Chapter 3

It was wonderful, sitting at that table with the other girls. As we ate, the conversation turned from boys to fashions, back to boys and then what we wanted out of our last year of high school. I found out that it was possible to re-enrol as transgender and live my real-life period. While it sounded exciting, it also sounded expensive, with some of the clothing prices being bandied around.

Eventually, we all trooped off to the toilets and I found myself reworking my lipstick next to Beth.

“You really are a knockout, Effy. You rock that dress. You realise that Marina has had her eyes on you before she saw you in the salon. It’s been the fact that you’re a boy that held her back.”

“I’ll let you into a secret, Beth. I’ve crushed on Marina for years. I’d be at her house with Scott and Virgil and had to appear to be uninterested. They would have ribbed me something shocking if they had guessed the truth. It doesn’t matter so much now they’re working.”

The show was a lot of fun. The support band was a local one who were very good. After a short break, the curtains opened to show Pauline and the Pussycats. They had started out as a tribute band, doing old numbers from the cartoon series of Josie and the Pussycats, but had developed original material of their own. We were all singing along and there was a lot of screaming.

About halfway through their set, I realised that my own appreciation of them was fundamentally different. Before tonight, I had loved them for their music, as well as the fact that none of them were much older than me and were all absolute babes! I was now watching them and noting how they moved, what they were wearing, and focussing on their make-up. The faces had evolved as the band had evolved, from the ‘Cats’ look with whiskers to a much more normal, but still glamorous look.

Then I caught a glimpse of Marina with tears in her eyes and realised that she had a big crush on them. That made my surprise even more special. When the encore had finished and the curtains shut for the final time, the house lights came up and a dishevelled crowd started to leave. Beth turned to us.

“Mum will be outside to take the four of us home. We’ll see you two later.”

Marina gave her a hug.

‘I’ll call home when we’re ready. Effy doesn’t live far away. I’ll give you a call.”

We had reached the aisle, so had a group hug. The others went towards the exit, and I took Marinas’ hand and pulled her towards the stage.

“Where are we going?”

“Surprise time.”

We went to the right and found the door with a burly guy standing by it. I pulled the card out of my bag and showed it to him.

“Mrs. Hargreaves said that she wanted to see me after the show.”

“OK, ladies, just carry on down to the end of the corridor and you’ll see the dressing room with the star on the door. Have fun.”

He opened the door for us, and I pulled a very surprised Marina into backstage.

“Now, Effy, this really is a surprise!”

The door with the star was at the end of the corridor, as we had been told, and I took a deep breath as I turned the knob and we walked into the dressing room, a rather large room with all of the Pussycats sitting around sipping from bottles of water. Mrs. Hargreaves saw us come in.

“Great that you could make it, Effy. Introduce me to your equally beautiful friend.”

“Mrs. Hargreaves, this is Marina, we’re at school together.”

“OK. You two, I’m Beryl from now on. Did you bring some supplies, Effy?”

“In my bag, Beryl.”

“Right, you two. We have to make these stars look like ordinary girls. Marina, you must know how to remove make-up, so you can help to get the stage look off. There’s plenty of wet wipes. We’ll take one each, and then you and I will do the others while Effy creates her ‘girl next door’ look.”

“You’re talking about her Ephemeral look. I had it done last week and it’s a great disguise. It fooled my fuddy-duddy grandparents.”

Everyone had a laugh, and we went to work in turning the fabulous Pussycats into normal moggies. Beryl helped me pick products that worked with the different skin tones, and I learned a lot that session. By the time the band had changed, and we had finished, the two of us had been accepted into the inner circle of fans, had been given posters that had been personally signed and notice of other shows, as long as we were available to work on them after. When we all left, it was a bit like the transformation of Kiss into ordinary guys. The band went out of the stage door with most of the waiting crowd thinking that they must be usherettes or stall attendants.

We both got hugs from them before they boarded an unmarked people mover, and Beryl asked Marina if she could join me when I met up with her on Sunday. Marina, by this time, would happily follow me anywhere if it meant that she would be in the presence of famous people.

Having left by the stage door, we needed to go around to the front of the theatre. Marina rang home, while I called Archie, leaving a message on voicemail. We walked along the side of the theatre, oblivious to the other kids around us. She had her left arm over my shoulder, her right with her souvenirs, my right arm was around her waist, with my own goodies tucked under my left arm. I had the thought that it was exactly the opposite of how I had imagined the scene.

Suddenly, she stopped and pulled me around, planting her lips on mine for a while. I wasn’t complaining as we did it a few times more. Walking closely, we reached the front of the theatre and stood there to wait for our transport. The car pulled up and we got in the back, now just holding hands. Penelope asked us how we enjoyed the show, which must have finished a while, considering how few fans were out on the pavement.

Marine started telling her about the evening, from the meal to our having personalised posters and being on first name terms with the band. By the time we reached her home, Penelope had agreed to let her daughter join me when I went into the city on Sunday, as long as she took us and checked everything out. She knew, from past history, that my own parents wouldn’t be awake to take part.

At their house, we sat and spoke more about the show, unrolled the posters for everyone to admire, and look at the selfies that Marina had taken in the dressing room while I was working on the new looks. In the end, Marina on one side, Virgil on the other, we walked, arm in arm, to my house. Virgil waited while Marina and I kissed, and then Marina tapped her foot while Virgil gave me a smooch.

Although it was late, the only one in the house was Belle, who put the kettle on while I went upstairs to undress, coming back in the nightie and my old gown. She wanted to know all the details and I did my own version of the evening, showing her the posters. We split the collection in two lots, and she found some blue tac, so we went into our bedrooms and put them up.

She had a pile of clothes on her bed, which she gave me to hang in my own room. I would need something to wear on Sunday to meet Beryl. Penelope would be picking me up at around ten, so I cleansed and said goodnight to Belle. It was hard to get to sleep, thinking about our kisses. The odd one was the one that Virgil gave me, a guy that I’ve known for years. It’s marvellous what a dress can do for a guys’ brain.

On Sunday morning, I was up, showered and dressed early, before Belle or Archie had surfaced. When they did come down, I went up to my room to do my make-up in the nearly there look. Belle wanted to come with me as well, and Archie was staying at home to talk to Drom.

When Penelope arrived with Marina, the passenger door opened and Marina got out, telling Belle that she could sit in the front. The two of us sat in the back, separated with the belts on, but holding hands. Penelope had put the address into the GPS, and it led us to a reasonably large building in the industrial park at Tyseley. The sign on it proclaimed that it was the home of Hargreaves Cosmetics, proudly local and guaranteed organic.

The doors were locked, but there was an intercom with a note to press the button and wait. Penelope pressed the button and a voice asked who was here. She said that it was Effy, Marina and a couple of chaperones, so the voice said to push the door open after the click and wait in the reception.

The door clicked, we pushed it open and went in. It was an amazing space as we looked around. There were photos on the wall with beautiful faces with wonderful make-up, and a big one of the Pussycats. Otherwise, the room was a vision in pink. A door opened and Beryl came in.

“Good morning! Now, Belle I know, as she has often done my hair.”

Penelope put her hand out.

“I’m Penelope, Marinas’ mother. She spun such an amazing tale after the show that I just had to come along and see what she’s getting into.”

“I’m glad you’re here, Penelope. I’m Beryl Hargreaves, and this is my cosmetics factory. We only use organically grown plant extracts in our products. Belle and Effy use them in the salon, and I expect that you and your daughter have used them as well. This morning, and through today, I’ve got a photo shoot going for the national magazines. I want Effy to create her ‘hardly there’ look for a test. If it works as well as it did, last night with the Pussycats, I’ll be looking at calling it the Ephemeral Look and promoting it.”

I heard it but found it hard to believe. My mind was in a whirl as we were led into the building, arriving at a large room where the photos were being taken.

“This is Barry, our main photographer. This isn’t most peoples’ idea of a photo shoot. We don’t have lots of clothes, just a selection of tops for the models, as all we need are head shots against a blue screen, so we can add backgrounds. The girls can sit on a chair to make it more comfortable. Today, we have four girls that we’re working with, and Kerry, my main cosmetician, is doing the make-up. She’s working through evening looks. What I want you to do, Effy, is create the looks that you did last night, so we can see how it works. Now Belle is here, she can do something with the hair. Will that be all right?”

We all nodded. Penelope went to sit and watch, while Belle went over to talk to Kerry as she worked. I looked at Beryl.

“Mrs. Hargreaves, can we have a quiet word, please?”

“All right, dear. Is it something about payment? I did promise you something for your help last night.”

“No, it’s something else that you should know.”

We moved away from the activity, with Marina joining us.

“Now, dear, what’s on your mind?”

“It’s very simple, Mrs. Hargreaves. When you saw me and called me plain, it’s because I’m Belles’ brother, and was working in the salon as a summer job.”

“But you make such a stunning girl! I gather that you knew this, Marina, being at the same school.”

“Yes, I did. By the time I saw Effy in the salon, he had been given that ‘girl next door’ look to fit in and worked his magic on me. It’s my fault that you saw us in dresses last night. I’ve had a crush on him for ages but have had some bad experiences with other boys. When I saw him looking so girly, it allowed me to ask him out, and I suggested that he should glam up. I never expected the fashion plate that I saw when she walked in.”

“That makes things interesting, but not difficult. Effy, if what we do today leads to other things, would you consider becoming the man behind the new look? If it works well, you won’t have to miss any schooling, as most promotional activities are on weekends. Of course, if you really want to continue to live as a girl, it will still work.”

I looked at Marina, and she took my hand.

“Effy, it’s been fun with you looking like a model, but I’ve realised that it was my own fears about alpha males that was holding me back. I’ll be all right if you’re back to Effy, the boy. You’ve shown that you’re so different from other guys that I know that I’m safe with you.”

I thought about it for a few seconds.

“Look, I’ll need to continue to look like this in the salon, to fit in. It will make it easier for me to finish school as a boy, as long as you accept me as such, and your friends do as well. If you’re happy with what we do, today, I’ll be happy to be a male make-up artist, Beryl. Thank you for being so forgiving.”

“Nothing to forgive, Effy. With your looks, even as a guy, you’ll fit into this industry as if you were made for it. Now, I expect that your mother knows about this, Marina.”

“She does. Effy has been to my house a lot, as my two brothers are good friends of his.”

“OK, Let’s get working. Marina, you can help with the cleansing and stuff. I’ll pay you for your time as well.”

So, during the morning, Marina and I worked on one of the models, cleaning her face and giving her the Ephemeral Look, while Belle did things to her hair to accentuate the look of angelic innocence. As we worked with the different girls, I experimented with slight colour variations that I had picked up on as I had worked with the Pussycats. We stopped for lunch and went to the staff dining room where there were sandwiches and drinks. Beryl smiled at Barry.

“What do you think, Baz?”

“This has been an interesting session, Beryl. I’m excited with those new looks. It won’t sell as much product as usual, but I feel that it may become a popular look with many females. The ‘girl next door innocence’ is very beguiling.”

“We’ll examine the proofs during the week and experiment with a different range of backgrounds. What did you think, Kerry?”

“I watched those three working and they looked as if they’d done it for years. Can you trial them with the glam looks this afternoon. It’s time that we had some extra help, seeing that the autumn shows are coming up.”

Beryl looked at me and I nodded. She looked around.

“Right. There is something that you should know. Effy is called Ephemeral. Don’t ask how that name was chosen. The point is that Effy is a boy, a boy who can look like a girl. Belle is his sister, and Marina is his girlfriend. I’ve been told that Penelope is aware, as he’s been in her house as a friend of her sons. Now, we’ve spoken and decided that he will be the originator of the new look, should it work in the market. This afternoon, after we’ve finished the planned shots, I want us to do a set of portraits for these four, with the full service. There will be some of Effy looking like a fashion model, and some with him looking as he would be without the make-up.”

The others looked amazed, and then we got back to work. It took about an hour to complete their schedule, and then we gave Penelope a makeover and she sat for her portrait, followed by Marina and Belle, with a few taken of mother and daughter that even I could see would look great on their lounge wall.

Finally, I was given the treatment and had my own high-fashion pictures taken. With some of Marina and me, heads together. The last thing was me being totally cleansed and Belle reworking my hair into my old look. With the studs out, I was sat for the final set, with some of Marina and I in boy and girl mode. I knew that I would have one of these in my room.

I was allowed to redo my face, as it would have looked odd if I left looking like a boy in a skirt. Beryl gave Penelope her business card and made a note of her home number. She also gave Belle some cash and a card and told her that she would be in touch. She gave both me and Marina some cash and followed it with a hug.

“I’ll come and see you and Belle in the salon when we have some pictures that we’re happy with. Thank you for your work today, as well as your bravery to be a girl for your loved one. On top of that, thank you for your honesty. I realise, now, that I was being a bit bitchy when I called you plain. It’s just that I never thought that a boy would be doing the cleaning up in a salon. You, Effy, are one of a kind, in that you don’t allow others to dictate what you can or can’t do.”

When we left, Penelope said that she had really enjoyed the different day that she had experienced and took us to a restaurant for a meal. We ate well and talked about the day. Belle was really happy to have helped out on a proper photo shoot, as it had been something she had dreamed about. Marina and I were the quietest, having discovered that the feelings that we had went a lot further than childish crushes.

Belle and I were dropped off first, and Marina got out of the car to hug us both and gave me a quick kiss.

“I’ll pop into the café to see you at lunch. Love you, Effy.”

“I love you, Marina. I always have, but never had the nerve to say it.”

“From now on, Effy, you’ll be able to find that nerve whenever you need it.”

Archie was still home when we arrived, and he got the three of us in my room.

“I’ve talked to Drom while he was here. You’ll notice that you have a lot more room now, Effy. He’s totally in love with Karl, but I’ve made him understand what Karl does to make money. He’ll be still staying with him but will be more aware of the dangers. Cat and Bronwyn were also here while you were out. Cat says that she’ll see you at the salon but she’s moving in with Bronwyn. Mum and Dad spoke to both of them and were very understanding. They did tell the three of us that this would be their last year of playing. It seems that Mum had a lucid moment while they were performing last night, and realised how much of a joke they were. So, things will be changing in a few months. I’ll probably get a place of my own. I can afford it now.”

Belle gave him a hug.

“We’ll miss you, brother.”

I gave him a hug.

“We will. You know, you would make a good manager. You care for your staff and go out of the way to keep them safe. You should open up a legal escort service. You have the girls already. If you charged enough to give you a wage, the girls could add a service if they want to and take all the money offered. It would put you on the right side of the law.”

He looked hard at me.

“That’s an idea I’ll think about. I know that the law may come down on me like a ton of bricks if any of my girls get injured by a client. Now, you two, I can see that things have happened today, so tell me your story.”

We told him about our day, and he left us to sort out our rooms. That evening, I hung away all my girl things and changed into a tee and jeans to sit with my parents watching mindless shows on the box. Belle was having a good time in her room, shifting things around and clearing out unwanted stuff. Dad didn’t ask me what was happening, as he was going to wait for us to sort ourselves out.

On Monday, I was back in a skirt for work, and caught up with Cats’ intentions. Ruth wanted to know what had happened over the weekend, so I told her about Saturday evening and Belle told her about Sunday. During the lunch, Marina joined us at the café and asked me to pop over to her home in the evening, in boy mode.

That evening, I walked to her house, where Penelope let me in and told me that Marina was in her room. I went up the stairs and knocked on her door. She let me in and then enveloped me in a strong hug that was, somehow, more than a hug. We kissed, properly, a man and woman, several times.

“Thank you, Effy, for all the joy that you brought me on the weekend.”

“Thank you for being there, my darling. I really do love you. It’s as if we’re two hearts in one body.”

“I love you, too. Mum has seen how much we love each other, and that’s why you’re allowed in here with the door closed. I want to talk, quietly, about us, and our immediate future.”

We sat on her bed, holding hands and having the occasional kiss, as we spoke about our last year at school, the possible situation with the cosmetics company, and the small detail of us being boyfriend and girlfriend. She had a phone call from Beth, which turned into a group video discussion with all of the others, where they saw me as I now looked and were told about our relationship.

On Thursday, Beryl came in and gave me a big folder of pictures.

“That’s the best of the shoot, as well as portraits for you to pass around. The Pussycats want you to do the stage make up and removal on their next few shows that end the short tour. Saturday is in Leeds, and I’ll send a car to your house to pick you up, then collect Marina on the way. I’ll put the kit in the car, and it will let me concentrate on other things.”

After that, she spoke to Ruth and Belle joined them for an intense discussion. Belle came over to me when Beryl had left.

“Effy, you’ll never guess. Beryl wants me to start work with her to help Kerry out. I’ll be here another two weeks to see out my notice. She told me to join you and Marina for the Pussycats show on Saturday night and to take some hairdressing things.”

I grinned.

“I believe that someone once said that the only constant in life is change. This is one hell of a summer.”

We had an enjoyable lunch, going through the file of pictures. Marina took hers and her mothers’ when she left us, heading for a hardware store to buy some frames. The one with the pair of us was stunning. Saturday was good, Belle and I glammed up and Marina was looking good when she joined us. Belle was added to the crew, that evening, and we watched the show from the wings, new ‘Access all Areas’ lanyards around our necks.

By the end of the tour, we had worked on the girls enough for others to notice. Belle left the salon and went to work with Beryl. Marina and I had advanced our relationship, with her feeling safe enough to allow me to explore parts of her, and also safe enough to explore parts of me, knowing that I wouldn’t take advantage. At the end of the summer holidays, we went back to school, with me as Effy, the boy.

I was able to relate well with the girls, with it now common knowledge that I had tested the other side with success. My rating with the boys had risen, being so well in with the girls, and I wasn’t ‘hardly there’ any longer. Beryl tested the market with the Ephemeral Look, and it worked well enough that I was put on the books as a casual. She also enrolled both me and Marina into night school to study cosmetics.

When our last year of high school ended, neither Marina nor I needed to talk to vocational councillors. We were working for Beryl, spending a lot of evenings at various theatres, working on performers, while our days were spent going around salons, demonstrating the Ephemeral Look. I had been announced as the creator of the Look and had been in several interviews. Between us, we were paid enough to rent somewhere to live, together, and took our relationship to the ultimate level, intending to marry soon. She now sometimes wore the red dress that I had bought, and much better than I ever did.

Belle met one of the performers who she had met in her short, earlier career , and they hit it off again, with her moving out of home to live with him. Archie had followed my advice, and set up a legal escort agency, so separating his business from the sexual side of things. Cat had married Bronwyn in a civil ceremony. Drom and Karl stayed together with Drom scoring a role in one of the day-time soaps and, with the house now empty, Dad announced that they had bought a smallholding, and were selling the house to set up a commune, where they could grow strange crops and lay about all day.

As the wise man said, change really is the only constant. I still have the name, but now wear it in full, and with pride. Marina and I swore to call our first-born by one of the traditional names. I had made my mark in the world, I even had my own office at the cosmetic business, but I was so busy I was ‘hardly there’.

Marianne Gregory © 2026