Synopsis: Almost nothing is going quite right for Terri. She lost the suit, she new friends are unsure what to make of her and now she has to go again. Is her Grandmother trying to drive her mad?
 

Accidental Magic
Chapter Twenty: Wires Crossed
 
By Allystra Krane
edited by Sephrena Miller

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The next morning the other girls had woken up to find Terri already wide awake, still surfing the web in her pajamas.

Having the second bathroom was definitely a bonus when five girls were all trying to get ready.

Terri had kept out of everyone's way, watching with intent as lipstick and eye shadow were applied while frantic pleading for the hotel's supplied iron to heat up passed alongside quaint greetings and compliments.

Terri was looking over the cheer uniform that she had laid out on her bed. She was adorned in only a pair of white panties and a matching bra since her symbiotic suit was still making up a deflated ball of goo on the floor next to her feet.

Without its presence, both physically and mentally, she was starting to be overcome by herself doubts. She wished she knew what was wrong with it, but it was no longer responding. She cursed herself for not knowing Alyssa’s phone number, assuming she would know why it was sick.

"Hey," Kristi said. "You should wear something with style!"

Terri looked up from where she was standing and saw Kristi giggling and pointing to Terri's cheer uniform while holding up one of her own; a mirror to the one she already wore. A midriff top and hot pants in a glittery lilac color with a slight flare at the end of the legs and arms.

"Why go as a nobody when you can blend in with the semifinalists and get a behind the scenes look?"

"I'm not a loser!" Terri replied. "I'm just not really comfortable with showing off so much skin."

There was a knock at the hall door and Kristi rushed to answer it.

"Excuse me," she announced as she peeked through the sight. "We're not decent enough to receive guests."

A young male voice on the other side replied, "Uh, I have a letter for the occupant of this room, it was just delivered by courier."

Terri grumbled as she walked to the door, but Kristi stopped her.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"That letter is for me," Terri replied with indignity.

"Weren't you just saying that you don't feel comfortable showing off too much skin? Why don't you go try answering the door in your underwear?" Kristi exclaimed. "You are making no sense."

"Well, when you put it like that," Terri replied back sarcastically as she watched Kristi pulled one of the hotel's white robes off its hanger.

Terri sighed but submitted to being helped quickly into it, and then got it tied together before pulling the door open and snatching the envelope out of the bellhop’s hand.

"Uhm," was all he managed to get to out as the door slammed shut on its own.

"You know, he was probably looking forward to a tip," Kristi commented sarcastically.

Terri turned around, yanked the door open again to see the bellhop still standing there, stupefied.

She reached into the top of the robe, rummaging around and acting like she was massaging her left breast, but pulling out a dollar bill after a moment.

"I usually charge for a show like that," she said with a smirk. "Consider it part of the tip." Then she handed him the bill and shut the door again.

"You keep money in your bra?" Kristi asked as she watched Terri tear open the letter.

"No, I made a portal from the robe to my backpack," Terri answered absent-mindedly.

"Cool," Kristi said. "Can you show me how?"

"Yeah, you look great."

"What?"

"Uhm, what did you say?" Terri said with a blush as she looked up from turning the letter over.

"You know that tomboy thing?"

"I'm doing it again?"

Kristi nodded.

Terri growled as she looked back at the letter. "Damn attention deficit."

"What does it say?"

"I thought I was going to be here for a few days,"

"You have to leave?"

"Not sure, but I do need to get dressed fast," Terri answered.

"Why?"

"I got a date with a laundry cart," Terri said.

"Say what?" Kristi exclaimed again.

Terri was already moving, dredging out a pair of jeans from her suitcase as she started to explain.

"Listen, my life is in danger and the only reason I'm here is that my grandmother, despite being dead, could see the future with such accuracy that she has been sending me magically teleporting around the world looking for more letters like a crazed version of that 'Amazing Race' show."

"Why?" Kristi asked which was followed by the girls in the next room joining in the query.

"Because I'm special, that's why!" Terry snapped back, as she pulled the denim pants up almost over her hips, finding they wouldn't go any higher.

"What are you talking about?" asked Chelsea.
 

~*~
 
The sudden barrage of questions from several sources plus the uncomfortable fit of her clothes was taking its toll on Terri's short fuse. She was in a hurry now and they were all getting in her way.

Terri suddenly lashed forward at the girls, her upper body, face and arms all suddenly covered in glowing lambent blue lines that jogged about in intricate patterns. Her eyes were solid pools of white, as if they were the light of stars.

"Holy crap!" Maxine cried out. "How are you doing that?"

Terri just snarled at them in a way that didn't sound human anymore, but Kristi saw an opening and flung herself in and latched arms around her from behind.

"It's okay. No one is here to hurt you," Kristi wailed, trying calm Terri down.

The lines seemed to bleed off into the air again, leaving a girl stopped in a sort of trance, which she promptly broke out of and then began crying in Kristi's arms.

Kristi got a better grip awaiting the torrent that was sure to come.

"I... I don't know what came over me," Terri managed out between sniffles. "I just got so angry I snapped and it was like I got taken over."

"It's okay, you need time to adjust," Kristi said. "That 'Treatment' of yours didn't take into account all those new hormones mucking about. There seem to be some unpleasant side effects."

Terri twisted herself around looked into Kristi's eyes, her own wide open. "You... you know?"

"It's obvious now, with everything you've shown me and what you said last night," Kristi said with a smile. "Now are you leaving town or are we going to see you after the contest?"

"I have to go hang out at the park three blocks to the south for a few hours," Terri tremblingly got out. "It doesn't say anything after that."

Kristi gave Terri one big hug, "Then don't you leave until I come to say goodbye."

Terri nodded shakily, but quickly regaining composure. "Do they know?" she asked looking at the stunned faces of Maxine, Tasha, Stephanie, and Chelsea.

"They have no idea," she replied, grinning wildly. "Now what shirt are you supposed to wear?"

Kristi helped Terri finish getting dressed then they went over the letter which detailed Terri's indicate and convoluted task of escaping the hotel unseen.

"Okay, I gotta distract the maid who is pushing the cart about, then you follow it until the service elevator... wow this is some deep and heavy level stuff."

"I got it memorized now," Terri said, adjusting her backpack on her shoulder. "Let's go."
 

~*~
 
Terri ducked out of her door as the maid grabbed towels for Tasha and Kristi from the other door. During the distraction, Terri approached the cart, which also held a giant bin for dirty sheets and it became her new home for a few minutes.

She buried herself deep along the side and waited until the woman pushed the cart until the elevator alongside a food cart.

Terri overheard the argument between the maid and another worker right as the doors shut and Terri felt the elevator start to move.

She transferred to the bottom of the food cart, which was covered by a tablecloth. The elevator doors opened on the floor for the laundry and that cart was removed, followed by another argument.

Terri absently wondered if her grandmother was the cause of all the dysfunctionality amongst the staff today, but decided not to dwell on it.

When the elevator reached ground floor, the door opened to reveal a kitchen atmosphere.

Terri waited and was pulled out into the room, the contents on top were removed and she began to silently count as she had been instructed.

At seventeen seconds, she slipped out and snuck to the rear of the room where a stack of fresh fruit crates were. She took two oranges, a pear and a banana and put them in her bag. She then picked up a crate, shouldered it to hide her face and began walking it out the door to her left, setting it on another stack that was sitting on the docks. It reminded her of the movie 'Fletch' and she nearly giggled.

She was outside.
 

~*~
 
The letter said nothing about getting a glazed roll from the bakery she passed, a good thing too as she doubted that oranges and a banana would be enough.

Upon entering the park she also found a sno-cone vender and treated herself again.

She began wandering the path as she had been instructed to do. It was a bright and clear day, with a gentle wind to compliment the March air.

Terri flipped her 'magiked' shades out of the nothingness that they had come from.

After strolling along the footpath for nearly an hour, she wasn't sure if she had made a lap or not, but she barely cared. She took a seat on one of many benches that lined the walk.

After a few minutes of sitting there, her eyes closed and she was letting her other senses take in the peace and calm about her.

She heard the slow shuffle of someone with a cane approaching. They slowly sat down on the other end of the bench.

"Shouldn't you be in school young lady?"

Terri replied without making any other motions. "I'm playing hooky, besides I'm at least nine hour’s drive from home."

"That's no excuse. School is very important," the elderly man replied.

"I know, but I have a very good reason to skip."

"I hope so."

Terri opened her eyes to see a pleasant looking man not staring at her, but looking ahead, as if something on the edge of park had his interest.

"Which way is the mall from here? I can't see it anymore." Terri asked.

"Behind us," he replied with a small smile. "I hope that isn't your great excuse."

There was a long silence as Terri tried to figure out what to say, since she had trouble relating to anyone her own age, much less someone from the previous generations.

"Well," said the man, "I really must be going. Going to meet my grandchild further down the path. I hope you can explain to your teachers why you skipped school and you'll be able to make up the work you missed."

"I promise," Terri said. "You want help getting up?"

"No, no. I'll be fine. I may not be as spry as I used to be, but this cane is more defense then dependant.

"Goodbye then, take care."

"You as well," he said as he shuffled away with a wave.
 

~*~
 
Terri was off in dreamland again when she heard hurried footsteps approach. Her eyes flung open to find Kristi bearing down on her at breakneck speed with the other girls following close behind.

"Ooph," Terri managed to squeak out as Kristi attempted to crush her in a hug.

"You feeling better?" she asked.

"Yeah," Terri said. "I have been sitting here almost the whole time trying to work out how you figured it out, or if you did at all."

Maxine spoke up. "You're really a guy, right?"

Terri sighed, "You got me, but how?"

Kristi giggled. "I told them as we were walking here. As for how I figured it out, well, you were this huge tomboy, but you didn't outwardly try to be and all your clothes were gently feminine but nothing that tried to be really sexy, not even your cat suit. Then when you transformed earlier, it all clicked into place."

Tasha nodded. "I have never heard of conditioner good enough to untangle super-messy hair. Kristi said you knew magic and I believe it now."

"I have one question," Chelsea asked. "Is this a curse or something, like a weird version of the frog prince thing?"

"It's a long story, really," Terri responded. "At first I thought I was cursed, then it was a tacky warning flag for other people to notice me, but now I'm this way by choice."

"So, are you like, hot, when you're a guy?"

"Only if I want to be, but not before."

"Do you like guys?"

"No, I don't think so."

Tasha looked around and then turned to face Terri. "Can we see? There is no one around."

"You want me to change here?"

"You scared?"

"Only that I'll rip these tight female pants apart," Terri replied.

"Aww cmon, you can't just keep the curvy butt and change everything else?" Chelsea asked.

Terri closed her eyes and felt out into that place in her mind where the switch was and triggered it, but felt nothing.

She opened her eyes in time for Maxine to comment, "Was that all? I mean I saw a glowing around you but nothing happened."

Terri looked down, she was indeed still a female.

She tried again, harder. No effect.

Terri got suddenly worried. She looked at Maxine a moment, her brow furrowed and Maxine squeaked out a protest as she was suddenly transformed into a man, with muscles that threatened to tear up the tiny shirt he had been sporting.

"Hey, whaddya do that for?" Maxine angrily asked.

"It works on others, why not me?" Terri mused aloud before closing her eyes again.

Terri was sweating, straining and the girls swore they saw ripples in the air around her as suddenly they all switched gender.

Maxine was back to her own self but she was now staring at four boys in skirts that could have passed for a bad drag queen boy band.

Terri opened her eyes again to see the looks that four teenagers were giving her and she realized what she had done.

"Sorry, sorry!" she said as she pointed her finger at each one and they came back into their previous shape.

Her finger fell on Maxine who promptly grabbed it and pulled it down and out of the way. "I don't think so missy, I was a girl too."

"Sorry, I wasn't going to hit you again; it was the reflex of going one to another."

"What gives you the right to make me your Guinea pig?" Maxine snapped. "Hell, any of us?"

"You don't understand. Did you see me become male at any time?" Terri answered, her voice faltering.

"Well... no, but," Tasha said.

Terri suddenly had a profound moment of insight. "It's not my suit, it's ME!"
 

~*~
 
The old man was smiling as five teenage girls passed him down the walk. He continued onward until the path wound into the trees at which point his step increased, the cane took a place hanging on the crook of his arm and he confidently walked up to a group of angry-looking men and women dressed in all black.

"Well?" asked one of the women of him.

"Calm yourselves my children," Nethizar said as he tossed the cane off towards one of his followers. "It is just as we expected, she has no idea who I am. She likely has been helped to get this far."

"Why didn't you just take her then?" asked another. "You had plenty of time."

"As I was about to explain before being interrupted," Nethizar said, hinting his displeasure, "she's been helped. There must be a quite powerful ward on her because she didn't even realize what I had attempted to do."

"So what do we do?"

"We are going to have to wear down that ward. There is no plan without her."

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To Be Continued...
 
End of Chapter Twenty