Eventually, you stop crying, but don't do anything else, but, on a deeper level, know you cannot stay where you are. Thinking over all your options, you thought about going home. Wondering what everybody would say when you turned looking the way you do, you figure, judging by Julie's reaction, you could guess your mommy and daddy would find it hard to believe, whilst Catherine, well, you're unsure how she'd take it. After going round in circles over the matter, you finally sniff out, "Do I hafta go home? Canna I stay with you? At least until I find the well? Or, if not that, for tonight?"
Instead of replying, Julie sighed and got a far off look on her face. Wondering what was the best thing to do, knowing you'd have to go home sooner or later, she found herself torn between believe, yeah, you were Daniel, but, at the same time, you were just some scared, mixed-up little girl. Going back and forth between the points, she whispered after some time, "Wouldn't you rather go home? I'm sure your parents miss you. And you could sleep in your own bed?" then, as a way to trap you, she said, "I bet you have a favourite plush or dolly you sleep with."
Lip stuck out, you place your hands on the older girl and push away from, but still remained held firm by her. Looking at her, pouting, you state, "You still don believe be?"
"Sweetie, try to look at from my perspective," Julie countered but before she could continue, your squirmed away from her, stood, and with your arms crossed, you yelled out, "I'm not a girl. I don know anything about being one. I don sleep with plush, have not since I was younger. And the idea of playing with dollies seems inappropriate," and starting to pace, you rail, "This's not fair. How can I go through life, being sum thin I'm not. I don know the first thing about," and spinning to face Julie you squeal out, "I don even know how girls pee and had to guess earlier, but am sure I did it wrong," and looking down, suddenly more tired than you could ever recall being so, you whimpered, "Do I hafta be a girl forever? Do girl things, wear girl clothes? Why am I unable to find the well? I wanna be my old self. I wanna be Daniel. I wanna talk like a big boy, notta little girl."
With another sigh, Julie found the last of her doubts about who you said you were dissolving. Edging closer, she pushed herself up until she was on her knees. Gentle in administration, she put a hand under your chin and lifted your head so you were looking at her. Telling you, "I'm sorry," she furthered it with, "I'm not sure how to answer your questions, but you probably have to face facts you might be stuck the way you are. Could you find the well again? I don't know. Maybe? But, then again, maybe not. In which case, you have to accept your old life is over. You'll never be Daniel again and you got your wish to better understand girls. In such, you'll have to be a girl, grow up as one, learn and do things only a girl can do, such as playing with dolls, how to do your hair, taking care and paying attention to your clothes, even how to bathe yourself, yes, even pee sitting down, among other things. Perhaps one day be a mommy. You may not like to hear this, but it's the truth of the matter as how things stand."
Terrified by all of what she had said, yet seeing she was right, you didn't want to accept it, but a part of you knew you'd have to if you couldn't find the well. Struggling to find an argument against what Julie told you, you mind and body betrayed you as you instead yawned and you decided, at the moment, you wanted to nothing else but have something to eat and go to bed. Seeing this, as well as how much you looked like a girl tuckered out after a long day, Julie offered, "Why don't we go back to my place. We can get something to eat and you can sleep over. But just for tonight. Tomorrow, you probably should go home and tell your parents."
A slight nod of acceptance to this and the two of you head back to where you left the bikes. Looking for the helmet, it takes you a moment, and Julie telling you, for you to recall you still have it on, and mounting the bike, the two of you resume the ride back to Julie's place. As you ride in silence, some of your thoughts focused on making yourself push the pedals and not give in to how tired you are, whilst other thoughts were preoccupied with the situation you know you'll have to face up to sooner or later. Wondering why the well hadn't made it so everyone knew you were a girl, you mulled over how if it had done so, it would solve several problems you were now facing. Approaching the house Julie called home, you back-pedalled to brake when you saw a car now parked in the driveway and another in the open garage.
Julie, as to confirm what you suspected, hissed, "Shit. My parents are home," and dismounting, she walked her bike up the driveway and into the garage.
Not sure what was going to happen, you did the same. Following her inside, you stopped when a man's voice demanded, "Where have you been, young lady? You were told to be home no later than six. It's now well past seven. And I know you still have homework to do," and looking in the direction of the speaker, you see for the first time Julie's dad, a stern, thin man with a receding hairline wearing slacks and a button-down shirt, using a finger to push a pair of glasses which had slid down the bridge of his nose.
Instead of answering him, Julie turned to the woman you realised was her mother, a woman who was neither thin nor plump, but somewhere in between, and was wearing a sensible skirt-outfit, and said, "Mom. Can I speak to you alone."
"You'll speak to the both of us," her father stated, and with a shake of her head, Julie replied, "No I shan't," before adding, "It's a female matter."
This seeming to get through to her dad, the man told her, "Okay. But afterward, we are going to discuss your behaviour and what's to be done about it," before turning and leaving the kitchen.
Alone in the room with the two others, you are caught unaware when Julie's mother finally noticed you and commented, "Well now. Who is this," to which Julie said, "That's what I have to talk to you about," and directing you and her mom over to the kitchen table, which was still laid out for dinner, the three of you sat down. Taking a deep breath as a way to gather her thoughts, the teenage girl asked, "Do you remember the boy Daniel, who I used to play with when I was around her age?"
Her mother nodded and Julie looked at you, as if to inquire if you wanted to tell her or if she was. Thinking it would sound better coming from Julie, you nodded and made an indication for her to continue. Shifting things on the table in a nervous manner, Julie at last said, "There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just say this. The girl you see in front of you, she's Daniel."
The older woman opening and closing her mouth, didn't reply at first. When she did, she simply stated, "Don't be ridiculous, honey. You know Daniel is the same age as you, as well as male. This person is a girl, of about seven I'd say."
"It's true," you squeak out and before Julie can stop you, you explained all the events of the day, from the row with Catherine all the way up to when you got back to Julie's place. Then, for good measure, you told her all the things you said to Julie to convince her you were who you said you were. When you finished, you found yourself even more worn out, and sitting at the table, you resisted the urge to yawn and rub your eyes as Julie's mom took it all in.
Minutes slipped by, and you could feel your eyelids starting to close as your young body gave in to what it felt it needed most. With a start, you snapped open your eyes when Julie's mom said, "This still seems rather far-fetched," and looking at her, you listened as she asked, "Are you pulling my leg? Is this some prank you and Daniel cooked up."
"Imma not making jokes," you whine out and as Julie reached over and placed a reassuring hand on your shoulder, she turned to her mom and answered, "I don't know how it happened. But, somehow, this little girl, is Daniel. He made a wish to understand girls, and this was the end result. And until we can help her, him, whatever, fix it, they're stuck as the person sitting here," and standing, she announced, "I need to help her get ready for bed," as she realised how tired you actually were and how you were falling asleep right there at the kitchen table.
Not liking the idea, but seeing no other choice, you allowed yourself to be led back upstairs, leaving Julie’s mom sitting at the table, digesting all she’d been told. Led this time to the bathroom, Julie instructed you to undress as she began to run the bath water. Ignoring this, you instead asked, "Will she believe use and hep us?"
With a shake of her head, Julie replied, "I don't know," as she used her wrist to check the temperature of the water, then instructed you again to take off your clothes.
Embarrassed by the idea of being naked in front of her, though you'd dreamed about it any number of times, you fidgeted in place and asked, "Do I hafta?" to which Julie said you did, explained a bath would be good for you, then furthered it with, "You do not have anything I haven't seen before, and I can also help you wash up."
Still uncomfortable with the idea, you dilly-dally about for a minute longer before, seeing the look on Julie's face, you slowly undress. Standing naked in front of her, you're tempted to place a hand over your crotch, but then wondered, "Why? I have the stuff she does. And it isn't like she hasn't seen another girl naked, especially as she's probably not only seen herself, but any number of them nude when in the lockers at school," as she undid your braid, then helped you into the tub.
Sometime later, a towel wrapped around you, smelling strongly of berries and cream, you are led back to the guest bedroom. Unsure how you are to feel about everything, you thought the one thing bothering you the most was when she handed you a wash rag and explained how you were to wash yourself between your legs. Trying to tell yourself it was okay, and it was something you needed to understand, to learn, you enter the room, were you’re greeted by Julie's mother, who stated, "We'll have to tell you mom and dad about this," to which Julie affirmed the two of you had already talked about this as she walked over to the dresser.
"She'll need underwear, as well as things of her own, as she cannot always wear Lynn's stuff," Julie's mother said, to which the teenage girl nodded as she took from one of the drawers a pair of pyjamas. Handing them to you, you see the sleeper pants are light blue, have swirls and hearts on them, and have a pink tie at the waist, whilst the shirt is a tank top with a Hello Kitty print on it, and giving Julie the towel, you dress as quick as you can.
Dressed, you didn’t want to admit it, but you not only felt refreshed, but also liked how you smelled and looked. Allowing yourself to be led back downstairs, Julie sits you are the table, then leaves the kitchen to go deal with her dad. Alone with her mother, you watched as she fussed over a child's pink plate with a Disney princess print on it as she dishes you up some of the dinner still set out, took from a cupboard a matching plastic cup, poured you a glass a milk, then setting it before you, she smiled and said, "You eat up, now," before collecting some of the used the dishes and taking them to the sink.
Legs kicking back and forth, you find yourself being more careful than you usually are as you eat. Noticing it was about three-fourths less than the portions sizes of what you normally ate, you found it was more than enough to fill you up. Thinking about this as you ate, you were distracted when Julie returned, whispered something to her mother which sounded like, "I'd said you'd explain who are guest is, if that's all right," to which her mother replied it was before instructing her to go eat.
The rest of the meal passing in silence, and afterward, yawning even more, you are led back upstairs by Julie. There, she first assisted you with using the bathroom, complimenting you on what you got right and correcting any mistakes you made. Finishing, she then then led you to the guest room, where she tucked you into one of the beds. Finding the way everything was so soft was really comforting, you didn't object when Julie set a couple plush next to the pillow. Reaching out and taking the plush Angelina Ballerina, you hugged the jointed doll close and feeling soothed by the plush, you started to drift as Julie told you, "Sleep tight. Tomorrow is Saturday, so if you want to go looking for the well, I'll see what I can do to help after I finished my homework and the chores my dad set for me. Also, we probably should go talk to your parents and let them know what's happening."
Sleepy, you mutter, "Okay," then added, "I don want mommy and daddy to be upset," to which Julie replied something, but you didn't catch it as you slipped the rest of the way into sleep.