Chapter 33

[Leah & Julia] Early March

"This is probably the question you've been dreading," Julia said to Leah as the girl held Cy's hand tightly. "If your mother follows through with Bradley, and if you can be convinced that home is much different, will you move back?"

"If the reason for my being here no longer exists, it would be selfish to take up a spot, wouldn't it?" Leah answered. Julia should have expected that, perhaps, but it still brought moisture to her eyes.

With a sigh, Julia answered "I never like to tell anyone that they don't need to be here anymore. Part of me wishes that Connie and Ted could stay here until they graduate. That's how I feel about all of you. Realistically, Leah, once Cy moves in with Rachel and Caz, won't a big part of the appeal of this place leave, as well?"

"We've talked about that," Leah agreed, "and you're right. It's hard for me to imagine that home could really be different, but there's no doubt that mother is different. I guess she went through all of this mainly to get me back, so I owe it to her."

"I never get to send kids back to perfect homes, you know," Julia pointed out. "But, realistically, how many perfect homes even exist. I believe that in your relatively short time here, the worst problems in your home situation have been corrected. I honestly think that your situation would be better than average for all homes."

"When do I have to move back?"

"For a number of reasons, I think that if you and Cy move out at the same time, it would be the easiest on you. Your mother would like you home right now, but she and your father need more time alone to, uh, restructure their relationship.

"I hope the two of you realize just how unique an experience you have had here. By that I mean living together as siblings, but sharing far more than that because of the Tee. Nothing can completely erase the negative things that brought you here, but I believe your stay will let you put it behind you."

"It will be harder on Leah," Cy commented. "She will have to go back to the same house. That's sure to trigger some bad memories."

"I'm ahead of you," Julia said with a smile. "That is a very important point. One of the conditions that I laid out for your return was as complete a change of the main living areas and Leah's room as was reasonable on their budget. Margo Ballard, our resident fashion and style expert will be assisting. I think you, Leah, should do the selections for your room."

"Wow! I don't think I want to do anything elaborate. I will only be there for a couple more years, and I plan to spend every possible hour with Cy."

"Then set it up so the two of you can be comfortable studying or watching TV there together." Seeing Leah's stunned look, Julia understood her reaction immediately. "You see, that's how much change has happened. In your old home, that would have been unthinkable, wouldn't it."

"Even having a boy in the house would have been unthinkable. I guess that's why you chose the name 'Transformations', isn't it?"

[Julia & Jed] Early April

Connie & Jed were among the most frequent visitors to Lindsey's. Connie still considered herself a resident at heart, and Jed seemed to genuinely like the other kids. It was no accident that Julia arrived one evening while the couple was there. Trying to make it seem casual, she pulled Jed aside while Connie was gabbing with Missy and a couple of new girls.

"You and Connie seem to be a real couple," Julia commented.

"I tell you, Ma'am, Mama is already thinking grandkids."

"So, she approves of Connie?"

"Approves? Hah! If I ever break up with her, Mama will toss me out for sure. She thinks Connie is the greatest girl she's ever met, my sister included."

"As I'm sure you know, I share Mama's opinion," Julia said. "But what about you? Are you thinking of breaking up?"

"No way. You know, it takes something special to be an Army wife. Mama's got that and more. My folks are throwbacks. They're like all the old TV serials. I guess I'm a throwback, too, because that's what I want.

"I read somewhere about guys wanting to marry their mothers. I can't see anything bad about that, and Connie is perfect. I know, you're going to ask if I love her. Let's say I think she's teaching me what that means and I'm all for it."

"So, you think you two will be together past the senior prom, huh?"

"I'd put money on it!"

[Alex] Early April

Alex Sudoski was feeling more confident than he ever had in his life. Working with Ryan Herwalt, he had concentrated on building strength and on techniques that would first allow him to deflect an attack by a much larger person and, if necessary, temporarily disable that larger person.

At Christmas, he had suffered several blows from his father. Some had been open-handed slaps. A few had been with fists, and a couple of kicks had landed, as well. At that point, he had sworn that he would never go back home. However, Julia and Ryan had worked to convince him that for his own future self-image he needed to leave his parents' home feeling victorious, rather than fleeing. He had accepted that wholeheartedly and had become a workout fanatic.

Alex's mother, Tanya, had continuously tried to get him to visit again. Certainly, she had participated in the mental abuse that had originally driven him away. Apparently, the stigma of having a child flee was a severe ego blow to her, and she had become fixated on getting him back.

Even Alex's father, Vitor, had tried to persuade him. Of course, Vitor was very capable of forgetting his derision of Alex's slim physique and lack of any 'real' athletic accomplishment. It was as if the way he had bounced Alex around was just the way families worked. The fact that Alex was a lock to qualify for state competition in both cross country and 1500 meter events meant nothing to a man whose ego was tied to his accomplishments in college football.

Under gentle but constant pressure from Chelsea, Alex had agreed to let his parents visit him at Lindsey's. The discussions between Chelsea and Alex about family had been intense. He envied the love that all of her extended family showered on her. She kept telling him that he at least needed to feel some victory over his parents before leaving them forever.

By the time the Sudoskis began visiting, Chelsea was allowed to dress for their visits. Julia could see that her support of Alex was very important to him, and she wanted Chelsea with Alex all of the time.

Julia had considered one problem, and it turned out to be worse than expected. Chelsea did not at all fit Vitor's model of female attractiveness. With his almost total lack of tact and sensitivity, he made a number of remarks disparaging Alex's choice of girlfriend. The shots were taken so Chelsea could hear them.

At the first such nasty crack, Alex wanted the Sudoski's thrown out. To him, it should have been all over. That resulted in a very tender interlude in his room later that night. "Did you mean it when you said you like my scrawny body and tiny tits?" She asked him. She was still required to be naked except for special circumstances, like visits.

"No," he said firmly, shocking her at first. "I said I love your body. I especially love the girl inside your body." That rendered Chelsea speechless for some time. It affirmed his oft-repeated compliments. It also introduced the 'L' word openly for the first time.

When she had gotten her mind around what he said, she told him "I don't want you to pay any attention to your dad's nasty cracks. As long as I know what you think, nothing he can say will hurt me. Well, it hurts a little, but it's your opinion that counts. Alex, he makes so many cracks about your body. I feel honored to be included with you."

That was pretty heavy emotional stuff. Up until that point, both teens had avoided any overtly sexual touching. They hugged, kissed, and held hands, but that was all. She needed to make sure that what happened with Alex was in no way connected with her previous debauchery. The only way to accomplish that was to take time, and to build her relationship with Alex around something other than sex. Julia had a number of conversations with Chelsea about that situation.

For Alex, their relative 'abstinence' was pure torture. Her little body excited him tremendously. Every little affectionate thing that he did with her was a first, but Julia had counseled him not to push, and in fact to hold back for Chelea's sake. He understood and was more than willing to agree.

That night, the dam was broken. Chelsea threw back his covers, yanked down his sleeping shorts, and took his already hard cock in both hands. "I know some things that I wish I didn't know, but I do. If I can do them for you, they will finally mean something."

With that, she took him in her mouth. She barely had time to swirl her tongue around his glans a few times when he groaned out "Chelsea! Look out! I'm going to come!"

She looked at him and smiled around his shaft as best she could. When he started spurting, she took it all down. As she licked off the residue, any slight softening that had begun was quickly reversed. As soon as he could get enough breath to speak, he told her "You have to show me how to do that to you. Ever since you first walked in, your, uh, your pussy has made my mouth water."

"In all of the things that I did," she sadly told him, "no one has ever used their mouth on me. Hey! That's one first that I can give you!"

She never went back to her room that night. They stopped short of intercourse, but it was obvious to both of them that that would happen soon.

When the Sudoskis next visited, both teens took all of Vitor's shots with a serenity that infuriated him. Given the history, Ryan and Dale were always standing by, and they really thought they would have to intervene to protect Vitor. Chelsea was able to calm Alex down enough to remove the threat.

When the Sudoskis had left, Chelsea threw off her clothes and jumped on Alex in front of everyone. "We won! We won! That was so awesome! I'm so proud of you!"

"You're the one who took all the nasty comments," he pointed out, spinning her around in his arms holding her up with his hands on her bare ass. It was such a dramatic move for the normally reserved boy that everyone was impressed.

"But you kept your cool just like we talked about. You were the man. He was worse than a little kid."

[Alex & Parents] Early April

The first bite of a late Easter dinner did not even get tasted at the Sudoski house. Alex had arrived about 10:30. By arrangement, he was wearing a wire and a Plonske agent was parked in easy transmission range. Transformations had carefully cultivated relationships with the police and the DA, and the squad covering the area around the Sudoskis' was staying close. Everyone hoped that Alex could pull off a conciliatory visit and avoid any violence, but no one was betting on it.

With an energetic sendoff that morning from Chelsea, Alex's confidence was at an all-time high. They had first gone 'all the way' two weeks earlier. It was an event that Julia had insisted the Merkers be fully aware of. The rule had been that no adult would 'authorize' or 'recommend' that the couple do it, but neither would they condemn.

Predictably, it had been hardest on Ron, but Nancy talked him through it. Fortunately, the Merkers and the entire extended family had enthusiastically embraced Alex. They all recognized how much of Chelsea's turnaround was due to Alex's love and his influence. Just as at Lindsey's, in any congenial or neutral environment, Alex was very social and a perfect gentleman.

Vitor had started in on Chelsea just after noon. Somehow, he had found out about Chelsea's transgressions and thought he had a psychological club to use on Alex. Everyone at Lindsey's had warned Alex that he would be attacked through Chelsea, and he deflected all of the attacks very well.

Seeing that he could not provoke a rise out of his son by disparaging remarks about his girlfriend, Vitor somehow decided that he had the right to order Alex to break up with Chelsea. Alex knew the moment his father first ordered him not to have anything more to do with the 'scrawny-assed little slut' that a blowup was at hand.

"Dad, my relationship with Chelsea is none of your concern. I love her, and no way will I break up with her." Alex knew that would provoke the first blow, and it helped to be able to control the action to that degree.

The first attempt was a quick slap at the face, the blow that had 'worked' at Christmas. Ryan had worked hard with Alex on exactly that move. He was able to duck the slap, then hit the back of Vitor's extended wrist in just the right spot with his knuckles. Vitor's hand went dead for quite a while.

That was a surprise to the man, but rather than cooling him off, it enraged him. He was not the typical bully who would back off at the least sign of effective resistance or a counter-attack. He had once been a dominant defensive player who used near brutality to intimidate and subdue runners and receivers.

Unable to use his right hand for the moment, Vitor made a grab for his son with his left. Alex executed a finger bend with his right hand, then deadened Vitor's whole left arm with a blow to the inside of the elbow.

Next came the attack that was most dangerous to Alex because of the one hundred pound difference in their weights. Even without the use of his hands, Vitor was so enraged that he charged with arms wide.

All along, Vitor had been mouthing threats of what he was going to do and Alex had been purposely telling him to stop, warning him that he would get hurt. This was for the benefit of the recording, to prove that Alex had no part in starting or prolonging the fight. All along, Tanya had been yelling at Alex right along with her husband, although she had not made any physical moves as she had done in the past.

When the charge came, Alex ducked low and kicked at his father's knee, catching it just when he put his weight on it. It was not enough to cause any serious damage, but the knee was temporarily unable to bear any weight. Vitor was no sooner on the floor, bellowing out his rage and pain than the police were at the door, demanding admittance.

[Staff] Early April

"We have agreement from the police and the DA," Julia told the management group. "The question now is should we do it. First of all, is it safe, given Mr. Sudoski's rather irrational behavior? There is credible danger of him hurting someone. Second, is there any reason to suspect that it will bring about any real change? Third, but no less important: should we put this kind of pressure on the kids?"

"Remember, Honey," Frank interjected, "We have the support of his employer. Their concern is that Vitor's apparently worsening anger issues are detracting from his otherwise strong job performance. I would think that the threat of losing his job would be a huge deterrent to any further outbursts."

"Yes, that's a very valid point," Julia agreed.

"I think we need to do this for the sake of Chelsea and Alex," Muriel opined. "Maybe it's premature, but they show all the signs of being together for the long haul. A warm family relationship with the Sudoskis is most likely impossible. The next best thing is for them to at least feel that they are in control.

"I guess I don't think the long-term effects on the Sudoskis are as important as the immediate effect on our Alex. If we do nothing but punish them with humiliation for a while, it has to change the long-term relationship between Alex and his parents. The fact that he demonstrated physical superiority over his father must have already caused some change. I say let's pile on all the humiliation we reasonably can in whatever time we have them."

"That's a wonderful analysis, Muriel," Julia said. "I had not thought about your point of piling it on. It's true that we will have them for just eight or nine days, and we cannot expect a lot of change in that time. What you suggest makes a lot of sense. One question, though: Is it fair to the other kids?"

"It seems like ganging up on someone's parents is the one thing that brings the kids together more than anything else," Paul pointed out. "I think they will treat it as a privilege rather than an imposition."

"But can they be respectful and courteous about it?" Julia asked.

"They did for Brett and for Chelsea," Ryan offered.

"That's different, though," Muriel cautioned. "They were contemporaries that they would like to help, even a jerk like Brett. Of course, he was Lindsey's brother, and that bought him some consideration for her sake. Chelsea? Well, she's just too lovable. It's a whole different story with the Sudoskis, I'm afraid. They all remember how Alex came back from Christmas, and they all heard the shots that Mr. Sudoski took at Chelsea. They are certainly not lovable people, and with their clothes off, I don't imagine they will be at all attractive."

"Excellent analysis again, Muriel" Julia said. "Now, so far, I've been playing the devil's advocate. I have to tell you, though, that I think we should do it. I will confess that I have a great clinical interest in seeing our theories tested to new limits. There is no question that the kids will be part of an experiment."

"Is there anything we can do to ensure that Mr. Sudoski doesn't go off and hurt anyone?" Ryan asked.

"I suppose we could keep him mildly tranquilized," Julia mused, "but I would hate to have to justify that to any board."

"What is Sudoski's attitude right now," Paul asked. "Is he belligerent, vengeful, frightened, what?"

Frank took that one. "I'm a little surprised, but he seems quite frightened. Perhaps if the police had been involved years ago, things might not have come to this point. One other point, Honey. Don't you think that doing this will eliminate any chance of Alex moving back home?"

"I suspect you're right, Frank. On the other hand, I think that chance is so slim as to not be worth worrying about. With the father's often-expressed attitude toward Chelsea, I don't think Alex should consider reconciliation. Knowing him, I'm sure he won't. Now, if by some miracle, Sudoski should have a genuine change of attitude toward Chelsea, we could have a new ball game. For now, I want to do the best for Alex. And Chelsea."

"Julia, I think we should just put it out to the kids and get their input. I would suggest that Alex and probably Chelsea be excluded from the discussion."

The discussion late that afternoon with the residents was very short. They all wanted to do it, and they all pledged the same treatment given to Brett and Chelsea. Chelsea, of course, was now considered one of them, regardless of her wonderful home situation. She had been attacked and needed to be defended along with Alex.

[Tanya & Vitor] Mid April

Sometimes the right people do get elected to key public offices. The current DA was a very results oriented man. Particularly when it came to domestic problems, he was willing to listen to any idea that might solve the root problem. He was also very interested in solutions that would keep any of the family members from getting a criminal record. Along with those at Transformations, he considered Mary and Floyd Hall to be the star examples of that approach.

Thus it was that an ADA and a squad car were at the entrance to Lindsey's when Tanya and Vitor arrived late on Friday afternoon. "You understand, now, that unless both of you do EXACTLY what you are told, you, Mr. Sudoski, will be arrested and charged. Is that clear?"

Both Tanya and Vitor nodded. Nancy Merker stepped in front of them and the ADA told them "This is Mrs. Merker, Chelsea's mother. She is the person that you have to keep happy. One call from her that you have not complied, and you will be taken away in cuffs, Mr. Sudoski. Is that clear. Also, how long you have to stay here is also in her hands. Mr. Sudoski, we have made sure that your job is protected no matter how long it takes. I sincerely hope we will never meet again. Good luck to you both."

Including Tanya had been the biggest push. There really was no legal basis, but there was none for the whole plan, anyway. When an agreement under the DA's signature had been presented, the parents had been convinced.

The reception area was empty except for Nancy and her father, Ben Ormond. As soon as the outside door closed, Nancy said "All right. Remove your clothes out here and we will take care of them."

"What? Remove... ? What are you talking about?" Tanya objected

"You will be naked for your entire stay here," Nancy said calmly.

"No one said anything about that!" Tanya cried. "That's ... that's ... there are kids in there ... boys ... Alex ... Oh, no! I won't do that!"

"Fine with me," Nancy said with her usual dramatic flair. "It saves us a lot of trouble. I'll just get the cops in here." She stepped toward the door, but turned back just as she reached it. "Oh, Mr. Sudoski, I guess your employer won't be too happy about the criminal charge, will they?"

Not many generations removed from the old country, a job was something to be treasured above almost all else to the Sudoskis, and to them, it was normal to hold one job for an entire career. Vitor was immediately petrified by the threat. Even with no direct legal threat to herself, the threat to their family livelihood had a huge effect on Tanya, as well. She withdrew from the debate, knowing that she had to follow her husband.

It was not really a debate. Husband and wife just raised objection after objection and plea after plea for several minutes. The one thing that was significant was that Vitor did not utter a single threat.

Nancy let them complain and plead for a while, but finally, she just said "In two minutes, if you aren't both naked, I call in the cops."