“Where are we going?” I asked Kate, catching up to her next to my car.
“We’re going to the mall.” She smiled. “Time to take you clothes shopping.” She put her hand out. “Better let me drive. I at least have a license in case we get pulled over... Mercury.” She smiled at me.
I handed her the keys and we hopped inside. I noticed the cow print pattern of my car’s interior. It had new meaning for me as I looked upon it now. Before I thought it was cute, but now I could only picture Kate’s beautiful Labrix form, curved and luscious, deep in the throws of ecstasy.
Breaking my trance, Kate started the car. The radio came up to the 80’s station.
“Where’s your bank?” Kate asked.
“Actually it’s right over there.” I replied, pointing to a building within sight of my apartment.
“Right. Let’s go get some cash for shopping.”
We sped over to the ATM, Kate driving a stick expertly. I cashed out my checking account, netting in over three thousand dollars, and we headed for the mall. Kate grabbed my debit card out of my hand and tossed it into the back seat.
“We better not take that with us.” She said. “We might accidentally use it on something they could use to track you.”
I appreciated Kate’s logic. This cloak and dagger spy stuff was fun, trying to cover our tracks in everything we did. I talked as she drove, telling Kate all about my previous life.
“What are your parents like?” Kate asked.
“Why does it matter? I’ll never see them again.”
“Well, being a Tauros is a genetic trait. We’re a race of creatures. Whoever your parents are, they must be Tauros as well.” She responded. “Maybe we can find which tribe you came from.”
“Well, I’m adopted, so that might not work too well.” I said.
“Oh... damn.” She said. “Maybe we can have our kinfolk look into your adoption discretely. They may be able to track down your real parents and learn something.”
I nodded in silence, thinking of who my real mother might be. I had thought about my real parents often, wondering what they would have been like. Whether they were rich or poor, where they lived, why they chose to give me away. But now my thoughts of them changed dramatically.
“So do you think my mom and dad are from the same tribe?” I asked. “What if they’re from separate tribes or something.”
“Well, one of them will be from a tribe, but the other is probably a normal human... or a kinfolk.” She replied.
“What makes you say that? Don’t they both have to be Tauros to conceive me?”
“No... actually.” Kate said. “Tauros are a bit different when it comes to reproducing. We’re both cow and human, so we can mate with both, but when we mate with each other, bad things happen.”
“Bad things?” I asked. “Like death?”
“No, but less desirable traits appear in the offspring. Things you might consider genetic defects.” Kate said. “Basically a Tauros can come from three different types, or lineage as we call it. The first two are Homid and Bovine: human and cow. If a Tauros breeds with either a human or a cow, the offspring can be born as a normal Tauros. It’s not guaranteed that they will, and the result would be a kinfolk if they didn’t, but it’s possible.”
“The third option is called ‘Metis’. Basically this when a Tauros mates with another Tauros and produces a child. The child is always sterile and usually has deformities of some type. Metis Tauros are still considered part of the tribe, but their existence is mostly a reminder of the shame of their parents. Tauros aren’t supposed to breed with each other.”
She drove in silence for a moment, obviously thinking of something. “Being a Metis means your options in Tauros society are kind of limited. They aren’t well liked by most ‘pure’ Tauros... but I think the tradition is silly. Some Metis are absolutely beautiful and wonderful beings, and I enjoy their company a lot.”
“I wonder if I’m sterile.” I said, changing the conversation. I was curious about my hermaphrodite condition. “Think maybe I’m a Metis? Maybe that’s why I'm a hermaphrodite. Maybe it was why I was given away for adoption.”
Kate thought for a moment. “That could very well be.” She admitted. “If your parents were both Tauros, they may have felt shame for having conceived you. Instead of facing the consequences of your birth, they may have put you up for adoption instead.”
“The only way for you to know would be to try and have a child, either carrying one yourself, or impregnating another Tauros. The idea of a hermaphrodite is tricky though. As far as I’ve ever heard, they are usually sterile in one way or another. One set of equipment is just for show. But being a magical creature, anything is possible. For all I know, you might be able to do both, or even impregnate yourself.”
I took a deep breath, worried about the consequences. I didn’t want to be pregnant... or a father. The prospect of being either and not knowing it, or even both at the same time, was terrifying to me.
We drove for a while in silence, deep in thought about the possibilities. I was enjoying suddenly being a mystery, even to myself. Not knowing the truth gave me something to work towards, and perhaps even a reason for Kate’s farm to accept me into their society. Suddenly Kate spoke.
“I think that’s why I approached you at the bar.” She said. “I felt there was something odd about you, and I couldn’t place it in your aura... so I investigated. Of course, magic does help a bit for that.”
“Magic like asking me what my sexual fantasy was?” I asked, joking at her choice of opening lines.
“Hehe. Yeah.” Kate said. “I’ve always been kind of the adventurous one: direct and to the point.”
“Well, I love the way you are.” I said, placing my hand on her thigh, rubbing gently. She looked over at me with a smile, licking her lips. I did a sexy growl back at her, reveling in the sexual manner of our exchange.
I was quickly learning to be more of a sexual creature. Before I was a recluse when it came to romance, hiding in my shell and never letting anyone in. Now that my egg had broken, I felt alive and invigorated, almost flooded with passion. Perhaps it was just my new body chemistry with raging female hormones, but whatever it was, I was enjoying every minute of it.
“So what are you then?” I asked suddenly. “Homid, Bovine, or Metis?”
“Oh, I’m actually a Bovine.” Kate said. “My sire was a Tauros and impregnated my mother... who was a normal cow. I was born at the farm and raised until it was time for my Rite of Awakening. For almost four years I lived as a cow, happily grazing out in the field. It was quite a switch to come to the human world, but I think I made the transition better than others of my lineage. Most of us Bovines don’t seem to like the new world very much, and prefer to remain with the herd.”
“I love this world, though. It’s so much more exciting than being a cow.” She bit her tongue at me, smiling devilishly as she hammered the gas pedal.
I reached down to the radio and cranked the volume, blasting ZZ Top as we cruised along the highway. I danced in my seat, shaking my stuff as best I could being belted in and generally making a fool of myself. Kate did the same as she drove, softly jerking the wheel side to side, causing the car to sway slightly to the beat of the song. We laughed and cheered as we sped down the road.
As we drove along, we sang to each other at the top of our lungs, laughing and having fun. After a few songs I no longer heard Kate’s voice, but I continued to sing with all my heart, mimicking and dancing to the songs, fully enjoying myself.
After a few songs, I looked over at Kate. She was stealing glances back at me as she drove with a look of disbelief on her face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, turning the radio back down low.
“My goodness, Mercury.” She said. “Your voice is beautiful!”
I giggled happily and smiled. “Thank you!”
“I mean it. You could be a singer with a voice like that. Maybe you could make it big.”
“Wow, think so?” I asked. I had never been a showboat, but I did enjoy singing immensely... when no one was listening.
“Yeah, like seriously.”
“I think I’m too shy to get on stage, though.” I admitted.
“Well, it might be something you could work on, but I think you could really do it if you wanted.” She paused. “It would be a good source of cash for you too if you could do it.”
I thought for a moment on her proposition. It would be incredibly fun to do. I did enjoy singing, but the idea having everyone stare at me while I did it gave me a sick feeling in my stomach. Perhaps after I was more comfortable with my body I could audition somewhere.
“Tell me more about the kinfolk.” I said.
“Well, what do you want to know about them?”
“What do they do? Do they have powers like we do? Do they live as long as us? What’s Jenna like? Is she part of the society?” A dozen more questions flooded my mind and escaped my lips in rapid fire.
“Whoah, whoah! Easy!” Kate said, laughing a bit. “I get your point. Okay... Well, kinfolk, like I said, are the offspring of Tauros who don’t possess the ability to change. It’s a recessive trait and not many of us receive it, perhaps only one in 4 do. Everyone born from a Tauros is adopted into the society, however, since we can’t determine if they’re Tauros at birth.”
“When the hopefuls come of age, we put them through the Rite of Awakening: basically a fancy name for testing to see if they’re Tauros or not. And to do that, we did what we did with you. The hopeful pleasures a Tauros, giving her milk. The hopeful then drinks the milk from her udders, and then the hopeful gets laid for the first time. If the gene is there, it triggers and throws the newborn Tauros into her first change.” Kate paused. “Usually this happens at about 15 for a Homid, and about 3 for a Bovine.”
“Of the ones that transform, they’re adopted into the sisterhood and taught the ways of producing milk and such. Of the ones that don’t transform, or kinfolk as they’re called, they remain in the society and live with us, usually helping out with the farm and the society in other ways. They’re not allowed to be on the ruling council, which is made up of the elders, but they do have important roles for our society. We care for their financial needs, sending them to college for various professions that the farm needs to survive, and in return, they work for us.”
Kate paused, recalling my questions. “While kinfolk don’t live as long as we do. They can extend their lives by drinking milk from us everyday, which most do, unless they’re away from the farm, but they generally die after a hundred years or so.”
“Now Jenna, is a total sweetheart. She’s actually the daughter of the woman that raised me while I was a calf. Her name was Adelle. My mother didn’t really have a name, being a cow, and I was mostly separated from her after I was initiated. Generally, cow kinfolk don’t receive as much care as our human kinfolk do, simply because they don’t live as long and don’t exactly serve a purpose for our society. After several years, they’re usually sold off to meat processing plants. It’s a horrible practice, but it helps keep up appearances and costs of operation low.” She grimaced at the memories, and I felt sympathy for her. The idea of selling my mother off to a meat plant was insane to say the least.
“Sorry, back to Jenna.” She changed subjects. “She’s an offspring from my father as well, this time from a human kinfolk... so technically she's my sister... but she didn’t have the gene to transform. She owns a seamstress shop over across town and is really good at making cute outfits for us. We’ll see her later today. You’ll like her. She’s a cutie.”
“Now let’s see,” Kate continued, “as for powers or magic, kinfolk don’t have much, not being connected as well to the spirit world as we are, but there have been some who learned a few simple rites. Mostly they just lack the spiritual power needed to fuel the magic. Being partially spirit world creatures ourselves, we’re powered by the spirit world itself.”
“What is the spirit world?” I asked.
“The spirit world is... hard to explain.” Kate admitted, smiling. “We’re kind of jumping ahead of ourselves here, but all of the shape-changing breeds, werewolves, werebears, werecats, etc, are connected to Gaia, the earth mother. Sister to Gaia is Luna, the moon. Her world is the spirit world. We are creatures from both worlds: the spirit world, and Earth. Luna’s realm is far more mystical and magical than this world, since it is... ‘unspoiled’ by mankind. It all gets really confusing from here on out.” Kate added with a laugh. “Don’t worry, we’ll teach you about the spirit world soon enough.”
We had arrived at the large mall. Kate parked my car towards the back of the lot and shut off the ignition. She pulled keys out of the ignition and pitched them under the seat.
“Won’t be needing these anymore.” Kate said, turning to me. “Okay, a word of caution here, Mercury.” I shut my half open door and turned back to her. “We’re going into a very public place. I need you to know that lots of people will be looking at you, even staring at you. Whatever you do, don’t panic. They’re not scrutinizing you in any way. They won’t possibly imagine that you’re not human. What they’re actually doing is lusting after you. It’s probably never happened to you before, so I just wanted you to be aware of what’s going on.”
I giggled a bit. “Actually, I once had a gay waiter hit on me on my birthday. He took time to explain the wine list to me, I was only 19 at the time and completely embarrassed.” I said.
“Well, that’s what it will be like, just don’t get embarrassed. Bad things can happen. You could lose control of your milk.” I felt the pressure of my milk, stored somewhere in the spirit world.
Kate hugged me, smiling. “Just remember... act natural, sexy walk, and own it!” She giggled at me.
“Right!” I said. “Let’s do this.” I pushed open the door and hopped out, slamming it shut again. I was eager to try out my moves in public. Kate jumped out as well and we began to strut our way to the entrance of the mall, smiling slyly at each other.
A couple of guys were passing us as we came up to the door. They stared a bit then ran back to the door and pulled it open for us, their eyes transfixed on us... well, perhaps only parts of us.
“Thank you.” I told them, affording them a glance of eye contact. Something deep within me felt incredibly good to be the one with the sexual power. Before, I was the one holding the door, eager for something that never came.
We entered a side hallway of the mall. The short hall was empty so Kate took the opportunity to whisper to me.
“Well played, Mer.” She said. “Guys usually turn to putty for us, but watch out for girls, they’ll hate us... because we’re a threat.”
I frowned slightly at that. I didn’t want anyone to hate me, but I realized she was right. If they didn’t know me, they would probably be jealous of my looks, even though there was no way I’d be interested in any man they were after. More than likely, I’d be eager to get in their pants, as opposed to their boyfriend’s.
Our first stop was Victoria’s Secret, a store I always admired as a man. I walked by it many times, wondering exactly what the playful ‘secret’ was that Victoria kept. The walls were painted hot pink and covered in lace. I had always wanted to venture in, as a man, and simply browse. But there was no way I could to that and not look like a total pervert without some sort of woman on my arm. So it never happened.
Now I entered the store, not only free from the stigma of being a pervert, but also on the arm of a stone-cold hottie. My reversal of fortune brought a smile to my face.
I was amazed by the store. All along the walls were racks of lacy unmentionables, all designed to do one thing, make women look desirable. My eyes feasted on the rows of red, black, and white satin, wondering what it would feel like to wear something like that.
We made our way to the back of the store. This portion was filled with bras and panties in black, white, beige, and soft pink. Kate had apparently been here before and lead me to the ‘plus size’ section. It was kind of annoying to be labeled ‘plus size’ since that meant fat in my book, but I didn’t see any ‘super busty’ sections.
“What about something like this?” Kate asked running her hands over the cups of a white lacy thing, hanging on the wall.
I looked at the frilly thing, not liking the floral pattern of the lace. It seemed to... girly... for me. Instead I pointed to something more plain.
“I kind of like that one.” I said.
Kate pulled it down, checking the tag for something. Then she held it up to me. Checking the size. I felt a bit embarrassed, having a bra held up against me.
Suddenly a somewhat elderly woman appeared, dressed in a black skirt suit and wearing a name-tag reading ‘Melinda’. “Can I help you two with anything?” She asked, in a friendly, almost motherly way.
“Ah, yes.” Kate responded, turning to her quickly. “My friend here is an exchange student from Russia, and she lost all of her luggage. We’re trying to get her some new clothes today.”
“Oh you poor thing!” the clerk exclaimed, turning to me with a concerned look on her face. “Do you know what size you are?”
“Ahh, no... I'm afraid I don't.” I said, pretending to have a Russian accent.
“Seems they have different measurement systems in Russia,” Kate interjected, “so we’re kind of starting from scratch here.”
“Oh, I see.” Melinda said. “Well perhaps I could take you into a booth and we could take your measurements?”
“That would be wonderful,” Kate answered, checking the name-tag, “Melinda. Your help is very appreciated. Her name is Mercury.” Kate pulled my hand forward to follow her, urging me along. “She has a last name too, but I can’t pronounce it.” She said with a giggle.
“Right this way, Mercury.” Melinda said, leading me to a changing room. I glanced back at Kate. She was stifling her laughter as I was led away. Her devilish smile made me mockingly scowl at her.
Melinda and I stepped into the booth and she closed the door behind us. She pulled a measuring tape from her pocket. “Okay, sweetie, I’ll take your measurements now, then we can get you into a proper bra.”
I wondered if she wanted me to get naked, and I didn’t want to ruin the illusion if I did something ‘against the grain’. Biting the bullet I pulled my shirts off over my head in a single swift movement.
“Oh!” Melinda, gasped, rather startled by my actions. Suddenly she was embarrassed at my nakedness. “Well, I didn’t actually need you to do that...” Her voice trailed off as she brought it up to my chest.
“Raise up your arms a bit for me if you would, hon.” She said.
I did as she instructed, thrusting my chest out and raising my hands up behind my head. I realized then my mistake, but I had already committed. The realization struck me, however, that Russians probably weren’t embarrassed by being naked, so I decided to own it, playing it cool.
She ran the tape behind me quickly, taking my measurements both across my breasts at the nipple, and directly underneath them, around my ribs.
“Okay, you can put your shirt back on now.” Melinda said, averting her gaze. I pulled the shirts back over my head and down my torso, covering up once again. I pulled my long hair out of the neck as she turned to open the door again, obviously glad to be out of the changing room with the perverted foreign girl. I smiled widely at Kate who had been listening in while pretending to check a couple racks near the rooms.
I could see she was struggling to remain stone-faced as Melinda moved past. After she did, Kate struggled to keep from laughing as she looked at me, biting her lip. I could see her shaking with silent laughter and her eyes were closed. I followed Melinda past her, lightly punching her in the arm as I passed, smiling widely.
Melinda stopped at a chest of white drawers and began to pull out several drawers.
“We don’t have much in your size, hon, but we can see if there’s anything you like.” Melinda said as she pulled out several of the wooden drawers and laid them on top of the dresser. Each of the drawers was labeled "H".
Inside of each were a collection of lacy garments and bras in various styles and colors. Kate came over beside me and took a peek as well. I pulled several ones that I like out of the drawers: a red lacy bra, a black satin, plain-looking bra, and a white stretchy bra.
“These are very nice.” I said in my accent.
“We’ll take em.” Kate said, sealing the deal.
“Excellent, girls.” Melinda said. “Is there anything else I can get for you today?”
“She’s probably going to need underwear to match as well, and we might pick up a few other things as well.” Kate said.
Melinda pulled the tape-measure from her pocket again, and quickly ran it around the widest part of my hips, taking a fast measurement. It appeared that she wasn’t concerned with me being embarrassed by her taking my measurements, since I kind of proved I wasn’t... even if only accidentally.
“36 inches.” Melinda announced. “We have a wide stock of that size. Bottoms are right over this way.” She led us over to the panties section which had a wide range of colors.
I picked out a few pairs of panties from the hanging racks on the wall, ones to match my bras. The styles were a lot more varied than I first imagined they would be. Men sure didn’t have this type of selection when it came to underwear. Boxers or briefs, tighty-whiteys or colored. The choice was simple. But I quickly learned that girls had to judge color, ride, cut, thong or not thong, lace, material... the list seemed endless standing there looking at them all.
Kate helped me decide, getting one to match my three bras, and each being a bit different from the others.
“Very good, girls, I’ll take these up to the counter while you finish looking around.” Melinda smiled at us. “Welcome to America, Mercury. It was nice meeting you both.”
“Thank you for your help, Melinda.” I answered in my accent. “It was a pleasure to meet you as well.”
Kate smirked at me as Melinda walked away, sharing in my secret. We made our way through the store, looking at various bedroom outfits. I finally decided to get a strapless corset made of shiny, rubbery material, with black fishnet stockings. Tiny fingerless gauntlets which reached to the elbow and extended to with a ring to go around my middle finger across the back of my hand, all made of the same material, came with the outfit.
Kate found something for herself as well, a red outfit with a corset and lacy cups above. There were red stockings that went with it, and straps that clipped to the tops of them from the bottom of the corset. There were red lace panties sewn into the bottom, and red lace fingerless gloves that came up to mid bicep.
We giggled at each other, imagining how we’d look in them, and brought them up to the counter. Paying cash, we left the store with our purchases, smiling and ‘owning it’.
“What is next?” I asked in my accent.
“Well, we need to get you some shoes, or boots, or both. Then we can get you some outfits to match them.” Kate answered.
We made our way through the mall after a quick stop in the bathroom for me to change into a bra and panties. I chose the black ones and put only one T-shirt back on, letting it show through just a bit against my skin.
As we strutted, I noticed many eyes on us as we moved. Usually just glances, but almost every male we passed looked at us and smiled or nodded. The feeling wasn’t as bad as I had feared. Most of them didn’t stare, so I didn’t feel too uncomfortable. I continued to do the sexy walk with Kate by my side, as we entered Shoe Carnival.
“Okay.” She said to me in a low voice. “This is what it’s all about... shoes.”
I didn’t really see the fascination between women and shoes. To me they were always just a thing to put on and protect my feet with, never really a fashion item. Looking at row after row of various pumps, high-heels, sandals, boots, and loafers, I knew I was out of my element. Again I felt incredibly thankful for Kate as I was led through the store like a blind-woman.
Kate set our bags down on a bench and told me to wait while she scouted a bit. I took the time to slip my foot into the foot measuring device on the floor. Kate came back with several boxes in her arms. I told her my size.
“I already know.” She said with a wink. “I told you, Mercury, I’m all about shoes.” She cracked a wicked grin, pulling out several shoes from the boxes. "Ever since I first learned about shoes, I've been an addict for them."
We looked at the styles and designs she picked out, but I didn’t really see anything I liked. Most of them were just too silly or fancy for my tastes. Instead, we took a quick tour of the rows and I picked out a pair of stiletto thigh-boots in shiny black.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d be that daring.” Kate said. “I’ll have to rethink my game-plan when I’m making suggestions.”
Kate found my size, and we picked out a couple more pairs at Kate’s urging. I got a pair of simple tennies with cute pink and white trim, as well as a pair of flat soled black suede shoes.
Lacing up the tennis shoes for the moment, we took our boxes to the counter and checked out. All said and done, we walked out with 3 pairs for me, and one for Kate.
My new sneakers felt cute on my feet, not like my big clunky flip-flops that I had on before. Slowly, the transformation into womanhood was taking hold as my outfit was gradually replaced with feminine items.
“Next on the list, an outfit.” Kate said, scanning the mall.
We made our way to the Gap. A store I never fully understood, not playing into the fashion system before. Now, however, it felt a bit different and I was eager to see what they might have for me to wear.
We weaved our way through the store, looking at various pullovers and dresses, skirts and pants. I picked out a couple pairs of jeans in various colors. Kate guessed my size at an 8. I had not a clue what that meant, but I headed to the changing room to try them on. They fit rather comfortably, gently following the round curve of my ass and hips, accentuating their swell. The bottoms were a bit loose from the knee down, almost a bell-bottom style. They brushed cutely over my pink sneakers.
I came out of the room, modeling them for Kate.
“Yeah, very nice.” She said. “Just leave them on.”
We continued to shop a bit. I found a couple of pullover shirts I like, including a black, long-sleeve turtleneck. I chose a denim skirt as well, a few various colored T-shirts with printed logos and messages on them, stretched across the spot where my breasts would be. A couple dresses, pullovers, long sleeve T-shirts, belly shirts, a few tank tops... pretty much one of everything found their way into my clutches as we shopped.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a cow pattern, causing me to turn and explore. Hanging on the clearance rack was a cow-print denim skirt that I knew I had to have. Thankfully, I found one in my size.
We grabbed a few other items that I could mix and match with, belts, shirts, even a couple of clip-on earrings. I paid for the purchases at the counter and we left with several items for me to wear, a good start to a new wardrobe.
In truth, by the time we finished with several more stores, I had more clothes in my shopping bags than I had in my closet as a man.
“Wait here just a moment.” I told Kate, heading into a bathroom with a couple of my bags. “I have a surprise for you.”
Kate seemed a bit stunned as I ducked inside the girl’s room but she didn’t follow.
I quickly undressed in the stall, down to my black bra and panties. I pulled the cow skirt out of the bag and zipped it around my waist. It hugged my waist comfortably, coming only down to just above my knee, but binding my legs together seductively. I pulled on my black latex thigh boots as well, satisfied as they zipped up provocatively to just short of the hem of my skirt. I pulled the black turtleneck over my head next, stretching it down over my large breasts. I pushed the sleeves up to above my elbow and pulled my white hair through, letting it pour down my back like milk. Shoving my old clothes back inside my bags, I exited the stall and looked at myself in the bathroom mirror.
I couldn’t believe how hot I was! I felt a bit narcissistic standing there, posing seductively in the mirror, but I couldn’t help how turned on I made myself. I picked up my bags and headed out the door before my chubby got too excited and escaped his hiding spot.
I did the sexy walk straight over to Kate, who was lounging on a bench. With my head tilted down slightly and my bedroom eyes on, I marched over to her. Spinning and sitting down next to her, I crossed my legs demurely, striking a sexy pose for her.
“Wow!” Kate said. “That outfit is a winner, Mer.”
She admired my choices, the black pullover contrasting my hair beautifully. The skirt seemed to match both my white hair and my black boots and shirt, lending a sense of unity to the whole outfit. A black belt with a shiny chrome buckle laced around the top of my skirt.
“I’d have to say, your style works for me.” She added.
“Thank you, Kate. Your words mean a great deal to me.” I said with my accent, smiling at her. “I’m just happy that I have such a fine teacher to guide me as I struggle to learn your ways.”
Kate smiled and nodded at me, proud of my accent and happy for the compliment.
“Let’s get your ears pierced.” She said suddenly, taking my hand and pulling me up.
“Ahh, I don’t know.” I said, squeamish about getting a piercing.
“C’mon...” She urged, pulling me along. “It doesn’t hurt that bad, and you need earrings to complete the ensemble. I finally agreed and she led me to a shop that advertised piercings.
A great fat man greeted us from behind the counter as we walked in. He had dozens of metal piercings and studs throughout his face, and his arms were heavily tattooed.
“Heya, ladies.” He said. “What’s your pleasure?”
“Hi,” Kate answered, “my friend here needs to get her ears pierced. Think you can help us out?” She smiled at the man.
“Surely can!” He almost celebrated. He came around the counter and offered me his hand. “My name’s Mark.”
“Hello, Mark.” I replied, accenting my words. “My name is Mercury.”
“Wow, that’s a cool name. Where you from? Russia?” He asked politely as he led us to the piercing room.
“Yes.” I replied, delaying my response slightly as if struggling for words. “Georgia to be precise.”
“She’s an exchange student living with us for the year. I thought I’d give her a taste of American culture by going shopping and getting her ears pierced.”
“Ahh, that’s awesome.” Mark said. “I hope she likes a little bit of pain with her culture, because that’s what we have in stock today!” He added with a smile back at us. “This is your first piercing I take it?”
“Yes, Mark. I’ve never before been... pierced.” I said with a coy smile. I knew I was starting something I shouldn’t, but I couldn’t resist.
Mark twisted around to regard me briefly with his eyes wide. He must have let it slide thinking I was just struggling with the language, but he could have read it either way. I felt Kate poke me in the back. I turned and winked at her, while she gave me a look.
“Alright, here we are at the Throne of Pain.” Mark said, slapping the red leather of an old barber’s chair. “Hop on up!” He busily set about rummaging through supplies and components in a dresser behind the chair. I climbed up into the seat. Kate sat down on a spare chair across from me.
“Can’t believe that you’ve never had a piercing.” Mark said. “Seems like it’s a rite of passage for us Americans. I think the average age for the first one is about 10 for most girls.” Mark pulled out several items and held out his hand showing me several small metal studs. “We need to put in a stud in order for your piercings to keep from healing shut. It should be left in for at least a week before you try to replace it. I’ve got a couple to choose from. We’ve got stainless steel, silver, and gold.”
I thought the silver one would be shiny and match my chrome belt buckle, better matching my outfit. “The silver one looks very nice.” I replied.
“Better go with the stainless.” Kate said quickly, giving me ‘the look’. “Silver might make your skin turn green if you’ve never worn it before.”
I wasn’t sure what she meant by the comment, but her look told me not to question her. “Stainless steel it is then.” I added.
Mark shrugged and placed the others back into their bins. Grabbing the piercing gun, he loaded the stud and came around to the side. He began reaching for my ear as I pulled my hair back. Suddenly he retreated.
“We are piercing your ear, right?” Mark asked with a sly grin.
“For the moment.” I added, winking at him.
Mark chuckled and made quick work of the piercing. The gun clicked and a shot of pain lanced through my earlobe, but it was fleeting, with only a dull throb afterwards. I gritted my teeth a bit but took the pain.
Mark quickly pierced the opposite ear as well, not giving me time to object. Before I knew it, the deed was done and I felt small lumps in my ear.
“Any other places you ladies would like pierced today?” Mark asked with a crooked smile. “I could do one on the house.”
I grimaced from the throbbing, but answered him gently. “No, I think I’ve had enough piercing today.”
Mark’s shoulder’s and face dropped in exaggerated disappointment. “Aww...” He quickly made quick work of clearing up the area and led us back out to the front counter.
“Total comes to 22 bucks.” Mark said, poking the cash register and pulling off his latex gloves.
I handed him the cash and thanked him, turning to leave.
“If you’re ever in the market for a tattoo or any other piercings, come back and see me.” Mark said, with a quick raise of his eyebrow. “Here’s my card.” I took the card and slipped it into the pocket of my skirt. I winked at him as I smiled and headed out of the store.
“Good Lord you’re a tease!” Kate giggled to me, as we walked out.
“I’ve never had so much fun, Kate.” I said back to her. “Thank you so much for showing me how.”
“No problem, sweetie.” She said, pinching my ass. “Let’s get some food.”
We strolled down to the food court and got some Chinese. The little Chinese guys behind the counter toyed with us playfully as they prepared our order, joking in their broken English. They were obviously hitting on us, but I didn’t mind at all. It was too funny to watch them.
We sat down to eat at one of the tables in a secluded spot.
“You remember werewolf movies, right?” Kate asked me suddenly.
“Of course. They’re some of my favorites. Especially Underworld.” I answered.
“Well you remember how they kill the werewolves?” she asked.
“Yes, they used silver bullets.” I answered, still unsure of where she was taking this.
“Well, Mer.” She said with a glare. Then in a low voice. “We’re werecows, remember?”
Suddenly the realization struck me. If Mark had put that silver stud into my ear it probably would have burned me, perhaps even killed me. I didn’t know for sure. “Would I have died?” I asked Kate.
“No, but it most certainly would have hurt. Werewolves can’t touch silver. It burns them as if it were red-hot. Enough of it will kill one, especially if it’s in the wrong spot, like their heart, but a little bit will only make a horrible scar that takes a long time to heal. Anything other than silver, a werewolf regenerates right back, remember?”
My jaw stopped moving as I came to a realization. In a low voice, “Are you saying we’re immune to injury like a werewolf?”
Kate leaned forward a bit, looking into my eyes. “Do your ears hurt anymore?”
I was stunned to find that they felt perfectly fine. Not aching at all. My stunned silence gave Kate her answer and she leaned back in her chair, continuing to eat her meal.
“There are other things as well that can kill a werewolf.” Kate said. I quickly realized she meant cow when she said wolf, only changing the word in case someone was listening. “Fire kills them. They can’t regenerate that. Also the attacks from another supernatural creature can kill them: vampires and whatnot.”
“Vampires!?” I asked, suddenly afraid that all the monsters were real.
“Yes... vampires.” Kate answered matter-of-fact-ly. "You'll know them by the smell. All the undead have a rotten smell to them. Most humans can't pick up on it, but we can. It smells like something putrid."
We finished the rest of the meal in silence, I was aware I had a lot more to learn about Tauros, the spirit world, and even this seemingly normal world I thought I inhabited. As we finished, Kate grabbed the bags and led me back into the mall.
“A couple more things on the list, Mercury.” Kate said, leading me to a small store. Inside I saw all manner of purses, hats, sunglasses, and various accessories.
“Looks like we need a purse yet and a probably a nice pair of sunglasses.” Kate said, glancing around.
I didn’t like the prospect of having to carry a sissy purse around, but I guess it was part of the disguise, so I didn’t argue. Searching around I found all shapes and sizes of purses. Some were large handbags, others were as tiny as my wallet and on a slender string used for a strap.
Again I found what I wanted. I saw a smaller sized one, about the size of a hardcover book, with a black leather strap lacing around the under edge of the purse. But the sides of it were what I enjoyed: cow-print.
“When in Rome.” I said to myself and grabbed the purse down. It had a cute button flap on it and seemed the proper size. Kate saw me checking it out.
“No need to throw up signs like that.” Kate smirked, not really appreciating my choice in purses.
“You must see the irony of it.” I said with a broad grin. “It’s perfect.”
I found a pair of silver, wire-framed glasses with slender, blue-cobalt lenses that looked interesting. I wasn’t sure if the silver was real or not, so I quickly touched the metal. It wasn’t real silver, as I should have known, but knowing now that it could burn me, I was starting to fear any silvery surface. Trying on the glasses, I found them the be the perfect style for me, just a bit eccentric, adding to my European cover.
Paying for the purse and glasses, I felt my wardrobe was complete. I was fully a woman now, dressed in woman’s clothes, my ears pierced, my purse slung over my shoulder, and shopping bags in my hands. I thought we were done and on our way out of the mall when Kate stopped me.
“One last stop.”
Kate brought me to a cosmetics store. I had never before used any cosmetics, but I had a feeling I was in for a crash course. I was delighted at the wide range of colors and products. It seemed like they had everything you could possibly smear on your face, and then some.
Kate helped me pick out a variety of shades which would go well with my complexion and she promised to help me learn to apply them later. We payed what felt like way too much for the tiny bottles and containers and headed out of the store.
“Jenna is a wizard when it comes to make-up.” Kate said, as we strolled through the mall. “She can teach you a lot more than I can when it comes to that.”
“What does Jenna do for a living?” I asked.
“She’s a beautician and a clothing designer. Ever heard of Redline Formal Wear?” Kate said. Indeed I hadn’t, and I shook my head. “Well, she owns it. It’s a clothing line for women. They make fancy dresses and outfits. You’ll see.”
We meandered through a few more stores, purchasing a few more outfits for me. As it neared five o'clock, however, we headed out of the mall and Kate hailed a cab.