This was going to be Ricky's first day (well night really) as a changed among humans. She felt a slight stab of anxiety and wondered if this was the right course. She was going against the normal convention, she knew that. The changed did stuff in the day, and humans worked at night. It's been that way for months. Yet here she was, about to break tradition.
Still she couldn't help but feel this was by far a better option then being in the company of strangers. She had no experience with the changed. She did know her classmates. She had a vague idea of what to expect- though probably not the 'girl' aspect of her transformation. (If one could really call her female, for being a facsimile of a feminine form.) Indeed she had not really felt the need to assess gender identity quite as much as others who might have changed, largely because she didn't have the whole 'biology' behind that kind of thinking any more.
She really was... just Ricky.
That... made her sound blander then she liked. It wasn't really like that either. Ricky, as a human, retained many complexities that came from her old identity. Still, being in this body... it was a simpler mindset. the clockwork girl wondered, what would it have been like, to have started life in this form? Would she have started as a baby, and grew? (that seemed very unlikely.) Would she really be alive? Sentient? Or is her sentience an accident, like a living doll's would be? It's not as if such creatures as her could in any conceivable way evolve in any normal way. It would be as silly as well- the Transformers evolving from naturally occurring spanners on cybertron. (why in the world she thought of that, she had no idea)
There was a quiet realisation to the clockwork girl's thinking. Dolls are made... created... and she had a Control Key she had to keep safe. Did that mean... her species is some kind of 'creation'? It would make some kind of sense. The clockwork components of her body were crafted meticulously. They did not evolve into complexity as a biological organism. This actually made the clockwork girl feel a pang of sadness... also there was the question on just how much she could repair herself, if damaged? If she got in an accident, would injury be permanent now? It's not as if they knew how she worked, so... she couldn't be repaired. Since she wasn't a gynoid, it was unlikely she had nano-bots or some other thing to repair her.
Anne said she had turned into something interesting. She liked her and hoped- that she would become something nice, if she ever went into the sunlight. The fact that a girl was talking to Ricky was still quite a daunting thing. Ricky didn't relate well to the other gender- well- her own gender now, she guessed.
The bell on her front door rang. It had to be Anne. The clockwork girl opened it a little hurriedly.
"Hello," smiled the young girl.
"Hi. Please come in," said Ricky quickly. "I need your help."
"You said to come quickly," said Anne concerned. "What's wrong?"
The clockwork girl carefully took out two sets of keys. One large, and the other tiny. It could almost look like the key to a suitcase. The keys looked like nothing Anne had seen before. "These- well- they are part of my transformation." Ricky explained.
"Really?" Anne said gasping intrigued. "What do they do?"
Ricky sighed. She had to trust Anne completely. "I- well- it seems to compel me to do whatever someone wants when they hold it."
Anne gasped. "Oh God! That's- that's terrible," She said now very concerned. "What are you going to do?"
"I can't throw it away, and I can't destroy them. I- I don't know why, but they feel important to keep. So... I'm giving them to you." She held out the key to the teenage girl.
Anne felt something tingle down her spine, as she held the key of the clockwork girl. It was... strange. She was now the key-holder to a clockwork. Somehow she knew this was a great responsibility. "What does this other key do?"
Ricky tensed as she felt the need to tell her everything. It wasn't just the fact that she was her new keeper... but... she needed to tell someone. So she told her everything about Jeff, and Belle. Anne listened very sympathetic, horrified, but with understanding and didn't say a word until Ricky was finished.
"That is... amazing. So this key belongs to Belle? And whoever hold it, can..."
"Control her, yes." admitted Ricky sadly. She cast her eyes down. It was like... admitting they were just slaves.
Anne bit her lip. She knew Belle had a ton of enemies. She was hated by half the girls in the class, and even more so by some of the guys. If anyone knew about this, she wouldn't survive a day. "I'll... keep these safe. I know where I can keep them. Nobody will ever find them."
"Thanks... just, don't tell me where you put them. It's probably best I do not know." At least until, she understood better how to resist. Even without the key, if someone had a strong will, she felt this 'desire' to do as asked. It wasn't quite like the compulsion of a key holder, but it was there.
"Alright. I'll meet you in school while I sort this out. You going to be okay walking yourself? Do you need any winding?"
"I'm okay. I was winded recently... I'll see you in school."
Anne was left to walk the streets at night, pondering the strange magical keys in her hand. There was something so precious about the idea- if rather scary. It was as if, the clockwork girl was trusting her with her soul, her heart... the teenager felt such a terrible responsibility. This key was Ricky's actions. She was being trusted in the conduct of another person... no two people, in her hands. Clockwork girls...
Still she felt she had to do one thing, that will help Ricky and Belle. She held the key gently, with nothing but goodness in her heart. "I don't know if you will be able to do this... but... If you ever need your keys, and that need is real and important... and under no duress... you'll know where I have them."
The teenager hoped that she had not overstepped in giving this 'command'. But... if Anne ever transformed into something incompatible with this responsibility, or if something happened to her... Ricky and Belle, will be safe.
To her, that was the most important thing.
Jeff was feeling sour. He had been up all day, and now he had to go to school. Belle was within an inside pocket in his jacket. He still wasn't sure what to do with her. He guessed he will have to take her back to her parents, but... he didn't really want to. In truth, he was dreading the end of school because... it might be the last time he sees her. After today, she'll enrol in the day side... and that would be it.
They handed over 'Belle's' homework that Ricky had done. This would almost certainly help her grades get just high enough to pass. It should work fine if this goes unnoticed. Though now all their plans were in ruins.
"You okay?" Asked Belle as they walked down,
Jeff didn't say anything. He just... couldn't. Still he had to say something. "Not really, no." He said being honest for once.
Belle cast her eyes down. "I'm sorry," she said in the end.
Jeff looked at her angry. Why did she have to be so... so stupid! Opening her window! This was all Ricky's fault somehow. "Just- urgh forget it," he said. Then he felt something a bit strange as Belle moved her arms in his pocket. Like she was trying to get his attention. "What what is it? What now- oh-" Damn it she needed winding now? "Alright hold on, just wait damn it!"
He ran over to his locker, and opened the door slightly ajar so few could see what he would do. He took Belle out, set her on the shelf.
A thought occurred to him, that it would be easier to keep Belle unwound in his locker. Nobody could hurt her then. But... it was too risky. If Belle charged up enough herself, she could get into trouble on her own.
He started to wind her up, shielding himself in the locker doors. He tensed as he realised the spring was not as tight as he would have expected- so it wound up very tight very quickly. However it didn't look like any damage had been done. He sighed in some relief. He slowly wound her, getting used to how it was done until it was done.
"T-thanks Razor," she said.
"I'm thinking you should stay in my locker," said Jeff.
"What? I don't want to do that," she said.
"It'll be safe here for a while-"
Suddenly a group of cheerleaders came up to him. Belle would have recognised them as her old friends. Jeff didn't even wait as he shut the locker, with Belle inside before the little clockwork girl could object.
"Hey Razor," said one of them. A brunette named Hillary. She had a reputation to be almost as bad as Tiffany at times. Certainly being in her shadow all the time, didn't make her feel any better. Still with Tiffany gone, Hillary practically ruled the night-side among humans. "Have you seen dumb-belle?"
Jeff gritted his teeth. "She's not dumb, she's my girlfriend."
Hillary gave a mirthful giggle. "Oh. I heard she transformed and that her head became as light as a feather and floated away."
Jeff groaned. "What do you want?" He demanded.
"Well..." Hillary smiled conspiratorially. "If it is true and she's transformed... that makes you available, right?"
Razor scoffed. Already some girl was just after him because he had money. Or rather, because his parents had money. It made him so sick. "Not interested."
Belle inside Razor's locker was listening. Her gears were ticking away, echoing across the entire locker. She didn't take any offence to being called dumb-belle. It was kind of her nickname. At first, she thought it was nice that they called her something that made Jeff stronger when he went to the gym. Like when they also called her thick as a child, and she realised that living in a three dimensional world, of course she was 'thick'.
She felt... a little sad as she continued to listen, as they talked as one human to another. Something she could no longer do. She glanced down at her body. She thought back to that kiss... and just how unsatisfying it was. For... for both of them really. The girl had never really thought so much about things in her whole life.
But now... she was thinking, a lot.
Hillary smiled again as they continued to talk. Getting Jeff on her side would be very helpful to her standing in the school. He just needed a little encouragement, some way to get past the ice. Of course, she knew how to deal with a boy. They always liked one thing. "Oh... I have a game for you Razor. You like games, don't you?" She said.
Jeff sighed. "Alright, what's your game?" He was starting to get bored of this.
"It's some game someone started called, the change predictor. You put your hand in these folded pieces of paper, and it will tell you what you're going to turn into. Pretty cool huh?" She showed a small box with folded notes on it. "Go ahead, pick one."
"You first," said Jeff.
"Sure" said the girl with no hesitation. Hillary reached in and picked a piece of paper at random and opened it. "Oh... it seems I'm going to be a vampire. Ha!" she giggled. "Your turn."
Jeff sighed and pulled it out.
"What's it say?" asked Hillary.
"Chick magnet," said Jeff grinning just a little. He felt like he hit the jackpot. Okay... maybe this game wasn't too bad.
Hillary giggled again, noting the rich-boy's smile. She had him. "Now you have to put in something you think someone else will turn into. Go on, be as imaginative as you can be."
Jeff frowned a little... but took a pen out, and wrote something in, then folded the paper inside. It was a weird game, but it did ease some of the fears humans had about changing. He shuffled it up, so that there was no chance anyone would know what he wrote.
