“Alright, Danielle.” Her mom said, stepping into her daughter's room. “I'm off to work. Are you absolutely sure you can handle him?”
“C'mon, mom.” Dani said with a smile. “I'm thirteen years old. I think I can handle my twin brother. All he does is sit there and play video games anyway.”
“Alright,” she said with a sigh that seemed almost relieved. She did appreciate her daughter's confidence, but a nagging voice in the back of her head reminded her that Darren could be a handful. “If you need anything, anything, you have my number.”
“I've babysat tons, mom. You know that.”
“Please, please don't let him hear you refer to it as babysitting.” She tried, but failed to keep a smile from her face. “I'm only on these overnights this week, but” she paused. “If this does seem to work, maybe I can consider signing up for them more often. They're very good money. Maybe I could even start paying you. As long as Darren doesn't find out.”
“He still doesn't even know you got me a cell phone, mom.” Dani replied. “Like I said, we'll be fine!”
* * *
“Hey, bro. Can I play?” She asked. Darren hardly looked away from the television, shooting all over the place just to clear one enemy.
“Sure. Can you grab me a drink?” She bit back the urge to remind him to say ‘please’ and smiled.
“Of course.” Dani went to the kitchen, her sweet smile metamorphosing into a devious grin. For the last two weeks, she had been asking Darren to play his favorite video game with her every single day. Every time, she had lost, or so he thought. In secret, she had mastered Soul Contract through YouTube playthroughs and just genuine trial and error. Watching her brother, a middling player at best, win day after day had grown maddening for her, but it would all be worth it. Today was the day that she would put the second phase of her plan in motion to seize control of Darren and show her mom just how in charge she could truly be.
She handed the can to Darren and sat down next to him, grabbing the controller he offered her. She feigned trying to figure out the controls, but for the first time, she did not restraint her reflexes and muscle memory as much as she had the last two weeks. She beat Darren, although only by a thin margin.
Darren stared at the television for a moment in disbelief. He looked at her with a mixture of confusion and begrudging respect. She smiled sweetly and watched as his face hardened into an expression of sheer determination.
“Rematch.”
“Alrighty.” She said cutely. “But, how about we make it interesting?”
“A bet?”
“Yep. Whoever loses has to” she paused and feigned thinking. “Has to do whatever the other one says for the rest of the night.”
“Hmm” Darren said, considering it. He looked at the screen again. Did he dare? Was it just a fluke? She had lost every single game they had played for the last two weeks. How did she get so good? His teenage boy mind could not even comprehend the idea that she would pretend to be bad for that long, just for one night’s fun. Yes, he would certainly win. It was just a fluke, that was all. Dani allowed her devious grin to emerge fully as her brother extended his hand. They shook and the deal was made.
A bit annoyed by Darren’s insistence on a rematch, even though she had anticipated it, Dani did not hold back in the slightest. By the end of the mercilessly short game, her score was nearly double his. She looked over at his crestfallen face.
“Sorry, bro. Guess I got lucky again.” He knew that that was not the case. His sister, somehow, was better than him, and significantly, unarguably so. As he sat there numbly, Dani turned the game system off and smiled. “Alright, so” she paused, doing everything in her power to keep her voice level and casual. “I guess that means you’re going to do everything I say for the night, hmm?” He simply grunted in response. “Let’s start with a bath.”
“A bath?”
“Yep, not a shower. A bath.”
“Why?”
“Well, I live with you and I know for a fact you haven’t showered in about three days, so I think a bath is a good change of pace.” He slowly got off the couch and Dani, feeling a bit daring, smacked his butt like her mom had done to them when they were younger. “Go. I expect you to be freshly bathed and in your room for my next task ASAP.” He shuffled toward the bathroom and she frowned. “Get the lead out or I'll up the ante and make it a bubble bath!”
While Darren was in the bathroom, Dani kept herself busy preparing everything for their evening, although she made sure to stop at the bathroom door every few minutes and press her ear to listen to Darren.
“Almost done?” She asked, rapping at the door.
“Don’t come in!” Was all he replied with. She smiled and walked away. A few minutes later, however, she returned to the bathroom and opened the door without knocking. Darren, still in the tub, yelped and yelled in embarrassment at her.
“I’m just here to get your dirty clothes.” She said, scooping up his t-shirt, jeans, and boxers. “Mom wants laundry done tonight.” He had no way of knowing that she would not be the one doing it. She looked at him for a moment before adding “be in your room in five minutes or I’ll come finish your bath for you.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“I’ve given Cayden Denborough baths before. Your body’s exactly the same as his, I’m sure.” She smiled as she left the bathroom, wondering if it would dawn on him that she had just implied he was only as developed as a toddler.
She stood in his bedroom by the time the five minutes had elapsed and she wondered for a moment if he would call her bluff and not appear. She could not hide her surprised delight when he came shuffling in, a tan towel wrapped around his waist. He barely looked at her, his eyes focusing solely on the outfit on his bed. A little girl’s dress, panties, socks, and even a pair of shiny Mary Janes.
“I” he stammered. “You” He looked at Dani for the first time. “Like a girl?”
“Yep.” She said with a smile. “You’re going to look so pretty, I bet.”
“No way. There’s no way. I want another rematch.”
“As much fun as it would be to demolish you again” Dani said smugly. “We don’t have time.” She stepped behind him and pushed him toward his bed. “You do have a choice though.”
“I do?”
“You can either put the dress and panties on or I can tell everyone all about how you still wear tighty whities.”
“I don’t though.” The confusion was evident in his voice and Dani smiled.
“Check your underwear drawer.” He did and his eyes widened. Dani had taken out all of his boxers and boxer briefs, replacing them with multiple packages of fresh, pristinely white briefs.
“Where?” Was all Darren managed to say, glaring daggers at her.
“I’ve hidden them. It’s just a little extra insurance to get you to cooperate.” She said. “If you behave, you’ll get them back at the end of the night.” That was a lie. She had not taken any chances, shredding each and every pair and taking them out to the green garbage can at the end of the driveway to ensure that they would be picked up in the morning. Darren did not know it, but he was back to the white briefs of his childhood.
“Promise?” She knew she would need to dodge the question.
“The longer you delay getting dressed, the less likely I’ll give you your boxers back.” She said simply. She looked at the outfit she had carefully laid out on his bed. “Get dressed and come downstairs.” She said.
Dani sat in the living room, playing Soul Contract when Darren sheepishly came downstairs nearly fifteen minutes later. She could not help but admit that the shiny pink frock with lots of white lace suited him in a strange way. His skirt was too short to completely cover the frilly panties and he looked like the very picture of a shy little girl as he tugged on it, willing it to get longer. Dani smiled, letting him stand there for a moment while she kept playing, hoping that he had noticed how quickly their roles had reversed. He was the girl now and she was the boy, playing violent video games in a t-shirt and pants.
“Go ahead and give me a twirl.” She said after a bit. Darren complied and she stood up from the couch. “Alright. Now that you’re dressed properly. It’s time to give my little sister her chores.”
“Little sister?”
“You’re hardly my twin brother anymore.” She said, looking him up and down. “Maybe you didn’t see your reflection, but you look like a six year old girl now.” Darren’s face could not have gotten any redder. “You can start by tidying the kitchen. Dishes, wiping down the counters, all that.”
“But”
“Oh, come on. It’s easy work, Dar” she stopped. “Darren’s my twin brother’s name. What’s your name, little sis?”
“I, I dunno.” Darren mumbled. She tsked and shook her head.
“By the time you’re done tidying up the kitchen, I expect you to tell me your name, little sis, or I’ll have to come up with it myself.”