Chapter 2

Gregory and Miriam were tired of lovemaking by the end of his leave, if that were at all possible. The man is a fucking machine, she thought, laughing to herself. She had put on her eight performances that week. Tuesday night, a matinee on Wednesday and Saturday plus shows every night thereafter. The theatre was closed on Sundays and Mondays. She still hadn't heard from her son and the actress was getting quite concerned. On Sunday, they went to the building housing evacuations and finally found a person who knew about the children's situation.

"Miss Frost, did you put your son on track twenty-eight?"

"Yes, I think so," she countered coldly as if the man was insulting her intelligence.

"Do you have your evacuee papers with you?"

"Yes, right here," she reached into her purse and pulled them out for the surly man.

"You put him on the train on track twenty-six," he pointed it out to her.

"What do you mean?" Captain Mills asked crossly.

"I just have a hunch that Miss Frost put him on the wrong train, sir," the man said as politely as he could. He wasn't much of a movie goer so he only knew Miriam by the fact that she was in the film industry.

"Let me see that," Miriam snatched the piece of paper out of his hand. "See, twenty-eight." she pointed it out to him.

"I'm sorry, Miss Frost, but that is a six, not an eight."

"Look at this," she shoved the paper at her companion.

"He's right," Gregory stated. "It's a six. You put him on the wrong train."

"Oh my," she gasped. "Do I need to get glasses?"

"I'm afraid so, darling," Mills smirked.

"It is easy to straighten out," the man told them. "All we have to do is check both trains and call their destination point. I'm sure there'll be no trouble at all," the man assured them. He saw the woman's eyes tear up and a droplet rolled down her cheek. "Look, check back tomorrow and I'll have an answer for you."

The day before the children on the train arrived at their destinations, Carol learned that Ian was the son of the famous actress Miriam Frost. This excited her even more and a devious plan came into being. Ian was asleep while the girls huddled together in a scrumlike circle in rugby. There were multitudes of whispers, exchanging ideas, lots of girlish giggles and plans for Ian. The other four Murial, Patricia, Emily and Mabel drew up plans to hide Ian's true identity and give him an assumed name. It was decided that he would be Emma Parks. The Emma was easy and all agreed to the first name. It was the last name they debated. Finally they settled on Patricia's mother's maiden name.

Since Ian was about Patricia's size, they'd pitch in on all other clothing items but it would be her dresses that Ian would wear. Being small for his age, made it all that easier to fit in a dress.

"This is going to be fun," the redheaded Patricia giggled. "Do you think we can get away with it?"

"What if we get caught," Muriel, the most cautious, said.

"I'll take all the blame," Carol whispered. "They don't hang or draw and quarter kids anymore." All of them laughed outloud at the remark. "I'll take charge since he is mine. You can have your share of him too but we've got to keep this secret between only the six of us." Carol glanced back to the sleeping boy.

"Did you give him something to drink like whiskey?" Mabel asked quietly.

"He's just a sound sleeper," Carol explained. "That's good for all of us. Now from this moment on, we're calling him Emma and he is now a she. We have to make sure we all stay together when we get there. I hope we can keep it a secret from everyone except all of us here in this room.

All vowed secrecy in this matter. It was going to be a joke on the adults and they were thrilled by the prospect. The huddle brokeup and Carol sat back and shook the boy awake.

"Wake up, honey," she kissed his cheek. Almost immediately Ian's eyes popped open. He looked about and saw all the girls smiling at him. He watched Patricia pull a floral print cotton dress out of her bag. Then Carol took out a pair of cotton knickers, Emily gave a pair of her knee length socks, and Muriel pitched in with a few items of jewelry for the new girl. Carol gathered the clothes and grabbed Ian's hand. "Come with me."

"Where we going?" he asked as a few giggles broke out about his pending new attire.

"To the loo," Carol answered.

Once they were locked it, Carol told him to take his clothes off.

"What for?"

"You won't be needing them anymore."

"I have to wear something."

"These," she held up the dress and other things.

"Oh no," he protested loudly.

Carol hung the dress up nicely on a hook, turned and kissed him as lovingly as an eleven year old girl could. He tried to pull away but being taller and stronger, she held him tightly. The kiss seemed like an eternity to Ian. He liked it but then again he didn't. He was totally confused.

"Do you like me?" Carol asked.

"I think I do."

She took that as a yes, "Do you trust me?"

"I don't know."

"Sweetie, I think you are the most precious person I know. I'd never do anything to hurt you, ever. I want us to be together forever. Wouldn't you like that?"

"Yes, I guess so," the shy boy replied.

"Then undress and trust me."

"I don't want to," he complained.

"Pleeeeeezzzze," Carol begged. "If you don't, you'll make me cry. You don't want to see me cry, do you?"

"No."

"Then undress."

"I'm afraid."

"Of what?" Carol put her hands on her hips her voice went several octaves higher.

"You! Only my mum seen me undressed."

"Would you undress if I undressed too?"

Now curiosity got hold of him. He never seen a girl naked before. He felt intrigued so he nodded his agreement. Both started stripping off their clothes. Until they came to their lower underwear there was no difference between the two. Carol took off her knickers first. Ian stared at the little slit between her legs.

"Come on," Carol insisted.

He pulled his shorts off and for the first time in her life she had seen a penis. She grabbed it to get a better look. She was totally fascinated by his appendage. Ian managed to get her to release it when there was a knock on the door.

"Go to the next car, I have a sick friend in here," Carol shouted through the door. "Here, put these on."

"What are they?"

"Knickers. Girl's underwear. "Be quick about it," she whispered.

"Do I have to?"

"Yesssss," she said impatiently. "Look, someone has to use the loo, we've got to hurry."

Ian stepped into them and pulled them up over his hips. They felt snug but other than that, there was no difference that he could find.

"Here, the dress," she stated quietly. "Lower it and then step into it."

He did.

"Now the knee length socks," she handed it to him.

While he sat down on the crapper, to pull them on. He watched Carol get dressed. He wished he had a longer time to examine her slit. When they were clothed, Carol picked up his attire, opened the door, saw that the coast was clear and led him back to the car.

"Very pretty," Emily smiled.

"Indeed!" Patricia agreed followed by the other three giving glowing remarks. The fact that he had a girlish face would make it all the more fun to hide him and treat him as one of their own.

Ian felt flushed as he sat down by his usual window seat.

"What are you going to do with those?" Ian asked.

"When it gets dark tonight we're going to throw them away," Carol answered. "You are no longer Ian... what's your last name?"

"Frost!"

"Are you related to Miriam Frost?" Patricia asked.

"She's my mum," he replied.

"OH WOW," the girls chorused. "This is neat," Emily added. "The daughter of a famous movie star."

"I'm not her daughter, I'm her son."

"No you're not," Carol countered. "Your name now is Emma Parks. We decided that you must have a girl's name."

"I don't want a girl's name," he said with defiance.

"You'll get used to it," Carol snuggled up to him. She was learning fast how a female could make a male do what she wanted. Well mostly.

"Why can't you let me use my own name?" Ian was close to tears. Carol held him tighter as the others joined in making it a group hug.

"Because you're our friend and we don't want to lose you by being sent to a silly boys camp," Carol said softly as she caressed his hair lightly with her fingers. "Do you think that those boys are going to show you love like this?"

"No!"

"Take the name Emma Parks and we'll be so kind and loving to you you'll want to marry us all," Mabel suggested.

"Yes," Patricia concurred. "You'll have your own harem at wherever we're going to and after the war, you can marry each of us."

The next morning Miriam and Gregory returned to the evacuee center. Overnight there were sandbags piled everywhere. Even signs directing people to air raid shelters.

"Your son didn't arrive in Scotland, so we will be checking the girls train when it arrives in near Wrexham. Their camp will be about ten kilometers south of there. I have them alerted to look for your son as the train pulls in. He should be on that train for sure," Mr Cage told the couple. For the moment both were satisfied and told him they'd be back tomorrow at noon.

Gregory picked up a paper and read the news about the war. Everything had gone from bad to worse. The Nazis took Paris without a fight. The French had surrendered and were added to Hitler's empire.

"I've got to go, darling," he told Miriam. "I have to report in this morning. I'll meet you at the apartment as soon as I get there. Then we'll go out afterwards for dinner and dancing."

"I have a performance tonight and I feel like shit," she complained. Both were up all night but not for lovemaking. Ian's disappearance laid heavily upon the both of them. They just sat up drinking, smoking, and making conversation. All of it about Ian.

"The show must go on," he tried being chipper.

"Fuck the show!" Miriam sneered. "I want my son."

"We'll come back tomorrow and everything will be all right," Gregory leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Now I have to go." And he left her standing alone on the sidewalk. Miriam felt a chill partly out of dispare and partly out of guilt for putting her son on the wrong train. She hurriedly caught a cab back to her place. She had to do the show that night but she didn't feel like it. She briefly thought of calling the theatre claiming a headache so her understudy could take the lead role, but thought the better of it. At least the two hours on stage would take her mind off her troubles. Besides, the audience was paying for her to perform and not some unknown.

The rest of the day, Ian was coached by the others on girlish mannerisms. Before being seated, he'd smooth out the back of her dress then sitting. To use his hands more to emphasize the things he was talking about. To brush any loose hairs from his head on his face and curl them behind his ear. Other than that, for a twelve year old, Ian, now Emma had things down pat. He now accepted his role as a girl. He wanted to please the others since they were so nice to him.

As it grew dark, they started throwing things out the open window one by one. A shoe here, the other a few minutes later. Just before tossing his shorts, he recalled the money his mum gave him and managed to rescue the 25 pounds before it too was thrown away. He didn't know what to do with the money until Carol suggested to put it in his knickers. He hid it behind by his bum. Now Emma was into the game. Carol talked him into the great adventure of pretending to be a girl to fool everyone. She took hold of his documents and put them somewhere safe among her things.