The Secrets of Meadowbrook

by sammig82

Disclaimer: This story is heavily inspired by a collection of stories from Wannabe Chick on literotica (https://www.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=22733&page=submissions). My attention was to bring them together into something a little different. It can get cringey at times, but this is done so to set up for Chapter 2. There is no suiting involved. Thanks for all your patience and support. 

Chapter 1: A Quiet Suburban Life

The sky was so cloudy that when Eric Turner awoke at 7:00 a.m. to the sound of his alarm buzzing, he didn't realize it was morning. Groaning, he drew his covers closer to him, rolled over, and attempted to sleep again. No 18-year-old boy like getting up at seven a.m. for school, but it's worse on December 21st, two days before the Christmas holiday begins. He didn't want to face such a dreadful day, so he chose to sleep till Christmas. The high school senior was content to sleep the terrible day away in only his boxer shorts.

Eric’s mother, on the other hand, had different ideas.

"Time to get up," she remarked through the doorway. Eric moaned and buried his head under the blanket when she turned on the lights. "Come on," his lovely guardian urged, "two more days and you're done."

"School has been canceled," the young man announced, his voice muffled by many layers of blankets.

"Oh really," his mother commented. As she sat on the mattress next to him, the bed springs sank slightly. Eric was content to stay hidden.

"The news said there was a 99.9% chance of snow, so they just canceled it," he lied. "You should let me sleep. Growing boys require rest."

"Growing boys need to stop procrastinating and get out of bed," the mother observed, "because you know what happens if you don't...

"What?" he inquired.

"You'll get tickled!"

His mother's fingers were pressing into his sides, reaching all his weak spots before he knew it. Eric had always been quite ticklish, and she, being his mother, knew exactly what to do. He was at her mercy, giggling so loudly that he couldn't breathe.

"Please, no more!" Eric pleaded.

"You better get out of bed and come have some breakfast," She threatened playfully, her fingers retracted but ready to attack.

"Yeah, yeah," Eric answered.

"Good," Mom said. She swatted his bums and got out of bed. He could hear her walking down the stairs to the kitchen as she left his room. Eric stretched before rolling out of bed to start his day.

The teenager joined his mother in the kitchen fifteen minutes later, having showered and dressed. His mom, Marilyn Turner, was also dressed for work, in a sharp red pencil skirt-suit, a white blouse, and black stockings. Inside his head, Eric tried to describe his mother. She was now 39 years old, and she had raised him since he was a baby. As mentioned before, his old man left before he even started walking, so he had no memories of him. Eric and his mom, on the other hand, got along great. They never needed money because she was a successful producer of a local news program. He was her sole child. She had never dated anyone, though he wondered if she was just waiting for him to start college.

Eric had to ogle his mom while she cooked his scrambled eggs. She was a voluptuous woman, slightly over 5 feet tall, with ample breasts and solid, well-toned thighs and calves. She also had a beautiful, round ass. Her body was seductive enough to match her face's beauty: pink lips, blue eyes, a flawless grin, and sandy blonde hair. As he processed everything, he felt a little terrible for checking his mother out. However, as the young man reminded himself that he was simply stating the obvious.

"I'm going over to Bethany’s after school," Eric announced. His girlfriend's name was Bethany. She, like him, was a highschool senior, and they had been dating for a few weeks.

"And how will you be getting home?" his mother asked.

"Bethany’s mom said she'll give me a ride," he explained.

"OK," Mom said.

After that, Eric’s mother handed him his eggs and toast and poured herself a bowl of Special K to eat. His mom smiled as he made a face at her, showing his displeasure with the insipid cereal. They ate and spoke aimlessly until it was time to depart.

Marilyn would usually drop him off on her way to work. She backed up to the curb, weaving her way past the swarm of high school students swarming the school. I murmured my goodbyes and pushed open the door.

"Eric?" she hinted.

"Yes?"

"Did you forget something?"

For a little while, Eric gazed about, attempting to recall what it was. His mother's cheek then turned towards him. The boy smiled, kissed her on the cheek, and stepped out of the car. As she drove away, he waved.

**

During class, Eric was sitting next to Bethany. His lovely girlfriend was focused on what their Art teacher, Mr. Olsen was teaching as usual. She had always been among the most attentive students when it came to Arts. To Eric, she was a masterpiece in her own right which he could enjoy to no end. He focused on her features and reflected on how he had first met her.

Bethany was a new student in his high school, and she was just gorgeous. She stood around 5'6 and had dark brown hair that fell to her shoulders. Her eyes were vivid blue, and when she smiled, her cheeks dimpled. Her skin was as delicate as a baby's. Her breasts were really impressive. They were at least C cups, round, and very perky.

One day, Eric had spotted her coming down the stairs, dressed in a tight maroon shirt that showed off her assets wonderfully. She was also dressed in a black miniskirt, revealing her lovely legs. He was in love with her from the minute he saw her. Eric just knew she had to be his girlfriend.

Eric was a shy person. He was, nevertheless, adamant. He finally had the opportunity after several hours of preparing what he was going to say to her. He and Bethany were studying English. That's when he gathered up the confidence to approach her.

"Hi, Bethany!" Eric murmured, his voice trembling.

"Hi," Bethany said.

"I'm Eric."

"I know,"

"How…"

"Hey, did you get yesterday's lesson? I don't get it," Bethany said.

That's how it all started.

A couple of months later, he was now in her room, sitting on her bed. School could not have ended any sooner as the lessons slowed to a drag, especially for such a special day. Today was the second month annivesary of their being a couple and he was invited to her place for a quiet celebration. They had had their lunch at a diner beforehand. Gifts had been exchanged.

“Mom won’t be home until six… So, we’ll have…,” the lovely teenage girl said while checking her pink Apple watch, “at least 3 hours to ourselves.”

“What do you have in mind?” Eric asked, feeling thankful to be alone with probably the cutest girl in school… and in her room at that.

“You’re here, and how sweet of you to get me such a nice gift,” Bethany said while still admiring her new watch.

Eric instinctively leaned into her for a deep kiss. That was just a brief one though as he pulled away from her before hooking a strand of her auburn bang to the back of her left ear to get a better view of her flawless face. Then, their lips came together once more for a passionate mouth-to-mouth. He could feel her eager tongue exploring his oral cavity while his vigorous hand was fondling her bountiful tits through her tight blouse. There was no way he would leave without burying his face between her cleavage today.

As soon as his hand started sneaking between her legs, Bethany, who was wearing a short denim skirt, quickly brought her knees together, effectively stopping him in his tracks. Instead, she broke away from the kiss to push him back onto the bed. With him lying on his back, she went to work on his pants. His cock would soon be freed from its confinement as Bethany stroke it to its full 7-inch potential.

“We meet again,” his girlfriend had a habit of interacting with his schlong before wrapping her lips around it.

“FUCK! You’re so good at this!” Eric grunted as his gorgeous girlfriend was bobbing her head up and down his shaft.

Sometimes it left him wondering where she got all the techniques from considering the fact that he was her first. The ball-licking, her tongue-glan manipulation and her effortless deep-throating – she knew all the best spots.

“I’m gonna cum, Beth…” Eric moaned. Having all his buttons pushed, he erupted down her throat.

Bethany swallowed every drop just like she did during their first time. He still remembered vividy where and when it was.

“That was incredible,” Eric said. Seeing her wiping her mouth with the back of her hand was such a turn-on.

“Thanks. I’m glad that you’ve liked it,” Bethany replied before kissing him. He was so aroused despite the post-orgasmic glow that he did not mind tasting his own jizz through his girlfriend’s kiss.

There was never any doubt that Bethany was a sexual person, constantly talking about the sensitive topic whenever they were hanging out. And yet, they had never actually gone all the way. Similar outings would end with her sucking him off without any progress. Eric felt this would be the perfect opportunity to press on the matter.

“Beth, I need to ask you something,” Eric said after breaking their embrace.

“What’s the matter?” Bethany queried, slightly anxious. She looked so gorgeous even when she was worried.

“I just need to know something,” Eric said. “We never get to have real sex. More importantly, I never get the chance to return the favor. Is it me? If it is, you’ll have to be straight with me.”

All of a sudden, tears started collecting at the bottom of Bethany’s big blue eyes. Eric immediately felt like a total dick for pushing the issue.

“I’m so sorry, Beth. I don’t mean to…”

“It’s not YOU, Eric,” Bethany interrupted. “It’s ME. I haven’t been completely truthful with you because I fear that you might think I’m a freak.”

“No, no… Bethany. You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met. Nothing will ever change my love for you, I promise,” Eric said while leaning in to wipe her tears with his thumb. Her skin was smooth and flawless as always even without any makeup.

“I don’t know about that, Eric,” Bethany said, still sobbing a little bit.

“Try me,” Eric said, his resolve was clear in his voice.

That was when Bethany took his hand and placed it under her skirt, between her legs. He had never gone this far before with her, and now that he was touching her crotch, he knew why. Before he could stop himself, he pulled his hand away quickly. He was shocked, but at the same time, he did not want her to feel embarrassed. So he kept his hand on her thigh, squeezing it lightly.

“Bethany,” Eric finally said.

“Yes…”

“Show me,” was all Eric said.

After taking a deep breath, Bethany pried herself away from him. Standing an arm’s reach away, she began shedding her clothes – starting with her top. Her impressive breasts were exposed only to be restrained by her pink lacy bras. Reaching behind her, she unclasped them before allowing the lingerie to gather with her shirt around her ankle. Eric had seen her glorious assets before. In fact, he had groped and sucked on them plenty of times. But that was as far as he got. Now, he was looking to go further, despite an unexpected twist. Cruel or not, the young man had yet to decide as Bethany had gone on to release the hook and the zipper of her short denim skirt. As soon as it joined the pile of clothes on the carpeted flooring, Eric could clearly observe the bulge on the front of her panties – not much different from the one he saw in the mirror showing up on his underwear.

There was some lingering doubt, but eventually, Bethany decided that there was no longer any reason to hide as she swiftly rolled her pink panties down her legs. Her cock sprung out in a partially erect state. He suspected that it would have more girth and size than his own if it was fully erect. And it was certainly getting there. Cleanly shaven along with her pair of sacs, Bethany’s seemingly sizeable package appeared beautiful. Despite their anatomical and biological representation, they even appeared rather feminine.

“This is a bad idea,” she said as she was second-guessing herself and pulling up her underwear.

That was when Eric stopped her, “No, it wasn’t!”

Not only did he keep her from covering her ‘secret’, he even went as far as holding and stroking her penis.

“You’re not turned off or… angry…” Bethany stuttered.

“Why should I? Didn’t I tell you that I’d love you no matter what?” Eric said.

Frankly, he did not know what got into him. Right in front of him was the girl of his dreams. From her beautiful smile to her perfect titties and her porcelain-like skin, there was no indication that she was anything but. Except for the only part of her that he was stroking. Despite being taken aback at first, his body seemingly had a mind of its own. And he was glad it did.

“That is if you don’t mind me doing this, of course…” Eric asked while looking up at his girlfriend’s relieved face. Beautiful as always.

“No… But, isn’t it a little too late for you to be asking anyway? See how big you’ve made it?” Bethany said while wiping tears away with her fingers. Tears Eric suspected to be the happy sorts this time around.

“Apologies my princess. Please allow me to make it up to you with this,” Eric said right before he took her cock into his mouth.

He didn’t know what he was doing, merely imitating what his girlfriend had been doing to him up until now. He used his tongue while trying to take it as far down his throat as he could without the unpleasant feeling of choking. All these while repeatedly bobbing his head front and back, creating a pumping motion along the length of his girlfriend's cock.

“FUCK, Eric! I’m cumming!”

That was the first F-bomb he had heard her drop for as long as he knew her. Soon after, she blew a massive load in his mouth. Being the nice boyfriend that he was, he did his best to swallow every drop. He would save some for Bethany when he stood up to kiss her after letting her pull out of his mouth. There shared her cum between them as they were Frenching, much like they were sharing his whenever she was done with him.

“How did you find my first time?” Eric pulled back gently from the kiss to ask.

“That was amazing, Eric! I love you,” Bethany said before leaning back in for another lengthy make-out session.

Eric was fondling her breasts as they did so and that got their ‘engine’ running again. When they eventually parted, Bethany glanced into his eyes. They were filled with lust – like hers.

“Eric.”

“Yes?”

“Fuck me.”

No further words were spoken as he gladly did as he was told. This would be his first anal sex, but Bethany passed him a partially used tube of lube she had retrieved from the nightstand as a hint for him to be gentle. He could only imagine what she had been doing with it without him around, and that turned him on more. With her comfortably on her back, Eric lifted her legs – her knees were bent as he pushed them against her boobs. That way, her anus would be presented to him as he lined his cock up. After squeezing a generous amount of lube on both her ‘pussy’ and his cock, Eric thrust forward. There was resistance at first, but his ‘head’ popped in thereafter.

Moans escaped from his girlfriend’s lips as he made love in the same way he would with any woman. To Eric, she was the perfect girl he could ever ask for as he began to stroke her dick while he fucked her. It did not take long before they both came, with him filling her with his cum while she squirted hers all over her pretty face and breasts.

Getting bolder by the second, Eric lowered himself to lap up her jizz with her tongue before sharing them with her in a deep long kiss.

“You really are into this, aren’t you?” Bethany said, now lying next to each other.

“Maybe I am… Or… Maybe, I was just putting up a front,” Eric said while turning to face his girl.

Bethany turned towards him with her head cocked up on a hand as she looked him in the eyes, amused. Her hourglass figure was on unrestricted display as she was resting on her side. Other than the package between her legs, Bethany was more womanly than most women he knew. And she knew it.

“With those perverted eyes? I don’t think so,” Bethany said before turning away to get out of bed.

She was reaching for her panties to get dressed when Eric stopped her as he got down to suck on her cock once more. They quickly shifted their bodies into the sixty-nine position with Eric on top. Despite already cumming twice, the couple-in-love were in sync once again, ejaculating into each other's mouths. None of them let any of their seeds go to waste as they gulp down everything.

“Bethany honey! I’m home!”

Came Mrs. Anderson’s voice from the front door downstairs.

“Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!,” Bethany panicked as she rushed to get dressed, leaving out her panties this time around. “Mom’s early! You gotta go!”

Eric too was quick to get into the clothes he came in. While still holding on to his shirt, he climbed out through his girlfriend’s window, not before giving her a kiss.

“I’ll give you a call tonight,” Bethany gave him a kiss before rolling down her blind.

Eric, meanwhile, slid down the roof before climbing down the downspout as he would usually do. Strolling around the back to the front yard, he could see Mrs. Anderson’s red Tesla parked in the usual spot. He had lied to his mom about getting on that fancy ride home. In truth, Bethany’s mother had no idea he was coming over. He knew of a shortcut that would shorten his travel time on foot to about fifteen minutes, which was roughly the time that an expensive EV would take anyway.

As soon as he had arrived home, he noticed that mom’s Mercedes was missing. Her job must have held her up again. Running her own broadcasting station had not been easy, but she had been doing splendid work, especially for a single mother. After letting himself in, Eric immediately noticed rustling noises coming from the laundry room by the kitchen. Meadowbrook had always been known to be a safe neighborhood with hardly any break-ins. But there had been recent reports over the past few weeks in some of the houses including Bethany’s. Fortunately, she and her mom were not hurt as the burglars only took some valuables.

Nevertheless, Eric would not be taking his chances. Grabbing a baseball bat stashed next to the fireplace, he moved quietly toward where the noise came from. His heart was pounding as he started questioning if he should instead call for help. There was no turning back now as he reached the laundry room. Leaning his head out through the doorway, he saw a womanly silhouette next to the washer. Eric breathed a sigh of relief when his mom turned around.

The respite was short-lived though as soon as he found out that mom – in the same white blouse and black stockings she had worn this morning – was without her skirt. As if that was not enough, her underwear was missing too. Eric should have averted his eyes immediately, but he did not. And there was a good reason for it. While his mom was humming away an unfamiliar song, jutting out from her crotch was a fully-erect cock complete with a pair of testicles. To top it all off, she appeared to be at least 8 inches in length.

Eric was bolted to where he stood as he began to question his sanity. To find out that his gorgeous girlfriend, and now his attractive mother, share the same secret was beyond wild. Very much like Bethany, there was not the slightest indication that his mom was anything but a ‘genuine’ woman. Heck, wasn’t she the one who gave birth to him?

“Oh my God… Eric?” Mom finally saw him as she belatedly tried to cover her crotch with the closest piece of clothing she could find.

Time for him to scram as he rushed up the stairs before heading straight for his room. There were a million questions regarding today’s discoveries bubbling up in his head as he hid under his covers. He could accept Bethany for who she was, but mom? It was probably too much for him to make sense of something that had turned out to be a lie his whole life.

Eric could hear his mother’s soft padded footsteps followed by the knocks on his door.

“May I come in?” his mother’s gentle tone sounded from the other side of his door.

The right thing to do now was to face the truth, Eric decided as he got out from under his blanket.

“I guess…” he said, sitting on his bed without looking up.

His mom entered slowly in gray sweats and a Boston University t-shirt. She appeared red-faced and about to cry. She was encircling her hands nervously, unsure of what to say. Eric didn't know what to say either. In fact, he was terrified to speak

“My car broke down. Tried to fix it and ended up with dirt and oil on my clothes. Got on a cab as soon as the car’s been towed to the garage,” she said. “I threw my clothes in the laundry while doing a load. I didn't expect you home so early.”

“It’s not your fault, sweetie,” she added. “May I sit?”

Eric shrugged. His mom sat on the bed next to him, so he moved over.

“What are you thinking about?” she inquired.

“You have a…” Eric started but failed to complete his sentence.

“Eric,” she told him, inhaling, “I am a transsexual.”

The word hovered in the air. Of course, he knew what it meant. He almost told her about Bethany but stopped himself short out of respect for his girlfriend. Then, he recalled “The Birdcage” where males dressed as ladies. They still appeared male. But both his mom and his high school sweetheart had a gorgeous, feminine face and body.

“Do you know what that is?” she questioned.

Eric nodded while avoiding her gaze. His chin was practically touching his elbows and his arms crossed over his chest.

“Transsexuals are men or women who live as opposite sexes. Unless they get surgery, which most don't, they have the same sex organs. Usually, a man-turned-woman like myself attempts to be as womanly as possible. My life has always been that way.”

“Why?” he asked as he realized that by learning about his mom, he would have a better grasp of his girlfriend’s origin as well.

“When I was a young girl..." she paused. “As a young boy, I knew I was different. People thought I was a boy, but I knew better. I knew I was female. I quit the charade after high school. I took hormones, underwent counseling, and minimal cosmetic surgery. After a year off when I returned to college, Michael was gone and Marilyn remained.”

“But what about Dad? No doubt you didn't give birth to me. Who did? How is Dad involved?” Eric questioned.

“Well,” she began, “your father and I met in college. Co-chair of Boston University LBGT Alliance. Back then, gay organizations were relatively a new thing. Your father joined because he was doubtful of his sexuality. He was a wonderful man and a very good friend, so I told him my secret. I was surprised he wasn't disgusted or terrified. He considered it sexy. So we started dating and married after graduation.”

“Two years before I was born,” Eric said.

He knew this, but his mom had only said that she met his old man in college.

“We lived together for a year before we had children,” she said. “Of course, I couldn't get pregnant. Wish I could. I desperately wanted to carry and grow you. Life is supposed to be like that.”

“Who gave birth to me?” Eric asked.

She surprised him by saying “Your Aunt Natalie.”

Shocked. He knew Natalie was his mother's oldest friend, not his real aunt. This was unknown to him.

“We contemplated adoption, but we wanted our baby to be part of us, so we asked Natalie to be the surrogate mother. She accepted. Her sole wish was to stay in the baby's life, which she does.”

“So who gave…?” he inquired, unable to say sperm in front of his mother.

“I did,” she said. “We planned to have another child and your father would be the one donating.”

“Then he got scared and fled?” Eric added.

“Eric, we don’t know that. All I know was that he loved you very much,” his mom said. Her voice was heavy with emotions as she wiped her tears with the tip of her fingers.

Eric wanted to say that he would not have left if he was such a ‘wonderful man’ his mom thought him to be. But he kept that to himself. A small part of him wished that his father was some kind of super spy who left all those years ago just so that he could protect him and his mom.

“No matter the reasons, this is not on you… mom,” Eric said eventually.

“Wh… what?”

“It’s not your fault dad left. To me, you’ll always be my amazing mom,” Eric said.

“Oh, Eric… I love you,” his mom said before giving him a warm hug.

“I love you too, mom,” Eric whispered back.

**

That evening, Eric’s head was still buzzing from all the revelations about two of the most important women in his life. That call from Bethany came, and just as he had expected, she told him about how she came to be who she was now. Her story was not too different from mom’s. At a young age, she had started crossdressing secretly in her mom’s clothes. That was until she was discovered by Mrs. Anderson while Bethany was still wearing one of her dresses.

“That was when mom started taking me to seek professional help. She accepted me for who I was. I’ve gone through the hell of taking hormones along with the emotional roller-coaster that came with it. Mom has always been very supportive,” Bethany was on the verge of tears at the sound of her voice through the phone.

“And I’ll always be forever thankful to her. For giving birth to you and letting you be who you’re meant to be - a beautiful girl. Both inside and out,” Eric said.

It was unfortunate though that he could not tell her about mom. Even as the society had been making strides with the LBGT community, Mom had to make him promise that her secret would stay a secret. It was her right. He thought the same applied to Bethany.

“What a crazy day…” Eric muttered to himself as he drifted off into the strangest dream.

In the dream, he was standing outside the door to the master bedroom. He could hear weird noises from inside as he was about to knock on her door. He knocked anyway. Mom asked for a minute to get ready before he was allowed in.

When he opened the door, his mom was sitting on her bed with her covers up to her waist. Apart from looking slightly out of breath, she appeared every bit as lovely as Eric remembered her to be. She was wearing a pink negligee he had rarely seen her in. By the way her nipples were pushing out against the flimsy fabric, Eric knew she had nothing else underneath. Then, he noticed the TV remote by her side on the bed. That prompted Eric to turn his attention towards her 65-inch bedroom TV directly across from the foot end of her King-sized bed. Though it had just been muted, he could clearly see that her mom was watching some porn. It was the typical sort of a handsome young man having sex with his gorgeous girlfriend in a cabin.

“Do you want to join me?” mom asked.

“I’d love to,” Eric found himself saying without hesitation before sliding into the covers next to his mom.

Only now had he realized the ‘tent’ pitched over his mom’s crotch as he was getting himself comfortable. Soon, he would be erecting a ‘tent’ of his own as he watched the man doggy-fucking his date on TV. The couple was obviously having a good time going by the delirious expression exhibited by the young woman.

Eric had expected his mom to be into gay or shemale porn. So it came as a slight surprise to find her enjoying mainstream porn just like any healthy young man out there.

“Do you want us to jack off together?” if his mom had asked him the question a week ago, he would have blown a fuse or two. But still, this sounded kind of cool.

“Oh… Okay…” he found himself saying as they both kicked off the covers to reveal their privates. Just as with Bethany, she was about an inch ahead in size. With the climactic scene rolling in on the screen, the mother and son started jerking off furiously.

“I’m gonna cum, mom!” Eric just said that, and he couldn’t believe it.

“Wait, Eric… I’m… almost there!”

It was insane. It was like the fireworks on the 4th of July. Cum shot up and landed on our bodies.

That was when the alarm on his phone woke him. Checking his phone, it was 7.00 am. The dampness on the crotch of his boxer shorts could not be ignored. Adding to that, his morning wood was screaming for attention. The amount he had just come could easily be mistaken for him wetting his bed. He would have loved to go on sleeping considering the fact that it was the last day of school before the holidays. However, remembering the way his mom had got him to get out of bed the day before, Eric quickly got up. He could not risk letting her see the ‘mess’ he had made.

Despite her reassurance that nothing had changed between them – she was still his mom and he needed to respect her as always – Eric was afraid that he could not shake off the awkwardness. The dynamics in their relationship might have changed – for better or worse – forever.

“Eric! Time to get up!” his mom remarked from the doorway just like yesterday. There were no noticeable changes in her tone. She was as chirpy as usual. Dressed in a sharp white suit with a matching tight knee-length skirt, her eyes bulged at the sight of his wet pants.

“Oh, I wished I hadn’t seen that,” she said while shielding her eyes with her hand.

“You should have knocked, mom! Jesus…”

“Go clean up or you’re going to be late,” she said before shuffling away.

That was the woman who had raised him all by herself. Nothing had changed, Eric told himself as he hit the shower. Fifteen minutes later, he was all dressed up and ready to join his mom who waiting in her car. As he passed the master bedroom, Eric noticed the pink negligee being spread out on her bed, it was the same pink negligee he had seen her worn in his dream. Lying next to the sexy attire was the TV remote.

“No way.”

A sense of realization along with confusion washed over him. It was the sort of feeling when someone could not tell a dream from reality.

**

On the ride to school, Eric’s mom kept talking about the challenges she was facing in expanding the local news station that she had founded with Aunt Natalie. One of her most prominent Anchor had tendered her resignation after accepting an offer from CNBC.

While Eric appeared to be listening, his mind was drifting somewhere else. He kept returning to when he saw his mom naked, along with her secret. That could not have been a dream, right? What about Bethany? Surely, that was something too special not to be real.

The word – real – kept repeating in his mind until he arrived at school and met Bethany. Like him, she was dropped off by her mom. Mrs. Anderson’s red Model X attracted a lot of attention as usual as Bethany kissed her mom on the cheek before waving goodbye.

“Hey, you,” Bethany said flirtatiously to Eric.

“Hey, you too,” Eric greeted back as they walked hand-in-hand to their classroom.

All the guys were eyeing him with envy, making him wonder if their stance would shift if they knew about Bethany’s secret. Speaking of the matter.

“Beth.”

“Yes.”

“Yesterday. Your room. That was real, right? Please tell me it’s real,” Eric asked, almost pleading.

His girlfriend did not say a word. She merely pinched him on his arm. It was quite the pinch as well.

“Ouch! What’s that for?”

“Did you feel that?” Bethany questioned cryptically.

Eric nodded.

“That’s your answer,” his girlfriend said before adding, “If you need further confirmation, wait for me in the storage room behind the bleachers.”

Eric stopped in his tracks to see her walking away from him. No doubt that she was mad at him for questioning their special moment. But the prospect of what’s waiting for him in the storage room for the school’s cheerleaders had him buzzing with anticipation. He would have his chance of making up to her then.

With Bethany already far ahead of him, Eric turned his attention back to the school’s main gate. He was surprised to see that his mom’s car was still parked at the same spot he was dropped off. What was even more surprising was the sight of her climbing into Mrs. Anderson’s SUV. Having been fully occupied with work, Eric’s mom barely had time to know any of the parents. Heck, she hardly even knew any of his teachers other than Mrs. Cooper who was his homeroom.

Eric had told his mom about him going out with Bethany, and she was rather open about it. The last time she had met Mrs. Anderson was just last week during a brief PTA meeting in which she had remained largely anonymous with the rest of the parents. Hence it was odd to see her talking so casually with Bethany’s mom as if they had known each other for a long time.

“Weird, right?”

Sandra Park’s voice came out of nowhere as he turned to see his best friend arriving from the other side of the hallway. With short-cropped hair dyed green over her original black, she was the very definition of a Tomboy with a slender and slightly bent-over body. Her Korean ancestry was not obscured by the piercing on her left eyebrow and nose as well as the gothic make-up she had started wearing for as long as Eric had known her. She could have been an attractive woman herself if she wanted to be, but she would much rather spend her time doing a hackathon than in a fitting room trying out dresses. That was reflected in her choice of attire of a purple T-shirt and black leather jacket combination along with matching leather pants and heeled boots.

“Morning, Sandra!” Eric greeted her with their customary fist bump and high-five maneuver.

“I mean the parents. It’s like they had all decided suddenly to form some kind of an unbreakable bond,” Sandra said as she started walking next to him to the class.

“What do you mean?”

“Haven’t you heard?” Sandra said while looking at him as if he was the most ignorant person in the world. “Right… You’ve been head over heels for that pretty lil’ ‘Elsa’ of yours. Going by that sparkle in your eyes, I’d guessed that you’ve finally gone past 3rdbase with her as well.”

Eric blushed before saying, “Back to the main topic please.”

Sandra made sure to look around before pulling him into a corner. “Meadowbrook’s Secret Society. The infamous MSS. The Cult which had terrorized Meadowbrook in the 80’s. It’s back in the guise of the Ladies of Meadowbrook Association. They are having their first meeting in 37 years.”

Eric had heard of the MSS during Halloween parties or the school’s camping trip which were meant to scare the kids. It was supposed to be an urban legend about a cult society where men would vanish randomly during worship while women would lose their minds. A group of 42 men was reported to be missing on the night of what appeared to be their last sermon in 1986. Only the women remained, but they appeared to have either lost their memories or their sanity.

“How did you know about the meeting?” Eric asked.

“My mom was acting weird all week. She had started making me breakfast which she had never done before all her life. So, I hacked into her email.”

Eric wasn’t about to argue her reasoning to commit a cybercrime as he continued to humor her, “So, what did you find?”

“Apart from those usual boring stuff - business associates' proposal and real estate appointments, only one stood out – it was from the Ladies of Meadowbrook Association.”

“And what does it say?”

“That’s the weirdest part. It only has one sentence: ‘You’ve been cordially invited to our very first meeting on the 5th of January 2024.’ It was followed by a GPS coordinate,” Sandra took out her phone to show him the photo of a familiar old building.

“Wasn’t that the Andrich Estate? It has been put up on sale ever since like… forever?” Eric said, increasingly fascinated by what he was told.

“Mom told me that a wealthy family had recently taken it off the market. But she never told me about the mysterious meeting which was going to be held there, and that she was attending,” Sandra said.

“How are you so sure…”

“…that she was going?” Sandra completed his question for him. “She had canceled all her appointments on that day. I know my mom, she’d never cancel any of her appointments for anything.”

“It could just be a normal meeting among ‘the ladies of Meadowbrook’. No reason to get so worked up over it,” Eric said.

The school’s bell sounded just as they were about to enter their classroom. Bethany who was already seated with her long silky legs crossed at the knees, sent Sandra a piercing glare.

“Oops, looks like you have some misunderstanding to clear up,” Sandra said. She boldly waved at Bethany before going her separate way.

After settling into his seat next to his fuming girlfriend, Eric’s mind was preoccupied with what Sandra had said. There should not be anything out of sorts. It might as well be a social meeting to organize some fundraising events for the community. Having made up his mind to forget about his friend’s conspiracy theory, Eric went on to put his hand on Bethany’s. Seeing her respond with a smile was enough to put his mind at ease.

Midway through the lesson, his phone vibrated. He took it out to find a text from Sandra.

“Did I mention that from the list of the email recipients, your mom was on the list? Bethany AND her mom too.”

Another text came seconds later.

“Also… the Anrich Estate was the place where the 42 men had vanished. 5th of January 2024 would be the 37th anniversary of that very incident.”

To be continued...