Dreams, Secrets, and Transformations: Beyond the Enchanted Looking Glass

Ch 13 Family

Brooke stepped away from the mirror and looked around at the small room she had just entered. She recognized it was a single stall unisex public bathroom.

After pausing for a moment to regain her memories she realized it was a bathroom near the gym, at school, and that she needed to get to the locker room to change into her cheer uniform, then meet up with the rest of the team in order to prepare for the football game.

A smile spread across her face and an excitement welled up inside her. She didn't know why but she felt like a dream was about to come true.

Brooke brushed off the feeling, unlocked the door and was about to open it when a thought occurred to her. There was something she was supposed to do while she was in there.

She turned back toward the mirror and ran her fingers through her hair. She couldn't remember what it was. She shrugged, adjusted her dress, then turned back toward the door and pulled it open. Immediately, a boy who was passing by, saw her and turned.

"There you are," he exclaimed as he pushed his way inside with her, quickly closing the door behind him.

The boy then placed a hand on either side of Brooke's face and planted his lips on hers.

Brooke pulled away, but then suddenly knew who this was and what was happening. This was her boyfriend and they had agreed to meet for a quick makeout session before warm-ups.

Brad's mind and memories, in the background of Brooke's mind, manifested themselves in a way that was enough to cause Brooke to panic and pull away.

"I'm sorry, Carter, but I can't. Now get out."

She suddenly remembered what she was supposed to do.

"What's wrong," Carter asked, reaching toward her.

"Don't make me have to punch you," she announced, even though, with the endorphins currently coursing through her body, she really didn't want to do anything except pull him to her, lock lips with him, and let him pin her against the wall, having his way with her.

"Okay, fine, I'll leave, but you owe me after the game." Carter simi-angrily replied.

As soon as the door closed behind Carter, and Brooke was alone, she rushed to reenter the mirror, only to find it was solid. That's when she realized she had gum in her mouth.

Brad wasn't chewing gum when he came through the mirror and neither was Brooke, so where did the gum come from, she wondered. Then it hit her, it was Carter's gum.

Brooke smiled as she spit the gum into the sink and again reached up to touch the mirror, which now rippled and allowed her through.

"What happened," Gerald inquired as soon as his son reappeared.

"Apparently you were right and we can't go through together if our alters are apart at that time in the other realm."

"So where were you?"

"At school, preparing for the football game," Brad replied, not willing to admit to his dad the exact details of that moment.

"Okay, cool. Go back and I,  er, Miranda will meet you at the game."

Brad furiously shook his head, "Uh, no. Can we just wait until tomorrow morning?"

"I thought you wanted to go now and didn't you tell me you were looking forward to cheering at a game? What happened?"

"I was, but now I'm not," Brad stated, but then paused, still not wanting to tell his Dad exactly what his fear was.

"So, what happened to change your mind?"

"I, uh, I'm afraid. Afraid I won't have time to gain all of Brooke's memories of the cheers before game time and I'll make a fool of myself," Brad tried to explain, hoping his Dad accepted it.

Gerald paused for a moment then spoke. "You sure there wasn't something else?"

"No, that's it."

"I guess it makes sense. Memories do take longer to materialize when your new at this. Okay, If that's how you feel, then, sure. Will you be okay if I leave you here alone for a while tonight?"

"I guess so. Why, you gonna go  ride the stripper pole?"

Gerald rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through his sons haid as he walked over to the pants he had taken off when he changed into a dress and pulled a twenty dollar bill out of his wallet.

Holding it out toward Brad, he explained, "I'm gonna go to the burlesque club for a while. I can make a lot of money on Friday nights. Order yourself a pizza, and do something with your face and hair, make yourself look cute before the delivery boy arrives so he won't immediately clock you as a boy in a dress when you answer the door. I bought you a couple of makeup items, nail polish, and hair bows. It's all on the dresser over there. Have some fun. Watch a girly movie or two while I'm gone. Take a bubble bath. Practice painting your nails. Put on a fashion show in front of the mirror. Have fun. Just make sure you get some sleep and don't be trying to sneak over later. I'll know. See you tomorrow morning at Miranda and Brooke's house  9 AM."

Brad agreed to stay put, and took the money. His Dad immediately turned and practically lept through the mirror.

Watching the ripples in the mirror's surface fade away, Brad shivered as he thought about what had just happened to him on the other side. He had often thought about what it'd be like to be a girl, and had imagined what it might be like to have a boyfriend and to experience the amorous desires of a boy directed at him, as a girl, but he never imagined he'd ever actually,  physically, in real life, ever find himself in that situation.

He looked down at the pizza money in his hand and excitedly headed toward the dresser to see what kind of feminine goodies awaited him.

He couldn't wait to see how pretty he could make himself look before he had to answer the door to accept the pizza from a delivery boy who'd probably be not much older than himself.