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The consignment shop was only a mile away Since "fancy used clothes" didn’t sound very enticing, the owners had gone for Second Tihtly e store, no matter how upscale it looked

"I have to look nice since I’ve got a clothing store," she told er pants, since I hope I won’t be wearing a size up for long" Tara was actually two sizes up, her head toldtelepathic

"Only ly "And hly unlikely that the original owner of the dress would turn up at Jason’s wedding, and that was arment someone else had worn a time or two

Tara knew the owner, a bony redhead, whose na, Tara hauled out pictures of the twinsmaybe a hundred pictures I was co, so I wandered away to check out the "better" dresses I foundthe rack one by one, taking my time about it I was lad Tara had winkledwonderfully nor expedition The air-conditioned shop was peaceful, since the her than I’d expected, but when I read the labels, I understood why Everything here was good quality

I scooted aside a hanger holding a terrible purple-and-green garment, and I came to a complete stop, enraptured The next dress was a rich yellow It was sleeveless, lined, and scoop-necked, with a large, flat bow curving around the middle of the back It was beautiful

"I love this dress," I said out loud, feeling profoundly happy This was shallow, all right? I knew that But I’ll take joy where I find it

"I’ it up The owner, deep in Tara’s delivery story, didn’t even turn around She raised her hand and waved it in acknowledght with you," she called

The dress and I went past the curtain into the changing area There were four cubicles, and since no one else had entered the store, I wasn’t surprised to find theled out ofer and over my head It settled on my hips like it was happy to be there I reached behind ot the zipper halfway to its destination, but my arms can only bend so far I stepped out to see if I could detach Tara fro wo for e When I saw her, I felt a faint buzz of familiarity Rosanne was in her late teens, a sturdy kid with her brown hair braided and rolled in a bun She earing a neat pants outfit in French blue and cream Surely I’d seen her before?

"I’m so sorry I wasn’t on the floor to help you!" she said "What can I do for you? You need help with that zipper?" She’d started speaking aled from the curtain, and it wasn’t until she finished that she took a good look at my face

"Oh, shit!" Rosanne said, so sharply that the shop owner turned around to look

I gave the elegant Allison an "everything’s all right here" s

"What’s the matter with you?" I whispered to Rosanne I looked down atthat would explain her alarm Had I started , I looked up at her anxiously, waiting for her to tell itated

"It’s you," she breathed "You’re the one"

"I’ic The one who raised that twoey fro Tooth pack, I guess? I thought I’d seen you so, unnerving intensity "At Alcide’s farm"

"That was kind of awful, huh?" I said And it was the last thing I wanted to talk about Back to the matter at hand I smiled at Rosanne the olf "Hey, can you zip me up?" I turned that me It didn’t take a telepath to interpret that expression She was afraid to touch ood mood crashed and burned

When I’d been a child, soust Telepathic children can say the worst things at the worst tiets that they blurted out so short of terrible Even I, the actual telepath, had felt that way Sohtened by my ability, which I hadn’t had the skill to conceal After I’d gained so startling or awful frohbor, I’d seldootten how painful it could be

"You’re scared ofthe obvious because I simply couldn’t think of what else to do "But you have nothing to fear fros"

"Hush, Allison’ll hear you," she whispered

"You’re still in the closet?"

"Here at work I aher At least she didn’t look frightened any longer, which had been irls, when they start changing? Harder than it is for the boys One in twenty of us ends up a perh your teens, you’re pretty nearly home free, and I’m almost there Allison is nice, and this is a low-stress place I’ve worked here every suly

"Then zipabout you I just need a frickin’ dress," I told her, really exasperated I wasn’t unsyh problems at the rip the top of the dress, held the zipper with her right, and in a second I was enclosed properly The bow covered the zipper and was held in place by snaps Since su time, I was a lovely brown, and the deep yellow lookedwonderful The dress wasn’t cut too low at the top, and it was just high enough at the heood mood returned

While I hadn’t enjoyed Rosanne’s assumption that I’d "out" her simply for my own pleasure, I could understand her worries Sort of I’d h their supe adolescence with their personality intact; this condition was soht With an effort, I shoved the whole exchange away When I could focus on ratification "Wow, it’s so pretty," I said I shten up with me

But Rosanne was silent, her face still unhappy She was not going along with ht?" she said "Bring the shifter back froet to enjoy the thrill of shopping victory "It was a one-ti "I can’t do it again I don’t even want to do it again" I realized I ht not have used the cluviel dor if I’d had tiht have doubted it would work, and that doubt would have weakened ic was all about will

I’d had plenty of hen I’d felt Saht?" I asked,another effort to shift the topic