The ride home was quiet. Grandma Beatrice hummed softly beside Evan, her hands resting gently on the steering wheel, while the world blurred past the car windows. Evan stared out at the passing houses and trees, feeling more disconnected from everything than he ever had before. His school uniform clung to him like a second skin-uncomfortable, foreign, and suffocating. The pleated skirt brushed against his thighs with every slight movement, a constant reminder of the new reality he was living in.
"Did you have a good first day, darling?" Grandma Beatrice asked, her voice warm and cheerful. She glanced at him briefly with a smile, completely oblivious to the storm raging inside him.
Evan swallowed hard, his throat still tickling slightly, but he forced a nod. "It was... fine," he murmured, his voice small, soft, and far too high-pitched for his liking. Every time he spoke now, it sounded more and more like the voice of the girl his grandmother wanted him to be-Evie.
He hated it.
"Oh, I knew you'd fit right in!" his grandmother chirped. "It's such a lovely school, isn't it? And you look just adorable in your uniform. I bet all the girls thought so, too."
Evan bit his lip, fighting the urge to correct her. He couldn't tell her the truth-that he had spent the entire day trying to avoid everyone, hiding in the back of the classroom, praying that no one would notice how out of place he felt. That every time someone called him "Evie," it was like a punch to the gut, a reminder of the lie he was living.
But what would be the point? She wouldn't believe him. She never did. In her eyes, Evan was gone, replaced by this perfect, polite granddaughter she always wanted. And the more time passed, the harder it was to remember who he had been before.
By the time they pulled into the driveway, Evan felt like he was teetering on the edge of something-something he couldn't quite name but that terrified him all the same.
---
Once inside, Evan headed straight for the stairs, eager to shed the uniform and retreat into his room. But before he could escape, his grandmother called after him.
"Evie, darling, don't forget! I've laid out your nightclothes for you again. It's best to get changed before dinner, you'll feel so much more comfortable."
Evan froze on the bottom step, his heart sinking. He knew exactly what "nightclothes" meant. He'd been dreading it all day.
"I... I can wear my own clothes, Grandma," he said, barely loud enough to hear himself. His voice trembled slightly, betraying his nerves. "I-I'm fine."
"Nonsense!" Grandma Beatrice replied with a laugh, brushing off his words as if they were silly. "You look so lovely in the things I've picked out for you, Evie. There's no need to be shy. Now go on upstairs and get changed."
Evan's shoulders slumped as he climbed the stairs, each step feeling heavier than the last. When he entered his room, the pink nightie and matching panties were already waiting for him on the bed, as if they had been expecting him all along.
His hands trembled as he undressed, pulling off the skirt, tights, and blouse as quickly as possible. But when it came time to put on the nightie, he hesitated, staring at the delicate fabric with a mix of anger and fear. He wanted to scream. He wanted to throw it all out the window, to shout at his grandmother, to make her see him for who he really was. But every time he tried, the words got stuck in his throat, and all that came out was that soft, gentle voice that wasn't his.
With a resigned sigh, Evan slipped into the nightie and sank down onto the edge of the bed, feeling the soft fabric cling to him. The training bra he hadn't bothered to take off earlier pressed uncomfortably into his chest, but he didn't have the energy to remove it. He just wanted to disappear, to curl up and forget everything.
When he glanced at the mirror, the girl in the reflection stared back at him again. The same long brown hair, the same delicate frame, the same pink nightie that draped over her like she belonged in it. But it wasn't him. It wasn't.
It couldn't be.
---
Dinner was quiet, just like the ride home. His grandmother chatted about her plans for the week-grocery shopping, maybe a visit to the park-but Evan barely heard any of it. He was too lost in his own thoughts, too consumed by the fear that had been building inside him all day.
What if this was his life now? What if, for the next six months, he was stuck like this-trapped in dresses, skirts, and nighties, his grandmother continuing to shape him into someone he wasn't? What if, by the time his parents came back, there wouldn't be anything left of Evan at all?
What if they didn't even recognize him?
His throat tightened at the thought, and he took a sip of his tea to calm himself. But as the warm liquid slid down, the tickling sensation in his throat returned, stronger than before. He coughed softly, trying to clear it, but it didn't go away. It lingered there, like an itch just out of reach.
"Are you alright, dear?" his grandmother asked, looking over at him with concern.
Evan forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said, though the voice that came out was even softer, even more delicate than before. He winced at the sound, hoping she didn't notice.
She didn't. Instead, she smiled and went back to her meal, leaving Evan to sit there in silence, wondering what was happening to him.
---
Later that night, after he had finished his homework and slipped under the covers, the tickling sensation in his throat still hadn't gone away. He lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, his mind racing with questions he couldn't answer.
What was wrong with him? Why was his voice changing like this? Why did he feel so... different?
Evan rolled over and buried his face in the pillow, willing himself to sleep. But even as he tried to push the thoughts away, they kept coming back-whispers in the back of his mind that he couldn't silence.
What if he was slipping away? What if he was slowly becoming the girl his grandmother wanted him to be, and there was nothing he could do to stop it?
The girl in the mirror, the girl in the pink nightie, the girl with the soft, gentle voice-Evie. Was she real?
Or worse... was Evan disappearing?
YOU ARE READING
Grandmothers Mistake
FantasyA boy named evan has to go stay with his grandmother for 6 months due to his parents going away for a business trip. When evan arrives at his grandma's house he expects everything to be normal, but they were going to be far from normal...
