A World Beside Our Own

The Dance

Asking permission to court someone else’s daughter is so old-fashioned, but it was clear I needed Sala’s parent’s permission to do so. We still haven’t kissed, yet I have a girlfriend. I wasn’t planning on dating someone till after my transformation; I hope Sala will be this loving and affectionate once I truly become a girl. I’m afraid that some of her attraction for me are because of my male pheromones.

Today’s classes couldn’t go by fast enough. I’m still amazed at the school’s library. It’s a two s********m as large as the gym, and it has subjects that I have never seen before! I was told that, as a freshman, I should stay on the main floor. They reserve the second floor for alchemy and magic theory. This is such a strange school.

Ginette has started a competition with me. To see who can cast what spells. I remind her today that I don’t cast the same magic as she does, there’s some that she can do that I can’t and vice versa. My magic is tied to the earth, plants and animals.

“So you can’t counter this?” She asks as I see her preparing an offensive spell.

“Parhelma,” I say as my skin turns bark-like and her missile doesn’t even sting.

“None of my spells hurt people!” I chastise her.

“Well, there are a few I could teach you…” Lairelindë comments, and I tell her no.

“Ginette Leclerc, you know better than using harmful magic against students.” Cassandra says as she comes up to our group.

“Yes, Mrs. Montgomery, I’m sorry.” She says as she looks at me. “You’re not angry with me, are you?” she looks at me, worried that she has upset our friendship. She relaxes when I smile and shake my head.

Sala is studying my barkskin in amazement. “It’s like her skin is a strong as tree bark.” She gasps.

“She might not be angry with you, but we still have rules, young lady, detention, Tuesday.” Cassandra punishes Ginette.

“Yes, Mrs. Montgomery.” She puts her head down in shame.

Not knowing where Sala lives, we’ve agreed to meet each other at the school for the dance. Luna fusses with my makeup tonight, wanting my look to be perfect. She won’t be at the dance, Temptations is having their own Harvest event, and she needs to help mother tonight. She focuses on green to accentuate my dress, with a hint of gold on the cheeks to go with the jewellery. She is so amazing with this; I hope I can learn to be this good at makeup some day.

Luna drops be me off at the school, as she’s off to the club, saying that she’ll come get me at the end of the night. She gives me a quick kiss on the cheek and disappears.

I turn around and there she is. By the stars is she ever beautiful! Sala is dressed in a bluish off-white gown, the pleated skirt flairs at the bottom. It’s as if the outer layer of her dress has a thin lace that shimmers and twinkles as she moves. She is a radiant princess, and I can only count myself lucky to be her date. She smiles bashfully at me, my jaw must open, and I recompose myself as she climbs the school’s steps.

“You are absolutely radiant tonight.” I say when I finally find my voice.

“Mother insisted I wear my court finery tonight, it’s not too much is it?” Sala asks hesitantly.

“It’s perfect.” I smile and offer her my arm.

Sala beams, takes my arm, and we make our way to the gym for the dance. The joys of going to a school of magic are the decorations are amazing! The room looks like a dusk lit wooded glade, with colourful autumn leaves on the branches. Small globes of light float around the room, like fireflies. Occasionally a leaf will drift down, and you can kick them around. It feels so real! Even the smells are amazing. The tables and chairs meld into the ground, like elaborately crafted tree stumps. Sala and I look around the room in amazement.

The music is starting, so we make our way out to the dance floor and join some other Freshmen as a group. Ginette is with Connor, and Lynn is with Thomas. Sadly, Sam didn’t have a date and didn’t want to come on her own. I see Sinu with another girl, Becky, so I’m suddenly not feeling so out-of-place having another girl for a date. I also spot two of our werewolves, Tom and Gerry. They’re from the same pack, and are always together, though I never thought of them as a couple.

When the slow songs start, Sala looks at me expectantly. I will not get away without dancing with her. I’ve never danced this close to someone, so I’m a little worried. She puts her arms on my shoulders, and I hold her waist. This is feeling so good having her in my arms, she smells so nice. I lose myself to the music.

We’re into the second song and still dancing when Sala breaks away from holding me close, I look down at her.

“Can you kiss me?” she asks in a soft, innocent voice.

I swallow and nod. This is the moment she’s been waiting for. I bend down and close my eyes, worried than I’m going to ruin my first kiss. The moment our lips touch is magical, her lips are so soft, and we just give a chaste, tender kiss. But, from this moment, I know that will not be the only one we share. We break our kiss and smile at each other, both enjoying the moment. She holds me close and sighs.

“That was so lovely, thank you.” She says while cuddling my chest.

The kiss lasted longer than I thought, as the next song is already starting. I look over to Ginette, who’s dancing beside us, and she gives me a thumb’s up. Lynn is making out with Thomas and Sala is watching them.

“Do you think we’ll kiss like that one day?” Sala looks up at me curiously.

“It’s possible.” I smile and wonder if I’m ready for that kind of affection with my girlfriend.

We break from the dance floor, Sala says she’s thirsty. We sit down with some punch, and Sala surprises me by sitting in my lap, making us nearly the same height. She leans against my shoulder lovingly as we watch the others dance.

“Where do you see our relationship going?” she asks me the big question.

“I don’t know, this was my first kiss, I’ve never been in a relationship before.” I admit to her.

“It was your first kiss too!?” She holds me close. “I was so worried that it wouldn’t feel right, or that I would mess it up.”

“You have such soft lips, it felt really nice.” I smile tenderly.

Sala puts her drink down, turns and - in her excitement - plants a stronger kiss on my lips. We break away from one another looking at each other shocked, then we smile. Without speaking another word, we close our eyes and share a tender moment. The kiss is gentle, long and feels so right. I suddenly feel this connection with Sala that I’ve never had before. My body tingles and I feel a rush of warmth as my whole body shares in the joy of kissing her. It just feels so good.

When we finally break our embrace, we each take a long satisfying breath. “I definitely hope there are more kisses like that in our future.” I say in a thick voice.

Sala giggles and leans against my chest again. We hold each other close, this feels so good.

“My little leaf is growing up.” Lairelindë smiles as I see her in my closed eyes. “I approve of your relationship.” She says lovingly. “Her frost abilities with your earth abilities will make a formidable pairing, not to mention strengthening the bond with the other sylvan races. Do you love her?” I answer, I can’t tell her that. It’s too soon. “Fair enough.” My godmother smiles. I’d almost forgotten that I have a chaperon riding inside of my head. It’s going to be interesting if our kiss deepens before the end of the night.

Our friends join us as the music changes, and we sit for a while. We chat and talk. Lynn is cuddled in her boyfriend’s lap, like Sala is on mine. She comments we look like such an adorable couple. She’s glad that we’re finally dating. She comments how Sala had looked so lonely and out of place at the beginning of the year, I’ve brought so much out in our little Fae friend.

Sala and I look at each other and smile. She cuddles up against me. “Even my mother approves of Simia as my girlfriend, and she rarely approves of anyone new in my life!”

“You’ve met her mother already?” Ginette says surprised.

“We bumped into each other yesterday, when my family and I were shopping for my dress.” I admit.

“Mother still isn’t too keen on your adoptive family, but she certainly approves of you.” Sala says affectionately, running her hand along my shoulder.

“Why is that?” Thomas asks curiously.

“Racial differences.” I say sadly.

“Considering that some of us aren’t even human in our school, isn’t that a little shallow?” Connor frowns.

“Mother is a very traditional person.” Sala says soberly.

Ginette looks pensive. “Simia isn’t the same as you either.” She dances around the fact the boys don’t know she’s Fae.

“Simia is a Druid. Mother sees her as my future protector.” Sala replies without hesitation.

“Okay, I can understand that point of view.” Ginette says thoughtfully. “So are you?” She looks at me. I put my arms tighter around my girlfriend, and that’s all the proof Ginette needs. She smiles. “You two make an adorable couple.”

Sala snuggles in deeper and purrs at my loving embrace. “Definitely an adorable couple.” Lynn smiles. “You are so affectionate.”

“I feel so safe in her arms.” Sala says in a loving voice.

“So, after this dance, you two finally going to admit you’re a couple and stop looking embarrassed when people call Sala your girlfriend?” Ginette teases me.

“After this dance, there’s no denying our relationship.” I say. I look down and Sala doesn’t hesitate to give me a soft, loving kiss. Her kisses are amazing and make me melt.

“I’ve been waiting for you to say that all week.” She says tenderly and caresses my cheek.

“I’ve never dated before this, I needed time to sort out my feelings for you…” I say defensively.

“You are so adorable.” She says lovingly and pulls me in for another kiss. Okay, her kisses are addictive, I’m really enjoying them.

Ginette pretty much drags all of us on the dance floor as a fantastic popular song starts. She’s not about to dance alone. We bounce and sway to the music, and this is really fun. I’ve never been to a dance before, and I’m hoping my moves aren’t too strange. I’m trying to copy Ginette’s and Lynn’s moves as much as I can. I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun.

As the top of the hour approaches, so does the next set of slow songs, and Sala doesn’t hesitate to grab my waist and hold me close. Her hands are angled up my back and she holds me tight as we dance to ‘Line by Line’. I wonder if what I feel is more than infatuation for my little Fae.

“I know you care deeply for Luna, my child, but don’t deny your growing love for the Fae, she makes a suitable mate.” Lairelindë says in a motherly tone. I respond on how can two girls become mates? “In your long lifespan, a mate can be of the same gender, unlike humans, there is no rush to reproduce, embrace the love you have found.”

Sala feels my shift in emotions. “What is it, Simia?” my girlfriend looks up at me with concern.

“My godmother is encouraging our relationship.” I start.

“Oh?” Sala looks confused, then her expression changes. “Oh, the one that Amma says is in your mind?”

“Yes, tomorrow we’ll go through the ritual to bind her to a pendant that Emenya has chosen, in some ways I’m going to miss her…”

Sala puts her arms around my neck, so I slide mine around her waist. “I know what I’m going to miss this weekend.” She says in a provocative tone.

I look down, and before I can ask “what’s that?” she pulls me down for a long loving kiss. As the music shifts into the next song, I pull her against me and our kiss deepens, she whimpers as my tongue finds hers and we make out on the dance floor to the entire song. Wow. This is unexpected!

By the time the song is over, we’re both flush in the face, and the tuck I’d done before the dance is getting painful. I’m going to need to readjust myself.

I announce to Sala that I need to go pee, and she nods. We hold hands as we make our way to the bathroom, going in separate stalls to relieve ourselves. “You’ll only have to put up with that offending member for two more months, child, then it will no longer be of any concern.” My godmother reminds me as I try to pee with half a hard-on. Fortunately, my member calms down and is flaccid again for me to tuck it back in its place in my panties.

Sala is waiting for me to come out of the stall, and chats about her family’s plan for the long weekend, and asks what we have planned.

“Outside of the binding ritual, I don’t know what the Rasmussen do for the long weekend.” I reply. “There’s still the club to run on Saturday, I don’t know if it’ll be open Monday. It’s not like my family follows human traditions. They are vegetarians, so there will be no turkey… I think that’s the one thing I’ll miss the most.” I say as we make our way back to the gym.

“Turkey? You eat meat?!” Sala gives me an almost frightful look.

“My birth family did, yes, but I’ve not had any meat since I’ve started living here.” I reply and she relaxes.

“Do you miss it?” she probes as we enter the dance.

“Not really…” I say thoughtfully. “I’m still getting just as much protein with other foods, so it’s not like my body is missing anything.”

“Good.” Sala nods. Yes, if our relationship goes further, there are times we’ll eat together.

We join our friends and Lynn teases us with how passionate of a kiss we shared that last dance. She was wondering if we went off to do something more.

“I needed to go pee!” I blush at her implication there is more intimacy to our relationship than there is. She gives me this look. “Seriously, what kind of girl do you take me for?!” My voice rises in pitch, sounding so feminine.

“I’m teasing you.” Lynn says putting a hand on mine. “I don’t think any of us are ready for more than kissing.” She says looking at her date. The boy blushes and nods.

Sala says what I’ve been thinking. “Ginette, does it bother you that Lynn is dating Thomas tonight?”

The two look at each other, and Ginette smiles. “Thomas is cute and all, but he’s really not my type.” The boy nods. “He and Lynn make a much more adorable couple.”

“I’m not going to argue.” Connor speaks up, and he pulls Ginette over for a kiss. Her eyes open in surprise and then she relaxes in his arms.

“Where did you learn to kiss like that?!” Ginette sighs as she leans into Connor’s chest.

She cuddles into him, caressing his arm as we continue to talk about the long weekend. The boys are athletic, at 15, they’ve already begun building muscle tone, and Ginette is enjoying the feeling of Connor's muscular arms. Not like me. With the hormone blockers, I’m mostly a thin effeminate person, the exception is my legs, as I used to cycle so much. Coach has realized that I’m one of the fastest girls in our class and is training me for track and field come spring. I’m looking forward to that, seeing as I seem to do so poorly at volleyball.

Speaking of our coach. Rose is making her rounds as chaperon and approaches our table. “You are all so cuddly and cute.” She smiles. “I guess Sala isn’t the only one who is going to have a girlfriend after this dance.” She smiles knowingly, leaving the boys to blush. “I hope you are enjoying yourselves.” She raises an eyebrow.

“This is the best night I’ve had since I’ve moved here!” Sala beams, gives me a quick kiss and then snuggles into me.

“It’s nice to see you finally happy. The teachers and I were worried about you when you first arrived at the school this year.” Rose smiles. Sala looks up at her, confused. “While you were quick to make friends with Sam, Lynn, and Ginette. I think it’s mostly been cause the four of you are study buddies. I’ve never seen you so happy as when Simiathlas joined your class. I enjoy seeing you smile.”

Sala blushes and thanks Rose before our coach goes on her rounds. Connor gives us a confused look, so his girlfriend answers for him. “Coach Montgomery is an Empath. She can pick up on emotions, the stronger the emotion, the quicker she picks up on it. Being a Bard, she must really enjoy the happiness that’s permeating the dance tonight.”

“So, she’s doing rounds to make sure there’s no one upset…” Thomas catches on.

The rest of the dance passes as if in a dream. Sala feels so good in my arms, her touch, her lips… could I be falling in love? At the end of the night I see my lovely Fae off with a tender, loving embrace as a car comes by to pick her up. I turn around to see a very unimpressed Luna standing behind me. I wish my sister wasn’t so jealous of my growing relationship with Sala. We teleport home.