Chapter 1

I woke up just as the first light from the sun touched the edge of my bed. I stretched and thought, 'one more day'. I didn't hear any noises from across the hall, and decided that the twins weren't up yet, which was a good thing. I went to my bathroom and did my business, then replaced my tampon with a fresh one. If I was lucky, today would be the last day of that mess, and I would feel better for the party.

I showered and washed my hair, then dried off and took stock in the mirror. I was tall for a girl; five-feet seven and still growing. The boobs were ok; almost a B-cup now and also still growing, although at a slower rate. The bottom and legs were muscular and firm because I ran a couple of miles every other day. My hair was a reddish blond and hung to the middle of my back. The feet were a little big in my opinion, but pretty in their own way. I was relatively hairless; I didn't shave my legs or under my arms. I'd inherited that peculiar trait from Mom.

And then there was Kitty. When I ran my fingertips through her slippery folds, it felt like heaven. The outside was plump and fat, lightly dusted with downy-soft short curls. Inside was a healthy pink, and the inner lips were symmetrical and small. Nothing hung out of the outer lips, unlike some girls I'd seen in the showers at school. The small depression at the very top was like a sign saying 'start here', and I did that often. In my opinion, I didn't look too bad for a girl about to become sixteen.

Finished with my appraisal, I slipped a pair of old panties on my hips and wiggled into a pair of old shorts. I threw a tank top over my head, tugged it into place, and went down to eat breakfast. As I left my room, I noticed that Sean's door was open, and idly wondered where he was at this hour.

I found him at the island in the kitchen, contentedly munching cereal and reading his ever-present book. A striking contrast to his wild and willful sisters, he was the sweetest child in the house. He was two months past his twelfth birthday, and almost as tall as me. He was dressed in his "jams", as he liked to call them, and bare-chested. He looked thin, but there was the underlying promise of muscles on his frame.

He acknowledged my presence with a small nod and a shy grin, and went back to reading. I got a bowl and poured some cereal, and leaned across him to pick up the milk. His eyes met mine for a brief second, and I got another shy grin.

I called him Seany, a pet name I knew he tolerated only because I said it. He looked gangly and awkward, all knees and elbows, with surprisingly large feet. He was anything but clumsy though; he had an un-erring eye for the ball when he played sports, and was very quick on his feet.

"Where is everybody?" I asked.

"Mama Mickey went to work, Mom is in bed, and the evil-doers from the planet Zarkon are still in their chamber," he replied with a smile.

He always spoke of his sisters as persons from another planet, and with good reason. They were twins, Allison and Aileen, aged nine going on thirty, and were the terrors of the house. I called them Ally and Olly, despite repeated attempts by my mother and theirs to make me address them by their given names. Allison was twenty minutes older, and lorded it over her younger sister. They could be found at the center of any argument in the house, and one or both of them would usually be the cause. Genetically identical to their mother and brother - dark hair, big brown eyes and slimly built - I thought them to be overly impressed with themselves and spoiled rotten.

I finished my cereal and put the bowl in the dishwasher, and drank the rest of my milk. I peeled a banana and ate it, watching Sean read. His eyes flickered rapidly over the page, and his fingers turned to the next. I didn't want to interrupt, but I needed help.

"Can you help me clean the pool?" I asked.

"Sure. When?" he replied.

"Now would be good."

"Ok."

He led the way out the door and off the porch, headed toward the shed in the back yard. I got the stuff out of the shed to vacuum the pool, and Sean picked up all the debris around the deck and surrounding chairs. It was mostly cigarette butts and empty beer bottles, the aftermath of a previous party. Held the weekend before, it had been a celebration of sorts for Mom and Mama Sue, to acknowledge their fifth anniversary.

They'd met at work, and one thing had led to another. The house was Sue's, and God knows I'd been tired of cramped apartments and drafty houses for a long time. Mom said it made her happy, and I wasn't going to argue with success. I was stable and comfortable here, a welcome change from the first eleven years of my life.

I'd gotten the majority of the dust and dirt from the bottom, and carried the hoses and things back to the shed.

Sean came up to me and said, "I mowed yesterday; you want anything else?"

"No hon, that's all for now. Thanks."

He smiled and turned away, probably headed back to finish his book.

After only a few steps, he turned back to me and asked, "Can I braid your hair?"

I usually wore it loose or tied back in a ponytail, but I thought it might not be a bad idea to have a 'do' of some sort for my birthday. I nodded yes, and he ran to the house for my brush.

As I waited, I made a mental note to ask Mama Sue if Sean could be at my party. I had fifteen girls coming; some from school and some from the neighborhood. Almost all of them were my age or a year younger, and if Sean was anything like most boys I knew, he'd appreciate being able to ogle pretty girls in their bikinis.

I sat in one of the deck chairs as Sean brushed, then braided my hair. It felt nice to have someone else working the brush against my scalp, and my forehead tingled as he pulled on the strands to put them in place. When he finished I turned to him and gathered his hands in mine, then kissed his knuckles.

"Thanks, Seany."

He blushed a little, mumbled a quiet, "You're welcome", and ran back to the house.

I returned to the house and found the twins were up and arguing as usual. There was spilled milk on the island, and they were wrestling over the remote control for the TV.

I lost my temper and yelled, "Damn it! Stop it, you two!"

They looked at me with the familiar look of arrogance and distaste; the one that said, 'You can't talk to us that way.' They quit wrestling, and Ally was in possession of the control. With a smirk, she ran to the living room and turned on the TV set. I told Olly to clean up their mess, and went around the corner to Mom's bedroom.

I tapped on the door and heard a muffled, "Come in."

Mama Sue was in her nightgown, sitting at the edge of the window, smoking a cigarette and drinking from her mug. I assumed - or hoped would be a better word - that it was coffee.

"Mornin', Sarah."

"Morning, Mom." I replied. "I have a favor to ask."

"Shoot," she replied.

"Would it be ok if Sean came to my party tomorrow?"

"I was taking him with me to the mall tomorrow with the girls," she replied. "I know you don't want them around."

"Well, he helped me clean up the pool and I thought he deserved some kind of reward," I said.

I was on thin ice here, asking for favors. Sue could be brutal with Sean - or me - when we did something wrong. She didn't often approve of my choices for boyfriends, either, but I considered that to be none of her business.

"Are you sure he won't be in the way?"

I nodded, and she said, "Ok," and resumed staring out the window.

I realized the audience was over, mumbled my thanks and closed the door behind me.

Once I was safe in my room, I sat in my chair and stared into the back yard. Mom had told me that sixteen was a milestone in any person's life. Where was I going, and how would I get there? I was interested in so many things, I found it difficult to choose. I loved art, reading, swimming, and helping other people. I'd narrowed my choices down for the moment to becoming either an artist or a nurse, but I knew that was bound to change.

I was between boyfriends; the last one, Brian, had called me a slut and I'd slapped him across the face in front of his friends. He'd found out that I wasn't wearing a bra one day, and announced, "Only sluts don't wear bras!" I hadn't worn one because I was tired of the boys sneaking up behind me and snapping the strap. It hurt, and afterward I always had to go into the girls' restroom and adjust the damn thing. I didn't need one anyway, and the damn things were uncomfortable.

I intimidated most boys, too, because I was at least as tall as they were. And Eldridge, Minnesota was a small town, and I'm sure that almost everyone knew of my family's living arrangements. I didn't think it should make a difference, but to some I'm sure it did. I thought of them as close-minded bigots when I encountered them in public.

I didn't have any really close girlfriends; I'd moved too often and too fast to acquire the kind of permanence those relationships require. I often wondered what sex would be like; Brian's hands on my breasts had felt good. I was curious about sex with a girl too, but as far as I knew, there weren't any gay girls in town. There had been rumors about one boy being gay, but nothing had ever been proved.

I put all my dirty clothes in a pile and made my bed, then went down to do a load of laundry. I picked up Sean and the twins' things on the way down, and started the washer. I noticed that a couple pair of Sean's shorts had stiff stains in them, and mentally smiled. He was going to have a nice time tomorrow, and some fuel for his fantasies in the bargain.

The next morning Sean helped hang the decorations on the handrails of the deck, and filled the coolers with pop and juice. Mom put the cake and some presents on one of the tables nearby, and said we were ready. Sue had left with the twins in tow, promising to be back around four o'clock.

I ran to my room and took a quick shower and dressed in my floral print suit, a two-piece that I liked. I came out of the house onto the deck about 10 o'clock, hair in place and barefoot.

Mom was standing next to a chair on the lawn, beside an older lady and a very pretty girl. The girl was tall and broad-shouldered with muscular legs, dressed in white shorts with a matching top that bared her midriff. She appeared to be older and more mature than the normal high school student, which piqued my curiosity. I walked over to the group and waited to be introduced.

Mom noticed me and said, "Oh Sarah sweetie, hi! This is Emmy and her daughter Nora. They're going to help me with the cake and refreshments today."

Mom did the round of introductions, and Emmy nodded politely, then turned to converse some more with Mom.

I was still holding Nora's hand, and noticed the pearlescent pink polish on her fingernails. It matched her toes, and she wore two toe-rings on her right foot. I'd worn one with my sandals, when I felt in the mood to show off my feet, but two? That got me interested to look further, and I could only admire her composure as I stared. Her tummy was flat and smooth and she had an all-over tan. She was big, but nothing looked odd or out of proportion. Her top allowed a view of a little cleavage, and I wondered what she would look like nude.

She smiled as my eyes got to her face and said, "Happy Birthday!"

Embarrassed, I dropped her hand and said, "Thanks, and welcome to the party."

She turned and busied herself with glasses and the party favors, and I walked away in shame. What the hell was going on? My stomach felt like it did when I looked at a cute guy, and my nipples had tightened up. I rubbed them and found them tender, almost achy. I could tell that Kitty was interested too, judging by the slipperiness between my legs. I ran to the bathroom and wiped myself thoroughly with a dry washcloth, and returned to the pool area.