Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Consensus
Paid publication
Book #1	Welcome to Dorley Hall
Chapter	7
Free publication
Date posted	Jan 8, 2022
Word count	10,110
Points of view	Christine, Stefan
AO3 Scribble Hub
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Chapter 7: Consensus is the seventh chapter of the first book of the series. Stefan gets his affairs in order and settles into the basement. Abby is informed that Stefan is a trans woman, and she recommends that he befriend Aaron for security. Christine grapples with her womanhood and is determined to figure it out.

The title refers to the Sisters of Dorley world's premiere instant messaging app, Consensus. It is a spoof of the real-world app Discord.

Plot

2019, Stefan

Stefan writes a letter to his family that says he's been having a hard time lately after the disappearance of Mark and that he's off to backpack outside of the United Kingdom. He thinks about the situation of the basement and wonders how the boys will react once they realize they're changing. He also thinks about Pippa's past. He tries to remind himself that the others are all bad people and that he shouldn't feel guilty about them, but he can't help but feel like he's going to be changed not only in gender but also in morality.

He checks the computer in his room and finds that he's able to message his sponsor, Pippa. He asks her to help wrap up his affairs: pay his last share of rent to his housemates, clear out his room. He also requests that Pippa save his frog-and-elephant keychain, as it is a gift from his sister. She agrees.

2019, Christine

Christine has been spending more time in the common areas of Dorley Hall because of the business with Stefan, but she looks forward to being solitary again. Indira ambushes her and informs her that Aunt Bea signed off on their plans to take Christine off-campus with Vicky, Lorna and some other friends. The prospect of leaving the safe confines of campus scare Christine. Paige also tries to encourage Christine by saying she'll be super pretty. The conversation turns to the party where she met Stefan, the one she only went to because Paige pestered her into going. Privately, Christine thinks she was only picked because the others in their intake are either even more anti-social or are distancing themselves from Dorley.

Paige continues to enthuse about the outfit and makeup she did for Christine. Christine accepts that she can look beautiful, but her lack of confidence in doing makeup and picking clothing holds her back. She lies about the boy she met at the party, giving different information and disassembling as to what happened. The other girls try to encourage her to see more people, and when she expresses her lack of confidence in womanhood she is ganged up on lovingly.

2019, Stefan

Stefan hears another boy beating the wall and yelling threats at the sponsors. Unlike him, Stefan feels very relaxed in the basement. The lack of freedom doesn't bother him as much as having to live in the real world as male did.

Abby contacts Stefan on Consensus via a secure channel set up by Christine. Stefan asks about Melissa. Although Abby can't tell him much, she emphasises that Melissa cares a lot about him. Stefan surprises Abby with his knowledge of the programme. Abby warns him about the others. Violence is not uncommon in the early days of the programme, and even if there are taser-armed guards and PMC on standby, bad things can happen. She suggests Stefan makes a friend to watch his back. He doesn't like the idea, but Abby reminds him that eventually they will become like the Dorley girls he knows, people who are nice to be around. She recommends Aaron as his target.

2019, Christine

Indira and Abby gossip in Christine's room. Christine passes out for a bit, then Paige and Indira strong-arm her into wearing something suitably feminine. Indira reminds her that Aunt Bea has dropped hints that she needs to learn how to dress better, which causes mild panic before Indira reassures her that it wasn't anything definite.

Christine complains about how she's forced to perform femininity. She wants to be done with the regulations of the programme. Paige sympathises. She tells Christine that it's like a final exam and she has to prove that she is able to do all the things women do, without help from her friends. This is the position of Aunt Bea. Despite her acting as a warden of traditional femininity during the programme, she doesn't care whether her girls actually present as female once they graduate. In fact, she has good relations with many nonbinary graduates and showed strict adherence to pronouns and names. It seems that what she truly wants is for her girls to have the ability to choose how they present themselves and the skills to back that up.

Christine accepts this, but she is genuinely tired from the events of the last few days and says she needs a timeout and promises to come along next time. Abby supports her in this. Christine is reminded of the first time she was let out of the basement, how Indira showed genuine love for her and promised that if she asks for a "timeout" she will get the time she needs. Indira relents, and asks her to take care of herself.

Later, Christine heads up to the roof of Dorley Hall, which is laid out like a budget zen garden. She angsts over her difficulties with femininity. She considers that it's not her lack of skill which scares her, but a fear of graduating from Dorley and losing the structure of the programme. A fear of reverting to who she used to be.

Ren and Naila introduce themselves. They are unrelated to the programme; Naila lives on the fifth floor. They talk about clothing and the fact that only the lower floors of Dorley have uber-security locks. Christine quit smoking two years ago but gives into temptation and bums a cigarette from Naila. The brief interaction and the nicotine high combine to encourage her to really try and figure herself out.