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Because, after all, you’ve got to show yourself to know yourself!\n\nF (Mouse). Underage (8F to 15f), cub, nudity, public nudity, embarrassed nude female, exhibitionism, light touching and groping, no sex. 23764 words in 3 chapters.", "description_bbcode_parsed": "Follow young Ellie’s adventures through three chapters of her gradually discovering that she might have a teensy bit of a nudity and exhibitionism kink. Because, after all, you’ve got to show yourself to know yourself!

F (Mouse). Underage (8F to 15f), cub, nudity, public nudity, embarrassed nude female, exhibitionism, light touching and groping, no sex. 23764 words in 3 chapters.", "writing": "[center][B]\nCHAPTER 1\nELLIE EXPOSED[/B][/center]\n\nEllie bounced and skipped as she followed her parents to the beach, so excited to [I]finally[/I] get her first real beach experience that she felt like was barely attached to the ground, like she might fly away if she wasn't careful. Imagine that, a happy little mousey girl just floating off into the distance. She giggled – she was [I]not[/I] being careful! Maybe she [I]would[/I] fly away!\n\nThis was finally it! She’d been waiting [I]ages[/I] for the date of their vacation to come up. She’d already been completely packed and ready to go [I]weeks[/I] before they were supposed to actually leave. And then the flight to the beach town they were staying in had taken [I]forever[/I]. And then, unpacking and what her parents called ‘settling into the hotel room’ had taken even longer than that! Getting ice alone had probably taken Dad at least five days! Or at least that’s what it felt like.\n\nEven this walk seemed to take forever. Dad had said their hotel was close to the beach, but Ellie was pretty sure that this part of the trip was the longest of all. Maybe it would have been faster if they just walked here from home?\n\nShe couldn't help it – she wanted to be on the beach [I]now[/I]. And she wasn't only excited because she’d been waiting [I]so[/I] long – all eight years of her life – for it. It was also super-duper exciting because she was finally wearing her Valentina swimsuit!\n\nShe’d only gotten this swimsuit after completely [I]begging[/I] for it – and working for it! Dad had said it was ‘inappropriate’, whatever that meant. Mom had said Ellie wasn't old enough to wear things like that. But Ellie had asked and asked and asked and asked for it, and [I]finally[/I], they’d said she could have it, but only if she brought home an ‘A’ on her report card. They only said that because they thought she couldn't do it. But she [I]did[/I] do it! And then they [I]had[/I] to buy her the same little red bikini swimsuit that Valentina Marquezza wore!\n\nEven then, though, Mom wouldn't let her wear it at the pool, and she’d used the excuse that it was a [I]beach[/I] swimsuit, not a [I]pool[/I] swimsuit. So Ellie’d had to wait [I]even longer[/I] until their long-awaited beach vacation finally came. But now, it was finally time! She was finally wearing it, the shiny little red bikini that hugged against her so tight, cupping her closely from below and barely holding on at the top. Obviously, it wasn't staying on her chest very good because she had no boobies at all yet, but she was still super-proud to be wearing one [I]just[/I] like the one Valentina wore in so many of her photoshoots and dance numbers. [I]Finally[/I], Ellie could be just like her idol, the best dancer and hottest model in the world!\n\nDad had said they should pack her an extra swimsuit to wear in case she got too embarrassed wearing this one. Ellie had absolutely refused. Why would she be [I]embarrassed[/I] about wearing the hottest, most popular swimsuit ever, just like the hottest, most popular model ever? She was [I]not[/I] wasting a single moment of beach time wearing anything else but this, and that was final!\n\nUp ahead, Ellie could hear waves and seagulls. She snapped to attention even harder now, pulling on Dad’s arm. If he hadn’t been holding her, she’d have already been in the water by now!\n\nShe tried to pull him harder, but he kept walking at the same [I]slow[/I] pace, just like Mom. What was wrong with them? Weren’t they excited too?\n\nEllie felt like she was about to explode when they finally got to a parking lot that had traces of sand left on the pavement. Then there was a wall of big leafy bushes they had to follow a narrow trail through, and then … and then…\n\nFinally, [I]the beach![/I]\n\nShe felt like she could scream! It was really here – the sand, the waves, the sun, the palm trees, and all the people of different species sprawled out on towels or playing in the water. And now she’d finally be one of them! It was her first time ever on a beach. She’d seen them on TV, but she’d never known how [I]amazing[/I] it would be in real life!\n\n“Can I go?” She asked, yanking at Dad’s hand. “Can I go? Can I go? Can I go now?”\n\nDad looked over at Mom. Mom nodded.\n\nAnd finally, Dad let go of Ellie’s hand. “Don’t go out of sight!” he yelled as she scampered away.\n\nEllie barely even heard him. Finally, finally, she was [I]free![/I] And on the beach. And in her special Valentina bikini. And able to do … to do … anything she wanted!\n\nShe [I]ran[/I]. She wasn't even sure what she was running toward first, but she knew she wanted to get there faster. She almost ran into some big fat horse guy, and she jumped right over a couple of sunbathing raccoon ladies. Her eyes darted here there, everywhere – the sand under her feet, way up at the bright sun through the palm tree leaves, and—\n\nHer eyes went wide. She stopped in her tracks and stared up at it. There was a coconut in that tree! A real, live, growing-on-the-tree coconut!\n\nShe turned, pointing up at it. “Dad! Mom! Look – coconuts!”\n\nSlowly, the two of them were catching up to her. Mom nodded and said something, but she was too far away for Ellie to hear what she said.\n\nEllie [I]definitely[/I] heard Dad yelling something when she started to climb, but she ignored it. They were always saying she couldn't do things or that something wasn't safe enough. But this was [I]fine[/I]. She was sure of it. All she had to do was wrap her arms and legs around the palm tree and shimmy her way up. She climbed trees like this all the time back home, and this one would be [I]way[/I] easier because it didn’t have any branches until up at the very top.\n\nMom and Dad were at the base of the tree now. “Ellie!” Dad shouted. “Come down right now!”\n\n“You’re going to get yourself hurt, dear!” Mom shouted up as well.\n\nEllie huffed and kept climbing. What did they know about climbing trees? They [I]never[/I] climbed trees at home. She’d show them. She was going [I]all[/I] the way to the top of this tree, and she was [I]getting[/I] that coconut! And then they’d see what a big girl she was and that she didn’t need to be babied so much anymore!\n\nIt worked pretty well at first, but then she got up near the top. There were still old palm fronds here, dry and brittle and broken off. [I]Very[/I] scratchy against the bare fur of her arms. And she wasn't sure if they’d really hold her or not…\n\nOh, but the coconut was [I]right there![/I] She wouldn't even have to get her legs up into the brittle fronds. If she climbed just a [I]little[/I] higher, she’d be able to reach it.\n\nShe didn’t come this far to back down now – she was going to do it! All she had to do was avoid looking down and trust these scratchy old palm fronds to hold her up. It was okay. She didn’t weigh much – the advantages of being a skinny little girl. She was sure she’d be fine if she just did it carefully.\n\nAnd it worked! It was actually really easy to climb these old fronds. Each one was a natural handhold, as easy as climbing a ladder. A scratchy, annoying ladder that scraped at her belly as she climbed higher, but still.\n\nThere! She could [I]almost[/I] reach it… She was sure she could reach it from right where she was right now – she didn’t need to climb any higher, she just needed to push up with her legs and stretch her arm out, and she’d have it!\n\nShe hugged herself even closer to the trunk of the tree, just to be safe, and then she let go with one hand, reaching the other higher, higher… Yes! She could touch the coconut! If she just pushed a little higher, she’d be able to grab it and pull it down.\n\nOh… Hopefully it wouldn't hit her parents when she dropped it down!\n\nShe looked down there and waved her arm, trying to get them to go further away from the tree. It wasn't working. They were both just panicking down there, pointing and shouting for her to come down. She groaned, waving her arm harder. They had to move! She wasn't coming down until she had her coconut, and she couldn't get her coconut until they moved out of the way.\n\nSomething cracked!\n\nEllie had only a blink of an eye to gasp. Before she could reach her other hand back to grab another frond, the one she was holding snapped off. She [I]dropped[/I].\n\nIt was like it happened in slow motion, but she still couldn't do anything to save herself. She heard somebody screaming and she didn’t even know it was herself.\n\nThe next thing she knew, she was in Dad’s arms, lying in the sand. Had he caught her? Or did she just land okay in the soft, fluffy sand? She didn’t feel like she hurt too bad … probably. Her butt was kind of sore, but it wasn't even enough to make her cry or anything. Was she actually okay?\n\nShe looked up. The coconut was still in the tree. Stupid coconut. She decided she hated coconuts now.\n\nMom was right there too, along with a little crowd of concerned onlookers. Ellie kind of resented them. It wasn't their business, and she was fine. She was probably fine. She felt mostly okay.\n\n“You’re lucky your father caught you!” Mom said. “We [I]told[/I] you not to climb that tree, and now look what happened!”\n\n“I’m okay,” Ellie said, blushing at all the attention. She didn’t really like the way all those strangers were looking at her. And it was annoying that her triumphant moment ended up getting her babied all over again. She squirmed a little, trying to get out of Dad’s hands and stand on her own two feet again – she could at least be [I]that[/I] much of a big girl.\n\nThankfully, Dad let her go. “You’re sure you’re okay, Ellie?” He still fussed over her, examining her backside.\n\nMom huffed. “Now look at you! This is why you [I]have[/I] to do what we say, young lady!”\n\n“It’s alright.” Dad held his hands up. “No permanent harm done, I think. And I’m pretty sure Ellie’s already learned her lesson about this one.” He squatted down, getting close to Ellie. “Haven’t you?”\n\nEllie sighed and nodded. No more coconuts for her!\n\n“And look at your poor swimsuit, the one you were so happy about,” Mom went on. “What are we going to do now, hm?”\n\nEllie looked down at her swimsuit … [I]and it wasn't there![/I]\n\nInstantly, she clasped both hands between her legs. Where was her swimsuit? She looked around her on the sand – nothing. But… She looked up. There! Hanging on the old palm fronds by the straps, flapping in the breeze, were three red triangles, looking like little flags now. They looked torn, and at least one of the straps had come completely off.\n\nShe pointed at it, but only for a moment, before making sure her privates were covered again. All these people around were watching. “Up there!” she said. “My swimsuit! I have to go get it!” Only after she said that did she think of how horribly embarrassing it would be to climb the tree in front of everybody, but [I]naked[/I] this time. What was she going to do?\n\n“You are [I]not[/I] going up that tree again,” Mom said, as if answering Ellie’s thoughts.\n\n“But I have to! I can’t…” She couldn't be [I]naked[/I] on the beach! It was … it was [I]wrong[/I]. She wasn't supposed to be naked here!\n\nMom shook her head and looked away with her arms crossed. “I [I]told[/I] you that bikini was a bad idea!”\n\n“You said I could wear it…”\n\n“Don’t worry.” Dad rubbed Ellie’s back. “It’s alright. Nudity is allowed on these beaches, after all, and nobody’s going to care if a girl like you isn’t wearing a swimsuit. Look—” he pointed “—that lady isn’t wearing a swimsuit either. It’s fine here.”\n\nEllie looked. And yeah, that old armadillo lady wasn't wearing anything at all, and her wrinkly boobies were hanging way [I]way[/I] down. She wished she hadn’t looked. The lady turned with an indignant huff and slowly walked away.\n\nStill carefully covering herself with her hands, Ellie finally stood up. Wow, her butt [I]was[/I] pretty sore. Dad must have caught her there. She wished she had more hands to cover her butt with. She was using both hands to make sure her privates were hidden, but she couldn't cover her bottom at all. If only she had a big fluffy tail like a fox or a squirrel! Everybody behind her would be able to see it, to see all of her back there!\n\n“Gimme a towel,” she said in a rush, looking desperately up at Mom.\n\nMom just shook her head.\n\n“You can’t wear a towel all day,” Dad said. “Just think of trying to swim in it. You want to swim, don’t you?”\n\nEllie nodded. It was true. She was really looking forward to swimming. Dad said she was a really really good swimmer, almost as good as he was when he was young. And he’d also said that swimming in the ocean was completely different because of the waves and because salt water would hold you up better. So she really wanted to try it. And he was right – she couldn't swim with a towel on…\n\n“And just think of how sandy and gross your towel would get after wearing it all day here.”\n\nWell, okay… No towel, then. But what was she going to do? She couldn't [I]really[/I] go around naked, could she?\n\nShe turned to Mom. “Can we go to a store? I need a new one!”\n\n“At [I]these[/I] inflated tourist-town prices? After [I]you[/I] were the one who insisted you didn’t need to pack any spare swimsuits?” Mom huffed. “I think not!”\n\n“But—”\n\n“Now now, Ellie. You shouldn’t talk back to your mother.” For some reason, Dad was grinning and digging into the big bag he’d brought.\n\n“But—!”\n\n“[I]Instead[/I],” Dad said, whipping a bright yellow squirt gun out of the bag, “you should [I]squirt[/I] back at her!” He took aim at Mom and unleashed a volley of squirts.\n\n“[I]Ryan![/I]” Mom squealed, blocking herself with her hands.\n\nJust as Mom started chasing him, Dad threw another squirt gun – a red one – to Ellie. “Come on, Ellie! I need reinforcements!” He ran as fast as he could.\n\nEllie caught the squirt gun in both hands, not even thinking about how she was uncovering herself in order to do so. And after just a [I]short[/I] moment of hesitation, she started chasing after Mom just as Mom was chasing after Dad. Ellie’s squirts weren’t even getting close to Mom most of the time, but it didn’t matter this was [I]fun![/I]\n\nStill chasing Dad, mom looked over her shoulder back at Ellie. “If you keep squirting me, no popsicles!”\n\nEllie stopped with a gasp. [I]What? No popsicles?[/I] That wouldn't do… So she’d just have to chase after Dad instead! After all, he did deserve to be squirted – he was the one who started it in the first place!\n\n[center]🥥 🥥 🥥[/center]\n\nDad shouted to her over the crash of the waves, “Come on, Ellie! You can do it!”\n\nEllie forced her way onward through the water, even though it felt like she wasn't actually making any progress at all. She’d move forward, but then it felt like the next wave just pushed her right back. Swimming in the ocean was [I]hard[/I] – a lot harder than she’d expected!\n\nAt least nobody could look at her while she was swimming, though, which was a big part of why she’d wanted to go right to swimming as soon as the squirt gun wars were over … which actually didn’t take [I]that[/I] long because the squirt guns didn’t hold very much water. And of course Dad had literally jumped at the opportunity to show off his swimming. He used to be really really good, like swimming in the [I]Olympics[/I] good! And that was also why he was so far ahead of Ellie, despite Ellie being a pretty good swimmer herself.\n\nA little tired now, Ellie stood up. Or … she tried to. But even at the lowest point of the next wave, she couldn't touch the bottom at all!\n\nShe looked down, and that only made it worse. The water was foamy and murky, and she couldn't see [I]anything[/I] down there, not even her own body. And … and she had no idea how deep it was here! The bottom might be just beneath her toes or it might be miles and miles down! She swam harder, lifting herself a little out of the water, as if that would help.\n\n“Just a little further, Ellie! It gets a lot calmer out here past the sandbar!”\n\nEllie’s toes curled. She felt like she [I]knew[/I] some terrible sea monster was about to swim up behind her and chomp on her tail…\n\n“You’re a great swimmer – you can make it!”\n\nIt wasn't about being good at swimming! Did she really want to go into [I]even deeper[/I] water?\n\nYes. Yes she did!\n\nShe would have stomped if there was anything for her to stomp on. Maybe a sea monster’s head. She wasn't the kind of girl to be all scaredy like this! Well, okay, maybe she was. But she was never, ever going to let something like that actually [I]stop[/I] her from anything! She was going to be brave, and she was going to [I]prove[/I] to Dad just how brave she really was!\n\nResolute now, she started pushing forward again, fighting the waves harder than ever. And to heck with the sea monsters! If she was going to get snatched up by a sea monster, at least she’d get snatched while being brave!\n\nDad had stopped swimming and was waiting for her out there in the deep part past the sandbar. She made it to him pretty quickly, actually. And she swam right into his open arms.\n\nHe hugged her tight, his powerful legs enough to keep both of them afloat. “There’s my girl!”\n\nShe looked around herself when they separated, especially looking down.\n\n“What’s the matter, Ellie?”\n\nShe was still looking, curling her tail tightly around her body. “Are there sea monsters here?” she asked.\n\nDad laughed.\n\n“Daddy! I’m serious!”\n\nHe grinned. “Oh there’s [I]one[/I] sea monster here…”\n\nEllie’s eyes went wide. She would have frozen in place if she could without sinking. Sinking down to where the sea monsters were.\n\n“His name is Ryan, and he’s black and white and brown spotted, and if he catches you, he’s gonna [I]gobble you up![/I]” He came toward her, swimming fast.\n\nWith a squeal, Ellie turned and swam toward shore absolutely as fast as she could. She was [I]scrambling[/I] in the water, not even using the good techniques Dad had taught her. And she was screaming and giggling the whole way!\n\nWhen she slogged up the wet sand and shook the water off herself, she didn’t even remember that she was naked. She was too busy pointing and laughing at Dad, who couldn't even make it to shore as fast as she did, even though he was supposed to be a [I]way[/I] better swimmer.\n\nDad, though, was still in sea monster mode and snatched her up, carrying her toward Mom. “Now I’m gonna take you to my mate and have her cook you up into a mouse sandwich for me!” He growled fiercely.\n\nEllie squealed and laughed and struggled, but she couldn't get free that easily…\n\n[center]🌊 🌊 🌊[/center]\n\nJust at the edge of the wet sand, Ellie once again dug in the little plastic spade they’d brought. All she had so far was a pile of soggy sand, but what she was [I]going[/I] to have was a beautiful sandcastle! The best one she’d ever made!\n\nWell, the [I]only[/I] one she’d ever made. But still, it was going to be really really good – she was sure of that.\n\nOkay… The pile looked big enough. Probably. And anyway, she could always add more sand later. The beach had [I]plenty[/I] of sand. Now she had to start [I]shaping[/I] it. Okay, so, um… What did a castle really look like, anyway? Lots of turrets and walls and pointy towers, but what shape should she [I]start[/I] with? Hm… A square. Squares were good shapes. She’d start with a square castle!\n\nCarefully, she started packing the sand into a more cube-like shape, sharpening out the corners, and—\n\n“Hey, you’re makin’ a sandcastle?”\n\nEllie looked up from her project. Two boys stood over her, wearing matching red swim trunks. They were bigger than her, much bigger. The dog – some kind of pug – probably wasn't actually any taller than her, but he was definitely a lot bigger around the middle, and probably still a little older than her. And the rat boy was [I]big[/I], probably almost a teenager! He was all white just like her, but he’d dyed his hair dark black, and there was something about the way his fur was raggedy at the edges that made him seem kind of scary. They were both smiling, though … and they hadn’t done anything unfriendly [I]yet[/I]. They weren’t going to kick her sandcastle over, were they? She’d only just barely started on it!\n\n“Um… Uh-huh,” she said carefully. “It’s, um … it’s gonna be a square one.”\n\n“I’m Amos!” the pug said. “And this is my friend Garett.”\n\nThe rat rolled his eyes. Amos elbowed him. He rolled his eyes [I]even harder[/I]. But then went right back to staring at Ellie.\n\nIt didn’t stop Amos. “Garett thinks maybe you could use some help building your sandcastle? We’d, um… We’d like to help, if you want.”\n\nThey wanted to [I]help[/I] her? Ellie gasped and grinned. “Okay!”\n\nRight away, the boys came in close and got down on their knees next to her, helping her make the base of her castle more square. Their hands were bigger than hers, but … that was about all they were good for, actually. Both of them seemed [I]really[/I] distracted with something. Ellie sure didn’t know what had the two of them so scatter-brained. Maybe they were always like that? But they sure had a hard time following instructions, and they spent a lot of time looking at her instead of looking at what they were doing.\n\nStill, though, things did go a bit faster once they were helping. Amos, the chubby pug, was actually pretty skilled at carving the wet sand into intricate shapes … when he’d actually take a moment to [I]look[/I] at what he was doing. And Garett kept bumping into her over and over – especially when she was trying to bend down and work on something delicate – but whenever they needed fresh sand or more water brought in, he was on it lickety-split. He’d [I]run[/I] over to get it and [I]run[/I] back, like he didn’t want to be away at all.\n\nBoth of them seemed to need to adjust their swim trunks a lot. It was weird. She was pretty sure boys had something dangly down there. That’s what the other girls at school said. But whatever it was, it must have been making their swimsuits really uncomfortable, because they had to shift things around over and over. She was glad she didn’t have to deal with anything like that!\n\nUnder Ellie’s not-so-expert supervision, the three of them actually ended up building a really nice sandcastle. It wasn't as square as Ellie had been imagining, since the walls had slumped at one point, but it still had nice round towers at the corner, a big pointy tower in the middle, and even cute little windows and doors, thanks to Amos’s sand carving.\n\nEllie stepped back and looked at it, her hands on her hips. “It’s perfect!”\n\n“Heh heh. Yeah…” Garett said. He wasn't even looking at the sandcastle – he was just staring at her. Boys could be so weird sometimes.\n\nAmos was looking back and forth between her and the castle, like he couldn't decide which one to stare at more. He looked like he was about to say something, but then he suddenly stopped himself.\n\nGarett wasn't so shy, though. He put a hand on Ellie’s shoulder. “Say… Now that we’re done with the sandcastle, wanna come over to our place?”\n\nAmos grabbed his friend’s hand and pulled him away. “Garett! Are you crazy! We … we can’t have a … a [I]girl[/I] over! My mom’ll go crazy!”\n\n“Don’t be such a weenie.” Garett huffed and swept his black hair back, looking back down at Ellie. He licked his lips a little. “We have [I]pizza[/I]…”\n\nEllie’s eyes lit up. “[I]Pizza?[/I]” She licked her own lips.\n\nThe older boy’s grip on her shoulder tightened a little, and he steered her away from the water, toward one of the big condo buildings by the beach. “Yeah. Come on, we’ll hang out, eat some pizza, maybe watch a movie…”\n\n“I… I don’t know about this…” Amos’s voice was trembling.\n\n“Shut up, Amos!” the rat said, almost hissing it out. “I’m [I]trying[/I] to get us some [I]fun[/I], see?”\n\nBefore Ellie could go anywhere with the two of them, though, Dad came up to the three of them. Despite being ‘only’ a mouse, he was still an actual grown-up and a lot bigger than Garett. “[I]There’s[/I] my little girl!” he said. “And wow, what a great sandcastle you’ve built!”\n\nEllie laughed. “These boys helped me build it!”\n\nDad nodded and smiled … though there was a weird look in his eyes.\n\nEllie hardly noticed though. She was still grinning. “Can I go visit their house? They have pizza!”\n\nDad squinted at the boys.\n\nYanking his hand off of Ellie’s shoulder, Garret pointed to his friend. “It was his idea!”\n\n“[I]What?[/I]” Amos covered his face. “No! I… I didn’t…! I… No it’s not!”\n\n“Uh-huh…” Dad gave them another long look, less smiley now. “Sorry, boys, but we were [I]just[/I] getting ready to have a family volleyball game, and we’re [I]definitely[/I] going to need Ellie on our side if we’re going to win.”\n\nAmos shook his head vehemently. “I… I wasn't gonna… We weren’t gonna [I]do[/I] anything, promise!”\n\nGarett grabbed him and started dragging him away. “Come on! Let’s scram!”\n\nSmiling and waving, Ellie watched them go. “Bye, Amos! Bye, Garett! Thanks for helping me with my sandcastle!” She looked up at Dad. “Those boys were kinda scary at first, but they were actually really really nice!”\n\nDad patted her head. “You always do have a way of making friends, don’t you? But you have to remember, no going off with anybody else without permission, okay? You [I]have[/I] to come ask permission from your mom and dad first, got it?”\n\n“Uh-huh! I know!” Ellie grinned up at him. “I wasn't gonna go without asking first!”\n\n“That’s my girl.”\n\n“And now we’re gonna play volleyball?”\n\n“Yep – come on. There’s a net set up in the sand just over there, and your mom already found us another family to play against.”\n\n[center]🏰 🏰 🏰[/center]\n\n“Quick, Ellie! Get it!”\n\nMom didn’t need to say that – Ellie was already on her way, [I]running[/I] right up next to the net. The ball had gone really really high after Mom barely got it. There would [I]definitely[/I] be time for Ellie to get there!\n\nShe didn’t even have to dive for it. Ellie got there in plenty of time. She watched the ball fall down, got in [I]perfect[/I] position to hit it back over the net … and … [I]slam![/I]\n\nIt bounced [I]totally[/I] the wrong way, straight back at Dad! [I]Slap![/I] It smacked him right in the face!\n\nEllie knew she should have been apologizing … but she could only laugh. She covered her mouth to try to stop herself, but there was no hiding it. It was just too funny – the look on his face, all surprised and devastated. He must have wanted that ball to go back over the net [I]so[/I] badly, but it went straight into his face instead!\n\n“Ellie!” Mom said. “Apologize!”\n\n“I’m—” she snickered some more “—sorry!”\n\nDad just shrugged it off and tossed the ball to the other team. Since they’d made the point, it was their serve next.\n\nSlowly, Ellie managed to calm herself. Okay … okay. She could do this. Her family could do this.\n\nHonestly, she wasn’t very good at it – after all, it was her first time trying to play in soft sand, and she’d only played volleyball [I]at all[/I] a couple of times before at school. Despite that, though, her family was actually doing pretty good. The score was nine to four now, if she remembered right.\n\nThe other family was a single dad and his two teenage boys, all of them kangaroos, which meant they were really good at jumping. And they probably [I]should[/I] have been winning really easily. But maybe [I]they[/I] just weren’t very good, either. They seemed really … distracted, somehow? They’d often miss a ball going straight for them because they were too busy staring at something else. They were looking at Ellie herself a lot of the time, even when she didn’t have the ball. But she couldn't for the life of her figure out why they’d be looking at [I]her[/I] so much. She was just a little girl, after all. And she definitely wasn't the best player on her team.\n\nThe best player was probably Mom. Dad was definitely more athletic and better at crossing the field really fast when he needed to, but Mom was actually just [I]crazy[/I] good at hitting the ball. She was able to aim it [I]right[/I] where she wanted it. A lot of their nine points had been scored when Mom was serving – she was able to slam the ball straight into the worst part of the other side’s court, where they were furthest from.\n\n[I]Pop![/I] The ball came flying over again, low and to the right. That kangaroo dad was pretty good at serving, too!\n\nEllie jumped to get it, but she was still a lot shorter than the net, so this close in she didn’t even come close to touching it.\n\nDad was there, though. As Ellie crashed down into the sand, landing in an ungainly sprawl, Dad raced across their side of the court, dove for it, and hit the ball back just in time!\n\nWith both Dad and Ellie herself on the ground, it would have been [I]so[/I] easy for the two kangaroo boys to slam it back to their side and score a point. The ball was headed right between them, and they were [I]both[/I] going for it.\n\nThey weren’t looking at the ball, though… They were staring at her again.\n\nIt turned out that Ellie didn’t need to rush to get up like she’d been trying to. The kangaroo boys [I]slammed[/I] into each other, not even looking where they were going. The ball thudded into the sand right behind them as they fell.\n\n“Woohoo!” Mom yelled out. “That’s ten points! We win!”\n\nEllie shook the sand off herself, then shouted as well, scrambling over to hug Dad, who’d only just managed to pick [I]himself[/I] up.\n\nMom joined them only a moment later. “Oh my… I haven’t played like that in [I]ages[/I]. Makes me think maybe I should find a local league or something…”\n\nDad chuckled. “I don’t think it would be so easy if it weren’t for us having Ellie on the team. Those poor boys were awfully distracted, weren’t they?”\n\n“Uh-huh!” Ellie looked back over at them. They were waving, so she waved back before looking up at Dad again. “Why are they so distracted, Daddy?”\n\nDad patted her head. “Don’t worry about it, kiddo.”\n\n“But—”\n\n“How about we celebrate our win with popsicles?” Mom said.\n\nNow it was Ellie’s turn to be entirely distracted. “Popsicles? [I]Yes![/I]”\n\nBefore she could run off toward the popsicle stand they’d seen at the edge of the beach, though, Dad grabbed Ellie by the arm. “Easy there,” he said. “We’re both pretty sandy now. How about we go rinse off with a swim first, and then we’ll meet Mom at the popsicle stand?”\n\n“Better yet,” Mom said, “just tell me what flavors you’d like, and I’ll meet you with them halfway.”\n\n“Chocolate!” Ellie yelled out immediately. She didn’t need to think about it. She’d been [I]obsessed[/I] with chocolate for a while now. Not sure why, but it made her feel really really good!\n\nDad actually had to think for a while longer. “Hm… Banana or piña colada… Something tropical like that, I think. Whatever they’ve got.”\n\n“Ooh, that sounds good.” Mom grinned. “If they have both, I’m getting both, and we can share each other’s.”\n\nEllie cringed. “Ew! They’ll be all spitty, though!”\n\nMom kissed Dad, right on the lips, making Ellie look away. “I don’t mind,” Mom said.\n\nEllie stuck her tongue out. Why did Mom and Dad have to be so [I]gross[/I] sometimes?\n\nDad took her hand and headed off toward the water, leading her along. “Come on, Ellie. Let’s go for a swim and get this sand off.”\n\nOkay. Swimming with Dad was always fun. And then … popsicles! Only, she hoped they wouldn't have both flavors Dad wanted, because she did [I]not[/I] want to watch them sharing!\n\n[center]🏐 🏐 🏐[/center]\n\nThe streetlights were on by the time Ellie and her family were going back to their hotel. Ellie had been getting kind of hungry and wanted to go back sooner, but Mom had [I]insisted[/I] that they had to stay and watch the sunset.\n\nThe sunset was nice and all … but it wasn't as nice as [I]dinner[/I]. Even while she’d been sitting on the sand and watching the fun colors in the sky, Ellie had been thinking back to those boys who’d offered her pizza. [I]Wow[/I] a pizza would be just perfect right now! She felt like she could eat a whole pizza all by herself, every single slice!\n\nHopefully the hotel would have some pizza. Or [I]something[/I] tasty. Dad said they’d have [I]everything[/I] there, anything she could want. Well, she’d just have to wait and see. Just like the trip to the beach, the walk [I]back[/I] from the beach seemed to be taking [I]forever[/I].\n\nIt was still kind of sunset. They’d left the beach when the sun dipped down below the horizon – it was Ellie’s first time actually seeing that happen. Everything was way too hilly back home to actually see the horizon like that. It wasn't completely dark, though. The sky where the sun had gone down was still glowing red and orange, which actually kind of blended in with the orange streetlights.\n\nThe breeze coming in off the ocean was actually starting to get a little chilly, though. Ellie held her arms close to herself … and was actually kind of surprised to feel her bare fur.\n\nOh, that’s right… Her swimsuit!\n\nShe looked down at herself suddenly. And yep. There she was, walking down the street with her mom and dad, completely and totally [I]naked[/I].\n\nAnd … and weirdly, it wasn't bothering her. Not really. Her step only faltered for a moment before she went back to walking. She didn’t even try to cover herself or wrap up in a towel or anything. Even though the street was busy and lots of people were driving or walking by, she felt … used to it somehow?\n\nOnly, that wasn't quite right. No, she definitely felt it. That feeling wasn't just the cool breeze on her bare fur. But she didn’t know what to call it. She didn’t have any word for this feeling yet…\n\nIt was … tingly? And kind of exciting. It made her really really aware of herself and the way she was walking, and aware of the way passing strangers were looking at her. But instead of making her feel scared and ashamed, it made her feel … warm? Like a big swell of warmth in her chest. They could see! They could see everything, even between her legs! And all it did was make her kind of buzz from the inside out … like there were sparking wires inside her or those sparkler fireworks you could hold in your hand or something. Her fur was standing on end … but it was kind of a [I]good[/I] standing on end?\n\nShe wondered what she might look like to these other people going by. Since nudity was okay on the beach, surely they saw some naked people coming to and from the beach sometimes, right? So maybe the people here were used to it. But a lot of them [I]were[/I] looking at her, and staring really hard. That should have been scary, but it was actually kind of exciting.\n\nLike … she [I]knew[/I] she was really vulnerable, exposed like this. If any of the other kids at school saw her now, they’d make fun of her for a long, long time. But … none of the kids from school were here. Only strangers she’d never see again.\n\nIt was almost [I]better[/I] than the feeling she’d had showing off her Valentina swimsuit. Because now it wasn't her swimsuit being special, it was [I]her[/I] being special. It made her feel alive and … and [I]aware[/I] of herself like she never really had before. Her eyes were wide and her breathing came heavy. If Dad hadn’t been holding her hand to keep her safe, she might have wandered off, not paying any attention to where she was going, because it was just so interesting to [I]feel[/I] this new feeling, this tingling all over her body and even [I]inside[/I] her body. Like she could feel every single eye looking at her, and they [I]tickled![/I]\n\n[center]🌅 🌅 🌅[/center]\n\nEverything changed when they stepped inside the hotel. As if those automatic sliding doors were a portal to a different dimension, a portal back to [I]normal[/I].\n\nSuddenly, she was no longer in a different, special beach world where it was okay to be naked. This was inside a hotel. She’d been inside lots of hotels like this, and most of them were just the same. It was [I]chilly[/I] in here – the air conditioning was turned way down cold. There was a tile pathway through the middle of the lobby, with carpeted sections on either side with chairs and sofas and stuff.\n\nNot many people in here… One old badger sitting on one of the couches and looking at her over the top of his newspaper. Another family, all ferrets, who seemed to be on their way out somewhere fancy, based on how they were dressed. And the hotel receptionist, at a desk just in front of the elevators.\n\nTo the right was a big doorway that led into the hotel’s bustling restaurant. But despite the [I]really[/I] yummy smells wafting out of there [I]and[/I] her own hunger, food was the last thing on her mind right now.\n\nBecause the good, tingly feeling of being naked was [I]gone[/I]. Now that they were in a normal place, Ellie felt the [I]normal[/I] kind of naked – scared, embarrassed, naughty and [I]wrong[/I] naked! She wasn't supposed to be naked here! People weren’t supposed to [I]see[/I] her naked here!\n\nShe was about to instinctively cover herself, but then she realized that would only make her look [I]more[/I] naked to anyone watching. To cover herself up would be to [I]admit[/I] that being naked here was wrong, that she was being bad. If … if anybody said anything about it right now, she could just say she came from the beach and it was perfectly okay. It was, wasn't it? Even if it didn’t feel like it anymore. But if she was covering herself up and hiding, then that wouldn't mean anything. They’d [I]know[/I] she was just making excuses!\n\nThat badger was still looking at her disapprovingly. Even the security camera in the lobby was staring, its cold eye glinting as it pivoted to track her. As she followed Dad up to the hotel receptionist, [I]she[/I] looked down at Ellie with a sharp-eyed glare, too. It didn’t help that she was a cat. Cats were always [I]good[/I] at glaring, and of course being a mouse, Ellie was always uncomfortable around cats in the first place.\n\nDad went right up to the receptionist, though. He didn’t seem bothered at all. And he started asking her all kinds of things about room service rates, and what was and wasn't included in the vacation package he’d gotten.\n\nEllie tugged on his hand. “Daddy, Daddy!”\n\nMom grabbed her shoulder. “It’s rude to interrupt dear, just wait a minute.”\n\n[I]A whole minute?[/I] Ellie fidgeted in place, squirming under the unfriendly eyes of everyone else in the big, scary room. But she couldn't cover herself. She [I]had[/I] to stop from covering herself, no matter how much she wanted to. But she couldn't be like this for a whole minute! She couldn't be [I]naked![/I] She wasn't supposed to be naked! Not here!\n\nIt was [I]agony[/I]. It felt like Dad was chatting with the receptionist [I]forever[/I]. It felt like eyes all around her were burning into her, seeing far more of her than just fur, seeing [I]all[/I] of her, every embarrassing thing she’d ever said or done. Especially [I]this[/I] embarrassing thing! Her face was burning hot – she knew she was blushing super hard. It was the most embarrassing thing that had ever happened to her!\n\n[I]When[/I] would Dad be done talking? [I]When[/I] would this finally be over?\n\nFinally, [I]finally[/I], he was done. He thanked the receptionist and started heading to the elevators just behind her.\n\n“Daddy! Daddy!” Ellie said. “Can I have a towel?”\n\nBut Dad just rolled his eyes. “Really? We’re almost back at the room already, and [I]now[/I] you want a towel?”\n\nShe nodded fervently.\n\nMom put a hand against Ellie’s back and nudged her forward to the opening elevator door. “Don’t worry, sweetie. We’ll be back in the room soon and then you can get dressed. And besides, there’s nobody else in the elevator to see you.”\n\nThat was true. Ellie rushed inside it. Thankfully Mom and Dad came in quickly as well. Dad pushed the button and the doors closed.\n\nEllie looked up at them. “Please!”\n\nMom sighed. “Ellie, goodness! What’s gotten into you all the sudden? You’ve been fine all day, you wan wait a little longer. Besides, all the towels we have are wet or sandy now. Do you want to have to shower before you can get dressed again? We’ll be back up at the room in just a minute.”\n\nIt was the longest, longest ‘minute’ Ellie had ever experienced.\n\nOnce the elevator door opened, she [I]ran[/I] down the hallway.\n\n“No running!” Mom shouted.\n\nBut Ellie ignored her. She could worry about being in trouble for running later. Right now, she just really really needed to get back in the room, to get her clothes, to get [I]covered up[/I].\n\nRunning didn’t really help in the end anyway. Because she didn’t have a room key. She had to wait for Mom and Dad to catch up, for Dad to swipe his room key…\n\nEllie didn’t even wait for him to open the door for her. As soon as the lock beeped and clicked, she grabbed the handle and pulled it open. She [I]rushed[/I] inside, straight to her suitcase, where she tore through it.\n\nThere! Undies, yes. And … sweatpants, perfect! And a long-sleeve shirt! She put it all on as fast as she could. Right now, it felt like the more clothes she could put on, the better it would be.\n\nEven better, her clothes were warm and comfy. Almost like being snuggled up in a soothing blanket. [I]Finally, finally[/I], she didn’t have to be naked anymore!\n\nBy the time Mom and Dad had put down their bags, Ellie was already dressed, hugging herself in relief.\n\nDad laughed. “Wow, I wish Ellie could get ready this fast when it was time for school in the morning!”\n\n“Probably just eager for dinner, dear,” Mom sad.\n\n“Hmm…” Dad thought for a moment, then nodded. “Alright, Ellie. Do you think you can find some cartoons to watch or something? Your mom and I need a quick shower first, and then once we’re dressed again, we’ll order room service. Just like I said, [I]anything[/I] you want!”\n\nEllie nodded along. She sat on the edge of one of the beds and stared at the blank black screen of the TV.\n\nShe wasn't ready for cartoons yet. She … she had a lot to think about.\n\nNow that she had her clothes on and could be comfortable again, she was remembering all of it, everything that had happened. Both the bad and the … good? Yes … some if it had been good. Could it actually be [I]good[/I] to be naked sometimes? It had been really bad and scary in the hotel, though. What was the difference? Why had one been so good and the other so bad? And … and would she beg her parents for a new swimsuit before tomorrow, or would she go to the beach naked tomorrow, too?\n\n\n\n\n[center][b]CHAPTER 2\nELLIE DISPLAYED[/b][/center]\n\nEllie rolled her eyes and stared out through the car window. “I [I]know[/I], Mom.”\n\n“I know you know, but I need to make sure you [I]really[/I] know how important this is!” Mom was driving, but that didn’t distract her from lecturing the [I]whole[/I] way to the photoshoot about how important it was. “This isn’t just another set of pictures to post online, this is [I]the[/I] Elizah Cunningham.”\n\n“‘The most prominent up and coming avant-garde photographer in the whole region!’” Ellie said, imitating Mom’s voice. “I told you, I [I]know[/I] already.”\n\n“Well do you know what this [I]means[/I] for you? This could be the beginning of your career, the [I]real[/I] beginning!”\n\nEllie didn’t respond this time. She just watched the buildings and cars and parking lots passing by outside the window. She wished they were [I]there[/I] already, and not just because it really was an exciting opportunity for her to do a real modeling job with a real photographer – a [I]paid[/I] job … because the sooner they got there, the sooner Mom would [I]maybe[/I] finally shut up about how important it was. Maybe.\n\n“Now remember, you are to do whatever Mister Cunningham asks of you, immediately, and without asking any questions. He’s the artist, and you’re the model. Remember, you’re like a canvas for him to paint on, and no artist wants a canvas that’s unruly or talks back.”\n\n“I know.”\n\n“Good, good.” Mom dug into her purse and suddenly shoved a couple snack bars at her. “Now eat up. You can’t expect any lunch breaks during a professional photoshoot!”\n\nEllie took a look at them. “[I]Ew![/I] Coconut? Come on, Mom. You [I]know[/I] I hate coconut!”\n\nHer eyes still on the road, Mom held the snacks out insistently. With a heavy sigh, Ellie took them. Why did it have to be coconut? Why did Mom even buy those things?\n\n[center]🥥 🥥 🥥[/center]\n\nDanny fidgeted in place, already feeling like he didn’t belong here. The other models waiting in the room with him looked so elegant and poised, like they were just beginning to grow into their good looks. But he was a bunny, and even at only thirteen he knew that his time as a model was going to be short. And that short time was already coming to an end soon. Nobody wanted an [I]adult[/I] male bunny as a model. All he had going for him was his cuteness, and he already knew that his cuteness was limited. As soon as he really hit puberty, his career was basically over.\n\nAnd yet, his mom couldn't accept that. The whole way here, she’d been telling him how important this photoshoot was to his future. [I]What future?[/I] Girl bunnies could keep working as adults, but who would want to hire a bunny [I]man?[/I]\n\nThe last of the five models finally arrived – a short and thin white mouse being led by the hand by her mom … who seemed just a bigger, taller version of her.\n\nHe waved at the mouse and tried to smile … not very successfully.\n\nThe smile she gave in return was a lot more genuine. And that only made him feel [I]worse[/I] about himself. He couldn't even smile right. Had he [I]already[/I] lost his cute charm? Once the photographer showed up, he’d probably kick Danny out right from the start. And he’d probably be right to do it. Who’d want to look at pictures of an average-looking brown teenage bunny who couldn't even smile right?\n\nAs the new mouse girl looked around the studio, she suddenly gasped. “[I]Mom![/I]” she whined. “Look! There’s a whole catering table set up. See? I didn’t have to eat that nasty coconut stuff!”\n\nDanny actually [I]did[/I] smile at that. A real smile. It reminded him of how his own mom kept forcing him into different diets she’d read about on the internet, always worried that he was going to get ‘chubby’ and ruin his career if he didn’t totally change everything he ate to match whatever wacky thing she’d read lately. No carb, all carb, low fat, no fat, high fat, healthy fat, nuts and grains, blueberries in everything, high protein, vegan, everything as a smoothie… It just went on and on, something new every week. The smoothie one was the worst. ‘Pizza smoothies’ were [I]not[/I] a good idea! But seeing the mouse girl complain reminded him that these other models probably all had a lot of the same struggles he went through. Even if they all looked better and fancier on the outside, they probably had a lot in common on the inside. Probably. Maybe.\n\nThe new girl came over to stand next to him. All five of the models here had lined themselves up near the wall of the studio, where there were a few chairs. Nobody was sitting in the chairs, but it just seemed like the right place to wait.\n\nBefore he could say anything to her, though, the door on the far side of the studio opened, and out of the little adjoining office came [I]Elizah Cunningham[/I].\n\nDanny’s jaw dropped. There just wasn't any other possible reaction to someone like [I]that[/I]. He was a tall – [I]very[/I] tall gray fox. He wore a fluffy purple leopard-print … bathrobe? There was nothing underneath it except a tiny tight pair of white shorts, and it was open at the chest, displaying just how thin – almost emaciated – he was. And from the moment he burst in through the door, he strutted like he owned the place … which maybe he actually did. And his [I]eyes![/I] So blue they seemed to glow!\n\n“Ah, everyone’s here. [I]Marvelous![/I]” He seemed to cross the entire huge studio floor in only a couple of strides with his long, thin legs.\n\nDanny gulped. Whenever those striking blue eyes so much as [I]glanced[/I] over him, he felt like he was going to freeze on the spot, fall over, and shatter into a bajillion pieces.\n\nMister Cunningham stopped dead center in front of the five young models. For a long moment, he just stared at each of them in turn, sizing them up.\n\nDanny tried not to flinch when those eyes flicked toward him. He wasn't sure if he pulled it off.\n\nFinally, Mister Cunningham whipped a finger up, pointing it at the first model in line. “You! Introduce yourself! I must know all of you!”\n\nBefore the girl – a white fox – could say anything, the heavyset coyote guy behind her, probably her dad or uncle or something, answered for her. “Oh, this is Gabriella Martinez. She’s sixteen years old and—”\n\nMister Cunningham blocked his eyes with one hand and held his other hand up to stop the coyote from talking. “No no no no no NO!”\n\nThe coyote stopped, his mouth still open.\n\n“I must hear my models introduce [I]themselves[/I] if I am to know them! No parents! No babysitters!” He whipped his hand toward the door, pointing fiercely. “Parents [I]OUT![/I]”\n\nSeveral of the parents, including Danny’s own mom all started to say things at once.\n\nMister Cunningham shut them all down with an intense, sudden look. His eyes glinted so fiercely!\n\nFor a moment, there was complete silence. Then, one by one, all the other adults left the studio, just as they’d been told. Danny watched his mom slink out through the door, amazed that Mister Cunningham had managed to get her out so easily, without complaints or bargaining. Wow…\n\nWhen the door shut behind them all, Mister Cunningham breathed in … and in … and in… His thin chest swelled and [I]still[/I] he breathed in. Could he inflate himself like a balloon? After seeing everything so far, Danny would believe it. He’d believe almost anything about this magical fox at this point.\n\nFinally, Mister Cunningham let out all that breath in a big explosive sigh. “Aaah! Now isn’t that better?”\n\nNone of the models – Danny included – felt like they could respond to that.\n\n“I will begin. I am Sir Elizah Aurulius Cunningham, age forty-seven, desert fox. But you may very please call me only ‘Elizah’. I took my first photograph when I was two years old. It was brilliant. And I have taken many more photographs since then, those others have also been brilliant. Over time, many have come to recognize that brilliance, and today, I am to create even [I]more[/I] brilliance, and you five beautiful innocent souls will be the centerpieces of that brilliance.”\n\nHe waited for a moment. Still, nobody else said anything.\n\nElizah gestured toward the first girl again, the white fox. He held his hand out as if expecting her to put something in it. The expression on his face, though, seemed perfectly patient, as if he was willing to wait hours for her to finally be ready.\n\nIt didn’t take hours. She shook herself slightly to fluff her fur, stood up straighter, and put on a convincing but definitely fake smile. “I’m Gabriella Martinez, but you can call me Gabbie, sir. Age sixteen, arctic fox. I’ve been modeling since I was eight years old, and, uh … and as I hope you can tell, it’s my true passion in life. I’m going to keep going until I’ve been on the cover of [I]every[/I] magazine, even if my stepdad says I have to be eighteen before I can be in some of them.”\n\nElizah touched his chin, nodded slowly … then turned his gaze to the next model in line. He made the same gesture as before.\n\n“I’m, um… I’m Marcel,” the otter boy said. “Um… Age fifteen and, um, I’m a river otter, sir.”\n\nIn the silence that followed, Elizah made a circling motion with his hand, urging the boy onward.\n\n“And, well, um… I really like biking and skateboarding, but I’m not really good at either. My mom says it’s because my legs are too short and she says I should try being a model instead. And, um… I’m not sure if I’m gonna be a good model, but I’m sure gonna give it a try.”\n\n“[I]Hmm[/I]… Excellent!” Elizah turned to the next. “And you?”\n\n“Sara Bailey, eleven, and I think you can already see I’m a hyena.”\n\nDanny looked over at the hyena girl. She looked completely defiant about it, like she was daring anybody to say hyenas were too ugly to be models.\n\nShe held her hands on her hips. “And I’m gonna make it bigtime no matter what anybody says!” For a moment, she held strong … but then she faltered under Elizah’s unwavering gaze. “Uh… Maybe.”\n\nThen came the dreaded moment when Elizah turned that gaze on Danny himself.\n\nDanny gulped, glanced side to side. What … what could he say? He sure couldn't tell the [I]truth[/I] about himself!\n\nThe pause had already gone on too long. Elizah raised an eyebrow. “And you, rabbit?”\n\nLeaning over next to him, the little white mouse girl whispered into his big ear: “It’s okay. Relax. Just a photoshoot, right?”\n\nHe glanced over at her. She gave an encouraging nod back.\n\nWell… Okay. So, um… “I’m Daniel Parrish, and I’m a bunny. I’m thirteen years old, and um…” Aw, heck, there was no stopping now. “And I’m, um … I’m not letting [I]anything[/I] stop me!” Was that true? Hardly. But he was pretty sure it sounded good. Probably. Well, maybe not as good as some of the other kids’, but good [I]enough[/I] right?\n\nThe longer he stared up into Elizah’s face, though, the less certain he felt about that… Why was that guy staring so long?\n\nFinally, and without any comment, Elizah moved on to the last kid in line, the mouse girl. He prompted her with a flick of his hand.\n\n“I’m Ellie Chandler, I’m fifteen, and I’m a mouse.” She grinned, like she was proud of that. “I’ve done this before, kinda. Well, just some advertising shots for Sears Doebuck, but pictures are pictures. So I’ll help these other kids out, okay?” She reached over and held Danny’s arm.\n\nDanny looked over at her. Sure, he was nervous about this shoot. This shoot was a big deal [I]and[/I] he was probably getting too old for it soon. But, really, it sounded like he had a lot more modeling experience than Ellie did… Did he really look [I]that[/I] pathetic, that she thought he needed her help?\n\nElizah, though, seemed very happy with that. “Excellent, excellent! Yes, you all must remember this is a [I]collaborative[/I] endeavor!” He suddenly stood up straighter, stretching to his full, dizzying height. “[I]Now then[/I], dressing rooms are there against the back wall, and I’ve already got the first round of clothing laid out. Hop to it, please! This is a [I]very[/I] ambitious shooting day, so we mustn’t waste any time.”\n\n[center]📷 📷 📷[/center]\n\nEllie was already almost completely dressed in the clothes that had been laid out for her in what was – apparently – her designated changing room. A paper sign had been pinned on the curtain with her name on it, just like for the other models. Actually, it wasn't much of a [I]room[/I] at all. The only real wall it had was the outer wall of the studio. The other three were just curtains hanging from old clothes racks. The only other feature was a set of plastic shelves, each shelf with a different set of clothing and a tag with a number. She’d put on the one with the number ‘1’ tag, since that seemed to be first. It was a simple, casual blue tank top and a little blue skirt, and even blue panties. They’d actually match her eyes pretty well. Had Elizah planned that out on purpose? The shelves below, though … those held some very interesting clothing options.\n\nMaybe she would have been worried about the little gaps between the curtains – and the later clothing choices – if she hadn’t been through much worse in the past. The moment she thought of someone peeking on her, she just thought back to that day at the beach so long ago and how [I]that[/I] had felt. And after that, a little peek here or there wasn't such a big deal, was it?\n\nIt even made her a little excited, maybe, thinking about the possibility of somebody peeking, thinking about those other outfits in the lower shelves, with higher numbers on their tags…\n\n“Psst!”\n\nEllie’s ear flicked. Who’d gone into the curtained stall next to hers again? Oh yeah, that bunny boy, right?\n\n“[I]Pssssst![/I]”\n\n“[I]What?[/I]” she whisper-shouted back. What could he possibly want with her? He was old enough he shouldn't need help getting dressed, wasn't he?\n\n“Are we… Do we really have to wear these things? Even the … you know?”\n\nNo, I’m sure the photographer just put those on the shelf for decoration! Ellie bit back the sarcastic reply. No need to be mean to the poor kid. He was cute, after all. Instead, she took a moment to try and be supportive. “Don’t worry. I’ve done this kind of thing before.” Well, okay, not really. Not this [I]exact[/I] kind of thing. But he didn’t need to know that. “It’ll be fine. It’s kind of…” Exciting? Better not say that. “...fun, really.”\n\n“I don’t know…”\n\nShe rolled her eyes and opened her curtain. All she had left was the hair bow, after all. In fact… “Hey, are you dressed yet? Can you help me with my bow?”\n\nSlowly, hesitantly, the curtain next to hers opened. The bunny – what was his name? Danny! – had apparently been given a tight white cotton shirt and a [I]tiny[/I], even tighter, pair of little black running shorts. Those … sure didn’t leave much to the imagination, did they? No wonder he was nervous!\n\nShe smiled. “Don’t worry – it’s cute!” Then she turned around and held the little red ribbon behind her. “Come on, help me tie this hair bow.” At least … she was pretty sure it was supposed to go on her hair. It could have easily gone around her wrist or ankle or even around the base of her tail, maybe? But the wrist would be weird, and a tail bow was [I]probably[/I] too saucy for a photoshoot like this, right? So it was probably for her hair.\n\nThankfully, Danny took the ribbon and started tying the back of her hair into a ponytail with it.\n\n“Just stick with me,” she told him, still hoping he’d feel better about it. “Photos are photos. It doesn’t matter what you’re wearing, it’s all the same thing.”\n\n[center]📷 📷 📷[/center]\n\nElizah leaned in even closer. “Stupendous! Now, come closer together. You are best friends. You adore each other. Yes, [I]yes![/I]” The shutter snapped again. “Yes, that is pure love! Genius!”\n\nDanny did [I]not[/I] love this otter Marcel. Not like that, not in any way. But he hugged up close and pressed cheeks together with the other boy. Because what a photographer like Elizah wanted, a photographer like Elizah [I]got[/I]. And even if he wasn't sure about his future in the industry, he was still going to give it his best try now.\n\n“Perfect. That should be enough in these outfits.” Elizah snapped his fingers three times in rapid succession. “Now, to the changing booths! You all must don the next outfits as soon as possible!”\n\nInstantly, Danny darted away from Marcel. Nothing against the otter, and nothing against people who [I]were[/I] gay, but he wasn't. He was pretty sure he wasn't. And it had felt [I]weird[/I] kinda sorta not-really pretending to be.\n\nAs he made his way toward the curtained changing rooms, the little mouse girl, Ellie, came up alongside him. She giggled quietly. “You two were really cute together.”\n\nHe glared over at her. “[I]Not[/I] helping! I thought you said you were going to help?”\n\n“It’s just a picture. When you laugh about it, it doesn’t matter anymore. Go on—” she poked his shoulder “—laugh about it!”\n\nHe looked over at her, but she was looking back [I]really[/I] seriously, so… \n\nDanny sighed, then [I]tried[/I] to laugh. He was pretty sure it sounded really really fake.\n\n“There! Doesn’t that feel better?”\n\nThey were at the changing rooms already. Danny just shook his head and went into his, thinking that was the end of it.\n\n“Just don’t take it so seriously, okay? Have some fun!” The sound of clothes rustling came from the next booth over.\n\nOf course the thin curtain between their two booths wasn't really stopping the conversation at all, was it? His own fault, maybe. After all, he was the first one who’d said something through the curtain barrier, last time they were in here.\n\nStill… It was an odd feeling, knowing that there was a girl changing her clothes – getting partially or even completely naked, only separated from him by one thin cloth. It made him blush, and made him fumble while getting his own next set of clothes off of the next shelf down. Just imagine, doing a scene like the last picture, but with a girl like [I]Ellie[/I] or [I]Gabriella[/I] instead of Marcel…\n\nAnd now … now the next set of clothing was … pajamas? He’d pulled out a fuzzy pair of blue flannel pants, a baggy oversized shirt with a picture of a fluffy white bunny on it, and even a sleeping cap that looked kind of like a Santa hat, except it was blue to match the pants.\n\nHe’d never done a photoshoot wearing stuff like this before. What were the scenes going to involve this time? Were they going to be, like … in a [I]bed?[/I]\n\nHe gulped and blushed. Hopefully, if they did have to do some kind of cuddling scene in bed, he’d be cuddling with one of the cute girls this time, not with Marcel.\n\n[center]📷 📷 📷[/center]\n\nEllie fidgeted with anxious energy, probably a lot more than she should have been. After all, she was only standing on the sidelines right now.\n\nStill, the ‘comfy sleepwear’ she’d been given was [I]already[/I] getting her excited. She couldn't deny it. These clothes weren’t [I]inappropriate[/I] or anything … but it was awfully close, wasn't it? She’d only been given a [I]huge[/I] yellow cotton T-shirt, so big that her shoulders were always in danger of slipping entirely through the neck hole. But she was glad it was so big, because the only other clothing on that shelf had been a frilly pair of pink panties. Thankfully, the shirt was so big on her that it came down practically to her knees, so it was almost like a sundress, and she wasn't exposed … yet.\n\nThe first set of clothing had also included underwear, though. Did that mean Elizah [I]intended[/I] for her panties to be visible in some of these shots? Ah! Thoughts like that were making her legs twitch!\n\nSo instead she tried to focus on what was happening on the bed. The bed in the middle of the photography studio, something she’d never seen before. Either this Elizah was as brilliant as he thought he was … or he was just completely crazy. He was standing way up high on the bed, his long legs straddling over the pair of models below him. He’d picked out Danny and Sara, the hyena girl, and he had the two of them cuddling together under a blanket, pretending to sleep … despite the frequent flashes of his camera and the way the bed creaked and move every time he shifted his weight to get a different angle.\n\nUntil, very suddenly, Elizah leapt off the bed in one huge stride! It was so shocking that both Danny and Sara sat straight up, looking to see what had happened, even though he’d told them before not to move.\n\n“Perfection has been achieved once more!” Elizah announced. “Now…” He looked over the rest of the models, until his piercing blue eyes focused on Ellie herself. “Ah, perfect! You!”\n\nAs the other two got out of the bed, Ellie stepped forward. What was this weird fox going to put her through next?\n\nHe came up close and tilted her chin up with his hand. “Yes… The perfect opposite of the original. Youthful femininity to contrast the aged masculinity of the original. This shall be [I]art![/I]”\n\nEllie glanced around. “So, um…”\n\nElizah clapped exactly once. “You – you shall be recreating an ever-popular work of classical art: Self Portrait, Yawning. One of the greatest works of Joseph Decreux, and soon to be one of my greatest works as well. However, mine shall not be a [I]self[/I] portrait – it will be a portrait of [I]you[/I].”\n\nShe’d never seen that painting before. Was it a painting? Or maybe a statue or something. “So, what should I do?”\n\nIt took only moments for Elizah to set her up at the edge of the bed, ‘where the light was perfect’. Then she had to hold her arms just the way he wanted – one outstretched, the other curled back toward her mouth. And she had to turn her head to the side and let out a [I]huge[/I] yawn … and [I]hold[/I] it.\n\nIt seemed like it took [I]ages[/I] as Elizah took a hundred different photos from slightly, slightly different angles, insisting that she shouldn’t move during any of it.\n\nIt was [I]not[/I] an easy pose to hold! Her arm was getting tired; her jaw was getting sore from being held open for so long! But if it was for [I]art[/I]… Or, more importantly, if it was for her [I]modeling career[/I]…\n\n[center]📷 📷 📷[/center]\n\nDanny shook his head as he pulled the next item of clothing off of the next shelf in his changing room. [I]Item[/I], singular. Because, yeah, the only thing here was a single pair of swim trunks, and no underwear, either, even though he usually wore underwear under his swim trunks.\n\nBeach scenes, huh? He heard some clanking and clattering from outside – Elizah must have been out there getting the beach scene ready. Or pool scene. Something like that.\n\nWell, at least these swim trunks were bigger and less revealing than the little running shorts he’d had to wear during the very first session. And, whatever. He could go shirtless no problem, right? He’d never actually [I]done[/I] a shirtless photoshoot before. He heard plenty of other boy models talking about it, but for some reason, no photographer before this had ever wanted a ‘cute’ bunny boy like him to be shirtless. Maybe being shirtless wasn't cute enough.\n\nWell, maybe this was the start of his transition to more serious, more adult bunny kind of work? If there even was such a thing…\n\n[center]📷 📷 📷[/center]\n\nEllie grinned as she walked out of her little changing room. If only they knew…\n\nWell, as weird as Elizah Cunningham was, she wouldn't put it past him to have done his research, interviewed her parents or something, and found out ahead of time. Sure, it [I]could[/I] just be a coincidence. Valentina was pretty popular in the industry, after all, and her swimsuit was iconic.\n\nBut, yeah. The swimwear Elizah had laid out for her on the next shelf down was a Valentina bikini – the [I]exact[/I] same shiny red bikini that she’d once, so long ago, been so very proud to wear to the beach.\n\nIt fit her better now. The straps didn’t have to be cut shorter to avoid hanging too long. The top stayed in place better, because even though she had very little in the way of a bust, it was enough for these little triangles of bikini top to snug up against.\n\nCuriously, she looked to see if the other models had been given similar clothing.\n\nNope. None of them were anywhere near as showy. At least not in the sense that they showed as much fur. The two boys, Danny and Marcel, had been given matching blue swim trunks – very conservative and normal. Gabby, the white fox, had a black sporty cut one-piece swimsuit that [I]was[/I] pretty tight and thin, but otherwise covered her a lot more completely. And the hyena girl, Sara, also had a black one-piece, and hers even had a kind of a skirt around the waist to keep her even more covered!\n\nWell, Ellie wasn't about to get hung up on the unfairness of it all. She smirked. She could be as proud in this bikini as she ever was. Maybe if that pride showed through, it would end up making some really good pictures.\n\n[center]📷 📷 📷[/center]\n\nDanny was glad his part of the ‘beach photo shoot’ was over. Because if he had to take any pictures after this, he’d be afraid of something showing through his swim trunks, especially since he didn’t have any underwear in there holding anything back.\n\nHe tried to be inconspicuous about his very natural reaction to it as he watched Elizah snapping photo after photo of Ellie and Gabby in their swimsuits. There, on the little patch of actual beach sand that had been hauled in, in front of a painted backdrop, Elizah had Gabby on her hands and knees, and he had Ellie [I]riding on top of her[/I], as if they were playing.\n\nSome play! Danny was behind the two of them, and from this angle, he couldn't help but do what he was doing – staring and blushing. Both girls’ butts were turned up toward him, stacked on on top of the other, one in a red bikini bottom and one in a black one piece … but from this angle, it didn’t cover much of either of them – barely enough to cover their little mounds. It was dazzling the way their matching white fur played off of each other when everything else was so different. Gabby’s fur was a bit longer and fluffier. Ellie’s tail was long and thin and hairless, completely different than Gabby’s. Ellie’s legs were toned and muscular, but Gabby’s hips were wider and her mostly-exposed cheeks were [I]obviously[/I] way softer from the way they jiggled when Ellie moved on top of her…\n\nSomeone pinched his butt!\n\nWith a barely-suppressed yelp, he turned to see who it was – Sara, the hyena.\n\n“You okay?” she whispered, half giggling. “Must have been under the lights too long, huh? You’re looking awfully flushed and sweaty…”\n\nOf course, that only made him blush even more. “Shut up.”\n\n“You like her, don’t you?”\n\n“Shut up!” he whispered more harshly.\n\nNo … no he didn’t. Did he? Even if he did, it didn’t matter. Nobody was here to find boyfriends or girlfriends or anything. He didn’t even know which one of the two girls Sara was talking about. It didn’t matter. He … he wasn't about to ask either of them out on a date or anything! Obviously! So what did it matter?\n\nWell, except for … yeah. He was starting to get [I]really[/I] sure that he wasn't gay…\n\n[center]📷 📷 📷[/center]\n\nEllie was almost [I]giddy[/I] about it by the time she got back in the dressing room and pulled out what was on the very bottom shelf. Outfit number four: simple black panties and a small black bra.\n\nEven though these would actually cover [I]more[/I] of her than her swimsuit had, they still felt more special, more [I]private[/I] … and more exciting. Ever since that day on the beach, she’d thought about and – to be honest – fantasized about being naked in public again, but she’d never actually [I]done[/I] it. As exciting as it could be, it was also still kind of scary and embarrassing.\n\nQuickly, she pulled off the red bikini. And she set it nicely on the very top of the shelf. She wondered if Elizah would let her keep it if she asked. That swimsuit … it brought back some really interesting memories, and it would be nice to finally have another one. And, of course, they were pretty expensive and Mom and Dad would [I]never[/I] have gotten her another one after what happened to the first one. But if she could take this one home, she’d be a [I]lot[/I] more careful with it. She wasn't quite the Valentina fangirl she’d been back when she was eight, but it was still a really special swimsuit, and she’d love to have one again.\n\nFor now, though … the underwear outfit. After all, she didn’t want to keep Elizah waiting, especially not if she was about to ask him for a favor like a free – [I]expensive[/I] – swimsuit!\n\nThe panties were simple enough, just like a million other ones she’d worn before. Simple, ordinary cotton ones. The bra, though… Well, Ellie had always struggled with bras a little. Not much practice, since she obviously didn’t need one. And when she did wear one, it was usually a kind of a sports bra thing she could just pull on like a tiny, really tight shirt. This one, though, was an actual girly kind of bra, with straps and buckles and hooks and everything. She knew what to do, sure … it was just really hard doing it all behind her own back [I]and[/I] while avoiding getting anything caught in her fur.\n\nShe was sure by the time she’d managed it, she’d be the last one out of the changing rooms. Hopefully Elizah wouldn't be mad.\n\n[center]📷 📷 📷[/center]\n\nDanny felt [I]distinctly[/I] uncomfortable walking out of his little changing booth wearing only a pair of white briefs. Nothing but underwear. And not even, like, [I]cool[/I] underwear – plain old whitey tighties.\n\nHe would [I]die[/I] if anybody at school saw him like this. Just die on the spot. Nothing else to be done.\n\nAnd now … now he was supposed to walk out in front of a bunch of near-strangers like this? Now he was supposed to have [I]pictures[/I] taken like this? And who knew how many would end up seeing those pictures… What if somebody from school got their hands on one?\n\nBut there was no way around it. He [I]had[/I] to wear the outfits Elizah laid out, didn’t he? There was no way he could blow an opportunity like this by being squeamish about which outfit to wear.\n\nAt least they had been new, with the tags still on them. He could at least be sure he wasn't wearing somebody else’s dirty underwear … for all the help that was.\n\nGabriella and Sara were already out and waiting. Gabby had some lacy red lingerie-looking bra and panties that were really eye catching and stood out against her fluffy white fur. Sara’s were also lacy, but more frilly and more conservative. His eyes were about to pop right out of his head staring at them if he let himself. He kept forcing himself to look away. If he got a stiffy in just these underwear, there was no way he’d be able to hide it!\n\nWhy couldn't he have been given a nice pair of boxer-briefs like Marcel was wearing? Why’d that otter have all the luck? It wouldn't be so embarrassing to be seen in those!\n\nStill though, he kept stealing glances at the two girls. Gabby was obviously the prettier one, but that odd little … [I]bulge?[/I] … in the front of Sara’s panties kept drawing his eye. What … what [I]was[/I] that? Was she actually a boy hyena? No, she couldn't be. Could she? Obviously he couldn't [I]ask[/I] about it. But still… The curiosity was killing him even worse than the embarrassment!\n\nJust as he tried to look away one more time, the changing booth right next to his opened and Ellie walked out … in a striking set of black panties and matching black bra. He was staring, he knew it, and he couldn't stop himself. She was just so [I]nice[/I]-looking, so skinny and lithe, with her perfect little flat belly and perfect short white fur. And the extreme contrast of the black underwear kept drawing his eyes to [I]exactly[/I] where they shouldn’t be going – right to the places where he shouldn’t be looking.\n\n“Excellent!” Elizah called out. “We are all here! You there, mouse girl. I will have you and the otter first. Come here. Yes, right under these lights…”\n\n[center]📷 📷 📷[/center]\n\nEllie could feel the otter’s thick tail twitch-twitch-twitching between her legs. Elizah had them standing back to back, [I]very[/I] close back to back, right up against each other. And Marcel was the only one of the models here actually [I]shorter[/I] than her, so where else would his tail end up than right between her legs?\n\nIf she looked down – not that she would and ruin the shot Elizah was going for – she would have been able to see Marcel’s tail sticking out from below her down there, almost like it was obscenely part of her own body sticking out down there, as if she was a boy … a really really well-endowed boy.\n\nCould Marcel feel it? Was he aware of where his tail had gone, of what it was twitching against? She couldn't imagine otherwise … but he sure didn’t show it. He was the perfect professional model, posing there with his arms crossed over his chest and a smug grin, just like Elizah had asked for.\n\nEllie herself was struggling with that part. It was hard not to fidget, not to blush, not to smile nervously as the camera clicked picture after picture of her being [I]like this[/I] with an otter boy she barely knew.\n\n“Very good now. Slight change in position. Both of you, reach behind your back and place your hands on the others’ bellies. Yes, hold each other close, but in reverse!”\n\nWhile Ellie was still stunned at the idea, Marcel was already moving. She felt his webbed hands on her exposed tummy, tentatively feeling his way there, until he pressed and held her tightly, pulling her even closer to himself … which made his tail rub [I]right[/I] up against the very bottom of her panties!\n\nA shudder ran up her whole body, but she was [I]not[/I] going to be unprofessional about it, especially not right before asking for that swimsuit.\n\nShe reached behind herself, feeling for Marcel’s body. She had to squeeze her arms down underneath his shorter arms, which made things difficult … and the height difference didn’t help, either. She ended up with her hands more on his chest than on his belly. His otter fur was a little oily feeling, but also wondrously rich and silky. It almost made her jealous, [I]before[/I] considering how good it would be for swimming. But was touching his chest enough, or would she literally have to bend over backwards trying to reach lower?\n\nElizah seemed to think that was fine, though. The camera clicked and whirred as he floated all around them on his long legs, snapping pictures from all directions, all angles.\n\nHonestly, she was just glad she was the taller one out of this pairing. If it was the other way around, with a boy’s hands on [I]her[/I] chest… Well, professionalism or not, [I]that[/I] might be going too far…\n\n[center]📷 📷 📷[/center]\n\nDanny sweated under the hot lights, trying to ‘smile as would an innocent babe’ while held in Gabriela’s arms, sitting in her lap.\n\nAt least, the hot lights were a good excuse for being a bit sweaty about it. Because, honestly, he was expending a [I]lot[/I] of energy trying not to think about being in such close contact with a very pretty – and very almost naked – girl. He could feel the lace of her bra against his elbow, and the fluff of her chest fur against his arm. But he [I]had[/I] to not think about it. If he got a stiffy in just these briefs, [I]everybody[/I] would see it. [I]Everybody[/I] would know. He gulped and took a deep breath, struggling to think of something else, [I]anything[/I] else … but there was nothing in his head except girls in their underwear, girls touching him, the soft sound of a girl breathing just behind his ear—\n\n“No, no, no. Hold [I]still[/I], little bunny. Your pose is perfect – you mustn’t mar it!”\n\nWell, at least that was a distraction of sorts. At least it was something that wouldn't excite him in the wrong ways. He tried to pay attention to Elizah instead of paying attention to the girl he was with. Obviously Gabby didn’t actually [I]like[/I] him, after all. This was false intimacy, just for a photo shoot.\n\nNow if only certain parts of him could understand that without needing to be constantly restrained so hard…\n\nElizah backed [I]way[/I] off, getting one last distant shot … then he clapped his hands once. “There! Perfection has been achieved! You may get up.”\n\nQuickly, Danny hopped up off of Gabby’s lap. Because, after all, it would have been way too presumptuous of him to [I]stay[/I] like that. Only … when he heard the slight annoyed huff from behind him, he realized that maybe getting up so quickly might imply that he [I]hated[/I] being in that position, hated [I]her[/I]. Had he [I]offended[/I] her by getting up so quickly? He didn’t want to do that! But he couldn't do anything about it now. Trying to talk about it would be super awkward, and getting [I]back[/I] into her lap would be even [I]more[/I] awkward. Probably best to just play it off and hope she wasn't [I]too[/I] offended by—\n\n“That will be all for this outfit,” Elizah said with one more clap.\n\nInstantly, the mouse girl Ellie was right next to him. She looked [I]tiny[/I] next to the enormously tall gray fox. “Um, Mister Elizah? If we’re finished, could I ask you about that swimsuit? It’s just that—”\n\n“Finished?” Elizah suddenly stood up even straighter, seeming to double in height. “We are not finished here! There is one more ‘outfit’ left in our photoshoot!”\n\n“Oh.” Ellie backed away. “I’m sorry. I thought…”\n\n“Do not apologize. It doesn’t suit you. And yes, you may have the swimsuit. Obviously. No need to concern yourself about trifles.”\n\n“Thank you!” Ellie blushed and rushed back to the little group of other models.\n\nNow, though, Danny had his own confusion. “But, sir, um… There were only four outfits in the changing room. I didn’t see another one. Maybe mine is missing?”\n\nElizah nodded and stroked his fingers down his long face with his eyes closed. “Ah, the innocence. Is it not delicious? Scrumptious!”\n\nDanny tilted his head to the side. “Uh…?”\n\n“The final outfit will be…” Elizah took a deep, deep breath and smiled. “[I]Nude[/I].”\n\n[center]📷 📷 📷[/center]\n\nEllie’s eyes popped wide open the moment she heard the word ‘nude’.\n\n[I]What?[/I] She’d never done a nude photoshoot before! Really early when she’d started working as a model, Mom had warned her to [I]never[/I] do any photoshoot that asked for nudes, never ever under any circumstances. [I]But[/I] Mom had also said to do absolutely whatever Elizah asked for…\n\n“You [I]can’t[/I] be serious! No way!” the hyena girl barked out.\n\n“I sense…” Elizah circled his hand as if searching for the word. “...[I]hesitation[/I].”\n\nHesitation might be a huge understatement for the rest of them, but for Ellie, it might actually be the only thing, the only reason she wasn't already naked. Could she … could she do it right now? If they were going to get naked anyway, there was no point in going to the changing room first, was there?\n\nElizah paced around the little group of models. “To hesitate is normal, yes. Expected. But there is no need for concern. You see? I shall demonstrate. I would never ask any of my models to do a thing I would not do myself!”\n\nEllie’s attention was yanked away from herself and straight back to the photographer as he flamboyantly shrugged the purple robe off his shoulders, leaving him in only a tiny pair of white shorts. And with a strangely sharp flick of his wrists, he sent those shorts flinging down his long legs to the floor. And there was nothing underneath. Nothing at all.\n\nWell, actually there was a [I]lot[/I] underneath, just not any clothes. That was … and those were… Oh wow. Ellie had never seen a man’s privates before, at least not that she could remember, not from a time when she was actually interested and aware of what they were. It was really hard not to stare. Wow … she hadn’t expected to to be so … [I]big[/I]. And so … [I]floppy[/I].\n\nQuickly, Elizah reversed the camera around and pointed it at himself, the shutter snapped repeatedly as he took a series of shots – his belly stretched out, kicking the shorts off his feet, a low angle that [I]must[/I] have just about blocked the view of his face with his own privates…\n\n“There,” he said. “It is so simple, so easy, so freeing. To be in the nude is to be in the natural state, the closest state to the truth. And, my dears, this is [I]very[/I] important. Learn this, if you learn nothing else today: Art is truth and truth is art. [I]That[/I] is why we must be nude.” He paused for a long moment, as if just giving that time to sink in. Then he seemed to suddenly snap out of it. “Now, who will be first?” He glanced to and fro between all the models.\n\nEllie already had her hands behind her back, unhooking her bra. While the other models all hesitated and glanced nervously at each other, she pulled her shoulders out of it and let it fall to the floor.\n\nAn audible gasp came from the other models. Ellie ignored it. She was already hooking her thumbs into the waistband of her panties. And with the [I]full[/I] attention of everyone in the room, she pulled them down, stepping out of them.\n\nAnd she didn’t make the slightest effort to cover herself, either. She stood right in front of all of them, feeling their eyes on her like tingling fingers, touching all over. It would be nice to say she did it with no shame at all, but she knew that wasn't true. She was blushing [I]fiercely[/I], so hard her cheeks burned, and her chest was tight – she could barely breathe. But she was doing it. She was really doing it! And even better, she was the [I]first[/I]. How about [I]that[/I] to show Elizah she was career material, huh?\n\nFor a long, [I]long[/I] moment, all the other models just kept staring at her. What? Had they never seen a naked girl before? Okay, well, they were pretty young. Maybe they hadn’t.\n\nElizah was growing impatient as well. He turned pointedly toward the others and tapped his wrist with one finger, as if emphasizing a watch that wasn't there. He’d already used that signal a few times before when things were taking too long.\n\nGabby was the next to take the plunge. She started with her lacy red panties, bending down to quickly yank them down her long legs. And then, in a move that absolutely [I]mystified[/I] Ellie, she pulled her arms through the straps of her bra … and then pushed the bra [I]down[/I] her body, all the way down without unhooking it, like she was taking off a skirt or something. It stuck for a moment on her hips, but she shimmied through it and then it also dropped to the floor on top of her panties. It had never in Ellie’s whole life occurred to her that you could take a bra off that way. Could you put it on that way, too?\n\n“What?” Gabby said in response to the other models’ stares. “Haven’t you all ever done this before? I can’t be the [I]only[/I] one here with any experience, can I?”\n\nHuh… Ellie wasn't one to look much at other girls, usually … but wow. She hadn’t expected Gabby to be so … different. Her boobies were bigger, of course. Almost fully developed, even, with big puffy pink nipples on each one. But what was really crazy was how much puffier and fluffier her privates were – and there were big pink centerpieces there, too, with the inner lips [I]really[/I] prominent and outside. There was a whole lot more there to see than Ellie’s own simple little cleft! She’d never realized other girls could be so different from her…\n\nThat left Marcel, Sara, and Danny, who all looked back and forth between each other. Marcel looked scared – no, [I]terrified[/I] – like he was ready to run away at any moment. Sara looked defiant, staring Elizah down with her arms over her flat, bra-covered chest. And Danny…\n\nThough Danny looked almost as nervous as Marcel, he [I]did[/I] actually make a move. He reached and pinched the waistband of his underwear … but he didn’t actually pull them down yet. He looked around, looked at … straight at Ellie!\n\nShe nodded to him and gave a thumbs-up. After all, she’d said she would help!\n\nThat seemed to do it. Danny closed his eyes and pulled his underwear down. Only down to his thighs, but that was enough for now. It showed what he’d been hiding.\n\nDanny’s privates were much more like Ellie had been expecting a boy’s to look like. Much, [I]much[/I] smaller than Elizah’s, and stiffer too. His didn’t flop around – it [I]bounced[/I]. And even his little balls were tight and snug right up against him. He was … they were … kind of cute, really. She smiled.\n\nUnfortunately, Danny seemed to take that totally the wrong way. He quickly covered himself with his hands.\n\n“There is no need for shame here!” Elizah said sharply, moving over to Danny and holding Danny’s arms, pulling his hands away from him. “There. Do you not feel the truth?”\n\n“I…” Danny visibly gulped, looking at everyone else staring at him. “I feel … something.”\n\n“Perfect! Embrace your truth, and you are an artist! Oh, and pull those briefs the rest of the way off your legs.” Elizah whirled around, his tail and his privates swaying. “Now, you other two. Under better circumstances, I might tell you to take your time, but we very literally do [I]not[/I] have all day!”\n\n“Okay, but, um…” Sara the hyena girl looked at everyone with suspicion. “Nobody had better say [I]anything[/I] about it, alright?”\n\nWith one quick, resolute motion, she pulled her panties all the way down to the floor. And when she stood back up, Ellie suddenly understood what the ‘it’ Sara had said referred to. Between her legs, just above her perfectly normal-looking girl privates, she had a … well, it looked a [I]lot[/I] like a boy’s thing, actually. Except it was a bit smaller and stubbier, and smoother, and there were no balls dangling beneath it.\n\n“It’s normal, okay!” Sara looked around defensively, as if daring anybody to say otherwise. “It’s, uh, really common for hyena girls. Like, one in five. So, like…” She blushed. “So [I]stop staring at it![/I]”\n\nVery quickly, everyone looked away. Everyone except Elizah.\n\n[I]He[/I] put a hand on his hip and smiled. “All truth is beautiful, Sara. Now, if you please – the bra as well.”\n\nSara looked down at herself. “Oh, right!” Quickly and casually, she reached behind herself and unhooked it. A moment later it was on the floor.\n\nWow, she was [I]really[/I] flat. Like, totally. Even her nipples were tiny! Though, Ellie supposed, that made sense. Sara was the youngest one here, wasn't she? What had she said she was … eleven? Ellie’s chest had probably been just as small four years ago when [I]she[/I] was eleven.\n\nNow Marcel was the only one in the room left wearing any clothes at all. His feet fidgeted and his chest heaved. He looked like he was in complete [I]panic[/I] about this.\n\n“You there,” Elizah said, “otter boy. Are you … are you having some sort of a seizure? Shall I call for medical help?”\n\n“I…” His wide eyes darted between all the naked models and the naked photographer. “I… I can’t do it!”\n\n“Your truth is nothing to be ashamed of, young lad.”\n\nMarcel shook his head. “No! I… I really really don’t want to, okay? You can, um… You can fire me if you want. I knew I never really had what it takes to be a model. It’s okay. I’ll … I’ll just go.” He deflated and turned toward the dressing room booths. “I’m sorry.”\n\nElizah caught his shoulder and held it. “What did I say? No one here should ever apologize. Apologies are meaningless. Only [I]action[/I] can speak.”\n\nMarcel looked back at him. “But I…”\n\n“Not everyone is ready to share their truth, and I will not force it if you are truly unwilling. Nor are you fired! Please, go have a seat over there by the wall, the chairs where you waited in the beginning, yes. Once we are done with the nudes, you may rejoin us.”\n\nFinally, Marcel seemed to relax. He practically seemed to melt as the tension drained out of him. “Thank you, sir.”\n\n“Wait!” Sara belted out. “The nudity was [I]optional?[/I]”\n\nElizah turned to her and nodded. “Yes, of course. As I said, I would never force anyone. Your truth must be revealed by your own free will, and no one else’s.”\n\n“But I…!”\n\n“Did someone else remove your clothes from you, child?”\n\nSara paused, her finger still raised as if about to make a point. Slowly, her finger fell.\n\n“Yes, yes. You [I]willingly[/I] shared your truth, did you not? Come now, let us capture your truth on film, and thus transform it into [I]art![/I]”\n\n[center]📷 📷 📷[/center]\n\nDanny struggled [I]hard[/I], but there was just no helping it. With every heartbeat, his stiffy grew even stiffer. Ellie would probably notice it soon, if she hadn’t already. Elizah [I]definitely[/I] had already noticed it … and taken several close-up pictures of it.\n\nThere was just no helping it! Elizah had placed him and Ellie side by side, with their arms around each other’s backs, the sides of their bodies pressed close together. And as much as he tried to look into the camera like he was supposed to, his eyes kept darting to the side. The sight of her little white boobies, so small and yet so prominently [I]right there[/I]… The memory of seeing her privates, the first time he’d ever seen a girl’s in person, but hers were [I]so perfect[/I]… The feeling of her short, soft mousey fur against his hand, [I]he could feel her breathing[/I]…\n\nHe’d been able to control himself so far, even with everyone getting naked. But now, posing with Ellie, he’d finally failed. There just wasn't enough self-control in the whole world!\n\nSure, Elizah wasn't popping a boner or anything … but he was [I]Elizah[/I]. There was no way Danny, just a regular old normal boy, could possibly resist being [I]this[/I] close to such a cute girl … such a [I]naked[/I] girl…\n\nHe squirmed, flexing his legs and hoping that would somehow make it go down, but it only got even stiffer and even more prominent. Aw, man… Why did his stupid organ have to ruin this for him? Ellie was really nice, but as soon as she noticed, she was absolutely going to be horrified and disgusted with him, and she’d never want him to touch him again, and everyone would laugh at what a terrible model he was, not even able to control himself when—\n\n“Don’t worry about it,” a whisper right next to him said.\n\nHe glanced over at Ellie and whispered back, “Huh?”\n\n“It’s okay. I know you can’t control it. So just don’t worry about it. It’s no big deal.”\n\nYep. That had actually been [I]Ellie[/I] saying that. His ears hadn’t somehow tricked him. She [I]had[/I] noticed it. And somehow, [I]somehow[/I], she didn’t mind?\n\nStunned now, he turned back toward the camera, looking at it as he was supposed to. His member twitched upward. And this time, he didn’t fight it.\n\n[center]📷 📷 📷[/center]\n\nEllie had to work hard to suppress her own gleeful little grin. And she [I]definitely[/I] had to stop herself from glancing down at Danny’s privates … too much.\n\nWow, to think that she was actually [I]causing[/I] him to do that … even when he didn’t want it to happen! It was … it was like, in a way, she kind of had a remote control for his body, at least this little part of it. She could make it do what she wanted!\n\nAnd not just that little part, either. Being naked next to him was having a [I]huge[/I] effect on the bunny boy. It was making him twitch and sweat, it was making him hesitate and even completely ignore Elizah’s instructions sometimes. [I]So[/I] much of that boy’s concentration was on [I]her[/I] and her alone, just because she didn’t have any clothes on.\n\nThis was [I]beyond[/I] just the tingling feeling of others’ eyes seeing what they shouldn’t see. This was [I]special[/I]. This was … [I]amazing![/I]\n\n[center]📷 📷 📷[/center]\n\nDanny huddled together with the rest of the models right next to Elizah. They were all looking intently at the tiny screen on his camera as he scrolled through the pictures. According to him, it was [I]essential[/I] for the models to see and understand their own art. And, after all, didn’t everyone want to see how the pictures had turned out?\n\nNot Danny. He was hardly looking at the screen at all.\n\nBecause, in the huddle, he’d ended up right next to and behind Ellie. And they were all [I]so[/I] close together… At the start, he’d had a hand on Ellie’s back, just helping to brace himself there. But as everyone pressed closer, his hand had gone down, down, down… She … she didn’t notice that he was basically touching her butt right now! Not to mention a lot of his own naked body pressed against hers. His stiffy was back like crazy now, twitching against her thigh as he slowly, gently squeezed her soft-but-firm cheek down there. Oh wow… The other boys were [I]never[/I] going to believe this, that he’d touched a real live naked girl!\n\n[center]📷 📷 📷[/center]\n\nEllie could feel the bunny boy’s hand squeezing her butt. At least she was pretty sure it was Danny. Unless it was Sara? But no, it [I]had[/I] to be Danny, from the way he was breathing so heavy, from the way his privates were twitching against her leg.\n\nWow, she’d [I]really[/I] had an effect on him, huh? This was so cool! He was practically in love with her or something! It made her giddy and tingly, and it made her want to press more tightly against him, feeling the warmth of his privates against her thigh.\n\nSneakily, she looked over her shoulder at him, looking him right in the eyes.\n\nHe gasped and yanked his hand away from her, and his face went even redder than when he’d first pulled his underwear down!\n\nOh, had he thought she didn’t notice? Smiling hugely, she turned back to watch the different poses flash by on the camera. It was [I]such[/I] a rush of power, knowing that nothing but her naked body could make someone else [I]so[/I] embarrassed. More embarrassed even than he was of his own body!\n\nCould she maybe push him even further? Hm… Probably not, unfortunately. Elizah was already well into the nudes on his camera, which meant they were almost at the end … and then it would be time to go home.\n\n[center]📷 📷 📷[/center]\n\nEllie stared out through the car window on the way home, only dimly aware of what her mom was saying.\n\n“And, you know, I really really should [I]not[/I] have had to remind you to put your clothes back on before going home. I don’t know why they had you naked in the first place.”\n\n“It’s fine, Mom,” Ellie replied automatically, still only half paying attention. “I just forgot.”\n\n“Still, honey, I’m [I]so[/I] proud of you. That wonderful man, Mister – no, [I]Sir[/I] Cunningham! He said that you were one of the best models of the day, and that he would, and I quote ‘adore’ working with you again! Isn’t that wonderful!”\n\nEllie rolled her eyes … where Mom wouldn't see it. “I [I]know[/I], Mom. [I]I was there[/I].”\n\nThe rest of her mom’s repetitive gushing flowed past her largely unnoticed. Ellie’s mind was elsewhere. Over and over … the poses she’d struck … how those might look printed in some fashion or art magazine … the sound of the camera shutter … how many people would see those pictures … what they would think … how it would affect them… \n\nWould it affect them like that boy Danny? He had been [I]so[/I] nervous asking for her number – it was adorable!\n\nToo bad for him, she didn’t even have her own phone yet. And she sure wasn't going to give him her parents’ number. He’d been [I]so[/I] devastated when she said no. And [I]so[/I] thrilled and completely out-of-the-world when she’d asked for his number instead.\n\nShe still wasn't sure if she was actually going to call him sometime or not… But it was really neat to think about.\n\n\n\n\n[center][b]CHAPTER 3\nELLIE REVEALED[/b][/center]\n\nAs always, Mari tried to rush through changing into her swimsuit for swim class, shimmying her shorts down her thin doe legs. She knew none of the other girls were the kind to look at her – they were all busy with their own similar worries. But Mari [I]always[/I] felt really nervous being naked around others, even other girls.\n\nSo once her shorts were off, she left them right there on the floor and got her shirt off instead. And then the bra too. No delays. She didn’t like being half-naked in front of others, either. It was a little tricky, though. She was wearing a [I]real[/I] bra these days now that her chest was beginning to grow, not just a training bra. It had to be unhooked in the back instead of just pulled over her head.\n\nOnce that was done, she moved almost in a blur, pulling her panties down and grabbing her one-piece swimsuit out of her bag all in one swift motion. She especially didn’t want the other girls seeing what she had down there. She knew her pink inner lips stuck out too far from her slit, she knew she was [I]weird[/I] down there. She just [I]knew[/I] it. If the other girls saw it, they’d call her names and tease her about it for sure, and she would just [I]die[/I] on the inside if everybody knew how weird she looked down there.\n\nSo she pulled the bottom half of her swimsuit up over her long legs fast as lightning, hiding her probably-weird parts as fast as she could, even though her tail didn’t get into the uni-species tail hole quite right at first.\n\nOnce she was covered there, she could take a little sigh of relief as she pulled the upper half of the swimsuit up and over her arms and over her head. And as she did so, she turned her head to the side and noticed one of her friends, Ellie, just sitting there on the locker room bench in her underwear.\n\nMari carefully tucked each of her small boobies into their places in her swimsuit, making sure her nipples wouldn't show through. And the whole time, Ellie was just sitting there.\n\nNow that she was pretty much completely ready for class, Mari couldn't just leave Ellie like that. Ellie was a good friend. Maybe not ‘best friends forever’ kind of friend, but they hung out together sometimes, and Mari liked the little white mouse. She stepped over and touched Ellie’s shoulder, even though that might be kind of a locker room faux pas. “What’s wrong?” she said. “Did something happen? You know Missus Rousseau is gonna give us detention if we’re late.”\n\n“I, uh…” Ellie looked up at her and gave a shrug and a slight nervous smile. “I forgot my swimsuit.”\n\nMari gasped. “[I]Again?[/I] You know what her policy is! You’re gonna be in so much trouble!”\n\nEllie shrugged again. Obviously, she couldn't run home and get her swimsuit now, or she’d miss basically the whole class. Maybe some of the next as well. And nobody here would have a spare swimsuit, much less one in Ellie’s small size. [I]Unless[/I]…\n\n“You wanna borrow mine?” Mari asked.\n\n“Then what are you gonna wear?”\n\n“It’s okay. It’ll only be my second strike, so I can just sit out today’s class. I’ll be okay.” Anything for a friend, right?\n\nEllie shook her head. “I can’t ask you to do that for me. What if you forget yours again later? No, it’s my mistake, so I’ll just have to deal with it.”\n\n“You could skip the class…” Even as Mari said it, she knew that wasn't going to happen. She knew Ellie well enough to know that the mouse girl wasn't the kind to skip [I]any[/I] class, no matter what. She’d go to class like that, even if it meant, even if it meant… No, she wasn't going to think about it. It was too terrible!\n\n[center]🩱 🩱 🩱[/center]\n\nMari did her best to stand in front of Ellie as all her classmates gradually came out of the locker rooms and came up next to the school swimming pool, all in their matching swimsuits … except for Ellie. She couldn't keep her fellow students from seeing Ellie like this, but at least for now, maybe she could mostly prevent Missus Rousseau from seeing her.\n\nThankfully, it seemed to be working so far.\n\nMissus Rousseau was a white poodle, and today she looked much like she always did for swim class: a severe-looking black swimsuit that looked like it came right out of the summer catalog of 1932, a strained blue swim cap compressing her hair poof tightly against her head, and the curdled scowl of quietly hating this school, her students, and most of all herself.\n\nAt least that’s how Mari interpreted it. That seemed to be accurate. Swim class would have been her favorite class of all … if it didn’t come with her least favorite teacher of all.\n\nWas that a flicker of suspicion in Missus Rousseau’s eye? Had she noticed something? Quickly, Mari moved to make sure she was fully in front of Ellie, even keeping her arms at her sides with fingers outstretched, trying to cover as much as possible.\n\nWhen Missus Rousseau came purposefully toward the loose gaggle of students, Mari’s heart clenched up. “Quick Ellie,” she whispered over her shoulder, “hide!”\n\nBut Ellie made no move to hide. She just stood there quietly, like she was completely resigned to her terrible fate.\n\n“Line up, everyone,” Missus Rousseau said in her calm, cold voice.\n\nThat was a perfectly normal thing. She always started the class by having everyone line up at the edge of the pool so she could tell them what they’d be working on today. If the teacher had gone straight after Ellie, maybe Mari could stand in the way or something … but there was no fighting [I]this[/I] – this had the power of routine behind it.\n\nFor a moment, Mari hoped that Missus Rousseau might not have noticed Ellie. That maybe, somehow, she wouldn't [I]ever[/I] notice Ellie.\n\nNo such luck, of course. There were a [I]lot[/I] of terrible things Mari could say about Missus Rousseau, but ‘she’s not observant’ wasn’t one of them. As soon as everyone had lined up, the teacher went [I]straight[/I] for Ellie.\n\n“Ellie Chandler, what exactly is that you’re wearing?”\n\nEllie glanced away, not toward Mari. “Um… Not my swimsuit?”\n\n“Indeed.” Missus Rousseau raised one eyebrow right up to the rim of her swim cap. “Am I to presume you’ve forgotten it? [I]Again?[/I]”\n\nEllie nodded.\n\n“Remind me, Miss Chandler, whose responsibility is it to ensure you have your swimsuit ready on time for the beginning of class?”\n\n“... Mine.”\n\n“And what did I say would happen to any student who neglected this responsibility three times within one academic year?”\n\nMari squirmed, clenching her teeth. Wasn't there [I]some[/I] way out of this? There must be, right? No other student had ever had to actually do this, not that she knew about. That couldn't be [I]just[/I] because it really worked and everyone always made super sure they had their swimsuits. It had to be just a bluff, a joke, right?\n\n“They’d, um, have to swim without it,” Ellie said quietly. The huge room was so quiet, though, that surely everyone must have been able to hear her easily.\n\n“And how many times now have you forgotten your swimsuit?”\n\nEllie was blushing intensely and squirming in place a little herself. “Um … three times, Ma’am.”\n\nMissus Rousseau gave the rest of the class – especially Mari – a sidelong glance in either direction. “So… Indulge me for asking again, what [I]exactly[/I] is that you’re wearing?”\n\n“It’s … my underwear.”\n\n“And did you pack any extra today?”\n\n“No, Ma’am.”\n\nMissus Rousseau slowly and theatrically shook her head. “So, enlighten me, young Miss Chandler. What is your plan for the remainder of the day? Are you going to sit in wet knickers all day, or are you going to go without them, in clear violation of school dress code?”\n\nFor a long moment, Ellie had no response. Absolutely everyone was staring at her, wondering what she might say … or just in horrified curiosity … or, in some of the boys’ cases, maybe just because they’d never seen a girl in her underwear before.\n\nMari herself had no idea what was going to happen. What [I]could[/I] happen? This was an impossible situation. If she herself was standing where Ellie was, she thought she might just keel over and die right there on the spot. Or at least pass out from hyperventilating and have to be taken to the nurse’s office.\n\nEllie, though… Ellie just reached for her bra.\n\nMari couldn't breathe as she watched Ellie – right in front of the whole class – pull her plain little bra up over her head, exposing her tiny white boobies and pink nipples to the whole world. A lot of the other students gasped, and they were [I]all[/I] staring. But Ellie didn’t stop there. She barely even hesitated.\n\nSlowly, Ellie bent down and pulled her panties down her legs. Mari wished she could dart over and hide everything between her mouse friend’s legs from the prying eyes of all her classmates, but she didn’t dare leave her spot in line, or Missus Rousseau would be on [I]her[/I] next.\n\nWhen Ellie stood back up straight, she was [I]completely[/I] naked from head to toe, with even her little cleft right out for everyone to see. Mari’s heart was pounding. She was in utter panic. But besides blushing fiercely, Ellie looked oddly calm about it. She didn’t even hurry too much to cover herself with her hands. By the time she was holding her hands over her chest and her privates, [I]everyone[/I] must have seen them!\n\nMari squeezed her eyes shut. But that didn’t make it go away. Instead, she saw [I]herself[/I] in the same position. Her panties on the floor between her feet, the eyes of every student in the class on her. They [I]had[/I] to be noticing how [I]weird[/I] and [I]wrong[/I] her privates were. She could feel their eyes crawling all over her, [I]especially[/I] the parts where she didn’t want them. Her secret was out! She yearned to cover herself, but it was too late! They’d all already seen it! She couldn't breathe!\n\nThe room wasn't quiet anymore. A chorus of gasps and giggles were coming, especially from the boys, who’d probably never seen a girl like this before.\n\nMari opened her eyes. In a flash, the nightmare was gone. She looked down and checked. Yes, she was still wearing her one-piece uniform swimsuit. Nobody had seen her naked. Ellie was the only one who was naked. And yet … Mari was still trembling. Her stomach hurt. The boys were still giggling. The girls were still whispering.\n\nThat wasn't the sort of thing that Missus Rousseau would put up with for long, though. She gave all of them – even the quiet ones like Mari – a withering stare. “If any of you find this [I]amusing[/I], then perhaps you would be even [I]more[/I] amused to share in Miss Chandler’s punishment?”\n\nInstantly, the room went silent again.\n\n“Now, with [I]that[/I] unfortunate distraction out of the way, we can finally proceed with the day’s less lesson. As usual, we will begin with five laps across the pool. Then we will move on to the breast stroke”— usually, those words would result in giggles from the class, but not today —”and then we will be moving on to dive practice.”\n\nAs they all moved toward the side of the pool to start their laps, Mari tried her best to keep herself between Ellie and the boys in the class. She wasn't very successful at it. She was kind of skinny, of course, but the biggest problem was that there were a [I]bunch[/I] of boys in the class, looking from all different directions, and it seemed like every last one of them had their eyes [I]locked[/I] onto Ellie. It was kind of a miracle that none of them tripped over each other and fell into the pool, walking like that, not looking at all where they were going.\n\nTo Mari’s shock, Ellie wasn't even very fast to get into the pool, even though it would mostly hide her body from view. At least she was still mostly covering herself with her hands, so nobody would be seeing very much other than just her butt. Maybe that’s why she took a little while to get into the pool? She was probably trying to figure out a way to climb down the little metal ladder without exposing herself to the entire class.\n\nThe problem was, she was starting to be one of the last ones in, and because Mari was trying to block her from view, so was Mari. Already, she could feel Missus Rousseau’s eyes on her. She reminded herself that it would be nowhere near as bad as all the eyes Ellie must be feeling on herself…\n\nFinally, Ellie seemed to come to a conclusion: instead of using the ladder like she was supposed to, she just went to the edge of the pool in an open lane and jumped in, still covering herself.\n\n“[I]No jumping![/I]” Missus Rousseau barked out harshly … even though Ellie probably didn’t hear it from underwater.\n\nThat left Mari truly as the last one out of the pool, much to Missus Rousseau’s obvious ire. And she obviously couldn't jump in like Ellie had, not right after the teacher had told everyone not to. So she hurried along the edge of the pool to the ladder as fast as she could … [I]without[/I] running, as that would be breaking another pool rule and surely get her yelled at.\n\nAnd, of course, being the last in meant she had to get to the swimming lane farthest from the ladder, dunking under the lane separators over and over again, not to mention adding some distance to the already-long laps.\n\nBut she’d manage it. She always did.\n\n[center]🩱 🩱 🩱[/center]\n\nMari had tried to keep up with Ellie and block Ellie from the other students’ view while they swam their laps … [I]tried[/I]. But it had been completely hopeless. After all, Ellie was a much stronger swimmer than her – one of the best swimmers in the class. Ellie was already finished and resting at the pool’s edge when Mari finished her third of five laps back and forth.\n\nThen it had been time to practice the breast stroke. And, thankfully, even though Missus Rousseau had gotten into the pool with them to demonstrate proper technique, she [I]hadn’t[/I] gathered the class all around her, still keeping them all in their separate swimming lanes, which would have kept Ellie mostly safe from the boys’ eyes … [I]or hands[/I].\n\nYes, [I]hands[/I]. Because now that was becoming a problem.\n\nAt the beginning of dive practice, Missus Rousseau [I]had[/I] gathered everyone together, arranging them all just outside of the deep zone around the diving boards. And Ellie was no longer protected by being kept apart from the others.\n\nMost of them were just trying to stare through the water, hoping to see something through the shimmer and refraction. One in particular, though, kept getting really really close to Ellie, despite Mari trying to get in his way. Ollie, a short raccoon boy. He was [I]always[/I] getting in trouble, always the class clown … and, apparently, he was a big perv on top of it all. He kept swimming right next to Ellie, trying to ‘accidentally’ brush his hands over her as they moved. And every time Mari pushed him away from her, he just laughed quietly, like it was all some game, some joke. Would he be trying that if she had her swimsuit? Why did boys think that just because someone is naked it means they get to touch as well?\n\n“...and thus,” Missus Rousseau concluded, “you will be able to minimize splashing and maximize grace. As I have told you all time and time again, it all comes down to [I]posture[/I].”\n\nMari pushed the raccoon boy away from Ellie again. This time his hands flitted over [I]her[/I] swimsuit. The nerve!\n\nThe teacher didn’t seem to have noticed Ollie’s antics. Why couldn't she be observant [I]now?[/I] “We will conclude today’s lesson with each of you demonstrating what you’ve now learned about the finer points of diving. Do I have any volunteers to go first?”\n\nMari immediately shot her hand up. After all, the sooner she got this over with, the sooner she’d be able to get back into the pool to protect Ellie. In the meantime … Ellie would just have to protect herself. Maybe she’d kick Ollie between his legs and teach him a good lesson that way. Mari was sure tempted to.\n\nFor now, though, she quickly swam to the edge of the pool and climbed the ladder there, then hurried – once again not [I]quite[/I] running – to the medium diving board, quickly climbing to the top and making her way out onto the board.\n\nAnd once she got there, all she needed to do was…\n\nOh no… Suddenly, she wished she’d been paying more attention to Missus Rousseau’s lecture. What was it she was supposed to be doing different? Something about posture. She tried to stand up straighter. That’s what her mom was always talking about when it came to posture. And then, um… She really wasn't sure how that was supposed to affect her dive.\n\nOh well. Thankfully, this wasn't a graded test. She just jumped in like normal.\n\nWhen she popped back up and wiped her eyes, the teacher was shaking her head. “Did you not hear [I]anything[/I] I was saying? Your hands were fists, your legs were bent, and your feet… [I]Nom de dieu![/I] Your feet must have made a bigger splash than the rest of you combined! You did not tuck them at all!\n\nMari blushed at the rebuke, but nodded. “I’ll try better next time, Ma’am.”\n\n“I should hope so. It could not get much worse, now could it?” She turned toward the rest of the class. “Next diver, please.”\n\nThankfully, that was basically the end of the class for Mari. Sure, she was supposed to be watching the other students dive and learning from them … but she wasn't. She swam as quick as she could to position herself back between Ellie and Ollie. Ollie didn’t seem too happy about that, scowling at her, but the grateful look Ellie gave her made it worthwhile.\n\nIt was only what Mari would want her own friend to do, if the situations were reversed.\n\nOllie even backed off a little after that … for a while. But they were all treading water out here. Missus Rousseau always forbade them from holding onto the edge while observing. She said they needed the exercise. And everyone tended to drift around a little bit while treading water like this.\n\nEvery time she closed her eyes, the nightmare came back, the thought that their situations [I]were[/I] reversed. Even with a brash and fearless protector like Ellie, even with the pool water helping hide her from prying eyes, there was no way Mari could be so calm. Her imaginary naked self huddled trembling in the corner of the pool, one hand covering her burning red face and the other down between her legs, just to make sure nobody would see.\n\nBut what if the protection wasn't good enough? What if some of the curious boys got past Ellie and made it all the way to Mari’s naked body? She squirmed at the thought, no longer able to tread water while also covering herself. She [I]sank[/I]. And once she was under, the boys were able to touch her [I]anywhere![/I] She couldn't shout or scream, she couldn't tell them no. They were [I]touching[/I] her. One of them pried her hand out from between her legs. No! They’d feel her big flappy lips! They’d find out what a freak she was! They’d—\n\n“Hey!” Ellie said, whisper-shouting it at some boy who’d come too close.\n\nMari forced herself to snap out of it. She was getting so caught up in her fears about Ellie not protecting her enough that she wasn't protecting [I]Ellie[/I] enough! No! She’d never let that happen! She knew, way deep down in uncomfortable places, just how awful that would be. She [I]had[/I] to be a good protector for Ellie. She [I]had[/I] to keep every last one of them away from her!\n\nShe really had her work cut out for her. One after another, different boys tried to get close to Ellie. Most of them were only trying to look, as bad as that was, but a few – including Ollie [I]again[/I] – tried for more.\n\nOnce again, Ellie grabbed his wrist, pulling it away from her friend. “Stop trying to touch her butt!” she whispered at him harshly, actually [I]hoping[/I] the teacher would overhear and do something.\n\nBut she seemed deaf to it, paying full attention to the next kid doing their dive.\n\nWeirdly, Ellie was [I]smiling[/I] the whole time, especially when Mari told him not to touch her. At least Ollie seemed ashamed to have been caught and called out so blatantly. He actually backed off a little, blushing even more than Ellie herself.\n\nThere was no rest for Mari, though, as a few more boys were approaching Ellie from the other side now. She hurried to intervene.\n\nThankfully, these were just a bunch of lookers, not touchers. They seemed to respect Mari blocking them, though they still tried to peer around her. She moved all around, trying to block as much of their view as possible.\n\nUnfortunately, that left Ellie’s other side open, where a painted horse boy named Nolan approached close behind her. He didn’t look like he was quite touching her [I]yet[/I], but Mari wasn't about to let him try. She hurried around Ellie once more, poking him in the chest harshly and pushing him away.\n\n“Hey,” he said, “I wasn't gonna do nothin’!”\n\n“Ah, yes. Thank you for volunteering to go next, Nolan. Up on the board, please.”\n\nHe looked desperately up at the teacher. “I … I can’t go next! You gotta pick somebody else!”\n\nMissus Rousseau stared him down. “Oh? Were you [I]not[/I] volunteering to go next? Then what [I]were[/I] you doing, Mister Acres?”\n\n“I, um…”\n\n“Intentionally and deliberately disrupting my valuable class time, perhaps?”\n\n“No, Ma’am!” he blurted out. “I, uh… Yeah, I was volunteering.”\n\nMissus Rousseau nodded curtly. “Yes, just as I thought.”\n\nThat bit of attention cowed the rest of the boys for a little while. So much so that Mari was actually able to watch Nolan’s dive.\n\nAnd the moment he climbed onto the diving board, it was immediately obvious why he hadn’t wanted to go yet. Apparently, being so close to a naked girl had gotten him … excited. And since he was a horse boy, it was a really [I]big[/I] excitement. Plenty of other kids must have noticed too, because a bunch of them were whispering or giggling quietly, [I]just[/I] shy of what might get them in trouble with the teacher.\n\nThe blue swim trunks he wore – just like all the other boys in the class – didn’t hide very much, and they sure didn’t help for someone of Nolan’s size. A big [I]something[/I] jutted out between his legs, pitching a huge tent in the tight swimming shorts that was incredibly obvious.\n\nHonestly, Mari hadn’t thought that much before about the specifics of what boys had going on down there. She’d gotten pretty interested in boys right along with the rest of her friends, but that was more interested in boys in general – about muscles and hair and boy band crushes and how they might look dressed up… She’d never much considered the actual [I]boyness[/I] of a boy before, or what one would look like completely and totally naked.\n\nNow, though… Well, now she might have admitted to some heated thoughts herself … [I]if[/I] that very same boy hadn’t just been being a perv and a jerk! Screw that! She wasn't going to think about what Nolan had there in his swim trunks!\n\n[I]But[/I] … she definitely would be remembering this when she thought about other boys later… This time, when she closed her eyes, she didn’t see [I]herself[/I] naked. Thank goodness! Instead she saw … she saw [I]all[/I] the boys stripping naked at the beginning of class, just like Ellie had.\n\nShe’d heard rumors. Supposedly, way back in the black-and-white picture days, swim class was [I]always[/I] done in the nude. Back then, girls and boys swim class would have been separate, but she was watching it now, through her closed eyes. The boys all seemed terribly embarrassed about it, blushing and covering themselves, and looking anywhere but at each other. But Mari could see them.\n\nHer imagination knew what naked boys looked like … or near enough. She [I]had[/I] seen pictures before, though not by choice. One by one, completely naked, they climbed the diving board, one by one, they stood with their arms outstretched and ready to dive. Big ones, small ones, cute ones, weird ones – they all made Mari squirm as they bounced and dangled … but kind of squirming in a good way somehow? It felt like the pool water around her was bubbling hot!\n\nAnd then the horse boy Nolan climbed the diving board. Just like in real life … except he was naked. His [I]big[/I] stiffie jutted way out from between his legs. He stood there and stood there, just as ashamed of being seen as Mari was ashamed of looking at him, but he didn’t move – he just kept that outstretched pose, his … his obscenely big [I]thing[/I] bobbing in the air in front of him.\n\nThe details were blurry. She knew he’d have a great big long shaft, and probably great big balls, too, but it wasn't like she’d spent a lot of time looking at pictures, especially not pictures of [I]big[/I] boys like him. Was it veiny? Was it smooth? Were the balls dangly or tight and snug? What was the gap between his stiffie and his balls supposed to look like when it was hard like this? And why did she want to know so bad?\n\nShe shook her head and opened her eyes. Now was [I]not[/I] the time to think about boys in the past, or boys in the future, or boys that might have been.\n\nThe real concern was the boys around her [I]now[/I], and the boys around Ellie. Now that all attention was on Nolan and his swim trunk tent, Ollie had slipped over next to Ellie again and was probably trying to feel her up!\n\nMari hurried back to intervene. She didn’t even see Nolan’s dive. Though she wondered if the teacher would critique him about a certain body part making more of a splash than it should…\n\n[center]🩱 🩱 🩱[/center]\n\nFinally, everyone had done their dive … everyone except for Ellie.\n\n“I guess it’s my turn,” Ellie whispered.\n\n“Don’t do it!” Mari whispered back. “Maybe … maybe she won’t notice? Or, or…”\n\n“I have to.”\n\nMari shook her head. “No! Maybe if you hide behind me, you could—”\n\n“Any more volunteers?” Missus Rousseau said very pointedly.\n\nMari grabbed Ellie’s hand before she could raise it. “[I]No![/I]” she said in an even more fervent whisper.\n\n“Well, if there are no further volunteers, then I will simply need to begin calling names.” Missus Rousseau cleared her throat deliberately. “[I]Ellie Chandler.[/I]”\n\nAt that point, there was nothing Mari could do. She looked on, horrified, as Ellie swam away from her, toward the ladder to get out of the pool.\n\n[I]All[/I] eyes were on her as she climbed up. Mari could practically feel the temperature of the water rise as the boys all saw a perfectly clear view of her butt as she climbed up.\n\nThankfully, she was still covering herself as she made her way to the diving board and out to the tip of it. Even so, just the thought of being naked in front of [I]everyone[/I] like that was making Mari squirm inside. She wished she could just sink into the pool and never come back up … but she also couldn't look away. Some part of her [I]had[/I] to know exactly how bad this was. What if it somehow got even worse while she wasn't looking?\n\nIt [I]did[/I] get worse.\n\n“That is [I]hardly[/I] the correct posture,” Missus Rousseau said in her annoying nasal voice.\n\nEllie didn’t move, still covering herself at the edge of the diving board, in front of the whole class. “But I…”\n\n“I don’t know who you think you’re fooling, Miss Chandler. We [I]all[/I] know about your swimsuit deficiencies – there’s no use in trying to hide it. And if you refuse to even [I]attempt[/I] the correct pose for beginning a dive, I will have to add a [I]further[/I] failure to follow instructions to your disciplinary report.”\n\nFor a moment, Ellie glanced back at the stairs up to the diving board, as if she was thinking about just making a run for it. Mari sure thought that was a good idea. [I]Anything[/I] was better than this! But, no, it was only a momentary glance. Ellie turned back toward the pool, back toward the class and, still covering herself, took a deep, deep breath.\n\nAnd then she stood up straight and stretched her arms out, just like she was supposed to.\n\nAll around the pool, boys and girls alike gasped … especially the boys. Here was everything they’d been trying to sneak peeks at since Ellie came out of the locker room, now on full display on a high platform right in front of them all. Ellie’s entire body revealed to all, even her little pink nipples, even the slight bit of pink showing down below. Even with her legs close together, there was more than enough gap between Ellie’s thighs to show them all [I]everything[/I].\n\nMari couldn't breathe, imagining how horrible it would be if she had to do that, with her [I]weird[/I] privates exposed to absolutely everybody, nothing at all hiding them. Ellie’s privates weren’t weird, as far as Mari could tell – just a simple white cleft with the barest hint of pink in the middle. But still … how could Ellie stand it? [I]Everyone[/I] was looking! The moment seemed to last forever, almost like she was in some horrible time loop of second-hand embarrassment. [I]Why didn’t Ellie jump already?[/I] Was it really taking so long, or did it only seem like a long time to Mari because it was so awful to watch?\n\nEllie’s eyes were open and bright, looking back into all the faces staring up at her, darting around the whole class. She must have been [I]so[/I] terrified! Mari could see the way her legs were trembling. How awful it must be!\n\nAfter what seemed like ages, Ellie [I]finally[/I] jumped, making a perfect little dive into the pool. Even Missus Rousseau seemed satisfied with it.\n\nMari gasped explosively the moment Ellie was finally mostly hidden from view again. Had she been holding her breath the entire time? It felt like it. Her heart pounded in her chest like it was trying to beat its way out. Her hands shook as she treaded water.\n\nWhen Ellie popped back up to the surface, Mari [I]rushed[/I] to her, not even caring that she was swimming outside the safety zone, where she shouldn’t be. Who cared? Ellie was the last diver. Nobody else would be diving next. She rushed to Ellie’s side and embraced her, completely ignoring her friend’s nudity.\n\n“Oh my goodness!” she gushed. “You’re blushing so bad! Are you okay?”\n\n“I’m, um … okay.” Ellie’s blush deepened even more, and her breathing was ragged. And yet her face was showing a slight … smile?\n\nIt must only be because she was so embarrassed…\n\nMari could only imagine how she’d feel. She didn’t even have to close her eyes – she practically felt it already. As she stood at the top of that board, [I]everybody[/I] got a perfect view of her weird, dangly lips. They were laughing at her, laughing and pointing! Even Missus Rousseau smirked and chortled derisively. Mari felt like she was dying – she [I]wished[/I] she was dying! How could she live, with everyone knowing her deepest shame?\n\nHer face burned too red, her stomach churned too sick, her heart turned to ice. Even in her fantasy, her eyes were squeezed tightly shut. She wished everyone else would shut their eyes too, their horrible, horrible eyes skittering all over her exposed body and her unhidden shame. She couldn't look back at them. She couldn't see them looking at her. If she had to [I]see[/I] that, she would crumple on the spot. She would fall sideways off the diving board and hit the water with a big splash. And she would try to never come out of the water again.\n\nAnd, yes … maybe the grimace on her face [I]did[/I] look like a smile in some ways. If you didn’t count the tears. \n\nShe had no idea how Ellie managed it. That girl was [I]so[/I] strong on the inside! It left her in awe.\n\n[center]🩱 🩱 🩱[/center]\n\nFinally, the ordeal was over. Mari, her hands still shaking, dried herself off after the shower, carefully making sure the towel always covered the lower front half of her body, the weirdness she couldn't allow even other girls to see.\n\nEllie was still naked of course, still in the showers with a lot of the rest of the girls. Mari always took [I]very[/I] quick showers, facing away from everyone else. She was in and out before most of the girls even got started. All to better hide herself. Though the showers were separated into stalls, each stall had no curtain, still leaving everyone exposed. Mari always raced through it as fast as she could so none of the other girls would see her in there. But Ellie seemed to be taking her time. That was fine though. [I]Everybody[/I] in there was naked. It was normal, it was okay. Ellie wasn't at risk anymore.\n\nShe told herself she could stop being nervous for Ellie’s sake now … but her hands were still shaking. It was going to be [I]really[/I] hard to concentrate on the rest of the day’s lessons, wasn't it? She could only imagine how the conversations in the boy’s locker room right now, talking about what they’d seen. Oh no! And they’d surely tell the rest of their friends soon, too! Soon, the whole school would know about Ellie’s punishment! Mari’s hands trembled even worse now.\n\nAs soon as she was even [I]marginally[/I] dried off, Mari wrapped her towel around herself and hurried to her locker. She couldn't relax at all until she’d slid her panties up her still-damp legs and, still under the towel, pulled them into place to hide her shame from the other girls. Finally, she was safe. Glancing around first to make sure nobody noticed, she dried herself off a little more with the towel before starting on the rest of her clothes.\n\nEllie was one of the last ones out of the shower. Most of the other girls were almost finished getting dressed by the time Ellie was drying off. Was she taking such a long time in there because she was so shaken up by all of this?\n\nEllie had been in the stall right next to Mari’s, and Mari had been able to hear her. Maybe the trauma of the experience had finally caught up with Ellie, because it had sure sounded a lot like she was [I]crying[/I] in there. The poor girl could barely breathe, gasping for breath, and when she did, it was often in pitiful hushed and muffled moans. That last shuddering cry at the end had been so loud that Ellie couldn't muffle it, and almost every girl in the showers must have heard it!\n\nMari had thought of going in to comfort her … but what if that just freaked out Ellie even more, having someone else in the shower with her?\n\nAnd … and besides, Mari didn’t want anyone else seeing her weird privates, not even Ellie. So she’d hurried and rushed out of the showers, just like always, leaving her poor friend to cry alone in the shower.\n\nHow odd, though… [I]All[/I] the other girls would wrap themselves in their towels when going from the little drying area next to the showers to their locker. Even among other girls, nobody really wanted to be looked at like that, did they? But not Ellie, not this time. When Ellie was done drying off, she casually tossed the used towel down on the little wooden bench next to her and, fully nude, walked all the way across the locker room to her locker, right next to Mari’s. Had that strange crying somehow made her more comfortable about being naked? Well, if it had, Mari was glad for her. Anything that helped her feel better was a good thing, for sure.\n\nEven though Mari was already fully dressed and could have easily left, she stayed there sitting on the locker room bench, making a [I]slow[/I] show of packing her bag back up.\n\n“Are you okay?” Mari whispered.\n\nEllie just shrugged, digging into her own bag to get her clothes back out.\n\n“I know it’s just us girls, but your punishment is over now. You don’t have to be naked anymore.”\n\n“I guess you’re right…” Ellie pulled her school uniform out of her bag and started putting it on.\n\nBefore the bag fully closed, though, Mari caught a glimpse of something else down in there. It was just a glimpse, she couldn't be [I]totally[/I] sure of what she saw … but it looked an awful lot like a perfectly good uniform swimsuit.\n\nHer eye twitched. She looked up at Ellie. And Ellie just continued on buttoning up her blouse. She only responded with a very slight smile and another deep blush.\n\n\n\n\nThis story is a commission for an anonymous supporter. If you'd like to get a commission of your own done, everything you need to know is on my [url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cXEITX4vz5Q_JfNhFPE7h01sD5naiPM-5cKrZuLQp1I/edit#gid=0]commissions sheet[/url].\n\nGet many more not-yet-published stories and vote on which story gets written next on my [url=https://www.subscribestar.com/dirty-little-secret]SubscribeStar[/url]! Supporters also get to decide which story I'll write next, [i]and[/i] they get big discounts on commissions!\n\nYou can also offer support – and get the same benefits – with [url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vPriOlspkn4tt3IrbKD8UhmTWuMFn_YkSTJJlovtWqk/edit?usp=sharing]Direct Support[/url]! No other accounts or other websites needed. All you need is a PayPal account or other way to send payments.\n\n\n\n[color=#555753][right][i]score_9, score_8_up, masterpiece, high quality, detailed, beautiful, sexy, saucy, smooth, crisp, perfect,anthro, mouse, solo, solo female, white mouse, pink nose, pink ears, white fur, white, pink tail, blue eyes, white hair,female, embarrassed nude female, ENF, nude, blushing, covering self, covering with hands, covering breasts, embarrassed, standing, public, public nudity, nervous cringe, panic, scared, worried, legs together,adorasexy, long legs, sexy legs, sexy belly, small breasts, a-cup breasts, reasonably sized breasts, young, teen, teenager, athletic, cub, short, thin,simple background, solid color background, blue background,colored sketch, quick sketch, flat color,Negative prompt: bad quality, poorly drawn, bad anatomy, bad proportions, colorless, 3d, signature, watermark, bad face, distorted face, messed up eyes, distorted, deformed, wrong, backwards, upside down, thicc, thick, fat, chubby, bad hands, malformed hands, AI, AI generated, glitch, blurry, muscular, colorless, brush strokes, sculpture, sketch, frame, text, logo, low quality,multiple tails, no tail, pink fur, pink hair, chibi, chubby, fat, large breasts, explicit, 2 girls, two girls, multiple characters, side by side, sad, depressed,Steps: 50, Sampler: Euler a, Schedule type: Automatic, CFG scale: 7, Seed: 3205010469, Size: 1000x1288, Model hash: 18202d0ba2, Model: furtasticv20_furtasticv20, Version: v1.9.3[/i][/right][/color]", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "

CHAPTER 1
ELLIE EXPOSED


Ellie bounced and skipped as she followed her parents to the beach, so excited to finally get her first real beach experience that she felt like was barely attached to the ground, like she might fly away if she wasn't careful. Imagine that, a happy little mousey girl just floating off into the distance. She giggled – she was not being careful! Maybe she would fly away!

This was finally it! She’d been waiting ages for the date of their vacation to come up. She’d already been completely packed and ready to go weeks before they were supposed to actually leave. And then the flight to the beach town they were staying in had taken forever. And then, unpacking and what her parents called ‘settling into the hotel room’ had taken even longer than that! Getting ice alone had probably taken Dad at least five days! Or at least that’s what it felt like.

Even this walk seemed to take forever. Dad had said their hotel was close to the beach, but Ellie was pretty sure that this part of the trip was the longest of all. Maybe it would have been faster if they just walked here from home?

She couldn't help it – she wanted to be on the beach now. And she wasn't only excited because she’d been waiting so long – all eight years of her life – for it. It was also super-duper exciting because she was finally wearing her Valentina swimsuit!

She’d only gotten this swimsuit after completely begging for it – and working for it! Dad had said it was ‘inappropriate’, whatever that meant. Mom had said Ellie wasn't old enough to wear things like that. But Ellie had asked and asked and asked and asked for it, and finally, they’d said she could have it, but only if she brought home an ‘A’ on her report card. They only said that because they thought she couldn't do it. But she did do it! And then they had to buy her the same little red bikini swimsuit that Valentina Marquezza wore!

Even then, though, Mom wouldn't let her wear it at the pool, and she’d used the excuse that it was a beach swimsuit, not a pool swimsuit. So Ellie’d had to wait even longer until their long-awaited beach vacation finally came. But now, it was finally time! She was finally wearing it, the shiny little red bikini that hugged against her so tight, cupping her closely from below and barely holding on at the top. Obviously, it wasn't staying on her chest very good because she had no boobies at all yet, but she was still super-proud to be wearing one just like the one Valentina wore in so many of her photoshoots and dance numbers. Finally, Ellie could be just like her idol, the best dancer and hottest model in the world!

Dad had said they should pack her an extra swimsuit to wear in case she got too embarrassed wearing this one. Ellie had absolutely refused. Why would she be embarrassed about wearing the hottest, most popular swimsuit ever, just like the hottest, most popular model ever? She was not wasting a single moment of beach time wearing anything else but this, and that was final!

Up ahead, Ellie could hear waves and seagulls. She snapped to attention even harder now, pulling on Dad’s arm. If he hadn’t been holding her, she’d have already been in the water by now!

She tried to pull him harder, but he kept walking at the same slow pace, just like Mom. What was wrong with them? Weren’t they excited too?

Ellie felt like she was about to explode when they finally got to a parking lot that had traces of sand left on the pavement. Then there was a wall of big leafy bushes they had to follow a narrow trail through, and then … and then…

Finally, the beach!

She felt like she could scream! It was really here – the sand, the waves, the sun, the palm trees, and all the people of different species sprawled out on towels or playing in the water. And now she’d finally be one of them! It was her first time ever on a beach. She’d seen them on TV, but she’d never known how amazing it would be in real life!

“Can I go?” She asked, yanking at Dad’s hand. “Can I go? Can I go? Can I go now?”

Dad looked over at Mom. Mom nodded.

And finally, Dad let go of Ellie’s hand. “Don’t go out of sight!” he yelled as she scampered away.

Ellie barely even heard him. Finally, finally, she was free! And on the beach. And in her special Valentina bikini. And able to do … to do … anything she wanted!

She ran. She wasn't even sure what she was running toward first, but she knew she wanted to get there faster. She almost ran into some big fat horse guy, and she jumped right over a couple of sunbathing raccoon ladies. Her eyes darted here there, everywhere – the sand under her feet, way up at the bright sun through the palm tree leaves, and—

Her eyes went wide. She stopped in her tracks and stared up at it. There was a coconut in that tree! A real, live, growing-on-the-tree coconut!

She turned, pointing up at it. “Dad! Mom! Look – coconuts!”

Slowly, the two of them were catching up to her. Mom nodded and said something, but she was too far away for Ellie to hear what she said.

Ellie definitely heard Dad yelling something when she started to climb, but she ignored it. They were always saying she couldn't do things or that something wasn't safe enough. But this was fine. She was sure of it. All she had to do was wrap her arms and legs around the palm tree and shimmy her way up. She climbed trees like this all the time back home, and this one would be way easier because it didn’t have any branches until up at the very top.

Mom and Dad were at the base of the tree now. “Ellie!” Dad shouted. “Come down right now!”

“You’re going to get yourself hurt, dear!” Mom shouted up as well.

Ellie huffed and kept climbing. What did they know about climbing trees? They never climbed trees at home. She’d show them. She was going all the way to the top of this tree, and she was getting that coconut! And then they’d see what a big girl she was and that she didn’t need to be babied so much anymore!

It worked pretty well at first, but then she got up near the top. There were still old palm fronds here, dry and brittle and broken off. Very scratchy against the bare fur of her arms. And she wasn't sure if they’d really hold her or not…

Oh, but the coconut was right there! She wouldn't even have to get her legs up into the brittle fronds. If she climbed just a little higher, she’d be able to reach it.

She didn’t come this far to back down now – she was going to do it! All she had to do was avoid looking down and trust these scratchy old palm fronds to hold her up. It was okay. She didn’t weigh much – the advantages of being a skinny little girl. She was sure she’d be fine if she just did it carefully.

And it worked! It was actually really easy to climb these old fronds. Each one was a natural handhold, as easy as climbing a ladder. A scratchy, annoying ladder that scraped at her belly as she climbed higher, but still.

There! She could almost reach it… She was sure she could reach it from right where she was right now – she didn’t need to climb any higher, she just needed to push up with her legs and stretch her arm out, and she’d have it!

She hugged herself even closer to the trunk of the tree, just to be safe, and then she let go with one hand, reaching the other higher, higher… Yes! She could touch the coconut! If she just pushed a little higher, she’d be able to grab it and pull it down.

Oh… Hopefully it wouldn't hit her parents when she dropped it down!

She looked down there and waved her arm, trying to get them to go further away from the tree. It wasn't working. They were both just panicking down there, pointing and shouting for her to come down. She groaned, waving her arm harder. They had to move! She wasn't coming down until she had her coconut, and she couldn't get her coconut until they moved out of the way.

Something cracked!

Ellie had only a blink of an eye to gasp. Before she could reach her other hand back to grab another frond, the one she was holding snapped off. She dropped.

It was like it happened in slow motion, but she still couldn't do anything to save herself. She heard somebody screaming and she didn’t even know it was herself.

The next thing she knew, she was in Dad’s arms, lying in the sand. Had he caught her? Or did she just land okay in the soft, fluffy sand? She didn’t feel like she hurt too bad … probably. Her butt was kind of sore, but it wasn't even enough to make her cry or anything. Was she actually okay?

She looked up. The coconut was still in the tree. Stupid coconut. She decided she hated coconuts now.

Mom was right there too, along with a little crowd of concerned onlookers. Ellie kind of resented them. It wasn't their business, and she was fine. She was probably fine. She felt mostly okay.

“You’re lucky your father caught you!” Mom said. “We told you not to climb that tree, and now look what happened!”

“I’m okay,” Ellie said, blushing at all the attention. She didn’t really like the way all those strangers were looking at her. And it was annoying that her triumphant moment ended up getting her babied all over again. She squirmed a little, trying to get out of Dad’s hands and stand on her own two feet again – she could at least be that much of a big girl.

Thankfully, Dad let her go. “You’re sure you’re okay, Ellie?” He still fussed over her, examining her backside.

Mom huffed. “Now look at you! This is why you have to do what we say, young lady!”

“It’s alright.” Dad held his hands up. “No permanent harm done, I think. And I’m pretty sure Ellie’s already learned her lesson about this one.” He squatted down, getting close to Ellie. “Haven’t you?”

Ellie sighed and nodded. No more coconuts for her!

“And look at your poor swimsuit, the one you were so happy about,” Mom went on. “What are we going to do now, hm?”

Ellie looked down at her swimsuit … and it wasn't there!

Instantly, she clasped both hands between her legs. Where was her swimsuit? She looked around her on the sand – nothing. But… She looked up. There! Hanging on the old palm fronds by the straps, flapping in the breeze, were three red triangles, looking like little flags now. They looked torn, and at least one of the straps had come completely off.

She pointed at it, but only for a moment, before making sure her privates were covered again. All these people around were watching. “Up there!” she said. “My swimsuit! I have to go get it!” Only after she said that did she think of how horribly embarrassing it would be to climb the tree in front of everybody, but naked this time. What was she going to do?

“You are not going up that tree again,” Mom said, as if answering Ellie’s thoughts.

“But I have to! I can’t…” She couldn't be naked on the beach! It was … it was wrong. She wasn't supposed to be naked here!

Mom shook her head and looked away with her arms crossed. “I told you that bikini was a bad idea!”

“You said I could wear it…”

“Don’t worry.” Dad rubbed Ellie’s back. “It’s alright. Nudity is allowed on these beaches, after all, and nobody’s going to care if a girl like you isn’t wearing a swimsuit. Look—” he pointed “—that lady isn’t wearing a swimsuit either. It’s fine here.”

Ellie looked. And yeah, that old armadillo lady wasn't wearing anything at all, and her wrinkly boobies were hanging way way down. She wished she hadn’t looked. The lady turned with an indignant huff and slowly walked away.

Still carefully covering herself with her hands, Ellie finally stood up. Wow, her butt was pretty sore. Dad must have caught her there. She wished she had more hands to cover her butt with. She was using both hands to make sure her privates were hidden, but she couldn't cover her bottom at all. If only she had a big fluffy tail like a fox or a squirrel! Everybody behind her would be able to see it, to see all of her back there!

“Gimme a towel,” she said in a rush, looking desperately up at Mom.

Mom just shook her head.

“You can’t wear a towel all day,” Dad said. “Just think of trying to swim in it. You want to swim, don’t you?”

Ellie nodded. It was true. She was really looking forward to swimming. Dad said she was a really really good swimmer, almost as good as he was when he was young. And he’d also said that swimming in the ocean was completely different because of the waves and because salt water would hold you up better. So she really wanted to try it. And he was right – she couldn't swim with a towel on…

“And just think of how sandy and gross your towel would get after wearing it all day here.”

Well, okay… No towel, then. But what was she going to do? She couldn't really go around naked, could she?

She turned to Mom. “Can we go to a store? I need a new one!”

“At these inflated tourist-town prices? After you were the one who insisted you didn’t need to pack any spare swimsuits?” Mom huffed. “I think not!”

“But—”

“Now now, Ellie. You shouldn’t talk back to your mother.” For some reason, Dad was grinning and digging into the big bag he’d brought.

“But—!”

“Instead,” Dad said, whipping a bright yellow squirt gun out of the bag, “you should squirt back at her!” He took aim at Mom and unleashed a volley of squirts.

“Ryan!” Mom squealed, blocking herself with her hands.

Just as Mom started chasing him, Dad threw another squirt gun – a red one – to Ellie. “Come on, Ellie! I need reinforcements!” He ran as fast as he could.

Ellie caught the squirt gun in both hands, not even thinking about how she was uncovering herself in order to do so. And after just a short moment of hesitation, she started chasing after Mom just as Mom was chasing after Dad. Ellie’s squirts weren’t even getting close to Mom most of the time, but it didn’t matter this was fun!

Still chasing Dad, mom looked over her shoulder back at Ellie. “If you keep squirting me, no popsicles!”

Ellie stopped with a gasp. What? No popsicles? That wouldn't do… So she’d just have to chase after Dad instead! After all, he did deserve to be squirted – he was the one who started it in the first place!

🥥 🥥 🥥


Dad shouted to her over the crash of the waves, “Come on, Ellie! You can do it!”

Ellie forced her way onward through the water, even though it felt like she wasn't actually making any progress at all. She’d move forward, but then it felt like the next wave just pushed her right back. Swimming in the ocean was hard – a lot harder than she’d expected!

At least nobody could look at her while she was swimming, though, which was a big part of why she’d wanted to go right to swimming as soon as the squirt gun wars were over … which actually didn’t take that long because the squirt guns didn’t hold very much water. And of course Dad had literally jumped at the opportunity to show off his swimming. He used to be really really good, like swimming in the Olympics good! And that was also why he was so far ahead of Ellie, despite Ellie being a pretty good swimmer herself.

A little tired now, Ellie stood up. Or … she tried to. But even at the lowest point of the next wave, she couldn't touch the bottom at all!

She looked down, and that only made it worse. The water was foamy and murky, and she couldn't see anything down there, not even her own body. And … and she had no idea how deep it was here! The bottom might be just beneath her toes or it might be miles and miles down! She swam harder, lifting herself a little out of the water, as if that would help.

“Just a little further, Ellie! It gets a lot calmer out here past the sandbar!”

Ellie’s toes curled. She felt like she knew some terrible sea monster was about to swim up behind her and chomp on her tail…

“You’re a great swimmer – you can make it!”

It wasn't about being good at swimming! Did she really want to go into even deeper water?

Yes. Yes she did!

She would have stomped if there was anything for her to stomp on. Maybe a sea monster’s head. She wasn't the kind of girl to be all scaredy like this! Well, okay, maybe she was. But she was never, ever going to let something like that actually stop her from anything! She was going to be brave, and she was going to prove to Dad just how brave she really was!

Resolute now, she started pushing forward again, fighting the waves harder than ever. And to heck with the sea monsters! If she was going to get snatched up by a sea monster, at least she’d get snatched while being brave!

Dad had stopped swimming and was waiting for her out there in the deep part past the sandbar. She made it to him pretty quickly, actually. And she swam right into his open arms.

He hugged her tight, his powerful legs enough to keep both of them afloat. “There’s my girl!”

She looked around herself when they separated, especially looking down.

“What’s the matter, Ellie?”

She was still looking, curling her tail tightly around her body. “Are there sea monsters here?” she asked.

Dad laughed.

“Daddy! I’m serious!”

He grinned. “Oh there’s one sea monster here…”

Ellie’s eyes went wide. She would have frozen in place if she could without sinking. Sinking down to where the sea monsters were.

“His name is Ryan, and he’s black and white and brown spotted, and if he catches you, he’s gonna gobble you up!” He came toward her, swimming fast.

With a squeal, Ellie turned and swam toward shore absolutely as fast as she could. She was scrambling in the water, not even using the good techniques Dad had taught her. And she was screaming and giggling the whole way!

When she slogged up the wet sand and shook the water off herself, she didn’t even remember that she was naked. She was too busy pointing and laughing at Dad, who couldn't even make it to shore as fast as she did, even though he was supposed to be a way better swimmer.

Dad, though, was still in sea monster mode and snatched her up, carrying her toward Mom. “Now I’m gonna take you to my mate and have her cook you up into a mouse sandwich for me!” He growled fiercely.

Ellie squealed and laughed and struggled, but she couldn't get free that easily…

🌊 🌊 🌊


Just at the edge of the wet sand, Ellie once again dug in the little plastic spade they’d brought. All she had so far was a pile of soggy sand, but what she was going to have was a beautiful sandcastle! The best one she’d ever made!

Well, the only one she’d ever made. But still, it was going to be really really good – she was sure of that.

Okay… The pile looked big enough. Probably. And anyway, she could always add more sand later. The beach had plenty of sand. Now she had to start shaping it. Okay, so, um… What did a castle really look like, anyway? Lots of turrets and walls and pointy towers, but what shape should she start with? Hm… A square. Squares were good shapes. She’d start with a square castle!

Carefully, she started packing the sand into a more cube-like shape, sharpening out the corners, and—

“Hey, you’re makin’ a sandcastle?”

Ellie looked up from her project. Two boys stood over her, wearing matching red swim trunks. They were bigger than her, much bigger. The dog – some kind of pug – probably wasn't actually any taller than her, but he was definitely a lot bigger around the middle, and probably still a little older than her. And the rat boy was big, probably almost a teenager! He was all white just like her, but he’d dyed his hair dark black, and there was something about the way his fur was raggedy at the edges that made him seem kind of scary. They were both smiling, though … and they hadn’t done anything unfriendly yet. They weren’t going to kick her sandcastle over, were they? She’d only just barely started on it!

“Um… Uh-huh,” she said carefully. “It’s, um … it’s gonna be a square one.”

“I’m Amos!” the pug said. “And this is my friend Garett.”

The rat rolled his eyes. Amos elbowed him. He rolled his eyes even harder. But then went right back to staring at Ellie.

It didn’t stop Amos. “Garett thinks maybe you could use some help building your sandcastle? We’d, um… We’d like to help, if you want.”

They wanted to help her? Ellie gasped and grinned. “Okay!”

Right away, the boys came in close and got down on their knees next to her, helping her make the base of her castle more square. Their hands were bigger than hers, but … that was about all they were good for, actually. Both of them seemed really distracted with something. Ellie sure didn’t know what had the two of them so scatter-brained. Maybe they were always like that? But they sure had a hard time following instructions, and they spent a lot of time looking at her instead of looking at what they were doing.

Still, though, things did go a bit faster once they were helping. Amos, the chubby pug, was actually pretty skilled at carving the wet sand into intricate shapes … when he’d actually take a moment to look at what he was doing. And Garett kept bumping into her over and over – especially when she was trying to bend down and work on something delicate – but whenever they needed fresh sand or more water brought in, he was on it lickety-split. He’d run over to get it and run back, like he didn’t want to be away at all.

Both of them seemed to need to adjust their swim trunks a lot. It was weird. She was pretty sure boys had something dangly down there. That’s what the other girls at school said. But whatever it was, it must have been making their swimsuits really uncomfortable, because they had to shift things around over and over. She was glad she didn’t have to deal with anything like that!

Under Ellie’s not-so-expert supervision, the three of them actually ended up building a really nice sandcastle. It wasn't as square as Ellie had been imagining, since the walls had slumped at one point, but it still had nice round towers at the corner, a big pointy tower in the middle, and even cute little windows and doors, thanks to Amos’s sand carving.

Ellie stepped back and looked at it, her hands on her hips. “It’s perfect!”

“Heh heh. Yeah…” Garett said. He wasn't even looking at the sandcastle – he was just staring at her. Boys could be so weird sometimes.

Amos was looking back and forth between her and the castle, like he couldn't decide which one to stare at more. He looked like he was about to say something, but then he suddenly stopped himself.

Garett wasn't so shy, though. He put a hand on Ellie’s shoulder. “Say… Now that we’re done with the sandcastle, wanna come over to our place?”

Amos grabbed his friend’s hand and pulled him away. “Garett! Are you crazy! We … we can’t have a … a girl over! My mom’ll go crazy!”

“Don’t be such a weenie.” Garett huffed and swept his black hair back, looking back down at Ellie. He licked his lips a little. “We have pizza…”

Ellie’s eyes lit up. “Pizza?” She licked her own lips.

The older boy’s grip on her shoulder tightened a little, and he steered her away from the water, toward one of the big condo buildings by the beach. “Yeah. Come on, we’ll hang out, eat some pizza, maybe watch a movie…”

“I… I don’t know about this…” Amos’s voice was trembling.

“Shut up, Amos!” the rat said, almost hissing it out. “I’m trying to get us some fun, see?”

Before Ellie could go anywhere with the two of them, though, Dad came up to the three of them. Despite being ‘only’ a mouse, he was still an actual grown-up and a lot bigger than Garett. “There’s my little girl!” he said. “And wow, what a great sandcastle you’ve built!”

Ellie laughed. “These boys helped me build it!”

Dad nodded and smiled … though there was a weird look in his eyes.

Ellie hardly noticed though. She was still grinning. “Can I go visit their house? They have pizza!”

Dad squinted at the boys.

Yanking his hand off of Ellie’s shoulder, Garret pointed to his friend. “It was his idea!”

“What?” Amos covered his face. “No! I… I didn’t…! I… No it’s not!”

“Uh-huh…” Dad gave them another long look, less smiley now. “Sorry, boys, but we were just getting ready to have a family volleyball game, and we’re definitely going to need Ellie on our side if we’re going to win.”

Amos shook his head vehemently. “I… I wasn't gonna… We weren’t gonna do anything, promise!”

Garett grabbed him and started dragging him away. “Come on! Let’s scram!”

Smiling and waving, Ellie watched them go. “Bye, Amos! Bye, Garett! Thanks for helping me with my sandcastle!” She looked up at Dad. “Those boys were kinda scary at first, but they were actually really really nice!”

Dad patted her head. “You always do have a way of making friends, don’t you? But you have to remember, no going off with anybody else without permission, okay? You have to come ask permission from your mom and dad first, got it?”

“Uh-huh! I know!” Ellie grinned up at him. “I wasn't gonna go without asking first!”

“That’s my girl.”

“And now we’re gonna play volleyball?”

“Yep – come on. There’s a net set up in the sand just over there, and your mom already found us another family to play against.”

🏰 🏰 🏰


“Quick, Ellie! Get it!”

Mom didn’t need to say that – Ellie was already on her way, running right up next to the net. The ball had gone really really high after Mom barely got it. There would definitely be time for Ellie to get there!

She didn’t even have to dive for it. Ellie got there in plenty of time. She watched the ball fall down, got in perfect position to hit it back over the net … and … slam!

It bounced totally the wrong way, straight back at Dad! Slap! It smacked him right in the face!

Ellie knew she should have been apologizing … but she could only laugh. She covered her mouth to try to stop herself, but there was no hiding it. It was just too funny – the look on his face, all surprised and devastated. He must have wanted that ball to go back over the net so badly, but it went straight into his face instead!

“Ellie!” Mom said. “Apologize!”

“I’m—” she snickered some more “—sorry!”

Dad just shrugged it off and tossed the ball to the other team. Since they’d made the point, it was their serve next.

Slowly, Ellie managed to calm herself. Okay … okay. She could do this. Her family could do this.

Honestly, she wasn’t very good at it – after all, it was her first time trying to play in soft sand, and she’d only played volleyball at all a couple of times before at school. Despite that, though, her family was actually doing pretty good. The score was nine to four now, if she remembered right.

The other family was a single dad and his two teenage boys, all of them kangaroos, which meant they were really good at jumping. And they probably should have been winning really easily. But maybe they just weren’t very good, either. They seemed really … distracted, somehow? They’d often miss a ball going straight for them because they were too busy staring at something else. They were looking at Ellie herself a lot of the time, even when she didn’t have the ball. But she couldn't for the life of her figure out why they’d be looking at her so much. She was just a little girl, after all. And she definitely wasn't the best player on her team.

The best player was probably Mom. Dad was definitely more athletic and better at crossing the field really fast when he needed to, but Mom was actually just crazy good at hitting the ball. She was able to aim it right where she wanted it. A lot of their nine points had been scored when Mom was serving – she was able to slam the ball straight into the worst part of the other side’s court, where they were furthest from.

Pop! The ball came flying over again, low and to the right. That kangaroo dad was pretty good at serving, too!

Ellie jumped to get it, but she was still a lot shorter than the net, so this close in she didn’t even come close to touching it.

Dad was there, though. As Ellie crashed down into the sand, landing in an ungainly sprawl, Dad raced across their side of the court, dove for it, and hit the ball back just in time!

With both Dad and Ellie herself on the ground, it would have been so easy for the two kangaroo boys to slam it back to their side and score a point. The ball was headed right between them, and they were both going for it.

They weren’t looking at the ball, though… They were staring at her again.

It turned out that Ellie didn’t need to rush to get up like she’d been trying to. The kangaroo boys slammed into each other, not even looking where they were going. The ball thudded into the sand right behind them as they fell.

“Woohoo!” Mom yelled out. “That’s ten points! We win!”

Ellie shook the sand off herself, then shouted as well, scrambling over to hug Dad, who’d only just managed to pick himself up.

Mom joined them only a moment later. “Oh my… I haven’t played like that in ages. Makes me think maybe I should find a local league or something…”

Dad chuckled. “I don’t think it would be so easy if it weren’t for us having Ellie on the team. Those poor boys were awfully distracted, weren’t they?”

“Uh-huh!” Ellie looked back over at them. They were waving, so she waved back before looking up at Dad again. “Why are they so distracted, Daddy?”

Dad patted her head. “Don’t worry about it, kiddo.”

“But—”

“How about we celebrate our win with popsicles?” Mom said.

Now it was Ellie’s turn to be entirely distracted. “Popsicles? Yes!”

Before she could run off toward the popsicle stand they’d seen at the edge of the beach, though, Dad grabbed Ellie by the arm. “Easy there,” he said. “We’re both pretty sandy now. How about we go rinse off with a swim first, and then we’ll meet Mom at the popsicle stand?”

“Better yet,” Mom said, “just tell me what flavors you’d like, and I’ll meet you with them halfway.”

“Chocolate!” Ellie yelled out immediately. She didn’t need to think about it. She’d been obsessed with chocolate for a while now. Not sure why, but it made her feel really really good!

Dad actually had to think for a while longer. “Hm… Banana or piña colada… Something tropical like that, I think. Whatever they’ve got.”

“Ooh, that sounds good.” Mom grinned. “If they have both, I’m getting both, and we can share each other’s.”

Ellie cringed. “Ew! They’ll be all spitty, though!”

Mom kissed Dad, right on the lips, making Ellie look away. “I don’t mind,” Mom said.

Ellie stuck her tongue out. Why did Mom and Dad have to be so gross sometimes?

Dad took her hand and headed off toward the water, leading her along. “Come on, Ellie. Let’s go for a swim and get this sand off.”

Okay. Swimming with Dad was always fun. And then … popsicles! Only, she hoped they wouldn't have both flavors Dad wanted, because she did not want to watch them sharing!

🏐 🏐 🏐


The streetlights were on by the time Ellie and her family were going back to their hotel. Ellie had been getting kind of hungry and wanted to go back sooner, but Mom had insisted that they had to stay and watch the sunset.

The sunset was nice and all … but it wasn't as nice as dinner. Even while she’d been sitting on the sand and watching the fun colors in the sky, Ellie had been thinking back to those boys who’d offered her pizza. Wow a pizza would be just perfect right now! She felt like she could eat a whole pizza all by herself, every single slice!

Hopefully the hotel would have some pizza. Or something tasty. Dad said they’d have everything there, anything she could want. Well, she’d just have to wait and see. Just like the trip to the beach, the walk back from the beach seemed to be taking forever.

It was still kind of sunset. They’d left the beach when the sun dipped down below the horizon – it was Ellie’s first time actually seeing that happen. Everything was way too hilly back home to actually see the horizon like that. It wasn't completely dark, though. The sky where the sun had gone down was still glowing red and orange, which actually kind of blended in with the orange streetlights.

The breeze coming in off the ocean was actually starting to get a little chilly, though. Ellie held her arms close to herself … and was actually kind of surprised to feel her bare fur.

Oh, that’s right… Her swimsuit!

She looked down at herself suddenly. And yep. There she was, walking down the street with her mom and dad, completely and totally naked.

And … and weirdly, it wasn't bothering her. Not really. Her step only faltered for a moment before she went back to walking. She didn’t even try to cover herself or wrap up in a towel or anything. Even though the street was busy and lots of people were driving or walking by, she felt … used to it somehow?

Only, that wasn't quite right. No, she definitely felt it. That feeling wasn't just the cool breeze on her bare fur. But she didn’t know what to call it. She didn’t have any word for this feeling yet…

It was … tingly? And kind of exciting. It made her really really aware of herself and the way she was walking, and aware of the way passing strangers were looking at her. But instead of making her feel scared and ashamed, it made her feel … warm? Like a big swell of warmth in her chest. They could see! They could see everything, even between her legs! And all it did was make her kind of buzz from the inside out … like there were sparking wires inside her or those sparkler fireworks you could hold in your hand or something. Her fur was standing on end … but it was kind of a good standing on end?

She wondered what she might look like to these other people going by. Since nudity was okay on the beach, surely they saw some naked people coming to and from the beach sometimes, right? So maybe the people here were used to it. But a lot of them were looking at her, and staring really hard. That should have been scary, but it was actually kind of exciting.

Like … she knew she was really vulnerable, exposed like this. If any of the other kids at school saw her now, they’d make fun of her for a long, long time. But … none of the kids from school were here. Only strangers she’d never see again.

It was almost better than the feeling she’d had showing off her Valentina swimsuit. Because now it wasn't her swimsuit being special, it was her being special. It made her feel alive and … and aware of herself like she never really had before. Her eyes were wide and her breathing came heavy. If Dad hadn’t been holding her hand to keep her safe, she might have wandered off, not paying any attention to where she was going, because it was just so interesting to feel this new feeling, this tingling all over her body and even inside her body. Like she could feel every single eye looking at her, and they tickled!

🌅 🌅 🌅


Everything changed when they stepped inside the hotel. As if those automatic sliding doors were a portal to a different dimension, a portal back to normal.

Suddenly, she was no longer in a different, special beach world where it was okay to be naked. This was inside a hotel. She’d been inside lots of hotels like this, and most of them were just the same. It was chilly in here – the air conditioning was turned way down cold. There was a tile pathway through the middle of the lobby, with carpeted sections on either side with chairs and sofas and stuff.

Not many people in here… One old badger sitting on one of the couches and looking at her over the top of his newspaper. Another family, all ferrets, who seemed to be on their way out somewhere fancy, based on how they were dressed. And the hotel receptionist, at a desk just in front of the elevators.

To the right was a big doorway that led into the hotel’s bustling restaurant. But despite the really yummy smells wafting out of there and her own hunger, food was the last thing on her mind right now.

Because the good, tingly feeling of being naked was gone. Now that they were in a normal place, Ellie felt the normal kind of naked – scared, embarrassed, naughty and wrong naked! She wasn't supposed to be naked here! People weren’t supposed to see her naked here!

She was about to instinctively cover herself, but then she realized that would only make her look more naked to anyone watching. To cover herself up would be to admit that being naked here was wrong, that she was being bad. If … if anybody said anything about it right now, she could just say she came from the beach and it was perfectly okay. It was, wasn't it? Even if it didn’t feel like it anymore. But if she was covering herself up and hiding, then that wouldn't mean anything. They’d know she was just making excuses!

That badger was still looking at her disapprovingly. Even the security camera in the lobby was staring, its cold eye glinting as it pivoted to track her. As she followed Dad up to the hotel receptionist, she looked down at Ellie with a sharp-eyed glare, too. It didn’t help that she was a cat. Cats were always good at glaring, and of course being a mouse, Ellie was always uncomfortable around cats in the first place.

Dad went right up to the receptionist, though. He didn’t seem bothered at all. And he started asking her all kinds of things about room service rates, and what was and wasn't included in the vacation package he’d gotten.

Ellie tugged on his hand. “Daddy, Daddy!”

Mom grabbed her shoulder. “It’s rude to interrupt dear, just wait a minute.”

A whole minute? Ellie fidgeted in place, squirming under the unfriendly eyes of everyone else in the big, scary room. But she couldn't cover herself. She had to stop from covering herself, no matter how much she wanted to. But she couldn't be like this for a whole minute! She couldn't be naked! She wasn't supposed to be naked! Not here!

It was agony. It felt like Dad was chatting with the receptionist forever. It felt like eyes all around her were burning into her, seeing far more of her than just fur, seeing all of her, every embarrassing thing she’d ever said or done. Especially this embarrassing thing! Her face was burning hot – she knew she was blushing super hard. It was the most embarrassing thing that had ever happened to her!

When would Dad be done talking? When would this finally be over?

Finally, finally, he was done. He thanked the receptionist and started heading to the elevators just behind her.

“Daddy! Daddy!” Ellie said. “Can I have a towel?”

But Dad just rolled his eyes. “Really? We’re almost back at the room already, and now you want a towel?”

She nodded fervently.

Mom put a hand against Ellie’s back and nudged her forward to the opening elevator door. “Don’t worry, sweetie. We’ll be back in the room soon and then you can get dressed. And besides, there’s nobody else in the elevator to see you.”

That was true. Ellie rushed inside it. Thankfully Mom and Dad came in quickly as well. Dad pushed the button and the doors closed.

Ellie looked up at them. “Please!”

Mom sighed. “Ellie, goodness! What’s gotten into you all the sudden? You’ve been fine all day, you wan wait a little longer. Besides, all the towels we have are wet or sandy now. Do you want to have to shower before you can get dressed again? We’ll be back up at the room in just a minute.”

It was the longest, longest ‘minute’ Ellie had ever experienced.

Once the elevator door opened, she ran down the hallway.

“No running!” Mom shouted.

But Ellie ignored her. She could worry about being in trouble for running later. Right now, she just really really needed to get back in the room, to get her clothes, to get covered up.

Running didn’t really help in the end anyway. Because she didn’t have a room key. She had to wait for Mom and Dad to catch up, for Dad to swipe his room key…

Ellie didn’t even wait for him to open the door for her. As soon as the lock beeped and clicked, she grabbed the handle and pulled it open. She rushed inside, straight to her suitcase, where she tore through it.

There! Undies, yes. And … sweatpants, perfect! And a long-sleeve shirt! She put it all on as fast as she could. Right now, it felt like the more clothes she could put on, the better it would be.

Even better, her clothes were warm and comfy. Almost like being snuggled up in a soothing blanket. Finally, finally, she didn’t have to be naked anymore!

By the time Mom and Dad had put down their bags, Ellie was already dressed, hugging herself in relief.

Dad laughed. “Wow, I wish Ellie could get ready this fast when it was time for school in the morning!”

“Probably just eager for dinner, dear,” Mom sad.

“Hmm…” Dad thought for a moment, then nodded. “Alright, Ellie. Do you think you can find some cartoons to watch or something? Your mom and I need a quick shower first, and then once we’re dressed again, we’ll order room service. Just like I said, anything you want!”

Ellie nodded along. She sat on the edge of one of the beds and stared at the blank black screen of the TV.

She wasn't ready for cartoons yet. She … she had a lot to think about.

Now that she had her clothes on and could be comfortable again, she was remembering all of it, everything that had happened. Both the bad and the … good? Yes … some if it had been good. Could it actually be good to be naked sometimes? It had been really bad and scary in the hotel, though. What was the difference? Why had one been so good and the other so bad? And … and would she beg her parents for a new swimsuit before tomorrow, or would she go to the beach naked tomorrow, too?




CHAPTER 2
ELLIE DISPLAYED


Ellie rolled her eyes and stared out through the car window. “I know, Mom.”

“I know you know, but I need to make sure you really know how important this is!” Mom was driving, but that didn’t distract her from lecturing the whole way to the photoshoot about how important it was. “This isn’t just another set of pictures to post online, this is the Elizah Cunningham.”

“‘The most prominent up and coming avant-garde photographer in the whole region!’” Ellie said, imitating Mom’s voice. “I told you, I know already.”

“Well do you know what this means for you? This could be the beginning of your career, the real beginning!”

Ellie didn’t respond this time. She just watched the buildings and cars and parking lots passing by outside the window. She wished they were there already, and not just because it really was an exciting opportunity for her to do a real modeling job with a real photographer – a paid job … because the sooner they got there, the sooner Mom would maybe finally shut up about how important it was. Maybe.

“Now remember, you are to do whatever Mister Cunningham asks of you, immediately, and without asking any questions. He’s the artist, and you’re the model. Remember, you’re like a canvas for him to paint on, and no artist wants a canvas that’s unruly or talks back.”

“I know.”

“Good, good.” Mom dug into her purse and suddenly shoved a couple snack bars at her. “Now eat up. You can’t expect any lunch breaks during a professional photoshoot!”

Ellie took a look at them. “Ew! Coconut? Come on, Mom. You know I hate coconut!”

Her eyes still on the road, Mom held the snacks out insistently. With a heavy sigh, Ellie took them. Why did it have to be coconut? Why did Mom even buy those things?

🥥 🥥 🥥


Danny fidgeted in place, already feeling like he didn’t belong here. The other models waiting in the room with him looked so elegant and poised, like they were just beginning to grow into their good looks. But he was a bunny, and even at only thirteen he knew that his time as a model was going to be short. And that short time was already coming to an end soon. Nobody wanted an adult male bunny as a model. All he had going for him was his cuteness, and he already knew that his cuteness was limited. As soon as he really hit puberty, his career was basically over.

And yet, his mom couldn't accept that. The whole way here, she’d been telling him how important this photoshoot was to his future. What future? Girl bunnies could keep working as adults, but who would want to hire a bunny man?

The last of the five models finally arrived – a short and thin white mouse being led by the hand by her mom … who seemed just a bigger, taller version of her.

He waved at the mouse and tried to smile … not very successfully.

The smile she gave in return was a lot more genuine. And that only made him feel worse about himself. He couldn't even smile right. Had he already lost his cute charm? Once the photographer showed up, he’d probably kick Danny out right from the start. And he’d probably be right to do it. Who’d want to look at pictures of an average-looking brown teenage bunny who couldn't even smile right?

As the new mouse girl looked around the studio, she suddenly gasped. “Mom!” she whined. “Look! There’s a whole catering table set up. See? I didn’t have to eat that nasty coconut stuff!”

Danny actually did smile at that. A real smile. It reminded him of how his own mom kept forcing him into different diets she’d read about on the internet, always worried that he was going to get ‘chubby’ and ruin his career if he didn’t totally change everything he ate to match whatever wacky thing she’d read lately. No carb, all carb, low fat, no fat, high fat, healthy fat, nuts and grains, blueberries in everything, high protein, vegan, everything as a smoothie… It just went on and on, something new every week. The smoothie one was the worst. ‘Pizza smoothies’ were not a good idea! But seeing the mouse girl complain reminded him that these other models probably all had a lot of the same struggles he went through. Even if they all looked better and fancier on the outside, they probably had a lot in common on the inside. Probably. Maybe.

The new girl came over to stand next to him. All five of the models here had lined themselves up near the wall of the studio, where there were a few chairs. Nobody was sitting in the chairs, but it just seemed like the right place to wait.

Before he could say anything to her, though, the door on the far side of the studio opened, and out of the little adjoining office came Elizah Cunningham.

Danny’s jaw dropped. There just wasn't any other possible reaction to someone like that. He was a tall – very tall gray fox. He wore a fluffy purple leopard-print … bathrobe? There was nothing underneath it except a tiny tight pair of white shorts, and it was open at the chest, displaying just how thin – almost emaciated – he was. And from the moment he burst in through the door, he strutted like he owned the place … which maybe he actually did. And his eyes! So blue they seemed to glow!

“Ah, everyone’s here. Marvelous!” He seemed to cross the entire huge studio floor in only a couple of strides with his long, thin legs.

Danny gulped. Whenever those striking blue eyes so much as glanced over him, he felt like he was going to freeze on the spot, fall over, and shatter into a bajillion pieces.

Mister Cunningham stopped dead center in front of the five young models. For a long moment, he just stared at each of them in turn, sizing them up.

Danny tried not to flinch when those eyes flicked toward him. He wasn't sure if he pulled it off.

Finally, Mister Cunningham whipped a finger up, pointing it at the first model in line. “You! Introduce yourself! I must know all of you!”

Before the girl – a white fox – could say anything, the heavyset coyote guy behind her, probably her dad or uncle or something, answered for her. “Oh, this is Gabriella Martinez. She’s sixteen years old and—”

Mister Cunningham blocked his eyes with one hand and held his other hand up to stop the coyote from talking. “No no no no no NO!”

The coyote stopped, his mouth still open.

“I must hear my models introduce themselves if I am to know them! No parents! No babysitters!” He whipped his hand toward the door, pointing fiercely. “Parents OUT!”

Several of the parents, including Danny’s own mom all started to say things at once.

Mister Cunningham shut them all down with an intense, sudden look. His eyes glinted so fiercely!

For a moment, there was complete silence. Then, one by one, all the other adults left the studio, just as they’d been told. Danny watched his mom slink out through the door, amazed that Mister Cunningham had managed to get her out so easily, without complaints or bargaining. Wow…

When the door shut behind them all, Mister Cunningham breathed in … and in … and in… His thin chest swelled and still he breathed in. Could he inflate himself like a balloon? After seeing everything so far, Danny would believe it. He’d believe almost anything about this magical fox at this point.

Finally, Mister Cunningham let out all that breath in a big explosive sigh. “Aaah! Now isn’t that better?”

None of the models – Danny included – felt like they could respond to that.

“I will begin. I am Sir Elizah Aurulius Cunningham, age forty-seven, desert fox. But you may very please call me only ‘Elizah’. I took my first photograph when I was two years old. It was brilliant. And I have taken many more photographs since then, those others have also been brilliant. Over time, many have come to recognize that brilliance, and today, I am to create even more brilliance, and you five beautiful innocent souls will be the centerpieces of that brilliance.”

He waited for a moment. Still, nobody else said anything.

Elizah gestured toward the first girl again, the white fox. He held his hand out as if expecting her to put something in it. The expression on his face, though, seemed perfectly patient, as if he was willing to wait hours for her to finally be ready.

It didn’t take hours. She shook herself slightly to fluff her fur, stood up straighter, and put on a convincing but definitely fake smile. “I’m Gabriella Martinez, but you can call me Gabbie, sir. Age sixteen, arctic fox. I’ve been modeling since I was eight years old, and, uh … and as I hope you can tell, it’s my true passion in life. I’m going to keep going until I’ve been on the cover of every magazine, even if my stepdad says I have to be eighteen before I can be in some of them.”

Elizah touched his chin, nodded slowly … then turned his gaze to the next model in line. He made the same gesture as before.

“I’m, um… I’m Marcel,” the otter boy said. “Um… Age fifteen and, um, I’m a river otter, sir.”

In the silence that followed, Elizah made a circling motion with his hand, urging the boy onward.

“And, well, um… I really like biking and skateboarding, but I’m not really good at either. My mom says it’s because my legs are too short and she says I should try being a model instead. And, um… I’m not sure if I’m gonna be a good model, but I’m sure gonna give it a try.”

“Hmm… Excellent!” Elizah turned to the next. “And you?”

“Sara Bailey, eleven, and I think you can already see I’m a hyena.”

Danny looked over at the hyena girl. She looked completely defiant about it, like she was daring anybody to say hyenas were too ugly to be models.

She held her hands on her hips. “And I’m gonna make it bigtime no matter what anybody says!” For a moment, she held strong … but then she faltered under Elizah’s unwavering gaze. “Uh… Maybe.”

Then came the dreaded moment when Elizah turned that gaze on Danny himself.

Danny gulped, glanced side to side. What … what could he say? He sure couldn't tell the truth about himself!

The pause had already gone on too long. Elizah raised an eyebrow. “And you, rabbit?”

Leaning over next to him, the little white mouse girl whispered into his big ear: “It’s okay. Relax. Just a photoshoot, right?”

He glanced over at her. She gave an encouraging nod back.

Well… Okay. So, um… “I’m Daniel Parrish, and I’m a bunny. I’m thirteen years old, and um…” Aw, heck, there was no stopping now. “And I’m, um … I’m not letting anything stop me!” Was that true? Hardly. But he was pretty sure it sounded good. Probably. Well, maybe not as good as some of the other kids’, but good enough right?

The longer he stared up into Elizah’s face, though, the less certain he felt about that… Why was that guy staring so long?

Finally, and without any comment, Elizah moved on to the last kid in line, the mouse girl. He prompted her with a flick of his hand.

“I’m Ellie Chandler, I’m fifteen, and I’m a mouse.” She grinned, like she was proud of that. “I’ve done this before, kinda. Well, just some advertising shots for Sears Doebuck, but pictures are pictures. So I’ll help these other kids out, okay?” She reached over and held Danny’s arm.

Danny looked over at her. Sure, he was nervous about this shoot. This shoot was a big deal and he was probably getting too old for it soon. But, really, it sounded like he had a lot more modeling experience than Ellie did… Did he really look that pathetic, that she thought he needed her help?

Elizah, though, seemed very happy with that. “Excellent, excellent! Yes, you all must remember this is a collaborative endeavor!” He suddenly stood up straighter, stretching to his full, dizzying height. “Now then, dressing rooms are there against the back wall, and I’ve already got the first round of clothing laid out. Hop to it, please! This is a very ambitious shooting day, so we mustn’t waste any time.”

📷 📷 📷


Ellie was already almost completely dressed in the clothes that had been laid out for her in what was – apparently – her designated changing room. A paper sign had been pinned on the curtain with her name on it, just like for the other models. Actually, it wasn't much of a room at all. The only real wall it had was the outer wall of the studio. The other three were just curtains hanging from old clothes racks. The only other feature was a set of plastic shelves, each shelf with a different set of clothing and a tag with a number. She’d put on the one with the number ‘1’ tag, since that seemed to be first. It was a simple, casual blue tank top and a little blue skirt, and even blue panties. They’d actually match her eyes pretty well. Had Elizah planned that out on purpose? The shelves below, though … those held some very interesting clothing options.

Maybe she would have been worried about the little gaps between the curtains – and the later clothing choices – if she hadn’t been through much worse in the past. The moment she thought of someone peeking on her, she just thought back to that day at the beach so long ago and how that had felt. And after that, a little peek here or there wasn't such a big deal, was it?

It even made her a little excited, maybe, thinking about the possibility of somebody peeking, thinking about those other outfits in the lower shelves, with higher numbers on their tags…

“Psst!”

Ellie’s ear flicked. Who’d gone into the curtained stall next to hers again? Oh yeah, that bunny boy, right?

“Pssssst!”

“What?” she whisper-shouted back. What could he possibly want with her? He was old enough he shouldn't need help getting dressed, wasn't he?

“Are we… Do we really have to wear these things? Even the … you know?”

No, I’m sure the photographer just put those on the shelf for decoration! Ellie bit back the sarcastic reply. No need to be mean to the poor kid. He was cute, after all. Instead, she took a moment to try and be supportive. “Don’t worry. I’ve done this kind of thing before.” Well, okay, not really. Not this exact kind of thing. But he didn’t need to know that. “It’ll be fine. It’s kind of…” Exciting? Better not say that. “...fun, really.”

“I don’t know…”

She rolled her eyes and opened her curtain. All she had left was the hair bow, after all. In fact… “Hey, are you dressed yet? Can you help me with my bow?”

Slowly, hesitantly, the curtain next to hers opened. The bunny – what was his name? Danny! – had apparently been given a tight white cotton shirt and a tiny, even tighter, pair of little black running shorts. Those … sure didn’t leave much to the imagination, did they? No wonder he was nervous!

She smiled. “Don’t worry – it’s cute!” Then she turned around and held the little red ribbon behind her. “Come on, help me tie this hair bow.” At least … she was pretty sure it was supposed to go on her hair. It could have easily gone around her wrist or ankle or even around the base of her tail, maybe? But the wrist would be weird, and a tail bow was probably too saucy for a photoshoot like this, right? So it was probably for her hair.

Thankfully, Danny took the ribbon and started tying the back of her hair into a ponytail with it.

“Just stick with me,” she told him, still hoping he’d feel better about it. “Photos are photos. It doesn’t matter what you’re wearing, it’s all the same thing.”

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Elizah leaned in even closer. “Stupendous! Now, come closer together. You are best friends. You adore each other. Yes, yes!” The shutter snapped again. “Yes, that is pure love! Genius!”

Danny did not love this otter Marcel. Not like that, not in any way. But he hugged up close and pressed cheeks together with the other boy. Because what a photographer like Elizah wanted, a photographer like Elizah got. And even if he wasn't sure about his future in the industry, he was still going to give it his best try now.

“Perfect. That should be enough in these outfits.” Elizah snapped his fingers three times in rapid succession. “Now, to the changing booths! You all must don the next outfits as soon as possible!”

Instantly, Danny darted away from Marcel. Nothing against the otter, and nothing against people who were gay, but he wasn't. He was pretty sure he wasn't. And it had felt weird kinda sorta not-really pretending to be.

As he made his way toward the curtained changing rooms, the little mouse girl, Ellie, came up alongside him. She giggled quietly. “You two were really cute together.”

He glared over at her. “Not helping! I thought you said you were going to help?”

“It’s just a picture. When you laugh about it, it doesn’t matter anymore. Go on—” she poked his shoulder “—laugh about it!”

He looked over at her, but she was looking back really seriously, so…

Danny sighed, then tried to laugh. He was pretty sure it sounded really really fake.

“There! Doesn’t that feel better?”

They were at the changing rooms already. Danny just shook his head and went into his, thinking that was the end of it.

“Just don’t take it so seriously, okay? Have some fun!” The sound of clothes rustling came from the next booth over.

Of course the thin curtain between their two booths wasn't really stopping the conversation at all, was it? His own fault, maybe. After all, he was the first one who’d said something through the curtain barrier, last time they were in here.

Still… It was an odd feeling, knowing that there was a girl changing her clothes – getting partially or even completely naked, only separated from him by one thin cloth. It made him blush, and made him fumble while getting his own next set of clothes off of the next shelf down. Just imagine, doing a scene like the last picture, but with a girl like Ellie or Gabriella instead of Marcel…

And now … now the next set of clothing was … pajamas? He’d pulled out a fuzzy pair of blue flannel pants, a baggy oversized shirt with a picture of a fluffy white bunny on it, and even a sleeping cap that looked kind of like a Santa hat, except it was blue to match the pants.

He’d never done a photoshoot wearing stuff like this before. What were the scenes going to involve this time? Were they going to be, like … in a bed?

He gulped and blushed. Hopefully, if they did have to do some kind of cuddling scene in bed, he’d be cuddling with one of the cute girls this time, not with Marcel.

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Ellie fidgeted with anxious energy, probably a lot more than she should have been. After all, she was only standing on the sidelines right now.

Still, the ‘comfy sleepwear’ she’d been given was already getting her excited. She couldn't deny it. These clothes weren’t inappropriate or anything … but it was awfully close, wasn't it? She’d only been given a huge yellow cotton T-shirt, so big that her shoulders were always in danger of slipping entirely through the neck hole. But she was glad it was so big, because the only other clothing on that shelf had been a frilly pair of pink panties. Thankfully, the shirt was so big on her that it came down practically to her knees, so it was almost like a sundress, and she wasn't exposed … yet.

The first set of clothing had also included underwear, though. Did that mean Elizah intended for her panties to be visible in some of these shots? Ah! Thoughts like that were making her legs twitch!

So instead she tried to focus on what was happening on the bed. The bed in the middle of the photography studio, something she’d never seen before. Either this Elizah was as brilliant as he thought he was … or he was just completely crazy. He was standing way up high on the bed, his long legs straddling over the pair of models below him. He’d picked out Danny and Sara, the hyena girl, and he had the two of them cuddling together under a blanket, pretending to sleep … despite the frequent flashes of his camera and the way the bed creaked and move every time he shifted his weight to get a different angle.

Until, very suddenly, Elizah leapt off the bed in one huge stride! It was so shocking that both Danny and Sara sat straight up, looking to see what had happened, even though he’d told them before not to move.

“Perfection has been achieved once more!” Elizah announced. “Now…” He looked over the rest of the models, until his piercing blue eyes focused on Ellie herself. “Ah, perfect! You!”

As the other two got out of the bed, Ellie stepped forward. What was this weird fox going to put her through next?

He came up close and tilted her chin up with his hand. “Yes… The perfect opposite of the original. Youthful femininity to contrast the aged masculinity of the original. This shall be art!”

Ellie glanced around. “So, um…”

Elizah clapped exactly once. “You – you shall be recreating an ever-popular work of classical art: Self Portrait, Yawning. One of the greatest works of Joseph Decreux, and soon to be one of my greatest works as well. However, mine shall not be a self portrait – it will be a portrait of you.”

She’d never seen that painting before. Was it a painting? Or maybe a statue or something. “So, what should I do?”

It took only moments for Elizah to set her up at the edge of the bed, ‘where the light was perfect’. Then she had to hold her arms just the way he wanted – one outstretched, the other curled back toward her mouth. And she had to turn her head to the side and let out a huge yawn … and hold it.

It seemed like it took ages as Elizah took a hundred different photos from slightly, slightly different angles, insisting that she shouldn’t move during any of it.

It was not an easy pose to hold! Her arm was getting tired; her jaw was getting sore from being held open for so long! But if it was for art… Or, more importantly, if it was for her modeling career…

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Danny shook his head as he pulled the next item of clothing off of the next shelf in his changing room. Item, singular. Because, yeah, the only thing here was a single pair of swim trunks, and no underwear, either, even though he usually wore underwear under his swim trunks.

Beach scenes, huh? He heard some clanking and clattering from outside – Elizah must have been out there getting the beach scene ready. Or pool scene. Something like that.

Well, at least these swim trunks were bigger and less revealing than the little running shorts he’d had to wear during the very first session. And, whatever. He could go shirtless no problem, right? He’d never actually done a shirtless photoshoot before. He heard plenty of other boy models talking about it, but for some reason, no photographer before this had ever wanted a ‘cute’ bunny boy like him to be shirtless. Maybe being shirtless wasn't cute enough.

Well, maybe this was the start of his transition to more serious, more adult bunny kind of work? If there even was such a thing…

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Ellie grinned as she walked out of her little changing room. If only they knew…

Well, as weird as Elizah Cunningham was, she wouldn't put it past him to have done his research, interviewed her parents or something, and found out ahead of time. Sure, it could just be a coincidence. Valentina was pretty popular in the industry, after all, and her swimsuit was iconic.

But, yeah. The swimwear Elizah had laid out for her on the next shelf down was a Valentina bikini – the exact same shiny red bikini that she’d once, so long ago, been so very proud to wear to the beach.

It fit her better now. The straps didn’t have to be cut shorter to avoid hanging too long. The top stayed in place better, because even though she had very little in the way of a bust, it was enough for these little triangles of bikini top to snug up against.

Curiously, she looked to see if the other models had been given similar clothing.

Nope. None of them were anywhere near as showy. At least not in the sense that they showed as much fur. The two boys, Danny and Marcel, had been given matching blue swim trunks – very conservative and normal. Gabby, the white fox, had a black sporty cut one-piece swimsuit that was pretty tight and thin, but otherwise covered her a lot more completely. And the hyena girl, Sara, also had a black one-piece, and hers even had a kind of a skirt around the waist to keep her even more covered!

Well, Ellie wasn't about to get hung up on the unfairness of it all. She smirked. She could be as proud in this bikini as she ever was. Maybe if that pride showed through, it would end up making some really good pictures.

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Danny was glad his part of the ‘beach photo shoot’ was over. Because if he had to take any pictures after this, he’d be afraid of something showing through his swim trunks, especially since he didn’t have any underwear in there holding anything back.

He tried to be inconspicuous about his very natural reaction to it as he watched Elizah snapping photo after photo of Ellie and Gabby in their swimsuits. There, on the little patch of actual beach sand that had been hauled in, in front of a painted backdrop, Elizah had Gabby on her hands and knees, and he had Ellie riding on top of her, as if they were playing.

Some play! Danny was behind the two of them, and from this angle, he couldn't help but do what he was doing – staring and blushing. Both girls’ butts were turned up toward him, stacked on on top of the other, one in a red bikini bottom and one in a black one piece … but from this angle, it didn’t cover much of either of them – barely enough to cover their little mounds. It was dazzling the way their matching white fur played off of each other when everything else was so different. Gabby’s fur was a bit longer and fluffier. Ellie’s tail was long and thin and hairless, completely different than Gabby’s. Ellie’s legs were toned and muscular, but Gabby’s hips were wider and her mostly-exposed cheeks were obviously way softer from the way they jiggled when Ellie moved on top of her…

Someone pinched his butt!

With a barely-suppressed yelp, he turned to see who it was – Sara, the hyena.

“You okay?” she whispered, half giggling. “Must have been under the lights too long, huh? You’re looking awfully flushed and sweaty…”

Of course, that only made him blush even more. “Shut up.”

“You like her, don’t you?”

“Shut up!” he whispered more harshly.

No … no he didn’t. Did he? Even if he did, it didn’t matter. Nobody was here to find boyfriends or girlfriends or anything. He didn’t even know which one of the two girls Sara was talking about. It didn’t matter. He … he wasn't about to ask either of them out on a date or anything! Obviously! So what did it matter?

Well, except for … yeah. He was starting to get really sure that he wasn't gay…

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Ellie was almost giddy about it by the time she got back in the dressing room and pulled out what was on the very bottom shelf. Outfit number four: simple black panties and a small black bra.

Even though these would actually cover more of her than her swimsuit had, they still felt more special, more private … and more exciting. Ever since that day on the beach, she’d thought about and – to be honest – fantasized about being naked in public again, but she’d never actually done it. As exciting as it could be, it was also still kind of scary and embarrassing.

Quickly, she pulled off the red bikini. And she set it nicely on the very top of the shelf. She wondered if Elizah would let her keep it if she asked. That swimsuit … it brought back some really interesting memories, and it would be nice to finally have another one. And, of course, they were pretty expensive and Mom and Dad would never have gotten her another one after what happened to the first one. But if she could take this one home, she’d be a lot more careful with it. She wasn't quite the Valentina fangirl she’d been back when she was eight, but it was still a really special swimsuit, and she’d love to have one again.

For now, though … the underwear outfit. After all, she didn’t want to keep Elizah waiting, especially not if she was about to ask him for a favor like a free – expensive – swimsuit!

The panties were simple enough, just like a million other ones she’d worn before. Simple, ordinary cotton ones. The bra, though… Well, Ellie had always struggled with bras a little. Not much practice, since she obviously didn’t need one. And when she did wear one, it was usually a kind of a sports bra thing she could just pull on like a tiny, really tight shirt. This one, though, was an actual girly kind of bra, with straps and buckles and hooks and everything. She knew what to do, sure … it was just really hard doing it all behind her own back and while avoiding getting anything caught in her fur.

She was sure by the time she’d managed it, she’d be the last one out of the changing rooms. Hopefully Elizah wouldn't be mad.

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Danny felt distinctly uncomfortable walking out of his little changing booth wearing only a pair of white briefs. Nothing but underwear. And not even, like, cool underwear – plain old whitey tighties.

He would die if anybody at school saw him like this. Just die on the spot. Nothing else to be done.

And now … now he was supposed to walk out in front of a bunch of near-strangers like this? Now he was supposed to have pictures taken like this? And who knew how many would end up seeing those pictures… What if somebody from school got their hands on one?

But there was no way around it. He had to wear the outfits Elizah laid out, didn’t he? There was no way he could blow an opportunity like this by being squeamish about which outfit to wear.

At least they had been new, with the tags still on them. He could at least be sure he wasn't wearing somebody else’s dirty underwear … for all the help that was.

Gabriella and Sara were already out and waiting. Gabby had some lacy red lingerie-looking bra and panties that were really eye catching and stood out against her fluffy white fur. Sara’s were also lacy, but more frilly and more conservative. His eyes were about to pop right out of his head staring at them if he let himself. He kept forcing himself to look away. If he got a stiffy in just these underwear, there was no way he’d be able to hide it!

Why couldn't he have been given a nice pair of boxer-briefs like Marcel was wearing? Why’d that otter have all the luck? It wouldn't be so embarrassing to be seen in those!

Still though, he kept stealing glances at the two girls. Gabby was obviously the prettier one, but that odd little … bulge? … in the front of Sara’s panties kept drawing his eye. What … what was that? Was she actually a boy hyena? No, she couldn't be. Could she? Obviously he couldn't ask about it. But still… The curiosity was killing him even worse than the embarrassment!

Just as he tried to look away one more time, the changing booth right next to his opened and Ellie walked out … in a striking set of black panties and matching black bra. He was staring, he knew it, and he couldn't stop himself. She was just so nice-looking, so skinny and lithe, with her perfect little flat belly and perfect short white fur. And the extreme contrast of the black underwear kept drawing his eyes to exactly where they shouldn’t be going – right to the places where he shouldn’t be looking.

“Excellent!” Elizah called out. “We are all here! You there, mouse girl. I will have you and the otter first. Come here. Yes, right under these lights…”

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Ellie could feel the otter’s thick tail twitch-twitch-twitching between her legs. Elizah had them standing back to back, very close back to back, right up against each other. And Marcel was the only one of the models here actually shorter than her, so where else would his tail end up than right between her legs?

If she looked down – not that she would and ruin the shot Elizah was going for – she would have been able to see Marcel’s tail sticking out from below her down there, almost like it was obscenely part of her own body sticking out down there, as if she was a boy … a really really well-endowed boy.

Could Marcel feel it? Was he aware of where his tail had gone, of what it was twitching against? She couldn't imagine otherwise … but he sure didn’t show it. He was the perfect professional model, posing there with his arms crossed over his chest and a smug grin, just like Elizah had asked for.

Ellie herself was struggling with that part. It was hard not to fidget, not to blush, not to smile nervously as the camera clicked picture after picture of her being like this with an otter boy she barely knew.

“Very good now. Slight change in position. Both of you, reach behind your back and place your hands on the others’ bellies. Yes, hold each other close, but in reverse!”

While Ellie was still stunned at the idea, Marcel was already moving. She felt his webbed hands on her exposed tummy, tentatively feeling his way there, until he pressed and held her tightly, pulling her even closer to himself … which made his tail rub right up against the very bottom of her panties!

A shudder ran up her whole body, but she was not going to be unprofessional about it, especially not right before asking for that swimsuit.

She reached behind herself, feeling for Marcel’s body. She had to squeeze her arms down underneath his shorter arms, which made things difficult … and the height difference didn’t help, either. She ended up with her hands more on his chest than on his belly. His otter fur was a little oily feeling, but also wondrously rich and silky. It almost made her jealous, before considering how good it would be for swimming. But was touching his chest enough, or would she literally have to bend over backwards trying to reach lower?

Elizah seemed to think that was fine, though. The camera clicked and whirred as he floated all around them on his long legs, snapping pictures from all directions, all angles.

Honestly, she was just glad she was the taller one out of this pairing. If it was the other way around, with a boy’s hands on her chest… Well, professionalism or not, that might be going too far…

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Danny sweated under the hot lights, trying to ‘smile as would an innocent babe’ while held in Gabriela’s arms, sitting in her lap.

At least, the hot lights were a good excuse for being a bit sweaty about it. Because, honestly, he was expending a lot of energy trying not to think about being in such close contact with a very pretty – and very almost naked – girl. He could feel the lace of her bra against his elbow, and the fluff of her chest fur against his arm. But he had to not think about it. If he got a stiffy in just these briefs, everybody would see it. Everybody would know. He gulped and took a deep breath, struggling to think of something else, anything else … but there was nothing in his head except girls in their underwear, girls touching him, the soft sound of a girl breathing just behind his ear—

“No, no, no. Hold still, little bunny. Your pose is perfect – you mustn’t mar it!”

Well, at least that was a distraction of sorts. At least it was something that wouldn't excite him in the wrong ways. He tried to pay attention to Elizah instead of paying attention to the girl he was with. Obviously Gabby didn’t actually like him, after all. This was false intimacy, just for a photo shoot.

Now if only certain parts of him could understand that without needing to be constantly restrained so hard…

Elizah backed way off, getting one last distant shot … then he clapped his hands once. “There! Perfection has been achieved! You may get up.”

Quickly, Danny hopped up off of Gabby’s lap. Because, after all, it would have been way too presumptuous of him to stay like that. Only … when he heard the slight annoyed huff from behind him, he realized that maybe getting up so quickly might imply that he hated being in that position, hated her. Had he offended her by getting up so quickly? He didn’t want to do that! But he couldn't do anything about it now. Trying to talk about it would be super awkward, and getting back into her lap would be even more awkward. Probably best to just play it off and hope she wasn't too offended by—

“That will be all for this outfit,” Elizah said with one more clap.

Instantly, the mouse girl Ellie was right next to him. She looked tiny next to the enormously tall gray fox. “Um, Mister Elizah? If we’re finished, could I ask you about that swimsuit? It’s just that—”

“Finished?” Elizah suddenly stood up even straighter, seeming to double in height. “We are not finished here! There is one more ‘outfit’ left in our photoshoot!”

“Oh.” Ellie backed away. “I’m sorry. I thought…”

“Do not apologize. It doesn’t suit you. And yes, you may have the swimsuit. Obviously. No need to concern yourself about trifles.”

“Thank you!” Ellie blushed and rushed back to the little group of other models.

Now, though, Danny had his own confusion. “But, sir, um… There were only four outfits in the changing room. I didn’t see another one. Maybe mine is missing?”

Elizah nodded and stroked his fingers down his long face with his eyes closed. “Ah, the innocence. Is it not delicious? Scrumptious!”

Danny tilted his head to the side. “Uh…?”

“The final outfit will be…” Elizah took a deep, deep breath and smiled. “Nude.”

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Ellie’s eyes popped wide open the moment she heard the word ‘nude’.

What? She’d never done a nude photoshoot before! Really early when she’d started working as a model, Mom had warned her to never do any photoshoot that asked for nudes, never ever under any circumstances. But Mom had also said to do absolutely whatever Elizah asked for…

“You can’t be serious! No way!” the hyena girl barked out.

“I sense…” Elizah circled his hand as if searching for the word. “...hesitation.”

Hesitation might be a huge understatement for the rest of them, but for Ellie, it might actually be the only thing, the only reason she wasn't already naked. Could she … could she do it right now? If they were going to get naked anyway, there was no point in going to the changing room first, was there?

Elizah paced around the little group of models. “To hesitate is normal, yes. Expected. But there is no need for concern. You see? I shall demonstrate. I would never ask any of my models to do a thing I would not do myself!”

Ellie’s attention was yanked away from herself and straight back to the photographer as he flamboyantly shrugged the purple robe off his shoulders, leaving him in only a tiny pair of white shorts. And with a strangely sharp flick of his wrists, he sent those shorts flinging down his long legs to the floor. And there was nothing underneath. Nothing at all.

Well, actually there was a lot underneath, just not any clothes. That was … and those were… Oh wow. Ellie had never seen a man’s privates before, at least not that she could remember, not from a time when she was actually interested and aware of what they were. It was really hard not to stare. Wow … she hadn’t expected to to be so … big. And so … floppy.

Quickly, Elizah reversed the camera around and pointed it at himself, the shutter snapped repeatedly as he took a series of shots – his belly stretched out, kicking the shorts off his feet, a low angle that must have just about blocked the view of his face with his own privates…

“There,” he said. “It is so simple, so easy, so freeing. To be in the nude is to be in the natural state, the closest state to the truth. And, my dears, this is very important. Learn this, if you learn nothing else today: Art is truth and truth is art. That is why we must be nude.” He paused for a long moment, as if just giving that time to sink in. Then he seemed to suddenly snap out of it. “Now, who will be first?” He glanced to and fro between all the models.

Ellie already had her hands behind her back, unhooking her bra. While the other models all hesitated and glanced nervously at each other, she pulled her shoulders out of it and let it fall to the floor.

An audible gasp came from the other models. Ellie ignored it. She was already hooking her thumbs into the waistband of her panties. And with the full attention of everyone in the room, she pulled them down, stepping out of them.

And she didn’t make the slightest effort to cover herself, either. She stood right in front of all of them, feeling their eyes on her like tingling fingers, touching all over. It would be nice to say she did it with no shame at all, but she knew that wasn't true. She was blushing fiercely, so hard her cheeks burned, and her chest was tight – she could barely breathe. But she was doing it. She was really doing it! And even better, she was the first. How about that to show Elizah she was career material, huh?

For a long, long moment, all the other models just kept staring at her. What? Had they never seen a naked girl before? Okay, well, they were pretty young. Maybe they hadn’t.

Elizah was growing impatient as well. He turned pointedly toward the others and tapped his wrist with one finger, as if emphasizing a watch that wasn't there. He’d already used that signal a few times before when things were taking too long.

Gabby was the next to take the plunge. She started with her lacy red panties, bending down to quickly yank them down her long legs. And then, in a move that absolutely mystified Ellie, she pulled her arms through the straps of her bra … and then pushed the bra down her body, all the way down without unhooking it, like she was taking off a skirt or something. It stuck for a moment on her hips, but she shimmied through it and then it also dropped to the floor on top of her panties. It had never in Ellie’s whole life occurred to her that you could take a bra off that way. Could you put it on that way, too?

“What?” Gabby said in response to the other models’ stares. “Haven’t you all ever done this before? I can’t be the only one here with any experience, can I?”

Huh… Ellie wasn't one to look much at other girls, usually … but wow. She hadn’t expected Gabby to be so … different. Her boobies were bigger, of course. Almost fully developed, even, with big puffy pink nipples on each one. But what was really crazy was how much puffier and fluffier her privates were – and there were big pink centerpieces there, too, with the inner lips really prominent and outside. There was a whole lot more there to see than Ellie’s own simple little cleft! She’d never realized other girls could be so different from her…

That left Marcel, Sara, and Danny, who all looked back and forth between each other. Marcel looked scared – no, terrified – like he was ready to run away at any moment. Sara looked defiant, staring Elizah down with her arms over her flat, bra-covered chest. And Danny…

Though Danny looked almost as nervous as Marcel, he did actually make a move. He reached and pinched the waistband of his underwear … but he didn’t actually pull them down yet. He looked around, looked at … straight at Ellie!

She nodded to him and gave a thumbs-up. After all, she’d said she would help!

That seemed to do it. Danny closed his eyes and pulled his underwear down. Only down to his thighs, but that was enough for now. It showed what he’d been hiding.

Danny’s privates were much more like Ellie had been expecting a boy’s to look like. Much, much smaller than Elizah’s, and stiffer too. His didn’t flop around – it bounced. And even his little balls were tight and snug right up against him. He was … they were … kind of cute, really. She smiled.

Unfortunately, Danny seemed to take that totally the wrong way. He quickly covered himself with his hands.

“There is no need for shame here!” Elizah said sharply, moving over to Danny and holding Danny’s arms, pulling his hands away from him. “There. Do you not feel the truth?”

“I…” Danny visibly gulped, looking at everyone else staring at him. “I feel … something.”

“Perfect! Embrace your truth, and you are an artist! Oh, and pull those briefs the rest of the way off your legs.” Elizah whirled around, his tail and his privates swaying. “Now, you other two. Under better circumstances, I might tell you to take your time, but we very literally do not have all day!”

“Okay, but, um…” Sara the hyena girl looked at everyone with suspicion. “Nobody had better say anything about it, alright?”

With one quick, resolute motion, she pulled her panties all the way down to the floor. And when she stood back up, Ellie suddenly understood what the ‘it’ Sara had said referred to. Between her legs, just above her perfectly normal-looking girl privates, she had a … well, it looked a lot like a boy’s thing, actually. Except it was a bit smaller and stubbier, and smoother, and there were no balls dangling beneath it.

“It’s normal, okay!” Sara looked around defensively, as if daring anybody to say otherwise. “It’s, uh, really common for hyena girls. Like, one in five. So, like…” She blushed. “So stop staring at it!”

Very quickly, everyone looked away. Everyone except Elizah.

He put a hand on his hip and smiled. “All truth is beautiful, Sara. Now, if you please – the bra as well.”

Sara looked down at herself. “Oh, right!” Quickly and casually, she reached behind herself and unhooked it. A moment later it was on the floor.

Wow, she was really flat. Like, totally. Even her nipples were tiny! Though, Ellie supposed, that made sense. Sara was the youngest one here, wasn't she? What had she said she was … eleven? Ellie’s chest had probably been just as small four years ago when she was eleven.

Now Marcel was the only one in the room left wearing any clothes at all. His feet fidgeted and his chest heaved. He looked like he was in complete panic about this.

“You there,” Elizah said, “otter boy. Are you … are you having some sort of a seizure? Shall I call for medical help?”

“I…” His wide eyes darted between all the naked models and the naked photographer. “I… I can’t do it!”

“Your truth is nothing to be ashamed of, young lad.”

Marcel shook his head. “No! I… I really really don’t want to, okay? You can, um… You can fire me if you want. I knew I never really had what it takes to be a model. It’s okay. I’ll … I’ll just go.” He deflated and turned toward the dressing room booths. “I’m sorry.”

Elizah caught his shoulder and held it. “What did I say? No one here should ever apologize. Apologies are meaningless. Only action can speak.”

Marcel looked back at him. “But I…”

“Not everyone is ready to share their truth, and I will not force it if you are truly unwilling. Nor are you fired! Please, go have a seat over there by the wall, the chairs where you waited in the beginning, yes. Once we are done with the nudes, you may rejoin us.”

Finally, Marcel seemed to relax. He practically seemed to melt as the tension drained out of him. “Thank you, sir.”

“Wait!” Sara belted out. “The nudity was optional?”

Elizah turned to her and nodded. “Yes, of course. As I said, I would never force anyone. Your truth must be revealed by your own free will, and no one else’s.”

“But I…!”

“Did someone else remove your clothes from you, child?”

Sara paused, her finger still raised as if about to make a point. Slowly, her finger fell.

“Yes, yes. You willingly shared your truth, did you not? Come now, let us capture your truth on film, and thus transform it into art!”

📷 📷 📷


Danny struggled hard, but there was just no helping it. With every heartbeat, his stiffy grew even stiffer. Ellie would probably notice it soon, if she hadn’t already. Elizah definitely had already noticed it … and taken several close-up pictures of it.

There was just no helping it! Elizah had placed him and Ellie side by side, with their arms around each other’s backs, the sides of their bodies pressed close together. And as much as he tried to look into the camera like he was supposed to, his eyes kept darting to the side. The sight of her little white boobies, so small and yet so prominently right there… The memory of seeing her privates, the first time he’d ever seen a girl’s in person, but hers were so perfect… The feeling of her short, soft mousey fur against his hand, he could feel her breathing…

He’d been able to control himself so far, even with everyone getting naked. But now, posing with Ellie, he’d finally failed. There just wasn't enough self-control in the whole world!

Sure, Elizah wasn't popping a boner or anything … but he was Elizah. There was no way Danny, just a regular old normal boy, could possibly resist being this close to such a cute girl … such a naked girl…

He squirmed, flexing his legs and hoping that would somehow make it go down, but it only got even stiffer and even more prominent. Aw, man… Why did his stupid organ have to ruin this for him? Ellie was really nice, but as soon as she noticed, she was absolutely going to be horrified and disgusted with him, and she’d never want him to touch him again, and everyone would laugh at what a terrible model he was, not even able to control himself when—

“Don’t worry about it,” a whisper right next to him said.

He glanced over at Ellie and whispered back, “Huh?”

“It’s okay. I know you can’t control it. So just don’t worry about it. It’s no big deal.”

Yep. That had actually been Ellie saying that. His ears hadn’t somehow tricked him. She had noticed it. And somehow, somehow, she didn’t mind?

Stunned now, he turned back toward the camera, looking at it as he was supposed to. His member twitched upward. And this time, he didn’t fight it.

📷 📷 📷


Ellie had to work hard to suppress her own gleeful little grin. And she definitely had to stop herself from glancing down at Danny’s privates … too much.

Wow, to think that she was actually causing him to do that … even when he didn’t want it to happen! It was … it was like, in a way, she kind of had a remote control for his body, at least this little part of it. She could make it do what she wanted!

And not just that little part, either. Being naked next to him was having a huge effect on the bunny boy. It was making him twitch and sweat, it was making him hesitate and even completely ignore Elizah’s instructions sometimes. So much of that boy’s concentration was on her and her alone, just because she didn’t have any clothes on.

This was beyond just the tingling feeling of others’ eyes seeing what they shouldn’t see. This was special. This was … amazing!

📷 📷 📷


Danny huddled together with the rest of the models right next to Elizah. They were all looking intently at the tiny screen on his camera as he scrolled through the pictures. According to him, it was essential for the models to see and understand their own art. And, after all, didn’t everyone want to see how the pictures had turned out?

Not Danny. He was hardly looking at the screen at all.

Because, in the huddle, he’d ended up right next to and behind Ellie. And they were all so close together… At the start, he’d had a hand on Ellie’s back, just helping to brace himself there. But as everyone pressed closer, his hand had gone down, down, down… She … she didn’t notice that he was basically touching her butt right now! Not to mention a lot of his own naked body pressed against hers. His stiffy was back like crazy now, twitching against her thigh as he slowly, gently squeezed her soft-but-firm cheek down there. Oh wow… The other boys were never going to believe this, that he’d touched a real live naked girl!

📷 📷 📷


Ellie could feel the bunny boy’s hand squeezing her butt. At least she was pretty sure it was Danny. Unless it was Sara? But no, it had to be Danny, from the way he was breathing so heavy, from the way his privates were twitching against her leg.

Wow, she’d really had an effect on him, huh? This was so cool! He was practically in love with her or something! It made her giddy and tingly, and it made her want to press more tightly against him, feeling the warmth of his privates against her thigh.

Sneakily, she looked over her shoulder at him, looking him right in the eyes.

He gasped and yanked his hand away from her, and his face went even redder than when he’d first pulled his underwear down!

Oh, had he thought she didn’t notice? Smiling hugely, she turned back to watch the different poses flash by on the camera. It was such a rush of power, knowing that nothing but her naked body could make someone else so embarrassed. More embarrassed even than he was of his own body!

Could she maybe push him even further? Hm… Probably not, unfortunately. Elizah was already well into the nudes on his camera, which meant they were almost at the end … and then it would be time to go home.

📷 📷 📷


Ellie stared out through the car window on the way home, only dimly aware of what her mom was saying.

“And, you know, I really really should not have had to remind you to put your clothes back on before going home. I don’t know why they had you naked in the first place.”

“It’s fine, Mom,” Ellie replied automatically, still only half paying attention. “I just forgot.”

“Still, honey, I’m so proud of you. That wonderful man, Mister – no, Sir Cunningham! He said that you were one of the best models of the day, and that he would, and I quote ‘adore’ working with you again! Isn’t that wonderful!”

Ellie rolled her eyes … where Mom wouldn't see it. “I know, Mom. I was there.”

The rest of her mom’s repetitive gushing flowed past her largely unnoticed. Ellie’s mind was elsewhere. Over and over … the poses she’d struck … how those might look printed in some fashion or art magazine … the sound of the camera shutter … how many people would see those pictures … what they would think … how it would affect them…

Would it affect them like that boy Danny? He had been so nervous asking for her number – it was adorable!

Too bad for him, she didn’t even have her own phone yet. And she sure wasn't going to give him her parents’ number. He’d been so devastated when she said no. And so thrilled and completely out-of-the-world when she’d asked for his number instead.

She still wasn't sure if she was actually going to call him sometime or not… But it was really neat to think about.




CHAPTER 3
ELLIE REVEALED


As always, Mari tried to rush through changing into her swimsuit for swim class, shimmying her shorts down her thin doe legs. She knew none of the other girls were the kind to look at her – they were all busy with their own similar worries. But Mari always felt really nervous being naked around others, even other girls.

So once her shorts were off, she left them right there on the floor and got her shirt off instead. And then the bra too. No delays. She didn’t like being half-naked in front of others, either. It was a little tricky, though. She was wearing a real bra these days now that her chest was beginning to grow, not just a training bra. It had to be unhooked in the back instead of just pulled over her head.

Once that was done, she moved almost in a blur, pulling her panties down and grabbing her one-piece swimsuit out of her bag all in one swift motion. She especially didn’t want the other girls seeing what she had down there. She knew her pink inner lips stuck out too far from her slit, she knew she was weird down there. She just knew it. If the other girls saw it, they’d call her names and tease her about it for sure, and she would just die on the inside if everybody knew how weird she looked down there.

So she pulled the bottom half of her swimsuit up over her long legs fast as lightning, hiding her probably-weird parts as fast as she could, even though her tail didn’t get into the uni-species tail hole quite right at first.

Once she was covered there, she could take a little sigh of relief as she pulled the upper half of the swimsuit up and over her arms and over her head. And as she did so, she turned her head to the side and noticed one of her friends, Ellie, just sitting there on the locker room bench in her underwear.

Mari carefully tucked each of her small boobies into their places in her swimsuit, making sure her nipples wouldn't show through. And the whole time, Ellie was just sitting there.

Now that she was pretty much completely ready for class, Mari couldn't just leave Ellie like that. Ellie was a good friend. Maybe not ‘best friends forever’ kind of friend, but they hung out together sometimes, and Mari liked the little white mouse. She stepped over and touched Ellie’s shoulder, even though that might be kind of a locker room faux pas. “What’s wrong?” she said. “Did something happen? You know Missus Rousseau is gonna give us detention if we’re late.”

“I, uh…” Ellie looked up at her and gave a shrug and a slight nervous smile. “I forgot my swimsuit.”

Mari gasped. “Again? You know what her policy is! You’re gonna be in so much trouble!”

Ellie shrugged again. Obviously, she couldn't run home and get her swimsuit now, or she’d miss basically the whole class. Maybe some of the next as well. And nobody here would have a spare swimsuit, much less one in Ellie’s small size. Unless…

“You wanna borrow mine?” Mari asked.

“Then what are you gonna wear?”

“It’s okay. It’ll only be my second strike, so I can just sit out today’s class. I’ll be okay.” Anything for a friend, right?

Ellie shook her head. “I can’t ask you to do that for me. What if you forget yours again later? No, it’s my mistake, so I’ll just have to deal with it.”

“You could skip the class…” Even as Mari said it, she knew that wasn't going to happen. She knew Ellie well enough to know that the mouse girl wasn't the kind to skip any class, no matter what. She’d go to class like that, even if it meant, even if it meant… No, she wasn't going to think about it. It was too terrible!

🩱 🩱 🩱


Mari did her best to stand in front of Ellie as all her classmates gradually came out of the locker rooms and came up next to the school swimming pool, all in their matching swimsuits … except for Ellie. She couldn't keep her fellow students from seeing Ellie like this, but at least for now, maybe she could mostly prevent Missus Rousseau from seeing her.

Thankfully, it seemed to be working so far.

Missus Rousseau was a white poodle, and today she looked much like she always did for swim class: a severe-looking black swimsuit that looked like it came right out of the summer catalog of 1932, a strained blue swim cap compressing her hair poof tightly against her head, and the curdled scowl of quietly hating this school, her students, and most of all herself.

At least that’s how Mari interpreted it. That seemed to be accurate. Swim class would have been her favorite class of all … if it didn’t come with her least favorite teacher of all.

Was that a flicker of suspicion in Missus Rousseau’s eye? Had she noticed something? Quickly, Mari moved to make sure she was fully in front of Ellie, even keeping her arms at her sides with fingers outstretched, trying to cover as much as possible.

When Missus Rousseau came purposefully toward the loose gaggle of students, Mari’s heart clenched up. “Quick Ellie,” she whispered over her shoulder, “hide!”

But Ellie made no move to hide. She just stood there quietly, like she was completely resigned to her terrible fate.

“Line up, everyone,” Missus Rousseau said in her calm, cold voice.

That was a perfectly normal thing. She always started the class by having everyone line up at the edge of the pool so she could tell them what they’d be working on today. If the teacher had gone straight after Ellie, maybe Mari could stand in the way or something … but there was no fighting this – this had the power of routine behind it.

For a moment, Mari hoped that Missus Rousseau might not have noticed Ellie. That maybe, somehow, she wouldn't ever notice Ellie.

No such luck, of course. There were a lot of terrible things Mari could say about Missus Rousseau, but ‘she’s not observant’ wasn’t one of them. As soon as everyone had lined up, the teacher went straight for Ellie.

“Ellie Chandler, what exactly is that you’re wearing?”

Ellie glanced away, not toward Mari. “Um… Not my swimsuit?”

“Indeed.” Missus Rousseau raised one eyebrow right up to the rim of her swim cap. “Am I to presume you’ve forgotten it? Again?”

Ellie nodded.

“Remind me, Miss Chandler, whose responsibility is it to ensure you have your swimsuit ready on time for the beginning of class?”

“... Mine.”

“And what did I say would happen to any student who neglected this responsibility three times within one academic year?”

Mari squirmed, clenching her teeth. Wasn't there some way out of this? There must be, right? No other student had ever had to actually do this, not that she knew about. That couldn't be just because it really worked and everyone always made super sure they had their swimsuits. It had to be just a bluff, a joke, right?

“They’d, um, have to swim without it,” Ellie said quietly. The huge room was so quiet, though, that surely everyone must have been able to hear her easily.

“And how many times now have you forgotten your swimsuit?”

Ellie was blushing intensely and squirming in place a little herself. “Um … three times, Ma’am.”

Missus Rousseau gave the rest of the class – especially Mari – a sidelong glance in either direction. “So… Indulge me for asking again, what exactly is that you’re wearing?”

“It’s … my underwear.”

“And did you pack any extra today?”

“No, Ma’am.”

Missus Rousseau slowly and theatrically shook her head. “So, enlighten me, young Miss Chandler. What is your plan for the remainder of the day? Are you going to sit in wet knickers all day, or are you going to go without them, in clear violation of school dress code?”

For a long moment, Ellie had no response. Absolutely everyone was staring at her, wondering what she might say … or just in horrified curiosity … or, in some of the boys’ cases, maybe just because they’d never seen a girl in her underwear before.

Mari herself had no idea what was going to happen. What could happen? This was an impossible situation. If she herself was standing where Ellie was, she thought she might just keel over and die right there on the spot. Or at least pass out from hyperventilating and have to be taken to the nurse’s office.

Ellie, though… Ellie just reached for her bra.

Mari couldn't breathe as she watched Ellie – right in front of the whole class – pull her plain little bra up over her head, exposing her tiny white boobies and pink nipples to the whole world. A lot of the other students gasped, and they were all staring. But Ellie didn’t stop there. She barely even hesitated.

Slowly, Ellie bent down and pulled her panties down her legs. Mari wished she could dart over and hide everything between her mouse friend’s legs from the prying eyes of all her classmates, but she didn’t dare leave her spot in line, or Missus Rousseau would be on her next.

When Ellie stood back up straight, she was completely naked from head to toe, with even her little cleft right out for everyone to see. Mari’s heart was pounding. She was in utter panic. But besides blushing fiercely, Ellie looked oddly calm about it. She didn’t even hurry too much to cover herself with her hands. By the time she was holding her hands over her chest and her privates, everyone must have seen them!

Mari squeezed her eyes shut. But that didn’t make it go away. Instead, she saw herself in the same position. Her panties on the floor between her feet, the eyes of every student in the class on her. They had to be noticing how weird and wrong her privates were. She could feel their eyes crawling all over her, especially the parts where she didn’t want them. Her secret was out! She yearned to cover herself, but it was too late! They’d all already seen it! She couldn't breathe!

The room wasn't quiet anymore. A chorus of gasps and giggles were coming, especially from the boys, who’d probably never seen a girl like this before.

Mari opened her eyes. In a flash, the nightmare was gone. She looked down and checked. Yes, she was still wearing her one-piece uniform swimsuit. Nobody had seen her naked. Ellie was the only one who was naked. And yet … Mari was still trembling. Her stomach hurt. The boys were still giggling. The girls were still whispering.

That wasn't the sort of thing that Missus Rousseau would put up with for long, though. She gave all of them – even the quiet ones like Mari – a withering stare. “If any of you find this amusing, then perhaps you would be even more amused to share in Miss Chandler’s punishment?”

Instantly, the room went silent again.

“Now, with that unfortunate distraction out of the way, we can finally proceed with the day’s less lesson. As usual, we will begin with five laps across the pool. Then we will move on to the breast stroke”— usually, those words would result in giggles from the class, but not today —”and then we will be moving on to dive practice.”

As they all moved toward the side of the pool to start their laps, Mari tried her best to keep herself between Ellie and the boys in the class. She wasn't very successful at it. She was kind of skinny, of course, but the biggest problem was that there were a bunch of boys in the class, looking from all different directions, and it seemed like every last one of them had their eyes locked onto Ellie. It was kind of a miracle that none of them tripped over each other and fell into the pool, walking like that, not looking at all where they were going.

To Mari’s shock, Ellie wasn't even very fast to get into the pool, even though it would mostly hide her body from view. At least she was still mostly covering herself with her hands, so nobody would be seeing very much other than just her butt. Maybe that’s why she took a little while to get into the pool? She was probably trying to figure out a way to climb down the little metal ladder without exposing herself to the entire class.

The problem was, she was starting to be one of the last ones in, and because Mari was trying to block her from view, so was Mari. Already, she could feel Missus Rousseau’s eyes on her. She reminded herself that it would be nowhere near as bad as all the eyes Ellie must be feeling on herself…

Finally, Ellie seemed to come to a conclusion: instead of using the ladder like she was supposed to, she just went to the edge of the pool in an open lane and jumped in, still covering herself.

“No jumping!” Missus Rousseau barked out harshly … even though Ellie probably didn’t hear it from underwater.

That left Mari truly as the last one out of the pool, much to Missus Rousseau’s obvious ire. And she obviously couldn't jump in like Ellie had, not right after the teacher had told everyone not to. So she hurried along the edge of the pool to the ladder as fast as she could … without running, as that would be breaking another pool rule and surely get her yelled at.

And, of course, being the last in meant she had to get to the swimming lane farthest from the ladder, dunking under the lane separators over and over again, not to mention adding some distance to the already-long laps.

But she’d manage it. She always did.

🩱 🩱 🩱


Mari had tried to keep up with Ellie and block Ellie from the other students’ view while they swam their laps … tried. But it had been completely hopeless. After all, Ellie was a much stronger swimmer than her – one of the best swimmers in the class. Ellie was already finished and resting at the pool’s edge when Mari finished her third of five laps back and forth.

Then it had been time to practice the breast stroke. And, thankfully, even though Missus Rousseau had gotten into the pool with them to demonstrate proper technique, she hadn’t gathered the class all around her, still keeping them all in their separate swimming lanes, which would have kept Ellie mostly safe from the boys’ eyes … or hands.

Yes, hands. Because now that was becoming a problem.

At the beginning of dive practice, Missus Rousseau had gathered everyone together, arranging them all just outside of the deep zone around the diving boards. And Ellie was no longer protected by being kept apart from the others.

Most of them were just trying to stare through the water, hoping to see something through the shimmer and refraction. One in particular, though, kept getting really really close to Ellie, despite Mari trying to get in his way. Ollie, a short raccoon boy. He was always getting in trouble, always the class clown … and, apparently, he was a big perv on top of it all. He kept swimming right next to Ellie, trying to ‘accidentally’ brush his hands over her as they moved. And every time Mari pushed him away from her, he just laughed quietly, like it was all some game, some joke. Would he be trying that if she had her swimsuit? Why did boys think that just because someone is naked it means they get to touch as well?

“...and thus,” Missus Rousseau concluded, “you will be able to minimize splashing and maximize grace. As I have told you all time and time again, it all comes down to posture.”

Mari pushed the raccoon boy away from Ellie again. This time his hands flitted over her swimsuit. The nerve!

The teacher didn’t seem to have noticed Ollie’s antics. Why couldn't she be observant now? “We will conclude today’s lesson with each of you demonstrating what you’ve now learned about the finer points of diving. Do I have any volunteers to go first?”

Mari immediately shot her hand up. After all, the sooner she got this over with, the sooner she’d be able to get back into the pool to protect Ellie. In the meantime … Ellie would just have to protect herself. Maybe she’d kick Ollie between his legs and teach him a good lesson that way. Mari was sure tempted to.

For now, though, she quickly swam to the edge of the pool and climbed the ladder there, then hurried – once again not quite running – to the medium diving board, quickly climbing to the top and making her way out onto the board.

And once she got there, all she needed to do was…

Oh no… Suddenly, she wished she’d been paying more attention to Missus Rousseau’s lecture. What was it she was supposed to be doing different? Something about posture. She tried to stand up straighter. That’s what her mom was always talking about when it came to posture. And then, um… She really wasn't sure how that was supposed to affect her dive.

Oh well. Thankfully, this wasn't a graded test. She just jumped in like normal.

When she popped back up and wiped her eyes, the teacher was shaking her head. “Did you not hear anything I was saying? Your hands were fists, your legs were bent, and your feet… Nom de dieu! Your feet must have made a bigger splash than the rest of you combined! You did not tuck them at all!

Mari blushed at the rebuke, but nodded. “I’ll try better next time, Ma’am.”

“I should hope so. It could not get much worse, now could it?” She turned toward the rest of the class. “Next diver, please.”

Thankfully, that was basically the end of the class for Mari. Sure, she was supposed to be watching the other students dive and learning from them … but she wasn't. She swam as quick as she could to position herself back between Ellie and Ollie. Ollie didn’t seem too happy about that, scowling at her, but the grateful look Ellie gave her made it worthwhile.

It was only what Mari would want her own friend to do, if the situations were reversed.

Ollie even backed off a little after that … for a while. But they were all treading water out here. Missus Rousseau always forbade them from holding onto the edge while observing. She said they needed the exercise. And everyone tended to drift around a little bit while treading water like this.

Every time she closed her eyes, the nightmare came back, the thought that their situations were reversed. Even with a brash and fearless protector like Ellie, even with the pool water helping hide her from prying eyes, there was no way Mari could be so calm. Her imaginary naked self huddled trembling in the corner of the pool, one hand covering her burning red face and the other down between her legs, just to make sure nobody would see.

But what if the protection wasn't good enough? What if some of the curious boys got past Ellie and made it all the way to Mari’s naked body? She squirmed at the thought, no longer able to tread water while also covering herself. She sank. And once she was under, the boys were able to touch her anywhere! She couldn't shout or scream, she couldn't tell them no. They were touching her. One of them pried her hand out from between her legs. No! They’d feel her big flappy lips! They’d find out what a freak she was! They’d—

“Hey!” Ellie said, whisper-shouting it at some boy who’d come too close.

Mari forced herself to snap out of it. She was getting so caught up in her fears about Ellie not protecting her enough that she wasn't protecting Ellie enough! No! She’d never let that happen! She knew, way deep down in uncomfortable places, just how awful that would be. She had to be a good protector for Ellie. She had to keep every last one of them away from her!

She really had her work cut out for her. One after another, different boys tried to get close to Ellie. Most of them were only trying to look, as bad as that was, but a few – including Ollie again – tried for more.

Once again, Ellie grabbed his wrist, pulling it away from her friend. “Stop trying to touch her butt!” she whispered at him harshly, actually hoping the teacher would overhear and do something.

But she seemed deaf to it, paying full attention to the next kid doing their dive.

Weirdly, Ellie was smiling the whole time, especially when Mari told him not to touch her. At least Ollie seemed ashamed to have been caught and called out so blatantly. He actually backed off a little, blushing even more than Ellie herself.

There was no rest for Mari, though, as a few more boys were approaching Ellie from the other side now. She hurried to intervene.

Thankfully, these were just a bunch of lookers, not touchers. They seemed to respect Mari blocking them, though they still tried to peer around her. She moved all around, trying to block as much of their view as possible.

Unfortunately, that left Ellie’s other side open, where a painted horse boy named Nolan approached close behind her. He didn’t look like he was quite touching her yet, but Mari wasn't about to let him try. She hurried around Ellie once more, poking him in the chest harshly and pushing him away.

“Hey,” he said, “I wasn't gonna do nothin’!”

“Ah, yes. Thank you for volunteering to go next, Nolan. Up on the board, please.”

He looked desperately up at the teacher. “I … I can’t go next! You gotta pick somebody else!”

Missus Rousseau stared him down. “Oh? Were you not volunteering to go next? Then what were you doing, Mister Acres?”

“I, um…”

“Intentionally and deliberately disrupting my valuable class time, perhaps?”

“No, Ma’am!” he blurted out. “I, uh… Yeah, I was volunteering.”

Missus Rousseau nodded curtly. “Yes, just as I thought.”

That bit of attention cowed the rest of the boys for a little while. So much so that Mari was actually able to watch Nolan’s dive.

And the moment he climbed onto the diving board, it was immediately obvious why he hadn’t wanted to go yet. Apparently, being so close to a naked girl had gotten him … excited. And since he was a horse boy, it was a really big excitement. Plenty of other kids must have noticed too, because a bunch of them were whispering or giggling quietly, just shy of what might get them in trouble with the teacher.

The blue swim trunks he wore – just like all the other boys in the class – didn’t hide very much, and they sure didn’t help for someone of Nolan’s size. A big something jutted out between his legs, pitching a huge tent in the tight swimming shorts that was incredibly obvious.

Honestly, Mari hadn’t thought that much before about the specifics of what boys had going on down there. She’d gotten pretty interested in boys right along with the rest of her friends, but that was more interested in boys in general – about muscles and hair and boy band crushes and how they might look dressed up… She’d never much considered the actual boyness of a boy before, or what one would look like completely and totally naked.

Now, though… Well, now she might have admitted to some heated thoughts herself … if that very same boy hadn’t just been being a perv and a jerk! Screw that! She wasn't going to think about what Nolan had there in his swim trunks!

But … she definitely would be remembering this when she thought about other boys later… This time, when she closed her eyes, she didn’t see herself naked. Thank goodness! Instead she saw … she saw all the boys stripping naked at the beginning of class, just like Ellie had.

She’d heard rumors. Supposedly, way back in the black-and-white picture days, swim class was always done in the nude. Back then, girls and boys swim class would have been separate, but she was watching it now, through her closed eyes. The boys all seemed terribly embarrassed about it, blushing and covering themselves, and looking anywhere but at each other. But Mari could see them.

Her imagination knew what naked boys looked like … or near enough. She had seen pictures before, though not by choice. One by one, completely naked, they climbed the diving board, one by one, they stood with their arms outstretched and ready to dive. Big ones, small ones, cute ones, weird ones – they all made Mari squirm as they bounced and dangled … but kind of squirming in a good way somehow? It felt like the pool water around her was bubbling hot!

And then the horse boy Nolan climbed the diving board. Just like in real life … except he was naked. His big stiffie jutted way out from between his legs. He stood there and stood there, just as ashamed of being seen as Mari was ashamed of looking at him, but he didn’t move – he just kept that outstretched pose, his … his obscenely big thing bobbing in the air in front of him.

The details were blurry. She knew he’d have a great big long shaft, and probably great big balls, too, but it wasn't like she’d spent a lot of time looking at pictures, especially not pictures of big boys like him. Was it veiny? Was it smooth? Were the balls dangly or tight and snug? What was the gap between his stiffie and his balls supposed to look like when it was hard like this? And why did she want to know so bad?

She shook her head and opened her eyes. Now was not the time to think about boys in the past, or boys in the future, or boys that might have been.

The real concern was the boys around her now, and the boys around Ellie. Now that all attention was on Nolan and his swim trunk tent, Ollie had slipped over next to Ellie again and was probably trying to feel her up!

Mari hurried back to intervene. She didn’t even see Nolan’s dive. Though she wondered if the teacher would critique him about a certain body part making more of a splash than it should…

🩱 🩱 🩱


Finally, everyone had done their dive … everyone except for Ellie.

“I guess it’s my turn,” Ellie whispered.

“Don’t do it!” Mari whispered back. “Maybe … maybe she won’t notice? Or, or…”

“I have to.”

Mari shook her head. “No! Maybe if you hide behind me, you could—”

“Any more volunteers?” Missus Rousseau said very pointedly.

Mari grabbed Ellie’s hand before she could raise it. “No!” she said in an even more fervent whisper.

“Well, if there are no further volunteers, then I will simply need to begin calling names.” Missus Rousseau cleared her throat deliberately. “Ellie Chandler.”

At that point, there was nothing Mari could do. She looked on, horrified, as Ellie swam away from her, toward the ladder to get out of the pool.

All eyes were on her as she climbed up. Mari could practically feel the temperature of the water rise as the boys all saw a perfectly clear view of her butt as she climbed up.

Thankfully, she was still covering herself as she made her way to the diving board and out to the tip of it. Even so, just the thought of being naked in front of everyone like that was making Mari squirm inside. She wished she could just sink into the pool and never come back up … but she also couldn't look away. Some part of her had to know exactly how bad this was. What if it somehow got even worse while she wasn't looking?

It did get worse.

“That is hardly the correct posture,” Missus Rousseau said in her annoying nasal voice.

Ellie didn’t move, still covering herself at the edge of the diving board, in front of the whole class. “But I…”

“I don’t know who you think you’re fooling, Miss Chandler. We all know about your swimsuit deficiencies – there’s no use in trying to hide it. And if you refuse to even attempt the correct pose for beginning a dive, I will have to add a further failure to follow instructions to your disciplinary report.”

For a moment, Ellie glanced back at the stairs up to the diving board, as if she was thinking about just making a run for it. Mari sure thought that was a good idea. Anything was better than this! But, no, it was only a momentary glance. Ellie turned back toward the pool, back toward the class and, still covering herself, took a deep, deep breath.

And then she stood up straight and stretched her arms out, just like she was supposed to.

All around the pool, boys and girls alike gasped … especially the boys. Here was everything they’d been trying to sneak peeks at since Ellie came out of the locker room, now on full display on a high platform right in front of them all. Ellie’s entire body revealed to all, even her little pink nipples, even the slight bit of pink showing down below. Even with her legs close together, there was more than enough gap between Ellie’s thighs to show them all everything.

Mari couldn't breathe, imagining how horrible it would be if she had to do that, with her weird privates exposed to absolutely everybody, nothing at all hiding them. Ellie’s privates weren’t weird, as far as Mari could tell – just a simple white cleft with the barest hint of pink in the middle. But still … how could Ellie stand it? Everyone was looking! The moment seemed to last forever, almost like she was in some horrible time loop of second-hand embarrassment. Why didn’t Ellie jump already? Was it really taking so long, or did it only seem like a long time to Mari because it was so awful to watch?

Ellie’s eyes were open and bright, looking back into all the faces staring up at her, darting around the whole class. She must have been so terrified! Mari could see the way her legs were trembling. How awful it must be!

After what seemed like ages, Ellie finally jumped, making a perfect little dive into the pool. Even Missus Rousseau seemed satisfied with it.

Mari gasped explosively the moment Ellie was finally mostly hidden from view again. Had she been holding her breath the entire time? It felt like it. Her heart pounded in her chest like it was trying to beat its way out. Her hands shook as she treaded water.

When Ellie popped back up to the surface, Mari rushed to her, not even caring that she was swimming outside the safety zone, where she shouldn’t be. Who cared? Ellie was the last diver. Nobody else would be diving next. She rushed to Ellie’s side and embraced her, completely ignoring her friend’s nudity.

“Oh my goodness!” she gushed. “You’re blushing so bad! Are you okay?”

“I’m, um … okay.” Ellie’s blush deepened even more, and her breathing was ragged. And yet her face was showing a slight … smile?

It must only be because she was so embarrassed…

Mari could only imagine how she’d feel. She didn’t even have to close her eyes – she practically felt it already. As she stood at the top of that board, everybody got a perfect view of her weird, dangly lips. They were laughing at her, laughing and pointing! Even Missus Rousseau smirked and chortled derisively. Mari felt like she was dying – she wished she was dying! How could she live, with everyone knowing her deepest shame?

Her face burned too red, her stomach churned too sick, her heart turned to ice. Even in her fantasy, her eyes were squeezed tightly shut. She wished everyone else would shut their eyes too, their horrible, horrible eyes skittering all over her exposed body and her unhidden shame. She couldn't look back at them. She couldn't see them looking at her. If she had to see that, she would crumple on the spot. She would fall sideways off the diving board and hit the water with a big splash. And she would try to never come out of the water again.

And, yes … maybe the grimace on her face did look like a smile in some ways. If you didn’t count the tears.

She had no idea how Ellie managed it. That girl was so strong on the inside! It left her in awe.

🩱 🩱 🩱


Finally, the ordeal was over. Mari, her hands still shaking, dried herself off after the shower, carefully making sure the towel always covered the lower front half of her body, the weirdness she couldn't allow even other girls to see.

Ellie was still naked of course, still in the showers with a lot of the rest of the girls. Mari always took very quick showers, facing away from everyone else. She was in and out before most of the girls even got started. All to better hide herself. Though the showers were separated into stalls, each stall had no curtain, still leaving everyone exposed. Mari always raced through it as fast as she could so none of the other girls would see her in there. But Ellie seemed to be taking her time. That was fine though. Everybody in there was naked. It was normal, it was okay. Ellie wasn't at risk anymore.

She told herself she could stop being nervous for Ellie’s sake now … but her hands were still shaking. It was going to be really hard to concentrate on the rest of the day’s lessons, wasn't it? She could only imagine how the conversations in the boy’s locker room right now, talking about what they’d seen. Oh no! And they’d surely tell the rest of their friends soon, too! Soon, the whole school would know about Ellie’s punishment! Mari’s hands trembled even worse now.

As soon as she was even marginally dried off, Mari wrapped her towel around herself and hurried to her locker. She couldn't relax at all until she’d slid her panties up her still-damp legs and, still under the towel, pulled them into place to hide her shame from the other girls. Finally, she was safe. Glancing around first to make sure nobody noticed, she dried herself off a little more with the towel before starting on the rest of her clothes.

Ellie was one of the last ones out of the shower. Most of the other girls were almost finished getting dressed by the time Ellie was drying off. Was she taking such a long time in there because she was so shaken up by all of this?

Ellie had been in the stall right next to Mari’s, and Mari had been able to hear her. Maybe the trauma of the experience had finally caught up with Ellie, because it had sure sounded a lot like she was crying in there. The poor girl could barely breathe, gasping for breath, and when she did, it was often in pitiful hushed and muffled moans. That last shuddering cry at the end had been so loud that Ellie couldn't muffle it, and almost every girl in the showers must have heard it!

Mari had thought of going in to comfort her … but what if that just freaked out Ellie even more, having someone else in the shower with her?

And … and besides, Mari didn’t want anyone else seeing her weird privates, not even Ellie. So she’d hurried and rushed out of the showers, just like always, leaving her poor friend to cry alone in the shower.

How odd, though… All the other girls would wrap themselves in their towels when going from the little drying area next to the showers to their locker. Even among other girls, nobody really wanted to be looked at like that, did they? But not Ellie, not this time. When Ellie was done drying off, she casually tossed the used towel down on the little wooden bench next to her and, fully nude, walked all the way across the locker room to her locker, right next to Mari’s. Had that strange crying somehow made her more comfortable about being naked? Well, if it had, Mari was glad for her. Anything that helped her feel better was a good thing, for sure.

Even though Mari was already fully dressed and could have easily left, she stayed there sitting on the locker room bench, making a slow show of packing her bag back up.

“Are you okay?” Mari whispered.

Ellie just shrugged, digging into her own bag to get her clothes back out.

“I know it’s just us girls, but your punishment is over now. You don’t have to be naked anymore.”

“I guess you’re right…” Ellie pulled her school uniform out of her bag and started putting it on.

Before the bag fully closed, though, Mari caught a glimpse of something else down in there. It was just a glimpse, she couldn't be totally sure of what she saw … but it looked an awful lot like a perfectly good uniform swimsuit.

Her eye twitched. She looked up at Ellie. And Ellie just continued on buttoning up her blouse. She only responded with a very slight smile and another deep blush.




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