-----

Author's Note: Here's ch.11, things are moving along pretty nicely. There's a mini-cliffhanger on the end of it. I'd like to thank djkauf and Indy for the magical editing and everyone for enjoying this universe :)

-----

ELEVEN:

The gathering crowd stared at me. Their faces were lost to me though as panic took over. There were murmurs, even a few gasps. After all, it’s not every day that some girl pushes a big guy like Troy halfway down the sidewalk. My heart started to pound in my chest and I was beginning to panic. Suddenly it felt as if the whole world was closing in on me. I looked around frantically, hoping for a way to escape but I couldn’t seem to find any. Why were there so many people suddenly? Where were all these people when Troy tried to do whatever it was he was trying to do.

A hand gently touched my shoulder. Then a voice spoke to me: “You OK, sweetheart?”

I didn’t know the person. It was an older woman, the first to speak.

All I could do was nod. Another voice spoke but they weren’t talking to me. It was a gruff looking guy and his words were directed at Troy. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, you little punk?”

Troy was still on the ground, staring up at me. There was a look of stunned shock on his face. It probably mirrored my own. I’d just done magic, a feat that few Duds had ever been able to pull off. Not only that, though, I did it out in the open, in the view of several Norms. If the Coven was going to come down on me now was the perfect time to do so. I wanted to run to the farthest part of the town and hide there for the rest of my life. I would have too, but there were just too many people.

“Hey punk” said the gruff looking man. “I’m talking to you.”

The gruff man had had enough. He reached down and grabbed Troy. He lifted him off the ground by his shirt. Troy didn’t struggle, instead he looked at me. His shocked expression slowly faded away and it was replaced by something I didn’t expect: a cruel smile. That smile nearly broke me. These people clearly didn’t see what had just gone on but he had. I’m not sure what he thought just happened but it was clear that I just used magic to push his ass ten feet from me. I was surprised that no one else seemed to notice. Did I somehow mask it from them or did they only see me push Troy away?

My heart pounded faster. The commotion got worse when I noticed a man in a tan uniform coming this way. It was some kind of sheriff’s deputy. Did someone call the police? I shook my head. No, I noticed him before, I think. He was in the diner across the street. I’m not sure how I remembered that what with all the running I’d been doing. The deputy looked at me for a quick moment before heading over to Troy. I didn’t really catch his words though, as my ears started to burn. There was a rush of noise around me as my head to started to swim. I think what just happened finally got to me. I found myself swaying a bit. Hands held me then turned me away from the scene.

The next thing I knew I was being led away.

I didn’t truly comprehend things until I found myself in that very same diner. As soon as I sat down, the world stopped its spinning. I looked around but there weren’t a lot of people. I think most of them were outside now, trying to see what all the commotion was about. I looked at my rescuer and found it was the very same old woman from before. She smiled as me as she sat across from me. She looked like a sweet old woman, dressed in a pink dress, a kind face. The complete opposite of my grandmother. She had her purse on the tabletop and looked to be trying to get the young waitress’ attention.

Finally the girl---I think she was in one of my classes---came over.

“Abby be a dear and get me some coffee.”

“Sure Mrs. Donovan” said the girl, Abby. She turned to me. “Can I get you anything?”

I was lost for a second. I registered what she asked a second later. “What no, I’m good.”

Abby smiled and left.

The old woman---Mrs. Donovan---smiled. “That was quite the bit of excitement back there. Heaven knows what might have happened if that young man had actually achieved whatever it was he was trying to do.”

I nodded. “He’s a dick.”

She frowned. “That’s no way for a young lady like you to speak.”

I wanted to lash out at her for minding her own business, but I couldn’t. This woman was trying to help me and I was grateful. I was just caught up in the moment. So much has just happened. I took a quick glance at my hands, the blue glow long gone but I could still visualize it. They were glowing only a few seconds ago and I used that glow to throw Troy. The thought was mind blowing. There have been known cases of Duds using magic here or there but usually those Duds were born with some aptitude toward it. You would hear about them floating glasses or making little finger sparks---small things. It was unheard though for a Dud to suddenly develop magic like I’d just done.

I’m not sure if I should be ecstatic or scared.

I think I was still a bit on the shocked side.

Abby returned, carrying a mug and a pot of coffee. She poured the old woman---Mrs. Donovan---some coffee then left.

“Now dear, is there anyone I can call for you?” She took a sip.

“Your parents maybe?”

I shook my head. “They’re in Africa.”

She didn’t look the least bit shocked when I said that though. She just nodded.

“How about a relative? Perhaps the person you’re living with then?”

That was out of the question. I knew my grandmother would probably have all the answers but I didn’t want her to know about any of this. I’d gotten away with hiding my new body from her so far---well actually she wasn’t home when I woke up but that was just luck. I didn’t want her involved. She’d probably make a big deal out of it, drag me to the Coven and I’d never hear the end of it. Then there was Mary. I could only imagine what she’d say about all of this. No, no family. I suppose I could have her call Melissa but I’m not sure I really wanted to intrude on her weekend. It was nice that she helped me out yesterday but I could fill her in on Monday. She might even be able to help me with things but right now, I just wanted to avoid it as long as I could.

Cassie was out of the question too. I had a feeling that she’d go straight to my grandmother. She a nice person but seeing as my grandmother sent me to her in the first place I wasn’t testing my luck.

No, I needed someone not associated with anything magic.

Someone to just talk to. Someone who wouldn’t judge.

It dawned on me a second later and I couldn’t help but smile.

“I think I have a friend I can call,” I said as I took out my cell.

The roar of the motorcycle made a few people nearby flinch and look. Me, I couldn’t help but smile as it pulled up in front of the little diner. Those around me stopped and stared. Apparently seeing a motorcycle in Ravencrest was a strange occurrence. There were actually not a lot of cars. I think most people either took a cab or walked. Main Street was a big place but there was barely any traffic. The sight of the motorcycle was a big deal. The rider was an even bigger one. It was one thing for the motorcycle but for it to be driven by a girl; I could only imagine what the onlookers were thinking.

Sophie killed the engine then dropped the kickstand. She took her helmet off a second later, allowing her hair to whip in the color breeze. She shook it about then turned to me with a smile. The onlookers stared for a moment more before pretending not to notice. All I stared at was Sophie. She was still the coolest person I knew but I was sad to say whatever spark of attraction I felt for her before was gone. That made me a little down. So as a girl, I only had inklings for the opposite sex. That thought still kind of repulsed me. It was a shame too because Sophie’s pants were so tight they looked like they were painted on.

“Hey girlfriend” she said with a laugh.

This time it wasn’t really much of a joke.

She walked up to me and gave me a hug. When she pulled away, she looked at me a little strangely. I couldn’t figure out why until I realized she probably felt my boobs underneath my hoodie. I cursed. I’d completely forgotten that Sophie didn’t know about me changing into a girl. How in the hell was I going to explain this to her.

When she spoke though it wasn’t about her confusion. “So I was wondering if you forgot about our plans, actually.”

Oh right, we were supposed to meet up today weren’t we.

I smiled. “That’s why I called you.”

She looked at me, her eyes narrowing. “You forgot but that’s OK, I’m sure you’ve had a busy week.”

I grunted. “You have no idea.”

“Well let’s go get some pizza and you can tell me all about it”

I nodded then remembered Mrs. Donovan. I turned back to the diner, spying her through the large glass window. She turned and looked at me. I felt bad about just leaving her like this but she smiled and waved me on, giving me the OK. I smiled back and waved. I turned and caught up with Sophie who was already halfway down the street. I had to run a bit to catch up. We didn’t say much to each other until we got into Mario’s. She ordered a big pizza this time seeing as both of us would be eating. We got a booth in the back, lucky to find one because the place was kind of crowded. While we waited, I checked my cell. There were several voice messages, all of them from Maggie. I cursed, feeling really bad now. I just left her so suddenly but I hadn’t been thinking.

I would have to call back later and apologize.

I looked up from my phone to find Sophie staring.

“I think you know that I know your secret” she said with a coy smile.

Shit was it that obvious.

I bit my lip. “I’m trying to hide it, is it that obvious?”

She took a moment or two to respond. She squinted once or twice then shook her head. “Your boobs are a bit too big and those jeans a bit too tight but your hoodie really hides it well. I only figured it out when I hugged you.”

I sighed in relief. “Good. The less people who know the better.”

She laughed. “You kind of stand out a bit but it’s good. How long has it been?”

I shrugged. “It happened early this week but I thought it went away.”

She laughed. “This kind of thing doesn’t go away.”

That surprised me. “You know about it?”

She laughed again. “Not me personally of course but I have a friend back home. He tried to fight it too, but it got the better of him. He was really scared but now he accepts it. She’s one of my best gal pals now.”

That blew my mind. Sophie knew about magic but how was that even possible. Unless…was she a witch too? Should I tell her about me, would she deny everything if I did. Maybe if I went about it in a different way, kind of beat around the bush a bit.

“Umm do you believe in magic?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I believe that there is some things out there that can’t be explained. I suppose that could be considered magic but if you’re talking about that crap on TV---guys sawing girls in half and all that shit---then no I don’t believe in that.”

“What about real magic?”

She shrugged. “It’s possible, anything is possible, I suppose.”

I took a deep breath. “What if I told you that magic made me this way?”

There was a long silence, so long that I thought Sophie was going to get up and leave. Instead, she burst out laughing. It was so loud that a few people at the surrounding tables started to stare. I wanted to crawl under the table and hide for the rest of day.

When she finally stopped laughing, she wiped the tears from her eyes and spoke. “Kelly, can I be totally honest? Look, you were never the manliest man to begin with, even you would agree to that, but it wasn’t magic that turned you into this, sweetie. You’re just naturally feminine. I can see where you might think it was something magical though. When I first saw you, on the side of the road, I thought for a split second “Hey what’s this stupid girl doing?”, and then I realized you were in fact a guy. You make a very convincing girl though, I’ll give you that.”

Wait what?

Convincing girl?

She continued. “My friend Patty is really pretty, she’s gorgeous but not even she’s as good as you. At the end of the day she knows she could never truly pass for a girl but you, it’s amazing. Stuff a bra, slap on some clothes and bam, instant chick. Are you wearing a wig too?”

It hit me like a ton of bricks. She didn’t know about magic, she didn’t know I turned into a girl. I felt like a complete idiot because I almost told her everything.

I inwardly groaned.

She thought I was a cross dresser.

“I offended you didn’t I?” She cursed. “Me and my big mouth.”

I shook my head. “No its OK, it’s difficult.”

“I’ll bet,” she said, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.

OK so she wanted to think I was a cross dresser, so be it. It was a lot better than having to explain the whole witch thing to her. That would have been a big mess.

Thankfully, I was saved from having to talk about it more because our pizza arrived. We didn’t talk much about me after that. Sophie talked though like usual. Somehow, though it got back to me and school. She wanted to know how I had fared the rest of the week and I tried to keep it to a minimum. I definitely didn’t tell her about turning into a girl twice. I did tell her about Mary being a total bitch lately, getting mad at me for being friends with Misty.

“Why should she tell you who to be friends with?”

I shrugged. “She’s like that. It’s like she needs to be in control all the time.”

“I have half a mind to lay into the little bitch.”

I couldn’t help but smile. I wondered who was scarier: Sophie or Mary. Sure Mary scared the high schoolers, but Sophie was a whole new kind of freaky. I would definitely be a match worth watching though.

“So anymore run ins with that Jack guy?”

At the mention of his name I blushed, I couldn’t help it but thankfully Sophie wasn’t looking when I did.

“Some but he’s OK,” I said then added without thinking. “It’s Troy that I’m having problems with.”

“Let me guess... total prick?”

I quickly filled her in on some of my run-ins including the one in the lunchroom and the one that happened today. I edited out some details of course. Talking about him made me angry. I felt this intense tingling and suddenly the table started to shake. I quickly realized what was happening and bit my lip, trying desperately to keep under control. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that somehow my magic was connected to my mood. Anger seemed to be a key factor to it, which made a lot of sense. I suddenly thought back to Troy’s pants falling down and realized that I somehow caused that as well. I was angry then, too, just like now and just like earlier.

Shit, I was going to have to watch that.

“Troy’s a dick. Sometimes I wish he’d just drive that fancy car of his into a tree or something.”

Sophie laughed and raised her glass. “To happy accidents.”

We clicked our glasses together.

Sophie always knew how to make me feel better.

I had a restless night’s sleep. I tossed and turned all night, desperately trying to not think about the day. It was hard though because I was itching with excitement. For the first time since coming here, I felt happy. I know it sounds selfish or stupid but the fact that I now possessed magic made me feel like I was important. When I finally did drift off, I had this strange dream about floating above the town, looking down on it. The people in it were like little ants to me, scurrying about. It was kind of cool. I spotted the little Troy ant zipping about, moving faster than all the rest. It angered me that he thought he was better than everyone else. So I reached down and squashed him underneath my giant finger.

Waking up, I felt a bit disturbed.

The blanket was tangled around my body and I was sweating. I looked around the room, the morning sun streaming through the window. I shielded myself from it before climbing out of bed. As I did so, I noticed Diamond sitting by the door. He was staring at me, his strange eyes watching me. I stood there and stared at him, wondering what he had in mind. Diamond had been strangely absent lately, leaving me alone as far as I could tell. Now that he was back to bugging me I couldn’t help but think, he was a little spy. We stared at each other for about five minutes or so before I grabbed one of my sneakers and threw it at him. I missed or rather he dodged. As soon as he did so, he ran forward and jumped on the bed.

“You get lonely?” I asked, glaring at him.

As soon as I spoke, he did this strange thing with his head, cocking it to the side.

It almost seemed like he understood what I just said.

I shook off that thought as crazy and instead went to the door. I opened it up and peered out into the hall. I wasn’t intentionally avoiding my grandmother and Mary but I didn’t exactly want to run into them either. I’d been lucky so far. Last night after I got back from hanging out with Sophie, I was lucky enough that neither one of them were home. I managed to slip upstairs and hide in my room. My grandmother did check on me when she got home though. I was still wearing my hoodie then and I think I got away with fooling her. She gave me a few strange looks but she didn’t press me about things. She asked about dinner though, I told her I’d already eaten and she left me alone for the rest of the night. Avoiding Mary was easy because the two of us still weren’t talking. I was mad at her and she was whatever it was she usually was. There was no way I was going to waste energy trying to figure her out.

Thankfully, the coast was clear now too.

I slipped out into the hall and ran as fast as I could to the bathroom. I locked the door behind me and once again found myself looking at the girl in the mirror. I was still annoyed at what I saw but I wasn’t as shocked. I was far from accepting my fate, but at the same time, I wasn’t angry anymore. That part scared me a bit. I definitely didn’t want to be stuck as a girl for the rest of my life but at the same time, I somehow knew magic as one. It was a horrible tradeoff. If I became a guy again I’d lose the magic but in order to keep it I’d have to be a girl. How messed up was that.

I stripped out of my shirt and panties. Yes panties, I think I might have mentioned how boxers felt wrong. So last night I slept in my current shirt and underwear. I did it without thinking about it as if it was the most normal thing to do. That bit didn’t scare me then but it sure did now. It meant I was starting to adjust to all this and I definitely didn’t want that. I climbed into the shower trying not to think about it. The water felt nice as it flowed around my body. I closed my eyes and got lost in it for a while.

The shower wasn’t very long---well long enough to wake me up. I shut off the water and climbed out, getting a towel from the linen closet. I started wrapping it around my waist before stopping myself. Girl’s wrapped it around their bodies didn’t they? I groaned at that as I tried to mimic what I’d seen in many movies. Then I picked up my clothes from the floor and opened the door.

I nearly collided with Mary.

Shit.

For a long time, neither one of us said a thing. She just stood and stared, me I was terrified. Here I was dripping wet, wrapped in a towel---as a girl no less.

When Mary finally found her voice, the words out of her mouth weren’t a surprise. “What the hell is going on?”

I wanted to cry but I held it in. “How should I know, I turned back into this after you supposedly fixed me.”

Mary was dumbfounded to say the least. I was at a loss for words too.

“That spell should have worked; I mean I did everything right this time.”

“Well clearly you screwed up” I snapped, not sure why I was being so bitchy. “Again.”

There was a flash of anger in her eyes and before I knew it, her hand charged blue and she slammed it into my chest. I stumbled backwards, stunned by her spell. I didn’t however get blasted down the hall like I should of. That surprised her. It surprised her even more when I redoubled on her and blasted her with my own spell. Unlike hers though I put a little more into it, the result of which sent her flying. She landed on her backside about ten feet away. Once again, I was shocked at what I’d just done. I looked at my hand, the blue slowly ebbing away. My body was completely numb from the experience but I didn’t run this time. I stood my ground and watched her pick herself off the floor. When she got to her feet, the anger on her face was pretty damn clear.

She stormed over to me. “How in the hell did you do that?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know, it just happened.”

“Things like that just don’t happen” She was furious. “Especially to a Dud like you!”

This last bit she said a little louder than I would have liked. Her louder tone was enough to cause our grandmother to come charging up the stairs. She stopped dead at the top of them, staring. I was pretty certain we were quite the sight: angry Mary in her black pajamas and me in my towel, soaking wet. Mary didn’t notice her at first but the old woman wasn’t really looking at her. All her attention was on me, her cold eyes felt as if they were ripping through to my very soul.

“Mary” she said, my cousin flinched realizing that she was there now. “Downstairs now”

Mary didn’t hesitate. Before leaving, she shot me a nasty glance.

Once Mary was down the stairs, my grandmother walked slowly over to me. The expression on her face was cold, so I couldn’t really tell what she was thinking. When she got to me though, her intentions were clear, especially when she put her finger on my chin and lifted my head slightly. I felt like I was six years old again.

“What did you do?” she asked, venom in her voice.

Seriously?

“Nothing” I said, trying not to stammer but it was hard because the woman still scared the hell out of me.

“This isn’t nothing.”

I got a surge of confidence. “You tell me, you’re the one who gave Mary the spell. Clearly you messed up.”

OK, so maybe it was a little bold on my part but I hoped it would sting.

Her eyes narrowed and she dropped my chin.

“Go put some clothes on and meet me in the kitchen.”

She turned and stalked back down the hall, disappearing down the stairs a moment later.

I found myself letting out the breath I didn’t even know I was holding.

“I just got off the phone with Melissa, she will be here shortly.”

My grandmother walked into the kitchen, taking her usual place at the table. I sat in my usual place too, my breakfast having long since gone cold. It was untouched, too. I didn’t really feel like eating, I was too afraid of what was going to happen next. To say that my grandmother looked angry was an understatement. It was clear that she thought that I was somehow responsible for my new change. How I don’t know, after all she herself gave Mary the spell to change me back and supervised the administration of it. If anyone was at fault here, it was actually her.

“Until she gets here, I want you to tell me exactly how this happened?” she asked, trying a calmer tone when speaking to me.

I shrugged, Mary scoffed. My grandmother shot her a nasty look, which caused her to shrink a bit into her chair.

“It happened during school on Friday. I was in Math class when I suddenly felt sick. A girl agreed to take me to Melissa but we never got there. We ended up in the bathroom instead; I changed complete in the stall.”

“This girl, did she see you change?”

I shook my head. “She just assumed I was a girl already, like most of the jerks at my school.”

Mary laughed, getting another nasty look from my grandmother.

“What happened next?”

“I went to Melissa’s, we talked. She told me that something like this has happened before and wanted to contact the Coven. I talked her out of it.”

I left out the part about trying to run away.

“That was foolish,” said my grandmother. “The Coven could have helped you, sought a way to reverse the change for good.”

“Is there a way?” I asked, hopeful for a good answer.

She sighed heavily. “Maybe but this very irregular. That spell should done the trick.”

She fell silent for a moment before asking me to continue.

“Melissa decided that it might be better if we left the school so she took me to this little bistro to eat.”

My grandmother laughed. I’d never heard her laugh before. “That’s why Karen was a bit flustered yesterday. When she said my granddaughter was a lovely girl I thought she was referring to Mary and told her otherwise” Mary frowned. “When she said it was Kelly I told her she was clearly mistaken and that I only had one granddaughter.”

I couldn’t help but blush.

“So, you’ve been this way since Friday then?” I nodded. “Why didn’t you come to me sooner about it?”

I shrugged. “I was scared.”

“Once again you were acting like an idiot. Yesterday, I assume you roped little Maggie Crowley into this conspiracy too?” I nodded, she let out another sigh. “I can’t say I’m surprised. Is that all?”

I nodded. I was afraid to tell her about the magic thing, I’m not sure why. Mary however wasn’t afraid at all.

“That’s not all,” she snapped. “The little bitch has magic. She shot me down the hallway with it.”

My anger flared. Who was the bitch again?

“You little snot” I snapped, jumping up from my chair.

Mary was on her feet in a snap too, her fists already glowing.

“Girls, that’s enough,” snapped my grandmother, she turned to me with a calculated look. “Is this true? Can you do magic now?”

I raised my hand, letting one of my fingertips glow blue. It took every bit of concentration I had just to muster that. I was a bit perplexed to say the least. Did that mean I could only do magic when I was angry?

My grandmother opened her mouth to say something more but was interrupted by the doorbell ringing.

“That must be Melissa,” she said, getting up to answer it.

When she was gone, I shot Mary a look of daggers.

“You had to open your big fat mouth didn’t you?”

She gave me a cruel smile. “Fuck with me bitch and I go all out. I’m not sure why you were trying to hide it though. The way I see it, getting magic must be a blessing to you, Dud.”

I felt my anger start to flare again. Sometimes Mary was the most spoiled little bitch on the face of the planet. We’d had our differences before but whatever had her panties in a twist now was way beyond my comprehension.

I was ready to throw a nasty comeback of my own her way when we were interrupted by the reappearance of our grandmother. She wasn’t alone either; she was followed by a severe looking woman in a gray pants suit. The woman looked from Mary---who visibly paled---to me. When her eyes fell on me, I could tell she was one scary person. They lingered on me longer than I would have liked, making me very uncomfortable indeed.

“Girls this is Miss…,” said my grandmother.

The woman interrupted her. “My name isn’t all that important. Just know that I’m the Inquisitor and that I represent the Coven.”

My grandmother shot her a cold look, one that the woman tried to ignore.

The Inquisitor, just thinking about the name sent a shiver down my spine. Every witch and Dud alike knew about the Inquisitor. She was the Coven’s lackey, the one who investigated when bad things happened. I couldn’t help but feel that somehow this was about me.

The woman took no time getting right to the point.

When she spoke, again my fears were indeed correct. “Miss Daniels.” she said it with a bit of contempt. “What can you tell me about yesterday and an incident involving a young man named Troy Curtis?”

Yep, definitely about me.

Author’s note: As I’m sure all of you know, comments are life blood to an author. I’m not begging or demanding, but I certainly would appreciate anything you have to say (or ask). It doesn’t have to be long and involved, just give me your reaction to the story. Thanks in advance...EOF