“Thank you for making an appearance, doctor,” the judge said, “You were the presiding physician in this case?”

“I was,” Doctor Rackar said.

It was surreal for Ester to see this waxy man with crimson eyes sitting on the witness stand. He seemed indifferent to everything going on around him. The judge asked him to give his opinion on the situation.

“When I met the patient, she was very nervous and uncertain about her future. As I’ve watched her develop, Ms. Moreno has become both happier and healthier as a result of the opportunities she’s made for herself. Granting her a legal change of identity is the next logical step to ensure a successful transition and allow her to put this experience behind her.”

The judge nodded and thanked the doctor.

“Mr. Moreno, please take the stand.”

Ester gulped and stood up. She was shaking, almost sweating through her nice dress. All the eyes in the room were on her. She passed the doctor on her way to the witness stand, and he nodded briefly at her before taking his seat.

“Mr. Moreno,” the judge said, “How do you feel about what’s happened to you?”

“I’m really happy,” Ester said, wringing her hands, “When all this started, I was really worried about it being outside of my control. But people have been really accepting and I’ve found friends who really stick by me. I’ve lost a lot, but I’ve gained so much more. I wouldn’t go back to the way things were if I even had the chance.”

There was murmuring throughout the courtroom. Ester glanced nervously over to where her family was sitting. April gave her a thumbs up and a weak smile.

“Even though this was all without your consent?” the judge asked, “How can we be sure that you won’t want to pursue a transition back to being male in the future?”

Ester took a deep breath and admitted, “I had the chance to go back and I didn’t want to take it. Honestly, I was really afraid that I’d lose all of this.”

“How do we know that this isn’t just the effect of magic making you feel this way. Some time might be—”

“With all due respect, your honor,” Ester interrupted, “It’s not the magic.” The judge scowled at her, and she winced. “For the longest time, I was really worried that I wasn’t in control of my thoughts. When I was given the chance to go back to being a boy, I realized that I wouldn’t be happy like that. I’m happy with who I am now, and I’m going to keep pursuing what makes me happy. My legal name isn’t going to slow me down.”

The judge grunted, then rolled his eyes.

“Very well,” he said, “If you are determined to see this through, then I will approve this change. Congratulations, Ms. Estella Nelson.”

He banged the gavel and Ester melted in relief. She practically ran up to her family and embraced them in a big group hug. Happy tears were streaming down her face. Technically, it wasn't an adoption, they were just her legal guardians now, but she had their name and they were a real family nonetheless.

“It’s finally done,” she said.

They led her outside and Ester sat down on a bench to catch her breath. She couldn’t stop shaking. A shadow fell over her.

“Congratulations, Ms. Nelson,” Doctor Rackar said, nodding in her direction.

Victoria emerged from behind him, smiling broadly.

“Felt like it took forever to get here, didn’t it?” she asked.

“Absolutely.”

“Thank you for your help, Doctor,” Stephanie said curtly. More warmly, she added to Victoria, “And thank you for helping Ester. It means so much to us.”

“It’s what we do,” Victoria said.

The doctor started to walk away. Victoria made to follow him, but Ester reached out to stop her.

“We’re going out to celebrate with lunch,” she said, “Do you want to come with us?”

“I’d love to,” Victoria said, smiling sadly, “But I have to return to my studies. You have my number if you need anything, Ester.”

She gave a mock salute and followed the doctor down the hallway.

“We should go,” Isaac said, checking something on his phone, “Our… reservation is coming up.”

Once in the car, Ester took a photo of the signed legal documents to upload them to social media. She wanted her friends to see that it was official. Ester checked her feed, occasionally leaning over to share something with April.

“Alright, we’re here,” Stephanie said, bringing the car to a stop.

Ester tore her eyes away from her phone to look around, and frowned.

“I thought we were going to a restaurant,” she said.

“It’s a surprise,” Isaac said, opening his door, “Come on.”

“Did you know about this?” Ester asked April, but she just smirked and got out of the car.

Ester followed her family into the park. Her confusion cleared up when she saw a group of people around a bunch of picnic tables. She had to suppress a squeal at the banner they had strung up in her honor.

A lot of Ester’s friends were here. Tamara’s girlfriend Rose was talking to Duela, who was holding a skateboard with a bow hastily placed on like it was a gift. Carla was talking to Anton, neither of whom had noticed her approaching yet. Ester recognized a lot of other people who were either from lunch or the GSA at school.

“There she is!” someone cried, and everybody started waving and calling out to her.

Ester blinked the tears out of her eyes and ran up to Anton. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a long kiss. That got a rise out of the crowd, but she ignored them.

When Ester finally came up for air, she asked, “How long have you guys been planning this?”

“About a week?” he replied, shrugging, “I only heard about it through April. I don’t… actually think I know anyone here.”

“I’m sorry,” Ester said quietly, “Are people still giving you crap about dating me?”

“It’s fine,” he said, “I’m making new friends. Just as long as I’m not with the Boys anymore.”

Someone punched Anton in the arm, and he flinched.

“Carla!” Ester cried.

Anton rubbed his shoulder while Carla scowled.

“Don’t get too handsy with my sister,” she warned Anton.

“Noted…”

Ester pulled Anton away so he could sit down and nurse his injury.

“You should come with me to the next GSA meeting,” she told him, “You’re bi. You’d be welcome.”

“I might have to, if it means getting to spend more time with you.”

Ester kissed him briefly, then turned to face her new mom and dad.

“Thank you both so much for this,” she said, “For everything. Seriously. I don’t deserve this.”

“Yes you do, Ester,” Isaac said, patting her on the shoulder, “Just enjoy your special day.”

Stephanie added, “It was April’s idea. She did all the work. Be sure to thank her.”

Ester was swarmed with friends, who dragged her into the middle of the crowd. Someone passed her a soda. Ester sat down and tried to bounce between all the conversations that were coming her way.

“Congratulations, Ester!”

“So happy for you, girl!”

Duela sat down next to her and shoved the skateboard into her hands, saying, “I thought you might want one of your own, now that you’ve stopped falling over every time you get on one.”

“Aw… thank you, I think.”

Somebody brought out a bunch of pizzas and passed out plates. Ester hunted for one with mushrooms, and licked her lips when she found one. Carla snorted and rolled her eyes.

“Nothing ever changes,” she muttered, hiding her smile.

"How are you doing at home?" Ester asked.

"I'm fine, Ester," Carla insisted. Then she lowered her voice to ask, "Mom and dad didn't show up at the courthouse, did they?"

Ester frowned and shook her head, admitting, "I don't know if I'm more disappointed or relieved. I guess it's what I hoped for, though. It certainly made the judge's decision easier."

"They never talk about you anymore," Carla admitted, "I guess that's better than openly badmouthing you. I don't think I'd be able to hold my temper if they did that. It just sucks that they're going to get away with it."

"I don't want revenge, Carla," Ester insisted, "Not against them, or Sue, or Leon, or anybody."

"How did you turn out to be such a great kid?"

"I'm not a kid," she replied, pouting, "I'm almost sixteen."

Carla laughed, and after a moment Ester laughed along with her.

Ester let herself soak in the buzz of conversation around her. This was so weird: she was surrounded by people who actually cared about her and wanted to be around her. It was such a new, amazing experience.

After a while, though, the noise started getting to her and Ester stood up. She managed to slip away and hide behind a tree. Finally she could breathe easy again.

There was a knock on the tree, and Ester turned to see Carla.

“You okay?” she asked.

“Just a little overwhelmed,” Ester admitted, smiling weakly.

“I’m sorry, I’m not much of a hugger—”

“I am!” April declared, appearing from the other side of the tree, “Would that help?”

“A little,” Ester said, raising her arms.

April gave her a brief squeeze. Ester walked a bit further away from the picnic tables and sat down. Her sisters sat down on the grass on either side of her. After a few moments, they heard someone else walking up to them.

Ester glanced back and smiled at Anton, who got down on his knees and wrapped his arms around Esters neck. She grabbed onto him and leaned back so Anton was supporting most of her weight. He cradled her in his arms.

When Ester glanced over at Carla, she was watching with narrowed eyes and pursed lips.

“You can’t hate him forever,” Ester said.

“I don’t hate him,” Carla insisted quietly, “You’re just my sister is all. And you’ve already been through a lot.”

“She’s got a point, Ester,” Anton said softly, “But don’t worry. We’re going to protect you.”

“I know,” Ester said, closing her eyes.

A few tears slid down her cheeks.

“Something wrong?” April asked.

“I’m just so happy,” she admitted, “I can’t believe how much better my life is now.”

April took Ester’s hand and gave it a little squeeze. Carla placed her own hands on Ester’s other arm. Anton brought his face close and planted a kiss in Ester’s hair.

“Thank you,” Ester said, “All of you, for everything.”

They sat there for a few moments, then Ester sighed with contentment and pulled away. They stood up and Ester stretched. Then, together, they returned to the party.

QuillRabbit

Thank you so much for reading this story. It was a big project and I'm glad you stuck with it to the end. If you enjoyed the story, please leave a comment or a review. If you're a fan and want to support my work, you can do so on my Patreon here! Patrons get early access to all chapters as well as as Patreon-exclusive content and other perks. But if you'd rather show your support through a one-time donation, you can do so here for only $3.