Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Butterflies
Paid publication
Book #1	Welcome to Dorley Hall
Chapter	10
Free publication
Date posted	Feb 3, 2022
Word count	12,000
Points of view	Christine
AO3 Scribble Hub
Content warnings
Abusive families (discussion)
Chapter 9 ← Previous	Chapter 11 Next →

Chapter 10: Butterflies is the tenth chapter of the first book of the series. Aunt Bea has a birthday party. Faye and/or Nell have a meltdown, which Christine helps resolve. Indira and Hasan are two love-doves, and Paige and Christine flirt lots. Vicky has a bout of depression. Pippa receives help with her sponsorship problems.

Chapter 10 is the first chapter where there are no Stefan point-of-view segments. It is also the first chapter that only has a single point-of-view throughout. The title is a reference to Christine's nervousness on stepping into a crowd, fully dressed up.

Plot

2019, Christine

Paige is ready and waiting outside CHristine's room. She also was triggered by Nell but she's better now. She questions how Faye and Christine got up to the room, and Christine avoids the topic. Faye struggles with picturing the people present as women, then immediately panics about that. Christine and Paige help calm her down, and they start redoing their makeup and clothing.

Faye asks how Christine knew she was a woman. Christine says that it was simply a choice to either fight it or accept it, and fighting it meant fighting Indira, who she already loved. Paige weighs in with her own experience, that she doesn't quite have a strong preference either way, but that she is quite fine with occupying the social position of a woman and being treated as one. They also discuss Vicky, whom they all think was basically already a woman when she got to Dorley Hall. Faye's makeover is finished and she's very happy.

Christine is the next target of Paige's ministrations. She admires how pretty she is. Paige thanks Christine for helping her calm down, and helping Pippa too. She tells Christine that she's a social nexus around which many Dorley girls coalesce, and says she believes that if it weren't for Christine none of the others would've been there. She muses about whether she focused on the wrong thing, then wonders if it's a thing she can learn from Christine, just like Christine's learning how to be fashionable from Paige.

Paige also reveals the dress she wants Christine to wear, a bold one that's the matching pair to the one she's wearing. Christine only protests a little before putting it on, and she likes how she looks.

As they return downstairs, Faye reveals that Bex is the name only she uses for Rebecca, and that her own special name from Bex is Effie. They return to the kitchen and Indira starts a round of wolf-whistling. Aunt Bea asks for a quick word afterwards. She asks why Christine took Faye out of the second year area and involved Paige. Christine brings up how Paige and Francesca had a terrible sponsor relationship and how the latter was ultimately removed from duty. She says that Nell is worse, and is causing Faye to regress. She thinks Nell is the wrong match for Faye, who comes from an abusive family and for whom outbursts are a trigger, and argues that Dorley made a mistake. She says Faye actualized as a women despite Nell, not thanks to her.

Aunt Bea thanks Christine for her opinion and largely agrees, dumbfounding Christine. She mentions that the programme has a staffing problem. Several experienced sponsors left, and the large intake coupled with research needs has made Maria busy. She decides to assign Indira as a sponsor for the new intake, letting Christine self-direct for the rest of her stay in the programme.

Before Aunt Bea dismisses her, she asks her opinion on Faye's development, then says Christine could be a good sponsor. She is pleased that Christine has become an empathetic woman.

Christine returns to her friends and is immediately bullied into taking pictures with Paige in various poses by Indira. Paige continues to flirt with her. After the ordeal, Christine collapses into a chair and ponders over her conversation with Aunt Bea and has the distinct feeling that she's being recruited as a sponsor.

Abby sends her an update on Stef, summarizing their conversation. Abby reassures Christine that being a sponsor is entirely voluntary. Christine teases her about being a true believer and Abby fires it right back at her. She mentions that the medical exams are happening a few weeks ahead of schedule. Christine resolves to talk to Stef soon.

She chats with Hasan about her school year and the backstory she agreed upon with Indira. She feels uneasy at the deception, even if it's not so far from the truth. Hasan compliments her on her dress, which makes her (and Indira) happy. Christine thinks about how Indira not only considers her family, so does her mother, and suggested that if she ever wanted to be officially part of the Chetry family she just has to ask. It's something she's considering quite seriously.

Hasan thanks Christine for being Indira's little sister, saying that he can tell it's been a healing experience for her. Christine hugs him and can't stop thinking about the lies Hasan's happiness is built on. Christine talks about her genuine gratefulness that Indira found her, and turns the conversation to Hasan, who also considers himself fortunate.

Indira and Christine talk about Hasan while he excuses himself. She says Hasan's always been a kind person and kind to her. Christine says she hates the lies. Indira says she'd do it all again. Christine notifies Indira that she's being reassigned and Indira congratulates Christine.

Christine feasts on the dinner which includes lots of curry. She takes in the crowd, noting Jodie, her sponsor Donna, as well as several people who are either outsiders or graduates. She waves at several people she knows, then is summoned to Maria's table (full of active, drunk sponsors) by Pippa. Maria's talking about how she's tempted to force-fem her research supervisor for being stupid, before Pippa interrupts and makes up a story that Christine wanted a word with her so she can escape. As they leave, Aunt Bea asks Christine to send Indira over for a word.

Pippa complains about how the sponsors only ever seem to talk shop. Vicky asks for confirmation that Christine's coming to Lorna's thing the following day. Christine then maneuvers Vicky into inviting Pippa, too. Pippa and Hasan introduce themselves to each other, and Christine thinks about how lonely Pippa seems to be. Pippa vents in a roundabout way about how hard it is to sponsor. Abby suggests that she helps her out by talking to Aunt Bea.

Hasan and Indira escape. Rebecca and Faye come over and say hi to Christine and Paige. Rebecca is grateful that Christine helped Faye earlier, and they exchange contacts. Christine and Paige join the larger central table now that people have started leaving. They chat about how adorable the second-years are. Aunt Bea makes a small speech, thanking everyone for attending. Christine is surprised by Paige continuing to flirt with her. Aunt Bea then continues, saying that it is the fifteenth anniversary of Dorley Hall passing into her control.

There is a brief diversion where a few graduates talk about pronouns. When asked, Paige says she is happy with being socially a woman but expresses her discontent at having a cis NPH. Maria, still quite drunk, suggests she says she's "AFAB" - assigned female at basement - and gets smacked by Edy. Christine says she's solidly a woman as well, and Aunt Bea seems relieved by it.

Pippa complains about her struggles with sponsoring. Aunt Bea graciously offers her relief by saying Maria will help her. Abby tries to volunteer but Aunt Bea lets her down gently. Pippa is relieved.

After the party ends, Vicky, Paige and Christine make their way up to Christine's room. Vicky's too depressed to sleep on her own. Christine asks Abby to take care of Pippa. Paige is super drunk and collapses, and Vicky falls asleep instantly. Christine thinks about how lucky she is to have the life she does.