of the hospital, Mike." June Davidson told her son as she hung up the phone.
"Aaron is out? That's so cool, I've missed him. So has the team." Mike responded.
Jane sighed a bit, looking at her son and thinking that it was probably about time he learned the truth about what happened. "You know Mike; there is something you need to know about what happened to Aaron and why you weren't allowed to visit."
"What do you mean Mom? He was rescued okay wasn't he?"
"He was, but he was hurt very badly. The people who kidnapped him did a very evil thing to him, so evil that the doctors at the hospital were left with no real choice. They had to make Aaron into a girl."
"A girl?!? How could they make Aaron into a girl?" Mike looked shocked to the core.
"These evil men took something away from Aaron, I'm sure you can guess what it was." Unconsciously, Mike crossed his legs looking very uncomfortable, as June went on, "Aaron is now Audra. She is having some difficulty adjusting."
"She?"
"She." June repeated firmly, "Audra is a girl whether she wanted it or not. She had no control over it, she was in a coma and they had to act fast."
"She…" Mike muttered to himself. "Why couldn't I have visited?"
"Audra needed some time to adjust, to try and come to terms with what had happened. Being reminded of a lot of what she had lost would have hurt her too much."
"Oh." Mike replied as he slipped into thought.
"Why don't you go over and visit her later? I'm sure she would like to see you."
"Huh?" Mike asked, pulled from his reverie. "Oh, sure Mom, I will."
***
Audra climbed out of bed, strangely at peace with herself after her last dream. Feeling a little chilled in the predawn air of her bedroom, she wandered over to her closet looking for a robe and slippers. Opening the door of the closet, she discovered that her male clothing had been replaced by the feminine.
Audra examined some of the skirts and dresses she found. There wasn't a lot, but what were there were fairly simple, basic colors, nothing too feminine. Audra didn't know whether to be relieved or miffed at that. Experimentally, she took down a white dress, with small ruffles around the arms and the base, and held it to her body in front of the mirror.
As her eyes lost focus from her thoughts, she realized that she had forgotten that she was wearing a dress last night. At first, she was conscious of it, but it had been so comfortable and light, that it had passed through her thoughts. Looking at this new dress in front of her, she concluded that it would look nice on her.
Still a bit chilled from the air, she hung the dress back up and looked for a robe. She found two, one in white and one in pink. Torn for a minute, a small part of her suddenly decided to try the pink, so she put it on. Digging around in the closet, she found a pair of cute, pink, bunny slippers that seemed to go with the robe, so she put them on as well. As she went to leave her room, she again caught sight of the cute girl, looking cozy in her pink robe and bunny slippers. She looked at the girl and then addressed her. "I don't know if I want you around yet, but you haven't been so bad. My dream said you were a part of me, so I guess we should be friends." Audra smiled at the girl in the mirror.
As she walked down the stairs, she could hear the bustle of the cook in the kitchen. Suddenly shy, Audra stopped on the stairs looking like a deer caught in headlights. Just then, the door to the dining room opened and Ken walked out. "Hey brat! Just in time for breakfast." He smiled.
"Uh…" Audra extemporized.
"What's the matter kid?"
"I don't know; I just got nervous all of a sudden."
"Oh, come on, you look great. What is it with women these days, expecting to wake up looking like they just had six hours of makeup work done on them?"
Audra giggled. "Thanks Ken." She smiled, though she knew her brother had deliberately misinterpreted her nervousness.
Ken extravagantly opened the door to the dining room. "Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to present, Miss America!" He announced. Audra blushed as her grandparents and parents clapped appreciatively. She swatted Ken on the way by and he just laughed at her as he tousled her hair.
Alison Kent, the family cook, popped out of the kitchen. "Good morning Audra, what would you like for breakfast?" She asked.
"Can I have my usual?" Audra asked.
"It's 'may I' dear." Marianne corrected absently.
Alison smiled at the child. "Certainly, sweetie." She said.
As Audra took her place at the table, her mother raised an eyebrow at her. "What made you choose the pink robe Audra?"
Audra blushed, "I don't know Mommy, and it just seemed like a good idea."
"It was sweetheart; I was just curious. I'm quite proud of you."
Audra didn't understand why her parents seemed so pleased about the pink robe, it was just a robe. Still, if a pink robe made them happy, then Audra didn't have any issue with it she was thinking as she absently swallowed the pills her mother placed in front of her.
"Do you want to go shopping today Audra?" Marianne asked.
"What for Mommy?"
"Well, we need to get some more clothing for you and I thought you might like to get some new books and maybe some video games for your computer."
"Don't I have enough clothing?" Audra wasn't a big fan of clothing shopping.
"Sweetheart, a girl never has enough clothing." Grandma Jones laughed.
"Okay Mommy, can I get some pants and shorts?"
"Yes dear, though you can't wear them for a few weeks while you finish healing." Marianne replied. Audra looked disappointed.
***
"Hurry up slowpoke! The stores are waiting for us!" Susie called into Audra's room.
"I don't know what to wear!" Audra practically wailed.
Susie popped into the room. "Need help?" She asked.
"Please!" Audra practically begged.
"Okay, first girl lesson for today," began Susie. "We're going clothes shopping and that means trying on a lot of clothes, so you want to make it easy to change in and out of your street clothing. With me so far?"
Audra nodded, "I guess so."
"Since you can't wear pants yet, your best bet is a skirt and a blouse with a buttoned top. That way you don't have to yank things over your head. Let's see what you've got…" Susie began poking in the relatively bare closet. "I don't know Sis, you need some variety here. Hmm. This looks promising," Susie commented as she stepped out of the closet holding up a jean skirt and a white, short sleeved, blouse.
"Umm…" Audra hesitated.
"Look Audra, you don't have a lot of clothes and the doctors said you had to wear skirts for a few weeks. This'll be comfortable and it'll look nice."
Audra sighed and took the clothing from Susie. "Okay, look the other way while I put them on."
"You haven't got anything I haven't seen before, you know."
"Doesn't matter." Audra replied as Susie shrugged and turned her back. Audra quickly donned the skirt and then blouse, but she began to fumble with the buttons. "Why are these backwards?" Audra complained as she finally got them done up.
"Why is what backwards?"
"The buttons, they're on the wrong side."
"Silly goose, girl's shirts have buttons on the other side." Susie told her as she turned around to help. "Oh, you should have put the blouse on before the skirt; it's easier to tuck in that way."
"Now you tell me!"
"Hey, I can't think of everything. Just undo the skirt and tuck everything in. Once you do up the skirt, lift the hem and pull your blouse down from the inside. That will make it tight and less sloppy looking."
"I'm never going to remember all of this." Audra grumbled.
Susie laughed at her as she fished out a pair of sandals from the closet. "Here, put these shoes on, they go okay. Then I'll braid your hair so it keeps out of the way."
Audra sat down and put on the sandals. They aren't too different from my old sandals, she thought as Susie started brushing her hair and twisting it into a braid.
After a few minutes of hair tugging, Susie announced, "I'm done! Let's have a look in the mirror."
Audra looked at herself in the mirror. Again, the cute girl was back and looking ready to go out. She let her eyes travel from her head to her toes, feeling the strange stiffness of the French braid that Susie had given her.
"You need nail polish, your toes are boring." Susie decided.
"It can wait." Audra replied, not really anxious for that idea to bear fruit.
"I guess so. Ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be."
"Not 'born ready' this time?" Susie asked, a bit surprised that Audra hadn't used her favorite expression.
"Not for this."
***
"You both look great!" Marianne complimented her daughters as they came downstairs. "Are you ready for some power shopping?" The girls nodded. "Okay, then out to the car."
Marianne herded the girls to the car, pleased that Audra remembered the instructions about getting in to a vehicle in a dress or skirt. She's learning, Marianne thought, as she climbed behind the wheel after ensuring the two were buckled in safely.
The drive to the mall was uneventful, but Audra became more and more nervous as they got closer. Despite the dinner last night, Audra wasn't really used to being in public as a girl and she was deathly afraid that somebody would call her out as a boy.
Marianne spotted her nervousness, "Come along sweetie, you haven't anything to fear with me here."
"Okay mommy." Audra responded as she reluctantly climbed from the car.
"Where to first?" Sheila asked.
"I think we need to do this from the skin out," Marianne replied. "So, let's do Aleda's Lingerie first." She led the two girls inside, holding on to Audra's hand comfortingly.
Entering the store, Audra was struck by the definite feminine state of the place. Sure there was the odd boy, dragged inside by his mother, but this was definitely a place intended for women and men were intruders.
A young woman walked up to the trio. "Marianne! What brings you into see us today?"
"Hi Danielle, I need to get some things for my daughter, Audra."
"Audra?"
"Audra, say 'hi' to Danielle. Danielle works here and she is going to help us today."
"Hi Danielle," Audra said.
"Hi Audra, aren't you a pretty girl." Danielle smiled. She looked at Marianne with a question in her eyes.
"Susie, why don't you take Audra and have a look around? I want to give Danielle a 'grocery list' of things to find for me."
Susie grabbed Audra's hand and dragged her off to the swimsuit section.
As the girls departed, Danielle looked at Marianne. "What's going on Mari?"
Marianne sighed, "It's a long story…" She proceeded to tell Danielle what had happened to Aaron and why he was here now.
By the time Marianne had finished, Danielle had tears in her eyes. "My God, the poor child," she stated.
Marianne nodded. "We're here so that we can get Audra a whole new wardrobe. I'm starting with the skin out, so I came to my favorite store."
"Any idea what she would like?" Danielle asked.
"Knowing Audra, the plainer the better, however, I think I want to add some truly feminine items, age appropriate of course, to the collection. I most definitely want her wearing a training bra. She's starting to develop from the medication, though she hasn't noticed yet, and she'll need them. They'll also help to remind her that she's a girl."
"Well, let's get her measured," Danielle nodded in agreement.
Marianne waved the girls to the change room area. "Okay Audra, we need you to take off your skirt and blouse for some measurements."
"Here? In front of other people?" Audra looked panicked.
"It's okay Audra, only women can come back here and they will be polite." Marianne replied.
Shaking, Audra removed the skirt and blouse, hoping that they wouldn't ask her to remove her underwear, no panties, at the same time.
Danielle quickly did some measurements and then told Audra to wait for a minute before she put everything back on. A minute later, with Audra getting more nervous, Danielle came back with a white training bra. "Okay Audra, let's try this on for fit."
"A bra?" Audra asked, surprised.
"It's a training bra sweetheart. In case you haven't noticed, you're actually starting to develop in the chest a little," Marianne told her.
Audra blushed, "I am? How?"
"You're a big girl now and your medication is helping that along a bit." Marianne told her.
Danielle slipped the bra onto Audra and adjusted the straps and the chest band. "How does that feel?"
"Weird," Audra replied.
"You'll get used to it," Danielle told her. "You'll appreciate it a bit later when you really start to fill out, trust me. Okay, you can get dressed and I'll round up a selection of other items. Keep the bra on dear."
Audra nodded as she started dressing again. She remembered Susie's advice and put the blouse on first. After doing up the skirt, she tugged the blouse down and straightened it out. Marianne smiled at seeing the way Audra dressed; the girl really is learning, she thought.
Audra caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and stopped. With the new bra, her chest suddenly seemed so much more girl-like than before. Audra frowned at the reflection, not sure that she liked this new situation or the bra for that matter. Audra was very conscious of the bra and the way its straps tightened around her in odd, unfamiliar, places.
***
"Okay, let's get some general clothing." Marianne announced after the first set of packages were stowed into the car. She led the girls to a shop that provided general, daily clothing.
Grabbing a cart, Marianne, started browsing her way through the various racks. Every now and then, she would pick up an item and hold it against Audra. After collecting what seemed like a billion articles of clothing, Marianne led Audra to the change rooms. "Okay sweetie, let's try these one."
"All of these?!?" Audra asked incredulously.
"All of them," Marianne nodded affirmatively. "So shake a leg. Take this in first." Marianne held up a pink jumper and shirt set.
Audra looked at the proffered clothing askew. "They're pink," she noted.
"So?"
"Umm… I don't know, I guess." Audra replied as she trudged off to the booth. Inside, she took off her outer clothing and quickly donned the set. She was surprised to find that they fit quite comfortable. If only they weren't pink, Audra thought.
"Come out so I can see you, Audra." Marianne told her. Audra grudgingly came out of the booth. "Oh, that looks pretty and it seems to fit you well," Marianne commented.
"They look so nice, Audra." Susie commented.
"I guess." Audra shrugged.
"Okay, try this on and bring that set back out," Marianne instructed, holding out a pair of light blue capris pants and a white top.
Audra changed again and came back out with the last set of clothing and handed them to Marianne. "These pants are too short," Audra noted.
Susie laughed, "That's the way they're supposed to be, you goose!"
"Oh," Audra said looking embarrassed.
"Don't tease your sister Susie, she didn't know." Marianne instructed, holding out more clothes for Audra.
Eventually, after what seemed like ages but was really only about an hour, Audra finally finished trying on the pile of clothing her mother had found. Marianne had sorted the results into two groups: accepted and rejected. Audra noted that the pink jumper was in the accepted pile, but there were some shorts and pants in the collection, so she let it go. For some reason, the pink jumper bothered her and she couldn't really put a finger on why.
***
"Okay, fancier clothing for evenings out," Marianne announced as the next stop. "We'll have to hurry this one along a bit; I've arranged an appointment for us."
"An appointment?" Audra asked.
"She means the hair salon," Susie replied.
"Why?"
"She wants to spoil us. Trust me, you'll enjoy it." Susie asserted.
"Okay, I guess." Audra didn't seem too sure.
"Besides, maybe they'll do something about your boring toes." Susie laughed.
Audra looked even less sure about that as Marianne led them into another shop. This one was definitely for catering to the fancier events, with a variety of styles ranging from the princess-like gowns to the eye-popping, God I want sex, gowns.
"Mari, welcome back!" Lucille, the owner of Top Dress, called out.
"Lucille, I'm so glad you're here today!" Marianne replied as the two ladies hugged. Lucille and Marianne were old friends.
"I see you've brought your lovely daughters in today. Are you here for them?"
"Of course. Audra needs a whole wardrobe and Susie is due for some updates."
"Well, this will be fun," Lucille smiled. "Audra, my sweet, welcome to my store. You've changed since I last saw you, but you look adorable."
Audra blushed.
Lucille knelt down in front of Audra and took her hands. "Child, I know what happened; your mother and I have been friends for a long time. I want you to know that I admire you for your courage and that you are a beautiful girl. Today, I'm going to show you the truly gorgeous side of yourself and I want you to enjoy that. Will you help me?"
Audra looked surprised. "I'll try Lucille."
"I know you will, my sweet, I know you will." Lucille said, straightening up. She looked at her assistant and said, "Tina, would you look after Missus Wilson and young Susie? I want to give Audra, here, my complete attention."
Marianne smiled happily, "Audra, do what Lucille tells you and have fun. Susie and I will be nearby if you need us. Thank you, Lucille." Marianne knew Audra would have fun with Lucille, she was always a bit of rebel and she and Aaron had gotten along very well before.
Lucille winked as she turned back to Audra, "Come, my sweet, let's party!" Audra laughed as she followed Lucille to the back. "Okay, first we have to measure you, so I need you to strip down to your panties. Is that a bra you're wearing?"
Audra blushed, "Uh huh. Mommy bought it for me today."
"Congratulations darling! That's wonderful. A girl's first bra is a big event, you know."
"It is?"
"Oh yes, a big event. Not quite the same as a wedding, but still a big event. Have you named them yet?"
"Named them?"
"Your breasts. I call mine 'Gumby' and 'Pokey' you see. 'Gumby,' because my toothless husband favors it, and 'Pokey,' because the other one seems to perk up at just the oddest times."
Audra laughed. It was the first time that she had really laughed since she had woken up in the hospital and it felt like a soothing balm over her soul. Hugging Lucille, Audra said, "Thank you."
"You're welcome! Breast naming is a rite of passage, you know, so you had better think about it," Lucille told her with mock seriousness. "Now shuck the clothes, my sweet, so I can measure you and turn you into a vision."
Audra got undressed, still giggling at Lucille's outrageous comments. As Lucille measured her, Audra realized that she was seeing a side of Lucille she hadn't seen before. Lucille had always been really nice to her, but when Audra was Aaron, there were things that Lucille would never say. Now it was different. Audra felt like she had suddenly entered a very exclusive club that had been previously denied to her.
"Okay, I have your measurements you lucky girl. Wait here and I'll be back with the first creation for you to try on."
Audra nodded as Lucille bustled out into the store. Within minutes, Lucille was back with a dress that looked like it was made of silk and an odd collection of what looked like a bulky lace skirt. The dress was quite pretty Audra had to admit, though she hadn't figured on ever wearing such an outfit herself. It was in pink satin with white lace detailing around the neck, cuffs, and hem and it was finished at the waist with a large bow done in white. "Umm… wow," Audra commented.
"It's a gown suitable for a princess, my sweet!" Lucille pronounced. "First, we have to put on the petticoats," Lucille continued, holding out the mass of lace.
"Petticoats?"
"They puff out the skirt and make it look more feminine and delicate. Trust me; you'll look divine with these and this dress." Lucille told her as she tied the petticoats around Audra's waist.
Lucille then helped Audra don the dress and zipped her up. After fussing with the bow and adjusting the drop of the skirt and petticoats, she led Audra over to the mirror.
Audra's jaw dropped. Facing her was truly a princess, despite the bare feet, done up in satin wonder. Audra was even mesmerized by the feel of the petticoats as they swirled around her legs. In spite of herself, she decided that she liked it.
"Like it?" Lucille asked, partly holding her breath to herself. This was the most feminine creation she had in the store and she had decided to baptize Audra with fire. If Audra hated it…
"I don't know what to say," Audra hesitated. "I do like it, but I don't know why."
"It's because you're a pretty girl and pretty girls like to see something special in them selves every now an then."
Just then Marianne and Susie walked in. "Oh my God, Audra, you look absolutely adorable!" Susie cried.
Audra blushed as Marianne laughed, "She's right sweetie, and you look like a princess in that dress."
"But, we still have to do something about those toes," Susie decided.
***
Marianne and the girls carted the large collection of clothing to the car. They had bought several fancy dresses for Audra and Susie, and Marianne had even indulged herself with a new cocktail dress. Audra still found that a bit weird, being in the dressing room as her mother came in, and shrugged off her clothing without a thought, to try on the dress. Aaron had never seen his mother so undressed before and Audra, who was still Aaron in many ways, wasn't sure of what to make of it.
"Okay, let's get to the salon for our appointments!" Marianne announced. "After that, we'll get a bite to eat and then finish off at the shoe store."
As they entered the salon, Audra was almost overwhelmed by the sounds and smells that filled the air. She heard her mother say, "Wilson appointment."
"Three of you today," asked the lady behind the counter.
"Myself and my two daughters, for the works!" Marianne smiled.
"The works?" Audra asked Susie in a whisper.
"Hair, make-up, nails, the works." Susie told her.
Audra looked nervous again as a young lady came up and asked her to follow.
"It's okay, you go with her and enjoy. Trust me, sweetie, you'll have fun if you let yourself."
Audra nodded reluctantly, "Okay mommy."
The girl looked at her kindly. "First time?" She asked as she led Audra to a back room.
Audra nodded again.
"Oh, well, we'll have fun, believe me. You'll feel so relaxed. Now, first you have to take off your skirt, top, and shoes and put on this robe and slippers." The girl told her, holding up a pink robe and slippers.
Audra blushed as she shyly took off her clothing and donned the robe and slippers. "What's your name?" She asked the girl.
"Denise."
"Please to meet you Denise, I'm Aa… Audra" Audra stuck out her hand.
Denise laughed, shaking the proffered hand. "My, you're a polite young girl. Okay Audra, let's get your hair washed."
Denise led Audra to the sinks and sat her in a chair in front of one. Leaning Audra back, she turned on the water and began rinsing her hair. Audra allowed her eyes to close, this was her favorite part of getting her hair cut before and it was still quite enjoyable. She felt herself slipping into a semi-dream state as Denise lathered and rinsed her hair several times.
"Okay sleepy-kitty, let's go over to the chair and get started." Denise told her as she handed Audra out of the chair and led over to the workstation. "Your mommy has already told me what she wanted, so we're going to do a little trim and then give you some light curls. Nothing too dramatic, I promise!"
Denise hummed quietly as she combed out Audra's hair and began snipping the ends. "You know sleepy-kitty, you need start using conditioner on your hair. It'll help with tangles and keep it nice and shiny." Denise kept up her instructional monologue as she worked on the trim.
"Okay, now we're going to roll your hair and then put on a perm solution to give you some curl. This is smelly, but you'll live." Denise told her as she started to roll Audra's hair in a larger set of curlers. Once all the hair was wound up in various places, Denise squirted the perm solution on.
Audra wrinkled her nose.
"Told you!" Denise said. Audra laughed.
"Okay, while that goes to work, let's start on your hands."
"My hands?"
"Yes your hands sleepy-kitty, we're going to make them all pretty." Denise told her as she put Audra's hands into a soaking solution. After a bit, Denise took Audra's hands out of the solution and dried them off. Then she took a wooden stick with a beveled end and started pushing back the skin covering at the base of Audra's fingernails.
"Okay, we'll file them a bit to give them shape. You're young, so we don't want them too long. Shake this a bit for me," Denise said as she handed Audra a bottle of pale pink nail polish and then started filing.
"What's this?"
"Nail polish, it'll make your hands look pretty. I'm going to use it on your toes too; they're boring and they need it."
"That's what my sister said."
"Your sister is wise," Denise laughed. Denise finished the filing and took the bottle of polish from Audra. Opening it, she quickly painted each fingernail and then aimed a heat lamp over them. After about a minute, she turned off the lamp and applied a second coat, repeating the heat lamp process. Finally, Denise took a bottle of clear polish and applied an even coat over the pink. "Okay, that'll protect them."
Audra decided her fingers felt a bit funny, almost as if their tips were just a bit heavier than usual. She wiggled her hands in front of her face, feeling a little ambivalent about the process. In the mirror in front of her she could see herself, curlers and all, and she was beginning to feel overwhelmed by the whole situation.
As Audra was daydreaming, Denise worked on Audra's toes. By the time Audra snapped out of her daydreaming, Denise had finished and was spraying more stuff on her hair. Audra lifted her legs up and wiggled her toes. They look like girl toes, she said to herself, I'll never get used to this.
A few minutes later, Denise took out the curlers and led Audra back over to the sinks to wash out the solution. Back at the workstation, she brushed and blow dried Audra's hair, bringing out the new curls. "Close your eyes." Denise told Audra as she sprayed some hairspray onto the new hairstyle. "Okay, open them!" Denise told her, holding a mirror behind Audra's head.
"Wow," Audra told her. She studied herself in the mirror, realizing that she looked even more like a girl then before.
"Why thank you sleepy-kitty, that's quite a compliment!" Denise told her happily.
Audra decided not to explain the 'wow' that she had let slip. It wasn't so much that she liked the style; it was the effect that her new appearance had on her. Still, Denise appeared happy and Audra didn't want to spoil that.
As Denise led her back to the waiting area after changing, she saw that her mom and her sister were already done.
Susie's jaw dropped. "Wow, Audra, you look amazing!" Susie exclaimed as Audra blushed again.
"Your daughter was wonderful," Denise told Marianne. "She was polite and friendly, though a bit sleepy when I washed her hair."
"Audra has always been like that," Marianne laughed.
"Thank you Denise," Audra said politely.
"You're welcome sleepy-kitty, come again any time." Denise smiled.
"Come along girls, let's get a bite to eat," Marianne said as they left the salon.
***
The late afternoon lunch was uneventful and the women headed to the shoe store. "We need a variety of shoes, I think," Marianne commented as they entered. "You really don't have much, especially for dressier occasions, and we definitely need something to go with that new dress."
"Do you need any help Madam?" A young man asked as he came up to the women.
"My youngest daughter, here, needs a new collection of shoes; she's outgrowing her old ones rapidly." Marianne told him with a straight face as Audra looked at Susie with a bit of surprise.
"I see. What sort of shoes are we looking for?"
"Everything from play to formal."
"Well, let's measure her foot and then we can see what is available." He said, directing Audra to a nearby chair. Sitting on the foot bench, he removed Audra's shoe and measured her foot, then he measured the other as well. Noting Audra's unspoken question, he told her that many people can have different sized feet and it was always best to measure both, just in case.
Marianne came back as he was standing up and she was holding a pair of pink satin pumps with a one inch heel. "Do you have any of these in her size?" She asked.
"I think so, I'll check," he replied, taking the shoe to the back room. A minute or so later, he came back with a box and opened it in front of Audra. He then placed the shoes on her feet and asked her to try walking in them.
Though the heel was low, it was the first time Audra had walked in anything raised and she was unsteady. "Balance on the balls your feet Audra," Susie told her.
"The balls of my feet?" Audra asked, wondering what the heck they were.
"It's the spot right before your toes begin goose!" Susie laughed.
"Oh." Audra looked abashed as Marianne gave Susie a warning look.
"You'll get used to them young miss," the salesman told her.
Audra took a few tentative steps around the store. "They make me feel like I'm going to tip over mommy."
Marianne laughed, "Sweetheart, the gentleman is right, you'll get used to it. Why, these aren't even much of a heel, wait until you try three inches!" Audra looked suddenly frightened at the thought of a three inch heel.
Audra tried on many more pairs of shoes, including play shoes and dress shoes. Her mother purchased quite a number of them, including the first pair she tried on because they would go with the princess gown they had bought earlier.
It was a very tired crew of shoppers that made their way home.
Chapter 11: Mike.
Mike Davidson was nervous, more than nervous. The bombshell his mother had dropped on him left him pretty shaken and quite concerned for his best friend. That evening, after dinner, he pushed down his nervousness and biked over to Audra's place. As he rode, his mind was whirling over what to expect. Sure, he thought, Aaron always looked kind of girl-like, but he was a boy and I hope he doesn't look silly.
Mike dropped his bike to the side of the driveway as he usually did and walked up to the front door. He hesitated, a couple of seconds, before he pressed the doorbell. He heard Susie shout, "I'll get it!" as the door flung open.
"Mike!" Susie exclaimed, looking surprised to see him. "Audra! Audra, Mike is here!" She shouted into the house before turning back to him. "Come in Mike."
Mike entered the familiar home as Audra appeared at the top of the stairs. He stopped and stared at her in stunned surprise, his eyes taking in the appearance of a young girl wearing a jean skirt, a white top, and a curly new hair style. "Aaron?" Mike almost whispered.
***
Audra blanched and suddenly turned a fled back down the hallway from whence she had come. Audra had taken the surprise on Mike's face as rejection and she was devastated. If her best friend couldn't accept her, the other kids certainly wouldn't, she told herself. She slammed her door shut and flung herself to her bed, sobbing.
***
Mike and Susie stared at each other in surprise. "What happened, Susie?" Mike asked.
"I don't know," Susie mused, "she's feeling pretty down. Why don't you go up and try to talk to her?"
Mike nodded and trudged up the stairs and knocked at Audra's door. He heard a muffled "who is it?" from inside and replied, "Mike. Can I come in?"
Audra opened her door. Her eyes were red rimmed from crying and she was trying to wipe away the remnants of her tears. "What do you want?" She asked, almost harshly.
"I want to talk Aaron."
"It's Audra, Aaron is dead," Audra replied flatly.
"I'm sorry; I don't mean to screw up. Look, Audra, we've been friends forever. Can't we just talk?" Mike asked, embarrassed at his continual name slip and the hurt he could see in Audra's eyes.
Audra sighed and nodded, letting Mike into the room. He looked around, surprised at the changes. It looked like a cross between a boy's and girl's room, he thought. "Aar… Audra, I'm sorry I was so surprised. I didn't know what to expect and I didn't mean to upset you," Mike told her.
"It's okay," Audra whispered.
Mike sat down on the edge of the bed as Audra watched him silently. He suddenly felt self-conscious and his fingers pulled and twisted the comforter.
"Mike, I…" "Audra, I…"
Suddenly, they both laughed. "Audra, I missed you. Are you okay?" Mike asked.
"I guess so. I missed you too; it's good to be home."
"What happened?"
Audra's eyes squeezed shut and her breathing tightened. "I can't tell you."
Mike couldn't miss the white fear that came over Audra as she struggled with that question. "I'm sorry. I keep screwing it up. Maybe this was a bad idea." He stood up.
"No, Mike, wait. It's not your fault. Every time I think about it, I get scared. I'll try to tell you."
"Audra, hey, you don't have to if you don't want to."
"It's okay," Audra replied and took a deep breath. "I don't remember much. I was coming home after the came and a couple of men stopped me and asked for directions. After that, I woke up in some room, tied up and blindfolded. They told me that I was being ransomed for money to help support some cause. Sometime later, I don't know how long, they came back and told me that my parents had screwed up and that I'd have to pay. They gave me some needle and all I remember after that was waking up in the hospital."
"Pay?" Mike asked.
"My Daddy told me that they said they were going to take away one of my lives. Now I know what that means."
It didn't escape Mike that Audra was sounding more like a girl, especially the way she referenced her dad. "They made you into a girl?"
"No, the doctors did. They said they didn't have a choice."
"Just like that?"
"Well, it's not that simple and I'm not completely a girl. I can't have babies."
"Wow. Um… you look great though."
Audra blushed as the two fell silent again.
Mike was feeling the strain of the silence as he stood up. "Are you going to come to the game tomorrow?"
"I don't know, maybe. I can't play yet."
"Yeah," Mike agreed. "You should come anyways. The team has been worried about you."
"I'll think about it," Audra hedged.
"Okay. Well, um, I should be going, I guess. I'm glad you're home."
"Thanks Mike."
Audra silently followed Mike to the front door and watched him pick up his bike.
"Later!" Mike waved as he sped off.
Audra waved and closed the door. Quietly, she went back to her room, hugged a pillow and cried.
***
June Davidson heard the front door slam shut. "Michael, honey, is that you?"
"It's me Mom," Michael replied as he wandered into the living room.
"Are you okay?"
"I guess so, Mom. It was weird," Mike responded. "I didn't know what to say."
"It's been pretty hard for Audra, Mike, you should know that."
"I guess so," he said again, shrugging.
"There's no guessing, young man, it is so. Her entire world has changed. Everything she knows, everyone she hangs out with, everything she is allowed to do has changed. She can't even play baseball on your team anymore."
"Huh? Why not?" Mike asked.
"Think about it. It's a boy's team."
"Oh, man, I never thought of that," Mike said.
"Obviously."
"I don't think Aaron, I mean Audra, has thought of that yet either," Mike mentioned.
"Probably not. Poor kid. How does she look?"
"Like a girl."
June laughed, "Thanks for the clarity."
"You know what I mean. Aaron always looked kind of like a girl anyways and now it's even more."
"Yes, I suspect that is true."
"I asked her to come to the game."
"Will she go?"
"I doubt it. She didn't seem to want to."
"If you think about it, you'll understand."
"I guess so," Mike shrugged and headed up to his room to play video games.
June watched her son depart. He's not dealing with this well, she thought, it's such a drastic change for them both.
***
Marianne heard the quiet crying behind Audra's door. Pausing for a moment, she turned the handle and walked in to see her daughter curled around a pillow on the bed. She hurried over and gently touched Audra on the shoulder.
"Oh Mommy! It's so hard! Nothing is the same, not even Mike." Audra turned and sobbed into her shoulder.
Marianne softly stroked Audra's hair and whispered, "It'll get better Audra, I promise."
Marianne rocked her gently until she cried herself asleep. Carefully, so as not to wake her, she undressed Audra and put a clean nightgown on her. She then tucked her under the covers and kissed her forehead. Turning out the lights, Marianne silently left the room and went to find her husband for a good cry of her own.
Chapter 12: Play ball! Well, not exactly.
Audra woke up the next morning feeling a little rebellious about her current situation. After showering, she deliberately set about dressing herself in Aaron's clothing, as best she could. While the panties were unavoidable, she could ignore the training bra, and don her baseball uniform overtop to hide them. She then pulled her hair into a low ponytail, as she had worn as Aaron, and put on her baseball cap.
Audra's mind refused to accept what her eyes told her. To her, her appearance looked like it always did, as Aaron. She was fooling herself, but she didn't see it. The chemical cocktail that she was required to take had already been working on her since the many weeks had passed from her surgery. Without the production of male hormones and with her young age, the female hormones had free reign to further feminize a once-boy who had already looked fairly feminine to begin with. All this had passed over Audra in her apparent desire to see Aaron and make what had changed familiar again.
Feeling a bit more at peace, Audra made her way down to breakfast. Already she was reasserting herself as Aaron, in her mind, and she began to allow herself to dream of doing all of the things she did with Mike, including baseball. Her mental state was such that she didn't even realize the surprise and sadness in the face of her family as she sat at the table for breakfast.
***
"I'm worried James, Audra is trying to be Aaron again," Marianne told her husband after breakfast.
"Sheila warned us Mari. It's to be expected, especially after seeing Mike."
"I know," Marianne replied, "but I'm really worried about her being hurt. Her teammates, other than Mike, don't know yet..."
"It has to happen sometime, we can't always hover over her to protect her from the world," James soothed.
"Kids can be cruel," Marianne stated.
"They can and they will be. She will face this now or face this in school in the fall. We can't prevent it. Audra is a beautiful girl, even without my parental bias, and she will come out of this okay."
"I suppose so. I wish I could roll back the clock," Marianne sighed.
"As do I. As do I…"
***
"I don't know about this Audra," Susie commented.
"It's Aaron!" Audra insisted.
Susie sighed, "Whatever! I think this is a bad idea and I'm coming with you."
"No!"
"Yes! It's final."
Audra glared at her sister for a few seconds before relenting. She realized that Susie wasn't going to let her go alone and there was nothing that could be done to prevent it anyways. Together, the picked up their bikes and prepared to ride to the park. Audra barely suppressed the gasp of pain that suddenly escaped her from the sudden contact of her weight against the seat of the bike, pain that brought back her situation all too clearly. Gritting her teeth, she lifted herself off the seat slightly and began pedaling to the park, Susie following.
The two arrived to see that most of the players from both teams were already there. With a shock, Audra realized that her team was playing the same team as the day she was kidnapped. She repressed a shiver.
As they tied up their bikes, Mike wandered over to them. "Hey, it's cool that you're here!" Mike told them.
"Hey Mike," Audra replied as Susie echoed.
Mike looked at Audra, even in her baseball uniform, she looked like a girl. Mike sighed to himself as he realized that Aaron was truly gone. "Why the uniform Audra? I didn't think you could play yet," Mike asked.
"It's Aaron!" Audra stiffened at the question.
"Hey! Take it easy," Mike replied, confused at the change from the previous night. What's going on? He asked himself. Yesterday she's telling me that Aaron is dead and now she gets angry because I called her what she told me to call her?
Audra relented slightly. "I'm just here to watch," she told Mike.
"Okay. I gotta get back to the team."
As Mike trotted off, Susie looked at Audra with a frown. "What's the matter with you?"
"What do you mean?" Audra snapped.
"You nearly tore his head off!"
"I did not!" Audra retorted.
"Yesterday, you told him to call you Audra and now you snap at him to call you Aaron."
"I am Aaron!" Audra shouted as she stomped to the stands.
Susie poked her in the chest. "You are not! You are Audra and you had best start accepting that!"
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Audra screamed, shaking her head and putting her hands over her ears.
Susie backed off, recognizing that her new sister was in no condition to face reality at this moment. Looking around, she saw that Audra's old team was staring at them in shock and she realized that the cat was out of the bag, so to speak. Sighing, she sat beside Audra in the stands to watch the game.
***
"What the fuck is going on Mike?" Bobby Grant asked as the team got ready for the game.
"What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean Davidson, Susie called Aaron 'Audra' and he had a fit. Audra is a girl's name."
"It's just Susie being a dumb girl."
"No it ain't. Aaron looks less like a boy than he ever did and that ain't sayin' much," Bobby asserted.
Mike measured Bobby with his eyes and realized that he wasn't going to get out of this with an explanation. Bobby was a bully, if he couldn't get an answer now, he'd try beating it out of Mike later, though Mike would give him a good fight. Mike sighed as he quickly told the basic story. Even knowing Bobby, he was unprepared for the response.
"Heh, now the boy-girl is a girl. Figures. That's probably just some excuse to finally start wearing girl clothing like he always wanted," Bobby commented.
"You know what Grant? You're an idiot." Mike walked away in disgust.
"What's the matter Davidson? Did I upset you about your faggy little boyfriend?" Bobby taunted.
Mike just looked away from Bobby's taunts, but he could see the looks that the other players were giving him. For the rest of the game, Bobby would sneak in some comment about Audra when the coach wasn't in earshot. Mike just gritted his teeth, but the taunts were getting to him.
***
Audra watched most of the game with tears threatening her eyes. She wanted to be out there, with the team, but she couldn't and it was tearing her up. Thankfully, for Audra, Susie had kept quiet beyond the occasional cheer.
As the game ended, Audra climbed down from the stands and headed over to where her former teammates were celebrating their win. The coach had already given them instructions for the next practice and game and headed off, so all that was left were the players.
As Audra approached, Bobby stepped forward and greeted her with, "Hey sissy, what are you doing here amongst real men?"
Audra stopped in hurt and confusion. "What?"
"You heard me," Bobby replied. "We don't want no girly-boys around here."
Mike went to move forward, but several of his teammates stopped him. "Shut up… Oof!" Mike said as he was elbowed by one of Bobby's cronies.
Susie stepped in front of Audra. "What's your problem Grant?" She demanded.
"Fuck off Susie or you'll get hurt." Grant told her.
"Oh, such a man are you that you'll beat up on a girl?" Susie mocked him.
"Take your little girly brother out of here before I teach him to hang around." Bobby menaced.
"We're going little boy, but you should be smart enough to figure out that Ken will rearrange your face if you touch my sister." Susie snarled back.
"Your sister?" Bobby started laughing. "I knew he was a little faggot." Audra's other teammates, except Mike, started laughing as well.
Susie gently tugged Audra, who was still standing in stunned silence. "Let's go."
Audra felt the tears flow as she quietly followed Susie to their bikes. Bobby's mocking voice called after them, "bye sissy boy crybaby!"
With the mocking laughter of her teammates still ringing in her ears, Audra ignored the pain her bike caused as she followed Susie home.
***
"You're an asshole Grant!" Mike accused as Audra and Susie rode off.
"Shut up Davidson; are you some kind of faggot too?" Bobby taunted him. "I'll tell you what. We can treat you like one of us or as a little fairy. What do you want?"
"Aaron didn't have a choice."
"So you say. He's always been half girl; this is just some bullshit excuse so that he can pretend to be a girl like he always wanted. Who'd be stupid enough to believe a story like that?"
Mike didn't know what to say. He wanted to believe the story that his mother and Audra had told him, but even he thought it was a little far-fetched. He was still angry about Audra snapping at him earlier that he began to rationalize what Bobby Grant was saying as some sort of truth. "Uh…"
"Exactly! He's just some kind of freak that wants to pretend to be a girl." Bobby asserted.
Mike's mind was assaulted with all of the events that had taken place and he began to accept the easy way out offered by Bobby. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I wouldn't have ever known it, but I guess he just turned into some sissy fairy."
***
Audra had buried herself in her room shortly after arriving home. Marianne was already quizzing Susie on the events.
"I can't believe that they'd be that mean," Marianne exclaimed.
"I know Mommy, but they were. If it wasn't for the threat of Ken, they might have attacked her," Susie replied.
"I'm going up to see her," Marianne decided, leaving Susie to trail along behind. As they entered Audra's bedroom, they could see a dim glow from under the bathroom door and hear the sounds of crying.
"Audra, open up the door," Marianne requested.
"Please go away," Audra begged as Marianne tried to open the bathroom door only to find it locked.
"Audra, open this door this minute!" Marianne ordered, getting worried.
"No! Please go away," Audra cried again.
Marianne turned to Susie, "Call Ken and get him here now!"
Susie darted off to call her, hoping he was close by.
"Audra! It'll be okay sweetie, I promise you!" Marianne called through the door.
"It'll never be okay Mommy, nothing is okay anymore." Audra said softly.
"Audra, open the door! I can help!" Marianne cried, tears rolling down her cheeks as she prayed silently for Ken to hurry up.
"The pain will be gone soon Mommy. I'm sorry," came the sleepy sounding reply from behind the door.
Ken burst into the bedroom. "Open this door!" Marianne ordered him.
Ken thundered into the door with his large frame, smashing it open only to be greeted with the site of his new sister lying in a pool of her own blood.
"Call an ambulance! Now!" He ordered his mother as he reacted quickly by wrapping towels around Audra's wrists. Fortunately, he realized, she had cut them horizontally rather than along the vein and the bleeding wasn't as profuse as it could have been.
"Hurry up!" He cried as he cradled Audra in his arms, catching the faint sounds of the ambulance in the distance.
Chapter 13: Aftermath
"She's going to be okay, physically, but the mental scars are quite deep," Sheila Coulson told the Wilsons.
James sighed as he looked at his new daughter sleeping, strapped into the hospital bed, her wrists wrapped in bandages. "What can we do?" He asked.
"Right now? I don't know. I have to talk to her and find out what happened." Sheila told him.
"I know some of the events," Marianne said. "Susie was telling me before I found Audra like this."
"What did Susie say?" Sheila asked.
"Her baseball teammates made some very hurtful comments; Susie wouldn't tell me any details. She was quite upset for Audra."
"Hmm… I was afraid something like that might happen. Children can be very hurtful."
***
"Mommy?" Audra croaked our, her throat sore and dry.
"She's not hear right now Audra."
"Sheila?"
"Yes sweetie. Do you want a sip of ginger ale?"
"Yes, please."
Sheila held the straw to Audra's lips as she drank. "You gave us all quite a scare young lady."
"I'm sorry. I was trying to end the pain."
"I know. It wouldn't have worked though."
"What do you mean?"
"Audra," Sheila explained, "your parents and family love you a great deal. Had you succeeded in suicide, you would have caused them a great deal of pain."
"It hurts so much. How can they be so mean?"
"The kids on your baseball team?"
"Uh huh," Audra nodded.
"Kids can be like that Audra, but you can't let them win."
"Why am I tied up?" Audra asked, changing the subject suddenly.
"We don't want you to hurt yourself."
"Oh."
"Do you really want to die Audra?"
"No. I couldn't think of anything else though, it hurt so much. Even Mike…"
"Mike?"
"He was my best friend."
"What did Mike do?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"Nothing, nothing at all. He didn't even help me!" Audra burst into tears.
Sheila released the straps from the bed and pulled Audra close to her. She gently rocked Audra as she cried out her frustration and hurt from betrayal.
***
"She feels betrayed by Mike, her best friend," Sheila stated.
"Mike? They've always been so close!" Marianne exclaimed.
"Hence the betrayal. When Audra was being verbally attacked by her other teammates, she felt that Mike had not stepped in to defend her."
***
"Michael Davidson!"
The young boy looked up at the figure of his mother standing at the doorway. "What?"
"What did you do?"
Mike looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"Audra is in the hospital again."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"She tried to commit suicide."
"What?!?" Mike felt faint.
"Tell me what happened young man."
***
"So, you thought what Bobby Grant said was reasonable?" June Davidson asked.
"Well, it made sense. It's a pretty weird story." Mike replied, defensively.
"Did you think I would lie to you?"
"Well, no. I…"
"You what? You listened to some juvenile infant who doesn't have a clue?"
"Umm…" Mike was beginning to feel foolish and not a little ashamed of himself, his mother had never lied to him before.
"I think you owe Audra one very large apology."
"I guess so."
"You guess so?"
"You're right Mom. I'm sorry."
"You're telling that to the wrong person. Let's go."
"Where?"
"To the hospital. You're going to make your apology to the person that deserves it. The person that has deserved far more than you have shown so far."
***
Audra looked up at the knock on the door. "Come in," she directed.
Mike poked his head around the corner, "Hi."
"What do you want?" Audra asked coldly.
Mike winced. "I, uh, wanted to apologize."
Audra continued staring at him.
"Look Audra, I'm really sorry. Honestly. You've been my best friend since we could talk and I should have been there for you. I was an asshole. I could have tried more to defend you, but I was stupid and I was afraid what the others would think."
"Yeah, you should have."
Mike winced, again. "I deserve that. I don't want to lose you as a friend; you've been my brother when I needed you."
Audra snorted at that. "I can hardly be your brother now."
"Well, I've never had a really cool sister either."
Audra laughed, "I guess not."
"Friends?"
"Friends." Audra held out her arms. Mike didn't hesitate, he hugged his best friend.
*********************************************
© 2003 by Joanne Foxcourt. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, compilation design) may printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without express written consent of the copyright holder.