Morpheus’s Twisted Universe – Part 1.1

Twisted

by

Morpheus

 

Part One

 

I stifled a yawn, hoping that my English teacher didn't see how bored I was with his lecture. I couldn't help it though because he had one of those monotone voices that just burrowed into your skull and forced you to fall asleep. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford to antagonize him since I'd gotten a D in this class on my last report card and my parents would skin me alive if I got another one.

Even though I tried to pay attention, my mind continued to wander. I looked around and found myself staring at a girl several seats away. Shiv Martin was sixteen, the same age as me, but she had electric blue hair that was cut short and tattoos over most of her body, including one on her cheek. It was hard to believe that just two months ago she had still been calling herself Cindy and had been one of the most shy and quiet students in the entire school. Now Shiv was loud, obnoxious and always looking for a fight, almost the exact opposite of what she had been as Cindy.

"She's twisted all right," I sighed to myself, thinking about just how drastically Cindy had changed. Of course, it wasn't the first time that I'd seen that kind of thing happen to people, but it was still pretty unnerving.

Cindy's drastic transformation into Shiv could be attributed to a disease that hasn't even been around for decades. The Kinkaide Virus, also known as the Antarctic Flu was named after John Kinkaide, a Canadian explorer who is the first known person to contract it. About fifty years ago, he was on a trip across Antarctica when he caught it and accidentally brought it home with him. Before anyone had realized it, the disease had spread like wildfire over most of North America, killing more than sixty percent of those infected. Over two million people died before a vaccine was found and the disease was finally stopped. However, that wasn't the end of the matter.

Some years later, scientists discovered that the people who survived the Kinkaide Virus had somehow been subtly changed by it. The survivors didn't show any symptom's from this change, but their children most certainly did. Their bodies somehow became like antenna that could tap into some previously unknown quantum field. The first time this happened to them, usually during their adolescence, these strange quantum energies would change them in surprising and unpredictable ways. They could be completely transformed...body, mind, and soul in someone or something else. Their very lives were twisted into a new shape, so that's what they became known as...twisted. Eventually, it was discovered that their children inherited the ability to become twisted as well.

My name is Blake Tyson, and I am twisted...or at least very likely to become one. So far my own twist hasn't triggered, but I know that it's only a matter of time since both my parents and my older sister were all twisted. Eventually, it would be my turn...and that scared the shit out of me.

Being twisted wasn't exactly a good thing, especially among the normal population. A lot of people hated us for religious reasons or just on general principal. Things were very hard on the early twisted who had to deal with violence and discrimination on a normal basis, even after laws were passed to ensure their civil rights. Even now, twisted were often treated with suspicion and regarded as second-class citizens.

Fortunately, my family and I live in the town of Spiral where we don't have to deal with those problems very much. Spiral had been founded by twisted, their families and people who were sympathetic to us as a place where we could be ourselves and be with others who understood our problems. Only a third of the people here were actually twisted or the children of twisted, but it wasn't uncommon for me to see my classmates going through drastic changes like Cindy did when she became Shiv.

I frowned and turned my attention back to the teacher, thankful that class was almost over. I glanced at the clock and watched the hand move painfully slow. It seemed as though the class would never end so I could get to lunch.

The moment the bell rang, I nearly yelled out, "Finally," as I launched myself towards the door.

Just a few minutes later, I was sitting at my normal table in the lunch room with a plate full of mystery meat sandwich. Actually, I doubted that it had any real meat in it, but I was too hungry to care. I gobbled it down, not even stopping to say hi when my best friend Jeke sat down next to me.

"How's it going?" Jeke asked me as he helped himself to one of my tater tots.

"Same as always," I shrugged, "You?"

"The same," he sighed, looking a little tired.

"Ian?" I asked, referring to Jeke's stepbrother. Jeke wasn't twisted, but his step mom and stepbrother both were. In fact, Ian had only gone through his twist last week and Jeke was having a hard time dealing with it.

"It's not fair," Jeke sighed again, "He's only twelve, but now he's taller than me. I'm sick and tired of him calling me shorty all the time. It gets old fast."

"I know how you feel," I sighed, thinking of my sister Kim and how she'd changed with her twist last year.

Jeke stared at me for a moment before nodding, "Yeah, it's too bad. Kim used to be pretty cool."

I just nodded at that, then bent over and grinned, "So...did you bring it?"

"Of course," Jeke grinned back, then reached into his book bag and pulled out a computer disk. He handed it to me and said, "Just don't let your folks catch you looking at it."

"Don't worry about that," I told him, "Thanks."

After I put the disk away, Jeke and I continued talking, sharing school gossip and complaining about nearly every aspect of our lives. We shared complains about parents, siblings, teachers, and just about everything else as we always did. I don't think that either of us had it too bad, but it was sort of an unwritten rule that we could never admit it.

"Hey, did you see Sue Barton?" Jeke abruptly asked after awhile, "Damn, she's looking good now. I mean, her twist made her look hot as hell."

"Sue's not twisted," I chuckled, having seen Sue just yesterday so knowing exactly what Jeke meant about her looking good. "For her it's just puberty and a makeover."

"Really?" Jeke blinked in surprise.

"There might be a little plastic surgery involved too," I admitted with a shrug.

Jeke shook his head, having a hard time believing that Sue's drastic change from last year wasn't the result of being twisted. "Whatever it is," he said, "I like it."

When lunch was over, I made my way to my next class which was history. I wasn't too excited about history, but it was certainly a lot better than English. Lately, we'd been learning about the Great Middle East War that was going on around the same time the Kinkaide Virus appeared. Of course, we already knew how that all ended, but it was kind of interesting to learn a little more about how it started in the first place.

The rest of the day passed in a blur, partly because I napped through one of my classes, and almost before I knew it I was on my way home. I said a quick good-bye to Jeke then ran for home, eager to get away from the mind numbing boredom of school. About the only reason I bothered going there in the first place was that I could hang around with Jeke for part of the day. Well, that and the fact my folks would kick my ass if they caught me skipping again.

While I was walking home, I found myself thinking about Shiv again. It wasn't that I was attracted to her or anything like that, but I couldn't help thinking about just how much her twist had changed her. It was like she was an entirely different person now. Of course, that was pretty common with the twisted. It was also why I was terrified of going through my own twist. I had absolutely no idea of who I would become or any control over it.

"I hope my turn never comes," I spat vehemently

The degree and ways in which you changed varied from person to person, but sometimes they could get extremely drastic...and nasty. I knew a guy who'd been a straight A student and a great athlete until his twist when he suddenly turned into an overweight couch potato without the motivation to do anything. There used to be a girl in school who was real religious and something of a prude, until she twisted and turned into a completely uninhibited slut. The last thing I'd heard about her was that she'd been arrested for prostitution. And there was even a guy who'd lost all his conscience and inhibitions during his twist, becoming a serial killer afterwards. There were many stories like that, things that critics of the twisted loved to remind everyone of in order to point out how dangerous we were.

"Please not like that," I prayed, shuddering as I imagined the worst possible results of a twist.

The worst thing about being twisted was that not only could your body be completely transformed, but so could your very personality. I didn't like the idea of either happening to me. I didn't want to become someone else. Of course, I couldn't exactly explain that to my family since they'd already gone through it themselves and ended up fine. In fact, for most twisted, going through your twist was considered a right of passage. Until then, you were considered almost...incomplete. Everyone knew that you would be changing, so who you were until that point didn't matter as much.

In spite of how it might appear, the changes weren't entirely random. Sure, the twists often come without any warning or cause, but they are frequently triggered by a specific event, usually something emotional or experienced for the first time. Scientists think that this is because the part of the brain that takes in new experiences might be linked to the part that influences the quantum field. I don't know much about that, only that a lot of times the specific twist a person goes through is related to what they were doing or what was going on around them at the time. Unfortunately, this can't really be controlled, though a lot of would be twisted like to try doing things that might intentionally trigger their twist in a way they want. As embarrassed as I am to admit it, I went though a period of time where I tried a lot of new sports in case that might trigger me to become more athletic. That kind of thing sometimes works, but not very often.

Of course, there was a reason I was getting so worked up about going through my twist now when I knew it would eventually happen for most of my life. My sister Kim had gone through hers a year ago when she was sixteen. My dad had gone through his twist at the age of sixteen as well, while my mom had hers at fifteen. According to my family history, I was due for my twist. It could come at any time.

"Well, I could come out of it as a total stud," I said, trying to think on the bright side. "And I might even get a really cool trick."

I had to admit that there was one major perk to being twisted, and that was the tricks. A lot of twisted, in fact most, had at least one special trick they could perform. I didn't understand the physics behind it all, but they could tap into the quantum field that had twisted them and use it to do things outside of normal physics. It was like having magic or super powers, though we were discouraged from actually referring to them as 'powers' since that makes them sound dangerous and makes normals nervous. Instead, we were told to refer to these abilities as 'tricks', since that makes them seem more harmless and entertaining.

"I hope I get a really good one," I muttered.

When I finally got home, I went inside and found Kim hanging around the living room, glaring at me when she saw me come in. My sister looked the same as normal, with long black hair, a nose ring with a fine chain that went to one of the half dozen piercings in that one ear, a silver ring through her lip and another through her eyebrow. Kim had a stud through her tongue, and I was sure she had other piercings in places I didn't even want to know about. All in all, she was dressed in an old goth punk style that had recently started coming back into fashion for the antisocial.

Kim and I used to be pretty close, but that was before her twist. Now I usually avoid her. From what I understood, she'd been getting her navel pierced when her twist triggered, giving her a fondness for piercings as well as a more antisocial personality. And I didn't know if it counted as a trick or not, but she didn't even feel any pain from getting new piercings.

"Hey loser," Kim greeted me in the same way she had since her twist.

I ignored Kim, as I usually did and hurried past her, almost running into my mom as I left the room. My mom was about 7 feet tall and bulging with more muscle than Mr. Universe at the moment, so I knew she'd just gotten back from the gym. Normally, she's 5 foot 11 and very athletic, but she had a trick that makes her grow to massive size whenever she really exerts herself by living weights. Within an hour, she'd be back to her normal size.

"Do you have any homework for tonight?" my mom immediately asked, looking down at me with a scowl.

I gulped, then shook my head, "Not tonight."

Mom gave me a suspicious look, then said, "I can always have your dad ask you..."

"Oh," I gulped again, "I guess I have a little..."

"Then you'd better take care of that before you do anything else," she told me with a scowl, "I don't want you getting another report card like the last one."

I nodded and promised to take care of it right away before I rushed to the safety of my room. I hated the fact that I could be intimidated by my mom like that, and it certainly didn't help when she threatened to throw me over her knee and give me a spanking, just like I was a little kid if I got such a bad report card again. The worst part was that she meant it too. It was hard to believe that she used to be short and scrawny when she was a kid, but that all changed with her twist. Now she was nearly obsessed with athletics and staying in shape.

Then there was my dad, who was almost nothing like my mom. He used to play high school football, but other than that, he'd never been overly athletic. The only real odd thing about my dad that made him different from other dad's was that he didn't lie. To be more accurate, he couldn't lie. And the more he wanted to keep something a secret, the more he felt compelled to talk about it. Kim and I used to take advantage of that fact when we were kids, so my mom ended up buying all our

Christmas and birthday presents herself and not telling him what they were giving us.

Of course, my dad's inability to ever tell a lie could sometimes be pretty embarrassing for him, but he had a trick that made up for it. If he wanted, he could make other people around him tell only the truth as well. Because of this, the police used to hire him to hang around while they did interrogations or show up in court while witnesses were on the stand. However, that all ended about ten years ago when some judge ruled that any confessions gained this way were inadmissible in court. Now he usually uses that trick to make sure Kim and I couldn't get away with anything. That especially sucked when we were kids.

Once I was alone in my room, I immediately went to work on my homework. I would have preferred to avoid it, or to at least put it off until later. However, there was a good chance my dad would ask if I'd done it and I wouldn't have a choice but to tell him the truth. I'd learned a long time ago that I couldn't fool my dad if he really wanted to know something. The trick was to keep him from suspecting anything so he wouldn't think to ask.

I rushed through my homework as fast as I could, doing what my dad would call a 'half-assed' job of it. My goal wasn't to get everything perfect, but to just get it done and out of the way so I could move onto more interesting things, like that disk Jeke had given me during lunch.

When I finished with my homework, I decided to hold off on the disk for a little longer. That way I'd have deniability and could honestly answer 'nothing' if my dad happened to ask me about what I'd been up to since getting home. Instead, I waited until dinner was over, then returned to my room and locked the door. Now I was clear to check it out.

"Let's see," I mused, inserting the disk and waiting for it to load.

A few seconds later, my entire computer screen was filled with images of very sexy and mostly very naked women in a variety of poses. The disk contained a large amount of such pictures, in fact, nearly the entire porn collection of Jeke's cousin Lewis. There was absolutely no doubt that my folks would be seriously pissed if they caught me with something like this in the house.

I felt a little nervous as I looked at the pictures and I couldn't help glancing back at my bedroom to door to verify that it was indeed locked. I kept expecting someone to come in and catch me. However, I had to admit that there was a definite thrill to doing the forbidden.

I took my time looking through the pictures, most of which were fairly soft-core so far. I was just a little disappointed at that, though I had noticed several folders that were given names like 'nasty' and 'extreme'. I figured that I'd probably work my way up to those ones eventually...if I had the nerve. I'd probably look eventually, just to satisfy my curiosity if nothing else.

After I had looked through pictures of maybe two dozen incredibly hot looking girls, I suddenly felt the hairs on the back of my neck and arms stand on end, as though charged with a lot of static electricity. I immediately froze, feeling a, for lack of a better word, pressure building up around me.

"Oh shit," I gasped, jumping to my feet in terror as I realized what was happening. Other people had described the exact same thing often enough that I immediately recognized the symptoms of going through my twist.

I wasn't sure if I screamed or not because I suddenly felt as though I'd been struck by lightning. A massive surge of indescribable force ripped through me, burning into my body, mind, and soul...tearing and twisting at my very being. For an instant, reality itself felt as though it was bent to the breaking point and my entire existence was about to be erased. I was so overwhelmed that I couldn't think, nor was I aware of anything beyond the moment, except a vague sense of bright light and loud noise just before I collapsed to the floor.

For several minutes, I lay motionless on the floor, unable to move or even think. It was as though someone had pushed a reset button inside of me, or as though I were a computer that had just been rebooted and was in the process of coming back online. Awareness of my surroundings returned first with self-awareness slowly following.

"Blake," my dad's voice shouted from the other side of the door, "We heard a loud noise... What's going on?" When I didn't answer, he called for me again, this time more urgently.

"Blake?" mom's voice appeared next, along with a loud pounding on the door.

A minute later, they kicked the door in and rushed inside, stopping to stare at me in surprise. "He's had his twist," dad exclaimed, sounding both worried and excited at the same time.

"Are you all right Blake?" mom asked, shaking my body. By this time I could wiggle my fingers a little but not much else. Fortunately they noticed this and took it as a good sign. "Let's move him to the bed."

Once I'd been moved to my bed, mom and dad stood by and said a few comforting things. However, I could tell that they were both nervous and a bit uncomfortable. They were treating me almost like I was a stranger rather than their own son, but I supposed I was for the moment. They didn't know how much the twist might have changed my personality. Of course, I had absolutely no idea how I'd been changed either, and at the moment, I was feeling a little too emotionally numb to care much.

"It's hard to believe this is Blake," dad said, then quickly left the room, perhaps worried that he might say some things that he shouldn't. Due to the nature of his twist, he didn't always have a lot a lot of tact or the ability to keep things to himself when he should. It had hurt my feelings a few times growing up, but I'd learned not to take his comments too personally. After all, he only said what everyone else just thought.

"Everything will be all right," mom said, sounding as though she didn't quite believe it herself. "The worst of it is over. You've just got a new body that you need to adjust to is all."

I just grunted at that, feeling a little pleased that I was able to do so. I didn't want to think about how I'd changed so focused instead on moving my hand. I was able to do it now, but it wasn't very easy. My ability to move was coming back at a frustratingly slow pace. It almost felt like I was having to learn how to move my body all over again, and perhaps I was.

"So this is what the loser looks like now," Kim said as she strolled in and gave me a steady look. "Maybe he'll be more interesting now..."

"Enough of that," mom glared at her and ushered her from the room.

I couldn't see Kim anymore, but I could hear her telling mom, "I wasn't down anywhere near this long after my twist..."

"But your twist wasn't physical like Blake's," mom pointed out in a cold voice. After Kim was gone, mom muttered, "Sometimes I really miss the old Kim..."

It took more than half an hour before I had enough control over my body where I could sit up in bed and speak again. "A mirror," I said, my voice weak and sounding strange to my ears. I might be able to talk again, but it felt a little strange and clumsy.

Mom only nodded and reached for a large hand mirror that she had apparently brought into my room when I wasn't paying attention, having known I would want to see myself. Before handing it to me, she hesitated and then cautioned, "You've changed a lot."

When mom held the mirror in front of me so I could get a good look at myself, I stared into it silently. I was still too emotionally exhausted to get very excited, but I was still stunned to see a girl's face staring back at me. Specifically, it was the face of a very beautiful, even sexy looking sixteen year old girl. Further use of the mirror and mom's confirmation told me that the rest of my body matched my new face. I had become a girl.

"I know it's quite a change," mom said cautiously. "It can take awhile to get used to yourself again after you get twisted so drastically."

I didn't say anything to that at first, and when I finally did speak it was to ask mom, "Can you leave me alone for awhile..." I paused, licking my now full and kissable looking lips as I concentrated on forming the words clearly, "I think I want some privacy."

"Of course," mom responded with a forced smile, leaving the mirror with me as she left my room and closed the door behind herself.

I held the mirror up again, finding that I had to use both hands to keep it steady. My motor control and ability to move right still hadn't returned all the way. I stared at my reflection for several minutes, absorbing nearly every detail and nuance of my face. It was beautiful, somehow looking seductive. I noticed that my eyes were a little odd, with one of them being green while the other was an almost silvery gray. This was strange since I had brown eyes before this. And then there was my hair, which was now long and crimson colored with streaks of a bright golden blond.

"Distinctive," I said after a minute.

I sat up a little more, which took a little effort, then looked down at my body straight on. I immediately noticed the breasts on my chest, clearly visible since my clothes seemed to have vanished during my twist. They were high on my chest, round and perfectly shaped. If I'd seen them on some girl, I would have said that she had the perfect rack.

"I look like I could be one of the models on the disk," I said in slow realization, glancing over at my computer which now looked blackened and melted. It seems that having my twist right next to the computer wasn't very good for it. That wasn't exactly normal, but strange things were known to happen around people who were being twisted.

But as I thought about exactly the kind of pictures I'd been looking at before this happened, I felt a sinking in my gut. My staring at those pictures was what had triggered my twist and probably caused my specific transformation. There was a saying among the twisted, though it was actually a warning that parents gave to their kids who would one day undergo their own twist. It was be careful what you do because it might become much more than just a habit. Like most kids, I'd just shrugged that off as another tool that parents tried using to control their kids. It was just too bad that I had to learn better after it was already too late.

I put the mirror down and avoided looking at it for some time, until I felt strong enough to get up. I carefully dropped my feet over the edge of my bed and cautiously shifted my weight onto them. I felt wobbly and unbalanced, but I could stand again. It didn't take too much longer before I was able to slowly make my way around my room, as long as I had something to grab for balance.

Once I was up and walking around, the rest of my mobility and control came back pretty fast. Within just a few minutes I was able to walk around without using anything to support me, as long as I took it slow and careful. Unfortunately, my balance was still off but that was due more to the fact that my entire body had been transformed and I wasn't used to my new balance yet.

While I was walking around my room, I couldn't help noticing the charred spot on the carpet where I'd collapsed. There was even ash and tiny pieces of badly singed remnants of my clothing scattered about there as well, making me wonder what would have happened if I'd been touching someone else when it happened. I shuddered to think about it. Then again, I shuddered to think about a lot of things at the moment.

It was more than obvious that the twist had drastically altered my body, but I was well aware that it could have changed more than that. I closed my eyes and tried taking a mental inventory, deciding that there weren't any obvious gaps in my memory and I didn't feel any sudden compulsions. As far as I could tell, my mind hadn't really been changed, but I couldn't really be certain just yet.

"I guess it could have been worse," I said, trying to be positive which wasn't easy.

Then I looked down at my transformed body and let out a long sigh, feeling a strange sense of relief. I wasn't very happy with how I had changed, but I couldn't help but feeling relieved that it was finally done and over with. I'd had my twist so now I wouldn't have to dread it coming anymore. I wouldn't have to stay awake at night, thinking about all the horrible things it could do to me. For good or bad, all those fears could finally be put to rest.

"Now I just have to get used to this," I muttered, knowing that it would probably be much easier said than done.

To say that I had strange dreams while I slept would be a vast understatement. They were filled with wild images and swirling masses of emotion which left me dizzy and confused, unsure if they were nightmares or something else entirely. And to make them even worse, I couldn't remember a thing about them when I woke up. The details slipped from my memory like fine grains of sand through my fingers.

"What a night," I grumbled as I sat up in bed, shaking the remnants of my dreams from my mind since I was unable to recall anything about them beyond vague impressions.

Once most of the cobwebs had been cleared from my head, I was immediately struck by the overwhelming feeling that something was seriously wrong. It took me several seconds before I remembered the events of last night and several more before I convinced myself that it hadn't just been some dream. I really had been twisted.

"Just great," I grumbled, climbing out of bed and looking around for something to wear. As I'd discovered last night, none of my clothes really fit me anymore, nor was I conveniently the same size as Kim or mom. For one thing, I was bigger in the chest than either of them, which was a source of embarrassment for all three of us.

Fortunately, the problem of clothes wasn't quite the problem I was making it out to be, at least not at the moment. I just grabbed the things I'd found to wear last night after my transformation, one of my old sweaters and a pair of mom's jogging suit pants. Add the fuzzy pink slippers Kim gave me, not having worn them in over a year, and I was ready to wander around the house.

After I was dressed and presentable, I left my room and went down the hall to the bathroom. I grimaced as I reminded myself to sit down, knowing that it was going to take awhile to get used to doing it this way. It felt like I was taking something simple and making it needlessly complicated, but that was a side effect of my new biology I would have to accept.

"Yeah right," I muttered.

I finished my business without making a big deal of it, trying to act as though I was just doing things like normal. Of course, from now on this probably would be normal for me, though I tried not to think about that too much.

A few seconds later, I stood in front of the bathroom mirror as I washed my hands. I stared at my reflection, feeling strangely detached as I did so. I had a hard time associating the hot looking girl there with ME, at least emotionally. I suppose that might come in time.

"If I had to turn into a girl," I mused, trying to remain positive, "at least I turned into a good looking one."

As I stared at the girl in the mirror, I couldn't help but thinking how hot she'd look dressed up and posed like one of those girls on the disk. I knew that she'd look absolutely incredible in some skimpy bikini or something a little kinkier. Then I paused, remembering that those pictures were probably why I'd turned into this hot babe in the first place.

On a sudden impulse, I stuck my tongue out at my reflection and then laughed. It was strange seeing this stranger mimic my actions so perfectly. I couldn't resist making a few more faces at the girl in the mirror, finding that it somehow made her seem less distant and a little more relatable.

"Look at me," I shook my head with a sigh, "The next thing you know I'll be flirting with myself too."

I stared in the mirror for just a few more seconds, then turned and left the bathroom, heading to the living room where the rest of my family was already up and gathered. Even Kim, who normally avoided spending too much time with the rest of us anymore sat there, waiting for my arrival with undisguised curiosity.

"What do you feel like for breakfast?" my mom asked with a nervous smile.

For a brief moment, I wondered what she was up to. After all, asking me what I wanted for breakfast was definitely not normal and her behavior was a little suspicious. Then I realized that this was a test. She was trying to see if I wanted the same thing as always or if my tastes might have changed. None of them were really sure how much my personality might have changed during my twist and they were carefully probing me to find out.

"I'll just have a beer," I responded, earning a look of surprise from mom and one of interest from Kim. Then I grinned, "Just kidding... I'll just have my usual cereal."

"At least your sense of humor hasn't changed," dad said, "I really don't know what to think of you looking like this... You look like some kind of..."

"Well," mom interrupted, giving dad a bit of a glare, "I'll get your breakfast ready."

"I'd better leave before I say something I really shouldn't," dad announced with a sigh.

"It's okay," I told dad with a sigh, "I know what I look like."

"Wicked hair," Kim nodded to me with a bit of a smirk.

I instinctively raised my hand to touch my hair, realizing that it certainly did stand out. There weren't many people who had bright crimson hair, and then there were the golden blond streaks to make it standing out even more.

"It's very distinctive," mom told me carefully, suddenly clamping a hand over dad's mouth at the same time and making me laugh.

"Distinctive," I sighed, "Yeah..."

We continued talking while I ate my breakfast, though the conversation was still a little careful as they continued to probe me for personality changes. By the time I finished eating, I was feeling a bit like a lab rat and wondered if every twisted had to go through the third degree like this.

Since I was getting tired of this treatment, I decided to change the subject and announced, "I guess I've got a lot to do today."

"What's that?" mom asked.

"For one," I gestured down at the clothes I was wearing, "I think I'll need to get some clothes that will fit me."

"Damn," dad winced as though realizing that for the first time, "That's going to get expensive. We'll probably have to skip our vacations this year..."

"We'll manage dear," mom assured him, then said, "She is right you know. She'll need a whole new wardrobe, as well as other things."

Just a minute later, mom was coming up with a list of everything she thought I would need now while dad complained about how much it would cost or how he didn't think I really needed it. Kim just sat there, looking half amused and half annoyed. I think she was a bit jealous over the fact that I was getting all this attention and she was virtually ignored at the moment, but she only made a few bitter and cynical comments, not nearly as much she might normally.

"All right, it's settled then," mom announced, standing up and looking at the clock. "I'll take you shopping just as soon as I get back from my workout."

"You think she'd be able to skip the gym for one day," Kim snorted.

"You know she's nearly as likely to do that as dad is to tell a lie," I grinned at her.

"I'm just glad she gave up on trying to drag us the fuck along." Kim grimaced while I nodded my agreement.

Mom left the house a few minutes after this, nearly running out the door as she rushed to do her favorite activity...exercising. I sometimes wondered what she would have been like if she'd never been changed by the twist. Would she still be short and scrawny, or would she have started exercising on her own eventually? Of course, I wondered if it bothered her that she liked exercising only because she was twisted. Then again, I might as well ask Kim how she thought about being into piercings because of it too.

"Thank God, Goddess or whoever that I didn't get an obsession like that," I muttered to myself. That kind of thing had been one of the big reasons I'd always been so terrified of going through my twist. "And this is another," I sighed, staring down at my changed body and shaking my head.

I went to my room and began to undress, deciding to take another long look at my body, partly out of curiosity and partly because I thought it might help me get used to it faster. However, as I was beginning to do this I couldn't help but thinking that I might as well take care of some practical business while I was at it. Specifically, I really needed a shower and it would be a good idea to take care of it before my mom got back.

A minute later, I was standing naked in the bathroom with the door locked behind me. I stood in front of the bathroom mirror again, this time taking in all the details of my body without clothing on. I had to admit that I felt a strange mixture of frustration and pride. Even though I didn't want to be a girl, I couldn't help but being pleased that at least I was a good looking one.

"Hell," I muttered with a faint smirk, "I'm probably the hottest girl in my school now." But after a moment of consideration, I decided that there was no 'probably' about it. I was the hottest girl, or would be as soon as I went back. "Then again," I reminded myself of my odd colored hair and mixed eyes, "I'm also a little weird looking."

I cupped my large breasts, thinking that they were heavy and felt massive. Of course, I knew that they weren't quite as large as they felt to me, but I wasn't used to having any weight on my chest like this. I also knew that I'd eventually get used to it because I wouldn't have much other choice.

"Damn nice body," I sighed, "Tight, sexy and curvy. A totally killer babe." It was just too bad that this was all me.

After several minutes of just continuing to stare at myself and examine my body, I decided to get on with it. I turned on the shower and climbed inside, gasping slightly as the water hit my breasts and revealed just how sensitive they now were. My whole body felt more sensitive than before, a fact that I hadn't really noticed until I started washing it. I wasn't sure whether to consider that a good thing or bad.

While I was washing up, I couldn't help noticing some of the details of my new body, such as the fact that the top of my head wasn't the only place I had crimson colored hair. I didn't dwell on that though as I continued on and slowly examined the rest of my body to see what else I might find. I didn't really find anything though, not even a single scar, mole or major blemish. It was as though my skin was smooth, soft and perfect.

I have to admit that I kind of enjoyed washing my body and getting a better feel for it, but washing my hair proved to be a pain in the ass. I have so much hair now that I had to use a lot of shampoo to lather it all, nearly half the bottle it seemed. And then since I had so much hair, that meant more time and effort scrubbing it. But as annoying as that was, it was nothing compared to drying my hair. I had so much hair that I tried drying it for five minutes with a towel and it still stayed a wet mess. It was only then that I remembered mom used a blow dryer to take care of hers and went in search of it.

Once I was all clean and dried, I put my clothes back on again, wishing that I had some clean ones instead. However, I wasn't in any position to be picky at the moment. And since I couldn't very well go out in public with a pair of fluffy pink slippers, I put on several pairs of socks and then my old shoes which were now a little too large for me, though the extra socks did help with that.

"No wonder it takes so long for girls to get ready in the morning," I muttered as I tugged my hair and sighed. I could only imagine how much worse it would have been if I was putting on makeup and the like.

I didn't have to wait much longer before mom came home, having cut her workout short. She came through the door, six and a half feet tall with muscles like a body builder. This was actually fairly small compared to how she normally looked after a workout.

"It felt pretty good," mom grinned, flexing one of her arms and smirking. "But I'll probably go ten miles tonight and hit the weights in the basement to make up for cutting my workout short."

I stared up at mom, always feeling a little intimidated when she bulked up like this. That was why I was thankful she usually did her thing during the day while I was at school. Normally, by the time I got home she had already shrunk back to her normal size.

"You might want to wait until you shrink back a bit before we go out," I told her.

Mom looked down at herself and the workout clothes she normally wore when she went to the gym. They were not only oversized, but stretched pretty well for when she grew larger. Unfortunately, they weren't very stylish and she would want to wear something a little more normal while shopping. She nodded agreement at my suggestion then went back to her bedroom to get cleaned up while she waited.

By the time mom was cleaned up, dressed and ready, she was back to her normal height of 5 foot 11. She gave me a careful looking over, then called out to dad and Kim that we were leaving. Dad just wished us luck and told us not to waste too much money on things we didn't need, while Kim had vanished to her room so may not even have heard.

"So where to?" I asked mom as we got into the car, "The mall?"

"No," she responded with a thoughtful look, "It's convenient having everything in one place, but to be honest, the prices there are a little higher than we need, especially when we're going to be buying a lot. Besides," she winked at me, "your dad would throw a fit if we spent a lot more than we needed to."

"And he's not exactly good at hiding it when he's mad," I grinned.

We arrived at a large department store a short while later and mom immediately went straight for the lingerie department. I felt more than a little awkward walking around the ladies underwear, especially when people kept staring at me. I wasn't even sure if they were staring at me because they thought I looked sexy or because of my odd clothes. I couldn't help but feeling even more self-conscious and embarrassed at that.

"It's bad enough going out in public like this," I muttered, wishing that I could just turn invisible for awhile.

"It's not that bad," mom told me, "Now we need to find your cup size..."

A short time later I learned that I was a D cup bra size, but as mom warned me, "At your age you might still grow a little larger."

"Just great," I muttered under my breath.

Mom grabbed a few panties and bras that were in my size, but I was less than interested. They were plain white things, practical without being fancy. I had to keep from yawning and asking if we could go check out the sporting goods department, which would at least be more fun than this, not to mention less embarrassing.

But as mom was looking at another pair for me, the saleswoman said, "How about these ones?" She gestured to a matching set of bra and panties that were all black and sort of lacy, making them look very sexy, "If I had your figure," she told me, "I'd definitely wear something like that. It would look so sexy on you."

I stared at the pair of bra an panties she had shown me, not sure why but suddenly knowing that I wanted them. If I was going to be wearing girl's underwear, this was the kind I wanted to wear. I could just imagine how sexy it would look on my body. The thought was nearly enough to make me drool.

"I want these ones," I told mom, who stared at me in surprise.

"Are you sure?" mom asked skeptically, "They're a little more feminine than I thought you'd be willing to wear."

I nodded, confused by what I was feeling but knowing that I had to have them. I wanted to wear those sexy things and see how they felt against my skin. I was almost getting a little turned on by the thought. "Yeah," I told her, then pointed to a similar pair in red just a short distance away, "And these ones too."

Mom just continued to stare at me for several more seconds before picking up the black pair and saying, "Let's just get these ones for now, and if you like them we can see about getting more like this later."

I felt a little disappointed but nodded my agreement. As the black bra and panties went into the cart, I felt a tiny surge of triumph, followed by one of confusion. I shook my head, still not sure why those things had caught my eye so much but feeling glad that we were going to get them.

Next we went over to the shirts section where I began trying on various T shits and blouses, most of which bored me. However, shirts that caught my attention were the ones that showed my navel or revealed a bit of cleavage...the sexy ones that showed off my assets...the ones that I would have expected to avoid at all costs. I couldn't explain why, but these were the shirts that I wanted to wear, not the plain and boring ones that tried to hide my figure. Mom gave me an odd look the entire time, especially when I told her which ones I'd decided on, but she didn't say a word about my choice.

After this we went to look at pants where I tried on some slacks and jeans, deciding that I really liked one tight pair that really showed off my ass. Then I saw a black mini-skirt that I knew would look awesome on me and grabbed it, "How about this?"

For a moment, mom just stared at me again, then she cautiously said, "You know, no one would blame you if you dressed as a tomboy for awhile. There's no need to rush into wearing extremely feminine clothes..."

"I know," I responded defensively, "But I like it..."

I looked at the skirt and frowned slightly, knowing that I had a very attractive and sexy body, so it only made sense to wear sexy clothes and show it off a little. But even as I thought this, I couldn't help but realizing that I shouldn't be thinking like that at all. Knowing myself the way I did, I knew that I should be extremely uncomfortable with the idea of people staring at me and seeing my new body. I should be trying to wear boy clothes and cover up my new body out of shame, but that wasn't the way I felt at all. I was a little startled to realize that I actually wanted to look sexy and attractive.

"Oh," I gulped in realization, "I guess I got twisted more than I realized..."

This was one of the things that I'd feared most about being twisted, having my mind altered, my very likes and dislikes changed so that I was a stranger to myself. So far, I knew that my sense of fashion had been turned completely upside down from what it had been, but I had no idea what other changes awaited me. Would my favorite food now disgust me? Would I find my favorite movie completely boring and chick flicks exciting? I didn't know. I didn't even know who I was anymore.

"It's okay," mom told me, putting a gentle hand on my shoulder, "I know it's confusing, but it will get better in time. You just have stop thinking about how things used to be and accept them as they are now. You can't take your old opinions for granted anymore."

"Just great," I groaned with more than just a little bitterness.

"Just think of it as a chance to try things over again for the first time and find new things that you may like." Mom gave me a sympathetic smile, "Before my twist, I never understood how anyone could enjoy exercising, but now I can't imagine not doing it every day. Trust me, before long it will be perfectly normal."

All I could do was nod my head at that, knowing that she was right. After all, not only had she adjusted to a whole new perspective, but so had Kim. I might not like it, but it wasn't like I had much of a choice.

We continued our search through the store for things I would need now, but I found myself second guessing my every thought and opinion. Whenever I saw something, I tried to think about what I thought and felt about it now compared to how I used to. For the most part though, I didn't really notice much difference other than in my taste of clothing.

A few minutes later we hit the shoe department and I came away with a pair of tennis shoes, a pair of nice shoes with a slight heel, and a pair of high heels that I clutched possessively and had mixed feelings about. On one hand, I felt self-conscious and a little embarrassed to be buying them, but at the same time, I was eager to get home and learn to really walk in them. These strange new emotions of mine were enough to give me a migraine.

Once we'd picked out most of the clothes I'd need, I went into one of the dressing rooms and changed into them. I felt much better now that I was dressed up in real clothes rather than the leftovers that happened to fit me. I also suddenly felt a lot more confident and less worried about people staring at me. In fact, I kind of hoped that they did stare.

Mom examined me once I was through, nodding with an look of satisfaction. "Your hair could use a little work though," she said, "I suppose I can teach you about proper hair care when we get home and schedule you for an appointment at the salon..."

Our next stop was to the jewelry department, where mom announced, "Every young lady should have at least one nice piece of jewelry, so consider this my present to celebrate your twist..."

"Okay," I said less than enthusiastically, until I looked into the jewelry case and gasped. My normal reaction to jewelry was boredom and disinterest, but this time I suddenly found it more...interesting. I felt a tiny surge of excitement, especially as I thought of how much nicer I would look with some of that... "I can have one?" I looked up to mom, "Really?"

Mom nodded while I just stood there, dazed and confused by my own emotions. What I was feeling was completely different from what I was expecting, from what I normally felt and largely thought that I should still feel.

"It's okay," mom told me quietly, giving me an understanding look, "Let's get you a nice necklace. How about this beautiful pendant...? It's gold and has this little ruby in it so really goes with your hair."

"Thanks mom," I told her as we walked away with the pendant just a few minutes later. I stared at it, admiring it's beauty though still being shaken by my own emotions. "This is pretty weird," I said, my voice quivering just a little. "I don't even know who I am anymore..."

"You'll learn," mom assured me with a gentle smile, "Besides, I think that most of the old Blake is still there."

"I hope so," I said, not at all convinced.

"Let's go take a look at the makeup counter," mom suggested, watching me for my reaction and probing me like she had been at breakfast. "I need to pick up a few things."

I just sighed and went with her, knowing from the way I'd reacted to the clothes and jewelry that I could probably expect to find myself interested in makeup from now on too. I was a little surprised to find myself still bored by the sight of all the various tubes and containers, though that changed a little when the sales woman started going about how she could 'enhance' my appearance.

Once I started thinking about how makeup might be able to make me look even sexier, I found that my interest had been caught.

Before I realized it, I was sitting in a chair while the sales woman gave me a free makeover, paying careful attention as she described everything she was doing and why. I was a little amazed at myself for being so curious and paying such close attention, but I was quickly learning that my interests were changing...whether I liked it or not.

After the sales woman had applied foundation, mascara and light blush, she reached for the lipstick and mom gasped, "Crimson? Isn't that a little...?"

"Daring?" the saleswoman responded with a grin. "Normally, but it goes perfect with this hair..."

Mom looked a little skeptical, "Well, I guess it's better than that glow in the dark, neon stuff that I see so many girl's her age wearing these days..."

"Or I could wear black lipstick like Kim," I teased mom, looking into the mirror and deciding that I liked the look of the crimson lipstick, though it felt odd to wear and tasted strange. "But what about my nails?" I held my hands up and wiggled my fingernails.

The sales woman giggled and reached for a bottle of crimson polish, "I'd better take care of that then..."

By the time we left the department store, I looked and felt fantastic. I knew that I should feel ashamed at looking so feminine and sexy, that I should try to avoid any attention, but that wasn't at all how I felt. Being all dressed up and everything like this somehow filled me with a strange confidence. And when guys stared at me with looks of admiration and lust, I actually felt pleased by it. I was filled with conflict at this, knowing that it was completely against everything I should be feeling as a former boy, but I enjoyed the attention nonetheless.

Mom watched me with a nervous expression, especially looking tense after a man about her own age walked past and gave me an appreciative look. For a brief moment, I could almost hear her thoughts as she wondered if she'd just created a monster. I was tempted to tease her a little, but after the amount of money she'd just spent on me, I thought she deserved a break.

As we loaded all the bags into the car, mom told me, "Your dad is NOT going to be pleased by how much we spent." She shook her head and sighed, "Sometimes I really regret that he can't just lie and tell me that he doesn't mind."

"That would be convenient," I grinned at her.

"Well, I wasn't expecting to buy multiple pairs of shoes, makeup or the necklace when we came," mom chuckled, "So I have to admit that I spent a bit more than I was expecting to as well..."

I felt a little guilty at that since all that money went to buying me things, so I told her, "I can get a job and help pay for some of this..."

"Well, it wouldn't hurt for you to get a job," mom laughed, "But don't worry about this."

When we got home a short time later, dad and Kim met us at the door, both of them staring at me with looks of stunned disbelief. But as fun as that was to watch, it was nothing compared to the strange colors dad turned when he saw just how many bags had. Kim looked jealous, not having been given the same kind of treatment after her twist, but for her it was only her fashion sense that had changed, not her body.

Before dad could make a big deal about how much we'd spent, mom went on the offensive. "I've decided that I'm going to start taking clients and be a personal trainer again," she stated, then quickly went on, "They've been asking me about it for awhile at the gym, and there are a lot of people who've come up to me and asked for my services..."

It didn't take mom long to convince dad that once she went back to work it would really help cover the extra expenses of my twist, as well as a few other things. And by the time she was done talking, he may even have forgotten that he was going to get mad about the bill in the first place.

While mom and dad were busy talking, Kim came up to me and looked me over, staring for nearly a minute before finally saying, "I didn't expect you to go all out like this."

I blushed at that, then told her, "It seems that weird compulsions and stuff run in the family."

"Fucking great," Kim snickered, "My loser brother's turned into my bimbo slut sister." Then she turned around and walked away snorting, "If nothing else, this'll be interesting."

I just stared at Kim with a grimace, realizing that at least one thing hadn't changed. I was still annoyed as hell by Kim and her obnoxious attitude. If that had somehow changed in my twist, then I'd really know I was in big trouble.

I looked over the outfit I was wearing, carefully making sure that everything was perfect. I was currently wearing a sexy red halter top that showed off my firm and flat stomach as well as a little cleavage, and a pair of tight jeans that really made my ass stand out. I would have preferred to wear the mini-skirt, but that was against the school dress code. I also would have preferred to wear my high heels, but even after practicing in them last night, I wasn't confident enough in my ability to keep my balance while wearing them for a full day in school, not when the price of falling on my face could be eternal ridicule.

"You know that you don't have to go back to school today," mom told me with a nervous expression, "It's only been two days since you changed. You might want to get a little more used to your new self first..."

"I'll be fine," I tried to assure her as I got ready for school.

Dad took one look at me and scowled, "I don't think I like you going to school like that. You look far too sexy and boys are likely to get the wrong idea."

"I'll be fine," I repeated with a roll of my eyes, "Most girls wear clothes like this if they have the body for it, and I certainly do. I can't wait to show off how hot I look now."

I suddenly paused and bit my lip, glaring at my dad. I hadn't intended to say that but it had just come out on it's own, so it was obvious that dad was using his little trick on me. The thing that frustrated me the most about my dad was that since he was forced to tell everyone the truth all the time, he felt absolutely no guilt in making everyone else do the same for him.

Mom and dad were both staring at me with looks of disapproval, but I continued, "Besides, I have to get back to school. We're having that big English test next week and I don't dare miss anymore class or I'll completely fail it."

That last argument pacified my folks a bit, but my dad pushed a little more, "Have you thought about what your friends will think of you when they see you like that?"

"Either that I'm a slut or a babe," I answered, still under the effects of dad's trick, "Depending on whether it's a girl or boy of course." That answer didn't make dad very happy but he could see that I was going to school whether he wanted me to or not, and I don't think that any parent could force their kid to stay home when they actually want to go. I think it's genetic or something.

Once dad had given up and walked away in disgust, I turned to mom and hesitantly asked her, "Can you help me with makeup?"

Mom stared at me in surprise, "Are you sure that you want to wear makeup on your first day back? What will your friends say?"

I just blushed, feeling extremely awkward about making this kind of a request. It was difficult dealing with things that I felt and wanted, yet knowing at the same time that they were the exact opposite of how I felt before. It was even worse since a large part of me was sure that I should still feel that way and felt guilty when I didn't. "I know, but I want to look good."

Mom sighed, "Okay, but we'll keep it light."

We went to my room and pulled out all the makeup that we'd bought yesterday, then mom went to work on me, making sure I could see what she was doing in the mirror and describing each step. I paid close attention, still a bit shaken at the fact that I was taking makeup lessons from my mom. That was something that I would have NEVER expected in a million years. The makeup was a little lighter than what the sales woman had put on yesterday, but still enough for me to tell it was there.

"What about the lipstick?" I asked when mom seemed to be done, having missed that obvious bit.

"I don't think you need crimson lipstick to go to school," she said, looking a little uncomfortable. But as she stared at me, she sighed, "I guess it does go with your hair, nails and outfit." She frowned, then reluctantly put it on. "You'll have to learn how to do this yourself soon."

"Thanks," I told her once we were done. "But I think I should get going before dad sees me like this."

"I think you're right," she shook her head. After I'd picked up my bag, she said, "Hold on, I'll drive you today. I don't like the idea of you walking by yourself when you look like that."

I wasn't sure that I liked the idea of having my mom drive me to school, but it was better than walking. And even though I didn't really want to admit it, I was nervous as hell and her presence was a bit comforting.

Once we were in the car and pulling out of the driveway, mom hesitantly said, "I think you should start taking a self-defense class."

"What?" I blinked in surprise.

"The gym offers a good one," she quickly added, "And with the way you look now, I think it would be a good idea for you." Then she sighed, "Some boys could get the wrong idea..."

"I know how boys think," I reminded her with a grimace, and because I knew how some guys at school could get, I sighed, "I'll think about it."

That seemed good enough for mom, at least for the moment because she let the subject drop. When we arrived at my school a few minutes later, she pulled into the parking lot, gave me some worried advice for my first day back and wished me luck. Then as she left, I turned and made my way into the front entrance, well aware of all the eyes that were watching me. I couldn't help feeling a faint tingle of excitement and pleasure in response.

"Jeez," I muttered to myself, feeling a bit embarrassed at my own emotions, "It's like I'm turning into some kind of attention whore."

As I walked through the school hallway, I noticed most of the boys who saw me were staring with looks of interest and attraction, while a number of girls glared or were too obvious in pretending that they didn't see me. There were also more than a few looks of curiosity as no one at the school would remember seeing me there before. A large part of my new self absolutely loved all this attention and I found myself instinctively sticking out my chest and strutting a bit more in response, while the old me sort of cringed in embarrassment and confusion, wondering what everyone would say if they knew who I really was.

Several boys and one girl called out as I passed, asking me for a date or if I was taken. As much as a large part of me was enjoying all this attention, I didn't really know what to do with it all. Then one of the guys had the courage to actually approach me, standing in my way so I would have to stop for him.

"Hey, you're gorgeous," the tall and athletic jock grinned at me, "I'm Devon. Let me welcome you to our school."

I just stared at Devon, knowing very well who he was. After all, he's the same guy who'd punched me in the gut last year just because I said something he didn't like. He hadn't hit me since then, though he'd made more than a few rude comments whenever he saw me.

"No thanks," I told him with a scowl, "I'm not new here and I'm already more than aware you're an asshole."

There were a lot of laughs and joking comments at that from the people around us while Devon just stared at me with a look of annoyance and embarrassment. Then I walked around him and hurried to my first period class, wondering just how much more of this I could expect during the day.

Once I reached my first period class, I took a deep breath and went inside, noticing that nearly all conversation stopped at my entrance. I pretended not to notice or care as I made my way to my own seat, earning even more curious looks as a result. Finally, the teacher Mr. Byron said, "Excuse me young lady, but I believe you have the wrong class."

"No, I'm in the right class," I told him with a self-conscious sigh, "I'm Blake... I just went through my twist."

Everyone in the class gasped at once and several of the boys who'd been giving me such admiring looks now appeared disgusted or horrified. A few girls sat there with smug looks on their faces, smirking at me and the boys who had been so openly lusting at me. And then there was Jeke, who was sitting in the seat beside me, staring at me in stunned disbelief, looking as though he wasn't sure to be horrified or not.

"Blake?" he gasped, his eyes wide as he stared at me with an intensity that almost made me think his eyes would pop out of their sockets.

"That's what I said," I told him, trying to smile and act like everything was fine, "By the way...my eyes are still up here."

"Class," Mr. Byron called out, trying to get everyone under control again, "Everyone sit down and pay attention. I'm sure that you'll have time to talk to Mr...Ms. Tyler about her twist after class."

It took Mr. Byron a few more minutes to get everyone settled so he could start the class. By then, everyone had gotten over their initial shock of me, though I still kept getting odd and curious looks. Still, it would have been much worse if I'd gone through a twist somewhere else. As it was, there were already three other people in that class who'd been twisted, and at least one more who was still waiting for hers.

I felt a little awkward sitting in class as I was, especially because Mr. Byron and the other students all kept sneaking looks at me. One boy even waved at me as he tried to catch my attention and I had to fight back the sudden impulse to wave back. As much as I might like and even crave attention now, I had to remind myself that class was not the time for it. In fact, class was the best time to avoid attention.

I tried to ignore the strange looks, deciding that I MUCH preferred the looks of admiration and attraction. To distract myself from them, I focused instead on Mr. Byron's lecture, something which I usually didn't pay too much attention to due to the high boredom factor. After awhile, I was a little surprised to realize that he must be doing something different to spice it up today because he was actually fairly interesting.

When class ended, I was suddenly bombarded with questions and comments from half the students in the class. Some where asking me just how much I'd changed, if I'd developed any cool tricks, or if I was interested in guys now. Another twisted wanted to congratulate me for finally joining the club. I just shrugged them all of since there was only one person that I really wanted to talk to at the moment.

"My God," Jeke exclaimed, staring at me with a stricken expression, "How did this happen?"

"You remember that disk you lent me," I asked him quietly. When Jeke gasped and nodded weakly, I continued, "Well I was looking through it when my twist happened."

"Oh shit," Jeke gulped, "I'm so sorry... I didn't mean for..."

"It's not your fault," I shrugged, "I was the one who was looking at it. Besides, if it wasn't that it would have kicked in on something."

Jeke just stared at me, still looking extremely nervous and uncertain. Of course, the reasons were obvious. For one, I now looked like a hot and sexy chick, which would have made him extremely nervous about talking to me by itself, but then there was also the fact that he didn't know how much I might have changed. He didn't know if I might have twisted into some sort of psycho, or maybe a manipulative bitch. For all he knew, I might be a virtual stranger to him now.

"So..." Jeke started, uncomfortably, "Just how much did you change."

He looked me over, his eyes lingering a little on my breasts. I had mixed feelings about that, sort of enjoying the appreciation but feeling annoyed at the same time because he was my best friend. Or at least I hoped he still was. My transforming like this could very well mean we weren't friends anymore. That was a depressing thought.

"Well, my body obviously," I sighed, looking down at myself and frowning slightly. I frowned, deciding to be honest, then tapped my forehead and said, "And I got a little messed up in here too."

"How much?" Jeke asked nervously, taking an instinctive step back.

I hesitated a moment before answering, "Mostly my fashion sense." I gestured down at my clothes, "I kind of like wearing this kind of stuff now." I felt a little odd realizing that I was much more embarrassed about admitting this out loud than I was about wearing the clothes.

"You're kidding?" Jeke gasped in surprise.

I just shrugged, "Do you honestly think anyone could have made me wear this stuff if I didn't want to? Trust me, my whole fashion sense is totally screwed up. You wouldn't believe what it was like shopping yesterday and buying clothes that I never would have been caught dead in before. I look at something and the old part of me screams no way, while this new part just loves it. It's enough to drive me nuts."

"I can't imagine it," Jeke shuddered with a look of horror on his face.

"Remember," I told him with a sigh, "I grew up knowing that I was going to get twisted some day. And trust me, as weird as this is, it's a lot better than some of the things that could have happened to me." After all, I should know since I spent more than enough time imagining those things in great detail. Somehow though, I'd never imagined I would be turned into a girl.

"I guess," Jeke admitted, though he didn't look too sure about it. "But you turned into...into that."

"Well most of the old me is still in here," I snapped, beginning to get annoyed at this feeling of having to defend my friendship. "I've got to get to second period. I'll see you later."

With that, I hurried down the hallway, feeling a little hurt and disappointed at the reaction I'd gotten from Jeke. I knew that I should have expected it, that as far as he was concerned I might be a complete and total stranger. Still, I guess I had sort of expected that my best friend would immediately accept me in spite of my changes. I guess that wasn't very realistic of me.

When I went into my second period class, the reaction was a much toned down version of what had happened in first period. Since a third of the students had been in my first period, it wasn't too surprising that I didn't get quite the same shock, though the look on my teacher's face was hilarious. I thought she was going to faint right there on the spot.

"Nice hair," Shiv smirked when she saw me, "For a moment, I almost thought you had a head wound and were bleeding all over the place."

I looked back at Shiv, knowing that this was just her way of testing me to see how I'd react. "Look who's talking," I responded with a snort, "Your hair nearly blinded me. You might want to unplug it when we're in class."

"Enough of that ladies," the teacher said, looking a bit uncomfortable to be using that term on me. "I won't tolerate any fighting in my class."

I stuck my tongue out at Shiv and she responded by flipping me the bird. However, from the grin on her face I could tell she wasn't upset. Instead, she seemed to have decided that I was all right.

The rest of the class was pretty uneventful, except for Dan Lawrence trying to cop a feel and Shiv calling me a 'skanky looking slut bitch' as we were leaving. I called her a 'tattooed whore freak' back and that was the end of it as we went our separate ways on almost friendly terms.

Before I realized it, I was sitting in English class, my least favorite class of the day. I'd shared a friendly insult with Shiv as we were coming in, but since we didn't sit together there was no chance to talk. And since Jeke wasn't in this class with me, I wasn't able to talk with him...even if he was still willing to talk with me. I was no longer sure about that.

At first, I did what I normally do in English, which is just sit back and zone out while the teacher lectures monotonously. But after awhile, I slowly found myself listening and then even paying attention. It wasn't that the teacher was less monotonous than normal or any less boring in his delivery, but for some reason the material itself just seemed a little more interesting. It wasn't until class was over and I felt a faint disappointment because of it that the alarm bells began to go off in my head. However, I quickly pushed those aside and hurried out of the class with everyone else, eager to get to lunch since I was beginning to get pretty hungry.

When I got to the lunch room and sat down at my usual table to eat, I expected Jeke to come by and join me just as he always did. But when finally saw him, he wasn't coming to our table. Instead, he gave me a nervous look, as well as one of admiration before rushing over to some other table. I remained where I was, feeling hurt and abandoned.

"Just great," I grimaced, realizing that my twist might very well mean that I'd have to get new friends. It was hard to imagine getting a new best friend though, especially since Jeke and I had been buddies for years.

I didn't have much time to dwell on Jeke's abandonment of me because one boy asked, "Is anyone sitting here?" Then he dropped down into the seat beside me before I could answer, regardless of the fact that there were a number of other open seats. However, those quickly filled up as well, all by boys who seemed to enjoy sitting close to me and watching me eat.

"Just great," I sighed to myself again. Sure, I enjoyed the attention they were giving me but it was pretty damn weird having a bunch of boys watching me while I ate my lunch. It felt downright creepy.

Once I was done eating, I was surprised to realize that I still felt hungry. I frowned at that, thinking that girls were supposed to eat less than guys, not more. I couldn't help looking around at the guys surrounding me, or specifically, looking at their lunches. One of them noticed my attention and offered me his brownie. And since the other's didn't want to be outdone, they started offering me things too. Before I realized it, I had enough extras for a second lunch.

"Much better," I licked my lips once I was finished eating for the second time. One boy was staring at me so hard that he looked as though he were about to pass out from lack of blood to the brain. I felt mixed emotions about that, as I did about nearly everything now.

Since I was done, I took my time standing up, making sure to lean forward and give the guys a bit of a show. I felt a tingle of excitement as they all stared at me even harder. I still found it hard to believe that I got such a kick from people staring at me and admiring the way I looked, but I couldn't deny that I did. It seems that I not only like that kind of attention now but actually crave it as well. I wanted more of it which was why I started walking out of the lunch room with as sexy a strut as I could manage.

I was well aware of the fact that a large number of boys in the cafeteria were staring at me as I walked past, including some of the teacher. I was eating it up, loving every bit of the attention yet feeling a little guilty for doing so. One girl even muttered, "What a slut," as I walked past, probably due to the fact that the boy sitting beside her was nearly drooling as he stared at me.

After I left the cafeteria, I was a little uncertain about what to do with the rest of my lunch time since I normally spent it bullshitting with Jeke and that wasn't possible now. I frowned, then decided that I might as well walk around a little and see if I could get some more guys to lust over me. Again, I felt guilty for having those thoughts since I knew they would be complete anathema for the old me, but at the same time I got a thrill from imagining the looks on people's faces and knowing the kinds of fantasies that would run through their minds.

"I am an attention whore," I grimaced, not sure what that said about me now.

Just then, I noticed Devon walking straight towards me with one of his friends at his side. I saw the intense scowl on his face as he glared at me and suddenly had a very bad feeling about this. I quickly glanced around for a quick way out of here but it was too late because he was already there.

"I bet you thought it was funny making me look like an idiot this morning," Devon spat at me.

"It didn't take much effort," I responded with a forced grin.

"Why you little bitch," Devon's friend Kase snarled from beside him.

"I heard about you and your little twist," Devon sneered, positioning himself to look even bigger and more menacing, "So you think it's funny to flirt with me in front of a bunch of people just so you can laugh at me, do you?"

"That's not the way I remember it happening this morning," I said defensively, taking a nervous step back. Devon was really getting worked up and Kase was only making things worse.

"She made you look like some kind of punk," Kase told Devon, "I mean, he tricked you into thinking he was a girl."

"I am a girl now," I argued, hoping desperately that this fact might save me from a beating. "It's not my fault, but that's what I am now..."

Devon snorted, "And you really think I'm not gonna kick your ass just because you look like a girl?"

"Yeah," Kase added, "Show her that no one makes fun of you..."

"I aim to," Devon suddenly grabbed my arm, squeezing it painfully and slamming me up against the lockers on the wall. "I shouldn't have let you off so easily last time you little punk."

"Hey, leave her alone," another voice suddenly yelled out from down the hall. I looked over and was surprised to see Jeke running our way.

Devon glared at Jeke, "Keep out of my way and you won't get hurt too. I've got to teach this prick not to make fun of me."

"But it's so easy," I said, the words just slipping out of my mouth before I'd realized it. That didn't do anything to improve Devon's mood.

"But she's a girl," Jeke said, trying to change tactics, "I mean, what are people going to say about you if you go around hitting girls?"

"I don't care what this fucking prick looks like," Devon snorted, "he's still the same moron he's always been."

"Don't worry," Kase grinned, walking towards Jeke, "I'll have fun with this guy while you're teaching her a lesson."

I just glared at Devon and Kase, feeling angry and frustrated. There never seemed to be a teacher around when you really needed one. It was like they knew trouble was going to happen so they vanished to stay out of it themselves. That way, they'd be able to come in after the fact and act all smug and superior, pretending that they actually had the answers when the truth was they couldn't be bothered to help you when you really needed it.

As I stood there, pinned up against the lockers, I felt a strange tingly pressure building up inside of my body. I'd never felt anything quite like it before so had no idea what it could be. However, I was too focused on Devon and his painful grip on my arm to really worry about it at the moment.

"You're in trouble now smart-ass," Devon told me as he pulled back his other arm, making a show of the fact that he was about to hit me.

"Better than being a dumb-ass," I told him, bracing myself for the punch.

"WHY YOU...!" Devon yelled and began to throw his punch.

Suddenly, the pressure inside of me exploded outward. At the same time, there was a flash of blue light and Devon went flying backwards, hitting the ground and shaking for just a few seconds before clutching his hand and yelling in pain.

"What the fuck?" Kase yelled, staring at me in horror. Other students who were all gathered in the hall all stepped back as well.

"Blake?" Jeke asked, looking at me nervously, "Are you all right?"

I stared at Devon for a moment then looked down at myself and hesitantly answered, "I think so..." I didn't seem to be hurt at all. In fact, I felt pretty good, and looking at Devon on the floor only made me feel better.

"What the hell just happened?" Jeke gasped, "What did you do to him?"

"What the fuck did you do?" Kase demanded, but he kept his distance as he helped Devon back to his feet.

"I have no idea," I whispered, my mind racing. Then again, I did have a good idea. It looks like I might have gained some sort of trick during my twist. Being able to do that to Devon was certainly one hell of a trick all right.

"Look what you fucking did to me," Devon snarled, holding up his hand, "I can't feel it... It's fucking numb."

"Just like your brain," I couldn't resist snapping back, pleased to notice that he didn't come towards me again. He glared at me, then hurried away, muttering something about, "Fucking twisted bitch."

"Damn," Jeke said, "You might want to watch your back around him from now on.

"Like I didn't already," I muttered, staring down at my own hand and trying to figure out exactly what I did.

But just then, one of the teachers finally showed up. He came storming down the hall with an imperious expression that teachers tend to have when they're about to exert their authority. I scowled, annoyed that he was nowhere in sight while Devon was about to beat the hell out of me, but now he showed up ready to declare judgment.

For a moment, I considered making a run for it before he could grab me and decide I was the guilty party and in need of detention, then I grinned as I had a different idea. Instead, I gave my best 'poor little girl' look, something which I hadn't ever practiced before and hoped I got right. I'd seen enough pretty girls slip out of trouble by playing this card and I wanted to see if I could do it too.

"Did you see that," I gasped, trying to look scared and helpless but sexy at the same time. I had no idea how well I succeeded, but the teacher froze with a dazed expression on his face, "I've only been a girl for a couple days and some jerk already attacks me. Where were you guys? I mean, I got assaulted right here in the school hallway and no one did anything..."

"That sounds like a lawsuit," Jeke offered helpfully, making the teacher go even more pale.

"I'm sure there's no need for that," the teacher stammered nervously, obviously afraid of being connected to a lawsuit against the school.

It didn't take much effort on my part to not only talk my way out of trouble but to convince him that I was the victim of a horrible assault. When the teacher left, he swore that Devon would be spending a lot of time in detention for what he'd tried doing to me, and I had little doubt that if I'd wanted I could even have gotten Devon expelled. I was amazed at just how easy it had been.

Once the teacher and most of the audience were gone, Jeke stared at me and licked his lips nervously, "I'm sorry about earlier." He looked a little uncomfortable, "It's just that you're so different now and I don't know how much of you is the same."

"I know," I sighed, "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have gotten all mad like that. It's just frustrating because everything else is different and I guess I'd just assumed that you and I would still be the same."

"Well," Jeke said hopefully, "I'd like to at least try to still be friends."

"Me too," I held out my hand.

Jeke stared at my hand for a moment, "You're not gonna do to me what you did to Devon, are you?"

"I don't think so," I frowned, "I mean, I've touched other people like this and nothing happened. I think that was only because I was really mad."

The two of us shook hands and I let out a sigh of relief, feeling some of the tension leaving me. I felt a lot better now that I knew Jeke was back in my corner again. He was my best friend and it would really suck to lose him just because I'd gone through my twist.

I let out a long sigh of relief when I finally got home from school. It had been such a weird day, and not just because of what happened with Devon or the way everyone now treated me different. There were other thins too, such as the fact that every one of my classes now seemed more interesting. I know that the teacher's couldn't have all changed the way they were doing things, but I don't think I wanted to admit the only other thing it could be.

When I went inside and saw my mom, standing 6 foot 2 and wearing loose clothes, I knew that she'd gotten back from the gym just a short while ago. It was always kind of interesting to watch her swell into a massive amazon while working out or slowly shrink back down afterwards.

"So how was school?" mom asked me with a broad smile that didn't quite hide her worry.

"It was...interesting," I said, not sure exactly how much to tell her.

"Oh?" dad asked as he came over, making me nervous. I hoped that he didn't use his trick on me because there were some things I didn't feel like telling my parents.

"Well," I said slowly, "I found out I have a trick."

"Really?" mom asked with a look of interest. I knew that she and dad would be interested in that, and so would Kim if she'd bother to come out and show herself. After all, everyone is interested in what tricks a twisted might have and it's frequently one of the first questions people ask about us.

I took a deep breath and concentrated on that strange tingly pressure that I'd felt while being threatened by Devon. I'd practiced this several times during the day, between classes and the like as I tried making sense of what I'd done to him. And after a few attempts, I'd finally figured it out. The pressure built again, though not nearly as strong as then. It channeled into my hand and suddenly blue sparks shot between my fingers, making both my parents jump back in surprise.

"I think it's like some kind of taser or something," I said with a grin, feeling rather pleased with myself. After all, it was a pretty cool trick and it had already proven useful against Devon.

"You haven't used it on someone, have you?" my dad asked with a worried look.

"Only on some guy who jumped me in the hallway," I responded, then bit my tongue, silently cursing dad and his trick.

"You used it on someone?" mom gasped in horror.

"Not on purpose," I answered truthfully, still under the effects of dad's trick, "I didn't know I could do it until it happened and he ended up on the floor..."

"Did you hurt him?" dad demanded, looking upset.

"He's twice my size and tried beating the crap out of me," I snapped in annoyance, "And you're more worried about him? Thanks a lot for your concern." The sarcasm was thick and I spat out, "No, the jerk's fine. He just got a bit of a shock is all."

"Well enough about that," mom announced, trying to diffuse the situation. She smiled at me, "We have a hair appointment at the salon for you in an hour."

"Hair appointment?" dad gasped, "He needs to go see a doctor for a checkup, a specialist for his trick, and there's a lot of paperwork that needs to be done. I hardly think that a hair appointment is the top priority."

"That's she now, not he," mom corrected dad patiently, "And as for priorities, a lovely young lady like her needs to look her best at all times. Besides, we've already got an appointment with the doctor this weekend, and it won't be a problem to schedule one with the trick specialist right afterwards."

Dad wasn't exactly happy but he couldn't argue much with that. When he tried to, his real feelings came out and he spouted, "I don't want my son...daughter looking any more feminine and sexy than she already does." Mom just smiled and reminded him that since I had my own built in taser, there was hardly a need to worry about me not being able to take care of myself. Dad still wasn't happy about that but it was the end of the conversation.

A short while later mom and I were on our way to the salon and I was filled with mixed feelings. I'd never been in one of those places before, which had always seemed a haven for all things feminine. It was the kind of place that I normally would have avoided at all costs, or at least the old me would have. The new me was a bit different and that would take a bit to get used to. I was nervous, but at the same time, I knew that it would make me look even better and I absolutely loved the idea.

When we arrived, mom talked with an employee named Sarah for a minute then ushered me to a chair where the Sarah looked me over. "Not bad, but a little trimming and styling could certainly help," she mused. She looked at my mom, "Should we dye her hair as well."

"I don't think so," mom responded, "It's very distinctive this way, but it's your choice." She looked at me as she said the last.

I thought about it for a moment, then decided, "Leave it this color...or colors. I kind of like it."

Sarah picked up my hand and looked at my fingers for a moment, "Very nice. It looks like you've had a manicure recently."

"No," I blinked, "We only put some polish on them."

"They come that way naturally from her twist," mom told Sarah with a look of amusement. "We should probably take care to keep them that way though since they're very nice."

Once everything was decided, Sarah went to work. She leaned my chair back over a sink and washed my hair with some nice smelling shampoo that would have made me immediately run away had I still been a guy. I still felt the urge to do that, though I held that impulse in check with the reminder that I was a girl now and could get away with perfumed shampoo and the like. Still, it was hard to forget the old instincts.

While Sarah was washing my hair and then cutting it, she cheerfully chatted on, "So, you've just had your twist? That's great. I remember when I had my twist. I lost over fifty pounds overnight, gained a cup size and this trick where I can change the TV channel without a remote."

Sarah continued talking the entire time and I learned a lot more about her and her life than I really wanted to. Perhaps it was just her way of easing the tension and making me feel more comfortable with her, but I found it just a little odd that she'd just open up and talk like that to a complete stranger. Then again, she and my mom seemed to know each other.

When Sarah was finally finished with me, I was allowed to see the results in a mirror. All I could do was stare, feeling impressed at just how good I looked. My hair was about an inch shorter than it had been, but it was styled a bit and more luxurious, making me look wild and sexy.

"Oh dear," mom said, looking amazed. "You look gorgeous.

"Normally I would have seen about a manicure as well," Sarah said cheerfully, "but you obviously don't need one."

"I think we're fine with this for now," mom told her with a smile.

"That was a little different than I expected," I admitted to mom after we'd left.

"What were you expecting?" she asked me with an amused look.

I shrugged, "I guess I'm not really sure."

"Well, let's get home so we can have dinner," mom told me. "You your father isn't bad in the kitchen when he puts his mind to it."

We arrived home a short while later and I saw our neighbor standing out in the yard and watching me with a look of curiosity. Belinda Bounce would definitely have been considered an odd neighbor anywhere other than Spiral. She was a stripper with a pair of breasts that were literally the size of beach balls. But since she never had any problem moving with her back or moving around with them, I was pretty sure that having them be immune from gravity was one of her tricks.

Belinda might have been our neighbor, but I normally only saw her once a month or so, due largely to the fact that she was up till the early hours of the morning working and then spent most of the day sleeping. Because of this, I didn't know her very well but I had heard that before her twist made her into a big breasted exhibitionist, she had been a very conservative religious girl.

"So that's what you look like now," Belinda said as she looked me over with an appraising expression. "Very nice shape..."

"Um...thanks," I responded, a little uncertain about how to take being complimented by her. Sure, I loved attention from guys, but this was from a professional stripper. Then again, she wasn't giving me quite the same look of interest. Belinda was looking at me with more of a professional eye, as if wondering how well I might do in her business.

"You've got a great figure," Belinda said with a grin, then she added, "But if you ever want a little more up top, just let me know."

I gulped at that, knowing that Belinda was referring to her trick. She could cause girls and women to have a growth spurt that could make their breast size anywhere from one to four cup sizes larger, though she apparently didn't have control over how much anyone grew or didn't. This made her very popular among some of the girls in Spiral who were looking for a natural and cheaper alternative to implants.

"Anyway," Belinda said, "I've got to get going. I have to be at the club in half an hour and I'm already running late."

After I waved good-bye to Belinda and went inside the house, I couldn't help but thinking about her and her twist. I felt a faint chill as I realized how similar the two of us were in the way we'd been twisted. We'd both been turned into sexy babes who loved attention, though from what I understood, her exhibitionist streak was quite a bit stronger than mine. I was just a little afraid that when I looked at her, I might very well be looking at my own future.

"I bet she gets a lot of attention though," I mused to myself, thinking about how many men she must have staring at her while she danced, "And she actually gets paid to have people watch her." Then I realized where my thoughts were heading and shook them off.

When we sat down to dinner a short time later, Kim stared at me with a sneer for nearly two minutes before finally saying, "I hear you picked up a trick."

"Yeah," I nodded, having wondered how long it would take her to get to the point. I closed my eyes and concentrated on letting that strange pressure build inside of me, at least a little bit, then releasing it into my hand so that sparks shot out between my fingers.

"Not bad for a loser," Kim said, though she was obviously more impressed than she was acting.

"No showing off your taser touch at the table," mom said with a roll of her eyes.

"Then I guess I'll just have to show it to Kim in private," I teased her with the veiled threat I never actually ended to carry out. It was just fun watching her get a little nervous of me for once. This was payback for all the times she'd insulted and threatened me since her twist.

As soon as dinner was over, I rushed to my room, took off my shoes and put on the stiletto heeled ones so I could get more practice walking around in those. I couldn't wait until my balance was good enough for me to wear those out in public without fear of falling down. I got excited just thinking about how hot and sexy they made me look and feel.

I practiced walking in the stiletto heels for a short while before sitting down to do my homework, keeping the shoes on. In history class we had been talking about Nia Clarence and how she fought for the civil rights of the twisted just after we first started appearing. It had actually been really interesting to hear her story today in class so I was actually eager to learn even more. I pulled open my history book and went to work reading, getting so caught up that I read twice the amount we were assigned to before I finally stopped.

"I guess I should get the rest of my homework out of the way," I sighed, putting my history book to the side with a vague feeling of regret and reaching for my math book.

It took a little longer than normal to do my math homework than normal, but that was because I actually did the problems myself rather than looking to the back of the book or the calculator for an answer. Since I'd actually been paying attention in class today, I understood how to work these problems for a change. Since that was such a rare occurrence, I decided that I might as well take advantage of it while I could.

My homework took a little longer than normal to finish, but that was only because I wasn't rushing through it and putting down answers I knew were wrong. I took my time and did it right, finding that it wasn't too hard since I'd been paying attention in class all day. It was amazing what a difference that little thing made.

Once I was done with my homework, I decided that I was on a roll so turned my attention to an English assignment that I'd been putting off for some time. I picked up a copy of the book Moby Dick, which I was supposed to read by next week and do a book report on in class. I hadn't even started the book yet, nor did I have any real intention of doing so. After all, why waste all that time reading through a huge book like this when you could just go and get the Cliff notes?

"Let's see," I mused as I opened the thick book and began flipping through the pages. I didn't intend to read it, just to glance through it a little. Then I found myself looking at the first page and the famous opening line that even I'd heard of before. I started reading the first line, curious to see how the full line actually went. Then I found myself reading the whole first paragraph, then the first page, getting more and more engrossed in the book. Before I realized it, I was completely caught up in the story and unwilling to put it down.

About an hour after I started reading, mom called out for me, annoying me at the interruption. I stuck my finger between the pages I was on, then went to go see what mom wanted, nearly tripping since I'd forgotten I was wearing the high heels. I scowled in annoyance, then left my room a little more carefully.

"I wanted to see if you could," mom started, then paused as she saw the book in my hand. "What's that?"

"That English project," I sighed, "You know, Moby Dick. I started it after finishing my regular homework."

Mom stared at me for a moment, then at the book with a look of surprise. "And you started that today?"

"Yeah," I responded impatiently.

"Is that where you're at?" she asked, pointing to where my finger was between the pages. "Is that how far you've gotten?"

"Yeah," I eyed her suspiciously, wondering why she was making such a big deal of this. After all, she'd been nagging me to start reading the book for the last two weeks so I thought she'd be happy I finally started it.

Mom just stood there for a moment with a strange expression on her face. Then she cautiously said, "You just started reading Moby Dick a couple hours ago and you're already halfway through it?"

I blinked in surprise, then looked at where my finger was placed. It was indeed halfway through the book, perhaps even a little more than halfway. I went pale at the sight and quietly said, "I started it an hour ago..."

"I've never seen you read a book that fast," mom was commenting, "In fact, you usually avoiding reading anything at all..."

"I know," I responded quietly, suddenly remembering some of my own strange behavior during the day. I'd been paying attention in every class and I'd even gotten caught up in reading a novel I would normally have avoided at all costs. When I had started craving attention and sexy clothes, that had been obvious and something I couldn't ignore. But this...this had been much more subtle and had completely snuck up on me. "Oh shit..."

"Are you okay?" mom asked with a look of concern.

"Yeah," I forced a smile, "I just keep surprising myself is all."

Mom just nodded, then told me, "Well, if you picked up the ability to speed read in your twist, I'd call that pretty lucky."

"Yeah," I sighed, turning around and going back to my room, both of us forgetting about why she'd called me out in the first place.

"Just great," I sighed, dropping the book onto my desk with a scowl of annoyance. Finding out that the only reason I enjoyed reading it was that my personality had been changed took the pleasure out of it. "First my twist turns me into some kind of attention whore, now it's turning me into a nerd too."

I plopped down on my bed, shaking my head and trying to make sense of who I was now and who I was becoming. It was all so confusing, especially since none of my previous experience and opinions seemed to count anymore. I no longer had any idea of who I was, and just when I thought I was getting a clue more just got thrown into the mix.

After just sitting there and brooding for awhile, I found my thoughts turning back to the book. I couldn't help but thinking about what I'd already read and wondering what was going to happen next. I told myself no, that I refused to give in to that entirely out of stubborn pride of nothing else, but eventually found myself picking the book back up. I just had to know what happened next...

It was strange going back to school in the morning, especially since all my homework was done right, I was caught up for all of my classes and even ahead in several assignments. This was probably the first time I was actually prepared for all of my classes in as long as I could remember, and I felt somewhat uncomfortable about that. It just wasn't normal, at least not for me.

I was well aware of the irony, that I felt more shame and embarrassment about actually being ready for school and prepared than I did about wearing sexy clothes and trying to attract men. I was able to tell Jeke about my love of dressing provocatively, but not about wanting to pay attention in class. The whole thing was so odd that even I almost found it funny.

There was one thing I knew though and had been reminded of countless times while growing up, and that was that it was easier to go with the flow. Over half of all twisted had been altered mentally to one degree or another, many of whom had been given compulsions or new interests of one form or another. Both of my parents fell into that category and they warned me that it could very well be my fate as well. Because of that, they had always told me that it was easier to just accept your changes and adjust to them than to try fighting them and yourself all the time, unless of course those compulsions were either illegal or immoral. It might be easier to just go with the flow, but it was still a bit uncomfortable when you were flowing in the opposite direction you were used to flowing.

When I stepped into my first period class, I was well aware of my new tendency to pay more attention and I decided to actively fight it. I actually tried to zone out and not pay attention, but I quickly discovered that it's more difficult than it sounds. It isn't easy to completely ignore someone when they're saying something that you actually find interesting. I tried fighting myself for most of first period before I finally just gave up and went with the flow.

Since I couldn't really fight my own compulsions and interests, I decided that it would be smart to at least learn exactly what they were. Because of this, I spent the next several classes carefully scrutinizing my own emotions and reactions to just about everything, trying to figure out what sparked my interest and curiosity and what bored me to death.

It didn't take me long before I began to notice a pattern in my new interests and desires. So far I hadn't found anything that actually bored me, but other than looking sexy and attracting attention, it seemed that I had a fascination for learning new things and reading just about anything I got my hands on. In English, I finished the reading assignment in two minutes, even though everyone else spent half the period on it, then I found myself reading through the rest of the book as well. If this continued, I knew that I might very well end up getting straight A's in all my classes, which would give Jeke license to tease me forever. That was why I decided not to tell him about this.

Eventually lunch arrived and I went to the cafeteria, making sure to reserve a seat beside me for Jeke. Since my twist, there were a lot of boys who wanted sit next to me, or even just close to me. A lot of them didn't have the nerve to come up and talk to me directly but still liked to be near me. I was delighted by the attention, yet found it a little annoying as well since it meant I didn't get much privacy.

"Is it too much of a good thing?" I couldn't resist asking myself, even as I smiled and posed to look even sexier.

Then I pulled out my lunch and earned a few looks of surprise and amazement. Not only had I bought a school lunch, but I'd brought one from home as well. Ever since my twist, my appetite had increased when I would have thought the opposite would happen. I couldn't help but being a little worried that eating more food might make me gain weight and ruin my perfect figure. And the idea of dieting wasn't a pleasant one either.

"I never thought I'd have to worry about that," I muttered as I bit into an apple.

I had barely even started on my lunch when I suddenly noticed Devon walking in my direction along with his friend Kase and Tom McGuire. I felt a faint chill run down my spine as I saw them, especially as I stared at Tom and saw the nasty way Devon was grinning.

Tom was 6 foot 4, heavily muscled and the star player of the school wrestling and football teams. He was one of the biggest and probably the strongest guy in the entire school, which still amazed me a bit. Back when he was Tommy McGuire, he'd been a scrawny nerd, but that was before he'd been twisted into some sort of super jock. He could have had a bright future in athletics if it wasn't for the fact that just about every professional sport banned the twisted from competition.

"There she is," Devon sneered, gesturing at me, "The bitch that zapped me yesterday."

I just remained where I was and gave a charming smile and an innocent 'who me?' look. I'd practiced it in front of the mirror, having noticed just how well such a look usually worked for getting girls out of trouble.

"Hey," Tom nodded at me with a pleasant smile, not at all threatening like I would have expected. He stared at me for a moment before nodding appreciatively, "I guess you twisted pretty good."

"It happens," I shrugged, letting my guard down a little.

"Maybe we'll see each other again sometime," Tom winked at me as he continued on his way.

An annoyed Devon quickly followed after Tom, grumbling, "You were supposed to scare her, not flirt with her."

But Tom just chuckled, "Why would I want to do that?"

"There are definitely advantages to being a pretty girl," I grinned as I watched Tom walk off, thinking about just how bad it could have been for me if he'd decided to beat me up or something. Fortunately, Tom didn't seem to have anything against me, even if I had zapped his friend.

Just then, Jeke sat down beside me, asking, "Did I just see Tom McGuire hitting on you?"

"Something like that," I admitted, feeling a little embarrassed at that.

Jeke stared at me for a moment with an odd expression, then he blurted out, "Do you like guys now?"

"What?" I blinked, not having expected that question from my best friend.

"I mean," Jeke quickly went on, "If you like guys now instead of girls, I guess that's cool..."

"I...I don't know," I admitted after a moment of surprise, "I guess I've been too busy to think about it..."

Jeke continued to stare at me with that odd look for a moment, then realized that I wasn't very comfortable with this topic and changed the subject, "Did you hear about that new movie coming out? They're making a big one about some twisted girl who becomes a super hero."

"Really?" I asked in surprise, then snorted, "I bet that will go over well with the religious crowd."

"Yeah," Jeke nodded, "There's already a bit of controversy and all, and they haven't even started filming yet. It should be fun to watch though, especially if they get some real twisted chick to star in it. I mean, think how easier it will be to do the special effects if they've actually got a real twisted using her trick..."

"That could be pretty wicked," I agreed, "I just hope it's better than that disaster movie about the Antarctic Flu coming back that came out last year. I mean, it breaks out and suddenly there's a bunch more twisted around trying to take over the world... Get real..."

"I know," Jeke laughed, "But it was kind of funny. I mean, they had that once character whose trick was to make other people do the chicken dance..."

I groaned at that, "It's things like that which keep giving us twisted a bad name."

"And here I thought it was the nut cases who kept trying to say you weren't human anymore," Jeke grinned. "And you remember that senator that kept saying the twisted are really being possessed by some aliens from another dimension..."

"How could I forget," I rolled my eyes, "My dad got so mad at that he threw a lamp at our TV and broke it."

Jeke and I continued talking through the rest of lunch, but I couldn't help thinking about the question he had asked me. Did I like guys now? Sure, I loved getting their attention and having them look at me, but I liked having girls admire me too so that didn't necessarily mean a thing. The scary part was...I honestly didn't know anymore. It's a frightening thing when you don't know yourself and probably the worst thing about being twisted.

When Jeke and I went our separate ways, I walked down the hall to my next class enjoying the attention I received but constantly asking myself, "Is he cute? Is she?" This question of my sexuality was one that I wanted answered as soon as possible, though it was a little more difficult to figure out than I would have guessed.

I was relieved once I got to history class and the teacher started the lecture. We were still learning about he early days of the twisted and what it meant for the world at large, which I found completely fascinating. I was so caught up in the class that I even forgot about my earlier concerns, breaking my concentration from the lecture only long enough to pose a little and enjoy the admiring looks that a few boys were giving me.

After class was over, I wandered into the hallway, still thinking about the lecture and the early twisted. I couldn't help but shuddering as I thought about how hard things were for the first ones, about the persecution, the outright attacks and violence. Mom and dad had both talked about it a little, but neither of them really liked to think back on those old days. It just made me more thankful than ever that I lived in Spiral where that kind of thing wasn't really a problem, even if it still was to some degree in the outside world.

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I almost didn't notice someone standing by my side. When I did, I was surprised to see Janine Taylor standing there, trying to get my attention. Janine was a pretty hot looking brunette, but she was also a notorious lesbian who hit on just about every attractive girl in school. I'd never really talked to her before since she avoided guys whenever possible, but I was obviously no longer a guy.

"Um...Janine," I blinked, realizing that I should have been expecting this. Since I had turned into a hot looking girl, Janine was bound to come and try hitting on me sooner or later.

"Hey," Janine nearly purred as she came up close to me, looking me over with a very admiring expression. "Damn, you look good..."

"Thanks," I responded, not sure how to react to Janine but still feeling pleased by the compliment. I felt a little more confident as I asked, "What's up?"

"I heard about your twist," she told me, backing up a little and looking just a little embarrassed. "I've seen you around a few times and thought that you look completely hot and sexy."

I just smiled at that, feeling pleased in spite of myself. I knew that I shouldn't let myself get flattered so easily, but I just couldn't help it. The new attention seeker part of me just loved the compliments and hungered for more.

"I was wondering," Janine said hesitantly, "If your twist changed your perspective." She paused to look me over and sighed, "With the way you're dressed, I'd kind of guess so."

"Yeah," I admitted, "My perspective got twisted a bit." It wasn't like I could deny it with the way I was dressing and showing off every chance I got.

Janine nodded, then gave a weak smile before hesitantly asking, "I was wondering if you still liked girls." There was a hopeful look on her face that surprised me a little. She was acting a bit shy and nervous about this, not as forceful or aggressive about her flirting as she normally was when I saw her.

"I...I don't know," I admitted, feeling extremely embarrassed about the question when it came from her. It was one thing when my best friend asked me, but I barely even knew Janine and I knew that she had a very personal reason for asking. Of course I could have lied, but after growing up with my dad around I wasn't very good at it.

"You don't know?" Janine blinked in surprise. "How could you not know something like that?"

"Because I just changed," I answered defensively, "and I've been too busy dealing with everything else to even think about it."

"Sorry," Janine apologized, "It's just surprising..." Then she paused for a moment, biting her lip before suddenly grinning, "Maybe this will help you figure it out..."

Before I realized it, Janine threw herself against me and planted her lips right into mine in a kiss. I was stunned as she kissed me, and also delighted. It felt good... It felt really good. I'd only kissed a girl once before, and I hadn't gotten this kind of spark shooting through my body. My nipples began to harden and I thought that I might even be getting a little wet further down.

"Wow," Janine giggled when she pulled away, "From the look on your face, I guess you have your answer." She looked quite pleased with herself, even smug as she stepped away from me. Then with a wink, she turned and started off down the hall, cheerfully calling back, "I'll see you later..."

I just remained where I was for a few more seconds before finally whispering, "Wow..." I could hardly believe that I'd just had a hot looking girl come up to me in the hallway and give me a kiss like that. That kind of thing had NEVER happened to me back when I'd still been a guy. And I was even feeling all turned on by it. "Wow..."

Then I grinned, still feeling a bit stunned by my encounter with Janine, but relieved as well. This meant that I finally had my answer. I did still like girls. I was especially relieved since I didn't know if I could handle any more changes to my mind and behavior, especially not with something as fundamental to my self-identity as that.

"It looks like there's going to be a lot of disappointed guys around here," I giggled, looking around at several boys who'd actually seen the kiss and were still staring at me. "I just hope this doesn't chase them away..."

After a moment I gathered my wits and continued on to my next class with a broad grin on my face and a sexy strut in my step. Somehow, I felt even sexier and more attractive than before as I walked down the hall, thinking about Janine and looking forward to seeing her again.

After school was over and I made my way home, I couldn't help feeling both giddy and tired at the same time. It was a strange combination of emotions, but that seemed to have become my trademark since my twist.

My mind was still wandering over Janine's kiss, but at the same time, I was a little drained from a talk I'd just had with Jeke. He'd heard about me and Janine kissing and had confronted me with that, demanding to know if the rumors were true and we were dating now. I didn't really know how to respond to that, especially when I saw the look of jealousy in my friend's eyes. I hadn't realized until just then that Jeke had been secretly hoping that the two of us might start dating.

"What am I gonna do about Jeke?" I asked myself with a sigh.

He was my best friend but things had just gotten so complicated. Of course, I should have realized that Jeke thought I was totally hot, especially since every other guy did. I just hadn't thought that he'd ever think of me as possible girlfriend material. I mean, we were best friends...almost like brothers at times. Then I sighed, remembering the look of disappointment in his eyes once I'd confirmed that I did indeed still like girls.

"I hope he gets over it," I muttered.

When I reached home a few minutes later, I immediately started for my room but my mom stopped me with a suspicious look, "What are you up to?"

I was about to tell her that I was just going to play some video games, but instead I found myself saying, "I'm just going to do my homework then read a book I checked out from the school library." I winced at the effect of my dad's trick.

My mom just stood there with her mouth open, giving me a look of stunned confusion. Dad stood there with a similar look, obviously wondering if his trick was still working on me. I took advantage of their surprise to hurry past them to my room.

"Dad and his stupid trick," I grimaced, knowing that I'd been embarrassed or in trouble because of it more times than I could count.

I sighed as I began taking out my homework and setting it down on my bed, along with the book that I'd told mom about. It was all about the twisted, specifically, about the various physical and mental changes we can go through during our twist and the kinds of tricks that we can develop as well. Considering what I was going through, my interest in the subject had greatly increased as of late.

"Maybe I can learn a thing or two," I mused, though I suspected that I was already very familiar with most of the things in the book. However, it had been written by some guy who was twisted himself so it probably wouldn't have the 'twisted are sick individuals' tone that a lot of books written by normals did, and he'd been through it himself so knew what he was talking about.

I got comfortable on my bed and began to scan through the first pages of the book, finding it fairly dry but still interesting anyway. I was just starting on the second chapter when I heard Kim talking outside my room. Out of curiosity, I put the book down and went to go check it out.

"I'm going to the mall," Kim was telling mom as she walked to the door.

"Can I go with you?" I asked hopefully.

Kim gave me a look of annoyance and asked, "Why?"

I knew that she meant 'why should I take you?', but instead I told her, "I was thinking of going to get my ears pierced." I figured that this would go over with her a little better than saying I just wanted to show off and get a little attention. Of course, as soon as I said it I realized that getting my ears pierced was a good idea. I'd be able to wear earrings and look even better.

"Whatever," Kim rolled her eyes, looking a little interested in spite of herself, "Come on..."

As soon as we arrived at the mall, Kim immediately rushed off, completely ignoring me and leaving me to my own devices. She hadn't even said anything about what time we were to meet up again in order to go home, leaving me with the fear that if I didn't get back to her in time I might be left to walk home. Then again, I could only imagine how much trouble she'd be in if dad used his trick when asking her why she didn't bring me back. Still, I didn't want to push it and made a mental note to find her in time.

"Let's see," I mused as I looked around, noticing several guys already looking at me with appreciative expressions. I smiled at that and walked past them, savoring every bit of that attention.

I didn't have any specific plans for in the mall so just walked until I noticed a lingerie store. I felt a surge of excitement and went inside, thinking of those sexy lace things I'd talked mom into getting me a couple days ago and knowing that I wanted more. However, after a little window shopping I was disappointed to note that a lot of the things I really wanted were a little out of my price range.

"Damn," I cursed to myself, knowing that I was going to have to get a job if I wanted to buy the things that I liked now. It was a hell of a lot cheaper being a guy.

After careful consideration though, I decided that I could afford several pairs of lacy black panties, even if the matching bras would be a little much at the moment. I felt an odd mixture of pride and nervousness as I went up to the counter with them, more than half sure they would call me some kind of pervert or something. However, the lady at the counter only complimented my hair and 'exotic' eyes, not saying any of the things I'd feared.

"I just hope I don't feel that nervous every time I have to buy girl things now," I muttered as I left, trying to reassure myself that I was a girl now and had every right to go into that kind of place. However, a large part of me was still the same boy I'd always been and felt out of place.

A few minutes later I wandered towards the shoe store, not planning to buy anything even if I could afford it, but just wanting to look. Since I was a girl and doing the whole shopping thing, it seemed like the logical next step. Besides, I wanted to try out a pair of those stiletto heeled boots that I hadn't been able to try on in front of my mom.

Just as I was about to go into the shoe store, I suddenly noticed Janine coming out of the store beside it at the same time. I was a little startled to see her in the mall after what had happened at school today and didn't know what to do. I didn't know if I should go over and say hi or pretend that I hadn't seen her. The choice was taken away from me as Janine saw me just a few seconds after I'd spotted her.

"Blake," Janine said as she walked over to me, looking a bit nervous. "I'm sorry if I came on too strong earlier..." She looked down at the ground, blushing brightly, "Sometimes I just can't help myself."

"Um...it's okay," I responded just as nervously, not sure what to say now.

"I didn't mean to embers you or anything," she quickly added, "It's just that I sometimes act before I think when it comes to girls I like."

"Oh," I blushed, feeling excited that she liked me. I'd never really had a girl say she liked me like that before, especially not one as pretty as she was. "But you don't really know me," I protested weakly.

Janine frowned, "But we've gone to school together for years..."

"You never even talked to me before this," I said, gesturing down at myself, wondering why I was making such a big deal of this.

 

"I'm a little uncomfortable around guys," Janine admitted with a sigh, then quietly added, "It's part of my twist."

"Twist?" I blinked in surprise. "I didn't know you were twisted..."

Janine gave me a self-conscious smile, then hesitantly told me, "I didn't always like girls. I used to be straight."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah," Janine sighed, looking as though she was unsure of whether to tell me more or not. She finally continued, "About two years ago, my best friend and I were talking about guys we liked and what it would be like to kiss them. One thing lead to another and we decided to practice our kissing skills on each other so we'd be ready when we finally had a chance to do it for real. That was when my twist kicked in and the next thing I know I'm trying to tear her clothes off..." Then Janine sighed with a sad look, "She never even talked to me again after that."

I winced, "Harsh."

"Just part of being twisted," Janine sighed, then gave me an odd look, "You know how it is."

"Yeah," I admitted, looking down at myself and sighing as well. "It's taking a bit to get used to."

Janine nodded knowingly, "I'm sorry for coming at you so fast... I know you just changed so you don't need me throwing myself at you like that..."

We both just stood there feeling embarrassed for a minute before I hesitantly asked, "What else did your twist do to you?"

"Just a few mental changes," she shrugged, "I like guys now instead of girls, I'm impulsive when I'm attracted to someone, and I'm uncomfortable around guys. That's pretty much it. In fact, I've been like this for so long now that I can't really remember what I was like before my twist. This is just...me."

"So your twist didn't make you that beautiful," I said, then immediately bit my tongue in embarrassment. I hadn't really meant to say that aloud, but this time I couldn't blame my dad for it.

Janine's eyes widened in delight, "You think I'm beautiful."

"Of course," I mumbled, "Just about every guy in school does..."

"But I don't want every guy in school," Janine exclaimed, suddenly throwing her arms around me and giving me another kiss, "I want you."

"Wow," I gulped, definitely liking that kiss even it wasn't as strong as the one at school.

"I'm so sorry," she gasped as she stepped back, "I did it again..."

"I didn't exactly mind," I gave her a weak smile.

Janine nodded but looked embarrassed, "But I'm coming at you too fast, aren't I?" She took a deep breath, then asked, "Do you think that maybe we could try... I mean, do you think that maybe we could try to be friends, get to know each other better and see if it goes anywhere?" She gave me a hopeful look.

I just stared at Janine for a moment, thinking about how beautiful she was and how great that kiss had felt. I didn't really know her very well, but from what I'd seen at school she'd always seemed like a nice person. She just had a few personality quirks, and Heaven knows my twist had given me some as well.

"That sounds good," I said after a moment, giving her a nervous smile.

Janine grinned and quickly gave me a kiss on my cheek this time. I was a little disappointed that it hadn't been a bit more, and I think she realized that because she grinned wider. It looked like her plan to take things a lot slower might not be all that easy on me, which just might be her plan.

"So what are you doing here at the mall?" Janine abruptly asked.

"Just picking up a few things," I said as I held up my bag, hoping she didn't ask what I'd bought. Then I realized that it had the store name right on the front so she probably didn't have to ask. I quickly added, "And I was going to go get my ears pierced."

"Really?" her eyes lit up, "I think some earrings would go great with that necklace you're wearing."

"You think so?" I asked a little hesitantly.

Janine nodded, "Oh yeah... A few extra sparklies can always make a girl look a little more attractive."

It was as though Janine really knew me well because she had just pushed my magic button. In an instant, I was even more interested in getting my ears pierced and finding some nice earrings. It was beginning to seem like more and more of a good idea with every minute.

"I'll come with you," she told me with a grin.

With that we turned away from the shoe store and went for a new destination, a body modification shop on the other side of the mall that did tattoos and piercings as well as sold the jewelry for the latter. When I stepped inside, I wasn't surprised to see Kim standing there, though I was a little startled to notice that she was talking to Shiv Martin.

"Hey," Shiv called out when she noticed me come in. Then she noticed Janine beside me and looked a little startled, perhaps guessing from Janine's presence that we were an item or something. Then again, that might not have been too far off the mark.

"Hey," I called back, glancing at Kim who was silent but giving me a curious look.

"You in here for a tat or something?" Shiv asked with an almost eager expression.

"Just to get my ears pierced," I glanced at Kim again, then to the woman who seemed to be the person who took care of that.

"Cool," Shiv nodded, "I'm here learning how to do tattoos." then she gestured to my sister, "This is Kim..."

"I know," I responded as deadpan as I could, "She's my sister."

"What?" Shiv gasped in surprise while Kim snorted, "Not by choice."

"She's your sister?" Janine asked beside me, "I think I've seen her around school."

"Yeah," I told Janine, "She used to be pretty decent until she twisted into a bitch."

"Whatever," Kim rolled her eyes, "You gonna get your ears pierced or what?"

I looked at the woman who ran the shop and she grinned, "Don't worry... Kim is the best employee I've ever had for this kind of thing."

"Employee?" I blinked in surprise, looking at Kim who actually seemed a bit embarrassed.

"It's part time," she snapped defensively, "And if you tell mom and dad I'll kill you."

I just nodded at that, grinning slightly as I realized that this could be great blackmail material later. "How did you keep something like this from dad?"

"He never asked," Kim responded with a shrug, gesturing for me to sit down in a chair, "This will only take a moment."

I sat down and braced myself for the pain as Kim pinched my ear between her fingers and then brought a little piercing gun to it. I felt the punch as the little gun punched a small hole through my ear lobe, but to my surprise, it didn't hurt in the least. I didn't even feel the a slight sting.

"I thought that was supposed to hurt," I blinked in surprise.

"That's my trick," Kim smirked at me, looking quite pleased with herself. "I can get rid of pain when I want to."

"Wow," I responded, "I didn't know you could do that."

Kim just continued smirking, looking as though she were actually in a good mood. "I can always not do it for your other ear so you can see the difference..."

"No thanks," I quickly told her, "I think I prefer the no pain thing."

"I thought you might," Kim grinned, "Little wimp."

I thought that she might very go ahead and make me feel the pain just to spite me, so I held my fingers up and let sparks shoot between them. "I feel pain," I grinned at her, "You feel pain..."

Kim didn't seem bothered by the threat as she finished piercing my other ear as well. Once she was done with that, she said, "While you're here, you might as well go for a little more than just this... I mean, one hole in each ear is so...boring."

"How about a navel ring," Janine suggested, winking at me as she added, "They're so sexy."

My eyes lit up at that and I had to admit that navel rings did look pretty sexy, though I'd never thought of getting one until right then. Of course I loved the idea of looking even sexier, and with Kim's trick I wouldn't even have to worry about the pain.

Kim suddenly burst out laughing and told Janine, "I think you just pushed her buttons..."

"What do you mean?" Janine asked blankly.

"My dear little sis here," Kim put a hand on my shoulder, "got some kind of compulsion or something in her twist to always look as sexy as she could."

"Really?" Janine asked, looking even more interested.

Shiv just grinned, looking down at the tattoos on her arms and saying, "I can understand that."

"And to think," Kim teased, "she used to be a boy..."

"Just shut up and give me the navel piercing," I snapped in annoyance, bringing an even bigger grin to Kim's face.

Kim went to work on my navel, neutralizing the pain and then punching my skin with that little gun before inserting a gold ring. I looked down, thankful that I didn't have to feel the pain from that and admiring just how good it looked. I couldn't resist smiling at the sight before I lowered my shirt, regretting that I wasn't wearing a halter top or something that would show it off.

"Very sexy," Janine told me with a grin, obviously pleased to know about my craving for attention and just how easily it was to use it.

"How about a few more?" Kim asked, looking as though she was really getting into this. She gestured to my chest, "A couple rings there..."

"No," I told her, "I think I've got enough for now..."

"But it'll look really sexy," Kim teased me, trying to urge me into it.

"No," I told her, thankful that my little quirk wasn't so overwhelming that I'd agree to anything someone suggested as long as they said it would be sexy. That would really suck. "I'm done for now."

"Okay," Kim said, suddenly turning almost professional, "I put fairly plain studs in your ears for now. Once the holes heal up enough you'll be able to take them out or replace them with something a little fancier. The same thing goes for your navel piercing, though you'll want to use this cream to keep it from getting infected at first." Then she grinned and added, "Oh yeah, my trick wears off after a couple hours so you can expect to feel it tonight..."

"Great," I gave her a forced smile, "It would have been nice if you'd told me that before I got this last piercing..."

"But where's the fun in that?" Kim asked me.

"How about a tattoo while you're here?" Shiv asked almost hopefully.

"Let me guess," I asked her, "You have some trick where you can give people tattoos just by touching them."

"I wish," Shiv sighed, "As far as I know, I don't even have a trick. And since I'm under eighteen, I'm not even legally allowed to give regular tattoos to people yet."

I just nodded at that, then told her, "No thanks. I don't think I want a tattoo right now."

Kim glanced to the clock on the wall then told me, "I'll only be here for another half hour or so before going home."

"Okay," I told her, "I'll be back here before then."

I turned around to leave, but Kim said, "Forgetting something?" She gestured to the cash register, reminding me that I still had to pay.

"I almost forgot," I blushed, taking out my money to pay.

The piercings and rings cost me just about all of the allowance money I had left, but I left the shop thinking that it was probably well worth it. I hadn't had any compliments on my new adornments yet, but I did feel a bit sexier.

"So that was your sister," Janine said after we'd left, "It was kind of funny that she and Shiv are friends, and Shiv didn't even know."

I just nodded at that, a little started by the fact that Shiv and Kim were hanging out together, though I knew I shouldn't be. After all, they both went to the same school and had been twisted in very similar ways. Kim came out of her twist with a love of piercings while Shiv had one for tattoos. Since they were both into body modification like that, it only made sense that they'd hang out in some of the same places.

"Well," Janine told me, "You've got half an hour left here and I don't have any time limits, so what do you want to do?"

I knew what I really wanted to do, but it wasn't as though the two of us could do it in such a public place. The really scary thing was that I knew Janine would be more than eager to have a little hanky panky, so I was the one who thought that would be going a bit far at the moment.

"How about we just look around," I suggested, knowing that there were a number of stores I could go into now but that I never would have dared to before.

Janine and I spent the next half hour wandering from store to store and talking with each other. I got to know her quite a bit better in that short time and was really enjoying her company. I was quickly becoming convinced that as well as being a hot looking girl, she was really a nice person to be around as well.

When it was time for me to go, Janine and I said good-bye with a quick kiss. It wasn't long and passionate or anything since we were trying to take things slowly, but it spend sparks to all the right parts of my body. There was no longer any doubt in my mind that it was going to be difficult to keep taking this relationship slow and easy.

Kim watched our good-bye with a bit of a smirk, so I glared at her, "If you tell mom and dad about Janine, I'll tell them about your part time job."

"Deal," Kim grinned, pleased that she now had a little leverage on me as well.

 

To Be Continued