"My name is Christina, and I have Second Puberty.'"
"Hi, Christina," the group of 20 women at various stages of Second Puberty replied. Some of the women still looked like women. Most of them had bigger jaws now, had increased in height. Several had recently surpassed the six foot mark, and there were a few at 6'4" already. Some of the women had short haircuts and about five of them had facial hair or stubble now. Two of them were growing beards.
Leading the group was Marco, a dynamic New Man who had transitioned into an XY chromosome three years prior. He had been active in the Second Puberty community for a few years now. He looked every bit the Jersey guido that all of his brothers were, black haired with sideburns and thick stubble, a deep booming voice and very muscular frame. He had talked about how his brothers had guided him into manhood and how much it had meant for him to join the New Man community that the women could join and assimilate into after they transitioned. Of course some chose to go their own way and leave all traces of womanhood behind them, pretending they had never been women and girls at all, choosing to get their birth certificate changed to reflect their new sex. Some handled Second Puberty with a desire to embrace their transition publicly and others were desperate to hide it.
Christina talked about doing the things she normally did. Going to the hair salon, to Pilates class, going out with her boyfriend on a few dates before breaking the news to him. He left heartbroken. She had broken the news to her family via text and not answered their desires to talk to her. Her family was conservative and she knew that their response would be for her to go to one of those...camps.
New Man camps had a bad reputation for being abusive and poorly run and Marco had told her that even though that was true, they catered to all sorts. Personally, she found the idea frightening, the idea of a boot camp in the middle of the desert designed to get her used to the idea of being a man by emphasizing behavioral conditioning to ensure that she would never be mistaken for a New Man. She didn't want to think about all the expectations her father would have, for her to become a father and get married to a woman (and not a man because they were not a fan of homosexuality) and the stress of this had been weighing heavily on her.
"We're glad you're sharing your experience with us, Christina," Marco told her gently.
"Thank you." She took a seat and listened to other women describe their arm hair, newfound increasing strength, or the genital changes.
Her vagina had been sealing up slowly and the nub was now half an inch long. It was very sensitive and she tried not to touch it.
She had grown two inches in height and was already having problems fitting inside her tighter outfits. Her ass had become more muscular. She had quit her women's gym. They tried to seduce her with some free sample classes until she snapped she couldn't use their gym soon because she was going through Second Puberty and then had insisted they cancel the account, which they quickly did. She felt humiliated knowing she couldn't even walk inside a woman's gym ever again without being escorted out by a security guard. Such things happened to women that were having trouble with the diagnosis or who couldn't handle the reality of their new masculinity.
And the thing was, with New Puberty there was a saying. "You never go halfway with Second Puberty" Men who transitioned into women often became very beautiful and on the shorter and more petite side. Whereas women who transitioned often wound up on the more masculine, tall and well endowed end of the gene pool.
If the men in her family were any indication, she would wind up looking like a brutish, thick skulled, thick eyebrowed big football player build stud in no time. Already her pretty honey blond locks had dulled to a less lustrous dark blond almost brown color, and pretty soon the curls would be gone, replaced with slightly wavy hair. What was she even going to do with her hair? What kind of haircut should she have as a man? She was so stressed by every little detail of her world changing.
She listened to Joanne, who was changing his name to Josh. He was a few months along and passing fairly well now. A thin stubble coated his face. He was still a little chubby faced, with freckles, but the jaw had been expanding. His voice had dropped from last week. He sounded more like a man with a slightly effeminate voice, and could easily be mistaken for a gay man. His brown hair had been long and curly a few weeks ago still but he'd cut it short and it looked much better on him. He was wearing a football jersey.
"I dunno...I'm just trying to embrace it. I have all boys clothes now, thank you," he waved his hands around. Christina gulped. She didn't want people looking at her the way she was looking at Josh. He acted so girly still. It was embarrassing, wasn't it? Still, he didn't seem phased by it. He came from a permissive family so if he wound up as a gay man (which did happen when certain genetic components in the brain didn't change for whatever reason) they would be fine with him being an effeminate queer boy. "I got rid of all my dresses," Josh continued. "I got um, some baseball equipment, too. I used to play softball in junior high but I'm thinking I should be super sporty if I'm a guy." He finished with a curtsey, and Christina clapped blandly with the others.
Walking back home, she thought about how it felt to be independent on campus. They had given her a new dorm room that was for her and another transitioner. It was the halfway dorm. The girl she had been paired up with was Asian and didn't come to the same meetings as Christina. She went to a special dojo in MMA that her parents were paying for. Some kind of martial arts themed expensive transition class with a mentor to help her become the best possible Korean man.
She thought about how she hated walking alone at night because of the fear of some creep finding her alone and stopped. This was the first time she felt a twinge of satisfaction. As a man, she would have less to fear from an attacker, especially if she wound up as a much bigger man. She had no idea how tall she would wind up. Her father's brothers topped out at over 6'2" and they were even taller on her mother's side. Uncle Rich was 6'6" for crying out loud! She didn't want to think about the genetic lottery she'd won, but she was forced to. She would need to ask her parents for money soon, to buy new clothes and some other essentials.
When she got to her dorm, she saw that her Grandpa Jack was standing there. He was very butch. An ex Marine. She gulped. He was handsome, with his still glinting eyes and hammered looking weatherbeaten face. He was also slightly intimidating, standing over her at 6'2". She was now 5'7" . She looked at him dully.
"I wasn't expecting you."
"That's alright. I have a hotel room just down the street. Would you like to come with me for a drive, kiddo?"
"Sure. Um. Let me just get some water."
Hydrating was important for a healthy growing Second Puberty patient.
They took his sports car and Christina felt an odd thrill that it was a classic BMW car from the 80s. Grandpa took such good care of it. It was so styling. She didn't usually get that excited about cars and she'd seen all his cars before. When they got to Grandpa's hotel room, he told her "There. This gives us a lot more privacy than your dorm flat, doesn't it?", Grandpa indicated some bags on the bed. He'd been clothes shopping for her already."This is just to get you started. Go on, open them."
She looked through her new gifts. Men's underwear, both boxers and tidy wighties. Some "wife beater" T shirts. Men's regular T-shirts. Some jeans with a 30x30 measurement, perfect for a man of average height. She would probably grown into and out of them soon, she thought with alarm. There was also some shaving equipment, an electric razor, some nice soaps and shampoos specifically for men. Pine tar scent, she noticed. A thick leather belt she held between her fingers. And a pair of men's athletic shoes, size 9. A little bit too big for her but that wouldn't last long. Her shoes had been pinching her for days now. Soon they wouldn't fit at all.
"I thought of giving you a belt buckle but they're not for all men," he told her. "But it might help your ego. My friend Eli gave his new boy one when he crossed over and he loved it! They're Texans, though." He rolled his eyes. "I know they don't uh...wear them around here that much."
"Oh! This is nice!" She held up a letter sweater for her school. Grandpa had purchased it at the campus store. "This is good. It'll look...it'll hide things. You know."
"You mean, losing your boobs and gaining a nice pair of firm, strong muscular pecs?"
"Yeah. Something like that. I guess."
"Now you look at me, son. No grandson of mine is every going to be ashamed of himself. From now on, I'm going to treat you just the same as I would any of my other grandsons. I think that's fair."
"Okay." Christina wanted to cry. Was he going to yell at her?
"One more gift. Here. Catch!" He threw the keys at her with some force and she caught them in her hand, annoyed at him for doing it but then realizing she probably would have fumbled with them or injured herself on the impact just weeks before but she had reacted the way one of her brothers could. "Yeah, that's a good sign. Your body's spatial and hand-eye coordination is going to be SPEC-TAC-ular," he emphasized with his hands and motioned holding a football by cupping it. "Another thing about Eli's new boy Stone, that was the name he chose for himself, he became a HULK. Just a massive giant. 6'4" and full of muscle everywhere. Wound up getting a football scholarship only offered to New Men. Some argue that it's a diversity hire but they have to prove themselves. With a little effort, we could get you on the shortlist. I have no doubt. Now there's also lacrosse, basketball, rowing. You could really go places with a new body, son."
"I've...always been terrible at sports," Christina said lamely.
"Well, you're about to become un-terrible at them. Trust me, you got lucky. Now, here's a deal for you. Join some sports teams and let me work my magic and finagle yourself some jock status, work with a trainer to help you learn the ropes of the male physique and I'll let you keep those keys."
"Keys?"
"To your new car."
"I have a car now?"
She came outside with him. It was so pretty, she thought. A black, shiny Jeep in the hotel's parking lot. Christina had her license but barely used it.
"Yes, son. You do what I ask you to do. You take me seriously. Follow my instructions. This car will be yours. Now. It's time we talk about your major. You're were going to major in history."
"I was. I am. I...want to be an historical archivist."
"Well that was fine from the perspective of a woman who only needed to do that until she had children. You're not from some damn family full of Walmart employees here. We have a special status in our family. That means men have to pull their weight financially. You're going to go for an MBA. You're going to intern for my friend Eli that I was telling you about. His company is VERY friendly to New Men fi they come from the RIGHT genetic stock, if you know what I mean. Men in our family come from a proud background in sports and military tradition. I know you've been feeling lost, son. But this is your future, and I wouldn't be telling you all this without a good reason. Now, I know your parents can come across as insensitive at times. That's just the world we live in. I'm going to be handling things with you from now on. You don't have to worry. You're going to get the proper guidance to become the man your family expects you to be."
"I...I just want to be me. And I like history."
"Son, you've always been a smart little cookie so I'll only say this once. You can enjoy history, but you're not going to wind up as a high school teacher or librarian. It's simply improper. Our family comes from real money and we intend to keep it that way. We were hoping you'd find a nice boy and settle down by 26 at least. But...this is even better. You're going to go corporate. Now, I'm going to situate you into positions of good standing and give you the background you need. You'll go right to the top. Trust me. We have a timetable for this, believe me. You don't have to be worried about doing this all alone, sport! Son, you are being given a GIFT. Who KNOWS how big you'll get! You are going to most likely TOWER over other men. Now, you want them to take you seriously, don't you?"
"Of course," Christina replied quietly.
"What was that? I didn't hear that. Speak up!" the ex colonel spoke forcefully. It jolted Christina.
"Um...of course. Yes. I want that."
"I still can't hear you. Speak loudly and clearly like I'm doing," he taught her.
"I want them to take me seriously!" She realized she meant it. "This is all so confusing, Grandpa."
"Son, pretty soon you'll be thanking God every day for it, believe me. Picture it. You riding around in this new pussy wagon of yours, bringing babes to the beach, drinking beers all night with your new guy buds, getting into adventures and scrapes in bars. It's gonna be a great time! And just WAIT til we take you to the Hamptons! You'll be able to join a sailing club! You'll be able to really row once your back starts to grow in. Now, son, have you thought about a name?"
"For the car?"
"No, for you, you're a growing Beast now! You going to change it to Chris? Should I call you that, son?"
"Grandpa, I...haven't decided a name yet. You'll have to give me time with that one."
"That's fair enough! You think about it. Now, whaddya say? Are you going to accept my offer?" Grandpa Jack spread out his hand and indicated the pussy wagon black Jeep could be hers.
His, she thought to herself. God, this is so confusing! I'll have to change pronouns! His, him, himself. I'll have to think of myself as a boy.
He thought about how annoyed he was that Grandpa never offered to buy him a jeep when he was just destined to be a woman, that he was treating him completely differently, and seemed to be not only planning his future out, but planning one a million times more successful than the one Christina would have experienced by becoming a mommy. For many people, gender was just a construct but in HIS family, it meant you obeyed the rules and acted the way your gender was supposed to.
He swallowed his new male pride.
"I thought of yelling at you like, so many times as you were talking. Like, you're basically planning my entire future and telling me all this stuff I have to do. Like, who the hell are you to tell me all this shit I have to do right away!"
"Ha! That's the testosterone talking. You wanna fight? Huh? Yeah, I'm treating you different. You get some perks as a man and like it or not, society is going to have different expectations of you. You're not allowed to be a little shy mouse hiding in the walls. You're almost a MAN. You will be in just a few months or even weeks. Your hair has gotten thicker, I noticed."
Christina touched it self-consciously.
"I mean, everything sounds great but what if I can't do it?"
"Course you can do it! You're my GRANDSON, aren't you?"
"I don't really look like a boy yet."
"Oh you will. And I have the perfect solution to your problems. In addition to getting you a trainer, I want to send you to a very special place. It's in a remote part of the Minnesota wilderness. Really beautiful country."
"Oh my god, not a New Man camp."
"Now, these men have been running one of the best Second Puberty transition programs in the country. Yes, it's run by ex military men. Yes, it's a tight ship. It's a lighter form of boot camp. They build GOOD men there. Now, I asked your school and they said you could much more easily make any sports team you want by spending this summer at Camp Sawdust-Grit and stay at one of the Stubble cabins they have there. You'll fit right in, all the former gals going there are going to be in the same boat as you."
"What if I don't want to do it? What if I just want to spend the summer with mom and dad and oh my god never mind. That sounds like hell now."
"I thought you'd say that. I've thought of everything, kiddo."
"It's just...I know you guys will be disappointed if I turn out gay."
"Now that's just crazy talk. You've got a very low likelihood of that. Don't worry, son. You're MY grandson. That means you're going to wind up one hell of a pussy magnet. Trust me. By the end of six months time, you'll feel great. You'll feel like a new man! And you'll love it. I know you will."
"You're so confident."
"Course I am. And pretty soon that confidence is gonna ooze out of you as well. So, now, do we have a deal or what?"
"So...I have to go to the camp in order to get the jeep?"
"That is essential for the deal, yes. But you'll have already transitioned for the most part by the time you get up there. It's two whole months away before the semester ends."
"I hate...that this is so public. I just want to disappear for the next few months."
"Well, we thought of that but it would mean having to make up a semester and well, it's appreciated if you could tough it out, tiger. Take one for the team?"
"You really don't have any trouble talking to me like I'm a boy."
"NOT a boy. A MAN. You're 18 years old. And you'll be growing into your body for at least the next four or five months. You'll grow a LOT over the summer, believe me I've done the research. Even after they watch you turn into a man slowly, your fellow students are not going to believe their eyes when they get a gander of you. You'll be seen as a TRUE man who endured a difficult but rewarding program. Now, there are some loser New Men out there that can't cope. I don't want to hear any of this nonsense about gender having no meaning. You're going to be a genetic man, and you will NEED to learn how to act like one. I will NOT have a grandson who behaves and acts as a granddaughter."
"i kind of want to hit you for saying that!" Christina turned to him.
"Yeah, that's the testosterone talking. We gotta deal, MISTER?"
Christina shook her grandfather's hand and told him that he would do it. He would get a Jeep and in exchange he would finish up his last two months of the semester with a personal trainer, go to Camp Sawdust Grit and then join one or more sports teams as the newest male jock on campus.
What am I getting myself into, he thought, looking at his reflection in the car front mirror. Still look like a chick but not for much longer...
Pretty soon, he would have a whole new set of challenges...