"One, two, three, four, we're the tigers, do the roar!" Genesis cried as she and her fellow cheerleaders shook their pom-poms. In response, all the spectators in the bleachers cheered. The cheerleaders watched as Eastern Plains High's star batter Rupert Lacey hit a home run and ran all three bases before skidding onto home plate. There was another round of cheering as Rupert beamed with pride.

"Yeah, Rupert!" said the cheer captain and Genesis' stepsister Ramona said. "You're the man!"

"And look at that!" Rupert said, looking at the scoreboard. "We won!"

There was a loud and collective "Woohoo!" from all the Eastern Plains High students, teachers, and parents that had come to the baseball game. It was now March, and baseball season was in full swing. This was Eastern Plains High's first big game, and they'd won.

Now that the cheerleaders had done their job, Genesis left the edge of the field and went to the bleachers. She saw her dad and stepmom there, but there was someone else she wanted to see. It was her boyfriend Jesse Pindle.

"Hey Genesis," Jesse said, hugging his girlfriend on sight. "You did awesome out there."

"I know," said Genesis. Even though Jesse went to a different school than her, she still appreciated him coming to the game to support her.

"I'll bet you're the reason Rupert scored that home run," said Jesse. "You and your squad cheered him on and gave him the motivation he needed."

"Maybe," said Genesis.

Another of the cheerleaders, Charlotte Shetty, came up to them. "Hey lovebirds," she said. "You still down to come to my house for the sleepover tonight?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry," said Jesse. "I just had something come up. My dad needs me to go with him to help my uncle move."

"That's okay," said Charlotte. "My parents didn't seem to want me to have a boy at my sleepover anyway."

"Not even a former boy?" Genesis said with a smirk.

"Well, they don't know you used to be Gene," Charlotte reminded her friend.

Genesis laughed. "Don't worry," she said. "I'll be there."

***

There were only a handful of people at Charlotte's sleepover. There was Genesis, Ramona, Charlotte, Modesty, and Cassy, along with Charlotte's parents-and her aunt, who was visiting for the weekend. They played some party games like Spin The Bottle and watched some TV for a while before they all went to bed. While Ramona, Modesty, and Cassy slept in the living room, Genesis slept on the floor in Charlotte's bedroom.

While she slept, Genesis had a very vivid dream. Usually, her dreams weren't too remarkable. At least, she assumed they weren't, because she never remembered them. But this one was different. It felt like she was actually there...wherever it was. She was standing in a long, forever-stretching series of white plains beneath a dark sky.

"Hello?" Genesis asked. Was she in Purgatory? No, that couldn't be. She was asleep and dreaming...wasn't she?

"Genesis."

Genesis looked around. There was no one there except her. "Who's that?"

"Someone you've hopefully come to forgive."

"Huh?"

Before Genesis, a cloud of vapor formed and solidified into a humanoid form. As the personage took on more details, Genesis started to realize why that voice sounded so familiar.

"I'm the one who turned you into a girl," said the ghost of Mirna Abbot.

Genesis' jaw dropped. "Mirna?" she sputtered. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Last fall, right before school started, Genesis had been a horny teenage boy named Gene who'd made sexual advances on girls. As punishment, Mirna had turned Gene into a girl so he could experience the harassment he'd inflicted on a fair number of girls. Mirna had promised Genesis that she'd change her back when she'd learned her lesson, but before that could happen, a random criminal had shot Mirna. Genesis had been there when the paramedics came to try to save Mirna, only for her to die from her wounds. As such, Genesis had no choice but to stay a girl.

"Yes, it's me," said Mirna. "Now, I know you might still have some anger in you for what I put you through."

"Anger? Well..." Genesis wasn't sure what to say. She certainly had been angry when she first became female. However, over time, she'd adapted to her new life as a girl. She'd forged a better relationship with her stepsister, helped create a gender-changing serum for people in the trans community, and got herself a proper, endearing boyfriend. By now, her old life as Gene didn't seem to matter anymore.

"So I was right," said Mirna. "You have forgiven me." When Genesis didn't respond, Mirna said "I've been watching you, you know. From the spirit world. I saw everything you did after I died. And I must say, I'm very proud of you for learning the lessons I wanted you to learn."

Genesis smiled. "Yes, I did," she said.

"You've even done the trans community a huge service. For that, you're deserving of recognition."

"Well, about the gender-changing serum...it wasn't all me. Rachel Miller was the one who donated her blood."

"And it was you who initiated the endeavor to get it," said Mirna. "Your sister Ramona is right. You've morphed into a much better person than Gene could've dreamed of being. So much that I've decided to make you my successor."

"Successor?"

"Yes, my successor. You see, when a witch dies, her magic doesn't always die with her. Before passing onto the true spirit world, a witch can decide if she wants to transfer her magic to someone new on Earth-someone who they want to carry on their legacy. In many cases, they'll choose a friend or relative. But you, Genesis...I've decided you deserve my gift."

"You mean you're gonna make me a witch?"

"Yes," said Mirna. "You're a much better candidate than my nephew Lucas, wouldn't you agree?"

Genesis shuddered. Lucas had threatened her life more than once. "Definitely," she said.

"However, you must be warned," said Mirna. "I may be giving you a gift, but you must be wise with how you use it. Even though knowledge of witches is much more widespread nowadays, there will still be some who are opposed to witches-especially if you decide to use your powers for bad."

"I won't," said Genesis.

"I hope not," said Mirna. She put both her hands on Genesis' shoulders, then closed her eyes. Her noncorporeal hands glowed as Genesis felt a tingling sensation all throughout her body. The feeling reminded her of when, after their road trip to Georgia, she'd been at Jesse's house and had sex with him. Genesis couldn't resist moaning with pleasure as she felt Mirna transferring her magic to her.

"And there you go," said Mirna. "You, Genesis Rookwood, are now a witch."

"Oh my gosh," said Genesis. "Thank you, Mirna!"

"You're welcome," said Mirna. "But you will still need to be trained, and Awakened."

"Awakened?"

"It's a procedure all witches must undergo to truly unlock their magical abilities," said Mirna. "Another witch must perform it. For that, you'll need to consult the Council Of Witches."

"Council Of Witches?"

"It's a council that was formed by the surviving witches after Circe Reyna was killed," Mirna explained. "They are responsible for governing the witches and making sure they don't try to take over like Circe did. If you can get in touch with them, they will send someone to perform the Awakening on you, and to train you." Mirna handed Genesis a business card with the Council Of Witches' information on it. "Don't worry, you'll have it with you when you wake up."

"Got it," said Genesis. "Thank you, Mirna."

"Good luck," Mirna said as the dream started to fade away.

***

When Genesis woke up, she was sweating.

"Genesis?" Charlotte asked. She'd just woken up herself, and was looking down from her bed at where Genesis was lying on the floor in a sleeping bag. "Are you okay?"

Genesis reached down into her pocket and, to her delight, found that the business card Mirna had given her was indeed there. "Charlotte, you're not gonna believe this," she said. "But I'm a witch now!"

To be continued...