Christian Aceves was one of the few people who still went to libraries. Every kid he knew spent their time poring over video games, Netflix, and Instagram. Christian liked those things too, but he also enjoyed reading a good book. He liked reading from almost any genre, be it fantasy, mystery, or romance. The most recent book he had read was Dark by L. J. Williams, and today he was going to the library to return it.

On Sunday after church, Christian planned to go to the library with his ten-year-old sister Mia. Mia was a book nut herself, and she had cut her teeth on encyclopedias and world record books. She was eager to go to the library and see if she could find any interesting books. Since both of their parents were either working or busy with church stuff, Christian (who was sixteen and had just gotten his driver's license last month) agreed to take Mia with him to the library.

At the library, Christian returned the books he had borrowed and went off to go to the romance aisle. The book Dark had been the first in a trilogy, and Christian was looking for the second book titled Darker. The first book had ended on a major cliffhanger, and Christian was very curious about what was gonna happen next. He looked through the bottom layer of the bookcase, where the books by the authors whose last names started with W were held. He struck gold when he found the last copy of Darker near the end of the shelf.

Christian then went to go find Mia. He looked in the encyclopedia aisle and found Mia looking over a large blue-covered book. Inside the book was a series of old-style writing and drawings, much like those Wizardology, Egyptology, Pirateology, and other -ology books Christian used to read in elementary school. "What book is that?" Christian asked.

"It's called 'Ancient Spells,'" Mia answered. "It's really cool."

"You wanna borrow it?" Christian asked.

"Of course!" said Mia.

"Well, then, let's get it," said Christian. He led Mia to the checkout counter. Christian placed Darker on the counter, and Mia placed Ancient Spells alongside it. Christian swiped his library card, and the librarian gave them their books.

"Thank you so much, Christian," Mia said as she carried her borrowed book out to the car.

"No problem," said Christian. "I hope you enjoy your book."

***

The Aceves family lived in a small (ish) house in the city of Chicago. Christian was an active participant of his school's swim team, and Mia was heavily involved in ballet. Christian had swim practice that evening, so he couldn't read his book. Mia had a free afternoon, so she had a chance to go over her Ancient Spells book. She read about lots of cool spells that could turn rocks into bread, cause toys to come alive, and create water out of thin air. Mia wished that she was a witch herself and could actually do this stuff. There were some spells that she really wanted to try out. For example, there was a spell that could warp a teacher's mind and make them forget to give you homework. Mia hated homework, and she would do anything to get her teacher to stop giving her homework. Another spell could turn a stuffed animal into a real cat. Mia loved cats, and she had wanted one for her whole life, but her parents had refused to get her a cat.

Mia would've spent all night reading, but when she was halfway through the book, her mom came into her room. "It's time to go," she said.

"Go?" Mia asked.

"Yes," said her mom. "Your playdate with Emma."

Crap. Mia had forgot. She and her friend Emma had set up a playdate at Emma's house for today, but Mia had been so excited about her book, she had forgotten all about it. "Sorry Mom," she said. "I'll come."

"You can bring your book if you like," her mom said. "I'm sure Emma would like it."

So Mia brought her book to Emma's house so they could both read it. They both sat on Emma's bed with the book open in front of them. Mia skimmed through what she had read so far, causing Emma to be impressed. "Have you tried any of these spells?" Emma asked.

"No," said Mia.

Emma looked at a spell written on the lower corner of a page. "I'll try this one," she said. She cleared her throat and started reading. "Feeling lonely, want a cat. Poof, now I have one, just like that." Instantly, Emma's brown stuffed cat sparkled with magic. There was a flash of light, and the stuffed cat was gone. In its place was a real, living, breathing tabby cat.

"Oh my gosh!" Emma exclaimed, hugging her new cat. "The spells actually work!"

"I know," said Mia.

"Wait," said Emma. "Will my parents be mad that I suddenly have a cat-"

"Probably not," said Mia. "It said in the beginning of the book that when one of these spells changes something, it changes the world around us so that everyone thinks that you always had a real cat. Only you and I know the truth."

"What else is there?" Emma asked. She flipped through the book and found a chapter on human transformations. "How to get a new family member?" she read.

Mia read through the page. She had not read this one yet, and she was curious. Her eyes settled on a box that had information on how to get a new big sister. Mia's eyes widened at this. Even though she loved Christian from the bottom of her heart, she had always wished she had a big sister. She thought it would be nice to have an older sibling of her gender that could give her advice about girl issues, or go to the mall with, or to have heart-to-heart girl conversations with. "I think I'll try this one," she said. "I would like a bigger family. So create a sister for me!"

Emma frowned. "That doesn't even rhyme," she said.

"Did...it work?" Mia asked.

"There weren't any magic sparkles, so I don't think so," said Emma.

***

Christian was tired from his swim practice. His coach had made him swim about three hundred laps in the course of two hours, and it had taken its toll on him. He drove his girlfriend Olivia home to the foster home where she lived, then went home to get some rest. He went into his bedroom and took off his shirt and shorts, leaving only his swimsuit.

He was right about to take off his swimsuit when it happened. Suddenly, his whole body was engulfed in magic sparkles, and he felt his skin tingling. As he looked in the mirror, he saw his face shrinking and rounding out, becoming more feminine. His throat flattened as his voice became several octaves higher. His brown hair grew out past his shoulders, stopping right where his pectoral muscles were.

Christian's arms shrank down until they were as thick as Slinkies. His body frame also shrank and lost fat. This alone stripped ten pounds off of Christian's weight. As his waist shrank, Christian felt his nipples tingle harder than any other part of his body. His nipples puffed up, and the fat behind them swelled until he had C cup breasts. All of the hair on his chest disappeared.

The changes continued down below. Christian's butt grew outward in a heart shape as his hips widened. His legs thickened and his waist shrank, giving him a womanly figure. The last change came when his penis shrank backward into his body, leaving a smooth space. This smooth space grew into a full vagina.

Christian felt the tingling die down and looked over her new body. She touched her left breast and gasped at how sensitive it was. "Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed. "What just happened to me?" As she said it, her swimsuit started to change. Its legs shrank away, and the material that made up its waist began to stretch upward. Christian's swimsuit grew until it covered her breasts and was held in place by two straps. Christian's swimsuit was now a one-piece girl's suit.

"What are my parents gonna say?" Christian worried. "What are they gonna do it they see me-"

Suddenly, Christian heard her mom calling her. "Christina!" she called. "Christina, are you home yet?"

"Christina?" Christian thought out loud.

To be continued...