She pulls me around the store, and pulls down a couple pairs of tight bck shorts that aren’t too much longer than the boyshorts.

  “Here’s some modesty shorts.” She says. “Once we buy them, you should slip on a pair under that dress.”

  “Okay.” I agree, not really paying attention.

  On a rack across the aisle is a pink crop top and a bck pair of soft looking booty shorts with white trim. My mom follows me as I walk up to them.

  “You want to get a sleep set?” She asks. “Probably a good idea.”

  “Yes please.” I say, and pull the set down. Behind it is another set, the shirt a deep purple, almost the color of the night sky. Whoa… “Can I have both?”

  “Sure.” She says with a smile, and I pull down the other set.

  With our purchases in hand we head to the counter and pay for everything. It ends up costing a bit more than two hundred dolrs, and I try to avoid feeling upset at the amount of money being spent on me. They know what they’re doing.

  “Where to next?” My mom asks.

  I look around and see a shoe store nearby. “Can we go to Odyssey’s?”

  “Sure.” She says, and we walk down the hall to the room.

  The room is small, and contains many different cute styles of shoes. I stair at a pair of heeled leather shoes, the same brand as my canvas high-tops. Do I want heels? These would make me nearly six feet tall… But they’re heels, not ptforms, so the height gain is obviously from the shoes.

  “You want these?” My mom asks.

  “I’m still looking.” I say, and look at the boots further down the wall.

  There are two that stick out to me. One is a standard feminine leather combat boot made by Prof. Steven, the other is made by Hysteria, goes up to my knee, and has buckles running up the length.

  “So many choices…” I say softly as I look at them.

  “The shoes you’re wearing now already work for most of your outfits, right?” My mom asks.

  “Yeah.” I say gently, and turn to leave.

  “Then why not get all three pairs?” She says.

  “Wait, what?” I ask. “I’m confused.”

  “Well…” She says softly. “You already have everyday shoes, why not get some cute ones for special outfits?”

  “Are you sure…?” I ask, more than a little worried. “The cheapest of these is probably at least a hundred and twenty dolrs.”

  “This day is about you, Emmy.” She says with a smile. “As long as you actually want them, we can get all of them.”

  I look back at them, and then turn to her. “Just the boots.” I say. “I don’t need the heels.”

  “Sounds good.” She says with a smile. “Let’s get you measured.”

  There is a scale on the floor, and I set down on a bench and pull my shoes off. My mom takes the object, and presses my heel into it. She pushes a slider down to my toe, and pulls the scale away.

  “Looks like you’re a size nine.”

  “I thought I was seven and a half st time.” I say. “That’s what my current shoes are.”

  “Men's and women’s shoes have different scales.” She expins. “So you’re seven and a half in mens, nine in womens.”

  “I see.” I say. “That’s kinda silly though.”

  “It is.” She says while I put my shoes on. “Come on.”

  “Okii!” I say happily, and she giggles at me.

  We walk up to a sales associate and get his attention. “Hi, can we get those two,” She points out the boots I chose, “In a size nine.”

  “Sure.” He says with a smile. “Let me go grab them from the back.” He returns after a few minutes with two rge boxes, and hands them to my mom. “Go ahead and try them on, and I’ll be here if you need a different size, or when you’re ready to check out.”

  “Thank you.” I say, and sit back down on the bench.

  I pull one of the smaller boots out first, and after loosening it, I pull it on. It’s not the most comfortable shoe in the world, but it fits well. These need to be broken in anyways. I take it off, and unzip the long boot before slotting my foot into it and zipping it up.

  “They both look good.” My mom says as I pull it back off. “What do you think?”

  “I like them a lot.” I say honestly. “I’m not sure what I’d wear this tall boot with thought…”

  “I can see a few options.” She says. “You could wear it with some of those ripped jeans and a bck and red shirt.”

  The image pops into my head, and I smile. I’d look so hot. “Let's do it.”

  I put them back in the boxes, and my mom carries them up to the counter. “Just these two for us.”

  “Good choices.” He says as he scans them. “That comes to three-hundred twenty-one dolrs, and ninety six cents.”

  “I…” I start to say, but trail away.

  “It’s fine, Emmy.” My mom says as she inserts her card into the machine. “I am willing to spend a lot more than we already have today. Plus, I have a pce I want to stop that is almost certainly going to be about this price if not more.”

  “Okay…” I say softly. “Thank you, Mom.”

  “You’re welcome, Princess.” She says as she takes the bag from the cashier. “Have a good day.”

  “You too.” He says as we walk out.

  “Okay,” My mom says. “Follow me.”

  As we’re walking through the mall, my eyes fall onto a trinket store, specifically on a stand of keychains.

  “Can we go in there real quick?” I ask.

  “Sure.” She says, and follows me in.

  I turn the rack, and look for the one I saw outside. There. I pull down a blue and pink carabiner with a white clip, and a couple cute charms on it in varying pride colors. It’s so pretty… and it might help people see me as a safe person.

  I turn to my mind, and see her pulling something off a different rack near the back of the store. She sees me looking, and starts walking towards the middle.

  “You find what you wanted?” She asks.

  I hold up the carabiner for her. “Yup!” I say happily.

  “Good.” She says, and holds up a small pink cylinder. “I did too.”

  “What is that?” I ask, studying the weird object.

  “Pepper spray.” She says. “I want you to keep this on you at all times for protection.”

  “Mom I-”

  She cuts me off. “I am going to stand firm on this, Emmy. You have multiple reasons why people would target you. It’s not fair, but that’s how the world is right now. I’ll rest easier knowing you have something to protect yourself with.”

  “Okay.” I say, and give her a hug. “Thank you.”

  “Thank you.” She says, and guides me to the counter.

  We make our purchases, and then continue on through the mall. She walks up to a storefront with multiple pretty dresses in the window called ‘Nikki’s Boutique’. She wants to get me another dress…?

  We walk in, and are immediately approached by a middle aged woman with a bit too much makeup on, and a younger girl with vibrant pink hair.

  “Hi!” She shouts excitedly. “What can we help you find today?”

  “I’m looking for a formal dress for my daughter.” My mom says. “Something she could wear to a date or to a wedding.”

  “I see, I see.” She says. “I’m sure we have plenty of options for you. Any particur colors you want?”

  “Hmmmm…” My mom says softly, and then turns to me. “You said you wanted to dye your hair soon, so we should get a dress that will match your new color. What are you going to dye it?”

  I think for a moment, before remembering the purple shirt we bought earlier. I have always loved astronomy… My online name is literally LunarEcho… The thought hits me immediately, and I speak with certainty.

  “Purple. Dark purple, with colorful highlights.”

  “Oooooh!” The twenty something girl squeals. “That’s going to look so cute!”

  “Thank you.” I say with a smile.

  “In that case, there are many colors that could work.” The older woman says. “I would stick with something dark or metallic, maybe a bck or silver.”

  “You could also do a navy blue, or even a pastel pink if you want.” The younger woman says.

  “Let’s look and see what we can find.” The older woman says.

  The younger girl leads us down an aisle, and pulls a silver a-line dress, and holds it up to me. “What do you think?”

  “I’m not sure…” I say, looking at it. “It’s cute but… It’s not really me.”

  “That’s okay.” She says. “We have plenty of other options.”

  She moves on to another rack, and pulls out a short red backless dress, and holds it up to me. “How’s this?”

  “Good.” I say. “I’m not sure about the color though… It might csh with my hair once it’s dyed…”

  “A bit.” She says. “But it would still look really good on you.”

  “I think if you had this in bck, I’d like it.” I say.

  “I’m sure we have something simir.” She says, as she looks through the dresses on the rack. “Here we go.”

  She pulls out a nearly identical dress, but in bck, and holds it up. ‘That’s much better.” I say.

  “Want to try it on?” She asks.

  “Please.” I say.

  “What shoe size are you?” The older woman asks.

  “Size nine.” I say, after remembering what was said earlier.

  The woman spends a few moments searching a rack of shoes, before pulling down a pair of bck sandal heels, with ribbons that wrap over the arch of the foot, and around the ankle.

  “Try these on with the dress.” She says.

  I walk into the changing room, and shut the curtain behind me. It takes me longer than I would have liked to get the dress on. Once it is on, I pull off my socks and slide them into the heels, and tie the ribbon around my heel. I take a step towards the mirror, and nearly fall.

  A small squeak escapes my lips, and my mom calls out to me. “You okay?”

  “Yeah.” I say ruefully. “Just struggling to walk.”

  My mom ughs. “Can I open the curtain?”

  “Go for it.” I say, focusing on keeping my feet beneath me.

  She pulls the curtain open, and I immediately feel all three women’s eyes on me. “Told you it was going to look good.” The younger woman says with a smirk.

  “She is really pretty.” The older woman says.

  “You’re stunning, Emmy.” My mom says. “Do you like it?”

  I look at myself in the mirror, and can’t help the smile that appears on my face. “Yes. Very much so.”

  “Come on out.” The older woman says. “Give us a fashion walk.”

  I tentatively take a step towards them, then another, then- I yelp as my heel slips and my ankle bends. Multiple hands grab onto me, and I barely keep from hitting my knees on the ground.

  “You alright there?” The older woman asks.

  “I’m fine.” I say, as I stabilize myself with their help.

  “You haven’t walked in heels before, have you?” The younger woman asks, and I shake my head. “Take slow steps.” She says. “It seems counter intuitive, but try walking heel to toe. Don’t walk on the balls of your feet.”

  “O-okay.” I say, and take a small step forward.

  The younger woman guides me through taking a few more steps, and keeps her hand on my arm in case I fall. After I manage to become slightly confident in walking, the woman guides me back to the changing room.

  “Do you want them, Emmy?” My mom asks.

  “They are really pretty.” I say. “When would I wear it though?”

  “I’m sure there will be times.” She says nonchantly. “Every woman should have a formal dress, and I think this looks good on you.”

  “I do too.” I say, and smile down at her. “I’ll take it.”

  “Yay!” The younger woman shouts. “Do you want us to tailor it for you?”

  “Why not.” My mom says. “You deserve it, Emmy.”

  “Okay.” I say softly, and start for the changing room.

  “Can I come in there with you?” The younger girl asks. “I’ll need your clothes off to measure, so may as well feed two birds with one scone.”

  I smile at her version of the idiom. “Sure.” Then look at my mom. “Will you come in there too?”

  “Of course, Emmy.” She says, and we all enter the room.

  After I pull off the shoes and dress, the woman pulls a tape measure out of the small bag on her hip, as well as her phone. She starts by measuring my waist, then my hips. She takes multiple other measurements before stopping at my bra.

  “This dress should be worn without a bra, so I need to measure you without yours.” She says.

  “Oh…” I say softly. “I um… I was hoping I could wear it with a bra…” I say softly.

  “Is it a push up bra?” She asks, and I nod. “I could probably alter the dress to have some padding there to help with your curves.”

  “Please.” I say, smiling anxiously at her.

  “What cup does that bring you to?” She asks.

  “B.” I say softly.

  “Okay cool.” She says. “I still need to measure your chest so I can get it right. Is that okay?”

  I sigh, and pull off my bra. “Sure.”

  The woman looks at me for a moment, before starting to measure. “I see, I see.” She says. “You aren’t the first trans woman I’ve altered a dress for. I’ll make it look good.”

  I feel anxiety grip my heart as I start to search my mind for anything that could have given me away, when my eyes nd on the mirror. Oh… I look down at my hips, and see the small bulge between my legs. Right…

  “Can I put my dress back on?” I ask, and pick up the pid dress we bought earlier today.

  “Yes.” The woman says, and slides the curtain just barely to the side as she steps out. “I’ll take this dress to the back, and my mom will be at the counter when you’re ready to pay.”

  I immediately pull my bra back on, and then the dress, trying not to let the sorrow affect my mood.

  “I’m sorry, Emmy.” My mom says softly, and pulls me into a hug. “That was really rude of her.”

  “I almost don’t want to buy that dress anymore…” I say softly. “I know she wasn’t trying to be mean… She clearly didn’t realize how much that would hurt.”

  “Still.” My mom says. “That was completely uncalled for. I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault…” I say, and sit down on the bench. “I just…”

  “We don’t have to get it.” She says. “Not if you don’t want to.”

  A thought hits me, and I look up at her. “Mom, could you design a dress for me?”

  She smiles brightly. “I won’t lie, I did think about it.” She says. “Is that what you want?”

  “Yes.” I say, nodding at her. “I’d much rather have a dress that you made for me.”

  She giggles at me. “Ya know,” She says. “When I st showed you my designs, you said you’d never model for me.”

  “Because I was a boy…” I finish. “That aged like milk.”

  My mom lets out a joyous rumbly ugh. “I’ll go tell them we don’t want it, and then we can look through my designs before your date, and see what types you like.”

  “Thank you, Mom.” I say, and finish putting my socks and shoes on.

  “Go ahead and wait outside.” She says. “I’ll come find you after I tell them off.”

  “Don’t be too hard on her.” I say. “She didn’t know.”

  “I’ll try.” She says, and we walk out of the room.

  I walk out of the store, and find a chair to sit on while I wait. My phone rings, and I pull it out to see Caleb’s name on screen. I take a breath, press answer, and hold it up to my ear.

  “Hi, Brother.” I say softly.

  “Hey, Sis.” He says, his voice low. “I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I shouldn’t have had to think about it.”

  “It’s okay.” I say. “I get it.”

  “It’s not.” He says. “I’ve known you for eight years. I know who you are. To say that none of the good I’ve seen in you matters, because you realized you’re trans, would be extremely unfair to you. You are what you are. You are my sister, Emmy.”

  “Thank you, Caleb.” I say, as I feel tears prick at the corners of my eyes. “It means a lot.”

  “Of course.” He says. “If I’m being honest, I’d be lying if I said this was a surprise.”

  “What?” I ask, confused.

  “Yeah.” He says. “Looking back, it was extremely obvious.”

  I giggle at him. “I’ve been thinking the same.” I admit.

  “Where are you at, by the way?” He asks.

  “At the mall.” I say, then realize something. “How’d you realize I was out?”

  “I went by your house to do this in person.” He expins. “But no one was home.”

  “Sorry.” I say. “My mom and I are out shopping.”

  “I won’t keep you then.” He says. “Have a good day, Sis.”

  “You too, Bro.” I say happily. “You too.”

  The call ends, just in time for my mom to walk up. “You ready for makeup?” She asks.

  “Yes please.” I say, and let her pull me to my feet.

  We walk to a huge gss wall, with a big pink neon sign that reads ‘Supra Pretty’. We walk inside, and are once again immediately approached by an associate.

  “Hi!” He says happily. “How can I help you?”

  “We’re looking to get a full makeup set for my daughter.” My mom says. “And we need to get her color matched.”

  “Great!” He says happily. “Follow me!”

  He leads us around the store, pulling out various different product testers, and applying them to my wrist. After a solid ten minutes, and about twenty square inches of skin covered in various products, we have a basket with foundation, concealer, and contour.

  I lead my mom to the eye section, and end up picking out a bck liquid eyeliner, a bck eyeliner pencil, and a white eyeliner pencil. After struggling to decide on an eyeshadow palette, my mom puts all three options into the basket, and smiles at me.

  After choosing a blush palette, and a highlight palette, my mom grabs my hand and smiles at me. “Let’s get you some brushes and sponges, some makeup wipes, and a cute case and hairband.”

  “Yes, please!” I say excitedly, and let her pull me around the building.

  She puts a rge assortment of brushes into the basket, and a couple of blending sponges. After that she pulls me to the center of the building, where the cases and bags are. The first one to leap out at me is a pink bag covered in chibi style anime girls.

  My mom lets out a soft ugh. “You want that one, don’t you?” She says, pointing at the one I noticed.

  I nod excitedly. “I do.”

  She chuckles and puts it in the cart. “Then you’ll need a headband to match.” She pulls a pink fuzzy headband, with cat ears on it, off the rack and hands it to me.

  “It’s so soft.” I say as I stroke the fur.

  “Throw it in the basket.” She says with a smile. “Is there anything else you need?” I can’t think of anything, so I shake my head. “Then let's go get some food. I’m hungry.”

  We pay an exorbitant amount for the makeup, which my mom promises is more or less what she expected to pay, and then guides me to the food court.