Synopsis: Terri gets to spend a little time with Lexi, in an attempt to figure her out. Lexi has the same idea. Allyssa and Cindy are just trying to keep tabs on her.

 

Accidental Magic

By
Allystra Krane

Chapter Nine
Perceptions

---

There was a knocking Terri's door, and she stood up from her computer and strolled over to answer it. She paused a moment to look around the room before turning the knob.

It had been an hour since her grandmother's friends had left after the confrontation, which let them into the possibility that Terri wasn't the only one having been pushed down a path.

Terri slowly pulled the door open, letting the darkness from the third floor hallway shroud the small girl standing on the opposite side.

"Sorry, I keep forgetting about the light in there."

"Why don't you replace it? You are tall enough."

"Cause hearing everyone stub their toes on that loose board on the top step is my way of getting someone to either fix it, or avoid my room."

"Plus it means that you can hear people coming, either from the cursing or by the resounding thump."

"Exactly."

Lexi stepped inside, toting a small bag. She carried it over to the corner on the far side of the bed.

"You going to bed already? It's a quarter after seven!"

"I think you forget that I'm only four years old.

Terri, who was now back at her computer, replied, "Yeah, well you speak like an adult, and far more personable than Stewie from Family guy."

"I get that quite often, though I hate being compared to that evil little thing. Frankly, if I had been trying for third-world despotism at his age, I wouldn't have gone about yapping my plans, especially if the dog could rat me out to the feds."

"...And more sensible too. I was thinking the same thing."

Thinking back toward the conversation that morning with Cathryn, Terri idly decided to pose Lexi a question. "Hey, do you believe in magic?"

"Magic? Where did this come from?"

"Oh, you wouldn't really believe me."

"No, go ahead and tell me."

"Magic is real, it exists." said Terri as she turned to face Lexi. "And I am proof of it."

Lexi looked at her for a few seconds before replying. "You don't say."

"Yeah. I best not say more."

"About what time will you be coming to bed, oh grand sorceress?"

"Not sure really. I haven't slept since Wednesday night, other than my nap."

"Well, do you care which side?"

"No, just take the side you're on. I'll slip into bed later."

"Goodnight then."

"Goodnight." replied Terri, as she returned to the screen, intent on beating her game.

---

Terri was still working at the game several hours later when she heard a mumble from behind her.

She had turned off the sound and was barely making any noise, so she turned to see if she had woken Lexi up.

She found the little girl curled up under the covers. As Terri leaned in closer she swore she heard the words "Momma, please."

Terri pointed to her machine, and it suddenly jumped through the motions of shutting down without any movement of the mouse or depresses of the keyboard. Its fans halted their steady whine for the night and Terri pulled off her shirt and kissed the arm of her suit, losing the molded boots and letting the bottom of the legs slide up to halfway down her thighs. The suit became a heather gray color once again and she lifted the covers and slipped into bed.

As soon as she touched Lexi, the girl visibly changed. Her muscles loosened and she let go of her fetal position. Terri felt a connection to Lexi that she couldn't describe. There was something inside her telling her to comfort this little girl.

Lexi never woke, but as soon as Terri finished fidgeting about and settled down, Lexi snuggled in closer, never waking up.

Terri found herself following the smaller girl's lead into dreamland and soon they both were out like a light.

---

Lexi woke up lazily, her eyes adjusting to the light streaming in through the window, whose curtains weren't closed all the way.

She saw the arm lying over top of her and looking at it, she said "Momma?" out loud.

Then she realized where she was and shook her head to get the cobwebs out.

She looked at the clock on the nightstand; it was after eight in the morning. Good thing it was Saturday and Terri didn't have school.

She rolled over and decided the best way to wake Terri was to grab her nose and squeeze it for a second, until a smile appeared on Terri's face and Lexi was not prepared to be attacked under her arms by a tickler who had been awake for almost an hour and already planning and plotting with a fully alert mind.

Terri found herself in full control of the situation and laughing along the way, as Lexi could not contain herself.

Lexi begged for forgiveness and Terri relented, leaving Lexi to catch her breath on the bed, while she stepped into her closet, closed the door and changed the suit back into the same form it had the night before. This time she added a royal blue stripe down the outside and down the sleeves too. She continued the sleeves into fingerless gloves with metal studs along the knuckles and more studs forming around wristbands.

She let the suit also form an outer shirt, with a plunging V-neck. Then it set to work on denim shorts.

In the span of less than a minute she was fully clothed and ready.

There was a knock at the closet door. "Okay, I've changed clothes, you can come out now."

Terri chuckled and exited the closet. "So what's on your agenda today?"

"I don't know, but it looks like you were about to head out to a motorcycle bar."

"What do you know about biker bars?"

"Half-deaf, nearly fully overweight men in enough black leather to outfit four fetish clubs for nearly a year, or did I miss something?"

"Half-deaf?"

"Harley Davidson motorcycles are known for their use of straight exhaust pipes, which usually contain little to no mufflers. The sound is distinct, and quite loud."

"Reading more auto manuals?"

"Only for understanding, that is to understand why engines are less than forty-percent efficient when they could easily be eighty or ninety."

"I suppose you'll have to ask the oil companies."

"Likely." Lexi added, as she refolded her pajama pants for the third time and finally approving of the job, packed them back into her small bag. Terri, meanwhile, stepped back into her closet to mimic taking the gloves and wristbands off; when in fact she just kissed them away back into the suit.

"Sooo..." Terri asked again as she stepped out a second time. "You want to go to the park after breakfast?"

Lexi suddenly looked up, turned toward Terri. A moment of emotion washed over Lexi's face, but not long enough for Terri to read it.

"That sounds like fun."

Terri took the smaller girl's hand and they left her room and descended the stairs together.

---

Terri and Lexi were swinging on the park's overly large A-frame, part of an even larger jungle gym that encompassed much of the north end of the park only blocks from Terri's home.

Lexi was on the swing next to her and Terri swore to herself she had never, apart from the tickling earlier, seen Lexi smile, much less laugh.

Terri was doing her best not to show the shock and surprise, maintaining a reckless rocking that threatened to put her airborne.

Terri had imagined a girl, so mentally an adult at her age, found little entertainment in such childish of pursuits. She thought Lexi spent much of her time reviewing Television shows for artistic content, rather than play on the swings.

Terri decided to hop off in midair at the apex of her forward swing and was greeted by the amazing feeling of falling, if only for a few seconds, before her feet introduced themselves to the grassy hill outside the sand that comprised the ground of the playground, and she crumpled under the inertia of falling.

She rolled, flailing out onto her back with arms and legs outstretched. Lexi was quickly by her side. "Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah, I do that all the time. Need to strengthen my legs though. I normally walk away from that."

"You could have hurt yourself."

"Join me in the grass Lexi, I'm fine. I'm sorry I turned you back into a stuffy adult. You were having a great time just being a kid there."

Lexi blushed, and laid down in the grass next to Terri, their heads only inches away.

"Now look up and tell me what you see?"

"Clouds."

"Yeah but what to they look like?"

"Clouds. Small Alto-Cumulus, judging by size and estimating their altitude."

"You are completely missing the point,” laughed Terri. "I don't need to know what kind of clouds. I was referring to their shape and if they even Vaguely resemble an animal or something. Like that one looks like a bowl filled with scoops of ice cream."

"That one reminds me of the Torque curve sprocket on a gearless transmission."

"Okay... sure. Even though I don't know what one of those things look like, that's good. You're are doing it."

"Doing what?"

"Being a kid. Did you grow up as soon as you could speak?”

"Soon after actually."

"And how did your parents take it?"

"It frustrated father, but mother approves."

"She wants you to give up your childhood and go straight into the quantum engineering?"

"You wouldn't really understand."

"You're probably right. If I ever meet your mom though, remind me to hate her."

"Hate her?"

"C’mon, enough lying about and talking about sourpuss parents, lets try to enjoy the rest of the day. No talking about being an adult. You aren't one, no matter how hard you think, and I'd rather not be one, despite this being my last year in high school."

Lexi got up and followed Terri back toward the jungle gym.

The next several hours were spent running about the structure with other kids, playing in the giant sandbox and generally behaving as if Terri was just another child, though a taller one.

Terri was currently trying to catch Lexi, who was keeping a large piece of the play structure between them, when a woman sitting on bench called her over by name.

Terri, complete with surprised look, wandered over to the bench.

"Can I help you?" she asked. "How did you know my name?

"I heard it as you two were raising a ruckus. I was wondering where you got all of that energy. You have been keeping up with those kids since I got here and I was curious to what energy drink you use."

Terri looked down, blushed and hid her hands behind her back. "Oh, I'm still just a kid myself." she lied, having come to the conclusion that the same reason the vortex kept her from needing much sleep, also provided her plenty of energy. "I got a healthy dose of maple syrup on waffles this morning, that might have helped."

"I'll say. Even Jacob over there can't keep up with you. I have to say though, I haven't seen you or your daughter here before."

"M-m-m-My daughter?" Terri croaked out. "She's..."

But Lexi, who had realized Terri was no longer chasing her, interrupted Terri. "Momma, why'd you stop?"

Terri blushed again. "Lexi, what are you doing?"

"You look so young dear. It was a high school fling wasn't it?"

Terri realized she needed to lie. "Yeah, something like that. I'm so embarrassed right now."

"Don't be Hun." replied the woman, who was in her late thirties. "I wish I could still look that good after having Jacob. All your energy, I can see how you can stay in such good shape."

Terri blushed yet again; never having fully recovered from the last time, so the effect was a darker red than before.

"Momma, can we get ice cream?" Lexi asked, her voice sounding less professional and polish than usual.

"Well, I see duty calls. Hope to see you two again." the woman said as Terri took Lexi's hand.

"Yeah..." Terri replied as she strolled off toward the edge of the park.

Ass soon as they were far enough away, Terri asked, "Why did you call me mommy back there?"

"Because I heard the that woman say she thought you were my mother." Lexi responded. "What better explanation is there? We do look similar enough."

"Yeah, about explanations," said Terri. "I have something I need ask you, but not right now. After we get some Ice cream."

"Yay." Lexi mused, in a low monotone, despite the tiny smirk on her face.

---

Terri was taking her time with a strawberry shake while staring at Lexi on the other side of the bench who was methodically attacking a soft-serve banana split.

Terri's lips parted from the straw and she set it down, looking for a seemingly 'right' moment. Finally she couldn't wait.

"So, gotten any headaches lately?"

"Only from the Ice Cream." replied Lexi.

Terri took another drink off her shake, and then put it down so she could stare at Lexi for a moment more.

"Uhm, Lexi. Can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead." Lexi responded.

"Do you notice anything different about me?"

Lexi looked up from her sundae, a very serious look upon her face. She returned to her dessert without a comment however.

"At a loss of what to say?" asked Terri.

Lexi stopped mid-bite, drove her spoon into the top of mound of ice cream. Looking up she bore into Terri's eyes. "What could I possibly say? 'Oh Hey, you look great with breasts. Can I get the name of your body sculptor?' Seriously how did you know?" Lexi asked.

"I was wanting to ask the same thing. You are supposed to be crippled by headaches every time you think back to what I looked like last week or earlier."

Lexi smiled. "Well, that headache thing is no match for my brilliance and willpower. I simply mathematically proved that you didn't even exist in the first place and the headache vanished."

"Seriously?"

"No, not really." Lexi replied with a grin. "I heard something like that once on a television program. I simply had more willpower than it and killed it."

"Then why have you been playing along?" asked Terri.

The smile instantly left Lexi's face. There was a pregnant pause as she obviously chose her words carefully.

"I have known you all my life, and thanks to my intelligence and all the books I read, I knew you were suffering from depression. Your parents couldn’t even hug you thanks to your skin condition. You didn't have a life, just quietly sat around and simply existed. I think you were governed by pain and afraid to do anything that could cause more.

I admit that it is a little strange to see you this way, but magically altering yourself seems to have worked. I am happy that you found an alternative to suicide."

Terri was sitting there in shock. Her lips were attempting to form words that her brain wasn't even sending.

Lexi looked at Terri, sadness upon her face. "All week long I have seen the change in your personality and your demeanor.

Terri looked down at herself. "Am I really different?"

"When you aren't thinking about yourself as you are now, yes. You smiled at me for the first time ever the other morning. I don't even think your new friends noticed. However you managed to do this, it was a good choice."

"Lexi, magic exists...."

"I am aware of that and you said it before. You are proof. I believe you and until you asked me about headaches, I was willing to pretend nothing had happened because it made you feel better."

"So the other me was right then. This body was my choice and I am more comfortable this way than I want to admit to myself."

"The other you?" Lexi asked.

"I had a commune with my subconscious yesterday afternoon while napping on the couch. I really wasn't ready for what it had to say, but it was right."

Lexi slipped off the bench, leaving her dessert and came around to Terri's side, and tried to hug her as best she could.

"You just need more time. You have only been in this body for a week, and you probably haven't adjusted completely. Plus you need more hugs."

"Depression huh? Not that I am surprised, but it does explain some things." said Allyssa as she sat down opposite Terri and Lexi, a chocolate dipped cone of ice cream in her hand.

"How long have you been listening in?"

"Since you two left the house. I'm supposed to be watching you for part of today."

"Watching me, why?"

"Because of your grandmother. She got her friends to be here, she got me and my coven involved and all to protect you, but we can't keep it up forever. Augustine is convinced that whatever is going to happen will happen soon, so I am officially giving you notice that you are part of a twenty-four hour-a-day watch."

"So no masturbating, cause witches are watching you." Lexi laughed.

Terri just blushed, while Allyssa's eyes closed into thin slits. "We are not witches. We are magical users, call us users for short."

"Sorry, I read Harry Potter. The author makes it sound like they want to be called witches and warlocks."

"Speak for yourself Lexi. One of the boarders at Terri's thinks you could be a user too."

"So it was mentioned the other day. I'm not going to entertain that option right now. Some things are more important, like healing our princess here."

"What do you suggest doctor?" Allyssa said with a hint of sarcasm.

Lexi just gave Terri another hug before responding. "No matter how much getting changed into a woman has helped her, she is still not comfortable being and acting all girly. The more people push, the more you'll just try harder to hide inside yourself," she said, now looking into Terri's eyes.

Terri wasn't looking at either of them; she was staring at her shake. It took a few seconds before she responded with a less than vigorous nodding of her head.

"I am sorry. I really had no idea," said Cindy as she simply stepped into existence as if out of a fog next to Allyssa and took a seat."

"Told you." said Allyssa. "You were doing it all wrong."

"Like you were doing any better!" Cindy retorted. "I don't see Terri running around flaunting magic like you have all morning."

"That is because knowing how to do magic could kill me." Terri replied.

"Well, not exactly." Allyssa countered, her tone becoming as sterile and sanitary as possible. "Technically, as long as you didn't learn anything that could be used offensively, you would be more of an liability than an asset."

"What are the two of you talking about?" Cindy cried out.

"Well, hate to tell you this Cindy, but Terri may very well be one of the most powerful magic users, Period."

"But she just said that magic could kill her." Cindy snapped back.

"Not the magic itself that would kill her, it's what would happen if she knew a great deal of magic and then someone where to use her against her will."

"What are you talking about?"

Allyssa shook her head, "I don't know if you are ready to hear about it. Just talking about the last vortex keeps giving Terri wicked-witch-of-the-east feeling."

"Wicked witch.... she is going to be crushed by a falling farmhouse?"

"It was a eight-story apartment complex, Hungarian design dating back to pre-world war two. I think it was made to withstand a bombing raid enough so that everyone could get out."

"Just so you know." Interrupted Lexi. "While many people, including myself, can appreciate that historical and architectural depiction, I think it is having a negative effect."

Allyssa, who had been facing Cindy while telling her this, turned back, to face Terri facing straight forward and white as a sheet with eyes as wide as possible.

Cindy had witnessed the change in Terri's expression and suddenly felt like commenting.

"All of a sudden, your psychoneurosis is starting to seem a bit more grounded than I first thought."

Allyssa and Lexi both looked at Cindy. "Where did you learn a word like that?" asked Allyssa. "And more importantly, do you even know what it means?" Lexi retorted.

Cindy took Terri's hand. "Terri, I think I should introduce you to someone very important to me. My favorite psychiatrist."

Allyssa lifted one eyebrow. "Your favorite? How can you have a favorite?"

Cindy smiled as she stood up, gently leading Terri, whose blood had returned to her cheeks. "He has to be my favorite, because he is my dad."

---