Sam Matterson wasn't awake just yet so Sam decided to wait. As she waited, she looked around the room, taking in how neutral everything looked. How there appeared to be nothing that hinted at the girl who dressed like a boy that occupied this room.
After a couple of minutes, and bored with waiting for her new friend to wake up, Sam exited the room and headed for the kitchen, wondering if Ms. Matterson was still up and if she could help Sam get something for breakfast, all the while wondering how her parents and sister would take it if she showed up at home like this.
In the kitchen Sam found Ms. Matterson eating breakfast and the moment she entered, Sam's mother looked up and asked, "Would you like something for breakfast, Melissa? We have cold cereal or I could fix you something on the stove."
Pausing, realising how this woman had just addressed her, Sam was momentarily puzzled. Her name, she thought, was Sam. "It wasn't Melissa...could it be?" she asked herself.
Realising that Ms. Matterson was still waiting for an answer, Sam answered, "Cold cereal will do," and sat down at the table.
Slowly eating her breakfast, Sam/Melissa wondered what else had changed. After a bit, a bleary eyed Sam wandered in and Ms. Matterson poured her daughter a bowl of cereal. Eating it, she looked at Sam/Melissa and asked, "What do you want to do today? We could go swimming. Or maybe go up to the library?"
Sam/Melissa thought about it and then said, "I'm open to suggestions. But if we go swimming, I need to run home to get my swimsuit. Well, I need to run home anyway. I forgot to bring myself a change of clothes."
Sam nodded at this and the two continued eating, sharing back and forth ideas on what they should do for the rest of the day. After breakfast, Melissa grabbed her shoes and with Sam by her side, walked by home, wondering what changes she would find there.
Home, Melissa let herself in and running up to her room, she stopped as she realised that she no longer had an older sister. Instead, where her sister's room used to be was now a guest room. Torn between liking this outcome and dreading what she'd find in her room, Melissa opened the door and looked in.
Inside was a room appropriate for a girl of eight years. White walls with pink trim, a plush white shag carpet and a canopy bed covered in various stuffed animals. Entering, she looked at the vanity and the full body mirror. Opening the closet, Melissa took in the dresses and cubbyholes, which contained various costumes, ballet and gymnastics outfits and other garments befitting a little girl.
A voice behind her announced the arrival of Sam, who said, "I can't believe you still sleep with stuffed animals," and sat down on the seat in front of the vanity.
Shrugging, Melissa replied, "They're merely for decoration now," and without giving it a second thought, removed her shirt and dumped into a laundry basket sitting inside the closet. As she did this, she pulled from one of the cubbyholes a one piece bathing suit.
"So are we going swimming," Sam asked as Melissa removed her shorts and underwear and began to pull on the bathing suit.
As Melissa did this, having no problem being naked in front of another girl, she thought briefly that it felt odd to have a garment pinching so close to her privates, but then dismissed the notion.
Shrugging, Melissa replied, "Why not and pulled from the dresser a fresh pair of shorts and put them on over the swimsuit. "But if we do, we should go out to the lake. I don't think the pool is such a good idea."
Yeah. Who knows what is in there," Sam said and the two girls shared a laugh.
Setting the amulet inside her vanity, Melissa grabbed a towel and the two girls left, one a tomboy and the other a boy who was fast loosing himself in the body of a girl. As the two exited the house, Melissa's mom came home after about five minutes had passed. Grabbing the fresh laundry from the drier, she made a bee-line for her daughters room to fold some of the clothes and put them away for Melissa. As she starts the various household chores, she see the amulet lying inside her daughter's vanity and decides to pick it up and look at it.