I sat there next to Thomas and thought about what I should do. Before long Katherine came out of the bathroom and wandered over to the window. As I sat there, knowing this would not be an easy decision, I heard a door open and mommy saying, "Come along now. You've both got an afternoon class to attend to. If you’re good, we may be able to come back later or tomorrow."
Putting the cube into my jacket pocket, I stood and exited the room, my sister behind me. We rode home in silence and I didn't complain or say a word when mommy went in to get Katherine and my gymnastics outfits. Nor did I complain when asked to wear a little girl's thong underneath it; my mind to busy sorting out what I had been offered.
I was so busy thinking that I failed to catch when my mind slipped and when my mommy asked, "Ashley, Katherine, what you two want for dinner?" I did not pay the least bit attention how I was being addressed.
Katherine hollered that she wanted the local pizza restaurant and I quietly agreed. Outside the pizza restaurant, mommy looked at me and asked, "Ashley, sweetie, are you feeling all right. You've hardly said a word since we left Thomas and Linda at the hospital. Is it because of your mentor?"
Barely catching all this, I nodded and mumbled, "I'm just kind of tired."
During dinner, I hardly ate anything and when we got home, mommy carried me up to my room, not saying anything about me sucking my thumb, which I did about the time she started to carry me in. Sitting me on my bed, she pulled out a pull-up and a clean pair of pajamas and handing them to me, said, "Get dressed, sweetie. I'll go and get Angelina Ballerina."
Nodding, I undressed, barely noticed that I still had a penis and testicles and then dressed myself in the diaper and the pajamas, a nightgown, that mommy had handed me.
Lying down on my bed, Katherine wandered in and began to play with her toys. After a bit, mommy came back with my plush mouse and handing it to me, she leaned down and kissed me. Tucking me in, she then told me, "Don't worry, Ashley, sweetie. Your mentor is going to be just fine, you'll see."
Unsure of what to say, I nodded, snuggled closer to Angelina and rolled over. Seeing the wall in front of me, I stuck my thumb back into my mouth and as I lay there sucking it, I heard mommy say to Katherine, "Come along. Leave Ashley to sleep. You can play with those in the living room until your bed time." With that said, I heard the click of the light switch and lying in the semi darkness, comforted by the night light, I fell asleep with the question, "Should I save Thomas or transform myself?" racing through my head.
Sometime during the night, I got up to first pee and then to throw-up dinner. Scared, but not wanting to wake mommy, I went back to my room and climbing back into bed, I snuggled close to Angelina and drifted back asleep; something telling me that I was a good girl for peeing in the toilet rather than the bed.
In the morning, I undressed and looking in the mirror saw that my hair had taken on the same red colour, if not just a pinch darker, as my sister had. My skin was paler and I thought there was something else off, but I could not place it. The good thing I did notice was that I still had a penis and testicles. Dressing in a sundress, a pair of Angelina Ballerina panties and a pair of sandals, I went to the kitchen for breakfast.
Sitting down at the table, mommy asked if I was feeling any better and when I nodded, she then handed me my breakfast. After breakfast, I was handed Angelina and with a gentle push, Mommy told me, "Go out and play Ashley."
The next few days passed like this. On Friday I figured out what looked different; my body had started to look more and more feminine. I didn't know how this was possible, it was just something I saw happening. Early Friday afternoon, we went to see Thomas again and I had my answer on what to use the box for.
In the room, I listened as Ms. Patterson and mommy talked; mostly about how the chance of Linda’s son ever regaining conscious was slipping away day by day. Finally they took their conversation out into the hallway and after a bit Katherine disappeared out into the hall as well. Setting the box in my best mate's hand, I say to it, "I choose Thomas. Heal him. Help him. Do whatever you need to do."
From behind me, I hear, "Is that your choice? Because if it is, I guarantee there is no going back."
Turning around, I see the man with the pale skin and black suit has returned. Nodding to him, he nods back and snapping his fingers, he tells me, "It is done. You shall never see me or the Amulet of Zulo again. Neither will he, so don't bother looking." With that said, he disappears.
Turning, I see that Thomas has opened his eyes and smiling at me, he asks, "Is it Ashley or Marcus? I don’t really know because everything is all fuzzy right now. I was lost in the darkness and you came to save me, to which I say thank-you."
Not sure what to say, I hear someone cry out in surprise as Ms. Patterson reenters the room. Leaving with mommy, something inside me says that I made the right decision, even it cost me the chance to return to a being a fifteen year old boy. Giggling, feeling my mind slip, knowing that this isn't some story I'm making up in my mind and with mommy calling after Katherine and me as we run down the hallway, I ask my sister, "You want to play dolls or dress-up after out gymnastics class?"