The Makeover - Part 2 (Patreon)

PART 1 | ALL STORY LIST

With my now stunning eyes tightly closed, Pippa placed an object in my outstretched hands. It felt approximately the length of one of my hands, much thinner at one end than the other and not very wide. Now becoming more dexterous with my long nails, I moved them around in my hands.

"Do you have any idea what is it?" Pippa asked quizzically.

"No clue, sorry, can I take a look?" I asked politely.

"Sure," she said, approving my request.

I looked down and could now add its description that it was a light grey-tan color and had 'Inverness 2000' emblazoned on one of the sides.

"Still no idea what it is or what it's used for; sorry, Pippa," I responded apologetically.

"It's an ear-piercing gun. How would you like to get your ears pierced, Holly?" Pippa announced with more enthusiasm than any of her previous suggestions regarding possible beauty treatments.

The very mention of the words ear-piercing sent a chill through my body. I instinctively reached with both hands to protect my unpierced earlobes. The question would have terrified Andrew if it had been mentioned as a possible treatment at the start of the appointment, surely ending any hope of Holly emerging. While not completely frightened, I knew ear piercing was a massive step even after what had already occurred. Everything else done today had been somewhat temporary - the fake nails, colored polish, and makeup could be easily removed, and my waxed hairs would grow back. Ear piercing was far more permanent, and the pain factor, too, was something that filled me with real fear.

"Wouldn't you love to be able to wear some gorgeous earrings like these?" Pippa asked, pulling back the hair covering her left ear to expose two earrings in her lobe.

The majority of my initial fear regarding having my ears pierced disappeared instantly upon seeing Pippa's ear jewelry. In the hole closest to her face was a silver hoop, around an inch in diameter and quite thick. Beside it was a small diamond stud that glittered in the light. Her ears look so lovely, and I wanted mine to match immediately.

"We can't have a stunning young lady like you not having pierced ears. There are so many beautiful earrings that you could wear to complement any outfit," she continued, further pushing for me to accept her earlier offer.

"Don't all girls your age already have their ears pierced?" she continued.

"Yes, they do but . .", I replied not being able to think of a single girl in any of my classes who hadn't had their ears done.

"See, you need to get it done. It's as simple as that. All girls need to have their ears pierced," Pippa stated, further building upon her already convincing case.

"I'm not sure. Doesn't it hurt, and if I had it done, everyone would know that I've had them pierced?" I responded, stating my main concerns.

"Well, firstly, it hardly hurts, most of the girls whose ears I pierce are around eight or nine, and few, if any, even get upset having it done. They are far more excited about now having pierced ears and being able to wear pretty earrings", Pippa replied.

While Pippa had raised some excellent points, I was still slightly undecided. Seaton's population was very conservative, and everyone knew everything about everyone. Within hours, the entire town would know that "a boy had had his ears pierced" - it would probably make the front page of the local paper the next day. In Seaton, ear piercing was strictly a female domain; I didn't even know of a male resident who had a pierced ear, let alone having both done. Growing up, there was a clear differentiation between boys and girls - girls got their ears pierced, and boys most certainly did not. These social conventions were weighing heavily on my mind as part of decision-making.

I also realized at that moment that Pippa's salon being the only place in Seaton where you could get your ears pierced professionally. Nearly every girl I knew would have had their ears pierced by her. Their mothers would bring them into the salon when they were deemed old enough in some sort of female rite of passage ritual. Pippa was right regarding around nine being the age when girls in Seaton usually got their ears pierced. Once a girl got her ears pierced, then there would be a spate to follow in the next few weeks. I was always fascinated, asking them plenty of questions to quell my curiosity as I tended to interact with the girls far more than with boys.

"Your other concern about what people would say is not an issue either," Pippa clarified, "who cares what people think as long as you are happy with yourself. I think you've proven that to yourself this afternoon."

She did have a point. I was truly looking forward to the prospect of continuing my life as a female, and those who didn't like my choices need not influence how I chose to live.

"I don't think mum would allow it," I said, grasping at another potential exit strategy if I needed one.

"Mum doesn't even have her ears pierced, so other than looking at girls at school, I don't know much about having earrings and what's involved," I continued.

"Yes, I know your mother's never had her ears pierced," Pippa replied with a frustrated tone in her voice, "I've been trying to convince her to let me pierce her ears for years!".

"Would you like to have a closer look at my earrings to help you decide?" Pippa offered, moving closer to me, pulling her long hair behind her back to expose her left ear as another enticement.

She then showed how to remove the stud first, demonstrating how there was a tiny clasp at the back that held it in place. She then unclipped the back of the hoop earring and gently slid the post part from its hole. With both earrings from her earlobe removed, she placed them in my left hand so I could have a better look. With mum never having pierced ears, it was the first time I'd ever held an earring. I played with the hoop first, opened and closed its locking mechanism several times, and tried sliding the backing clasp on and off the diamond stud. I was now convinced that I would like Pippa to pierce my ears.

"You see, Holly," Pippa said, showing the pair of tiny impressions on her lobe from where the earrings had just been removed.

"Once your ears have healed, the holes are barely noticeable," she continued, unaware that I'd already made up my mind to be pierced.

"Would you like to try putting my earrings back in to see what that's like?" Pippa asked, still attempting to entice me. She was very persistent but understanding at the same time.

Pippa moved very close to me, and I started with the silver hoop. It was quite a tricky task as I struggled again due to my long fingernails. Eventually, I found the right angle to allow the post part to poke out far enough to attempt to return it to Pippa's ear. I was scared of hurting her, but she said that it never hurts to put in or remove earrings for her, so I continued less cautiously. I was really surprised at how easily the hoop post passed through her first hole before I completed the task of clipping it shut. One down, the diamond stud to go. Again no drama, and within a few seconds, the stud was back beside its friend, and after a couple of failed attempts, I managed to put on the backing clasp.

"Ok, I'll do it!" I announced eagerly, having let Pippa plead for long enough, and me now absolutely positive that I wanted my ears pierced regardless of any future consequences.

In choosing to get my ears pierced, in my mind, I had just officially opted to permanently enter the female territory. For me, having my ears pierced was the most unmistakable sign of femininity in my community. For good or bad, I was ready.

"Excellent," Pippa responded enthusiastically.

"I know you see it as a massive step but to do what you've done today shows me that you're the bravest young person I've ever met, so this will be nothing," she said supportingly, "I'll just clean my hands and then we can get started."

I made a conscious decision immediately that I would pretend that my ear piercings would be symbolic of me receiving female-only injections to confirm my true identity. As the studs pierced my flesh, I would become a woman, and my boyhood would end. Similar to the ritual-like ear piercing events that countless young ladies had experienced in this very salon with Pippa's assistance.

"I'm going to pick the earrings for you if you like," she instructed, "I know just the right piercing studs that will complement each other perfectly."

"But wouldn't it look better if both ears had matching studs, not ones that complemented each other?" I queried regarding her previous comment.

"Well, I thought that seeing you've been so brave with everything that you might like to get your ears double pierced like mine?" she replied.

"Quite a few girls who are more adventurous get a second piercing in each ear around when they become teenagers," she continued pleading her case.

"I just thought that one pair would be enough, Pippa?" I replied.

"But having them double pierced gives you so many more options, like how I'm wearing a hoop and a stud in each ear at the moment. I can wear two studs, two hoops, or sometimes I'll just wear a pair of earrings in one set of holes and leave the others empty," she added.

"Your ears do look amazing," I said, accepting her argument.

"Go for it!" I instructed bravely, throwing caution to the wind.

"Wonderful," replied Pippa, "lots of girls your age have their ears double pierced; you're just catching up and getting all four done at once. You're going to love it!".

Needing no further convincing that I wanted, no needed, to be pierced, I returned to the makeup chair before Pippa again spun it around to prevent me from being able to see the mirrors. She then used a couple of clips she retrieved from yet another drawer below the mirrors to hold back my wig and expose my virgin lobes. She then commenced cleaning and marking my lobes with a felt-tipped pen. I was handed a small mirror by Pippa to check that I was happy with the proposed piercing locations. Two carefully spaced and placed dots adorned each of my earlobes.

As I looked at my reflected earlobes, my Princess Makeover journey was about to reach its finale. Four innocent dots, perfectly symmetrical in their placement, would soon be replaced with beautiful earrings. Pippa was very discreet, moving behind me, as she started loading the gun for the first of the four piercings that I eagerly waited to receive.

"Can't have you see these pretty little things that I've chosen for you before they're in your ears, can we?" Pippa said jovially.

Pippa moved the loaded gun towards my left ear and spent a little time lining up her target. She was obviously thrilled that she'd convinced me to get my ears done and even more pleased that I'd agreed to get both ears pierced twice. The anticipation of what studs Pippa had chosen only added to my excitement. I found myself gripping the chair's armrests as tightly as I could manage, my long nails digging into the underside of the upholstery. I wondered briefly how many of my female school friends had also left their fingernail impressions in the armrest while getting their ears done.

"Don't worry, darling, you won't feel a thing," she whispered reassuringly as she efficiently performed the first piercing.

"That felt amazing, Pippa," I blurted out, adrenaline rushing through me, "I didn't feel a thing."

I loved the anticipation of having a loaded piercing gun being aligned on an unsuspecting dot on my ear. The tension then giving way to an unmatched adrenaline rush of knowing that something foreign was now part of me. I was now a quarter way through my own ritual to become female. I was very tempted to turn my head to the mirror behind me to see what style stud Pippa had just pierced into my ear.

When Pippa saw me starting to turn, she said firmly, "No peeking!".

Secretly again, Pippa loaded the matching stud into the ear-piercing gun, and I turned slightly to my left so she could access my right ear. With minimal discomfort, I now had my first pair pierced. Any pain was purely temporary, as with all of the other beauty treatments I'd received that day. All I felt was slight burning sensations emanating from my newly pierced lobes.

"Before I do your second holes, I'm just going to give your mum a call to let her know that she is right to come and see you," Pippa explained.

While Pippa had a brief, indiscernible conversation with my mother, I can remember distinctly thinking that I was only half done. I was so glad Pippa had talked me into getting a double piercing on both sides!

Pippa soon returned with a huge smile on her face, almost like she'd forgotten what I looked like. She stood for a good twenty seconds, simply admiring her creation.

"Your mother is not going to recognize you, Holly," she announced with pride.

"She thinks that you'll just have your fingernails done, some waxing of your eyebrows perhaps, and minimal makeup applied!" she continued, "she is in for the biggest surprise of her life as we've certainly gone well beyond that."

"Just a little Pippa," I replied gleefully, now craving by further two piercings.

"Ok, young lady, you wanted to be rebellious; let's get those ears double pierced," Pippa said proudly and with a huge smile on her face.

Pippa secretly loaded the gun again. I was curious about what style she selected this time, I thought as I contemplated my third and fourth piercings. She then twisted my head slightly with her free left hand. With her right, she placed the piercing gun to my left ear again, a slight pause, and then "click," my ear piercing total was now three!

"That looks amazing," Pippa said, admiring her handiwork, "you're going to love having double pierced ears. So much more feminine, especially with the pretty studs I've chosen for you."

I was incredibly tempted to sneak a quick glance of my ears at this point. Firstly, see the double piercing and see what girly style earrings that Pippa had been chosen for me. Thankfully, in hindsight, I resisted the temptation to look.

Part of me must have to know the significance of the next piercing. It was the final step in my transformation from Andrew to Holly. A journey that I somehow knew deep down was the right path for me. This last piercing I saw as my last feminine injection that would cease Andrew's life but simultaneously give entire life to Holly. Tears built up in my eyes, and I started sobbing.

"Oh, what's wrong, dear?" Pippa asked with great care, "did that last piercing hurt you too much? We don't have to do the other one if you'd like to stop."

"No, it's not that," I replied interspersed with sobbing,

"You have just been so incredible for doing all of this for me. I really want you to know how truly grateful I am for everything you've done with me today; it's changed my life," I continued, slowly gaining my composure.

"Oh darlin', "she replied sympathetically, leaning down and giving me a massive hug, "It's the least I could do for you and your beautiful mother. It's given me a chance to use all of my skills on the one client in one appointment, which has been a real thrill for me too."

"Now, are you sure you want this last earring? You don't have to . ." she queried after we both had a few seconds to gather ourselves.

"Definitely, Holly would love that, please," I interjected, back to full confidence.

"Excellent! That's great; we can't leave your ears uneven anyway. The weight of that extra earring on one side would affect your balance, and you're already struggling to walk in those heels as it is!" she commented jokingly.

"Besides, if you keep crying, I'm going to have to redo all of your makeup before your mother arrives!" adding to her earlier joke.

Our heart-to-heart now out of the way, Pippa moved to prepare the piercing gun for my last time. For this piercing, I chose to close my eyes and listened to every noise. I heard Pippa discard the recently used empty cartridge. The sound of the new stud cartridge being clipped onto the gun and Pippa remove the protective cover to reveal the sharp piercing stud that would soon delight me as it shot through my flesh.

I sensed Pippa moving behind me and unconsciously offered my yet completed right ear towards her. Pippa was now beside me as I felt what would have been her left hand gently grip the upper part of my right ear. The piercing gun was on its final approach when I heard a distinct, metallic sound of the piercing gun bumping into my already completed, but yet to be revealed, the first earring on that side. It's amazing the things you can recall.

This piercing that I was seconds from receiving was the culmination of my Princess Makeover, the genesis of my new life. Time seemed to freeze as I sat with my eyes still firmly closed, taking in every sensation. I swear that I heard Pippa take a small breath and hold it in. I knew instinctively that she was ready, and a millisecond later, this was confirmed as my makeover journey was complete. I opened my eyes and undoubtedly was smiling like I had rarely smiled before.

Pippa then disengaged the chair's brake and spun the swiveling chair around to face the mirrors. For the first time, I saw myself with pierced ears. I was in awe of what I saw. Pippa had certainly fulfilled her promise of feminine style earrings. In the first holes were a pair of sparkling cubic zirconias, about 4mm in diameter, which sparkled under the bright lights as I moved my head from side to side to have a better look at my ears. The second pair, slightly further out, were the cutest little blue flowers.

Both earring choices were most definitely very feminine, and I was so thrilled with Pippa's selections. The large cubic zirconias and little blue flowers complemented each other perfectly, as she'd predicted. I was so pleased Pippa had added the intrigue of having her pick the studs - it only added to the fantasy of the occasion.

I was no longer a boy but now an attractive young woman. In addition to the makeup and wig, the earrings now made me unmistakably female. After several minutes of laughter-rich conversation, Pippa explained that when my mother arrived that I should be standing beside the chair in the makeup section but with the lights turned off. When the time was right, she would turn on the lights illuminating her creation and allowing my mum to see her gorgeous daughter for the first time.

One final inspection was in order before this, though, Pippa needing to fix the makeup around my eyes due to my earlier waterworks and also remove the clips that currently prevented my hair from covering my ears. I also used this time to practice walking up and down through the salon in the high heels with mixed but improving success.

Car lights beaming in through the salon's front windows notified us that my mother had arrived.

"Take your position Holly," Pippa said, rushing to turn off the appropriate lights as I endeavored to get to the makeup chair without incident.

"How was your trip to Jackson, Elle? Did you see a movie?" Pippa enquired of my mother, embracing her much more affectionately than earlier in the afternoon.

"It was very worthwhile," she responded, "but I didn't get time to go to the cinemas."

Pippa was so excited as she led mum, usually called Eloise by everyone, beyond the reception area and deeper into the salon. I began to sense that Pippa and my mother were closer "friends" than I'd previously thought. They appeared very comfortable in each other's company.

"How was the Princess Makeover?" mum asked as they moved, "I hope everything went off as planned?"

"You could say that," Pippa replied sheepishly, "we've done everything that you and I had organized plus a few other things as well."

"What do you mean 'other things'?" my mum asked, becoming slightly concerned.

"Just stay right where you are, and in a few seconds, you'll be able to see for yourself," Pippa replied as she scurried to the back of the salon to turn to illuminate me.

My heart rate this whole time was increasing with every second. Negative thoughts entered my mind. What if we've gone too far with the makeover? What if mum is disgusted with me, calling me a sissy, and abusing Pippa for what she has forced me to have done?

It was too late for any more worrying as Pippa flicked on the lights. Holly was no longer in the safety of the shadows, not five meters from her astonished mother. Expecting to see her son with a few slight cosmetic alterations, she saw something mind-boggling and astonishing. The sight before her was one of a beautiful young lady wearing a stunning blue dress and black high heels. Add to her view the young lady wearing impeccable makeup with dark smokey eyes and a flawless face encased in flowing sandy blonde hair to just below her shoulders.

"It's me, mum," I said cautiously, Pippa bursting into tears in the background.

It probably came as no surprise that mum needed to use the back of a nearby chair to stay upright. It felt like an eternity before she ran towards me and gave me the most all-embracing, loving hug that I could ever remember.

"Oh my darling child," she exclaimed lovingly, "is it really you, Andrew?".

"Yes, mum, it's me, it's me, Holly," I replied.

"Your daughter," I continued hesitantly.

"You look so beautiful; I didn't recognize you," she said.

"I could never, even in my wildest dreams, have wished this for you. This is what I've wanted for you for so long and never knew how to make it happen. Now it's happened," she responded in admiration and support of me.

"I love you, mum," I said, tears again, undoubtedly messing my makeup.

"I love you too, Holly," mum replied without delay.

We hugged again before signaling for Pippa to join us. I can't recall the events of the next few minutes; needless to say, there was a great deal of love shared between the three of us.

When our triple hug embrace eventually broke, mum had the chance to now notice my long painted nails for the first time.

"Oh, what beautiful nails!" she exclaimed, now with a growing interest in the finer details of my makeover after getting over the initial shock.

"And, Pippa also did my toenails, too," I instructed, pointing to my red painted nails poking through the ends of my black heels.

"I've also had my legs and armpits waxed as nobody likes hairy women, do they?" I asked rhetorically.

"Don't forget these," Pippa announced, holding back my wig on both sides to reveal my double pierced ears.

"Oh my dear child, you've had your ears pierced, not once, but twice on each side," she exclaimed, "I definitely didn't know that Pippa had pierced your ears on a possibility on her list of treatments."

"Are you ok? The piercings didn't hurt too much, did they?" she queried apologetically.

"No, mum, I loved every part of the makeover. It just got better and better the longer I was here," I responded.

"I was a little apprehensive about getting my ears pierced but only for a few seconds. Once Pippa showed me her pierced ears, there was no way I wasn't getting mine pierced too," I continued, "it didn't hurt at all, and now that they're done, they are the definite highlight of my makeover."

"Sorry, Elle, if I've done too much for Holly all at once. The further into the makeover we went, the more Holly wanted to explore her new self," Pippa replied, confessing to any perceived sin.

"Is there anything else you've had done that I haven't seen?" she questioned.

"Only some nice silky frilly underwear that I purchased for Holly to wear underneath her dress," Pippa responded to my mother's question.

"I did notice when we were hugging before that Holly didn't have a flat chest," mum replied, laughing.

"And now Holly is taller than her mother. Well, at least in those heels!", Pippa mentioned continuing the happy mood.

We'd been standing for quite some time discussing and explaining Pippa's and my afternoon to mum, and my calves began to ache. Mercifully Pippa suggested we take a seat in the lounge chairs at the front of the salon. She brought everyone something to drink.

We chatted for some more before I could no longer contain the question that had been foremost in my mind for the latter part of the afternoon.

"How did you know?" I asked my mum.

"I think I have known for a very long time, my dear," mum responded.

"You were always so interested in feminine things, always preferred the company of females over males, and had no interest in any traditionally male pursuits, especially sports. You have such a caring, gentle and empathetic personality too. No one sign, just lots of little things like when you came in here you always wanted to be 'one of the girls'," she continued.

"Your mum has confided in me for years," Pippa interjected.

"Initially, we thought that your preferences meant that you were gay," mum commented.

"We then started considering that you were more likely to be transgender and thought along that line of thinking. We both read as much as we could find in books and on the Internet, but we still weren't sure. I've been agonizing over finding the best way to help you find Holly for quite a while with Pippa's assistance," further explained my mother.

"So why the fake makeover competition?" I asked.

"Well, the competition was genuine, at least at the start," Pippa explained.

Mum then continued, "One day while I was in here getting a facial, it dawned on us both almost instantaneously. We thought that if we could convince you to try some more obvious feminine things, like parts of the planned makeover, you might become more accepting of the female persona that we both suspected you had inside."

"Sort of taking you to the edge and see if you'd jump, I guess," Pippa followed, both ladies naturally continuing each other's explanations.

"Up until our brainwave, the Princess Makeover was actually for real and something I started to hopefully gain more customers," Pippa started innocently.

"After our idea, though, there was only ever going to be one winner, and that winner was not going to be someone's daughter!" they both said, saying a few words each before the other took over in excitement.

"Do you have any more questions for us, darling?" my mother asked.

With a new level of maturity given what had transpired today, I raised the other question that had been circling in my head.

"So you and Pippa, "I said calmly, "are you a couple?".

At this, both ladies looked at each other, and mum responded with, "can we say that we are more than just friends. At this stage, neither of us has acted on our deeper feelings, but I know I would definitely like to move our relationship further if Pippa is interested."

"That's so beautiful; I'd love that too," Pippa exclaimed, hugging my mother sincerely, "I'd love to give the three of us a try and see what happens. I think we make quite a team".

Quite a team indeed, I thought. Unique perhaps, but each loving, supporting, and respecting the others and what harm can come from that. It had been a life-changing day for not just me, as it turned out.

"Who's hungry?" enquired Pippa, "I'm starving after our big afternoon."

"Me too," replied my mum, "I've been here, there, and everywhere this afternoon and haven't had a chance to eat either."

I was actually ravenous, too, not having felt like eating much lunch given my dilemmas regarding choosing whether to have the makeover or not.

"Can someone just go and get a pizza, and we have it here?" I responded, for the first time, contemplating needing to leave the safety of the salon.

"There's no way that is happening," Pippa replied with some sternness.

"You're going to have to eventually step outside of those doors, and what better time than now," she said, "you look immaculate to the point that your own mother didn't even recognize you, so what hope does anyone else have?".

"Pippa's right, darling," mum commented, "we'll be right with you every step of the way."

Mum's last statement was indeed very true. Given my novice skills walking in high heels, they walked to either side as we headed to dinner. Nothing but dining at Seaton's finest restaurant was in order to celebrate the very special afternoon we'd all just experienced. The main issue was that the restaurant was about 200m from All About You. From behind, an observer would have thought that the ladies were escorting a drunken teenager given my occasional staggers. I swear I somehow found every little crack and depression in the footpath on the way. Much more of a challenge than walking on the flat floor in the salon.

About two-thirds of the journey, we paused briefly to look in the window of Seaton Real Estate. I was pleased for the rest as my feet and calves were already suffering from my high heels. As beautiful as my calves and painted toes looked due to the heels, it was another form of torture that I would need to overcome. In comparison, the temporary discomfort of getting waxed and even having my ears pierced four times paled into insignificance. I knew every time I wore heels that I would reach a point where the pain well and truly would overcome the pleasure they provided visually.

While preoccupied with my aching feet and legs, Mum and Pippa had found what they were looking for and drew my attention to two separate advertisements. The first was a picture and description of our land with a massive LEASED sticker across it.

"I'm leasing our place to Burt Anderson," mum exclaimed with enthusiasm, "we're moving to Seaport."

It was the biggest shock I was to receive that day. It even superseded the discovery that mum and Pippa were more than friends or when Pippa asked me if I wanted to have my ears pierced! The seaport was our state's capital with well over a million residents and over 200kms away from everything that I'd ever known.

"What do you mean?" I replied, trying to make sense of my mother's comments.

"I just can't afford to keep the place running anymore now that I'm unemployed," she responded, far more subdued than her previous announcement, "the lease payments from Burt will be far more than we would receive even if I was working full time and the land remains ours should we ever wish to live back here again."

While her decision to lease our place made perfect financial sense, I did feel disappointed that she hadn't shared her plans with me. I did, though, like the fact that Mr. Anderson was the person who would now operate and care for our land. Even though I never got to see it as my father died while I was quite young, dad and Mr. Anderson were the best of friends by all accounts, having grown up together. Mr. Anderson had always been available to lend a hand when required to repair something and used to take our sale cattle to market when necessary, never asking a cent for his time.

"But why Seaport?" I enquired, wondering why we would be relocating over two hours drive away.

"Seaport is a fresh start for all of us," she explained.

"Especially for Holly," Pippa injected, "you're going to need plenty of support as you make the transition from being Andrew. It not going to easy. While your makeover has shown us all that being Holly is something you'd love to embrace, there are going to be times that aren't as wonderful as today, and but we will be there for you."

"In Seaport, we can more easily access the right specialists to make your new life everything that you want it to be," mum continued after Pippa's reinforcement of both ladies care for me.

Their comments made perfect sense. The thought of having anyone in Seaton realize that Andrew was now Holly would have definitely made the front page of the newspaper, probably for a whole month! The timing of our move would also be at a perfect time with our summer school holidays having just started. Word will be that Andrew has left town and not that 'oh, there's Andrew, the sick-minded boy who now thinks that he's a girl. The latter prediction, combined with mum and Pippa choosing other than a heterosexual relationship, would have caused nothing short of an old-fashioned witch hunt.

"I'm selling All About You as well," added Pippa, pointing to its For Sale notice in an adjoining window, "as soon as the salon is sold, I'll be joining you both in Seaport."

"You're mum, and I have been discussing opening our own beauty salon when we're all together," Pippa announced.

"I'll do the receptionist work initially, but Pippa has plans to train me as a beautician over time so I too can do what she does so amazingly well," mum added, glancing directly at me.

"Anyway, I'm starving," said Pippa, "let's go to the restaurant, and we can continue talking there."

We were soon seated in the restaurant. Being quite expensive, it was a place that my mother and I rarely visited. Despite the fact that the owner of the restaurant, Sarah, had known me since I was a baby, I was not recognized. She actually asked, "where is Andrew?" but Pippa said he was at a friend's house, and this was Holly, her niece.

"My goodness, you have a gorgeous niece Pippa," further commented the restaurant owner, "you certainly have stunning genes in your family."

I'd never been called gorgeous before, well at least Andrew hadn't. Also in the restaurant were many other people whom we knew, including quite a few people I went to school with and my teacher from the previous year. It was quite nerve-wracking initially, but as the dinner wore on, I felt much less worried about being discovered.

One boy, Michael, who was a year ahead of me, kept turning and looking at me, which was quite disconcerting. Even his mother noticed that his eyes continued to glance my way and several times asked him to stop staring at the pretty girl.

"Looks like you've got your first admirer," laughed Pippa jovially.

"Yes, I noticed that too," continued my mother, "can't really blame him though, Andr; sorry, Holly looks more beautiful than any girl I've ever seen in Seaton."

"Welcome to life as a female Holly," Pippa commented, "men are far more interested in what a girl looks like rather than actually wanting to know them as a person."

After some further discussion regarding gender stereotypes, I excused myself and walked confidently towards the bathrooms, receiving numerous glances as I went. It felt quite nice to have gained people's attention. No one had ever paid any interest to me as Andrew when I walked through a room, but simultaneously it only reinforced the point that Pippa had just raised. Habitually, I almost walked into the male toilet, only reminded at the last second by an older lady complimenting me on my pretty dress. After entering the toilet more appropriate for my current appearance, I noticed minimal differences other than the room smelt nicer, and there were obviously no urinals.

"Now," announced my mother when I'd returned from the restroom, "Holly and I have a gift for you, Pippa, as a small token for everything you've done for me over the years and especially what you've done; for Holly today."

Pippa said that she didn't want anything but accepted the wrapped gift appreciatively. It was a large bottle of perfume that, given its fancy appearance, must have been quite expensive.

"It's my favorite perfume," Pippa said, stretching to hug my mother, "how did you know I liked this one?".

"I've been visiting you for over a decade Pippa, you get to notice a few things in that time," mum replied with a cheeky grin.

"Well, seeing people are giving presents," Pippa responded, "I was going to give you this later, but now's is the perfect time."

Pippa pulled two small boxes from her handbag. The slightly smaller of the two she passed to my mother, and I received the other.

"You open yours first, darling," instructed my mother to me.

Upon opening Pippa's gift, I found a beautiful sparkling silver bracelet, much larger and heavier than the one that was currently on my left wrist.

"Oh, you shouldn't be giving me anything," I replied, returning Pippa's earlier embrace.

"You didn't need to do that Pip, you've already done too much for us," mum added.

"Yes, I do," responded Pippa, "you are both so special to me."

"There's an inscription inside," Pippa further mentioned.

Removing the bracelet from its packaging, I read aloud what was engraved - "To the bravest person alive, love Mum & Pippa."

At that, we all burst into tears. Showing my growing naturalness with myself, I was actually thought for a millisecond that my tears would be ruining my makeup! It was amazing how quickly I'd become comfortable and aware of my new self.

"What's your present, mum?" I queried while placing my new bracelet on my bare right wrist.

Mum delicately unwrapped her gift. Under the glossy paper was a small box made of black cardboard. Cautiously my mother opened it to reveal a pair of the most stunning diamond stud earrings, much larger than the ones in Pippa's second holes that she's shown me earlier.

"But my ears aren't pierced," mum commented, a little perplexed.

"They will be shortly," Pippa instructed quite firmly, "as soon as we're back in the salon, you're getting your ears pierced, no arguments. You won't be able to wear those immediately, but I have some piercing studs which are cubic zirconias; they'll do the job until your ears have healed."

"But . ." mum tried to intervene.

"If Holly can go through everything she's had done today, including having her ears double pierced, then you can handle getting your ears pierced," Pippa continued looking directly at mum, giving her no real avenue to argue.

"Guess it's been decided then," mum responded, "if my daughter can do it, then so can I."

Our dinner over, we walked back to All About You, again pausing to look in the real estate's window. While the thought of not living in the only house I'd ever known made me a little uneasy, the possibilities of my new life with mum and Pippa filled me with great optimism.

"Ok, Elle, you've put this off for far too long," Pippa announced happily once we were back in the salon.

"Holly, please show your mother where she needs to sit," she continued, "I'll just turn on some lights and give my hands a quick wash."

As requested, I escorted mum to the large upholstered chair in the makeup area at the back of the salon. Like when I was pierced just a few hours ago, I ensured that the chair faced away from the mirror so mum, too, could experience the thrill of seeing both her ears pierced at once. She took a seat and immediately grasped at the armrests tightly. It's not just young girls it appears who leave their imprints in those armrests, I thought to myself!

Pippa soon appeared, saying to mum, "in less than two minutes Elle, you'll have pierced ears and be wondering what you ever worried about."

While Pippa was organizing things, I moved directly in front of mum and took both her hands in mine. She looked down, and rotating her arms, twisted my hands to the top so she could admire my long red painted nails. Despite her obvious nervousness at the fact that she would soon be having her ears pierced, something she'd feared for most of her life, she gave me a little smile while biting the corner of her lip.

"Now, you just forget what I'm doing and just look straight at your beautiful daughter," Pippa instructed as she cleaned my mother's earlobes with some sterile wipes.

Pippa then marked a single dot on each lobe and asked me to check her placement. There was no need to clip back mum's hair as she wore it quite short with her ears exposed. Both looked perfectly symmetrical to me, and after one last check by Pippa, my mother too was about to enter the female severe territory. The usual ear-piercing ritual roles were reversed, with the daughter on this occasion supporting her mother. For us, all though, the setting for how my mum was to have her ears pierced was infinitely more meaningful. From this moment on, whenever my mother played with or sees her pierced ears in a mirror, she will know that they symbolized the day when her daughter became real. Also that she was pierced by someone who would hopefully still be a significant part in her life.

Mum and I stared directly into each other's eyes as Pippa moved the loaded piercing gun to my mother's right ear.

"Just hold very still Elle, you're about to have gorgeous earrings like your daughter," Pippa instructed.

"Can't wait," mum said stoically.

At that, I heard the telltale click of the piercing gun and saw my mum's eyes flinch slightly. She hadn't moved a millimeter, and we never lost eye contact with each other.

"Is that it?" mum announced nonchalantly, "that didn't even hurt! I've been terrified about nothing all these years."

"I've been telling you for as long as I've known you that it doesn't hurt," Pippa responded, "why didn't you listen to me?".

"I should have listened to you, Pippa," mum replied, "I promise to listen to you much more from now on."

"Speaking of listening," I interrupted.

"She would listen so much better with an earring in her other ear, too!" wanting to get both of my mother's ears pierced before she changed her mind, not that this now seemed likely.

"Very funny, Holly," Pippa replied as she moved to reload the piercing gun.

As before, the piercing stud was aligned on the remaining dot on mum's earlobe. A barely inaudible click, probably sounding much louder to my mother as her ear canal was just a few centimeters from the sound source, and mum now had a pair of cubic zirconia studs, slightly smaller than those in my first holes, sparkling in each earlobe. Given that I'd never seen her wearing earrings before, they almost looked as foreign to me as when I saw my own pierced ears for the first time earlier.

I quickly moved out the way, and Pippa spun the chair around. Many things had been revealed in a similar fashion to me already this day and mum's reaction to seeing herself with pierced ears for the first time was also substantial. She instantly reached to touch her earrings as if the mirror was telling lies.

"They're real," announced Pippa, "now don't touch them too much."

"They look really pretty on you, mum," I commented.

"Speaking of pretty," my mother replied, "while I was getting my ears pierced, I focussed solely on your eyes Holly, they're stunning."

"One day could you do that for me, please Pippa," she enquired of Pippa.

"Oh, most definitely," Pippa replied enthusiastically, "if got lots of plans for you! No more plain Elouise, I'm looking forward to making you over to Elle."

Mum and I then found ourselves side by side, looking in the mirrors, admiring our pierced ears. We compared stories about how we were both quite scared but realized that the pain was minimal and the results sensational. During this time, Pippa was tidying away a few things from the bench when mum suggested something.

She picked up the piercing gun and said to Pippa, "don't suppose you fancy joining the fun and getting your ears pierced again to commemorate our amazing day?".

"Please do it, Pippa; it would be so special for us all to get our ears pierced together," I said, encouraging Pippa to accept mum's idea.

"But who will do it?" Pippa queried back.

"We will!" mum and I replied simultaneously.

"You'll just need to show us what to do," mum continued, "if you're going to teach me how to become a beautician, then I have to start somewhere, and what better time than now."

"Ok," Pippa responded, thrilled to be joining our somewhat unusual bonding experience.

"I think you should get a pair of cubic zirconia studs to Pippa," I suggested, "so that we all match."

"Great idea Holly," Pippa replied, "I can't wait to have it done, actually. I've regularly thought about getting my third holes done, but two in each ear has been plenty rebellious enough for this very conservative town."

Pippa then went to the appropriate draw and found the cubic zirconia piercing studs in their sterile packaging. She also produced a second piercing gun, identical to the one lying on the top of the bench that had just been used to pierce my mother's ears. She explained that when she purchased the ear-piercing equipment kit many years ago, it came with two guns, but as she was the only person who performed the piercings, she'd only ever needed to use one at a time.

"I often do use both piercing guns for young children. I'll have both loaded, so the time between actually piercings is only a few seconds. I do one ear, quickly swap guns, and pierce the other ear, takes all of five seconds, and they're all done before they usually realize what has happened. If the first piercing upsets them, then it's much worse if I'm taking time and reload the one gun. Any delay means they have a chance to feel their already pierced ear stinging and chicken out of having the second ear done," Pippa stated.

"So you want mum and me to pierce an ear each?" I queried.

"Yes, a dual piercing simultaneously," she replied excitedly.

In preparation for our performing our first piercings, mum and I went and washed our hands thoroughly, again reminding myself of my lovely long painted nails that were now appearing far more normal to me. Pippa then explained how the ear stud cartridges fitted into the piercing guns. We were also shown that the Inverness 2000 guns didn't have a trigger as such like many other piercing guns but rather a mechanism where the operator simply squeezed the handle to pierce an ear. Mum and I each had a piercing gun in our hands and loaded our individual cartridges into our respective guns. Piercing guns loaded, we both practiced aligning the sharp end of the studs on a piece of paper to improve our aim.

Once our training was complete, Pippa sat in the magical chair, showing no fear whatsoever. Unlike its two previous occupants, she didn't even hold the armrests! The chair was facing the mirror as there was no real need for any unveilings this time. I found a couple of hair clips and used them to hold back Pippa's thick flowing hair. Her ears already looked so incredible, with the large silver hoops in her first holes and sparkling diamonds in her seconds. They would look even more special soon.

"It's probably going to be easier if you remove these earrings first," Pippa said, commenting on the jewelry that I, and possibly mum, had been admiring.

Given my earlier practice run, I completed Pippa's suggestion without much fuss, although being mum's first time in removing earrings, she took a little longer.

"Don't worry, Elle," Pippa said regarding mum taking a little while to remove the earrings from her side, "you're going to have the rest of your life to work it out."

"Holly, do you think that you could mark the dots?" Pippa continued.

"I'll have a go, and everyone can check their placement before we do the piercings," I replied, grabbing the marker pen.

On Pippa's suggestion, I used the width of the marker pen as a rough guide to endeavor to make the gap between her second holes and the placement of her new piercings consistent. Once I had marked both dots to my satisfaction, I had mum and Pippa also approve.

"You've done really well, Holly," Pippa said proudly, "now get your guns and stand one to either side of me."

Mum and I took our places, but rather than holding the chair armrests, Pippa reached out and held us close to her, hugging us around our waists. Pippa's ear piercing was truly becoming a bonding ceremony.

"I'm ready," said Pippa, reveling in her current situation, "line the end of the studs with the dots and let me know when you're ready. Just remember to make the piercing guns straight onto the earlobe, or the studs will be pierced crookedly."

"Ready," mum replied.

"I'm right too," I responded a couple of seconds afterward, slightly handicapped by my long nails.

"Ok, on the count of three, squeeze the guns," Pippa instructed.

"One . . two . . three", Pippa counted.

On three, mum and I successfully performed our first ear piercings; it felt so cool to do. Our little ritual was complete as all three of us had been pierced with cubic zirconias on the same day. The symbolic beginning of our new family unit.

After admiring her new additions, Pippa put her other earrings back into their original place. The sight of triple pierced ears looked so good that I was slightly tempted to ask Pippa, or mum for that matter, to add another pair of studs to my already double pierced ears. I chose not to say anything, though, as I figured that the day had already been eventful enough. Anyway, I had the rest of my life to get my third hole done if I decided I wanted more piercings in the future.

After everything had been packed away, we realized that it was pretty late.

"Would you like to stay at our place tonight, Pippa?" mum asked tentatively.

"Are you sure?" she replied, also with a slight tinge of nervousness in her voice.

"That's a great idea," I interrupted, breaking the awkwardness.

"Sure, I'd love that," Pippa responding accepting mum's offer.

"Excellent," mum responding, very excited at the prospect.

"I'll just grab a few things before I leave," Pippa said, "I'll need something to remove Holly's makeup and also some ear care solution to treat everyone's new piercings."

We all left the salon together, but Pippa said that she would make a short detour to her home to get herself some clothes and other things for the next day. We were fortunate that we lived out of town and were somewhat isolated. If mum and I had stayed at Pippa's house, which was in town, surrounded by neighbors, then word would have quickly spread that Pippa Campbell had us stay the night and everything that the three of us had planned to keep secret would quickly become public gossip.

As I traveled home with mum, a home that wouldn't be where we lived for much longer, I had time to reflect on my amazing afternoon. Being female felt right, completely the opposite to how I had often felt growing up trying to align myself with traditional masculine roles and activities. I knew that once my makeup, wig, and clothes were removed, I would probably not feel as feminine, but something far more significant had changed in me, and I was comfortable in my own skin for the first time.

Not long after mum and I had returned home, a knock on the door alerted us the Pippa had also arrived. She carried with her the small bag she'd taken from the salon and another larger bag that presumably contained the clothes she had retrieved from her own place. We chatted for a little while, and mum showed Pippa to the spare room where she would be sleeping that night. While I wouldn't have been too shocked had to mum, and Pippa decided to spend the night in the same bed, it was nice that they were taking their relationship slowly. In the end, there had probably been far too many firsts for this trio in that day anyway!

"Have you checked in your room yet, Holly?" mum asked.

"No," I replied, "what's in there?".

"Go and have a look," mum suggested, "and bring the things out here so we can all have a look."

I went to my room and brought back three large bags that had been placed neatly on my bed.

"After I got the text message from Pippa saying the makeover was going perfectly, I did some clothes shopping for a young woman," mum explained, "I hope they're the right style and size as I'm very new to having to shop for a girl."

"I'm sure they're fine, mum," I replied appreciatively, "don't worry, I've had very little experience being a girl."

We spread the contents of the bags around the room, and Pippa and mum then began a conversation discussing what items would match others. In total, there were probably four or five different outfits plus some feminine underwear, although the underwear was nowhere near as sexy looking as the pair given to me by Pippa and that I was currently still wearing.

"Don't think these are very sexy!" Pippa exclaimed, holding up a matching pair of plain, tan-colored underwear.

"Sorry," mum replied, giggling, "they look like ones I'd buy for myself."

"Don't worry Holly, and Elle, from now on, I promise to make you both look and feel gorgeous on the inside and out. That including making sure that you're always wearing feminine, sexy underwear. Nice lingerie always makes me feel so much better, not these that would be better suited on a nun!" Pippa announced, laughing as she flicked the nun-like underwear to the floor.

It was now past 11 o'clock, and I was feeling very weary, having used up copious amounts of nervous and excited energy during the previous eight hours.

"Come over here, Holly," Pippa requested, indicating that she wanted me to sit in the kitchen area, "time to remove that makeup so you can go to bed."

"Could we all have some photos first, please?" asked mum, "I know that we've all got our various ear piercings to commemorate this amazing day, but some photos would also be great to have as a keepsake."

Following mum's request, we took well over one hundred different photos. Some selfies of the three of us, some with just various pairs, quite a few of our newly pierced ears but most of me. While the last few individual ones of me were being taken, I wondered if I'd ever look this beautiful again and felt a little sad. Perhaps this was as good as it ever was going to be for me as a female, and everything after this point would be a daily struggle, and my happiness would turn to constant fear and depression.

Sensing I was becoming less happy, mum asked, "are you ok, Holly? You look like you're upset all of a sudden."

"Oh, I'm just thinking that I'm never going to look this pretty again, that's all," I replied.

At that, all three of us hugged.

"Pippa and I will be here for you every step of the way and support every decision you make. If you decide that you no longer want to try to live as Holly, then we will welcome back Andrew with open arms. Every choice you make, we will support one hundred percent," mum said lovingly.

"You have our full support, and we will do everything possible to give you the best life, the life that you feel most comfortable living," Pippa added.

"You two are amazing. I'm so lucky to have you both in my life," I blubber out, tears pouring down my face.

"And another thing, if you're worried about not looking this pretty again," Pippa exclaimed, "you haven't seen anything yet."

"I can't wait until your own hair grows out and you get nicely styled clothes, gorgeous jewelry, and how to walk in high heels. You'll have me do your makeup whenever you like, and you'll quickly learn to apply it for yourself too. We can arch your eyebrows quite a bit more to make them look even more feminine. My dear, you are only going to get better, more beautiful, I'm certain of that," announced Pippa adding to her earlier comment.

My fears of losing Holly averted; Pippa took little time to remove all of my makeup and wig. I immediately felt naked without them having long hair. I then undressed in the privacy of my room, leaving on the nice underwear Pippa had given me and a nightshirt that mum had purchased in Jackson. I returned to the lounge area where mum and Pippa were chatting. I must have been quite strange for them now seeing a person much more resembling Andrew than Holly. They didn't give any impression of any change and treated me as if I were still Holly despite my mostly boy-like characteristics.

"Thank you both for the most incredible gift that I have ever received. I have never been so happy," I announced.

"It's our pleasure, darling," Pippa said.

"We want you to be happy, end of the story. I think that life as Holly will make you happier than you've ever been before," mum added.

Both mum and Pippa gave me a kiss on the cheek before I went to brush my teeth before going to sleep. The mirror in the bathroom was the first time I'd seen myself as Andrew since just before Pippa did my makeup. There was something different, though, now, and it had nothing to do with seeing my pierced ears or feeling my long nails. Despite the fact that there wasn't any trace of makeup left around my eyes when I looked into them, they were different. It is difficult to explain, but I felt like my brain was now entirely switched to female mode, and I only saw, acted, and thought as Holly.

After cleaning my teeth and putting away my toothbrush, I took one last glance at my reflection. I looked identical to how I had looked that morning before mum winning the Princess Makeover; other than now, I had slightly arched, thinner eyebrows, and of course, sparkling cubic zirconia and blue flower studs pierced through my earlobes. Those earrings made a massive difference to my mindset, and I was thrilled that I'd accepted Pippa's offer to get my ears pierced. It symbolized me choosing to step fully from being a boy to a young woman. In my mind, pierced ears were the ultimate sign of femininity and a clear distinction between genders. I promised myself that from that day onwards, I would always wear earrings in those holes. Not just to remind me of today, but to ensure that I did what felt right for me and not fear what others thought or said.

Unsurprisingly, given the happenings of the day, I fell asleep with a few minutes. Most of this time playing with my earrings and nails. Strangely enough, I didn't have a single dream in the night. Perhaps all of my dream-making qualities had been used during my transformation.

In the morning, I was woken by a noise in the kitchen, and even before I opened my eyes, I instinctively felt for my pierced ears. Had everything just been a dream? To my great pleasure, I felt the two studs still firmly in each earlobe and, opening my eyes, saw that my gorgeous, red-painted, long nails were still in place.

"Morning, darling," mum greeted me as I joined her and Pippa in the kitchen, where they were both drinking coffee.

"Hope you slept well, Holly," added Pippa, looking as gorgeous as ever.

"I slept really well, thanks," I replied excitedly, "when I woke up, I had to check if my ears were still pierced just to make sure my makeover hadn't been a dream!".

"How did you two sleep?" I enquired back.

"I slept really well too," said Pippa, "think your makeover took it out of me as well."

"I couldn't get to sleep for ages actually," mum replied, "I was too excited about everything that had happened to you, about moving, about knowing that Pippa and I were hopefully going to be spending much more time together and childish as it sounds, I was still on a high after having my ears pierced. I couldn't stop playing with my earrings!".

"Now, especially you, Elle," Pippa said slightly more seriously, "you mustn't touch your new piercings all the time. That's how they'll become infected. After breakfast, we're all going to clean our ears."

As announced by Pippa, we all cleaned our newly pierced earlobes with the ear care solution that Pippa had brought with her from the salon. It would become our morning and evening ritual for the next several weeks, particularly when Pippa was visiting on one of her increasingly regular sleepovers.

"I've also got another little gift for each of you," Pippa said, presenting mum and me with a beginner makeup kit each that she sells in the salon, "let's go into the bathroom so I can teach you both how to apply basic makeup."

After Pippa helped me with my wig, for the next hour or so, Pippa gave mum, and I had our first makeup lessons. There were lots of laughs and minor mistakes, but these were quickly remedied by removing the incorrectly placed makeup and trying again. Despite the fact that mum rarely wore makeup, she was far and away better at applying her own makeup, especially around her eyes. While not as sophisticated as the look Pippa had given me the previous afternoon, I was pleased with my efforts and the feminine face that looked back at me in the mirror. I instantly fell in love with using eyeliner to dramatically change how my eyes looked; a slightly thicker line in the right places and a much more feminine look was achieved.

"I thought that I might trim your nails a little as to Holly," Pippa suggested, "they're probably too long to be practical, and you're going to be very busy packing, and you're not going to want them getting caught; on everything."

"I guess so," I replied somewhat reluctantly.

My nails had played a significant part in the unearthing of Holly. They were the first treatment Pippa performed on me in the makeover and somehow sparked my curiosity to continue having more and more things done.

"Don't you worry," mum added, sounding quite excited, "I'm sure when we're all in Seaport that we can all have nails as long as we like?"

While my transformation was undoubtedly central to us moving, I realized it was also going to be a new beginning for both mum and Pippa. In a conversation we had during our makeup lesson, mum mentioned that the lease payments from Burt would be well and truly enough for us to rent a nice apartment. She would not need to worry about money for the first time, probably since my father had died. When Pippa sold the salon, she would even have some money to invest in setting up their new beauty salon as well. For everything she had done for me, raising me basically self-handed, our move was going to have many benefits for mum, not least having a partner to share her life with.

Within a month, we lived in a sixth-floor apartment overlooking a marina, with Pippa visiting most weekends as she longer opened the salon on weekends. A massive change of scenery from the rolling hills and farming lifestyle that I had only ever known. I wore a wig at all times during the day, mostly tying it back in a ponytail which I loved feeling rubbing against my back. We were all amazed at how quickly I outwardly became Holly. I was soon wearing dresses, skirts, blouses, women's shoes, including some with a reasonable size heel. I could do my own makeup almost effortlessly, and it was just part of my routine each morning before exploring another day in my new surroundings. The more time I spend in the feminine world, to more I feel at home in my own body.

So that's how I became Holly!

Every life is unique; mine is no different. I believe we all have a predetermined pathway through life. My journey might not be what some consider mainstream, but to those who wish to criticize or condemn, it's their issue, not mine. It is easy to pass uninformed judgment; it is another thing completely to spend time with someone and to fully understand the history and reasons behind their choices. All of us only get one chance at life, and I'm making every day mean something to me and those I love and care for around me. It's the same thing that most people hope for and sadly not enough receive.

Four years on:

I thought I'd just spend some time to let you know how I'm going now.

I've just turned 17 and have been living fully transgender since the events outlined above. In my first year in the seaport, I didn't attend traditional schooling but rather studied as an external student online. This opportunity allowed me to slowly evolve fully into Holly in a safe, non-judging environment. My hair grew out, being halfway down my back at one stage; I developed my own taste in clothes, jewelry and even managed to master the highest of high heels! I still have my ears double pierced as I promised myself those few years back but have added a belly button and nose piercing, which I love, especially my navel piercing, which makes me feel very sexy.

For the last three years, I was a student at a massive high school of some 2,200 students, almost the size of Seaton. The size of the high school, and seaport for that matter, gave me the anonymity that I really needed at times. Very few people, other than a few new friends, are aware that I am anything other than female by birth. In a funny twist, Holly is now friends with several of my old friends in Seaton, though her true identity has remained a secret.

I have ongoing contact with several medical specialists who have helped me with both physical and psychological changes. I have a voice coach to help me sound more feminine, received hormone replacement therapy, including testosterone blockers. I meet regularly with the most understanding, incredible psychologist who helps me make sense of the difficulties that emerge from time to time. I have had one surgery to receive breast implants to complement the slight bulges I developed due to my hormone replacement therapy. While not substantial, I love having breasts as they give me a feminine shape and feel part of me rather than an attachment. At this stage, I have no plans to remove anything.

My two rocks, mum and Pippa, continue to be deeply in love and ever-present to offer support to me when necessary. They started their first beauty salon, "Changes," on the ground floor of our apartment building soon after Pippa arrived. They have now also opened three additional salons in and around the seaport. While mum initially commenced learning to become a beautician, her managerial flair has seen her devoting most of her working hours to co-ordinating the four salons. Pippa, as always, in the face of the salons and has trained the majority of the thirty-plus staff.

In addition to individual services, Changes have become synonymous for our Magic Makeover packages. We offer transformation for both women and men, but as yet, nobody has requested anything like what Pippa did for me! Clients come in and are given a total image change, with many leaving the salon almost unrecognizable from how they looked when they arrived.

I work part-time in the original Changes salon, specializing in makeup, piercings, and nails. Next year I have been accepted to study ceramics and sculpture at a nearby college, receiving a full scholarship due to my academic results.

Mum continues to amaze me with how she juggles every event around her while always giving me her undivided attention when required. She has in many ways transformed her own life into one of being surrounded by people who love her and is loving her new lifestyle.

Pippa, too has been amazing and not just in keeping me looking so feminine. While we have no biological connection, she has been far more of an influence in the birth of Holly than any father supplying sperm could ever be.

Despite obstacles, setbacks, and antiquated legal requirements along the journey, every single day, I am so grateful for the unconditional love and support that mum and Pippa have given me as I took the road less traveled. Oh, and that mum won the Princess Makeover competition!