Chapter 1

Mavis stumbled backward as a naked woman emerged from the lake. On its own, it was rather unsettling: Mavis had seen nobody enter the lake. As far as she could tell, she just manifested, but she didn’t know. But to complicate matters further, the woman appeared as Mavis was both stroking her cock and fingering her pussy, her shorts wrapped around her legs. If she hadn’t stumbled, she would have fainted from shock and embarrassment at this sudden development.

But as she fumbled in regaining composure, she found the woman before her unconcerned about her behavior. In fact, her disposition stated the opposite of what Mavis feared. She stood proudly, joyfully. There was a hint of defiance Mavis sensed in this woman. It may have come from the fact that, like her, the woman was a Cursed One, packing a handsomely sized cock along with her pussy. It was getting hard at the presence of the intruder, much to the woman’s satisfaction.

And what a gorgeous Cursed One she was! Her shiny orange hair perfectly arranged, her emerald eyes cutting Mavis down in their gaze. The way her hair fell on her shoulders, how her freckles enhanced not denigrated her light tan skin. Her fit figure contrasted nicely with Mavis’ curves. Her tits shaped beautifully and of decent size with modest nipples. And of course, her handsome cock, already hard and twitching in sync with her pussy, with a nice tuft of orange hair on the pubis and legs that last forever below all of it.

But it was the way she stood with this that made Mavis spellbound. She was proud, unafraid, unashamed. It was clear she was happy being a Cursed One, something Mavis couldn’t imagine possible. She owned her sex, letting it define her as she wanted. Her sexuality was contagious, as Mavis, despite her fears, hadn’t felt this hard in weeks. As she approached the edge of the lake towards the intruder, everything about her - her gait, her smile, her stare - dripped of lust. And it did so in a way that Cursed Ones like Mavis understood: Dominant AND submissive, predator and prey, masc and femme. To devour, and be devoured. To desire, and be desired.

As Mavis shuddered at the sight of this goddess approaching her, she struggled to respond. Yet the woman paid no mind. She stopped at the edge of the lake, like it was some kind of glass barrier. She then spoke. “Hello darling,” she said in a voice ethereal, unworldly, and harmonious, not to mention sexy. She then coughed with a look of worry on her face. “Oh sorry,” she said, her voice more human but still retaining its allure. “It’s been a while since w ... I’ve seen anyone here.

“Hello darling, welcome to the Great Lake.”

It had been a few hours on the road. Mavis Collette’s azure eyes strained from fatigue and sadness. Every so often she would break into tears, reminding herself of another brief attempt at a decent, happy life shattered because of who she was. Still, she had to keep driving, keep moving. What else could she do otherwise?

In the early 20th century, an astonishing, spontaneous development in human evolution occurred. An increasing number of people otherwise considered men and women were born intersex. While such individuals existed throughout history, what made these individuals distinct was that they possessed fully functional sets of both reproductive systems, down to the genitalia. The discovery alarmed scientists, doctors, religious and government officials alike. Initially, attempts were made to “ease the burden” of these individuals through the surgical removal of the contrary reproductive organs. But it became apparent that doing so, even in the most advanced circumstances, would kill the individual. So it was stopped.

However, authorities could not fathom the existence of these people, who had so blatantly defied nature as it had been understood for millennium. Fear gripped them and the populace out of a sense of being “replaced.” Persecutions followed, some extremely violent. In English, these people became known as “Cursed Ones.” While the “gender” ratio of these individuals was relatively even, those who looked male had a somewhat easier time by virtue of the position of the genitalia. They could more effectively hide their true nature from everyone. Women of this stripe did not have such luxuries, and so were the greater victims in what followed, on top of existing misogyny.

Mavis Collette was one such victim. Born as such, her parents abandoned her at the hospital she was born, a common practice. She became a ward of the state at two days old. The state, however, made no serious effort to give her a stable life. She was passed off from foster home to foster home, avoiding mention of her nature to prevent foster parents from refusing her before she was found out. One year, she lived in 8 different homes.

While Mavis was incredibly lucky to never suffer abuse, she was regularly neglected. It hardened her greatly, and made her jaded at a young age. She was indifferent to school, especially as her unique set of hormones kicked in. She was hostile and fiercely protective of herself. That behavior made expulsions a common feature, though they were likely to happen anyway since the schools wanted nothing to do with her either.

She was lucky to have her eighteenth birthday just after graduating high school, in which she was given her diploma at the entrance to the ceremony and then shooed off. Once declared an independent adult, she was given about 20 minutes to pack her things and leave the last foster home. For several months, she was a drifter, struggling to hold a steady job. There was always one thing or another that would lead to her being fired and/or found out, and then she would have to bail town.

Mavis’ fortunes changed when she met Harry and Claire. They were a married couple, not much older than her. The three met one night at a dance hall, and the couple got through to this pretty, yet faded woman that so many people before her did not. They took her home and fell in love with her. She struggled to reciprocate. But then one night, Mavis finally had the courage to reveal her true nature, even going so far as to strip herself naked in front of the couple. They rewarded her with kisses, carresses, fondlings, warmth. She felt intimacy for the first time in her life, having quite a few orgasms along the way.

Mavis found love in her life, and her heart began to soften. The couple loved her in distinct ways: Henry, a strange but strong young man, loved to experiment with Mavis and her body and play with ideas that he would never dare with just anyone. Claire, a beautiful woman who knew how to put a smile on anyone’s face, was happy to mix up roles, playing both husband and wife to Mavis in bed. Honesty and desire supplanted jealousy: If two were caught together, the third shrugged, watched and rubbed one out while waiting their turn, or just flat-out joined in.

For the next 18 months, it was like this, the most stability Mavis had in her life. She got a job in town as an assistant to an antique shop owner who was a middle-aged woman. The three all worked in some capacity, so it deflected attention from Henry and Claire hosting a “lodger” for such an unusual amount of time, especially in their small home. They shared so much: meals, chores, sex, love, time. For the first time, Mavis felt sincere joy. As she drove down Highway 166, her eyes welled up at all the simple moments she was denied before and after she met them.

Mavis sniffled. Two days before, it all came crashing down. The town started getting suspicious of the “lodger.” A neighbor hired a P.I. to find out what was happening. Mavis would come home one evening, cheerful, to see her lovers in tears. A letter on the table read: “Get rid of the freak, or you’ll all be arrested.” Photos of their trysts, with Mavis’ cock visible in some of them, sat next to the table. She fainted a few times that evening. Henry and Claire loved her, but she knew they all had no choice.

She left the next day after one last night in each others’ arms. She promised to write, promised to find some way for them to be together again, far from prying eyes and “civilized” manners. But who was she kidding? Even if she could find somewhere for them to live, her identity would always come back to haunt her and everyone around her. It was as if God and Jesus cursed her out of spite and malice to never have a life. Maybe she’ll write, but there was no real future for her. Just a repeat of drifting through the country, place to place, job to job, until she was no longer useful, or until some bigot decided to become God’s will and end her. She didn’t care really at this point. Far as she was concerned, she was better off dead or gone.

As she continued down Highway 166, she found an odd curve in the road, unprotected by barriers. She slowed down, and noticed a gravel-like entry. Pulling over briefly, she saw it became a path down the hill, leading to an opening that was also gravelly where she could park. The hill was steep enough to avoid attention from passing drivers, but not too steep to return. On impulse, she drove down the hill, and parked her vehicle. After thinking for a moment, she got out, pulled out some camping gear she picked up the day before, and began walking down a barely trodden path.

The area around Highway 166 was a mix of mountains and forest. Small towns and their immediate outliers had some industry, but the forests between were mostly devoid of human activity, save the occasional hiker. It was the perfect spot for Mavis to disappear for a while. Her goal was simple: Spend a week to clear her thoughts, maybe try to forget about Henry and Claire, get back the mindset that helped her survive before all this happened.

It was a few hours of hiking before something made her remember. She heard birdsong not far from where she walked. It made her think of Claire, how she tried to sing along to the birds on warm mornings when they all laid in bed together. It was cute and sometimes funny, especially when she tried hitting the low notes and failed.

Mavis’ eyes welled up. Claire would’ve loved it here. They always had an idea of going hiking together after they got Mavis a house, a nice celebratory vacation for the life they’d made for themselves, the family they created. Now just another idea blown to dust because Mavis would never be left alone, never be given peace.

She wept for a spell. Wailed. There was no one around, so she didn’t express any control. Her sadness went deep. For the first time in her life, she felt the extent of society’s desire to see her gone. Not even dead, just not there. She had grown numb to her identity as a Cursed One. She had taken far more insults and slurs than any single person could bear. But now, she was little more than a criminal, her mere existence and life a justification for arrest. Her grief knew no bounds.

She could not stop crying until her eyes dried. She could only utter one word: “Why?”

Eventually, she began to calm down. But as she did, she started feeling dizzy, as though fatigue from all that driving started to get to her. While struggling to maintain composure, she could swear she felt the earth move like water, and saw the trees shift around. Eventually she gave up and landed on her ass, dirt kicking up and staining her shorts.

Mavis sat there for a moment, feeling a burst of exhaustion and woozy. When she finally felt able enough to stand again, she noticed something off about the path before her. It was as if it had shifted in a completely different direction without any warning. She thought about it for a moment, but then recognized that, in the midst of her grief, she probably lost track of the trail. Still, she continued onward.

For the next few moments, she walked along the path, seeing it go up a hill. When she reached the crest, she was taken aback: There, past the trees, stood a big lake. The way the light shone off it gave a pristine look. She approached it, and saw that it was spectacular. It stretched for miles in the distance, with her barely seeing trees in the corners of her view. The way the water lapped to the shore and steam seemed to gently rise made it seem special. It was a wondrous find.

Still, there was something peculiar about it all. For one, Mavis noticed no mountains in the distance, which given her location seemed really off. She looked up in the sky, and while she couldn’t put her finger on it, the clouds and their movement didn’t look right. Most importantly, though, the area seemed devoid of any life. Not just human, but animals, too.

At the same time, Mavis felt exhausted and famished. It was possible she needed rest, and the fact she was leaning on a tree at that moment seemed to confirm it. She moved to a clearing nearby and set up camp. She made a small meal out of crackers, peanut butter, and cheese. Feeling sufficiently satiated, her body felt a bit heavy. Grabbing a bed roll but not unfurling it, she closed her eyes and took a nap.

Mavis awoke to the sound of gasps. They weren’t her own, but that of another woman’s. For a moment, Mavis struggled to focus and suspected the gasps were from a dream now scarcely remembered. It was only when she heard more gasps and giggling that she knew what she heard was nearby.