OCTOBER 15, 2002

Last week, the staff members of FernGully Elementary held an important event for students to share their questions anonymously. On Wednesdays, Crysta's fifth-grade class would head down to the music room run by Mrs. Smith. It was not the case on that day as Mrs. Waters made arrangements for school counselor Mr. Reiner. He showed up in a cyan-striped suit, indigo tie, khakis, and a cardboard box coated in white paper in his hands.

"Alright, children. Let's have a serious discussion," Mr. Reiner began, "As your counselor, I understand it can be difficult to talk about very sensitive subjects. Last week, each class was given a box for students to drop in their questions anonymously. In the case of this class, there are too many questions for me to go through; I will do my best to read as many of them as possible aloud."

He pulled the first letter out of the box, "'Our gym teacher likes men.'"

The boys in the class snickered.

"Boys, this is a subject that should be taken seriously. I mean, if Mr. Garland likes men in a way you would think, it does not hurt me! Okay, he can still live a long and fulfilling life."

Mr. Reiner pulled the next letter out, "'Your mom's a whore!'"

The boys laughed louder. One of them banged his hands on a desk.

"Boys! This is not funny! Okay, sometimes…people tend to get a little carried away with their 'habits.' As for my mother: she is not a 'whore.' She found the love of her life, got married in a Mormon church, and had four children (including me)."

Many humorous tickets and much laughter later, Mr. Reiner pulled the next letter out.

"Okay, here is something: 'I am a girl attending FernGully Elementary. At times for no reason, my heart begins racing, my legs start trembling, and my penis and nipples get hard. I tried to resist my fidgeting urges. Unfortunately, I do not have much time left. What should I do?"

The class stayed silent for a few seconds. A boy with brown hair and in a Ravens shirt cracked up before the rest of the boys and three girls followed. "That was a good one!" one girl proclaimed. Another boy clenched his chest because the laughter almost made his heart stop.

That annoyed Mr. Reiner even more. "Alright, that's enough of that! If you kids want to be funny with the question box, I will let your teacher send you to the music room!" The students groaned in disappointment. Mrs. Waters noticed a student raising a hand, "Yes, what is it, hon?" The latter waved her over to whisper something in her ear. "Oh, you do?... Right now, it is?...Uh, okay. Mr. Reiner, will you please send the rest of my class to the music room? I need to talk with this student."

"Hey, Crysta! How was school today?" Angelica asked.

"It was good, Mom," Crysta replied, "We got to watch Bill Nye the Science Guy talking about chemical reactions." She walked to the refrigerator to get herself a snack and another from a fruit basket.

"Sounds like you had fun.—Oh, hon! Your father and I got a message from your teacher."

Crysta bit into an apple, "You did?"

Quinton said, "Yeah, Mrs. Waters told us you were getting an erection in class."

Crysta stopped dead in her tracks. Her face turned red and she swallowed a piece loudly before facing her parents.

Quinton continued, "Now, Crysta. It is nothing to be ashamed of. Yes, parts of one's life will get stiff; that is just part of growing up. In this case, your body goes through many changes as you grow older. Certain hormones start to release as your whole reproductive systems begin to awaken. Plus, your breasts will grow to make room for—"

Crysta interrupted, "Wait a minute—reproductive systems?"

Quinton replied, "Y-yes,...you have two of them. The one you have been seeing for a long time would belong to a male like me. You also have a female reproductive system behind your other one. Hon, could you explain the rest to her?"

"Sure thing!" Angelica accepted. He got up from the burgundy sofa to microwave a frozen dinner. Angelica picked up where her husband left off, "Crysta, having both reproductive systems may not seem normal to you (and you are not alone); you can still live a great life: graduating from high school, taking viticulture studies in college, and keeping our wine business up." She hugged Crysta, "Oh, Crysta! I love you so much!"

"I love you too, Mom."

"You are my special kid. We are glad we have you in this world."

Crysta let herself go and walked up the stairs to drop off her coat and backpack. Upon entering her room, she spotted an object wrapped in red wrapping paper on her blue-green cheetah-print twin bed. She unwrapped a PlayStation 2 copy of Ty: The Tasmanian Tiger and began playing as she had no homework today. Crysta's room was average-sized with sky-blue walls, beige carpeting, and one ceiling light. It was kept tidy, although her closet was slightly messy with coats and boxes on the floor. She had a sherbet-colored work desk and a black study chair for various activities (e.g., homework, toys, pampering). Her crimson shelves were full of dolls and stuffed animals; pop and rock music albums; photos of her family and vacations in Hawaii and Vermont; PS2, Game Boy Advance, and Gamecube games; and books for grades 5 and up. Band and movie posters occupied two walls. Crysta had a cool mint beanbag for playing games or reading books. Her 27-inch CRT television set sat by her chrome-painted dresser with a PS2 plugged into it. Whenever Crysta had family over for special occasions, she would play Super Smash Bros Melee or Burnout with her eccentric cousins. The energetic one liked Shrek so much, he had the excitement for a sequel and collected a lot of merchandise; the other was a stereotypical goth sans the smoking habits.

On the opposite side of the hall was a bathroom for Crysta to use as her parents' master bedroom had its own bathroom. It was colored red and orange with painted autumn leaves and twigs. The faint orange-tiled floor and shower were kept clean by a Latina housekeeper. A pearl washbasin only had a soap dispenser, a deodorant stick, and two small white towels neatly folded on the right handlebar. The vanity was almost empty as Crysta only used cotton swabs, dental hygienic supplies, and soap bars from the top drawer. The bottom one was stocked with toilet paper and the left side had necessary cleaning supplies. The toilet had its pumping parts replaced last Friday to stop it from continuously running.

As a ten-year-old, Crysta usually wore red, purple, and blue shirts that were one size larger; navy and black jeans; and Baltimore Ravens-branded shoes. Her jet-black hair was short and kept clean with strawberry-scented shampoo. A healthy diet, moderate exercise, and a frequent habit of turning down controlled substances helped Crysta maintain a slim frame. Her fairy wings were small but efficient enough for her to reach for items trapped on rooftops and branches. The casual appearance she donned made potential groomers turn down an opportunity to traumatize her when Angelica or Quinton were not watching. Lord knows what would happen if they happened to get their hands on her. She grew up listening to Metallica, Journey, AC/DC, and NSYNC; playing PlayStation and Nintendo games; and exploring forests (especially South American and Australian rainforests). Ty: The Tasmanian Tiger's levels took Crysta back to her vacations in her grandfather's home country and helped the curious girl visualize what living as an Aboriginal fairy like her ancestors would be like. Inside a composition notebook she brought to Australia were written journal entries and diagrams of the flora and fauna (e.g., She Oak trees, cassowaries, a familiar bat); photos of Australian landmarks and sunsets; and a receipt of her family's McDonald's order held by a paperclip. Crysta's neurodivergent symptoms were gradually managed without medication but rather with a productive routine throughout the day and she was put on a special plan for her education called an Individualized Education Program (IEP). She had been earning good grades and making friends in school—she even got invited to her redhead friend Jade Riesling's birthday party at an indoor recreation center repurposed from an abandoned warehouse.

OCTOBER 18, 2002

With the permission slips verified, Crysta hopped on Jade's bus and rode to the recreation center. The place the Rieslings rented out for the day had a 25-meter swimming pool, a hot tub, a water play area, a basketball court, an arcade, and a picnic area. A gamer like Crysta and the two boys from her class would love the arcade as it housed an air hockey table, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Rampage: World Tour, Daytona USA, a Las Vegas-themed pinball, and toy vending machines.

Crysta changed into a one-piece red-purple swimsuit that went down to mid-thigh length and a cyan pair of swimming goggles before jumping into the pool. After swimming for around fifteen minutes, she exited the pool and carefully paced to the diving board. As Crysta got closer, she felt an erection in her swimsuit, much to her chagrin. She dashed to the locker room and grabbed an ice pack from her lunch box to shrink her member. Crysta thought she was alone—she would be if someone were not doing their business in a stall.

Jade's brother Phillip, a fourth-grade student with hair of a slightly darker red, walked out after going number two and Crysta was shocked. "Hey, Crysta! I should thank you for coming to my sister's birthday party and—What the devil are you doing with your wiener there?"

"Phillip,...you should keep whatever you saw…to yourself! Not many people know…how I live my life like this," a distraught Crysta stammered as she covered herself with a white towel.

"Alright, I won't tell anyone. Enjoy the party!" Phillip said as he went to the basketball court with his patriotic-colored basketball. Crysta began to cry in her hands for five minutes before sitting against the wall for another ten. Phillip returned to tell her that the refreshments and food were ready; he patted his hand on Crysta's shoulder and she got up to have some snacks to calm herself down. At around 5:30 PM, Angelica arrived to pick Crysta up, but not before Phillip whispered a secret in her ear.