Cody gets a necklace which will only grant one selfless wish...which is a problem since he is a self-centered jerk.

This story was originally written and posted in 2000 and was written to the specifications of Debbie L as part of a story swap.

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Pissed off, Cody Burke glared at anyone in the mall that got in his way, smirking as an old woman stepped aside. He couldn't believe it. First his girlfriend Valerie had dumped him, claiming that he just wanted her for sex, (which Cody had to admit that was true), then his roommates started threatening to kick him out since he couldn't pay the rent. As far as Cody was concerned, the whole week had sucked. At least he never had any problems with the actual classes or passing them. In fact, with the minimum amount of time he put in studying, he tended to surprise people by maintaining a B average.

Carl and Bill, whom he shared a 3 room apartment with, had suggested that Cody back off on the partying a bit or get a second job. Sure his parents were paying for his courses at the college and his part time job at the pizza shop covered his food and books, but that didn't leave much left for both partying and rent. And Cody was of the mind that his college years were meant for parties.

Smirking to himself, Cody wondered if he could talk his Dad out of a bit more money, not caring that they were already sending him as much as they could. So what, he thought. He could use it more than they could. Nah, he thought to himself, they'd already told him that they wouldn't send any more, though that wouldn't keep him from at least trying.

Cody glared at a fat broad who was moving too slowly and hurried around her. "Damn slow bitches." Cody muttered to himself, glaring back at the woman who'd gotten in his way. Chuckling to himself suddenly, Cody realized that he might have a solution to both his sex life and money problems. He remembered that girl in one of his classes whom had come from a rich family. She wasn't that great looking, but she wasn't bad. And with the proper approach, Cody was sure that he could screw her and even get her to give him some money. Still, Cody knew that he'd have to think about it a little more before he did anything.

Suddenly Cody stopped from his aimless wandering of the mall, seeing a new store just ahead of him. Cody wasn't sure why, but he had a feeling that there was something about it. Shrugging, he decided it was his imagination. Still, with a name like Spells R Us, which the sign proclaimed, it must at least be interesting.

"Maybe I'll find some chicks in there." Cody chuckled to himself, thinking that a store like that might have some new age girls in there, with no sexual inhibitions. With that in mind, Cody decided to go in.

Inside, Cody glanced around the large room of the store and wasn't impressed. "What a dump." he exclaimed, not caring who heard him.

From off to the side, he heard someone say sarcastically, "I'm sorry my humble store doesn't fit your expectations." Cody turned and looked at the speaker, seeing some weird old guy wearing a robe. Vaguely, he was aware that it looked like some kind of wizard's robe.

"Isn't it a little late in the day to be wearing your bathrobe?" Cody asked sarcastically, a little annoyed that this old guy had surprised him. The old man shrugged, then walked behind the counter.

Cody ignored the old man, looking around the shop again, disappointed that there weren't any girls. In fact, other than him and the old man, there wasn't anyone in there. "No wonder." Cody thought, looking around at all the junk. A few things looked kind of cool, but mostly it looked like a mess. Like someone had randomly grabbed stuff from every store in the mall plus an antique store, then threw it all into this little room. Hell, Cody couldn't even recognize some of the stuff.

Disappointed that he'd wasted his time, Cody was about to turn and leave when something caught his eye. Curious, he went over and saw that there were several necklaces hanging from hooks on the wall. One of them was an indigo stone of some sort that he didn't recognize, so dark that it almost looked black. The chain looked to be silver with faint silver wires that flowed around the stone, holding it all together. Some kind of good luck charm he decided. Cody stared at the necklace, mesmerized.

After remembering that he still had to pay his rent and buy a few books, Cody shrugged. Those could wait. Cody wanted that necklace, just thinking how awesome it looked. Smiling, he picked it up and asked the old man at the counter how much for it.

The Old Man looked at him strangely for a moment, as if trying to decide something then said "Ten dollars." Grumbling, Cody handed the money over, thinking that there went his beer money for the night. Still, he had the cool looking necklace which he hoped might bring him luck.

Having made his purchase, Cody left, already thinking about how he might earn a few extra bucks. He was sure that there would be a good way without actually having to do much work. He only needed to find it.

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The Old Man sighed as his latest customer left. He'd severely debated with himself over selling the necklace to that self-centered boy, sure that the magic would be wasted on him. It had only been because his business had been so slow the last week and that he hadn't had any customers in two days that he'd even sold the necklace to that boy.

Normally he would much rather have sold something else to the boy, something that he could have a little fun with. Instead, the Old Man found himself disappointed that it had been that necklace the boy had been attracted to. The necklace after all had the power to grant a single wish to the wearer. Unfortunately though, it could only grant one selfless wish. One wish that was for someone else's benefit, and the Old Man suspected that Cody Burke would never make such a wish.

The Old Man silently mourned the waste but knew that he was so bored that he had to sell something. As the bell on the door tinkled, the Old Man smiled, suddenly feeling much better. Happily he greeted his newest customer, already anticipating the fun he'd derive from this one.

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Four Months later:

Cody pulled up to his destination and got out of his car. Smiling slightly, he looked at the two-story house in front of him and couldn't help but thinking that he'd be getting probably twenty bucks for just two hours work. He thought it was an especially good deal considering that it not only wasn't real work, but he was going to be with Becky.

Several months earlier Cody had found that he could earn extra money tutoring local junior high and high school students. Since all he had to do was sit around and explain things to them, he didn't really mind doing it. It was easy money. In the time since he'd started tutoring, he usually had about 4 kids to work with a week on average. And for 10 bucks an hour, that really helped him out.

Cody wasn't particularly fond of most of the kids, thinking that they tended to be spoiled brats for the most part, though he was careful to be friendly when teaching them. Becky was one of the kids that he tutored and the one that he'd come to help that night. He'd started tutoring her over a month and a half earlier, thinking at first that she was like the others, but he quickly found himself changing his mind.

Unlike most of the others, Becky actually tried to learn, but was unfortunately a little slow. Cody was sure that she was pretty bright, just that she just had a hard time dealing with school work. Not long after he'd started tutoring Becky, he found out that she also had very few if any friends and was often the victim of ridicule at school. At first he'd been rather indifferent, but as he came to know her, Cody couldn't help but feeling sorry for the girl.

Before he'd even realized it, he'd started liking her. Thinking of her almost like a little sister. He was rather embarrassed to admit that he felt protective of her, realizing how stupid it was. She was only a kid and he was just teaching her, but he still felt protective of her.

Trying to remember everything that he'd gone over with Becky 4 days earlier, Cody started to knock on her door. Smiling faintly to himself, he was actually looking forward to tutoring Becky. She was the only person who had ever looked up to him, and he liked that.

After Becky's Mom let him inside and led him to Becky's room, he thanked her, then turned to face Becky. Cody smiled at her, ignoring that she was a very plain looking 14 year old. Instead, he thought about how honest she was. Not at all like most of the women he knew. Though Cody was sure that most women were inherent liars, he felt that he could trust Becky. "So, how are you doing?" he asked her, sitting down in a chair.

Becky smiled at him, saying "Fine. Are we going to work on math again?" She sounded a little uncomfortable.

Cody didn't blame her since that was her worst subject. "Sure," he said cheerfully, "you can't get better unless you practice."

"I guess so," she muttered as she reached over for her pad of paper. "OK, I'm ready." With that, Cody smiled and they began.

After an hour, Becky whined in frustration, "I can't do it. I'll never learn."

"You'll get it." Cody assured her, getting a little frustrated himself.

"No I won't," Becky disagreed, "I'm stupid." Sighing, Cody assured her that she wasn't stupid, though trying to figure out how he could get her to understand. He knew that she'd probably fail her math class at the rate she was going, and he didn't want that.

Though he was getting annoyed and frustrated, Cody forced himself to be patient, going over the math problem again, explaining what was going on in detail. This time Becky understood and was ready to do it herself. Relieved, Cody watched as Becky grew excited at finally getting it.

After this, things grew easier for the night and they started talking more while working. While Becky was going over another problem, Cody asked her how her week was. She frowned, then told him that it was the same as always, which he took to mean terrible. "It couldn't be that bad, could it?" Cody asked sympathetically.

"Worse." She said quietly, staring down at her paper. Cody felt a pang of sadness, though he wasn't quite sure why. "Everyone at school hates me."

"Ah, you must have some friends." Cody said gently. Becky shook her head no, and Cody felt a rush of pity for her seeing that she had tears forming in her eyes. He hadn't realized that this was so painful for her. He hated seeing a sweet girl like her hurting so much. "Well," Cody said, gently putting one hand on top of hers, "I'm your friend."

Becky looked at him, smiling faintly and wiping the still forming tears away, "It's not the same. I want another girl my own age to talk to."

Cody smiled compassionately at her, glad that her mood was starting to improve again. "You know..." Cody began, "I really wish I could help you."

Suddenly, Cody noticed that Becky was staring straight at his chest, mouth open. That's when he felt a sharp burning, and saw a strange blue glow coming from his good luck charm. Feeling afraid for some reason, Cody pulled the necklace out, trying to get it off from around his neck. Still, the indigo stone was glowing with a lighter blue and Cody couldn't get free from it. Then he heard a loud cracking sound and gasped, seeing that the stone on the necklace had just broke open.

From the crack in the stone, a white mist started pouring out. Cody was startled to realize that there were ribbons of blue light running through the mist. Horrified, Cody managed to pull the good luck charm from around his head, throwing it across the room. Then he looked at Becky who was just as confused and afraid as him. "Let's get out of here." Cody suggested, trying to keep the fear from overwhelming him.

Glancing back, he saw that the mist was still coming out of the necklace and that now it was coming straight at him. Cody tried reaching for the door-knob to escape the room, but something held him, not letting him move. Cody saw blue strands of light wrapping around him, tying him up as if they were living ropes. The mist started pouring around them. Cody screamed out to Becky "Get out of here, now." Unfortunately, she seemed petrified with fear, too scared to move. Cody tried struggling again but still couldn't get loose. The white mist continued to wrap around him, chilling his body with numbness. He couldn't even feel his body anymore

Suddenly Cody was released and he fell to the floor, though he still couldn't feel anything from his body. From the corner of his eyes, he saw the mist fading away and vanishing into thin air.

"OH MY GOD!!!" Cody heard Becky cry out, then he felt her hands on him trying to turn him over. Though he still couldn't move, Cody was moved onto his back, and found himself looking Becky in the face, and feeling very nervous about the shocked and somewhat horrified expression on her face. "Cody? Is that you?" Becky asked, nervously touching Cody.

Cody tried to respond, to say "Of course it is.", but nothing came out. Gulping, he had a horrible feeling that this would be permanent. That he was going to be paralyzed for the rest of his life. But as he was thinking this, Cody started to feel that pins and needles feeling that you get when your leg falls asleep.

"What happened to you?" Becky asked, still looking scared, though not nearly as much. Now she just looked more stunned and confused.

Cody groaned, and with a force of will managed to make his body respond, in spite of the remaining numbness. Slowly he started to sit up, noticing that the numbness was all fading away rapidly. In less than a minute, the numbness had faded, and Cody was sitting up on the floor, feeling very confused. Since Becky seemed to be all right, he knew that it couldn't be too bad.

Trying to gather his wits, Cody asked "What happened?" and was surprised to hear a girl’s voice. "What the?" He asked, confused, beginning to realize that he felt different. Very different.

"Cody?" Becky asked him, and Cody nodded, forcing himself to stand up. He had a very bad feeling, and as he stood up, and looked Becky right in the eyes he knew that things were definitely wrong. Normally he was much taller than Becky, but now he was standing up, looking her right in the eyes. Somehow, he'd become the same height as Becky.

With a feeling of absolute dread, Cody steeled himself for what he might find, then looked down at himself. He gasped, completely shocked by what he found. Somehow, he seemed to have turned into a girl. Hesitantly, he touched the two small mounds pushing out of his chest, then yanked his hand back as soon as he proved that they were real. Cody gulped, staring at himself. Even his clothes had all changed. Now he was even wearing something that he was sure would look very appropriate on his changed body.

Cody looked at Becky again, seeing that she was still staring at him. "What happened to me?" he cried out, suddenly very afraid. Becky grabbed hold of Cody, giving him a hug and trying to comfort him. He knew that normally this would definitely not be allowed, but he needed something, and a hug seemed to be it.

After a minute, Cody pulled away, tears running down his cheeks. He hadn't even been aware that he'd started crying and felt suddenly embarrassed to have done so. Wiping the tears off, he asked Becky again what had happened. She told him the same thing that he'd seen. That the strange mist came from the necklace and covered him. And that when it faded, he was like this. "Wow!" Becky said in an understatement, "You even look like you're my age." Cody winced at that, already having suspected something of the sort from his height, voice, clothes and fairly small breasts. Still, he didn't like having it confirmed.

Cody looked in the corner where he'd thrown the necklace, only to see a faint scorch mark in the carpet with no other sign of the good luck charm. "Some good luck" Cody muttered to himself, wincing again at the girls voice. "God, what the hell do I look like?" he wondered aloud.

Becky said "Here, let me..." and she ran over to her dresser, pulling something off and handing it to Cody. "Here." Cody accepted the mirror from Becky, then curiously held it up to look at. The reflection showed what seemed to be a 14 year old girl, with the same light brown hair that he had, cut to about shoulder length. She had slight freckles over her nose and bluish green eyes about the same color as his. In fact, Cody realized that she looked a little familiar. Like what his kid sister might have looked like if he'd had one.

Absently Cody handed Becky her mirror back, wondering how this could have happened. "Shit." he muttered, too shocked to think of much else to say. "What happened?" he asked out loud. "One minute I'm talking, and the next...." Cody and Becky both turned and stared at each other, suddenly remembering exactly what they'd been talking about before it happened. And exactly what Cody had said. "It can't be." Cody muttered. No way. Cody had only said that he wished he could help Becky. That couldn't have caused this, could it?

Cody was trying to think what he could do next, when Becky's Mom stuck her head in the door. Cody froze, panic beginning to set it. How could he explain his presence in Becky's room like that? But instead of confronting Cody and demanding some explanation, she just smiled at Becky and then him. "I think that you should be going home Connie. Both you and Becky have school in the morning." With that, Becky's Mom walked away, leaving Cody to stare at Becky in surprise.

"Connie?" he asked. "She didn't seem surprised to see me like this. And she called me Connie." Horrified, Cody wondered just what else had suddenly changed.

"I don't know." Becky said, trying to stay calm, "But she acted like she knows you and said we BOTH have school tomorrow." Cody groaned, unsure of what that meant, though knowing that it couldn't be good for him.

Cody smiled nervously at Becky saying "I guess I'd better go before your Mom comes back." Becky nodded agreement. Though he couldn't help but feel scared and confused at what had suddenly happened to him, Cody felt a little better knowing that Becky would be able to help him. That he wasn't all alone. After saying a quick goodbye, Cody left.

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Walking out to where he'd left his car, Cody was disgusted to see that it was gone. "Fuck!" he growled, "Somebody stole my damn car. As if enough hasn't happened to me tonight."

Angrily Cody started walking, realizing suddenly that he didn't know where he could go. He couldn't go back to his apartment with Carl and Bill there. What would he say to them? Cody knew that they wouldn't believe him if he claimed to be Cody, and even if they did, he'd never hear the end of it. He'd be humiliated for life.

Still, he had nowhere else he could go to, and absently continued walking home, not even noticing that he was going in the wrong direction for the apartment. Cody was only several houses down the street before his own feet slowed down. Unsure why, Cody stopped, staring at one house in front of him in confusion. He was sure that this house had been vacant and for sale when he'd come by earlier, just like every other time he'd come by in the last month. But now, there was no 'for sale' sign, or any sign that the house was empty. One of the lights was even on in the window. Cody felt a shiver go through him, especially as he realized that this house felt familiar and comfortable though he'd never even been in the yard.

Cody glanced at the mailbox, startled to see the name Burke, clearly visible on the side. His name. Something was not right there, but then he reminded himself that this same something had been happening for a little while. Feeling nervous, Cody started walking up to the front door, made even more so by how normal and familiar it seemed to him. As he got to the front door, he absently put his hand into his pocket to pull out the key that he instinctively knew was in there.

The key fit into the lock perfectly and seconds later Cody was entering the house. The lights were on and somehow Cody knew that this was normal. Going in, he absently turned to the left, walking right into the living room. Cody gasped in surprise, seeing his Dad sitting in his old recliner reading, while his Mom was on the couch embroidering something. What the hell were they doing there, Cody asked himself, feeling extremely confused.

His Dad looked up at him smiling. "Oh, you're home Connie. How was Becky tonight?"

Cody stared at his parents for a moment, then responded, "Um...she's fine." Cody felt a horrible chill run through him. Not only had he changed, but first Becky's Mom, and now his own parents seemed to think this was normal. And they weren't even in the right house, not to mention the right city.

Thinking for a second, Cody decided that he had to know something. "Dad?" he asked, "Um,..how long have we lived here?"

His parents both looked at him rather oddly, as if that were indeed a stupid question. Then his Dad responded, "Since we moved in a month ago. Are you all right honey? You don't look well." Cody told them he was all right, numbed by the answer. Even his parents took this as normal, accepting him as their young daughter. Knowing that he probably wouldn't like the answer, Cody asked them how Cody was anyway, and was rewarded with a "Cody who?"

Cody stared at his Dad for a few seconds, then excused himself, going upstairs. Though he'd never been in the house before, Cody seemed to know exactly where he was going, and walked into his new room. Gulping, he looked inside, seeing that it looked like a teenage girl’s room. Now it seemed that it was his room.

Feeling emotionally exhausted, Cody sat on the bed, looking at the walls of his room. There were pictures of Leonardo Dicaprio and other boys hanging on them. Things were definitely girlish. And as strange and new as everything in the room was to Cody, he still had a feeling of familiarity. A familiarity that scared him.

Cody just at staring at his hands, finding it so hard to believe this was real. And more so, just how easily he was taking it. He thought that he would have been even more scared and horrified than he was with this happening. Then there was everything else changing, and people thinking it was normal. But the most horrifying thing for Cory was the fact that everything seems familiar. As if he himself were effected by whatever was changing everyone's minds about him.

Sighing, Cody stood up, spotting a mirror in the corner. "No putting this off." he muttered to himself, going over to it. Staring back at him from the mirror was the same girl that he'd seen earlier. And if he didn't know better, he would think just from looking at her that she was a normal 14 year old girl. Unfortunately, he did know better. Far too well.

Nervously he smiled at himself, wondering how that would look. Not too bad he decided. She looked kind of cute and Cody suspected that in a few more years, she might become very pretty. "Cut that out!" he snarled to himself, angry at forgetting the girl was him. "I won't be this, I won't." Cody told himself, repeating it for several more minutes.

Sighing, Cody nervously touched his breasts again, wincing at the soft flesh that met his fingers. Though he knew that they weren't really that large for a girl, probably only a B cup, they still seemed rather large to him compared to his normally flat chest. And even though he didn't want to have to face it, he knew that he'd have to sooner or later. Deciding that he'd rather face his fears than avoid them, Cody took a deep breath then pulled his shirt off. Letting his breath out, he saw that he was wearing a bra. He hadn't even thought about that before.

Cody looked again in the mirror, deciding that if he was going to examine himself, he might as well do it right, and began to strip off his shoes and pants. When he was standing there in nothing but panties and bra, Cody took another long look at the reflection, then more carefully at himself directly. Not bad, he found himself thinking. For a 14 year old that is.

Without any further hesitation, Cody stripped his bra off then cupped his breasts in his now small hands. Though he'd seen much bigger and better breasts before, he'd never seen any of them from this point of view and he couldn't help but being curious. And as odd as they felt to him, a small part of him seemed to think of them almost as normal. Cody shuddered at that part, trying to push it aside.

Once he'd spent several minutes examining his breasts and determining how sensitive they were, Cody pulled his panties off, ready to face what he knew would be the biggest change. Cody put a hand between his legs as he examined it, finding it strange not to have his testicles and penis there. Instead, he found a slight mound with a slit in it. The same thing that he'd seen on many of his girlfriends. He was a little tempted to put a finger in it, to see if he could, but that thought made him wary. Ignoring that particular temptation to explore further, Cody started to get dressed again.

Cody got dressed just in time, since his Mom stuck her head in the door without warning. "Connie dear..." she said sweetly, in the same tone that Cody remembered well from when he had been a kid and living with his parents. At least the last time he had. However unlike before, she was a little different toward him. Cody decided that it must be because she thought he was a girl. She was treating Cody like a daughter instead of the son he had been. His Mom continued, "You'd better start getting ready for bed. You've still got to go to school in the morning you know."

"Um, yes Mom." Cody answered, feeling his cheeks blush a little. He felt so embarrassed to be treated like a girl by his Mom. Even more so that the small part of him seemed to think it felt normal. School. Cody winced at the idea of having to go back to school as a kid. He decided that he really needed to find out what caused this, then make it change him back.

Not wanting to attract any undue attention at the moment, Cody went along with what his Mom told him to do, getting ready for bed. After going about what almost felt like a familiar routine, Cody went to the bathroom for the first time in his new body. Then, after surviving that new experience, he crawled into bed and quickly fell asleep.

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Cody woke with someone shaking him. Opening his eyes, he was faced with his Mom. "Common honey." she said firmly, "Get up. You've got to go to school." Cody groaned, the events of the previous night suddenly coming back to him. As he watched his Mom walk out of the room, he slipped a hand between his legs, verifying that he was still a girl. Groaning, Cody forced himself up and out of bed.

Almost immediately Cody went into the bathroom and relieved himself then realized that he'd need to take a shower. He felt somewhat reluctant to face his new body that intimately, at first, but the idea of a warm shower did sound rather nice as well. Cody started off showering quickly so that he could get done with it, but it felt rather nice and he ended up taking his time instead. Getting out of the shower, he tried himself off then went back to his room.

Once he was in his own room, (which he found strange thinking of it as such) he went straight for his panty drawer, seeming to know where it was instinctively. While getting dressed the rest of the way, he also noticed that he seemed to know where everything was if he just thought about what he wanted. Very strange he thought, though helpful.

Cody was pleased that the clothes that he had weren't overly feminine. Though there were a couple skirts and dresses, most of Connie's clothes consisted of jeans, shorts and such. Things a normal 14 year old girl would wear. Once he'd gotten dressed, Cody smiled at himself in the mirror then suddenly realized that he didn't feel nearly as uncomfortable as he would have thought. Here he was, 8 inches shorter, with breasts and wearing girls clothes,... and he actually felt NORMAL that way. The clothes felt perfectly comfortable and natural on him and he'd barely even noticed his height difference.

Feeling nervous, Cody wondered just what else was changing about him. He'd gone through the whole morning routine without even questioning if he really had to. It was as if it was ordinary for him. Cody wasn't sure that he liked this, but then again, he didn't seem to have much choice. He had to go to school it seemed but was determined to find out what he could.

When Cody thought about school, suddenly he remembered Becky. It calmed him down a bit as he realized that he'd have Becky with him. He wouldn't have to face it alone. Sighing, he tried to think about what else he'd need to do before he was ready, not wanting to attract uncomfortable questions. Questions that he couldn't answer. Suddenly it dawned on him that he needed makeup and ear rings. Cody wasn't sure where that came from, but once he had the idea, he was sure that it was right. That it was something normal for Connie.

Shrugging in resignation, Cody put on some light pink lipstick and other faint makeup, seeming to know exactly how to do it. At least, he thought to himself in relief, he wasn't putting too much on. He also knew somehow that he should put in some ear rings. After finding a pair of small ones, he put them in, finding that much more familiar. He'd worn an ear ring in just one of his ears for a few years, so having one in each ear wasn't too different for him. Smiling to himself in the mirror, Cody went downstairs, somehow knowing that he should have breakfast.
After a quick bowl of cereal, Cody's Mom said, "Hurry up Connie or you'll miss your bus." Cody nodded agreement, already dreading what he knew would be ahead of him. Sighing, he grabbed a small black backpack sitting by the door, that he somehow knew was his. As he was opening the door to leave, his Mom called out again, "Tell Becky hi for me."

"Sure thing Mom," Cody called back as he left.

Cody somehow knew exactly where the bus stop was and went straight there. He knew that he should be looking for a way back to normal, but so far he didn't have any real clues as to what had happened. And it wouldn't be a good idea to slip out of what everyone else thought was his normal routine until he did. When he got to the bus stop, Becky was already there along with two other kids. "Hi Becky." he said to her quietly, feeling somewhat amused by the surprised look on her face.

"What are you doing here Cody?" She asked quietly, looking fairly pleased to see him.

"Well," Cody started, trying to be quiet so that the others didn't overhear them, "when I went home last night, I found myself just down the street." Then Cody explained to Becky that even his parents had changed and thought that he went to school with Becky. "And you'd better remember to call me Connie until I change back." He told her, wincing as he said it.

"Wow!" Becky exclaimed, seemingly impressed. Cody nodded sadly. Becky giggled faintly, then said, "Hey Connie, there's the bus." pointing down the street.

At school, Connie wasn't surprised that she was in all the same classes as Becky, and that everyone there seemed to know her as well. Unfortunately, she didn't know anyone else besides Becky, though whenever she thought about it, some of the kids and teachers names would just pop into her head.

Connie made sure to sit next to Becky in each class, which seemed to make Becky very happy. Remembering what Becky had said about everyone at school teasing her, Connie kept an eye out to get a look for herself. However, since she was with Becky, she noticed that most of the kids avoided her. She chuckled to herself as she realized that a single loner was a perfectly acceptable target for the kids, but that if there were two of them, then they wouldn't bother. Just like in college she realized, reluctantly admitting the times that she herself had picked on a lone nerd. Thinking about that suddenly made her feel guilty. Something that she wasn't real used to.

"Once I get back to normal," she promised herself, "I'll stop picking on others."

During the first few classes, Connie noticed that Becky was very shy around the other students. Probably what was responsible for making her such an outcast Connie realized. However, Becky was quite open and talkative with her, which amused Connie. She liked seeing Becky in such a good mood. Apparently it was spreading a little, because Connie noticed that one or two other girls were cautiously starting to talk to Becky as well.

By lunch time, Connie had gotten used to answering to that name, finding that when others called her that, it felt right. She shuddered slightly at that, afraid of how much she was coming to adapt. In fact, she even caught herself staring at one of the boys in school briefly, thinking that he was cute. Definitely a no no she thought, determined not to think things like that again. However, her resolution had little effect.

During lunch Connie sat down next to Becky, who was by this time rather happy. "This is great Connie." Becky said cheerfully. "No one's bothered me all day, and I have you here as a best friend." Becky frowned suddenly when she saw the look on Connie's face. "I'm sorry. I forgot that you aren't really Connie. It's just that it feels so great to have you here to talk to."

"That's all right." Connie said comforting her. "It's not your fault that I'm like this. You might as well enjoy it while you can." As Connie said this, she hoped that it wouldn't be permanent, though not nearly as hard as she had earlier. It all just felt too normal and familiar to her, in spite of her knowledge otherwise.

Connie smiled at Becky, then froze, hearing something. She looked at the end of the table, and there was one of the older girls named Leanne Trent, who Becky said usually picked on her. Connie frowned at the sight of this Leanne girl picking on a somewhat chubby girl that she'd seen in a one of their classes.

"That's Christine Shwartz," Becky whispered in Connie's ear. Connie watched, getting annoyed as Leanne smeared the food in Christine's tray, while smirking and calling Christine a fat slob.

Connie glanced at Becky, seeing that she was staring at her tray, trying to ignore the poor girl being tormented. Connie growled in her throat, "That's it, I've had enough of this." then stood up, walking up behind Leanne. She tapped Leanne on the shoulder, and when the physically older, and somewhat taller girl turned around, Connie punched her quickly in the solar plexus.

Leanne bent over, gasping for air, and Connie kneeled down to look her in the eye. With a nasty grin on her face, Connie snarled, "Leave her alone." She left it at that, glaring at Leanne, letting her get the idea. When Leanne nodded slightly, Connie left her and went to Christine. "Why don't you come and eat with us?" she asked the troubled overweight girl. Christine nodded, looking greatly relieved and thankful.

Christine thanked Connie several times, and Connie just smiled, saying it was nothing. Becky on the other hand started talking to Christine, surprised at just how much they had in common. Both having been the butt of Leanne's tormenting for some time. Connie chuckled to herself at this, happy to see that Becky was finally making new friends.

After history class, Connie excused herself from Becky, saying that she'd be back in a few minutes, needing to go to the restroom. Connie used the women's bathroom without even thinking about it, and only realizing how odd it really was when she was primping in the mirror afterwards. Sighing, she realized just how much she'd been adapting. Or at least how much she'd been adapted. For some reason though, she just couldn't find it in herself to feel worried. Everything she'd been doing just felt so natural and right. Even if it hadn't been just the day before.

Leaving the restroom, Connie started walking down the hall to where she instinctively knew her next class was going to be. Where she'd meet up with Becky again. On the way though, Connie saw something happening in the hall that made her stop. Some guy, a little older than she was physically, dressed in a football jersey had a girl cornered against the lockers, trying to kiss her. She was refusing and trying to get away, though he wouldn't let her. Connie frowned as he kept pestering the poor girl for a date, refusing to let her go until she accepted.

It took a few seconds for it to even dawn on Connie that the girl being pestered was Leanne. Still, the sight of it made Connie disgusted. How could the jerk do that to anyone, even Leanne? She knew that she hadn't always been the nicest with girls herself when she was a guy, but this was going a little too far.

"Hey asshole!" Connie snarled at the football player, who turned around, obviously surprised at being addressed like that. Connie was barely aware of the other kids in the hall backing away and staring.

"What the hell?" the guy responded, glaring at Connie. "Beat it girl" he snapped, turning back to Leanne.

Connie grew angrier and walked right up him, looking up. She knew that he was shorter than she had been just the day before, but now this guy seemed to tower over her. Gulping, she demanded that he let Leanne go again, this time more forcefully.

He snapped back, "Beat it bitch, before I have to teach you some manners. This is between me and my girl."

"She's not your girl," Connie snarled, getting his full attention this time. Leanne slipped back with the crowd, a bit of apprehension on her face, though some relief as well. "If she says she doesn't want to go out with you, take it like a man. Instead, you act like some little spoiled brat." The football player was getting angry, and grabbed Connie roughly by the shoulder, making her wince as his fingers dug into her flesh.

The football player growled menacingly, "I don't know who you are you stupid little bitch, but you've fucked with the wrong guy." As the boy raised his hand to slap Connie, she remembered all the fights she'd been in as a boy. Which was a lot of them. There had been many times she'd fought bigger guys, and knew exactly what to do.

She punched towards his stomach, and while he was distracted by that, she lifted her knee right into his groin. The football player fell to the ground moaning in pain. Connie just chuckled, kicking him roughly just to prove her point, then knelt down next to him, smirking. "Listen to this asshole." she whispered in his ear. "It's not nice to bully those you think are weaker than you." Then with a wider smile, she added, "You never know when they might not be." With that, Connie got back up and ignored the gathering of impressed students around her as she hurried to her next class, afraid of being late.

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Over the next few days, Connie gave up on returning to her old life, finding that her new one was much too comfortable. Before she'd never really had any friends, but now she was best friends with Becky. She and Becky also ended up making other friends including Christine. Leanne wasn't quite a friend, but she gave them both her grudging respect and was very polite to them.

Within a week of her first day, Connie had earned a reputation around the school as the protector of defenseless girls. She made school a lot more bearable for girls like Becky and Christine, ensuring that the bully's left them alone. Even the older boys knew better than to mess with Connie or anyone under her protection.

And oddly enough, Connie quickly became the target of numerous requests for dates. All polite of course. Connie was very satisfied with her new life. It certainly wasn't what she would have chosen, especially becoming 14 again, but she found that she liked it

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The Old Man shook his head in amazement. When he'd sold that necklace four months earlier, he'd never expected to see its gift used. Especially not by that self-centered college boy who'd bought it. He was amazed at just how much that same boy had changed. Going from self-centered to caring and helpful. And the most amazing thing about it had been that the greatest and most important change Cody had gone through wasn't a result of his interference. Wasn't the result of any magic at all. Only ordinary human magic.

Smiling, the Old Man realized that he'd been wrong about Cody, and for once he was very, very happy to have been proven wrong.

The End