Chapter Two "New Friends"

     The last tone of the day came across the bell system of St. Bart’s, and Isabella found herself alone again in the restroom. She had picked up a couple of more uniforms from Sister Margaret and insisted that her new friends get their things and meet her in the commons area before they agreed to walk her home. In their long introduction, Isabella learned that two of them, Kelly and Amber, lived just a few houses apart and about one block from her aunt, where she was now residing in a semi-permanent situation. She admitted that she did not know if she and her mother were going to move anywhere else. She began to realize that things were not going back to some kind of normal like she had imagined or even thought about over the last few weeks from the death of her father to her being upended and moved to Asheville upon the insistence of her mother who simply would not stay in the Atlanta area anymore. She liked her new friends because they were honest and more real than anyone she had ever known in Atlanta, or rather, just north of Atlanta.

     She looked at her stubby legs again and vowed to shave them as soon as she could and try to clean up some. She felt a sense of shame at not looking her best around these girls and trying harder to be herself. She had a moment of emotion that she blocked with a sniffle and then washed her face before emerging from the bathroom. The halls were quiet now. All of the children seemed to have run off into the abyss of their afterschool lives in far-flung directions. She began to head toward the front of the school when she heard the shuffling of feet behind her. She thought it was her friends until she heard a voice. It was that same grating voice that met her that morning outside of the school. She stopped.

“We’re not done.” The voice was attempting to sound autocratic or sincere, but it could not mask the fear that was hidden within it. It was Lucy Upshaw, and she was not alone. She stood there in her version of the uniform with long dark socks, sneakers, and no tie. Her friends were dressed the same only with some versions of fake hair dye within their short locks and ugly grimaces. They looked like vampires in the shadows trying to surround Isabella in another attempt to quell the new girl to their ways.

     “Didn’t you get enough this morning, Lucy?” Isabella set her bag down and waited. She stared at Lucy in particular while sizing up the other girls.

     “You caught me at a bad moment.” Lucy sneered.

     “So, you say. I don’t think that was just a moment. I think that your time is coming to an end.” Isabella remained alert. Something turned on inside of her like senses that had been dormant for far too long. The entire reason she had taken self-defense classes was not because of the kids in Atlanta alone. It was for her life.

     Lucy continued to move forward ignoring the cameras and even one child who ran away very quickly when she saw what was going on. She moved her girls around Isabella in a circle thinking she had the upper hand this time. She did not wait. She went right at Isabella with a clumsy right hook that was met with a firm grip that used her motion to throw her into two girls who fell like bowling pins. Two more girls tried and failed as well. She ducked from one and did a leg swing that sent her flying into a wall where she hit her head and landed with a thud. The other girl tried to go low, but Isabella was back up and shoved her to the ground with a turning kick to the side of her face. The girl grabbed her nose and ran off holding it.

     “One down.” She thought. It was not much before the next girl thought she had her in a neck grip only to be turned around so fast that she did not have time to realize that her shoulder was now dislocated and laying limp by her side.

     She ran off in the same direction as the other girl wailing loudly and protesting Isabella as a bully. Isabella could not help but laugh. The remaining two girls thought about their options and left with their hands up and nodding. They followed the other two out and were gone.

     Lucy stood up again and looked at her friends leaving. She shook her head and lunged at Isabella again. She was slower this time, and this allowed her cat-like reflexes to do their worst to her. She shot the heal of her hand across Lucy’s nose with a very loud cracking sound. The one other girl who was still awake began to vomit at the sight of Lucy twisting to the ground grabbing her nose as blood immediately began to pour from it.

     Isabella looked up at the camera over her head and waved. “She needs a doctor.” She mouthed. She heard footsteps running toward her as she remained behind to accept whatever came her way.

It was about an hour later before she got to leave. Sister Elizabeth and now Father Thomas watched the video to confirm Isabella’s story. They had been warned by the little girl that ran off that Lucy was attacking someone in the school. They got there as fast as they could and found Isabella waiting on them to take full responsibility for her actions that they deemed justified based on what they saw from various camera angles. They even watched another camera where Lucy was coaching her friends on how to attack Isabella.

     She walked out of the school and found her new friends waiting on her looking worried. She grabbed Amber’s hand along with Jessica’s and laughed. “I don’t know why you were so damn scared of her. She’s slow.”

     Kelly stopped them and looked at Isabella then hugged her. “You just don’t know.”

     “Then you’ll have to tell me someday.”

     They went across the busy street and separated into two groups on the other side. Jessica and Cindy went their way while Kelly and Amber led Isabella along the road before turning up into their neighborhood. It was a longish walk home, but the fresh fall air felt good in her lungs. They led her to a little store and insisted that they buy her a snack and a drink. While they were outside laughing about Lucy, Isabella began to notice them more. More of who they were as friends began to sink into her as she realized that they were more than just mere friends. She stared at them trying to get a good sense of them, and in doing so, she could not help but stare at them. She wondered why they were so strong looking at least to her.

     “Well, let’s get you home.” Kelly looked at Isabella who was still staring downward towards Amber’s skirt. Kelly nudged Amber with a wink and grin.

     Amber giggled and got up. “So, which house is your aunt’s.”

     Isabella snapped out of her daze. “This way, I think.” She pointed up the street.

     They walked along with Isabella in a very quiet state of contemplation on events of the day and what she saw or thought she saw or did not see. She followed alongside not saying anything until Kelly stopped in front of a large beautiful old Victorian Painted Lady with a massive wraparound veranda and a turret. “This is my house.” She laughed. “Or really, it’s my parents’ house. I just happened to live in there.” She pointed with the back of her thumb over her shoulder. “We also play host to the queen and many other lords and ladies.”

     “Yeah…” Isabella trailed off.

     “Hey, what’s got you all moody all of a sudden?” Amber nudged Isabella.

     “I don’t know.”

     “Hey, it’s Tuesday, and we all go for a jog on Tuesdays. You want to join us?” Amber’s face lit up.

     “I…I don’t know. I’m outta shape, and I haven’t jogged in weeks. I’d just slow you down.”

     “No.” Kelly snapped. “You’ll join us, and you will have fun.” She sensed something going sideways in Isabella, and she was going to stop it one way or another.

     “I don’t have anything to wear.” She rolled her arms down her body trying to get out of it.

     “Nonsense.” Amber perked in. “You and I are practically twins. I’ll grab something, and I’ll throw you down and put it on you if I have to.”

     “Did you forget what I did to Lucy?”

     “I don’t think you’ll do the same to me.” Amber giggled. “I rather think you’d enjoy it.” She stared at Kelly then at Isabella. “As a matter of fact, I know you would.”

     “What makes you…”

     “Because I do.” Amber waved Kelly on. “You get yourself in those cute little jogging shorts and the usual other things. I’ll handle our newest sister in the clan.”

     Kelly ran on, and Amber took Isabella by the hand. She led her to her house and stopped. It was another large Victorian, but it was not quite as large as Kelly’s house. She took Isabella by the hand again. “Show me your aunt’s house.”

     “But…”

     “No…I’ll follow.”

     Isabella began to walk, and Amber took her hand. “This way you won’t get lost.” She giggled.

     “Fine.” Isabella was a head full of thoughts and emotions. She was both confused and comfortable at the same time. “Well, this is it.” They stopped in front of a smaller Victorian that had a small second story on one side with a smaller porch on the front. A longer section went into the back with a couple of other gables on top of those that included large windows. The driveway was on the right side that led back to a small garage. There were no cars in the driveway at the moment. “I should…”

     “Go shave your legs, wait for me, and I’ll bring back something for you to wear.” Amber was pointing at Isabella with a serious look. “Trust me.”

     “Trust you? I just…”

     “Go and use a new razor. I don’t want any knicks on those legs of yours.”

     Isabella sighed and got out her key and disappeared into her house. Amber nearly skipped home and shot up to her room without hardly saying a word other than she was going for a jog. Isabella showered and shaved. She wanted to do that anyway, but she was nervous at the same time. She felt her heart racing like crazy wondering what she had gotten into. She thought about making up some excuse, but by the time she had a lame one, the doorbell rang. She opened it up and found Amber standing there with a bag. She had changed into a spandex pair of jogging shorts with a matching top. Her hair was pulled into a tight ponytail, and her legs were shining in the sun. She had on jogging shoes and a pair of small white ankle socks. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

     Isabella just moved out of the way and let Amber bounce inside and handed her the bag. “You need help?”

     Isabella looked inside and found a similar outfit complete with shoes, little socks, a pair of nude pantyhose, and some black tights. She looked at Amber.

     “Come on. I’ll help. You look like you’d mess them up in your current state.” She followed Isabella back to her room admiring the house as she went. She lit up in Isabella’s room seeing boxes of books lying around. “You like to read?”

     “Yes.”

     Amber smiled. “I have to confess. Kelly and I saw you peeking at us at the store. I wasn’t going to say anything about this for a few days, but I figured we might as well just let you in on our little secret.”

     Isabella smiled. “I thought I was going crazy.”

     “I’ll let Kelly tell the story. She likes to tell it. It involves Lucy and Cindy too, so it will have to wait until the right moment.”

     “I trust you.” Isabella walked over and hugged her. “I’m glad you’re my friend.”

     “Awe, I am too. We’re glad you’re our friend. You fill a void that we had.”

     “Oh?”

     “Yeah, just trust me on that.”

     Isabella grabbed an old pair of underwear while Amber frowned. “Don’t even dare.”

     “What?”

     Amber smiled. “You didn’t notice that when you were staring?”

     “Huh?”

     “Do me and all of us a favor and burned those and all of your other ones.”

     “Really?”

     Amber handed her the pantyhose. “Do you know how to put these on?”

     Isabella blushed. “Sort of…I guess.”

     “You get one quick lesson now.” Amber rolled one leg up on her hands and showed her how to put them on then let Isabella try. “See, isn’t that better?”

     Isabella looked at herself in her mirror and blushed. “This is different…very different.” She blushed.  “They feel really good.”

    “I thought you’d like them. Now put on your shorts and top as well as those socks and shoes and let’s get your hair taken care of as well.”

     Isabella tied up her hair after putting on the socks and shoes and admired herself again in her mirror running her hands up her backside and smiling.

     The doorbell went off again. “That’ll be Kelly and the others.”

     “Others?”

     “Yeah, Kelly, Cindy, Jessica, and maybe a few more. I’ll let you know.”

     “Ah…”

     Amber grabbed her by the hand and forced her outside. She was met by a few faces she knew including Jessica and Cindy, but she also saw some of the other girls from class that had been introduced to her earlier in the day. She was reintroduced before she turned to Jessica and could not help but notice a large package that was not masked by her attempt at wearing another pair of jogging shorts over her spandex ones. It hid something, but what it hid was far too big to be anything else than what she believed it to be. Amber noticed and pulled her aside. “I’ll explain that later. It’s another long story.” She giggled. “Long story…inside joke…” She laughed again. “Inside joke…there I go again.”

     Isabella looked at her. “I trust you. I’ll just wait for that explanation.”

     “Good answer.” Then Amber led all of them in some stretches as Isabella looked around at them. They were all dressed the same except Jessica with the extra layer of shorts. Then they took off along the sidewalks and onto some paths.

     Isabella barely kept up feeling her time off from exercise and any sort of aerobic exercise for the last few weeks. She forced herself to keep up, but she was the first one to collapse when they circled back to her lawn again. She was almost heaving trying to draw in breaths before she got herself back under control. Then she rolled over and saw the others laying around too. That’s when she caught a better glimpse up Jessica’s shorts confirming what she thought it was. She did not have a brother, but she had accidentally seen her dad naked before and knew that shape without question. There was no mistaking what it was after all.

     “You are practically one of us now.” Kelly turned around and smiled at her.

     Isabella sat up and looked at them and rubbed her legs. “So, what’s the deal with all this?”

     “You are complaining?” Jessica asked.

     “No, in fact, I like it.”

     “See. I told you.” Amber giggled. “She belongs with us.”

     Isabella sat there. “I have to admit that today didn’t start off very well, but it’s ending on a much better note.”

     “So, where did you learn all that stuff?” Cindy asked as she pretended to do self-defense.

     “Self-defense classes in my old home. My mom insisted after some stuff happened. I don’t know all the details, but she insisted that I take them without my dad knowing it. I don’t know why, but it came in handy today.”

     “I don’t think we’ll see Lucy for a few days.” Kelly smiled. “Sister Elizabeth was the loudest I’d ever heard her, and that includes field day two years ago when Lucy tried to push all of us into the mud pit after losing the tug-o-war challenge.”

     “A few days?” Amber asked.

     “Yeah, she was talking suspension in addition to ISS not to mention that her nose is broken, and that will require a few days at home to mend.” She looked at Isabella. “We’re not complaining. We’ll see what her friends do now, especially Sarah and Big Mike.”

     “Big Mike?” Isabella asked.

     “Yeah, big Michelle, the one you threw into the wall.”

     “Oh.” Isabella broke into a grin. “Amber told me you’d tell me the history someday.”

     “Yeah, not here though.” Kelly thought a moment. “How about everyone go shower and meet back at my house for a little impromptu BTG meeting?”

     “BTG?” Isabella looked confused.

     “You’ll learn.” Amber smiled. “I’ll come to get you in about thirty…okay?”

     “Sounds good. What should I wear?”

     “I’ll bring it.” Amber giggled.

     The nerves were going away now as Isabella was beginning to feel better about her new friends and situation. She could not remember the last time she had showered three times in one day, but then she could not remember the last time she had showered twice in one day even in the most sweltering hot summer in Atlanta. She heard the back door open and close, and the familiar tip tap of high heels cross the tile threshold of the mud room into the kitchen.

     “Izzy, you home?” It was her aunt, Linda, calling.

     “Yes, ma’am. I’m in my room.”

     Her door opened and a mix of surprise and shock affixed itself on her aunt’s face. She smiled as well. “Something I need to know about?”

     Isabella was still in her robe and nothing else. “I have a friend coming over to get me for a little fun.”

     “Female, I hope.” Her aunt cut her a little wink and grin.

     Isabella blushed. “Yes.”

     Linda stepped into her room. “Aren’t you going to get dressed?”

     Isabella smiled. “She’s bringing me something to wear. She decided…not me.”

     “Oh, I see.” Linda sat on the edge of her bed.

     “Ha.” She looked at Linda again. “Why doesn’t mom dress like you?”

     Linda smiled. “She was a Tomboy. She did for a while, but I guess she changed.”

     “Makes sense.” Isabella smiled. “When the doorbell rings, can you get it?”

     “Sure.”

     It was not long before it did, and Linda answered it. Isabella heard some introductions and some familiarity between them before her door opened. Amber popped in, and Isabella’s jaw just about hit the floor. Amber had her hair down and was wearing a very tight short knit green dress with her hose and heels. It left nothing to the imagination because it was so form-fitting. She tried to look elsewhere, but it was difficult. Amber turned around to show it off before handing her a bag. “These are for you to keep. I insist.”

     Isabella chose the purple dress and put on the shoes. “My aunt will love this. Do you know her?”

     Amber nodded. “She’s a big supporter of the ballet guild and a lifetime member. She never misses a show that I can tell.”

     “I’m not surprised.” She got up. “Let me tell her we’re leaving.”

     “Good idea.”

     Isabella led Amber to the kitchen and made some small talk before they headed out the door. “So, I am supposed to wear this tomorrow too?” She felt the sheer material one more time that stretched up passed her waist all the way up to her shoulders.

     “Yes, and then put the black tights on over it. We all do it…well, except for the LSG’s.”

     “LSG’s?”

     “Long Sock Girls.”

     “Oh…I get it.” Isabella thought a moment then smiled. “BTG’s…Black Tights Girls.”

     “That’s us.” Amber smiled.

     They walked down the street before Amber stopped her. “I have to warn you about one thing.”

     “What?”

     “It’s nothing bad. Just that when you meet Kelly’s sister…be prepared.”

     “Oh?”

     “Her sister is blind.”

     “Okay.”

     “And…well…she’s very different. You’ll just have to see what I mean.”

     Amber gave the cordial knock on the door that was met with a friendly greeting to enter from the other side. She let Isabella go first into the entrance area to adjust to the house on the inside. It was a large circular space with an old wooden parquet floor. A circular staircase went up one side with a stained-glass window casting light upon a landing halfway to the top. The other side had a large oak coat rack with a bench and mirror. Isabella saw her reflection there and admired herself and how she looked. She felt pretty for the first time and then saw Amber next to her with a large smile on her face along with her signature round glasses. She took Isabella by the hand and led her to the living room where a boy was sitting on the sofa fully engaged in a video game. He hardly looked up.

     “That’s Mark Simpson, Kelly’s older brother.”

     He made a quick wave and went back to his business with another quick glance at their legs. He could not help but smile. That made Isabella wonder to herself, but before she could form a hypothesis about it, she was whisked into the kitchen where she found herself fighting the urge to stare at a very pale petite girl sitting at the table. What struck her immediately was her lack of hair on her head as well as the vacant spaces where her eyes should have been. There was nothing there neither lashes nor a brow. It was like she was made out of porcelain or something. The only other color she saw on her was her scarlet lips which were naturally red. Her teeth were white like pearls, and she gave off an aura of hidden mystery.

     “This is Katie.” Amber waved her hand toward her.

     “Nice to meet you.” Isabella was quick to snap back to reality.

     Katie turned her head in her direction and remained silent for a moment. “Isabella Dean?”

     “Yes.”

     “It is very nice to finally meet you.” She stood up, and as she did, that was when Isabella noticed that her arms were covered in the same material that she had on her own legs. She then noticed a hood of the material behind her head laying there in the collar of her dress. She was small and frail but had a sense of strength to her as well.

     Kelly stepped in from the pantry and looked at Isabella. “Wow, now you look absolutely gorgeous. That dress is much better on you.” She winked at Amber. “You were right. She is like your long-lost sister.”

     Isabella blushed and tried to hide her face for a moment.

     “Leave her alone.” Katie almost barked. “Give the girl a moment. She’s had a tough day.”

     At that Isabella stared at Katie in awe. “How…”

     Kelly tossed up her hands. “Get used to it. That is just who she is.”

     “And don’t try to lie to her…ever,” Amber said in a soft tone.

     “Noted.” Isabella smiled. “But it is very nice to meet you.” She looked at Katie again. “What is that?” She pointed to the material on her arms and behind her head.

     “You might as well show her,” Katie said directing Kelly to help with it.

     Kelly stepped behind her sister and pulled the material over her head and zipped up a small zipper in the back. It was exactly like what she was wearing on her legs. It was like a pair of nude pantyhose. Kelly fixed the material around her sister’s face so that it appeared to be a second skin. Then she grabbed a black wig and set it on her head and fixed it so that Katie looked like a doll.

     Isabella was transfixed at the look. She was immediately taken with it. She reached out her hand, and Katie took it like she knew where it was and let Isabella touch her face for a while. “Amazing.”

     “No, what’s amazing is that Katie is letting you touch her. She normally recoils at almost all human touch.” Kelly was very matter-of-fact about it.

     Katie held Isabella’s hands and let her feel the material. “She needs this as much as I do.”

     “Don’t question her.” A new voice came into the kitchen. It was Kelly’s mom, Mrs. Simpson.

     “I’m not, mom.” Kelly looked at her and then at Isabella. “This is Isabella Dean. The one I mentioned.”

     Mrs. Simpson held out her hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Isabella. I’ve already heard all the gossip about today. I’m just glad you’re okay.” She gave her a long look. “And may I say that you look absolutely stunning in the dress. Kelly informed me all about everything. You can trust me on that.” She gave her daughter a wink. “So, what are you gals up to?”

     “I was promised some stories and gossip, Mrs. Simpson.” Isabella smiled still in the firm grip of Katie who was rubbing down her arms letting her get a good feel of the material.

     “Well, if Katie is that comfortable with you, I like you already. That tells me a great deal.” She smiled at Isabella and went into the pantry to fetch some materials.

     “We’ll go up to my room.” Kelly gave Amber the nod. “Katie, will you be joining us?”

     “In a moment. I want to freshen up a bit.” She stood up. Her gate was a bit awkward at first as she gained her legs, but then she moved with far more agility than Isabella thought she would.

     “Just follow me.” Kelly led Amber and Isabella up a hidden back staircase that was once used by servants in the house a century ago. It circled around on several landings as it went up to the second floor to a door. Then it continued behind another door to the attic that was Kelly’s room or rather a loft apartment.

     Isabella was wide-eyed looking at the grand space that was broken up into different areas for different purposes. Right by the door was a nice wooden floor with a ballet bar attached to the wall and a full-length mirror. Behind that was a kick wall with a bookshelf full of ballet memorabilia. That opened up to her bedroom which was dominated by a large canopy bed fit for a princess with its lace curtain and eyelet covers that included a dust ruffle. Across from that was a large gable area with a cathedral ceiling. On either side of the space were two sofas and a coffee table in the middle on top of a nice oriental rug. The end of the gable had a large window looking out over the street. At the end of the space was a large wing chair that enclosed the space like a nice little sitting area for a meeting. The room continued to what was her office with shelves full of books as well as a nice oak roll-top desk with a laptop sitting open on it. Continuing around was another space with a table and chairs and a small kitchenette with a small refrigerator, some cabinets, and a single stove. Water was already heating up on the counter as they entered.

     Behind that area was a large bathroom with a walk-in closet that was lined on one side with her uniforms, and on the other side were various dresses much like what she was wearing now. There were lots of shoes and mirrors as well as a hanging storage compartment full of tights and pantyhose all tucked in individual bags.

     “I’m jealous.” Isabella smiled.

     “We all are.” Amber giggled.

     “My dad and Mark built all this for me when I turned 16. It had been a rough year, and this really helped. I used to be across from Mark, but that got to be…well…”

     “Let’s just say that she needed privacy.” Amber giggled.

     Isabella thought about Mark’s quick glance at her legs and wondered. She did not have a sibling, so she had no idea what some of that meant.

     “Then there is the back area.”

     “More?”

     “It’s the private room.” Amber smiled.

     Behind a chimney was yet another room hidden away with a couple of sofas and some chairs. It was not decorated yet, but it seemed to be a quiet area in the back facing the backyard. Isabella went to a large window and looked out. “Oh my god, are those roses down there?”

     “More than you can ever imagine.” Amber quipped. “That’s Kelly’s private rose garden.”

     “What?”

     Kelly blushed. “Did I mention that when I was 16 things were rough?”

     They went back to the meeting area with the sofas and found Katie already sitting on her sofa in the middle. She patted the seat for Isabella to join her. She sat down next to her and watched Kelly sit in the wing chair and Amber sat right across from her with a smile while staring at her legs.

     “This is nice.” Isabella smiled.

     A new set of footsteps arrived with Jessica poking her head into the room and joining them. She went right to the empty spot next to Katie and sat down. She was in a red and black checkered skirt, and a red shirt, and had on black tights over her hidden nude outfit. She also had on her Maryjane shoes. She grabbed Katie’s hand and looked at Isabella. “Wow! Now that is nice.”

     “Thank you. I must have really looked bad this morning.”

     “You must not believe that for a moment,” Katie said almost to herself.

     “She’s tuned into you,” Jessica said. “Let her continue.” She was pointing at Katie.

     “What does that mean?” Isabella looked confused.

     “Just wait…trust me.” Amber smiled at Isabella.

     “Okay, I will.” She turned to Kelly. “So, now I have to know a few things. I figured out that BTG stands for Black Tights Girls, and that LSG stands for Long Socks Girls, but why?”

     Kelly smiled. “Let me go get tea. We’re going to need it.” After a moment with some help from Amber, they each had a cup of Earl Gray tea and a cookie to nibble on. “I feel bad starting this without Cindy.”

     “Don’t,” Katie said almost too fast.

     Kelly smiled. “Well, first of all, Katie and Cindy…well…they don’t see eye to eye.”

     “How could we?” Katie snipped.

     Amber laughed while Isabella looked at her.

     “That’s my sister’s quick try humor. You’ll just have to get used to that.”

     Isabella thought a moment then broke out into a laugh thinking about the pun that almost shot passed her. “You are so amazing.”

     “I know.” Katie smiled for the first time.

     “Don’t encourage her too much,” Kelly said quietly.

     At that, another set of footsteps approached as Cindy spun into the room wearing her orange dress and white tights on her legs along with black heels. She shot across the floor and settled down on the sofa with Amber leaving an empty space. “I’m here.”

     “I know.” Katie snorted. She paused. “I’ve heard this story a million times. Can Jessica and I be excused so I don’t have to suffer through it again?”

     “Sure.” Kelly smiled at them and winked.

     Jessica helped Katie up and took their drinks to the back room and left the four girls alone. Cindy just sat there aloof to it.

     “So where were you?”

     “I hadn’t begun.”

     “Well, don’t let me stop you. I like the story…to a point.” She snorted a bit with a little laugh.

     Kelly sighed. “Anyway, my mom and Amber’s mom have been best friends for years. They danced, and so they started us in dance classes when we were four…almost five.”

     “I was five,” Cindy added.

     “Anyway, Ms. Claire, our ballet teacher, was also friends with our parents and your aunt and mother too.”

     “Oh?”

     “Yes, I’ll get to that if necessary. So, it was our first day of dance class. Now keep in mind that Ms. Claire is a strict adherent to certain rules in dance. Each level wears different color leotards and even tights to some degree, but when it comes to what you wear with that, it means going sans panty.” She added a little French accent to the last words.

     “She means commando.” Amber giggled.

     Isabella smiled. “I see.”

     “So anyway, Amber and I were already prepared by our mothers, and we had been dressed like that since I could remember even outside of dance classes. So here comes Cindy in her all-pink outfit ready to go, but she has on these massive panties hanging out of her leotard. Ms. Claire just about had a cow right there. She left us with a student to begin class while she took Cindy to the bathroom. Upon return, she tossed those panties in the garbage and set Cindy down next to us. Cindy looked sheepish to a point, but we hugged her and helped her dance. She forgot about it after a moment and seemed to enjoy having friends.”

     “That was the last time I wore them.” Cindy smiled.

     “For dance?” Isabella asked.

     “No, ever.” She smiled and lifted the side of her dress to demonstrate.

     “I see.”

     “But Cindy was not the only other girl in that class in this story. Lots of us started that day, and you’ll meet them soon enough. Lucy Upshaw was there too, and she was not liking the whole idea of that rule let alone wearing leotards and tights. She was…”

     “Fat,” Cindy added.

     “I was getting to that.” Kelly cut her a look. “Let me finish.”

     “Fine.”

     “She had a round belly. I mean we were only five. Her mom didn’t buy her anything that really fit. So, they naturally kept rolling down.”

     “And she was as coordinated as a hippo with three legs,” Cindy whispered.

     “Yes, and there was that too.” Kelly laughed. “Nothing was working for her, but she had or has a bad habit of playing the blame game. She immediately began to blame us, or me really, for everything that she did wrong. She would trip and point at me. This went on for a while, and Ms. Claire did not want to play favorites with us, so I got into trouble for nothing.”

     “A lot” Cindy sneered.

     “It didn’t stop until it was so obvious that I was not doing anything. Lucy fell and tried to blame me, but I was already in timeout when she fell. Then Ms. Claire started to watch more carefully and noticed how Lucy was manipulating her and the rest of the class to avoid having to accept that she was clumsy. She eventually quit dance altogether and blamed us.” Kelly sipped her tea. “Then we started at St. Bart’s, and she continued to do the same thing at school. Now in those days, I always wore black tights as did Amber, but Cindy always wore white.”

     “I’m a rebel.” Cindy giggled.

     “Lucy wore socks, again, for the same reason she couldn’t wear tights. It became her look, and she began to pick on all the girls who wore tights which were almost all of us. As far as I know, we were the only three going commando at the time, which was our thing. It was a few years later that thing changed a bit more. I’d been getting into trouble because of Lucy who had almost perfected her methods of casting blame onto me until she screwed up again. I had a spot in the office near Sister Elizabeth’s office that was my space. One day I heard a commotion, and it was Lucy yelling and screaming about something, but I was already in there. She had been caught. They had just installed the new cameras, and those things don’t lie. They figured out that Lucy was doing everything that she was blaming on me. So that afternoon, Lucy jumped me outside and tried to slam my head into the sidewalk. Cindy and Amber helped, but it was Sister Elizabeth who really rescued us. It was obvious to the rest of the girls what I didn’t have on under my tights, but instead of getting grossed out or finding it funny, the next day, nearly every single girl was wearing black tights at school in solidarity against Lucy except her little band of misfits. One of the girls you met, Leslie, took me to the bathroom the next day and showed me. Then she let me know what the other girls were doing. It was from then on that none of us wore anything with them. It was our thing. Then Lucy tried to turn that into a bad thing by calling us the Black Tights Girls. Well, it backfired on her. We became the BTG’s from then on, and every girl outside of her little clique was wearing them just like us. Then Sister Elizabeth let it slip one day that she had joined us. She said it was a comfortable change that did her wonders.” Kelly smiled.

     “What about Sister Margaret?”

     Kelly nodded. “She’s one of our biggest supporters.” She smiled. “You’ll no doubt notice that the rest of the women at school are too. They can’t openly say they hate Lucy, but they do so by being like us. As Sister Margaret said, it was the most comfortable change in the attire she had ever made.” She laughed.

     “That’s interesting, but what about these?” Isabella snapped her strap.

     “That was an adjustment that came somewhat from dance classes. Sometimes we wear what is a body tight that is like a bodysuit, but we wanted that in the same material that you have on. We started wearing pantyhose as we got older for church and such, and we really liked them. We decided at some point to wear the two layers to stay warm, and it just feels good.” Kelly rubbed her legs.

     “I have to admit to that.” Isabella rubbed her legs a bit thinking about it. “Can I have a moment…to freshen up?”

     “Sure. You know where the bathroom is.”

     She washed her hands and stared out a small window that overlooked the rose garden from a different view. There were still roses blooming even this late in the season. She smiled and really wanted a tour of the garden and to know more about them.

     She walked out of the bathroom and turned in the wrong direction without thinking and headed to the back room of the attic. She looked through the door and saw Jessica and Katie on the sofa. Well, Katie was on the sofa sitting facing Jessica who was standing and moving quickly back and forth toward Katie. Seeing that, Isabella felt strange inside. She stepped back and looked but suddenly she was looking at herself only it was not a mirror. She was looking at herself looking at them and felt very strange. She turned away from her body and saw Jessica and Katie again, only this time it was very different. It was like they were lit up covered in what she could only imagine as lightning with streaks of electricity moving between them. A strong cord of light was connected between their hearts that seemed to light up the room.

     Isabella turned again and saw her body just standing there like it was frozen in a moment. She realized that everything around her was moving in what she imagined as slow motion. She made a move forward and went straight through the wall and was back in the room with the others. She saw them in different levels of light with Kelly and Amber being the brighter ones than Cindy. Cindy seemed to be lost like she was confused within herself. Isabella turned again and was right back in her body, and when that happened, she grabbed her head and fell right to the floor.

     “What happened to you?” Jessica looked at Isabella who was now lying quietly on the sofa in the back room. Jessica was standing with Katie.

     Isabella looked at them. Her eyes took a moment to focus again. “I don’t know.”

     Katie sat back down and pulled Isabella over and made her set her head down in her lap. She stroked Isabella’s hair with her nylon-covered hands and stroked her face gently as well. She seemed to be examining Isabella in her own way. “Jessica?”

     “Yes?”

     “Go get her a glass of water please.”

     Jessica shot off with her skirt flapping as she went.

     Katie continued to stroke Isabella’s face and hair. “So, what did happen to you?”

     “I really don’t know. I was in the bathroom…then I walked out.” She paused. “I thought I saw something…like myself. It was weird. How could I see myself like that?” Then she looked up at Katie and smiled. “I saw you and Jessica making out. I didn’t mean to.”

     “It’s okay.”

     “But you two were different. It was like you were both lit on fire with light or something. It was so bright too. I saw Jessica standing there in front of you.” She giggled a moment thinking about it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to see that going on.”

     “It’s really okay Isabella. No one told you about our little rule with this room. I can’t blame you for what you saw.” Katie sighed. “We were done anyway. Jessica was finished.” She smiled.

     Isabella tried to sit up, but her head hurt. She just stayed with her head on Katie’s lap a moment more. “Do you like that?”

     Katie smiled. “Yes.”

     “Oh. I never saw that before…wait…” Isabella then sat up holding her head and rubbing the right side of her head. “I did.” She sat there.

     Jessica came back in with a glass of water. “The others want to know what’s going on. I told them to hold on a moment.”

     “Sit with us.” Katie motioned with her head for Jessica to sit next to Isabella. “She’s having a difficult moment. Give her some time.”

     Jessica took Isabella’s hand and held it along with Katie. “What’s wrong?”

     “I don’t really know.” She tried not to cry. “Ever since my dad died, I’ve had these headaches, and now this.” She looked at Jessica. “Katie said it was okay that I saw you two.” She smiled too. “That was beautiful.”

     Jessica looked at Katie with a red face.

     “She saw something else. Tell Jessica.”

     “You two were bathed in light…like lightning…I was not in my body…it was weird.” She rubbed her head again. “All of this is so weird…how can I be there and there at the same time?” She pointed to the two sides of the doorway.

     “Explain,” Katie said.

     “I came out of the bathroom. I walked over there.” She pointed. “Then I saw myself over there too. Then I saw you two all lit up, but I also walked through the walls and saw them in the other room also lit up.” She rubbed her head again. “You two were so bright though, and then I saw something like a bolt of lightning shoot out of you, Jessica, and into Katie. It came from…well…down there.” She pointed to Jessica’s crotch. “And it went into Katie’s head and lit her up like a bright lightbulb but brighter than anything I’d seen before. Then I was lying here on the sofa.”

     Jessica looked at her. “So, I guess you know what we were doing.”

     Isabella smiled. “Yeah, but that was so beautiful. It doesn’t bother me.” She blushed. “I had a feeling about you.” She looked at Jessica.

     “Oh?”

     “Yeah, but I don’t care…no…that’s not the right word.” She thought. “I want to understand. Does that make more sense?”

     Jessica hugged her. “Yes, that makes more sense.”

     “I’ll get Amber to help you home. I’ll go too.” Jessica helped her up.

     Isabella was up early the next morning. She was showered, shaved, and freshened up after a great night of sleep. She put on her new uniform and shoes and headed to the kitchen for a bite to eat.

     Linda came in first and saw her standing there. “Oh, my god girl. You look cute as hell.”

     Isabella blushed. “I feel great…almost too good. Should I?”

     Linda came over and hugged her. “You feel good. That makes me feel good. You disserve to feel good.”

     Isabella looked at Linda’s legs. “I like that color.”

     Linda flashed her leg which was still very sexy. “It’s called wine or something like that. These are some of my favorites.”

     “Wow Linda, those could get you into trouble.” Isabella giggled.

     “I hope so.” Linda laughed.

     “What about mom?”

     “I’ll work on her. She just needs time to come back to the fold of women instead of Tomboys and country hicks. I loved your dad, but he sometimes forgot she was a woman.”

     Isabella stared out into space at the mention of him.

     “Isabella? Are you okay?”

     “Yeah…just thinking.” She paused. “He used to like it when I wore skirts when I was little. What happened to him?”

     “Honestly, I haven’t a clue. I used to like you in those too, and now you’re like your old self again. I like it.” Linda hugged her again. “Now run along. I’ll deal with your mother.”

     Isabella took her backpack and lunch and went out the back door and down the driveway. The sun was still trying to climb up over the Pisgah Mountains in the East when she turned and headed up the street toward Amber’s house. She met her at the end of her steps. She saw a boy walking ahead of them.

     “Who’s that?”

     “That’s my brother, Jacob. He wasn’t ready to meet anyone new this morning. He’s in a hurry to go see the other girls.”

     Isabella shrugged. “Oh well, his loss.” She took Amber’s hand, and they walked on.

     They met Kelly who was waiting with Katie and Mark. She gave Isabella a look of approval on her uniform. They headed out once again.

     “What’s with your brother?” Isabella asked.

     “He just wanted to check you out.” Kelly laughed. “He can’t help it.” She stopped them. “Amber can vouch for this. He’s got an incurable desire to see all of us in our tights and pantyhose. Don’t be surprised if he tries to sneak a peek when you don’t expect it.”

     She looked at Amber who blushed and nodded. “She’s right.”

     “Does he have a girlfriend?”

     Kelly giggled. “Yes, Ashley, who can…well…let’s just say she makes Mark very happy.” She laughed.

     They continued and met Jessica and Cindy at the big intersection before crossing over to St. Bart’s. She smiled at Jessica who looked so much like them it was hard to believe what was under her skirt. Isabella was welcomed by quite a few girls dressed like her, and she knew their secret dress code now. She happened to see Sarah standing there and smiled at her. Then she waved. To her surprise, Sarah smiled back and waved before hiding in the crowd and disappearing.

     Her first real first day of school went without any drama as she settled into her schedule and met quite a few other girls. When school was over, several guys tried to catch glimpses of her, but they noticed how she held tightly onto Amber and left her alone.

     “Hey, I’ll meet you guys in a moment.” She gave them the all-clear to wait on her. She went back into the school and saw Sarah standing by herself. “Can we talk?”

     Sarah stared at her. “What?”

     “Can we talk?”

     “About what?”

     Isabella smiled at her. “I’m sorry about yesterday.”

     “You’re apologizing to me?” Sarah looked confused. “We attacked you.”

     “Yes, but I didn’t mean to hurt anyone…honest. I didn’t.” She crossed her heart. “I want you to have something.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a little plastic bag and handed it to Sarah. “Don’t let Lucy know I gave these to you.”

     Sarah knew what they were. “I…”

     “Sh…I know some things. Just put them on when you’re alone. I’m sure you know how to wear them…right?”

     Sarah blushed and almost cried. “Yes…I’m aware of that.” She blushed. “But I don’t…”

     “Trust me. Once you’ve felt them on your body, you will change within.” She smiled and closed her hands around Sarah’s hands and made her take them. “Go, and I’m here if you need someone to talk to.” She gave Sarah a little hug and walked away.

     “What was that about?” Amber asked.

     “You said to trust you. Now I ask you to trust me.”

     Amber smiled. “I did, and I will.”

     “Hey, we gotta get going,” Kelly said a little louder. “We can’t be late.”

     Isabella met Amber once again and followed all of them downtown to an old brick warehouse with broad letters sprawled across it about dance and ballet. There was a large window in front covered by a broad curtain. Amber let Isabella go in first who was struck by the smell of old socks and dirty feet as well as tons of bodily smells. It took her a moment to adjust while her bubble about ballet burst in an instant.

      “Yeah, I couldn’t prepare you for that.” Amber laughed.

      As she found a seat and began to watch the crowds of dancers moving about, she saw a tall boy approach Kelly and kiss her. She looked like she was lost for a moment kissing him back. They walked over. “This is my boyfriend, Brent.”

     Isabella stood up trying really hard not to stare at what was right in front of her face. She could see why Kelly liked him. “Nice to meet you.” She shook his hand.

     “It’s nice to meet you. Kelly texted me that there was a new girl in town that they brought into their little group.” He smiled. His dark eyes lit up looking at her. “If you don’t mind me saying, you could practically pass for Amber’s sister.” He pointed to her hair.

     “So, I’ve been told.” She blushed.

     He turned to Kelly. “I’ll see you in a bit” He kissed her again. “And it was nice to meet you.” He gave Isabella a polite nod and ran off.

     Isabella raised her eyes toward Kelly with a big wide smile. “I see…”

     Kelly blushed. “Yeah…he’s loaded.” She giggled.

     Isabella turned once more to see him duck into the big dance studio and laugh with some of the other guys. She stared at all of them and looked at Kelly. “Those things you made for Jessica…are they…”

     “Yes…all of them. They all wear them under everything all the time.” Kelly looked at her handy work and then back at Isabella. “They can’t help it. I’m not sure if they like wearing them more than we do.”

     “Hard to tell.” She winked at Kelly.

     Kelly hid her laugh. “Your puns are awful.”

     “Awfully funny.”

     “Well, I have to go now.” She ran off to join Brent and the others.

     Amber ran through. “I’ll be done soon.” She waved at Isabella as she ran into the studio.

     Isabella sat down and watched while reading her homework. She watched the chemistry between them for an hour and was impressed with what she saw. Her friends could really dance, and they danced like pros in her opinion. When class was over, they ran out and headed to change while Amber brought up a woman about Linda’s age. “This is Ms. Claire.”

     “Nice to meet you.” Isabella stood up straight.

     “Nice to meet you. You know your mother and aunt danced with me?”

     “So, I have been told.” Isabella thought for a moment. “Were they good?”

     Ms. Claire smiled. “Yes, they were very good. Your mother was Clara twice in the Nutcracker, and she was both the Snow Queen and the Sugar Plum Faery.” Ms. Claire smiled. “She actually beat me out those years, but she lost interest in dance. Now your aunt, she’s been one of our supporters. She wasn’t quite as talented in some ways, but she was loyal and worked hard to get where she was. She never gave up.”

     “Does that imply that my mother did?”

     “No…she just didn’t have the same drive.”

     Isabella smiled. “I see that too.” She frowned a moment. “I guess it’s too late for me to dance.”

     “Never too late if your heart desires it, Isabella.” Ms. Claire smiled. “We can certainly talk about it later if you want to.”

     Isabella smiled. “I do.”

     “Sure, but I have to run now. It was really nice to get to meet you, finally.” She gave Isabella a pat on the shoulder then stopped and kissed her on the cheek. “That is for being such a good sport to put up with my other dancers. They can be such a hard bunch.” She gave Amber a little smile and walked away.

     As she watched her, a thin girl walked up she recognized. “Ashely?”

     “At your service.” She smiled. “So, what do you think?”

     “I love it.”

     “Hey, I have to help a class,” Amber said. “I’ll be out in a bit.”

     “Okay.”

     Ashley stood with Isabella. “You are doing homework?”

     “Yeah, I have a lot to read.”

     “I have to go fix something. I’ll be back in a moment.” Ashley walked away.

     Isabella sat down to read again and got bored. The music and kids were far too distracting. She set her stuff back in her bag and went to find Ashley. She walked down the hallway and looked and saw two other halls turn in different directions. She headed to the intersection and looked. She heard a little noise coming from one end and thought it was Ashley working only she was not doing work.

Isabella began to panic thinking she would be caught. She slid back down the hallway and walked back to her seat and waited. Ashley walked back a moment later. “Fixed it.” She acted as if nothing happened at all.

     “What did you fix?”

     “Oh, my tights needed to be adjusted.”

     “Those don’t look like tights?”

     Ashely giggled. “No, they aren’t now, are they? You caught me.”

     Isabella smiled. “So, do you like butterflies?”

     Ashely turned beet red and turned to look at Isabella. “Um…what?”

     “Oh, I was just reading my science book and was wondering.”

     “Oh…yeah…I do.” She smiled.

     “What about if they are caught in a net and flattened out against the fabric?”

     Ashley turned and looked at her. “Are you…did you…”

     Isabella smiled. “I won’t tell a soul, but you should be very careful about where you decide to have a private moment.” She looked at Ashley again. “I’m serious. I really won’t tell anyone. I didn’t mean to see you doing that.”

     “How much did you see?”

     “Enough to know that you’re very flexible, like to work with your whole hand and that you love Mark doing things to you in those.”

     “Oh god…”

     “It’s okay. I’m serious. It’s not like you are the only one who does stuff alone.” Isabella got up and hugged her. “But I’m serious about being careful. That could have been a mom or worse.”

     “Thank you. I’ll remember that.” She hugged Isabella back.

     “I noticed that those don’t have a crotch panel or seam in them.”

     Ashley blushed. “No, they don’t. I found these online. They are called seamless, and I absolutely love them…and so does Mark.” She blushed again and smiled.

     “Zero resistance?”

     Ashley leaned up closer to Isabella. “It’s like I’m practically naked except with a soft magic fabric that touches all the right places.”

     Isabella smiled. “I think I understand now.” She looked at Ashley closely.