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Author's Note:Ch.2, right on schedule so far. Here's hoping my muse seems to think that way. I'd like to thank djkauf for the excellent editing.~Enemyoffun.

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Chapter 2:
 

“Are you girls going into town again today?”

Jess and I were in the basement again. I was vegging on the couch; Jess was over in the corner doing some yoga. We had started the morning doing that crap together but I wasn’t as limber as she was. She was trying to help me take better care of myself. She was convinced that yoga was one of the better ways to do that. Besides, she said it helped with the whole concentration thing. I think it was her unofficial way of helping me with my magic. Though she was forbidden to teach me because she was still technically a Novice, she was secretly taking it upon herself to give me some pointers. I think it kind of bummed her out that she couldn’t mold me into the super witch that she claimed to be.

I think it upset her that the Coven around here was so single-minded.

Mom came to the bottom of the stairs when neither of us responded.

“Kelly, are you just going to veg all day?”

I shrugged. “Sunday”

Mom gave me one of her looks. It was the same one she gave Dad when he was being lazy. It was the same one she used to give me when I would sit all day in my room playing computer games. She was right, too. I had promised myself that when I got home I was going to try to be a different person, a better person than I was before. I didn’t want to be that same lump I was before the change. Tommy rejecting me though, and the others treating me worse than before kind of smashed all those dreams. It didn’t help matters that Jess and Misty were pushing me to do better. I’d been keeping in touch with my Ravencrest friends via Skype. Whereas Maggie tried to cheer me up the best she could, Misty was convinced I needed to do something active with my life. She suggested running. I actually bought the stuff for it but I just didn’t have the drive to go out and do it.

Mom sat on the edge of the couch, taking the remote from my hands. “Honey, are you all right?” She looked over at my sister, who was in her own little word, no doubt hiding in her iPod. “Your sister told me about yesterday.”

Of course she did. I completely forgot that Jess was Mom’s little spy. It was probably the real reason she wanted to hang with me so much these days.

“Don’t you dare blame your sister” said Mom, doing that freaky thing where she somehow knew what I was thinking. “She was worried about you. I’m worried, too. Your life hasn’t been easy these last few months.” Mom took my hand and gave it a good squeeze. “I’m afraid that…”

I sighed, pulling my hand from hers. “I’m fine Mom. It’s everyone else that’s having a problem.”

Ok, so half truth. I wasn’t fine but I wasn’t depressed either. I was disappointed and a little pissed actually. Not at them but at me. I was falling into the same rut as before. I was the same stupid naíve kid. Here I thought life was going to be different just because I was different now. Sure, I changed gender but I was still the same fucking wimp as before. Now I was a wimp with magic, magic that I couldn’t even use or control. The only real change I’d gone through so far---besides the physical one---was that I was now a ticking time bomb. A time bomb that could go off at a moment’s notice.

“I’m trying to do better.”

Mom smiled. “I know you are, sweetie.”

She patted my hand and continued. “I still want to see you try a little more, especially while your father and I are away.”

Away? Were they going on another mission?

“You off to some far off wherever again?”

She scoffed. “I wish. We got called in. The Main Office wants to debrief us on Ravencrest and other things. So your Dad and I are going to be in Sacramento for a couple of weeks.”

The “Main Office” she was referring too was the Regional Coven. It was officially what Mom and Dad actually worked for. The college jobs were their cover for the Magistrate work the two of them did. It was a way for them to look official when they traipsed all over the globe investigating monsters. It was funny how I rarely paid much attention to any of that crap before but thanks to Melissa’s tutelage, I was starting to pay a lot more attention to the Unseen world around me. Especially on how things worked. The Covens were complicated to say the least. Each area had several local Covens---made up of the local witch families---like the one in Ravencrest. Those local Covens answered to a Regional Coven, one that covered several miles. Those Regional Covens answered to a National Coven---the US one was in Washington DC. Then those National ones answered to the big one in Europe---the High Coven. It was a lot more political than I thought.

A lot more complicated, too.

I couldn’t help but think that the real reason Mom and Dad were leaving had something to do with me. The local Coven was already having a bit of an uproar about me I guess. They didn’t like to have an Unsanctioned Witch in their territory. An Untrained one, at that.

“Wait, you’re not going to send me to Ravencrest again are you?”

I was kind of anxious this time. At least there I could be myself and not be treated like a freak.

Mom shook her head. “A colleague of mine is going to come and stay with you while we’re going.”

“A colleague?”

Mom made a strained face. It was like she was trying to keep calm while she spoke. “Someone from the Office. She’s coming here to help you.”

The way Mom said “help” didn’t sound to promising. I could read between the lines. The Coven was sending someone here to babysit me. No doubt this person---I’m guessing a woman---was here to evaluate me. Maybe even try to take over the teaching that Melissa started back in Ravencrest. I should have been a little excited about that but I had a feeling of foreboding nonetheless. It bothered me that the local Coven was being so standoffish about all of this. Sure the one in Ravencrest had been a little strange around me but for this one to completely ignore me until now, it made me wonder if things weren’t exactly on the level.

“so when are you guys leaving?”

“Early tomorrow morning, while you sleep. My colleague” She said the word with distaste. “will be here when you get home from school tomorrow”

Damn.

I cursed. This was all coming too fast. Sure I knew the Coven was going to send someone eventually, but I was certain it would have been under different circumstances. I also thought mom was going to be here to supervise. I wanted to get angry about it but I just didn’t have the energy for that. Instead, I just sat there in a numb state for a bit. I listened as Mom explained some things to me but it literally went in one ear and out the other. It was clear that Mom wasn’t happy about how things turned out either. Mom sat with me a while after our little talk then excused herself to go pack. Me, I sat there still, staring off into the distance.

Until Jess dropping down next to me broke me from my numb state.

“I’m beat,” she said, patting me on the knee.

Beat, I was anything but. Sure, I was an emotional wreck, my life seemed to be crumbling around me but I wanted to regain it. The first thing on my list was to take some advice from a friend.

“I’m not,” I said, taking a deep, reassuring breath. “In fact, I think I’m gonna go for a run.”

Ok, so why Misty thought me and running was a good idea I’ll never know. Surely she was crazy because I was the most out of shape person on the planet. Ok, so I know that’s not exactly true but I’m pretty certain the last time I’d exercised was back in Kindergarten gym class. They used to make us do all those elaborate warm ups before class, it used to take up most of the period to do so. That was back when gym class was fun, back when boys and girls were on more even ground and there was no ego to get in the way. Now in the gym, exercising was still there but only for a few minutes, the rest of the class was a jock feast. Or something I liked to call “Make Kelly Look Like a Total Loser” Class.

Of course, that was a moot point at the moment.

Ever since getting back to Ravencrest and my “true” gender being revealed, gym class was a non-existent entity to me. The school wasn’t sure how to handle my sudden change in gender. Sure whatever my father did worked but there were still some soft spots in the whole thing. The Coven was going to try to reinforce it but until they did, I was a bit of an in-betweener I guess. I was allowed to use the proper bathroom in school but the gym class was out of the question. Which to be fair was fine by me. I’m not sure I could deal with the day-to-day humiliation of girls kicking my ass in something I hated, too. Back in Ravencrest, gym was fairly easy. Most of the people there didn’t really know me and my gender swap was handled by magic.

Things here were a little more complicated. I guess the phrase “No one truly goes home” actually had some merit to me. Sure Carsonville was home but I felt like more of a stranger here than anywhere. It’s like those movies where the adopted kid goes looking for his birth parents and finds that they have a new family. The kid in the movie will sit in their front yard, staring through the window, looking at the life he or she should have had. That’s how I felt right now. I was that kid and this is the life of someone else, someone who wasn’t me.

Sighing, I found myself taking a short break.

Ok, it was the fifth break in so many minutes now.

I was in the park, only a few blocks from my house actually. I did say I was out of shape after all. I’d only been running for about twenty minutes now. Sure, I’d been running around the park for ten of those minutes but I was trying to work up the courage to go farther. Misty said to really get into the spirit that I eventually had to work up to running two miles a day. I laughed when she told me that. That was easy for her to say, she was Miss Super Athlete. I was a Lazy Loser as a guy and I was shaping up to be one as a girl as well. Some great life style changing I was doing. I even bought the outfit for it too. Well, Jess picked it out, actually. I’m not sure why I let her talk me into buying it though. I was wearing these tiny little black shorts that barely covered my butt and this shirt that felt like it was vacuum sealed to my body. Sure this is what girls supposedly wore to run in but I felt like a side of beef.

It only helped that the park was fairly deserted today.

Reeves Park was a small little thing. Its main attractions were a tiny little play area for kids and a large fountain of a dolphin in the center. There were some chess tables set up too, and a small picnic area that had definitely seen better days. In the paper, it kept saying that the town was trying to raise money for a park retrofit but it was a losing project. All people seemed to care about around here was moving forward. The park was a moot problem to them. It was all about new shopping centers and things like that. In fact, the park money they raised last year had been used to build some kind of Skate Park on the other end of town. No one cared about the small things anymore, which was a real shame. I loved this park, it was sad to see it fall into such disarray. It was even sadder that after hours this place turned into a hangout for punks and jackasses.

Thinking about that made me a bit more depressed but it gave me the drive to run some more. I started on my fourth lap around the tiny little place, trying not to draw the attention of the guys sitting in the picnic area. I knew two of them from school---Mike Douglas and his brother Frank. They were decent enough guys. Mike was a bit of a techie; Frank was a grade above me. They used to be semi-friends with Tommy and me back in middle school. That is until Mike discovered he wanted to spend more time taking apart computers than playing on them and Frank discovered girls. Unfortunately for me, I seemed to be one of the girls he was discovering now. I cursed as I caught him staring. I was going to kill Jess for making me wear this outfit.

I cursed again when he got up from the bench and started toward me. Sure I was running but Frank wasn’t being too subtle about things. He was pretending to walk around, looking at stupid things. It was kind of pathetic actually. Though it was clear, he was checking me out. Every time he thought I wasn’t looking, I’d catch him staring in my direction. It wasn’t the usual stare I’d been getting around here lately either. I knew that one---“Hey look, she used to be a guy”. This one was a “Hey, look at her” type of stare that I was hoping to avoid. I made some rules when I got back home and Rule #1 was No More Boys. Sure I still liked them but it was just too weird. It was different with Jack. I didn’t know him. That turned out to be a major problem of course but it was different here. It was just too damn weird to be involved with any guy here. I used to be one of them; I used to see them in the locker room.
It was just too damn freaky.

Not freaky for Frank apparently. After his meandering, he finally decided to make up his mind. He was coming directly for me now. He wasn’t being subtle about it, either. Shit. I wanted to panic but that wouldn’t help anyone in the least. I suppose I could have run away but that wouldn’t have helped anyone. Instead, I took a quick look around. There were a small handful of people in the park today. A mother and her two small children over by the swings, an old man on a bench feeding the pigeons and the two Douglas brothers. Going to the kids was just creepy and I definitely didn’t want to hang with the brothers so my best bet was the old man. I know it was kind of rude but it beat the alternative.

As Frank got closer, I made a beeline toward the benches. There was this little stone walkway with benches that circled around the fountain. This was one of the areas that was in need of some work. Especially the poor fountain. The dolphin was made of copper and sure it might have looked cool at one time but now it was green with age and covered in pigeon crap. It was a pretty sad sight indeed.

I got to the bench before Frank got me. I dropped down on it next to the old man. Frank stopped dead in his tracks. It’s not so easy to hit on someone when there’s an audience.

“That was a cold thing to do,” said the old man chuckling. “That one hasn’t taken his eyes off you since you arrived. He just gets up the courage to talk to you and you pull a fast one on him.”

I was surprised to say the least. Here I thought he was only interested in the birds.

“Have you been watching me?” I asked, feeling very uncomfortable.

“Yes but not in any way you might think” he said with a warm smile. “Sitting on this bench here, you tend to see the whole park.”

I looked about, he had a point. The fountain was in the center of things and his bench was in a place where he could see pretty much all of it. I took a closer look at him too. He seemed to be pretty harmless. He wasn’t nearly as old as I thought he was either. Sure most of his hair was white but there were still flecks of color and there wasn’t nearly as many wrinkles to his skin as I thought there was. Most of his face though was obscured by the old style hat he wore, like the ones the gangsters wore from this 1930s movies. His cane was the most interesting though. I was always impressed when someone went out of their way to get something cool crafted like that. It was made of polished wood, the head of which was an intricately carved owl.

You he saw me looking at it and smiled. “It was a gift from an old mentor of mine,” he said, reaching into his little bag and spreading more breadcrumbs. “He said it was a gift from his mentor.”

“Wow, must be old” I said then quickly apologized.

I didn’t want to imply that this guy was ancient.

He chuckled. “Older than you think.”

I couldn’t help but smile. There was something about this old guy. I couldn’t remember the last time I just sat somewhere and talked to a complete stranger. It was kind of nice actually. It helped because the Douglas brothers were still lingering. Frank was back with Mike, trying not to look in my direction. It was only half working though. I tried my best to ignore him.

“He doesn’t give up that one,” said the old man.

It was strange because he wasn’t even looking at Frank. It was kind of cool that he could do that.

“Well I’m not interested.”

“No one is at first. It takes time and a lot of patience. You get to know someone first, share your secrets with them. Sometimes it’s not easy but eventually that person comes around. You just need to give them time, let them work out their own problems.”

“Does that work?”

I couldn’t help but think about Tommy.

He shrugged. “It worked with my wife.”

“Certainly something to think about.”

He laughed. We sat in silence for a moment then he said. “Well it looks like you’re off the hook; your young man is leaving.”

I looked and sure enough, the Douglas brothers were in fact going. I let out a sigh of relief. The old man patted me on the knee. Then he reached into his coat, bringing forth a coin. It was about the size of a silver dollar and very old. It was like no coin I’d even seen before either. He placed it on my knee.

“This has been fairly lucky for me, why don’t you keep it.”

I shook my head. “It looks really old, I can’t take that.”

He laughed as he stood, crumpling up his bag. “I insist. I’m really old too; I have lots of things like that. It will do you more good than me, I think. It might give you the courage to talk to that young man.”

I laughed. “I’m not interested in him.”

He smiled as he tossed the bag into the garbage. “I wasn’t talking about that one.”

We both laughed. He took his cane and slowly started to walk away, whistling a soothing tune. It was a familiar old song but I couldn’t quite place it. I sat there and watched him go, feeling all the better for it. There was just something about getting sage advice from the elderly that made you feel good inside. Sage advice it was, too, even if he didn’t know he was giving it. I was being a little harsh on Tommy. If he was a true friend then eventually he’d come around. If he wasn’t then it was his loss. I would just have to find other friends, better friends. Maybe ones without the added appendage too.

Thinking about that last bit made me laugh.

I sat on the bench a little while longer. I found myself looking at the old coin in my hand. There was no date on it but it had to be well over a hundred years old. It was two sided. On one side there was a strange bird---it might have been an eagle or an owl but it was far too worn to tell. On the other side was a torch. That I was pretty certain of. I ran my fingers along it. It too was pretty worn down. I also found some writing. Too much of it was gone to read but it looked Latin to me. Clearly, the old guy had been carrying this coin around for a long time but why would he give it to me? I was a complete stranger, it just seemed kind of odd to me. Unless he had no one else. That thought kind of made me sad. It was clear he was lonely because he was feeding birds in the park by himself.

I made a mental note to come here every Sunday in hopes of seeing him again. Hey, if two lonely people could find company in one another then more power to them.

Thinking about that made me smile.

I sat on the bench for a few more minutes before my stomach grumbled. I groaned. It being Sunday there were only a few places open. The food court at the mall was just too far of a run, besides I only had a couple of bucks on me. That was definitely not enough to afford mall prices. The best I could do was one of the vending machines in The Square. I cursed. The Square on a Sunday afternoon was full of kids my age. It was going to be like throwing chum to the sharks. I shook my head. No I wasn’t going to think like that. I was going to take that old man’s advice. He said I needed courage. Sure, he was talking about courage to talk to Tommy but I could use that as universal courage as well.

Courage to face any obstacle.

Courage to face my fears.

Courage to face my life.

I smiled at that last thought then pushed myself off the bench.

Thankfully, The Square wasn’t as packed as I thought it was going to be. Sure, there were still a lot of people my age milling about but a lot less than a typical Sunday afternoon. I nonchalantly walked through it, trying not to draw too much attention. It was a little hard considering the way I was dressed. I did get quite a few stares though. A lot of the guys I passed were eying me up, which was increasingly uncomfortable. Some of the girls were looking at me too. I tried not to pay attention. The more people I walked past though, the more I got stares. I started to flush with embarrassment. At first, I was convinced it was because of the outfit I was wearing then I knew it was because of the outfit I was wearing. I tried not to let it bother me but the more people that stared the more I felt like shriveling up and dying.

Thankfully, I made it to the vending machines without a problem.

They were in a little alcove in-between Knick Knacks, this little antique shop and The Jock Strap, a testosterone inspired sporting goods store. As I was browsing the selection, I noticed a presence behind me. I instantly tensed up, waiting for the ridicule that was soon to follow. Instead, though, I found Tamara Young standing next to me, smiling of all things. Tamara was one of the more popular girls in school. Not quite the Queen Bee like Becky but she was pretty close. I’d known Tamara for a while but we definitely didn’t run in the same social circles.

“Damn girl, you really are a girl aren’t you?”

I gave her a raised eyebrow. “Last time I checked”

She looked embarrassed. “I mean we know you said you were but we just thought…”

I nodded. “Now you know.”

“Look, sorry about all the crap before. I’ll make sure the others know they’re sorry too”

I smiled at that. I didn’t feel quite as embarrassed now.

Tamara left after that, going back to a bench to sit with her friends. That didn’t stop the staring though. I tried not to pay attention as I took some money from my fanny pack, got some snacks and found myself a quiet place to sit. There was this little corner I liked to frequent. It was out of the way, hidden by a row of shrubs and far enough from the main circle that no one bothered with it. Sure enough, it was deserted. I dropped down on the bench there and tore open my meager bag of chips. As I ate, I couldn’t help but feel a little better about myself now. Sure I still felt naked practically wearing nothing but I was kind of glad I wore this outfit. Without even realizing it, I just proved to everyone that I was in fact a real girl, not just some “freak” pretending to be one. If this didn’t convince people of the truth then they were assholes to begin with.

I was minding my own business eating when someone else stepped into my little sanctuary. I looked up to see myself staring at that girl again. The purple haired one from the bathroom yesterday. She was holding a book close to her chest, her head downcast slightly. She gave a look that said, “What are you doing in my spot”.

“Oh sorry I’ll go,” she said quietly.

“No it’s Ok, there’s plenty of room.”

I slid over slightly on the bench. She gave me a quick smile before walking over and dropping down next to me. I caught a quick glance at the cover of her book: Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece. I didn’t quite see the author but the title certainly caught my interest. It wasn’t everyday light reading that’s for sure. It was cool though.

“Cool book” I said, trying to show interest.

She quickly pulled it to her chest again. “Yeah thanks”

I bit my lip. Way to make a first impression. Ok, second actually.

Time to change tactics.

“I’m Kelly by the way,” I said sheepishly. “Yesterday wasn’t exactly the best place or time for introductions.”

“I’m Penny,” she said shyly.

“Cool, like the girl from Inspector Gadget.”

She gave me a look. “Sure why not.”

We sat in awkward silence after that. A minute or so later, Penny opened her book. She decided it was Ok to read it with me nearby. I couldn’t help but catch a glance at what she was reading. It was something about satyrs I think. Hey, I guess every girl has to have a hobby of some kind. I know I sure had a few strange ones. While she silently read, I tried to eat my chips as quietly as I could which was a bit of a problem because they’re chips. When I was done, I crumpled the bag and unsuccessfully missed the garbage can. Cursing, I got up to properly throw it away. As I was doing so, he was there. I tensed up as soon as I caught sight of him.

I knew it was only inevitable.

After all, George Davis did live here too. He went to my school; he hung out at The Square all the time in fact. So far, though I’d been doing a good job avoiding him. He was definitely someone to avoid too. If anyone was going to take interest in my new situation, it was going to be George. Sure, it was clear that I was definitely a girl but I’m sure the son of a bitch was going to find some perverse pleasure out of the whole thing. I tried to pretend I didn’t see him and quickly returned to my bench. I could have run but that would have left Penny to him. I know George and Penny was definitely the type that would receive his ridicule as well.

“Don’t panic,” I said softly as I sat down, hoping Penny heard me.

A moment later just as I predicted, George and his cronies were there. I should have known those two were close by as well. With the three of them now there was definitely no way for me to get away. I cursed.

“What is this Asshole Week?” I said, not realizing I said it aloud.

Penny snorted.

George apparently heard me as well because he sneered.

“Look guys if it isn’t the little pansy freak and his new little girlfriend”

When George said “his”, Penny gave me a strange look.

I rolled my eyes. “I’m a girl, you dick.”

“Sure you are” said George with a smirk. “And a fine looking one at that. How much did the surgery cost I wonder?”

“Why, you interested?”

Shit, where did that come from?

George sneered again, Penny laughed.

“Tell me did it hurt when they cut off your dick?”

I shrugged. “Did it hurt when they cut off yours?”

This time his cronies laughed too.

I’m not sure what was going on. Where the hell was this new found courage coming from? Was I no longer afraid of George? I mean it had been a while since my last run in with him, it felt like a lifetime ago. Sure I was a boy then and a coward at that. Tommy had been there too. For some reason though, George wasn’t nearly as menacing as he was before. In fact, he was a bit of a joke now. Like a clichéd bully from those bad teen sitcoms. I couldn’t help but snort.
This only pissed him off more. “You laughing at me, freak?”

“Sure I am because you’re funny,” I said, feeling even more courageous. “You’re a joke George. You’re neither menacing or threatening. You’re pathetic actually. I’m not sure why I was ever scared of you but I can tell you, you’re nothing to me now.”

“You little…”

I interrupted him. “C’mon Penny, this corner is no longer cool.”

She nodded, slipping off the bench. I could feel her fear; you could cut it with a knife actually. She wasted no time as she quickly rushed over to my side. The two of us started to push our way past the three of them when George grabbed my arm. Sure he might not have been menacing but he was still stronger than I was. I just hoped he was too much of a fool to try anything. Apparently, I was wrong. He wrenched me back, twisting my arm as he did so. He gave me a shove, pushing me into Penny. Luckily the two of us managed to stay on our feet.

“Where the fuck do you think you bitches are going?”

His voice was different now. There was a vicious edge to it.

That’s when he pulled the knife. It wasn’t a little pocket knife either. It was a nice one. Trust me I know knives. My Dad had been teaching me how to fight with them but that was a while ago and a different body. There was no way I could handle George like this. Sure maybe with some training again but he was bigger and stronger and my sense of balance was all wrong. Besides there were three of them and only one of me even if Penny still managed to be super chick we were outnumbered. This wasn’t a Jackie Chan flick. Two of us and three of them, one of which was armed. There was no way out of this without someone getting hurt.

“Whoa George, not cool, man” said one of his friends, Dave I think his name was.

George ignore him. “Hey how bout we see if this freak really has a dick after all.”

He came at me fast. The knife blade going right for my chest. I felt my skin boil, the power slowly starting to rear its ugly head. The anger was overwhelming. I wanted to tear him to pieces. Instead, though I never got the chance. George stopped in mid-lunge; his body completely froze like someone had stopped him. Someone did I noticed. I’m not sure why I didn’t feel her until she was almost on us but I sure as hell felt her now. Her magic though, it was different than anything I’d ever felt before. It wild and strong, a fierce kind that made any other I’d ever encountered feel docile in comparison. I looked behind George and his cronies to see her standing there. It was the girl from Carson’s, the Scary Sherry. She was standing there like she owned the place, clad in a tight top and even tighter leather pants. Sinister and yet very cool.

“Little boys shouldn’t play with knives,” she said in a cold manner.

Both of George’s friends stepped away from her, freaked that she seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

“What the fuck?” said George, trying to move but he couldn’t.

Scary Sherry walked around to stand in front of him. She took the knife from his hand, then threw it angrily at the ground. It stuck into the pavement, the blade digging in several inches. As cool as it all looked, I couldn’t condone her using magic like this. Especially not in the open with several Norms present. Then again, she’d already done it once. It didn’t take a genius to figure out she was the one that helped me in Carson’s yesterday. The only question was why?

“You’re going to apologize to these two fine young ladies,” she said, her voice stern.

“Fuck y…” George’s insult died before he could finish it.

I saw the look on his face, the strain and pain. Then there was his eyes. They were pleading for help. It was clear what kind of magic she wielded. I’d seen it before. Sophie could do something similar. She was controlling him somehow. It was scary, dangerous, and definitely dark. There was something different about it too. It didn’t feel like Sophie’s magic. It felt off somehow, darker maybe. Then there were her eyes. They were as black as midnight. I’d never seen anything quite like it.

“I said, apologize” Her voice had changed too; it was like a snarling beast was talking.

George clearly wet himself. His jeans were soaked and there was a puddle underneath him. His nose was starting to bleed too.
I’d had enough.

“Ok, it’s over” I snapped, getting angry. “He’s been punished enough, release him.”

“Not until the insect says he’s sorry.”

“I’m sor-r-r-y”

Scary Sherry smirked. She flicked her wrist and moved in one fluid motion. George fell to the ground, crying as he did so. The girl turned to me as his friends rushed to help him up.

“Why do you bother with them?”

“What do you mean?”

“These insects” she waved at George and his friends. “They’re beneath you, beneath us.”

“They’re harmless.”

She laughed. “They’re bugs. We are so much more.”

I nodded. If I agreed with her maybe she’d stop with all the crap and get the hell out of her. I was done with all of this. I wanted nothing more to do with this stuff. I made a promise to myself after Ravencrest. I was through with magic. I’d let them teach me how to control it, to keep me from my outbursts then I was going to swear off using it ever again.

Scary turned toward the jerks. “You can buzz away now”

They didn’t have to be told twice. The two cronies dragged a whimpering George away.

I was flabbergasted. “You can’t just let them go…they saw…”

“They won’t remember a thing in a minute or two.”

“Why then?”

She shrugged. “Why not.”

Penny found her voice finally. “That was fucking awesome!”

I’d actually forgotten she was there. Not that she was insignificant or anything, she was just so quiet. I cursed though because now she’d seen everything too.

Scary smiled. “It has its purposes.” Scary looked at me and sighed. “She won’t remember in a second either so don’t get your panties in a twist.”

Penny was awestruck. “Wait what?”

Scary ignored her. “You can do better than her.”

“You mean you?”

“We’re Sisters. We should associate with one another. I can teach you so much if you’d let me.”

“Not interested”

She smirked. “Not now but you will be” She reached into her shirt, between her breasts and pulled out a black business card. She handed it to me. “When you are interested though. Come to that place, we’ll be waiting.”

I looked at the card but there was nothing on it. “It’s blank.”

“For now” she said with a smile.

She started to walk away but before she got around the corner, she turned and smirked. “That’s two you owe me now.”

Then she was gone.

As soon as she was out of sight, Penny blinked. She looked around really confused. “Where did those punks go?”

She never mentioned Scary Sherry so I’m guessing the memory spell was now in effect.

“They took off; they were all hot air after all.”

She nodded. “Cool” then she bit her lip. “That was awesome by the way. I’ve never seen anyone do that like that.”

I shrugged. “I’ve had practice with guys like that.”

Penny nodded then cursed, looking at her watch. “I have to go” then she quickly added. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow?”

“Sure” I said, smiling.

“Cool” she said then bolted.

I let out a huge sigh of relief. Not only because I had a potential friend either. That whole incident could have gone a whole lot worse. Scary was clearly a dark magic user and for some perverse reason she had her sights set on me. Thinking about it made me shudder. I couldn’t also help but wonder a bit. Why were all those dark users so damn interested in me? I looked intently at the card, turning it over in my hands. It was still blank though but her words were still etched into my brain nonetheless: For now.

What the hell did that mean?

Author’s note: As I’m sure all of you know, comments are life blood to an author. I’m not begging or demanding, but I certainly would appreciate anything you have to say (or ask). It doesn’t have to be long and involved, just give me your reaction to the story. Thanks in advance...EOF