Note: You can change font size, font face, and turn on dark mode by clicking the "A" icon tab in the Story Info Box.
You can temporarily switch back to a Classic Literotica® experience during our ongoing public Beta testing. Please consider leaving feedback on issues you experience or suggest improvements.
Click hereAnnette purses her lips and blushes. "Family heirloom." Marian's eyes widen excitedly. "Her family."
"Romantic," she swoons. "Now, why have you come to see me? Not that you need a reason, I suppose. But you tend to have one anyway."
"I have a question for you," Annette begins. "The day the police stormed Wemberly's mansion... did anything seem wrong to you?"
Marian shrugs and lays back onto the bed. "There was little right."
"But, how did they know?"
"They're police."
Annette shakes her head, feeling her mind racing slightly. "But they've hardly ever caught us before. And yet they knew the exact time and location of our biggest operation?"
Marian's brow lowers. "You think someone tipped them off?"
"I... I just have this sense there is something more at work."
"It could be a coincidence."
Annette frowns. "It isn't. I just know it isn't."
"Okay..." Marian sits up, brandishing a look of disconcern on her face. "And what do you intend to do? Storm up to Captain Beckett and demand to know why your crime failed?"
"I'm not sure what I intend to do," Annette sighs. "It's why I came to see you."
"Annette, I never know what you should do," Marian complains, though her voice is gentle and friendly. "You always already know what you're planning. You just ask me as though I can give permission."
"But I don't have a plan."
"And I give you permission to explore it regardless," Marian smiles. "I'm sorry I can't do more, but I have another client coming at any second."
"Right," Annette nods, snapping back to focus. "Of course."
Marian hugs her once again, placing a friendly kiss on her cheek. "It's good to see you."
"It's good to see you as well." Annette squeezes her a final time, then quietly slips out of the room and into the hallway once more.
Annette is lost in thought as she exits the Gallery, and she wanders aimlessly around the surrounding blocks, trying to plot out what a path forward might look like. She would obviously tell Cordelia as soon as she returned home from work, but that likely wouldn't be until later this evening. The feeling of mystery, of something troubling at hand, consumes Annette, and she knows instantly there's not a chance she could simply wait until Cordelia could be back. She wants something to show for her suspicions.
The obvious possibility was that someone in the Mallets could have outed their plan to the police, even in exchange for some sort of reward. But, there weren't many people involved with this plan, and of the ones who were, it was difficult to find any reasons they might be culpable. She trusted Marian without a doubt, so it couldn't be her. Patrick might have betrayed her to the Mallets, but that was primarily a result of his massive loyalty to the cause. Failinis was out of the question; it had set the Mallets back significantly to lose the capture of Wemberly. That only really left Jarl, and as much as Annette struggled to find common ground with him, she knew that his hyper-suspicions and paranoia were devoted to keeping them safe.
A noise alerts her just as she turns a corner, and she quickly ducks responsively as a fist crashes above her. Her body comes alive and she feels herself dart towards the meager boxing training Cordelia had been teaching her. She attempts to turn around and face her attacker, prepared to fight them off somehow, only to be interrupted by another punch at her gut. She moves just enough that it crashes into her side instead, but it knocks her off balance and sends her toppling into the wall.
She tries to scramble back to her feet, only to feel her attacker's hands trying to grab her and throw her back. Annette raises her arms defensively, swatting their hands away. She kicks her legs out, successfully catching one of his legs, but it only buys her a moment of reprieve. As he stumbles back, Annette's stomach churns to recognize his face.
She's about to scream for help when Jarl throws a hand over her mouth, using one of his feet to hook around her leg and pull her further to the ground. He flips her around, locking his hands around her neck and slowly tightening his grip. She fights and squirms as best as she can, but Jarl is bigger and stronger, and with the surprise on his side it's nearly impossible to fight back. She chokes into his arm, gasping for air as her vision slowly fades out and her consciousness waivers into the dark.
- COMMENTS
MsAppropriatelyover 1 year agoAuthorAs always, thank you for the kind words! I'm loving writing this as much as you're loving reading it, and it's so moving to have so much support for my work.
As for twice-born anatomy and transition: it varies from place to place. In this alternate timeline, due to the church's acceptance of a process of transition, the church pours tons of time and energy into creating strict gender binaries in order to ascertain what exactly are the differences between men and women. In this process, they discover hormones earlier than in our world (in our world the earliest modern versions of hormones were developed around the turn of the 20th century; in Baker and Jones, it occurs around the turn of the 19th) and twice-born children undergo hormone therapy from a young age. This is how Annette transitioned from childhood under the care of Sister Pullwater.
As for plumbing: it varies from place to place. Some places practice castration on twice-born women, and some don't. Similar procedures sometimes also occur for twice-born men. Sometimes, for twice-born women, this involves full removal of everything in the area, but this is incredibly rare and often viewed as extreme. In most places that practice this, it simply involves a removal of testes (similar to a surgical procedure some trans women in our world undergo, known as an orchiectomy.) This is what Annette went through.
So, to be more specific: Annette retains her shaft, but not her testicles. Trans women often have different ways of referring to the organ, as most tend to dislike the term "penis" due to gendered connotations. I refer to it as "clit," particularly because everyone possesses the same general makeup of their reproductive organs, they just appear differently due to anatomical sex differences. When trans men undergo testosterone hormone therapy, their clitoris grows and forms an organ we would typically describe as a penis; and this is an excellent way to understand that they are fundamentally the same organ, just in different forms. Hope that clears it up! :)
AliceGeeover 1 year agoEach new chapter never fails to intrigue. The writing is immaculate and the storyline fascinating. I just wish that I knew more details of the procedure to be twice born. Is there surgery involved, devine intervention or does the participant retain their man bits while assuming the identity of a woman? What I really want to know is what is the state of Annette's plumbing? I live in hope that all will be eventually revealed.
spectral72over 1 year agoI've never commented on a story/series before although I've been an avid reader of lit for years. I just want to say that this is one of the best stories I've ever read. The dialogue is so so good. Amazing even.
Can't wait to continue this and any other story that you produce.
