Secrets at Echowood College

Cause & Effect

It was a dark and foggy night, cold and silent like an abandoned graveyard on a still night. The overcast clouds blocked out the moonlight, but a faint gray glow gently brushed across the leaves and undisturbed earth. No breeze, no motion, no sound. Just low-lying fog, a mysterious thick cloud, hovering and exploring across the surface. The air was damp and stale. And even though this location sat in the middle of forests and creeks and mountainous landscapes, no wild animal or wandering person disturbed the silence of this hazy, dark night.

Approximately 40 miles from the nearest town or gas station, the isolated campus of Echowood College rested uneasily out in the wilderness, several thousand feet above sea level. The campus was larger than most, but still smaller than many state universities. All in all, about three thousand students, faculty, and staff lived here on site. They had their own dorms, laundry facility, private grocery store, and even an entertainment center where students could rent videos or play arcade games.

The college was privately owned and very selective in its students. Few even knew about this place, and its board of directors preferred to keep it that way. They sought the students. They gave the selected few a coveted admission application. No one else. For this place of higher learning had its secrets. Secrets that only the chosen few might ever know. Secrets that could change the very foundational perception of the world. Secrets, that in fact, had the power to change the world in ways unknown, unimagined, and as of yet unrealized.

This was Echowood College. And on this very night, the history of the world would soon be forever changed.

Delta Hall, one of the female-only dorms, had its reputation for mysteries. All the dorms had stories of ghosts, unexplained phenomena, and even mysterious student disappearances. Delta Hall was no exception.

And on a night like tonight, only the insanely brave or daringly foolish would venture out to the far end of the campus, to Delta Hall.

Mack Thompson, a sophomore at Echowood College, was neither insanely brave nor daringly foolish. But he was horny. And his much-desired girlfriend stayed in Delta Hall. Most of his buddies were drinking and watching satellite TV. But Mack couldn’t keep his mind off Melissa Freeman—the girl he was lucky enough to call his girlfriend for the past seven months. He had to see her. He had to be with her. So while his buddies were laughing at stupid jokes, he slipped out unnoticed, and stealthily snuck across campus.

The chilly air caused him to shiver, but the boiling blood of passion kept him going. The image of Melissa burned into his mind’s eye. Her soft round face, her gentle cheeks, her sweet lips… Those intoxicating brown eyes, that smooth red hair… He wanted to kiss her, he wanted to hold her, he wanted to reach and touch and caress her, from head to toe, and all over.

It was the “all over” part that really excited him. She had a great body to begin with. Nice round firm breasts, a seductively curved figure, and thighs that would make any man drool. Her legs were so smooth and well-toned. Feet so perfect and adorable. And her hands—oh yes, her hands—had the softest touch and the most stimulating tickle. Melissa was beautiful, to say the least.

Mack wasn’t such a bad-looking guy himself, either. He was fairly tall, in good physical condition, with dark hair and brown eyes. He liked to work out two or three times a week, ate healthy, and kept himself well-groomed and shaved. Melissa especially liked his round goatee and long sideburns. She also liked other parts of him that were “long” too.

As he quietly walked through the shadows, stepping across campus, he stopped to notice something odd. One of the buildings, the Metaphysics Research Facility, had a lit room on the second floor. All the buildings were supposed to be closed down and locked up by now. Even the janitor crew would’ve been done hours ago. He thought it was odd, especially since all the other buildings were dark and quiet. But he thought nothing more of it, and continued on to his girlfriend’s dormitory.

Just ahead was Delta Hall. Four floors high, twenty rooms wide, three hallways deep. Home to just under 500 college-aged girls. But he was only interested in one girl: his sweet, sexy, so deeply-desired Melissa.

Now came the hard part. How to get in? Delta Hall was for girls only. Absolutely no boys after 7:00 PM. Since it was after midnight by this point, Mack certainly didn’t want to get caught being here. Echowood College was very strict on their policies and rules. He learned that the hard way. About a month ago, he got caught visiting Melissa after hours, even though it was a weekend. After putting him through two weeks of janitor duty, they warned him that if he was caught in the girl’s dorm after hours again, they’d expel him. Mack was on a full-ride scholarship from this institution; he certainly didn’t want to blow this opportunity. Not to mention, his parents would probably kill him if he was sent back home half way through the semester.

So he had to play it smart. He knew the Resident Advisor “randomly” checked the halls every thirty minutes or so. He also knew which security office the R.A. would come from, based on when he got caught last time.

So, if he hid in the bushes, in the darkness and shadows, he could peer in through the glass door and watch a narrow section of the hallway. Once the R.A. started her rounds, he could sneak inside and take an alternate route. True, the security cameras would probably see him, but the R.A. wouldn’t while she was walking the halls. He had a narrow window of opportunity here. The slightest margin of error could mean disaster for him. But if he timed it right, he could sneak inside, get upstairs, and slip into his girlfriend’s room. There he would spend the night, until it was safe to leave later the next day during normal visiting hours. Even if he got caught on the way out, he could say that he was on his way in, to check in, to visit his girlfriend. It was genius. Fool-proof, he thought. All he had to do was time it correctly and slip in silently.

Just then he saw the R.A. pass through the hall. This was it! Taking the shadowy route, he snuck up to the door and peeked inside one more time. The coast was clear. Carefully, quietly, he twisted the door knob and slowly drew open the door. Silently, he slipped in through the opening and dodged down the nearest hall. He spun around and crept into the stairwell, missing the R.A.’s sight by mere seconds. With each soft tip-toe, he ascended the stairs and arrived at the second floor.

He peered his head around the corner, making sure no one was in sight. His heart raced. He thought he heard a footstep. Could that be the R.A.? Getting caught like this would look really, really bad. Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all. Oh well, too late now.

Softly, he stepped down the second-floor hallway, approaching his girlfriend’s room. No one in sight. Still safe. Quietly, nervously, he knocked on her door. He knocked again, slightly louder. He waited. No one answered. He knocked again, louder still. He looked back down the hall, to make sure no one was coming. He waited impatiently at her door, afraid to knock any louder, knowing he could be spotted at any moment!

Suddenly a female voice called to him, from down the hallway. “Mack?” she remarked, surprised.

His heart jumped and skipped a beat, gasping for air as he turned to see her. But when he saw her – whew – it was none other than Melissa herself.

“What are you doing here?” she exclaimed, trying to keep her voice down. She quickly went up to her door and pulled out her key to unlock it. She held a brown cardboard box in her other arm. She opened the door as fast as she could and rushed him inside, locking the door behind them.

She sat the box down on the table. “You trying to get expelled!?”

“I’m sorry,” he said, so happy to see her. “I just had to see you. I love you, sweetie.”

Her heart melted. She really wanted to see him too. It had been too long since they were last together. Their school workload had absorbed most of their free time. E-mails and the occasional phone call simply weren’t enough. So she quickly embraced him in a hug. “Well, I’m glad you made it here safe. Even still, we should keep our voices down.”

She took him into her personal room, carrying the box with her. She closed her bedroom door and locked it shut. She placed the box down on her bed, sitting beside it. Mack stood in front of her, unable to keep himself from staring at her beauty. He really wanted to strip naked right then and there, and throw himself on her. But he had a little more reserve and self-control than that.

“So what’s in the box?” he asked her, noticing how closely she held it by her side.

“Oh nothing,” she said.

He paused and then cracked a smile. “Right. You’re only out at 12:30 at night, bringing home some anonymous box, that’s ‘nothing’.”

She looked at his deep brown eyes, and sighed. She couldn’t keep this secret from him. After all, they trusted each other. “Okay fine, but you have to promise to not tell anybody, okay?”

She seemed pretty serious about it, so whatever it was, he agreed to it.

Melissa opened the top of the cardboard box. They both leaned in to look.

“It’s a ball,” Mack said.

Melissa giggled and then reached in with both her hands. This “ball” was about the size of a softball, give or take, except it didn’t have any threads or marks. “No, silly, it’s not a ball. It’s a sphere.”

“Sphere, ball, round object, whatever,” he said.

She held it in her lap. It was colorless, like a crystal ball. Heavy too. Perfectly smooth and round. Placing both hands on it, she smiled with lustful bliss. She closed her eyes, beginning to imagine or dream of something.

“Mmm…” she said, enjoying it a little too much for Mack’s comfort. He snatched it out of her hands.

“What the hell is this supposed to be?” he asked, keeping it away from her. But as he held it in his own hands, he quickly understood why she enjoyed it so much. He could feel it too. Coming from the ball, through his fingers, and into his hands. It was…like nothing he’d ever experienced. Hard to explain.

She stared at the crystalline sphere in his hands, longingly. “Can you keep a secret?”

“Sure,” he said.

“In my one science class, we had to go to the lab today for some experiment. I went to the bathroom, but got lost on my way back. That’s when I found it.”

“Found what? This?” he asked, looking into the mysterious sphere.

“Yeah. I had wandered into the wrong room. I saw it sitting there. They were working on it or studying it or something, but I guess someone left it out while they took a break. Maybe because students aren’t usually in the building. Anyway, I saw it—and it called to me, somehow. I know this sounds crazy, but, I just had to get a closer look.”

Still holding it in his hands, he wanted a closer look too. Something about it intrigued him. Pulled him to it. He didn’t want to stop holding it.

She continued her story. “When I touched it, I felt something. A power surge or something. But it didn’t hurt at all. It actually felt really good.”

“Yeah,” he said, able to understand. He was feeling it too, right now.

“But then I heard someone coming, so I ran out and eventually found the rest of my class. The scientists working in that room saw me, but didn’t realize I had been inside their lab. They gave me directions back to my class, but I made sure to remember how I got to that room.”

“You came back for it, didn’t you?”

She nodded. “Let me see it again?”

He sat down with her, and let the mysteriously-alluring sphere sit between them. They both held a hand on it. “This is weird,” he said, realizing how he was acting about it. It was almost as if it has some kind of supernatural power to it, drawing them to it.

“You don’t know the half of it,” she explained, excitedly. “When I went back to get it, I saw some papers laying out about it. They were the scientists’ notes… Mack, you’re not going to believe this.” She paused, almost unable to reveal the amazing truth herself. “Mack, this thing—whatever it is—can totally transform us. Total change. You understand what I’m saying?”

“Um,” he said, searching his thoughts. “No, not really.”

“Here, let me show you…” She grabbed the sphere and stood up from her bed. Standing in the middle of her small room, she faced Mack, and said, “Watch this!”

She closed her eyes and focused her mind. Holding the sphere between her hands, she accessed its power and focused its potential on her. Shifting its raw mysterious energies to work, she used its power freely and effortlessly—on herself.

Mack watched her curiously, not sure what to expect. Then, suddenly, his eyes went wide with disbelief as he witnessed the most incredible sight. Melissa, his beautiful girlfriend, was changing right before his very eyes.

Her red hair lengthened down past her shoulders, turning to a rich blonde as it did. Her soft brown eyes changed to a sweet blue color. Her breasts enlarged and her overall form changed slightly. Even her bodily height slowly shrank down a couple inches. Suddenly, amazingly, she was a new woman. Just as attractive before, but entirely different. Different face, different hair, different body. Like a whole other person. But it was still her, still Melissa. And all of this amazing transformation passed in a matter of seconds.

Mack’s jaw dropped.

“See?” Melissa asked. Even her voice sounded different. She giggled. “I always wanted to be blonde,” she admitted.

“How did—what—? I don’t—”

She smiled and stepped closer to him. “It’s okay. Hard to believe, huh? It’s all because of this,” she said with excitement, holding the mysterious sphere. “I used its power to change my body… Do you like it?”

He looked her over, not sure what to say. Yeah, he liked her new look. But he also really liked her old look, too. But, as she started undressing, he began to really like her new look. As her larger, most perfectly-formed breasts fell out from her shirt, Mack swallowed hard and nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I like it.”

She carelessly tossed her shirt to the floor and then leaned forward to kiss Mack on the bed. “I missed you so much,” she said.

Holding her close, he replied with the same. Unable to restrain themselves any longer, Melissa quickly placed the sphere into the box, on the floor. Then the two lovers got a little more close and little more comfortable with each other.

Meanwhile, one floor lower and a few rooms over, the Resident Advisor on the night shift surfed the Internet endlessly, trying to keep herself from getting too bored. To her left were a couple black and white security monitors, showing everything all the cameras could see. In front of her was a computer, which she spent many hours playing Solitaire and surfing the world wide web. The Internet access was usually pretty fast and reliable, using a satellite link-up. Cutting edge technology. Only in bad weather did the connection give problems.

The R.A. was a senior-level student. All R.A.’s were. Most seniors, who passed the College’s special exams, were invited to participate in some of the institution’s more special projects. However, due to the nature of most of these projects, they were sworn to secrecy. Only those who could be trusted were let in on any of the special secrets.

Suddenly the phone rang, breaking the numbing silence and boredom. “Delta Hall, R.A.’s Office,” she answered.

“Kammy, this is Professor Trump,” said the person on the other end. It was an older man, but Kammy—the Resident Advisor that night—had taken a few courses with him before. Like many seniors at Echowood College, she knew most of her professors on a personal basis by now. “Has anyone checked in or out lately?”

She could tell something was distressing him. “Um, yeah, a couple people. Let me see…” She pulled out the sign-in sheet and looked it over. “Melissa Freeman and Kelley Smith. Is something the matter, Professor?”

“Pay them a visit, inspect their rooms. We’re missing one of the spheres of the Metaphysics Research Facility. Now, I don’t want to start accusing anyone of stealing it, but someone left the light on and, well, it’s missing.”

“Understood. I’ll check right now.”

“Thanks, Kammy. I’ll check with the rest of the residence halls, too. I’m sure this is just an honest mistake, but if you find one of the students with it, bring them to me at once.”

“Right, I completely understand.” She understood the severity and seriousness of the matter. “I’ll let you know if anything turns up.”

“Thanks,” said Professor Trump, hanging up the phone to call the next residence hall on his list.

Kammy jotted down the names and room numbers of the two students who checked in late tonight. Then she quickly left her office and headed for the first girl on the list, Kelley Smith.

Upstairs in Melissa’s room, Mack and his newly enhanced girlfriend were wrapped in each other’s naked arms, pressing their unclothed bodies against each other. Apparently, Melissa not only changed the appearance of her body, but also the sensitivity of certain areas, as well. She was already starting to feel climax and they had only just connected their two fleshes as one.

Downstairs, Kammy knocked on Kelley’s door. “Kelley, this is the R.A. Are you still awake?”

A moment later, Kelley answered the door, wearing nothing more than a long pink t-shirt. Sleepy and sluggish, she looked at Kammy. “What’s up?”

“I need to come in,” she said, urgently.

“Sure,” said Kelley, opening the door wider. “What’s wrong?”

Wasting no time, Kammy searched the room with her eyes. Nothing seemed unusual or out of place. “Mind if I check your closet?”

“Um, I guess,” she replied, curious and unsure. “What’s this all about?”

Kammy opened the closet and looked inside. Then she turned around and checked under the bed. No sign of it. “Where’d you go earlier tonight?”

Lightly scratching her bottom, she yawned and said, “I had to return a disk to my friend, over in Gamma. We’re working on a paper that’s due in class tomorrow.” She paused. “I’m sorry, is something wrong?”

Kammy, satisfied that the sphere wasn’t here, headed for the door. “No, apparently not. Sorry to disturb you. You can go back to bed now, I’m sorry to have waked you.”

“Okay…” Kelley said, but was too tired to really care. “Good night.”

Kammy closed the door and then headed for the next and last person on her list: Melissa Freeman.

Back in Melissa’s room, the two lovers slid their bodies against each other in a repetitive, increasingly rapid motion. They tried to keep their moans and sighs down, but Melissa’s new transformation made it hard for her to contain her physical excitement. That, of course, only built up the tension and excitement inside of Mack. Bodies sweating, hearts racing, the two joined lovers shared intense pleasure and intimacy…building, building, building, until finally, at last, climax and release.

It felt so good. Better than usual. Maybe it was her new look, a change, that added a fresh element to their sex. Maybe it was the heightened sensitivity of her new body that made it so much better. Whatever it was, it was a well-enjoyed experience. Catching his breath, Mack said, “We definitely need to do this again.”

Melissa smiled and laughed, hugging and holding him again.

Then they heard a knock on the suite room door.

They stopped, looking towards her closed bedroom door, and wondered who could be knocking at this hour. The knocking persisted.

Melissa’s suitemate, whose room sat next to hers but shared a common living area, woke up and answered the front door.

Then there was a knock on Melissa’s bedroom door. “Melissa? You awake?” called her suitemate. “The R.A. needs to see you.”

Melissa took one look at Mack.

“Shit!” he whispered.

Melissa quickly grabbed the sphere out of the box and held both hands on it. Focusing as quickly and clearly as possible, she used its power to return to her original appearance. The knocking continued, but Melissa kept focus as best as possible. Slowly her physical changes began to reverse.

Then the R.A. started knocking, impatiently. “Melissa, you in there? This is the R.A. I need to speak with you right now.”

Mack hurriedly tried to get his clothes back on. He tried to pull on his pants, but fell over in the haphazard rush.

Melissa, now back to her usual appearance, took one quick look at Mack. There was nowhere to hide him. The more the R.A. angrily knocked on the door, the more Melissa worried that Mack had been caught. He was busted. No escape.

This was terrible! Now he was going to be expelled—and she’d never see him again!

“Melissa, if you don’t open this door right now, I’m coming in with the master key!” demanded the R.A.

“Just a second, I’m not dressed!” called out Melissa, which was true, but she was really just trying to buy time.

Mack looked up at Melissa from the floor, trying to squirm into his clothes. His eyes filled with his fear and helplessness. What could he do?

Melissa didn’t want to lose him. She would certainly get in big trouble for this, too. There was no way out … or was there?

“Mack,” she whispered. “Just relax… I have an idea.”

He looked at her. “What?” he whispered, desperately.

“Just don’t worry…trust me.” She held the sphere between her hands, closed her eyes again, and quickly focused her mind.

The knocking continued. “Melissa? What’s taking so long?”

He looked at Melissa curiously. What was she thinking? What was she going to do? “There’s no time for this!” he exclaimed. No time for games. The R.A. gave her final warning.

“I’m coming!” yelled Melissa, trying not to break focus.

Mack stared at the door, fearing the worst. Any second now, the R.A. would break in, and he’d be so busted. He managed to pull up the rest of his pants, unbuckled. No time for that. He grabbed his shirt and started to slip it on.

But then… something strange. He felt strange, somehow.

He looked over at Melissa. Still trying to use that damn thing.

More demanding knocks on the door. “No more stalling, Melissa. I’m coming in.” The door knob started to jostle. The R.A. searched for the master key.

Mack pulled on his shirt, but it didn’t seem to fit right. It was looser, it seemed. But only slightly. Was it stretched? No… couldn’t be that.

Melissa continued focusing the energies of the mysterious sphere. Mack wondered if she was trying to use its power against the R.A. somehow.

But then a tingling sensation entered certain areas of his body. His chest, mostly. He wanted to itch it, but the scratching only increased the unexplained sensation. And as he scratched across his chest, his hand bumped across an unexpected lump. Two humps, actually.

“What the—?” he quietly remarked, looking down at his chest. Something was growing out on his chest—from his chest. With a quick grab and grope of his hands, he instantly knew what they were.

His face immediately fell to a blank, stunned stare. He squeezed the two growing breasts on his chest, feeling them as if it were his own flesh. And that wasn’t the only thing changing, either. He could tell his hands were getting slightly smaller, and more delicate. His arms became less muscular and slightly shorter, too.

He looked over at Melissa. He couldn’t believe it. Was she actually doing what he thought she was?

His thoughts were quickly distracted but his own physical changes. His shirt fell a little looser around the shoulders and waist, but as the pair of breasts grew out, the front of his shirt clung tighter. Suddenly he felt longer hair fall down his back.

“Melissa, what are you doing?” he exclaimed. “Stop!”

But when his voice cracked, losing his deep masculine tone, he started to really panic. He stepped over to stop Melissa, but hadn’t realized his legs were changing too. His center of balance was off, due to his new hips, and the length of his legs were also different—causing him to trip and fall at Melissa’s feet.

Staring at Melissa’s bare feet, he couldn’t help but check his own. The worst he feared had come true. His large feet were now much smaller and effeminate. “No, please,” he pleaded, with a very feminine voice.

Heart racing, he didn’t know what to do. How does someone handle something like this? Suddenly he gasped, realizing that the worst was yet undone.

He reached his soft feminine hands into the crotch of his pants and felt around—searching—for the body part he once held with so much pride and satisfaction. “No!” she cried, finding nothing but soft, moist lips instead. “No, no, no!” Mack cried aloud.

She—Mack—stood up and looked herself over, top to bottom. There was no denying it now. He was a she. Through and through. She wore Mack’s pants and shirt, but that’s all that was left of Mack. Now, instead, remained some girl, some woman in his place.

Melissa slowly opened her eyes, returning her focus to the present situation in the room. She looked at Mack, and smiled at her handiwork. “Relax,” she smiled. “I’ll change you back after the R.A. leaves.”

Just then the R.A. opened the door. Melissa, still standing in the buff, suddenly felt very awkward and uncomfortable. But not as much as the R.A. Mack—some anonymous girl now—just smiled awkwardly and laughed nervously.

“I’m sorry,” said Kammy, diverting her view away from Melissa. “Who’s your friend?” she asked.

“Um, this is—” Melissa said, quickly thinking up a name for Mack, “—Megan, from Gamma Hall. We’re working on a project for class.”

Naked? Kammy wondered. None of her business, she supposed. She was here for one reason, and one reason only. The sphere. She looked around the room, checked in the closet, under the bed, everywhere. No sign of it. Awkward and uneasy from the moment, Kammy quickly returned to the common living area. “Sorry to disturb you, really.” Kammy tried to think of a plausible excuse for why she had to barge in on a student in the middle of the night, but couldn’t think of anything. “I’m just—sorry. Look, I gotta go. Have a good night.” The R.A. left and didn’t look back.

The suitemate asked, “What the hell was that all about?”

Melissa shrugged, now half-dressed.

“Well, it’s late. G’night,” said the suitemate. She closed the door on them.

Mack—or rather, Megan now—sighed with great relief. “That was close!” she said. She sat down on the bed, still getting used to her new body. Looking to Melissa, now fully dressed, she said, “Okay, you can change me back now.”

“Right,” said Melissa. Then she looked around. “Um… Uh oh.”

Megan looked hopelessly up at Melissa. “Uh oh?”

Melissa started to panic, looking around the room frantically. “Where’d it go?”

Megan’s eyes shot open wide. It was gone! She got up and helped Melissa search for it. They checked under the bed, under the blankets and pillows, behind stuff, everywhere! No sign of it.

“Where’d it go?” Melissa panicked.

“It couldn’t have just disappeared!” Megan argued. “Where did you have it last?”

Melissa retraced her thoughts. “I had it in my hands, and I used it to change you, and then the R.A. broke in, and – I can’t remember where it was after that!”

Megan sighed desperately. “It can’t be gone! It just can’t!”

Melissa felt really bad for her former boyfriend, current female friend. “I’m sorry. I’m sure it will turn up somewhere.”

“But I can’t stay like this!” she exclaimed. “I’m a woman!” Megan cried aloud, exhaustedly.

Melissa sat down on the bed next to her. “It’s okay,” she said, putting her arm around Megan. “It’s not so bad.” She giggled. “Think of it as an opportunity to better understand the opposite sex—and me—for a little while, until we find the sphere again and change you back.”

“But—” she sighed.

“It’s only temporary, I promise,” assured Melissa.

Megan calmed herself down. She looked at her hands, arms, legs, feet… Then she stared at her chest, felt her curvy waists and smooth thighs. Once again, she felt in her crotch area, hoping that by some long-shot miracle, it was back. But it wasn’t. Just her new vagina, her new pussy. With new breasts. Long hair. A cute face.

She looked again at her breasts. They weren’t too large, but they weren’t very small either. “At least you gave me good size boobs,” she said, laughing.

Melissa laughed with her. “I made everything about you good. You’re very pretty. Most girls would die to look like you.”

Megan smiled, trying to find some comfort in that. “Well, thanks. But I still don’t want to stay this way forever. How soon before you can change me back?”

Melissa shrugged her shoulders. “I honestly don’t know. I’m sure it’s around here somewhere. Maybe it somehow returned to the lab? I dunno… We can check first thing tomorrow. Promise.”

“Right, yeah, sure. But where am I gonna sleep tonight?”

Melissa felt bad for putting her boyfriend in such an awkward predicament. She offered to sleep on the floor, and give Megan the bed for tonight. Tomorrow, hopefully, they would find the sphere and transform Megan back into Mack. Hopefully…

It just didn’t make any sense—where could it have gone?