I sniffle a little as my parents smile at me. Dana wraps an arm around my back and gives me a warm hug. “well, I had a wee chat wi’ yer da and ma, Kylie, and I got their permission tae invite ya to something tomorrow. It’s an… event, of sorts, for the LGBTQ community, focussed specifically on the transgender part of it. It’s the 20^th of November, the Transgender Day of Remembrance. I’ve been asked tae give a wee speech fer the service, and I’d like for you and your folks ta come along. Jeffrey said he would as well, before he left. Will ye come?”

I sniffle again, then nod. “Yes, if I’m now a part of this community, I should BE a part of it.”

Dana squeezes me tight, before releasing me. “Wonderful. Afterwards, I’ll take ye’s all somewhere special. I’ll see ye tomorrow, then…” she turns and bids my parents farewell, and I walk her to the front door. “I hope you had a good time this evening?” I ask, blushing, as she stretches and zips up her biker jacket.

“Aye, I had a blast! Yer da gets really into his roleplayin’, it’s pretty fun tae watch!”

 I smile, watching her head down to her bike. “See you tomorrow, Dana!” I call, loud enough for her to hear, as she straddles her bike, her jeans riding low on her hips. With a final wave, Dana McGregor tugs on her full-face helmet and roars off, into the night. I return indoors, joining my parents in the den and cuddling up between them on the couch. Mum runs her fingers through my hair, and giggles when I make a weird purring sound as her fingernails scratch lightly at my scalp.

“Now I understand why you never liked having your hair cut!” she coos, and dad smirks.  He pats my knee.

“So, my little girl’s getting help? That’s great! And, whatever you want to do with your life, just know that your mother and I are so, so proud of you. We’ll support you in whatever you set out to do with yourself.”

I bite my lip. “Well… Will you help me with something? I don’t know how much it’ll cost, but I want to redecorate my room. I can at least pay toward it, since I get paid for streaming now… wait, how much do I have right now??”

I grab my phone off the coffee table and open a banking app on it. As I log in with my thumbprint and scroll to my balance, I pause. That can’t be right. I refresh, then log out and back in. nope, the number hasn’t changed.

“Um… Would… $23,000 be enough…?”  I ask, in a tremulous, awed voice. My parents stare at each other, then at me. I show them the screen, and their eyes widen. “Oh my… honey, that is a LOT of money… you’re actually able to make a career out of this, aren’t you?” My mum murmurs, as dad’s mind focusses on the options.

“Ookay, first, you need to put as much as you can aside, darling. Don’t worry, your mum and I can handle redecorating costs.  Besides, there’s something you might want to be saving for, isn’t there?” he pats my head affectionately.  I blink up at him.

“There is? Do… do you mean…”

Mum smiles. “Well, if you want to, you could use your earnings to help you transition. Physically, I mean. Dana explained that, when she went through it, it was about a decade ago. It was a lot more… intensive… than the procedure is now, so you could save for it and be a self-made woman. No-one could tell you that you don’t deserve it if you earned it yourself, right?”

I almost crumple to my knees. I could be entirely female, sooner than I ever dreamed… Inside AND out? That… that’s… I burst into tears, and mum pulls me into her arms. “Ohhh, baby… that’s what you need, isn’t it? Let me help. I’ll talk to my accountant, and he’ll help you. If he says ANYTHING you don’t like, you tell me straight away, and I’ll take care of it. Never forget that we love you, Kylie, no matter what…”

I simply wail, clinging to my mother as she holds me, her words turning into murmured noises….

I don’t remember going to bed that night. I think I fell asleep in mum’s embrace at some point, because I woke up in my own bed. Dad must’ve carried me here, and I turn over to press the off button on my alarm. College is going to suck, but… I feel better. Lighter, somehow. My crying session must have helped.

I get ready for college, dressed in plain, androgynous clothes, and scarf down breakfast in a hurry. My parents tend to work late, even when they ARE home, so it doesn’t seem right to wake them up just so I can say ‘see you later’ to them.

Houseworth calls as I reach the door, “have a good day, mistress Kylie! And make sure to get home on time! I’m aware that your family have plans tonight with miss Dana and master Jeffrey!”

“Thanks, Houseworth, I’ll see you tonight, okay?” I call back, hurrying for the station. As I wait to board the grav-train, Jeffrey bounds onto the platform, habitually late.

“Whoa, perfect timing!” He yelps, as the train glides in and halts, swaying slightly in the magnetic relay. Bundling into the train compartment next to me, he grins. “You disappeared yesterday evening, what was that about?”

I whisper in his ear, explaining that I’m going to meet a therapist to help with my ‘issue’, as well as the fact that I’m suddenly a fairly wealthy young lady. He chuckles and elbows me.

“Hey, good for you, Ky! You got plans for all of it?”

I shrug. “Well, I wanna save as much as I can, and Asteria told me I should hire a mod team to handle my chat while I’m streaming. I’ve kinda… put it off because it sounds like I’D have to vet the candidates and I have no idea what I’m looking for in a moderator….”

Jeffrey grins, his spiky blonde hair wild and untamed, as usual. “Why not at least put out an advert? Like, ‘help wanted! Up-and-coming streamer looking for moderators for her chat!’ I mean, if you don’t put yourself out there, you aren’t just going to have a mod team fall into your lap!”

I purse my lips in thought. “Well… what harm could it do?” I tug my phone out, sign in to my streaming account, and quickly post a notice on the site’s forum.

“I’ll check it out after class, no point getting all worked-up about it. I probably won’t get any responses anyway.” I smile.

Class is slow and dull as ever, and I spend most of it I a haze. My mind is whirling at the thought of tonight. From the look Dana had on her face, it seems like this day of remembrance is a serious thing…. I look down at my hands, and swear mentally. My nails are still painted! I forgot to remove the polish! Aaaaaaaaargh!!!

All I can do is hope no-one notices- A small ball of scrap paper lands on my desk. I carefully unfold it, smoothing out the wrinkles. It’s got writing on it. ‘I like your nails, Kyle!’

I blink in confusion, looking around surreptitiously to try and guess who wrote this. The handwriting is fine, and delicate. Unlikely to be a boy, too, since almost every guy I know would just ridicule me for this. Alas, the mystery goes unsolved…

The last bell rings, and, as I make my way off-campus, I’m collected by Jeffrey. At his urging, I check my phone. On the site’s forum, my post has over 3000 notes! My inbox is FULL!

“Almost TWO HUNDRED applications?!” 

Jeffrey cackles, almost walking into a gate. “Well, I didn’t expect THAT much interest, but you’d better appreciate how much of a hot commodity you are right now! The first apprentice to the legend that is WildRoseOfTheWest!”

I groan. This is going to take a while…

By the time I get home, with Jeffrey’s help, I’ve whittled the number of applications down to around thirty. Sitting at the kitchen table, I puzzle over the options as Jeffrey works on my makeup, touching up the bits I need help with. I’ve changed back into my bra and slotted my boobs back into the cups, adjusting them tom fit, before choosing a simple black dress and stockings, with some low-heeled shoes in the same colour.

 Jeffrey’s own dark clothes are similar to what he’d worn to college today, a dark pair of jeans and a white shirt, but he’s added a waistcoat and a dark blue tie. He looks pretty good, honestly. Mum and dad are busy discussing tonight, as she puts the finishing touches to a quick, light supper. Soup, accompanied by homemade flatbreads stuffed with vegetables and crumbled goat’s cheese.

Just as we finish up the washing, the doorbell chimes, and Houseworth calls, “Miss Dana is here! Would you like me to let her in?”

I smile, calling back, “yes please, Houseworth, that would be a huge help!” I totter slightly, still getting used to walking in heels.

The kitchen door opens, and Dana enters. She’s wearing a short evening dress of a dark, somber charcoal, her hair pulled up in a bun and pinned in place by long needles.

“Ah, Kylie, you look gorgeous! That colour suits ye!” she smiles, and I feel my cheeks flush at the compliment. She pecks me on the cheek, one side after the other, and then moves on to greet my parents.

A few minutes later, we’re all bundling into dad’s car. Mum’s smart-car would be too small for all of us, so my dad’s vehicle is the only option. I sit in the back, sandwiched between Dana and mum, as Jeffrey takes the front passenger seat. Dana gives directions, leaning into me as dad takes a corner.

“The venue changes every year, since we don’t want the Church of One to catch wind of it. If they could, they’d love to get their claws into everyone with reason to attend…” she scowls a little, and I wince. Seriously, how did a cult end up so widely-recognized?

The drive is longer than I expected, until, on Dana’s instruction, dad pulls into an underground carpark.

“We’ll walk the last block or two from here. Just a precaution, though I didn’t see any sign of the Church.”

With Dana in the lead, we make our way about two blocks, stopping at a building that looks like an old church from the Catholic religion. It has al sorts of religious symbols from different faiths everywhere, with a middle-aged man in long robes standing at the double-doors.

Welcome, I’m Pater Kais, and this is my temple. Here, all faiths, religions, creeds, and beliefs are welcome. Please, come in.”

He bows, his hands clasped in front of him. Dana sighs, “It’s good to see you again, Pater. Any trouble tonight?”

“None, child. Nary a whisper of the Cult of One, I am relived to say. I’ll wait for any stragglers.” As we pass through the door, I turn to look at the elderly Pater and see, to my shock, an Enforcer in full combat gear behind the doorframe, holding his M35-Alpha in a ready position. “Evening, all. Don’t worry, I’m here as a favour to the Pater.” He murmurs, his tone gentle.  The old priest places a hand on his shoulder.

“I helped the officer out of a spot of bother a few years back, and he’s been a good friend ever since.” He smiles up at the Enforcer, and then turns to greet another small group. The Enforcer gestures with his free hand. “Down the hall, then two flights down. Everyone’s in the Reliquary. And, my condolences.”

Dana inclines her head and guides us to our destination. The Reliquary is a large room, decorated simply with religious iconography from countless religions. Almost a hundred people are here, each one dressed in dark clothing, some in groups, others on their own.