I gritted my teeth through the rest of my bath and scrubbed without looking down. My stomach wasn’t cramping up because I’d been eating junk food. It was bothering me because I'd started my period. Thanks to Allison’s little talk I knew a hell of a lot more about ‘that time of the month’ than I ever would have dreamed.

My heart hammering in my chest, I rose to my feet, and flicked the drain plug open with the tip of my big toe. It didn’t even occur to me I hadn’t washed my hair until after I’d toweled myself off. I continued patting myself down, slipping the towel between my legs and glanced back into the tub. More than half the water had drained away and the prospect of filling the tub up again and going through all that trouble had no appeal. Plus, I was tired and feared what might happen if I fell asleep in the tub. I shook my head and glanced back at my towel and growled under my breath when I spotted the light pink stain that had discolored the fabric.

I shook my head and moved toward the sink, splattering water all over the towel. It seemed to do the trick and I let out a long breath of air. My hair wasn’t quite dry, but I didn’t have another towel and wasn’t keen on rifling through their stuff.

I cracked the bathroom door open, peering out, and once satisfied there wasn’t anyone in sight, I pulled it open far enough to slip my head out and called for Liz.

She called back, and I soon caught sight of her at the bottom of the stairway. "Yes? Is everything all right?"

"W-would you come up here for a second, please?" It wasn’t something I wanted to announce least of all to someone I’d met less than an hour ago, but I needed help and, face it, I was already way out of my comfort zone, anyway.

She rushed up the stairs, stopping a step down from the top. "What’s wrong?"

I gritted my teeth and sucked in my breath before speaking. "I’m bleeding…"

"Is it serious are you hurt?" She asked drawing closer.

I licked lips and looked down. "You know, down below."

All at once understanding lit Liz’s face and she pursed her lips before meeting my gaze. "Can I come in? You can cover up, if you like, but this will be much simpler with a demonstration.

"David’s still downstairs?" I asked glancing down the stairs past Liz.

She nodded again, I hesitated a moment, then, my cheeks burning, I pulled the door all the way open and stepped back behind it.

She moved inside and I closed the door behind her before turning back to face the woman. If I’d been blushing before it was nothing compared to what I was feeling at that moment. I considered slipping past Liz and concealing myself behind the shower curtain, but the damage was already done.

My naked march through the Clearville mall had been the single most humiliating experience of my life. If I could live through that, I would handle this. I bit my lip and forced myself to meet Liz’s gaze.

"Your face is turning violet." She furrowed her brows and reached out, but pulled her hand back before her fingers made contact. I glanced at the mirror realizing that she was right, there was a slight purplish cast to my cheeks. Then it dawned on me, my skin was blue, add a little red, like say if I was blushing and the result would be what I was seeing.

I didn’t offer an explanation, but she seemed to have figured it out. Her eyes grew wide for a second and a knowing smile touched her lips. I cleared my throat and changed the subject. "I bled on your towel, I think I got it out, but I didn’t want it to put it back on wet."

"Of course not." She smiled, but didn’t make direct eye contact for which I was grateful.

I knew some women were comfortable disrobing in front of others of their own sex. Oh, I doubted they had naked pillow fights or anything else you might see in ahem certain… videos. I recalled a handful of occasions my mother let her friends in to help her select an outfit for a night out on the town. I didn’t give it much thought. What teenage boy wanted to think of their mother naked? That being said, each time she would emerge from her room, friends in tow wearing a different getup. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what had happened.

"I don’t need the use of these anymore, but I keep some around for when my daughters visit, just in case." Liz said snapping me out of my reverie and I glanced toward her realizing that she’d managed to get the close door open without me even noticing. What could I say? It had been a long day.

She handed me a small plastic pack, and I turned it over in my hand a sinking feeling forming in the pit of my stomach. I suppose it could be worse, it could have been a tampon. I shivered at the mere thought of putting one of those little pods down there.

"You might be more comfortable using a pad," she smiled at me then retrieve a second pack from the bag. She opened it, showing me proper placement over her clothes. If I’d been blushing before, it was nothing compared to the way my cheeks burned after her demonstration.

"Just make sure you keep yourself as clean down there before and after putting one on, you might get an infection if you’re not careful. There are some wipes on the shelf," she glanced back toward the spot she’d retrieved the pads. "Make use of them if you need to."

I heard a thud in the distance and glanced in the sound's direction. Liz followed my gaze and smiled. "That sounds like the front door. I’ll leave you to get dressed."

She slipped out the door and I grabbed a handful of wipes, ensuring I was clean down there and affixed the damn thing just as she’d shown. When done, I turned my attention to the stack of clothes on the counter. I grabbed the shirt first and slipped it over my head. It was a little large on me, but I didn’t care. Though the pants hung on me, I wasn’t comfortable morphing clothing that belong to another person. I’d lived with worse. When I was little, my mother bought most of our clothing used.

I cracked the bathroom door open, listening to the conversation without. I recognized David and Liz’s voices well enough, but the third one didn’t belong to a man as I’d expected.

"—ad, please just give me a straight answer. What’s going on?" A soft and feminine wafted up the stairs.

"Long story short, there is a scared teenaged girl upstairs who seems awfully convinced she’s your daughter," Liz replied.

"What? That’s impossible I haven’t—"

The thump of my heart in my ears drowned out the rest.

I slipped out of the bathroom and crept down the stairs. I peaked around the corner, getting a good glimpse into the living room. A woman stood near the front door, and I stared my eyes bulging out of my head. No wonder Liz and David had behaved so oddly when they’d first laid eyes on me. Save for my blue skin, purple hair, and the obvious age difference I was looking at my twin.