“Hey Mike,” Mary greeted her brother as she walked into their kitchen with her new friends, Diane and Kathy. She sniffed at the spicy chicken fried rice he had just finished making for dinner. “Something smells good,” she added, looking in the wok containing dinner, obviously wanting a plate herself. Her tone of voice was unmistakable and predictable.

“You know, sis, one of these days, I’m gonna say no. Then what would you do?”

Why I’d starve, little brother,” Mary said, smiling at him as she grabbed three plates out of the cupboard, and set them on the counter.

“I’m not your little brother. You’re older than me by exactly twenty-eight minutes, so enough with the ‘little brother’,” Mike said exasperated as Diane and Karen giggled in the background.

“Explain something to me,” Mike went on, ignoring her as she reached around him to start scooping fried rice onto a plate. “How is it that I ride the bus home from school, and you catch a ride with Diane in her car, yet I still beat you home by half an hour every day? How is it that you time your arrival so that you walk in just as I’ve finished cooking MY dinner?”

Mary smiled a smug grin while handing the first plate to Karen. “Ok, to answer your questions in order. First, those twenty-eight minutes mean you will ALWAYS be my little brother, little brother, no matter how ‘big’ you get. Second, While you’re on the bus, we’re busy talking with all the cool people at school. Third, it’s intentional.” Diane and Karen laughed and nodded. Mary handed Diane a plate, and took one last scoop for herself, as Diane and Karen sat down at the table.

Mike just sighed as he took the remaining fried rice and put it on his plate. He should be used to it by now. Twin or not, Mary always had a much easier time making friends than he did. At least he sometimes got to hang out with her friends. He’d intentionally made enough for four. ‘I’m not the only predictable one in the family,’ he thought, smiling to himself.

“Oh, my God,” Diane said, chewing her first bite. “This is incredible.”

“Yeah, Mike,” Karen said, talking with her mouth full. “Someday you’re gonna make some girl a great wife.”

The moment she said it, she knew she’d hit a nerve, probably by the look on Mike’s face. He was small for sixteen, and his narrow ribs and thin arms made him look very effeminate. It was another reason he hated being called ‘little brother’ by Mary. He was smaller. Unfortunately, it made him a target for every bully at his new school. Karen felt sorry for him. “Sorry Mike, I was just trying to compliment you on your cooking. I didn’t mean to be mean, ok?”

Diane slapped Karen on the arm in mock punishment. “Mike, you’re a really great cook was all she meant. You really are, by the way.”

Mike shrugged his shoulders like the ‘wife’ comment hadn’t stung as much as it had. “Don’t worry about it. That’s why I do all the cooking when mom’s away on her writing assignments. If Mary’d cooked, we might all be poisoned by now.”

“You know,” Karen said after putting another forkful of rice in her mouth and pointing the fork at Mary. “We know about this water park just up the coast a bit. It’s really good. We were thinking about going tomorrow. Whaddya say, Mary, wanna go with?”

“I’m so there,” Mary said, obviously thrilled by the idea. Having grown up in farm country, neither Mike nor Mary had ever been to any kind of water park, so Mike didn’t blame her for being excited. Problem was, he wanted to go too.

“So is the offer just for Mary, or is it ok if I come too?” Mike asked, blatantly soliciting an invite of his own. They’d only moved into town three months ago, right after their father’s death in Iraq. Since Mike hadn’t made any friends, the girls sometimes let him tag along with them.

Mary looked at Mike. He could tell she wasn’t gonna fight for him to go if Diane or Karen said no. Diane and Karen looked at each other. Something unsaid passed between them, and they smiled.

“Sure Mike,” Diane said. “If you’re sure you want to go, then I have no problem with it. How about you, Karen, do you think Mike should go?”

“Mike should definitely go,” Karen said, almost laughing for some reason.

Mary seemed as confused as Mike by their behavior, but he could tell she was glad they’d agreed to let him go. For Mike’s part, he was ecstatic.

They turned to Mary. “We’ll be here at eight thirty tomorrow morning, ok. Be ready.” They looked at Mike. “Both of you.”

“Sure thing,” both said in unison.

When the doorbell rang the next morning, both Mary and Mike were ready. He’d packed his bathing suit, sunscreen, and sandals in a bag.

He didn’t know how much it cost for the park, so he’d taken $100 out of the old tackle box he used as a safe. He figured that should be more than enough for the park, and any food and drinks he might want during the day.

He was putting money in there from any odd jobs he got, saving up for a car. Still, he’d occasionally dipped into it to go out to the movies, or out with friends, not that he had any here. He had his license, but until he had a car of his own, he had to borrow his mom’s car when he wanted to drive anywhere. His mom’s Honda Civic was in the driveway, but Mike and Mary weren’t allowed to drive it while she was gone, except for emergencies.

“Ready to go?” Diane asked when Mary opened the door. Mike and Mary both nodded, and grabbed their stuff. Mary’s bag dwarfed Mike’s. It looked like Mary had packed for a weekend trip.

“What’s this place called where we’re going,” Mary asked as she threw her stuff in Diane’s trunk.

Karen spoke up from the back seat. “It’s called Bikini Beach.”

“I like the sound of that,” Mike said, trying to be as much a guy as he could. Honestly, going to a water park called Bikini Beach with three really pretty girls (even if one was his sister) was just what he needed to feel like he wasn’t a total waste of testosterone.

The look on Diane’s face as she closed the trunk could only be described as mischievous. Mike didn’t know what they were up to if they were up to anything, but he trusted Mary not to let them do anything mean. Besides, he’d gotten to know the two of them pretty well, and was pretty sure they weren’t the kind of people to do something to hurt someone else for their own amusement.

The four of them piled in the car in their usual places. Diane drove and Mary was in the other front seat, mainly because she was the tallest. She was taller than Mike by four and a half inches, and taller than Karen by six. Karen and Mike sat in the back. Karen was already wearing her bikini top and a pair of shorts. The other three were still in t-shirts and shorts.

The drive was uneventful. The three of them talked about things like working on their tan, what makeup would look good on them once they tanned, that sort of thing. Mainly Mike tuned them out, paying attention to how to get here so he could find his way there again if it was really cool. That is, once he got his car.

When they pulled in, Mike was surprised at how many cars were already there. They found a spot and got their stuff out of the trunk. As they walked towards the gate, Mike noticed something strange. All of the other people walking into the park were girls. He seemed to be the only guy.

When they finally got to the front of the line at the ticket booth, Mike walked up to the window.

A pretty brunette a few years older than him sat behind the window patiently. “Hello, welcome to Bikini Beach, may I help you?”

“Yes, I’d like a ticket please,” Mike said.

“I’m afraid this is a private park. We don’t sell tickets, but I do have some passes for sale. Would you like one?”

“Yes, please, how much are the passes?”

“Well, that depends on the length of the pass. We have one-day passes, weekend passes, seasonal passes, even lifetime passes.”

“Ummm. Just a one-day pass.”

The girl told him the price, and although it seemed a little high, he’d brought more than enough. “Ok, here you go,” he said, passing her the money. She handed him his change and the pass.

“Enjoy your stay,” the girl said.

“Thank you,” Mike said and headed towards Diane and Karen, who were waiting patiently for them. Mary stepped up to the window right after him.

The two girls looked at Mike’s pass. “Just a one-day?”

Mike looked at his pass and nodded. “Yeah, I figured if it’s really cool, I can get a season pass next year.”

Karen looked at Diane, “Pity, the season pass is cheaper if you come enough. The lifetime pass winds up the cheapest of all.” They both held up their lifetime passes.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Mike said. He’d reserve judgment until he saw how good the park was.

Mary walked up, waving her own one-day pass. “Go easy on him Karen, I only got a one-day pass, too.” The four of them walked through the turnstiles, and into the park.

The three girls went into the girl’s locker room, while Mike headed for the men’s locker room. When he walked in, the first thing he saw was a big sign on the wall reminding all visitors to shower before entering the park due to Health Department regulations. Also, he noticed it was empty.

He wondered why he was the only guy here, but thanked his lucky stars since he was not exactly muscular. He was actually embarrassed about his physique, or lack thereof. He stripped quickly, putting his clothes and sneakers into a locker, and then quickly put on his bathing suit, before someone else came in. He stuck his towel in the locker and locked it up. When he had the key safely secure in the bathing suit’s pocket, he headed for the shower stalls around the corner, hoping the water wouldn’t be ice cold.

Stepping into the shower, Mike was glad the water didn’t feel too cold. He decided that a good all-over rinsing would be the easiest. Besides, he figured it would help him get used to the water for the rides, too. He stepped under the water, got his hair wet, and let it run down all over him. He rinsed and rubbed himself from head to toe, making sure he got good and wet. The water seemed to warm up as he rinsed, even feeling what could be described as invigorating, kind of like the old Coast soap commercials used to claim. With his eyes closed under the streaming water, he never noticed the slight pink mist rising from the water. By the time he’d turned the water off, he felt refreshed, even exuberant. He was ready for the park.

Mike walked over to his locker and pulled on the locker to make sure it was secure. As he did, he noticed what little hair he’d had on his arm was thinner, almost invisible. He looked at his other arm and noticed the same thing was happening to it as well. Looking down, he noticed the hair on his legs was virtually gone. As he was considering this, he watched, first curious, and then horrified, as his feet shrank, becoming very much like his sister’s feet. His legs also began to take on an even more girlish shape than they had before.

Mike looked up at the mirror. As he watched, his chest began to sprout small, pert breasts. When they’d stopped growing, they were little more than an A-Cup, but very obvious nonetheless. His brown hair began to grow, looking thicker and longer by the second. Before long, it was down almost to his waist, and his face had changed subtly into a completely girlish look, his lips getting a little fuller, his brow and hairline shifting slightly.

Then he felt it, a kind of vacuum feeling inside. He quickly dropped his bathing suit to watch as his last vestige of manhood shrank, slowly, getting pulled more and more inside, until with an almost audible ‘pop’ it inverted and became the beginning of a vagina. He quickly pulled up his bathing suit to hide what was happening, looking around to see if anyone else was seeing what was happening to him.

The final straw that convinced him he was going mad was that as he looked back into the mirror and watched his transformation become complete, his bathing suit began to change. It shrank to his new body dimensions and changed color from the navy blue board shorts He’d put on, to a bright lime green bikini bottom.

He stood there, momentarily catatonic, staring into the mirror, not knowing what to do as he looked at himself. It was definitely him, but not. He was a girl. He was hot. He couldn’t go out like this. He couldn’t stay here. He couldn’t go home. He knew that his sister and their friends would be waiting for him outside. What could he do?

As he was considering this, he caught a motion out of the corner of his eye and looked up as an old woman walked into the locker room. What was she doing walking into the men’s locker room? For that matter, he thought, what was HE doing in the men’s locker room looking the way he looked?

“I imagine you’re wondering what’s happened to you. Here at Bikini Beach...” the old woman began.

“You’re darned right I wanna know what’s happened to me. I was just in the locker room changing, when, all of a sudden, I turned into a girl. What is going on here?”

“If you stop interrupting, young lady, I’ll explain,” the old woman continued, sternly glaring at him, stopping any further questions.

“As I was saying, only girls are allowed here at Bikini Beach. Since you bought a pass for the day, you’ve been transformed into a girl for the duration of the length of the pass plus a few hours. This way, all of my other guests are comfortable and free from ogling by men. In addition, you can feel included, and a part of the experience of Bikini Beach. Only you, your sister, and your friends will know that you were ever a boy named Michael. Everyone else will remember you as always having been Michelle.”

Michelle interrupted again. “Does this mean I’ll change back after the membership expires? It’s just a one-day membership. Why can’t you change me back now? I promise I’ll leave. Please.”

“Listen to me,” The old woman continued waving her hand in a dismissive gesture. “You will remain female whether you stay in the park or not. You will not change back until several hours after the park closes today.”

“But my sister, Diane, and Karen, they’ll remember I’m really a guy?”

The old woman nodded. “Yes, they will. I imagine they’ll be very impressed by how you look now.”

Michelle thought about it. She was a girl no matter if she left or not. She could either stay with Mary, Diane, and Karen or try to get them to take her home. She decided to make the best of it. She turned towards the door to the locker room.

The old lady took hold of Michelle’s arm as she started to turn away. “You might be needing this.” She held out a bright lime green bikini top that perfectly matched Michelle’s bikini bottom.

Michelle took the top, and after struggling a little, got it on and hooked in the back. She looked at herself in the mirror again. She was definitely pretty. She walked out timidly and saw Mary, Diane, and Karen waiting for him, the old woman right behind her.

Mary saw Michelle and gasped, holding her hand to her mouth, shocked to see a ‘her’, instead of a ‘him’.

Michelle looked at Mary. She’d seen the metallic blue bikini on her before and was always surprised at how pretty she looked in it. Diane and Karen had their backs to him, and both had on bikinis that left very little to the imagination. Diane’s was a bright yellow, that accented her dark tan, and Karen’s was a flower print that looked almost translucent. Next to theirs, Mary’s was almost conservative.

Michelle’s bikini fell somewhere between them, showing a little more leg, a little more butt. Overall though, Mary, Diane, and Karen were all so attractive, the bikinis looked great on the three of them.

Diane and Karen turned around and saw Michelle. They covered their mouths, laughing. Mike realized that somehow they had known this was going to happen.

Just as Michelle opened her mouth to yell at them for not telling her what would happen, she felt the same hand on her shoulder again.

“Relax and enjoy your stay at Bikini Beach,” the old woman continued. “I think you’ll find that it’s easier than ever to feel like a part of the group. Just remember, you will stay this way for several hours after closing.”

Michelle looked over at Mary, Diane, and Karen. Diane and Karen were still staring at her with amused expressions on their faces as they talked to Mary. Mary, for her part, had a look of amazement. Apparently, Diane and Karen were explaining what had happened.

Mary walked over to Michelle when they’d finished. “Michelle, come on. You can’t change back anyway, so we can at least enjoy the park. Besides, It’s not permanent. Actually, it’s kinda cool. I always wanted a little sister.”

Michelle gave her a dirty look, crinkling her nose, but a smile escaped anyway. “Still throwing those twenty-eight minutes at me?”

Mary smiled warmly right back at her. “They’re still there, aren’t they?” She looked at Michelle closely. “We’re twins, and I’ll always be the oldest, even if we look a lot more alike now than we did yesterday.” Mary looked out towards the park. “So, are you ready to come and have some fun with the rest of us?”

Michelle had thought it over and had already decided she might as well enjoy the day. She’d already paid for the pass and was stuck as a girl for the day either way. “Yeah, ok, I’m coming.” She turned to the old lady. “Ummm ... I’m not sure thanks are in order, but thanks anyway.”

“You’re welcome,” the old woman said, smiling. “Don’t worry Michelle, we do this for people more often than you’d think. Just relax, and have a good time.”

“I will, I promise,” Michelle said as she and Mary headed towards Diane and Karen.

The old lady waved to Michelle as Diane and Karen both hugged Michelle, letting her know that it hadn’t been malicious.

Mary told the others to wait a minute, and she dashed back into the women’s locker room. She came back out holding a hairband and quickly braided Michelle’s long hair. “That should keep it from getting tangled much, and keep it out of your face,” she said.

“Thanks,” Michelle said, looking at her reflection in a window. Her hair still went way down her back, though no longer down to her waist, and looked really nice. She had to admit she was definitely more attractive as a female. Diane and Karen were also looking at Michelle, an impressed look on their face. They were probably the four hottest girls in the park. At least they were as far as they were concerned.

Michelle, Mary, and their friends headed towards the rides, determined to spend the day having lots of fun. Before long, it was obvious turning Mike into a girl had somehow taken down a barrier between them. Michelle was now just part of the group. Even Mary had to admit that it was easier having Michelle as part of the group, and she occasionally even forgot that she was really Mike. Diane and Karen couldn’t get over how cute Michelle was. They told her and Mary that they’d known when they’d first seen Mike and how effeminate he was, (Michelle cringed a little at the word) they had to get him here to see what kind of girl he’d turn into.

Thinking about Diane and Karen’s comment about wanting to see what kind of girl he’d turn into made Michelle wonder if they’d brought other guys here. She wondered how they’d known about the park and its magic. Then, she thought about the lifetime passes that both Diane and Karen had. Michelle wondered briefly if maybe one or both of them hadn’t always been their current gender. However, she couldn’t think of a tactful way to ask them without the risk of offending them, so she decided not to ask.

Michelle had to admit to them that she was having a blast. They spent most of the first four hours, riding the rides in the South Seas Adventure section of the park. The only mishap came when she went down the pipeline and lost her top. She wasn’t the only one. Diane lost hers right after. It wasn’t that big of a deal with no guys around, and even Diane wasn’t the least bit concerned when she put her top back on, right in front of Michelle. The strange thing was, Michelle hardly noticed.

They spent at least an hour floating around on the Old Man River inner tube ride, just floating around the park, talking about all kinds of stuff, including boys, and working on their tan. Michelle found herself a lot more interested in the conversation than usual, even talking about the boys at school, and how cute they were. Michelle realized that she could appreciate how boys looked now and assumed that it was just part of the body she had now. However, there was no way she’d admit it to the others.

She did, however, joke about the guys, and how they acted. It was almost like she wasn’t one of them anymore, and talked about it from the girl’s point of view. She realized what she was doing when Diane and Karen looked at each other as Michelle talked about the boy’s bathrooms, and started laughing.

The last thing they did before the park closed was to climb the Mountain Climb in the Junior Lifeguard section of the park. Surprisingly enough, Michelle was the best at it, until she explained to the others that you use your legs to climb, and only use your arms to keep your body upright. After that, everyone but Karen managed to get to the top. Karen had just jumped back into the water after climbing only halfway.

After that, they headed back toward the locker rooms. As she got the key from her bikini bottoms, Michelle remembered that the only clothes she had were what she’d worn. They wouldn’t really fit her now. The sneakers definitely wouldn’t. “What am I supposed to wear home?” she asked her sister. “I don’t think my clothes are going to fit me anymore.”

“Well, worst case scenario, you could just wear your t-shirt over your bathing suit,” Mary said.

Michelle just nodded and kept walking. It was a good idea.

When they got to the locker rooms, Mary and the others headed for the women’s locker room, and Michelle reluctantly went into the men’s locker room alone.

When she got to her locker, she inserted the key, opened it, and froze. Then she rechecked the locker number. What was in the locker was NOT what she’d put in there. There were girls’ clothes instead. She pulled everything in the locker out. There were not only clothes but also a purse. Inside the purse were a driver’s license for Michelle, her remaining money, and her school ID card also with Michelle’s picture. Somehow, all of this stuff had magically changed as well. It was hers now.

She looked at the clothes. The shirt was a nice light blue sleeveless blouse with “I make boys cry” on the front, and a jeans skirt that seemed very short. Her old sneakers were gone, and in their place was a pair of sandals that flashed along the strap whenever she took a step. She noticed that there was a cotton sky-blue thong, but no matching bra. She remembered that Karen had not worn a shirt at all, and had worn her bikini top instead. Michelle didn’t think she was ready for that. She wondered if Diane and Mary had worn their bikini top’s under their shirt, or if they had bras to change into. Michelle decided that a dry shirt with no bra was preferable to a wet bikini top making her shirt wet too.

She took off her bikini top and looked at herself in the mirror again. She’d understandably forgotten her sunscreen and her skin was pink where she’d gotten too much sun.

Michelle stepped into the thong and pulled it up and around her waist, feeling the back pull up between her butt cheeks. It was a little uncomfortable with the string in her butt crack, plus the disconcerting fact that there was nothing to position in the front. Turning around and looking over her shoulder in the mirror, she admitted to herself that it looked nice. She then picked up the skirt and put it on too. It seemed really short to her, showing almost as much leg as the bikini did. When she put on the shirt, it fit kind of tight. She realized that, thankfully, she didn’t need a bra too much just yet, although her nipples did cast a shadow when the light hit her shirt at just the right angle.

When she came out, Mary was somewhat surprised to hear about the changed clothes, but Diane and Karen took it in stride, knowing it would happen. They laughed at the saying on the shirt as they headed for the car like four old friends.

The drive home was lots of fun, talking about the different rides they’d ridden, and even Michelle joked about how easily she’d begun to display female mannerisms. When they’d gotten to the car, Mary had taken out Michelle’s braid, and Michelle had finger-combed out her hair, and done a hair flip, not even thinking. When they pointed out to her what she had done, they all laughed. Michelle assumed it had something to do with the transformation, so she wasn’t too concerned about it.

Then, Diane suggested having a slumber party. Karen quickly said what a great idea it was. Michelle was all for it too. She hadn’t felt like she’d had friends in so long, that she didn’t want the day to end so quickly. Mary was a little concerned. Michelle was a girl now, but still, inside somewhere was her brother Mike. She didn’t know if she really wanted to have a slumber party with Mike, no matter how she looked now. Karen and Diane, though, pushed her. Finally, after seeing the pleading look on Michelle’s face, Mary relented. It was getting harder and harder to think of Michelle as a boy anyway.

Diane dropped the two of them off at their house. They had decided that since two of the four lived here anyway, and since their mother wouldn’t be home, this would be the perfect place to have the sleepover. Diane and Karen left to go get their stuff, as Mary and Michelle began cleaning up a little. It wasn’t that dirty, but they did pick up the living room and cleaned the kitchen so they could cook later.

When the downstairs was clean, Michelle went up to her room and got quite a shock. The whole room had changed. It wasn’t a boy’s room anymore, but a girl’s, complete with frilly bedspreads, pictures of rap artists on the walls, and a vanity where the computer desk used to be. Instead, she had a laptop on top of her dresser. When she was Mike, the computer was what she did instead of hanging out with non-existent friends. “Maybe Michelle is more popular,” she thought to herself as she turned it on.

When the computer booted up, Michelle was surprised to see multiple chat program icons, and judging by the number of people on the friend’s list, Michelle was not only popular, she was very popular. She was glad to see that all of her old programs were there as well. She’d have hated to lose the applications she used to help her with her homework.

Michelle spent the next hour inventorying her room, learning what stuff was there. It was kind of like rummaging through someone else’s room, except that it wasn’t someone else’s, it was hers. She stripped off the clothes she’d worn back from the park and looked at herself in the mirror. She was definitely cute. There was a resemblance to the old Mike, but she was different. The features fitted and looked a lot better on her. Looking at the tan line she’d gotten, especially on top, she hoped it would change when she changed back into a guy. Otherwise, there would definitely be questions. She took the money and went to put her change back in the tackle box. It was no longer there. She looked around and saw a jewelry box on her dresser. She opened it, and there was her money, along with a bunch of very pretty jewelry.

She got changed into a simple pair of soft white cotton shorts, and a pink blouse with spaghetti straps. It was a lot thinner than the other blouse, and she could see the profile of her nipples poking against the material. She decided that it didn’t matter that much, and so didn’t bother trying to put on one of the bras she’d found in her dresser. She’d seen several different types of what looked like sleeping clothes, but she wasn’t sure which ones to pick, so she didn’t pull any out. Maybe Mary would help her pick some later.

Michelle sat down at the vanity that was now in a corner of her and began properly combing out her hair before it got too tangled. Then, when she’d gotten the worst of the tangles out, she brushed out her hair the rest of the way like she’d watched Mary do plenty of times, using the blow dryer to dry her hair the rest of the way. She smiled in the mirror. “I never thought I’d have hair longer than Mary’s.”

Just as she was finishing, she heard the doorbell ring. She got up and headed downstairs to greet Diane and Karen. This was going to be a lot of fun.

Michelle bounded down the stairs, two at a time. When she got to the bottom, she saw Diane and Karen coming in, each with a huge backpack that looked to be bulging at the seams. She had thought Mary had packed a lot for the water park. Now, it looked like Diane and Karen were moving in. They dropped their stuff by the front door, and then came over to Michelle, looking her over.

“I love the outfit,” Diane said, turning Michelle around. “It really looks good on you.”

“Yeah,” Karen said nodding enthusiastically. “But, hey, let’s go ahead and change into our pajamas. Anyone wanna give Michelle a makeover?”

Michelle looked at Mary and Diane who both grinned widely at the suggestion. Michelle wasn’t too sure about it. “Come on, Michelle; it’ll be fun,” Diane said, picking up her backpack.