Synopsis: Cindy and Allyssa are convinced Terri doesn't need to be so depressed at her situation. They begin trying to change her attitude and self image. They want her open up a bit more.

 

Accidental Magic

By
Allystra Krane

Chapter Seven
Letting Go and Hanging On.

---

Cindy pulled up in front of Terri's house about six-thirty Friday morning, an hour and a half before school was to start.

Terri's mother had been awaiting her and let her in and told her how to get to Terri's room, located on the highest floor in the building.

As Cindy approached the stairs, she saw a little girl playing with a large pile of LEGOs in what was a parlor room off to the side of the hallway. The girl looked up and smiled, before returning to whatever she happened to be building.

Cindy climbed the stairs and opened the door, which wasn't locked and peaked in to see Terri lying curled up in a fetal ball amidst a tangle of bedcovers, her hair matted and sweaty.

As she approached the bed, Cindy looked Terri over. Terri was turned away from her, shivering and whimpering softly. She thought to herself that Terri was having a nightmare, and she gently put a hand on the sleeping girl's shoulder.

Terri awoke with a start, gasping for air and screeching. She looked about to her surroundings then sat up in her bed, peeling her hair from the damp pillow, and looked right up at Cindy.

"What... Are... You... Doing?"

"I'm sorry if I woke you, but you looked like you were having a bad dream."

"I was." was Terri's short reply as she regained her composure.

Cindy was about to continue further, when she noticed Terri's hair simply dried out and fell into place on her head as if she had just taken a shower and then spent an hour styling it.

Terri yawned and climbed out of bed. She padded over to her mirror and rubbed her eyes, only then noticing Cindy staring at her in the mirror, her mouth agape. "What?" she asked.

"I so totally hate you," responded Cindy. "I wish I could do magic and just fix my hair in seconds like that."

"Oh that? That wasn't me." Terri commented.

"Liar!" Cindy snapped back.

"Seriously I didn't do that. It's a neat trick, but it seems to be part of the spell that transformed me into this. I can step out of the shower and my hair is dry and ready before my other foot hits the tile."

"You're not helping."

"I'm sorry Cindy, but I promise if I figure out how to cast it, I'll share it with you."

"I'm just giving you grief, okay? You don't need to do anything on my account."

"Then why are you here, if not to bother me about my magical personal grooming habits?" Terri asked.

"I did some thinking last night." Cindy began.

"That statement never fails to scare me coming from you." Terri interrupted.

"Anyway. I was wondering, what would have happened if the spell that brainwashed me and everyone else, had effected you as well?"

"You mean...?"

"Yeah, what if you also had been made to believe you had always been female." Cindy asked.

"Good thing the spell wasn't meant to do that." Terri replied.

"But what if it had?" Cindy empathized.

Terri thought about it for a moment before answering. "I think I'd be in hell."

"It couldn't possibly be so bad. I mean, you would have..."

"I would be in hell. If the spell on me was as bad as the one on everyone else, then I'd be fraught with feelings of something wrong about once every, what... ten seconds? That would be worse than this. At least I have my mind now. I can deal with this body. "

"Ok, but what if the spell had gone off perfectly?" Cindy conjectured. "What if it had been able to replace all those memories that people had?"

"So we are playing the 'Ultimate What If' game here huh?" Terri remarked sarcastically. "I'll tell you what would have happened. I would have likely gone out shopping for shoes and not spent the weekend in hysterics. The vomiting until my throat was sore from dry heaves, and the cursing out random deities made for a fabulous experience."

"You need to stop fixating on that." Cindy replied. "It's not healthy. That isn't what I was referring to. What I was trying to get at is, that you'd be HAPPY!"

"You mean I'm not?" Terri asked.

"Plah-leez. You are starting your own new cult. Beautiful girls who are Emo but don't look it."

"What's an Emo? I thought it was pronounced emu with a U." Terri commented.

"No, I'm not talking about the strange African bird. Emo is short for emotional, but a better term for it is immature self-destructive depressive.
You make other people feel bad just being in close proximity, and I do know what the word proximity means, for your Information."

Terri tried to ignore her, as she looked herself over in her mirror. She pretended to brush out wrinkles in the symboite suit, which was wrinkle free to begin with. "I'm never going to live down the prattling comment." she said.

"This is what I figured out last night. You are too worried about what people think of you, even now. This new unwanted popularity has you scared, I think you're scared that everyone is going to figure you out and beat on you."

Terri stopped what she was doing and turned to face Cindy. She stood there staring for several seconds before replying. "So you got it. You want a prize?"

"No, I don't. I wanted to tell you that you aren't the only one to feel that way."

"What are you talking about?"

"You have your secret and I have mine."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm gay, or did you forget?"

"Oh that. I guess I had nearly forgotten."

"Exactly. That is how you should feel about yours too. Look, when I first realized it, I was scared about how people would react. I worried endlessly for days, and I was sick about it. But I worked up the nerve, told my best friends and they were there for me. They made me feel comfortable and welcome."

"I don't think this can compare."

"The only difference between yours and mine is that there is magic involved. Augustine told me that she would erase minds at the school, including mine if I helped break the charm on everyone. I am sure there is a way to do a quick fix on anyone who you wouldn't want to know."

"I was kind of hoping no one would."

"That isn't possible. You weren't going to make it through this alone."

"How would you know?"

"Because I can see it eating away at you. Everyone on the squad can see it, and all of us can't let you put yourself through this kind of pain."

"You did before, when I was still Male and still a freak!"

"And every one of us regrets every moment, I promise. We know there is no way to undo the past, so we have to make amends now. We all want to help you to stop worrying and start living. I heard what you said at the table yesterday. You just planned on existing, cause you said being a girl was still suffering. That's not good enough.

I'm here to make this day the most pleasant you've had and help you so it will continue tomorrow, and the day after and the every day after that. All day we're going to be there for you, and not a minute will you have to go by when you'll feel alone. There will be no more suffering."

"The sleepover starts as soon as school is out tonight. We're planning on making it a worry free weekend, if that's possible for you."

Terri just stared at her. Cindy could see the emotional exhaustion in the other girl's eyes. There were no words that exchanged between them for several moments.

Cindy was finally tired of waiting for some snarky response when she realized Terri had surrendered and was simply waiting for whatever Cindy had planned to inflict upon her.

Cindy motioned her over, and put her arms around her again. "This doesn't hurt anymore, does it?"

"No, it doesn't hurt." Terri replied.

"You've spent so many years afraid to touch people, you forgot how good it used to feel."

Terri failed to respond. She was standing there with her eyes closed.

"You can cry if you want." Cindy whispered softly. "It will make you feel better getting it all out.

Terri sighed. "My tears dried up several days ago. Crying did me no good then. Why should it now?"

"That's the spirit. Stop mourning the loss of that penis you probably never used, and start thinking of all the fun ways you can show off your boobs!" Cindy chimed, as she pulled away and motioned to Terri's chest with her hands.

"Thank you for the vote of confidence." Terri scowled. "Never used huh?"

"You weren't a virgin, I mean, with someone else?" Cindy quipped back. "Seriously?"

Terri hung her head. "No, but if I had my dick right now it would have shriveled up..."

"...If you had your dick right now, you would look like one of those weird and nasty 'Futa' girls from the Japanese porn comics."

"Ew, stop putting ugly visions into my head." Terri said with a sneer.

"Sorry, but we are getting off track here. Back to the focus, and my reason for coming. Do you think, for one day, you can stop worrying about what you have become and just focus on who you are? In other words, will you try to come out of your shell that you spent so long building? You don't have to fear being touched anymore, so you can start making friends. The spell gave you a hand up there, didn't it?"

"Be serious." Allyssa commented as she strolled into the room. "I'm not Terri's friend. I was just someone who had something she wanted, the counter spell. Now that she knows I don't have one, I'm just a useless person."

"You never said you wanted to be my friend either. You just seemed to want to use Me." retorted Terri. "I went along with your ideas cause I didn't have anyone else to turn to! You said you'd help me, and it was the only hope I had! Now I'm stuck being a cheerleader and it's all your fault!"

Allyssa stopped smiling. She knew she had hit a nerve, and not in the way she had intended.

Cindy too felt the room chill suddenly as the glow in Terri's eyes assumed their reddish flare.

"Your stupid precognitive powers didn't see that coming could you? You didn't see me having to wear that stupid skirt every few days for the rest of the year, now did you?!"

Allyssa closed her eyes and lowered her head. "I'm sorry Terri. I didn't think about that, or what it might have meant. I didn't mean to use you like that, I just could not stop thinking about what I had seen in my vision."

It was Terri's turn to close her eyes. Allyssa looked up face the girl's gaze, but found them hidden. After a few seconds however, a smile crept across Terri's lips.

She opened her eyes again to reveal the deep pools of blue that signaled that Terri had lost the anger.

"You're forgiven. I have been wondering if you had meant to humiliate me. I have my answer now, and I wonder if it means that you care?"

"Of course I care Terri." Allyssa said. "I care, because from the moment you cried into my arms on the bleachers, I have considered you my friend. You needed someone that night and I stayed out there with you, to calm you down so you could function as close to normal as possible. I've come over here every morning and walked with you to school, so you wouldn't feel alone. You are important to me, and not because you're a user, but because you couldn't face this by yourself."

"That's the same reason I'm here, so you don't have to feel alone."

"I get it alright. Sheesh, all this time and suddenly people think it's bad for me to be all by myself. I'm so grateful for the attention." Terri snipped sarcastically.

"Allyssa, isn't there some kind of spell you can put on her?"

"Tons, but I won't."

"Why not?"

"Spells that try to change people's minds only force a personality out for awhile, leaving them feel helpless and no longer in control. When it wears off, they are usually always mad at the caster. You've seen Terri mad, I don't want that directed at me."

"Enough, you two talk like I'm not here. I'll try to be more of a people person, okay? Even if just for today."

For her outburst, Terri was rewarded by another hug from Cindy, though from behind this time.

---

Now dressed, Terri exited her room, locking the door behind her and turned to join Allyssa and Cindy who were already a few steps down the stairs.

"Oh, I didn't know you had a sister." Allyssa said. "How has she been treating you?"

"Uhm, I don't have a sister." replied Terri.

"Then who's the little girl downstairs?" asked Cindy.

"Oh, you must mean Lexi. She's the daughter of one of Mom's good friends. Mom watches her a few days each week while I'm at school."

"Wow, and I could have sworn that you two were sisters." Allyssa responded. "She does bear a striking resemblance."

Cindy nodded. "I thought the same thing."

"Well, you two would be the very first to think we looked like sisters."

"Really?" Cindy asked.

"She's trying to pull one on you Cindy. You forget that Terri looked quite different last week."

Cindy smirked. "Oh yeah, good one Terri. You had me there."

As they reached the ground floor landing, Lexi looked up toward the three of them. "Good morning."

"Morning Lexi. Where's Mom?"

"In the kitchen, making enough breakfast for you and your friends."

"She doesn't have to do that." said Cindy.

"Irregardless of your wishes, that's what she's doing." Lexi commented idly, while turning her visual attention to her Lego blocks, which looked like an unfinished version of the Empire State Building. She had completed the main base of the structure and was now deciding on the color for the vertical shaft.

"You know, just ten minutes ago, that was just a pile of bricks."

"I'm used to it." replied Terri. "Lexi is a gifted kid. I'm sure she'll be ruining the grading curve for everyone else. She was reading before she could walk, and last week it was a repair manual for a Audi..."

Terri was interrupted with, "It was for a Volvo Eight-Fifty." Lexi stated.

"Written in German." added Terri.

"Swedish actually." corrected Lexi.

"Whatever. You’re just a little miss know-it-all today, aren’t you?" Terri snipped.

"Ok, stop it you two." called Terri's mother from the kitchen. "It's time for breakfast."

"Yes Momma." Terri muttered softly.

She trudged into the kitchen, with Allyssa and Cindy in tow.

Terri flopped into a chair on the center island, so she would be close to the skillet surface her mother was working on.

"So good to see your friends for a change Terri. I hope you all have time for breakfast, and you've brought healthy appetites." she said, as she flipped a couple of pancakes over.

"Do we have time?" asked Cindy.

"Well, you have a car, you could drive us all there quickly." Allyssa replied.

"Sweet, those do look good."

Cindy took a seat next to Terri and Allyssa took the next in the line, which also happened to be the end.

"Okay, how would you like your eggs?" Terri's mother asked.

At this time Cathy, one of the boarders, came into the room.
"Terri, can I speak with you a second?"

Terri slouched forward, and then dejectedly followed Cathy into the next room.

---

"So, I hear you are not going to be training with us tonight?" Cathy asked, as she turned around to face the girl.

Terri nodded. "I'm being hauled to a sleepover for the cheer squad. It's being held for me."

"You know, we're not going to be here forever, and you have blown us off the last two nights, and now tonight."

"I promise that I won't ditch on you anymore. Cross my heart."

"Very well. On another subject, I wonder if you know where that little girl, Lexi, lives. We have reason to believe that she may also be a user, though she is not aware of it. Martha swears that the girl has been seamlessly moving through the ley-lines, a possible sign of magically inclined."

"Ley-lines?" Terri asked.

"Lines of mana that cross the earth, the source of our power. A normal human breaks the lines as they encounter them, the lines repair unharmed. A user passes through the stream without breaking it, and you, well you cause all nearby streams to pull inward toward yourself. That is what a vortex does."

"Ahh, gotcha. Well, I honestly don't know where she lives. I have never seen her mom, or her showing up or leaving. She's just here some mornings when I leave for school and she's gone before I return."

"I see." Cathy said. "I guess we'll wait for her mother this afternoon, and follow them home."

"I am sorry I can’t be of more help. I’d tell you to ask Mom, but then she might wonder why you want to know." said Terri. "Is there anything else?"

"Your plate is filling up, you best get back to it before it gets cold." Said Cathy. "If you’re like me, you’d hate cold eggs."

---

The day had not gotten off to a good start, but classes did not appear much better, at least at first.

Terri had not noticed before, but every class period she had, she shared with at least one member of the squad. This was brought to her attention when, before the beginning of each period, she found herself the recipient of one or more hugs.

She dreaded each contact moments before it occurred, but afterward found herself wanting it and nearly wishing it hadn't ended so quickly. Her general mood was noticeable by everyone in the room, so while many sets of eyes were focused on her, she wasn't noticing so much. She was sitting there, a state of being that she had not shown before.

Before third period, half of the senior class knew about the displays of friendship, and despite some rumor about it being something deviant and sexual, most took it as a sign that Terri was troubled by the attempted rape days before.

As a result, most of the girls in Terri's third period class stood in line to put arms around her or offer her words of encouragement. Since most feared even saying the word rape would cause her undo pain, their comments only served to act much like horoscopes. A collection of generalized and full of open-ended statements that could be taken for any number of things, including a sudden gender and popularity change gave her a strangely mixed yet comforting message.

The lunch period, which for Terri was in the fifth of the day, came quickly for her. She strolled into the cafeteria with an air of confidence. She surveyed the room, her gaze fell upon her old lunch table, whom she had given up to the group of people already sitting there waiting for her.

She calmly navigated the twists of tables, and took up her chair, much to the delight of the group there. She recognized each of their faces now, but she could not place them into any one group. They seemed ecstatic as she sat down but did not say a single word.

She pulled a simple paper sack from her bag, and removed a sandwich. She unwrapped it and began eating. Her eyes continued to dart from one person to another as she ate, not saying a word, or making much more noise than chewing.

One sandwich gone and no one else had said anything at all. She reached into her sack again, which had looked and acted empty after she removed the sandwich the first time, but this time she removed a bottle of sweetened lemon Tea. She said nothing, but uncapped the bottle, took a long drink, and set the remaining half the bottle in front of her, recapping the lid.

The entire time she had said nothing, simply watched to see if these people would say a thing, but much to her surprise, they had not started a conversation either.

She folded up her paper sack, picked up her bottle of tea, then her backpack and calmly strolled away finishing it off in time to sit down with the cheer squad, much to the surprise of the people she left behind.

"Those are Klingons?" she asked Cindy. "Not the star Trek kind, but the poop stuck to the hairs on the crack of your ASS, Klingons."

"They are like mindless zombies, but without the drawling ‘Brains’ over and over." replied Cindy. "Without you as their leader, they’ll drift back into someone else’s group, but not ours. They will never be cheerleader material. They could never pass the tryouts."

"That never stopped me." said Terri.

"Only cause you didn't TRY." replied Cindy. "I'm sure had you been feeling better, you could have."

"I shudder to think of how much 'Better' I would have needed to be to achieve that."

"Truthfully, I doubt you ever will. I'm just hoping we can get you to smile a few times this weekend."

"That will depends on this weekend I guess. I'm hoping some sort of miracle happens."

"I'm not hoping for miracles," said Cindy. "I'm planning for them. I know you are going to enjoy this weekend so much, you'll be sitting here with us at lunch the rest of the year."

"That or a building will fall and crush me." Terri mumbled softly to herself.

---