For the next three hours Jeff found himself subjected to a crash course of everything a girl learned within her first five years of life. Afterward, he was led back upstairs and towards Angela's room. There, his mother forced him to face his sister as she told them both, "From now until Monday you two will be sister's," and addressing Jeff, she stated, "You shall be called Jenifer."
Returning to addressing Angelo, she explained, "Jenifer here is your younger sister and you will both be sharing a room. Anything you want to do with your sister, Jenifer has to do..."
At this point, Jeff let his mind drift as his mother started going over, for Angela, all that she had said before. Looking about Angela's room, he noted that his mother had done as she had told him and set up him a bed and dresser. In the dresser, as well as the closet, Jeff was sure he was to find the clothes his mother had set aside for Angelo, but did not fit her at the moment. On the bed he saw a plush unicorn, which he knew his sister called Mr Sparkles, and a plush, purple dragon with a dopey look on its face.
"Do you understand me," his mother was saying and realising that she was now addressing him as well as Angela he followed his sister's lead and nodded.
Smiling, their mother stated, "Good," and turning, she announced, "I am going to go get dinner on. You two play quietly until it is ready," and pulling the door closed behind her, she left Jeff hugging himself as Angela merely studied her feminised brother.
After a moment, Jeff pushed past his sister, who was still studying him, and headed for what would be his bed until Monday. Noting that it had been his sister's at one time, he sat down on the mattress and than laid down on the comforter. Walking over to where he was laying, Angela promptly said, "I want to play and mommy says you have to play with me," as she crossed her arms and assumed a look as if she was pouting and on the verge of throwing a temper tantrum.
Sighing, Jeff sat up and replied, "Fine, whatever."
As she clapped her hands, Angela squealed out, "We can have a pretend tea party and you can bring Mr Sparkles and the dragon," and then turning away from Jeff, she headed toward her closet, where she started to take out a blanket and a tea set.
Spreading the blanket over a section of the carpeting, she dropped the plastic dishes, saying, "Come on, Jenny," as she did so.
Not wanting to be accused of being uncooperative, and certainly not wanting to be dressed as a girl an longer than Monday, Jeff picked up the plush unicorn and walked over to where Angela was setting up the tea set. Sitting down, he dropped the unicorn and was wondering just what it was he was supposed to do when his sister said, "That's no way to treat Mr Sparkles, Jenny. And you have to sit like a proper lady. Otherwise I'm telling mom."
Huffing in agitation, remembering what his mother said about how a girl sat while wearing a dress, Jeff adjusted himself as Angela picked up Mr Sparkles and handed the plush unicorn to him. Taking the stuffed animal, Jeff listened as his sister said, "You have to treat her properly as she is only a baby. Cradle her and hold her close to you. For she is your baby and needs your protection," in a voice Jeff thought a girl would use when talking to a younger sibling.
"Why is it called Mr Sparkles if it is a girl?" Jeff asked as he did as Angela told him.
Shrugging, Angela replied, "Because," and than started to pour the pretend tea, offer Jeff a glass and than prattle on in a singsong voice about something Jeff found himself not really caring about.
When their mother called up to them that it was time for dinner, Jeff was only to glad and dropping the plush unicorn and plastic teacup, he jumped up and started for the door. Halfway across the room he stopped as Angela cried out, "That's no way to treat your baby. And that is certainly no way to treat the fine china," and turning to look back at his sister, Jeff was tempted to tell her, "Who cares."
But the moment he saw the look on Angela's face, he paused and listened as she exclaimed, "I'm telling mom."
Hastily moving back to the pretend tea set and picking up Mr Sparkles and the plastic teacup, he replied, "No, that will be okay. Just tell me what I should do," as Angela first looked like she didn't quite believe him and then smiled.
Jumping up, she announced, "First you nicely set your tea down. Than you need to get your baby ready for her nap, as she cannot come to the table with her mommy," and as Jeff set down the plastic tea cup, Angela added, "Mr Sparkles with look oh so cute in this. Wont she, Jenny?" as she held up a pair of pink pants, a doll's diaper and a shirt that was the same shade of pink as the pants."
Not sure what to say, Jeff shrugged as Angela said, "I will show you how to prepare you baby's nappy," and sitting down next to Jeff, she squealed out, "Watch me, Jenny."
Watching his sister, Jeff was unsure why it was so important to dress the unicorn in clothes and was just about ask this when Angela finished dressing Mr Sparkles and announced, "There. Doesn't she look pretty?" to which she began to slowly take all the clothes off the plush unicorn. Handing Mr Sparkles to Jeff, she stated, "You do it now."
Not really wanting to dress the plush unicorn, Jeff grimaced and than thought about what his mother would say if he refused to comply. This thought racing about his mind, he sighed and began following Angela's instructions. When he had finished, Angela told him, "Now tuck your baby into her bed," as she pointed to a toy cradle sitting at the foot of the bed he would be sleeping in for the next three days. Standing, Jeff moved to the cradle and did as Angela told him.
As he did this, Angela laid one of her other plush animals, a cat, in the cradle with Mr Sparkles. Noting that it was also wearing clothes, Jeff barely heard his sister as she exclaimed, "Don't Mr Sparkles and Tabby Cat look cute together, Jenny?" to which Jeff merely nodded, wishing she would stop calling him Jenny.
Following Angela downstairs, Jeff took his seat at the table and kept his silence as Angela started going off about how much fun that she was having and how the two of them had had a pretend tea party. Digging into the casserole their mother placed on his plate, Jeff barely heard a word as their mother complemented him, told him what a good girl he was and what a good girl Angela was for playing with her little sister.
After dinner, their mother told them that they watch television until bedtime, "But Angela gets to pick what to watch," she added as Jeff started to leave.
Sitting down on the couch, adjusting himself without giving a second thought to what he was doing, Jeff stared blankly at the telly as Angela flipped through a number of shows before settling on a programme Jeff hadn't really watched since he had been about Angela's age. After that, his sister choose a show that Jeff thought was only aimed at girls and from there, the evening blended into one blaring image after another.
When their mother told them that it was bedtime, Jeff for a moment forgot his situation and was almost glad that it was time for bed. Than he remembered that he would be sleeping in Angela's room and dreading the moment, he plodded slowly upstairs to his sister's room. Stepping in, he watched as his sister began to shed the clothes she was wearing and just as he was about to exit, their mother came up the stairs. Spying her, Jeff whined out, "Angela's getting undressed in front of me," to which his mother simply reached around and unzipped the back of the dress he was wearing, telling him, "Its okay for little girls to get dressed in front of each other," as she did so.
Unsure how to take this, embarrassed to being seeing his sister naked, Jeff stepped out of the dress he had been made him wear and as their mother pulled some pyjama bottoms and tops from the dresser, he sat down on his bed and began to pull of the tights.
When their mother handed him the pyjamas, he hastily put them on and than let himself be tucked in as Angela first handed him Mr Sparkles and then crawled into her own bed. After their mother had shut off the light and closed the door, Jeff stared up at the ceiling, taking in the soft glow of the stars and planets Angela had insisted on sticking to the ceiling. From her bed, his sister told him, "I'm glad you get to be my sister for the weekend," to which Jeff didn't have anything to say.
A sound of his sister shifting about and glancing over, he watched as Angela turned to face the wall as she snuggled deeper under her covers. Looking back at the ceiling, Jeff waited until he was sure his sister was asleep and rising, he silently stole across the room. Out in the hallway, he went to his room and tried the lock, but found that it was locked, as mother had said she was going to do. Returning to Angela's room, hating the fact that he was going to have to sleep in his sister's old bed, he stared at the light purple plastic head board and foot board, the pink and purple comforter and the white sheets, thought the bed looked just as girly as the rest of the room and than looked away.
Spying his sister's vanity, his attention was immediately caught by the strange amulet she had found earlier today. Picking it up, he gazed at the faded images, wondering what they were supposed to be off as he returned to the bed he was supposed to be sleeping in. Sliding under the covers, he ran a finger over the images, tracing them in the fading light. Turning over on his side, he wondered what Angela saw in it and why she thought it was pretty as he slowly began to grow drowsy and than fall asleep, his last thought being, "I wish there was a way out of my situation," before falling into the dreams that waited for him.