May Queen Book 1 by Maddy Bell Copyright© 2024 Madeline Bell One day your life is just, well life, the next has Daisy in it!

 
It may have been the spritzer, well the second one at any rate, but by the time we returned to the late afternoon (is five o’clock afternoon or evening?) sunshine, my heart had stopped yammering and I was feeling more comfortable. It was more than a bit weird walking in my new footwear although Gran assures me it was a lot easier with the chunky heels than if we’d gone for a more ‘elegant’ style. There were fewer people around now that the shops were shut, fewer people to see me clomping like a newborn foal back to the Range Rover.

Of course, getting into the behemoth was another thing, the skirt and trainers had been pretty simple but the dress and ‘heels’ were another matter. I needed some help from Gran adjusting the fitted skirt bit enough for me to hoist myself up, the shoes actually helping a bit with the extra few centimetres boosting me up a little. Maybe I should’ve gone for the looser fit of the yellow polka dots.

"You okay Dais?” Gran enquired as we crossed the ring road and joined the A57.
"I guess so, on a scale of one to ten, maybe seven, eight?”
"Well that’s better than earlier,” she opined.
"Yeah,” I allowed, "Things have just moved so quickly, I’ve gone from Johnny to Daisy in what? Just over a day. I look different, I’m certainly dressed a lot different.”
"You’re doing very well, if things had been different…”
"If things had been different,” I interrupted, "Amanda would still be here and none of this would’ve been necessary.”
"But she isn’t Dais, we can’t change that however much we’d want it.”
"I know Gran but I really liked her, you know? I thought that maybe…”
Gran reached over with her left hand and gave my leg a squeeze, "I know Dais, think of it this way, by doing all this you’re kind of honouring her memory.”
"I s’pose.”

She squeezed my leg again before returning her attention more fully to controlling the car.
 

"Well don’t we look nice,” Mum, Aunt Claire opined when I followed Gran into the Lion thirty minutes later.
"Thought she should have something a bit smarter in her wardrobe, that sister of yours has a lot to answer for Dave.”
"Never said a word,” Dad, Uncle Dave supplied.
"Hope you didn’t spend too much Mum,” Aunt Claire queried.
"I can afford it,” Gran waved the question off.
Mum turned to me, still clutching my bags, "I hope you’ve said thank you.”
"Thanks Gran, its been a nice day, I’ve really enjoyed it.”
"You’re welcome luv, now I need to get home to your Dad Claire, see what mischief he’s got up to this afternoon.”

Mum gave a chuckle, Gramps is famous for his DIY skills, not always in a positive way.

"We’ll see you tomorrow mum.”

There was an exchange of cheek kissing and Gran was gone.

"I suggest you young lady go change, we don’t want to get beer on that new frock eh?”
"Yes Aunty.”
"But keep the shoes, you need the practice.”
"Yes Aunty,” I repeated with a sigh.

In retrospect, some of this was probably for the benefit of the customers in the bar but even so, for an aunt, Mum was acting very parental.
 

"Dais,” my brother hissed as I returned from the kitchen an hour or so later, "How you doin’?”
"It’d be better without these,” I waggled a handful of bright red talons at him.
"Guess they’re not exactly work friendly,” he grinned back.
"I’ll live,” I allowed.
"Dais love,” Mum’s voice boomed from the lounge bar, "Can you come round pet.”
I rolled my eyes at Jake, "Duty calls.”
"Good luck.”

"There you are,” Aunt Claire needlessly pointed out when I reached where she was sat with another woman, "This is Angela, from the Commitee, she’s sorting out your exams for us.”

Of course I know Angela Pinckney as Johnny and know she teaches at Wellow House.

"Er hi,” I managed.
"Nice to meet you Daisy, this must be quite a change to Devon.”
"Devon?”
"Where you live?”

Of course, my cover story, Angela knows the truth but pubs have ears so more play acting.

"Er yeah, quite different.”
"So I’ve been talking with my headmaster and your aunt and given how close to your exams we are we obviously don’t want you missing out with your revision. So instead of you trying to do it here at your Aunt’s we’ve agreed that you come to Wellow House where you’ll be with girls your own age who are doing similar subjects.”

This wasn’t what I signed up for.

"But, but…”
"Doesn’t that sound better than being stuck here every day with me and your cousin, you only get one shot at these exams after all.”
"Er yeah, I mean a lot better, erm thanks Angela.”
"Its the least we can do in the circumstances Daisy.”
"Does she need any uniform?” Mum enquired.
"As long as she’s clean and tidy, no, but no jeans or leggings please.”
"I’m sure we can find something appropriate eh Dais?”
"I guess,” I allowed noting that that ruled out most of what we bought in Retford yesterday.
"The seniors have prep Monday mornings so if you come around to the office around ten and see Mrs Jarvis, she’ll get you all sorted out so you can join the first class after lunch, okay?”
"Thanks again Ang,” Mum offered her co conspirator.
"All in a good cause, can’t have our Queen missing out on her education can we.”

So much for home revision and keeping a low-ish profile!
 

"Mum, how could you?” I pouted some time later, having been despatched to ‘get some beauty sleep’.
"It’s Aunt Claire young lady and I think it was very thoughtful of Angela to arrange it.”
"But, but, but it’s a girls school,” I exclaimed.
"There are boys there too.”
"And, and…”
"You are a girl Dais, its not like its forever, your exams are in what, three weeks?”
"Three weeks of going to a girls school, full of girls Aunty Claire, I’m gonna be found out.”
"How, its not like you’ll be doing PE is it?”
"I guess not, but have you seen their dorky uniform?”
"I think its quite smart and anyway you don’t have to wear it.”
"But what am I gonna wear?”
"Spoken like a true princess,” Mum smirked.
"Mum, I’m serious.”
"Hmm, you do have a point, let me have a look to see what I’ve got that might work, in the meantime, make up off, bath and bed, early start in the morning.”
"Angela said ten o’clock.”
"So seven at the latest then.”
"Urgh,” I complained although in truth I’d be getting up that time if I was going to school as Johnny.
"On with you and don’t forget to moisturise.”
"Yes Aunty,” I sighed.
 

I lay in my bed, well not my bed, Daisy’s bed, but as I’m Daisy I suppose it is my bed even though its not my bed. With all that’s happened in the last two days my head was all over the place, I mean, I know it was me who agreed to this whole charade, I just didn’t think I’d end up, pierced, plucked and painted on day one and effectively living twenty four seven as a girl for the foreseeable. And no one seems to be questioning whether I am a girl or not.

I know Johnny me is hardly big and manly but I’m not ‘that wimpy kid’ so how does that work? That said, after Debbie and Jemma had finished with me, I didn’t recognise me so what hope anyone else? I guess its like Dad would say, If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and looks like a duck, it probably is a duck.

Well I’m not sure about the walking but I guess my voice is a bit high, I’m probably the last in my year to get the whole voice drop, zits and facial hair. And I guess even I can’t deny that with my hair, piercings and wearing a frock I look far more like a Daisy than a Jonathon. Using that logic, I guess I just need to roll with things.

This Wellow House business though, talk about a curveball. Can I convince a bunch of actual girls that I’m actually a girl? I mean, what do girls talk about? I know Angela was trying to be helpful setting it up but if it goes wrong at all it could blow up big style. I guess I need to make sure it doesn’t.
 

"I wish they hadn’t made these extensions so long,” Aunt Claire griped as she worked on turning my red talons into something more school friendly.
"It wasn’t my idea,” I pointed out, "You should try being on this end of ‘em.”
"Been there, done that kiddo, I doubt there’s a teenage girl out there who hasn’t at least toyed with the idea of long nails. And to be fair,” she continued, "They do look good.”
"Well I’d prefer it if they weren’t on my hands, can’t you just take them off?”
"If only it were that simple Dais, you need special solvents and stuff which I don’t have, they are bonded to your own nails.”
"Can you at least trim them down a bit?”
"Possibly but we don’t have time this morning.”

I let out a long sigh, maybe no one will notice, it’s not like I’ll be an actual pupil after all. Aunt Claire deftly applied a coat of pale pink to my denuded talons, she did have a drier thing, like a mini version of the one at the salon but it did the job. I was already dressed – Aunt Claire’s wardrobe supplying a blue tartan skirt which I thought was a bit short but she thought was ideal, a short sleeved white blouse and a pair of tan tights, the ‘ballet flats’ we got in Pettits on Saturday completed my ensemble.
 

It’s not far, I mean it's literally a few hundred metres from the Red Lion to Wellow House but Uncle Dave insisted on driving me there, depositing me front and centre a couple of minutes before the specified ten o’oclock.

"Have a good day Dais, you want picking up?”
"Think I can walk,” I suggested.
"Well if you change your mind, give us a call okay.”
"Whatever.”
"Well go on, don’t want to be late on your first day.”

I carefully swung my legs out, at least Dad’s Mercedes is a bit easier than Gran’s behemoth to manage when wearing a skirt, a short skirt in particular.

"Don’t forget your bag.”

I gave him a pained look as he handed me out the oversize handbag Mum had selected from her collection to be my school bag.

"Thanks.”

 
© Maddy Bell 04.08.2025