By Zapper

Synopsis: Ivy has a problem. She has to be in two places at once! Enter the magic mirror and her BFF, Mary, and Mary's twin brother Steve. Magical transformations and family politics tangle things up for our heroes as bodies and identities are swapped. How will it all end?

The door automatically slid open as it sensed the approaching mechanized wheelchair. The transition from the climate controlled interior to the hot, humid, July heat in Minnesota caused the old man in the chair to wince and start coughing. He lifted a wrinkled, liver-spotted, hand clutching a white hanky to his lips and wiped the blood and spittle from the corner of his mouth. He didn’t need to look around the pool deck to know where he’d find her.

Feeling a little better he grabbed the control stick for the chair and drove it down the slight ramp onto the concrete back patio. Once on the patio he headed toward the beach chairs that had been arranged by the edge of the pool to get the maximum exposure to the sun. As he approached the woman in the tiny string bikini his rheumy eyes drank in her beauty. The woman had long shapely legs, well-toned abs, from hours in the gym, an impressive amount of natural cleavage, and a face that could have graced the cover of any fashion magazine.

“Shouldn’t you be in bed? After your last cancer treatment, the doctor said you needed to take it easy for a couple of weeks.” The woman never opened her eyes.

“I just found out that my niece is in Ireland.”

“I know. She was feeling cooped up here on the estate. I suggested that she talk to your brother about an educational trip to Ireland. You know, see some castles, try some new foods, experience some history and culture.”

“Apparently, my brother and his wife went with her.” The old man wheezed sounding annoyed. Then he sighed, “That means we are the only Grants left on the estate.”

“I’m only a Grant by marriage.” The woman kept her eyes shut, enjoying the sun. “Remember our deal? All of my loans paid off, and part of your estate, as long as I stay married to you, keep you company, and keep any illicit affairs private.”

“Yes, my dear. I’m aware of our arrangement.” The chair moved closer. “I’m afraid, I won’t live out the summer. These cancer treatments have been harder on me than I thought.”

“Hey, you’re blocking the sun!” For the first time, the woman opened her eyes, brushed back her fiery locks, and glared up at the old man.

“I tell you I think I’ve only got a few weeks left, that I might be gone before my brother and his wife and daughter return, and all you can say is, I’m blocking the sun?”

“Well, we both knew you only had a few years left. Do you want me to call your brother? I can tell him he needs to come home.”

“No, that won’t be necessary.” The old man uncovered a large hand mirror that had been sitting on his lap. “Did I ever tell you that you are my insurance plan?”

At this the woman gave the old man a confused look. “You said that when you asked me to marry you. What is that supposed to mean?”

“I’ll tell you in a minute. Would you take a look at this mirror, it’s very old and immensely valuable?” At this he lifted the mirror using two hands to hold it steady.

The red head leaned toward the old man looking into the mirror. She loved looking at her reflection. “I think it’s broken I can’t see anything . . . wait, what? . . . Is that your . . .” her voice cut off abruptly.

The old man watched as her form shifted and changed. The transformation was surprisingly quick. Soft supple skin turned leathery and wrinkled, red hair pulled up and was replaced by wisps of grey that barely covered a liver-spotted and mostly bald head, breasts deflated as her chest shifted into an age sunken male upper body with bristly grey hair. Then, as the physical transformation slowed her sexy bikini stretched and changed becoming shirt and trousers. When it was over, the old man still frozen in the act of leaning forward, fell backward into the chair and struggling to breathe. Struggling to live. His eyes were alive with confusion and terror.

“I don't imagine you'll enjoy the next few weeks.”

The dying old man turned the mirror around and looked eagerly into its cloudy depths. The clouds swirled and formed a face. He grinned in delight as instead of his own face he saw the perfect face that looked up at him. The face of his twenty-nine-year-old wife, Cindy. Once the transformation was complete, the new woman stood up, stepping away from the wheelchair she hated, and stretched.

“Ah. I forgot how wonderful it feels to be young and healthy!” She glanced down at the amazing curves that now stretched and filled her bikini, “Being beautiful is very nice as well.”

“H-How?” The raspy voice gasped the question and the former man looked down.

“Magic my dear. I told you, you’ve always been my insurance plan. You didn’t really think I’d give you my wealth for a couple of years of companionship?”

“B-But . . . This is impossible.” The dying, ugly old man in the beach chair struggled to push himself into a sitting position.

“Not impossible. Still, you’ve been kind to me so I’ll make you a deal. Don’t tell anyone about our little swap, pretend to be me, and I’ll make it worth your time.”

“What? I-I don’t understand.”

“As I see it, you’ve got two choices. One you can cooperate, pretend to be me, and when I get back from Hawaii in three weeks, I’ll change you back. You were always my second choice after all. Or, you can try to tell the staff who you are. You will find that option to be very difficult and the staff will most likely think you’re losing your mind. But you could try.”

“Hawaii? Three weeks? P-Please, god, no. Don’t leave me like this!”

“Look at it this way, my dear. I needed a vacation from that old carcass. You wouldn’t deny your dying husband one last request? Just a short break from the pain of cancer and radiation treatments? Be good, I’ll see you when I get back. Oh, and don’t die on me while I’m gone!”

The woman, still holding the mirror spun around and glided toward the house. Then she paused to look over her shoulder, “Don’t try getting into your chair by yourself. You might fall into the pool or something. I’ll send one of the staff to come help you.”

Reaching the house, she couldn’t help adjusting the bikini top and bottom, “This damn thing is giving me no support and the string is riding up my ass. I’m buying a new, more tasteful, swimsuit as soon as I get to Hawaii!” Then she looked down at the mirror she was holding. “Right after I find a good safe place to hid you. The safe is straight out, that’s the first place she’ll look!”

As she entered the house the new woman was a little surprised that she didn’t feel any guilt. It was then that she realized that her desire to live outweighed any shred of decency or morality. ‘In fact,’ she thought, ‘the desire to live has always been humanity’s strong instinct.’

Steve got out of his truck and looking up at the ritzy apartment building, he felt a gentle evening breeze ruffle his dark hair. A weird shiver ran up and down his spine and he had to grab the driver’s door for a moment. There was something about being here, tonight, that left Steve feeling uneasy. He shook his head to dispel the strange superstitious sensation. His twin sister Mary had called and asked him to meet her here and if she saw him right now she’d laugh at him for getting yet another of those odd, “premonitions.”

Meeting up with his twin sister Mary wasn’t unusual, they were both living on campus and it was a six and a half-hour drive back home, not counting breaks for gas and food. They’d get together to talk or grab a meal at least once a week. Generally, they’d complain about school or gossip about relatives and the people from their small town who’d never left. However, getting a last-minute phone call on a Thursday night was a little out of the ordinary. Emergencies like this normally involved Steve needing to lift something heavy for Mary or do some work on her car. What was strange about tonight’s call was the location. This was Ivy Grant’s apartment building.

Ivy was a junior just like Steve and Mary and she was the only other person at the University from their tiny hometown in Minnesota. Ivy was the daughter, and only child, of one of the richest and most eccentric families in their home town and maybe the whole state, as far as Steve knew. Ivy and Mary had been classic frienemies in high school. Steve shook his head as he climbed the steps leading to the front doors. Both girls were very pretty and the tiny high school they’d once ruled had been too small for two such beauties. Steve had been oblivious to the social dynamic and had thought about asking Ivy out. That is until he’d told Mary! She’d quickly made it clear that he should stay away from Ivy.

Mary and Ivy had reconciled, sort of, when they’d arrived on campus and realized that there were quite a few girls who were just as pretty. They were no longer two big fish in a small social pond. Instead, they were a couple of fish in an ocean full of fish. They’d patched up their differences and their shared backgrounds, small town Minnesota, had helped them become friends. This year they’d both made it onto the varsity cheerleading squad for the University’s football team, so they were spending a lot of time together.

Still, as far as Steve knew, this was the first-time Mary had been over to Ivy’s apartment. Normally, Steve would meet Mary at her sorority house and they’d go out to dinner. Steve got to the security door, saw the name “Grant” and pushed the button next to it, apartment 4B.

“Come on up, Steve.”

Mary’s voice sounded a little funny coming out of the tiny speaker as the door clicked open. Steve’s first impression of the building was that it was classy. The marble floor and the golden elevator doors were impressive. Steve looked around trying to spot the stairs, only lazy people or the physically impaired used elevators, in his opinion. Not spotting the stairs he sighed and pushed the up button. In a few seconds, the elevator doors slid silently open. The building only had four floors and each floor had four apartments, based on the call buttons, except, for the top floor. The fourth floor apparently, had two apartments.

Steve grinned, “Nothing but the best for Ivy. I bet she pays more to live here for a semester than I do for housing and tuition combined.”

He knocked on the door and was slightly surprised when his sister opened it. Steve reached down and gave his sister a quick hug. A hug which she returned somewhat awkwardly. Steve dismissed the odd behavior and stepped into the apartment. There was once a time when she’d been slightly taller than him, but now at six two Steve towered over his sister’s five-foot seven-inch frame. Despite the height difference the family resemblance between the twins was strong. Black hair, blue eyes, and patrician noses marked them as siblings and when they’d been younger they’d often pretended to be each other, fooling more than one inattentive relative. Then puberty had hit. Mary developed the hourglass curves she’d inherited from their mother. While Steve had taken his dad’s height and athleticism.

“Steve, you’ve got to try this wine Ivy found!” Mary said, holding out a class of red wine.

“You know I don’t like wine.”

Steve accepted the glass from Mary and gave her a curious look. As he did he moved into the apartment and was impressed in spite of himself at the quality of the décor. Hard wood floors, expensive rugs, steel and glass furniture, it all screamed money!

“Come on, we’re sitting on the deck enjoying the weather and the view.”

Steve followed his sister through the living room and out a pair of sliding glass doors onto the deck. He glanced to his right and saw Ivy, already there relaxing with a glass of wine, leaning against a hot tub. A second bottle sat nearby on an outdoor patio table along with a plate of assorted cheese, crackers, and fruit. Steve couldn’t help his body’s reaction to Ivy. She was a sexy petite blonde with a button nose and an innocent girl next door face that said, “I’ve got no idea how gorgeous I am.” This was bull, of course, Ivy know exactly how good she looked.

Steve, his eyes drinking in her beauty as Ivy leaned against the hot tub. The tight jeans showed off Ivy’s sexy bottom and the black fuzzy sweater made Steve want to run his hands over the wondrous assets they hid. The neckline of the sweater was low enough to show Ivy’s creamy pale skin and just a hint of her amazing breasts. Steve turned away and walked to the back edge of the deck and leaned out over the rail pretending to examine the campus spread out below. In reality he was hiding his body’s reaction to Ivy. A boner at this point in the evening would have just been embarrassing.

“This is a really nice apartment. I love the view.”

“Me too.” Mary replied, and then after a pause Ivy added, “Thanks, I like it, and it beats living in the dorms or a sorority.” Ivy’s breathy almost childlike soprano responded. “Would you like a bite?”

‘Sure, but not the food,’ Steve thought, and then tried to hide a grunt. He was willing to bet Ivy had never lived in the dorms or considered anything so plebian as joining a sorority. He turned around and saw his sister had settled into a comfy looking chair, feet tucked up under her, by the table and Steve caught the two girls sharing a smirk. ‘What are they up too?’

“Maybe later. Mary what’s the emergency? You said I needed to get over here as fast as I could because you needed my help with something?” Then he laughed, “Let me guess, you just bought a piece of furniture and you need me to carry it up?” With that he flexed his biceps pleased at the way both girls watched him. He’d worked hard, in the weight room, since coming to school to develop his body.

“No, nothing needs to be moved. Hehehe . . . and, it’s not me, exactly, you see its Ivy that needs your help.”

“Okay?” Steve looked over at Ivy.

“I thought we could enjoy a glass of wine and relax for a few minutes first. But if you want to get right to it, I’ve got a problem. It boils down to this; I need to be in two places at once.”

When Steve remained silent Ivy sat her glass down and moved over to the railing a few feet from Steve. When she did Steve noticed that Ivy was several inches shorter than Mary.

“You know my crazy Uncle Philip?”

Steve shook his head but Mary jumped in, “You remember him, Steve, he was at our graduation. He was the guy walking around with a cane and a limp because of the fake leg?”

“Okay, I vaguely remember him, how exactly is this an emergency? And what do you mean, two places at once?”

“I’ll get to it. Just give me a second. Uncle Philip was always the black sheep of the family. Daddy thought he wasted most of his life traveling around the world exploring ruins and chasing crazy rumors about magical artifacts. He was into archeology and the occult and he spent lots of money on God knows what . . .” Ivy shook her head in amazement at her crazy Uncle. “There are some pretty wild stories in the family about him. But he was always nice to me.” At this Ivy paused to make eye contact with Steve. “Mom called . . . he, Uncle Philip, died yesterday. The funeral is set for Saturday afternoon.”

“Ivy, I’m so sorry for your loss. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Uncle Philip was a bit strange but as I said, he always liked me. He’s been fighting cancer for over a year and has really gone done hill lately, so this isn’t unexpected.

“I’m glad you’re okay, but I don’t understand. Can’t you could drive home tomorrow after class? Or if you’re really worried about getting there, you could let your professors know what’s going on and leave first thing in the morning. I don’t see the problem.”

“Sometimes you’re so dense Steve, this has nothing to do with classes. There’s a football game on Saturday. Ivy can’t miss it, or she might get cut from the squad.” Mary announced, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world.

Steve took a sip of wine, looked over at his sister and then he glanced back at Ivy. “Surely, the coach won’t kick you off the squad? You’ve got a death in the family.”

“You don’t know Ms. Frost, nothing and I mean nothing, gets in the way of football and cheering the team on to victory. She’s got plenty of other girls dying to be on the squad.” Ivy answered.

“She’s cut people for less.” Mary added.

“Look I’m sorry to hear all of this but I don’t see how I can help you.”

“There is a way Steve. I never would have believed if Ivy hadn’t given me a demonstration.” Mary jumped in with a mischievous look Steve had learned to mistrust.

“Do you believe in magic?” Ivy asked.

“Real magic . . . like Harry Potter?” Steve glanced at Mary wondering what she’d told Ivy. “I may be studying to be a history teacher, but that doesn’t mean I don’t believe in science. Sure, there are examples of things that can’t be easily explained, but actual, real, magic? No, of course not.”

“I told you he’d say that,” Ivy laughed.

“Steve, for now just suspend your disbelief and assume that we’re telling you the truth and magic exists. What if I-er-we’ve got an artifact that could physically transform a person?” Mary asked.

“I’d have to see it to believe it, but even so how does this help’s Ivy.”

“I need you to go back to our home town and attend the funeral as Ivy.” Ivy said.

“Oh, this is rich, you call me over here to tell me you want to turn me into a copy of you so I can attend the funeral of your crazy uncle? I was supposed to be going out to dinner with Stacy tonight. I can’t believe you wasted my time with this nonsense.” Steve glared at Mary, “Luckily, Stacy accepted a rain check and we’re going out tomorrow night!”

Mary and Ivy exchanged looks.

“You didn’t believe me either until we used the mirror.” Mary said. Ivy nodded and giggled. “The only way he’ll believe is if we show him.”

“Wait, what?”

“Come with me please.” Ivy said, putting her hand on Steve’s arm.

Even though Steve was annoyed, the cool feeling of Ivy’s delicate fingers on his arm sent a thrill through him. Ivy was just so damn pretty! Even if she was crazy. ‘Fine, I’ll play along, for now.’ he added silently.

Ivy led Steve into the living room and let go of his arm and looked at Mary and nodded. “Why don’t you take it from here?”

Mary walked over to the mantel above a gas fireplace and took down an antique looking ornate hand mirror. The mirror looked like it was expensive, the handle had been crafted to look like a dark female angel with her black wings sweeping up to hold the mirror.

“I-er-Ivy, found this while going through her Uncle Philip’s antiques a few weeks ago. Along with the mirror there was a journal that explained how it worked.” Mary said in what sounded to Steve like a rehearsed story. Mary looked up at Steve careful to keep the mirror’s surface pointed at the floor. “We reset it before you came over, Steve.”

“It has six positions and they’re now all blank.” Ivy added.

Mary handed the mirror to Steve, “Go ahead, it won’t do anything to you . . . yet.”

Steve accepted the mirror and saw that a pair of snakes wound their way around the angel’s body until they flared up above her head. The symmetry spoke of amazing craftmanship and gave the illusion that they were creating a heart.

“This thing is heavy, what’s it made of?”

“I’m not sure,” Mary replied. “I think the snakes are made from platinum. The mirror is very old. Uncle Philip thought that a powerful witch created it so she could steal the bodies of younger women and in that way, live forever.”

Steve glanced into the mirror and he grinned roguishly at his dark-haired reflection before looking up. “Okay, I’ll bite, how is this magic mirror supposed to transform me into your doppelganger?”

This time Ivy accepted the mirror back and holding the angel with one hand she grabbed the base of the handle where it flared out at the angel’s feet. She twisted the base to the right and there was an audible click. “There are six settings. Twist it all the way around once and it’s at the first position. Twist it around twice and you’re at the second setting and so on until you get to six. If you turn it seven times it will act like a normal mirror. That’s the position Uncle Philip’s journal recommended leaving it when not using it. To reset the mirror, you turn the handle to the left and unscrew it until it separates from the mirror. Screw it back in and all the positions are blank.” Ivy handed the mirror to Steve, “Go ahead look now.”

Feeling nervous and excited, Steve looked into the mirror. At first, he saw nothing, no reflection at all, just a silver surface. “I must be a vampire, I’ve got no reflection.” Steve laughed. Suddenly, the mirror looked like it fogged up and just as quickly the fog faded and Steve was looking at his reflection. “Weird,” he muttered, “okay, it’s working now, so what?”

Ivy extended her hand, “Give it to me.” Steve complied and Ivy, careful not to look into the mirror, turned the handle twice the two loud clicks made Steve jump. ‘Why am I so nervous,’ he wondered. “Once you look into it the mirror captures your image. To get to the next setting, no matter which one you were on, you turn it to the right, to the number of clicks you’re looking for. Now it’s blank again so I’m going to store my image.”

With that Ivy held up the mirror and looked into it. Then she flashed Mary a smile, “Do you want to store yours?”

Mary shook her head, “Later.”

With a shrug, Ivy rotated the handle again causing three loud clicks. “I’ve stored both of our images for safety, one of the things Uncle Philip suggested is to always have a backup.” Then she lifted the mirror and looked into it again. After a moment, she smiled and handed it to Steve, “Are you ready for some magic?”

Steve could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up, something told him not to take the mirror, but he couldn’t back out now. Slowly, he accepted the mirror. Ivy had been careful to give it to Steve face down. With butterflies churning in his stomach Steve turned the mirror over. For a moment, all he saw was fog, then shock raced through him, instead of his own face, he was looking at Ivy’s reflection.

“W-What?” A strange tingling feeling washed over Steve and he realized he couldn’t move. His skin started to buzz and then he felt things shifting around. A blonde curtain of long hair fell in a waterfall over his face obstructing his vision. He would have gasped at the sharp pain in his crotch as his manhood drew up into his body. Still frozen, looking into Ivy’s reflection Steve could feel his body getting smaller as the room around him seemed to grow. Then he felt his chest swell as a pair of boobs pushed out from his chest. The changes to his body began to slow down and then there was a new sensation. He wanted to gasp as his clothing started to squirm, writhe, crawl, change and shift. He felt bra straps dig into his shoulders as a pair of cups cradled his new fleshy orbs, lifting and supporting his supple assets. Then it was over and Steve let out a startled gasp dropping the mirror and holding his tiny hands up.

“I-I, I’m a woman?!” The light breathy voice would have made Steve wince if his male brain wasn’t being assaulted by other far more profound changes.

“I don’t know what that mirror is made of, but it must be tough, considering how often over the years it must have been dropped.” Mary noted, glancing at Ivy. She was watching the transformed man with a strange fascination. Mary moved forward and picked up the mirror careful not to look into it and turned the base of the handle around seven times.

Steve paid no attention to what was going on, instead, he slowly brought his hands to his chest. The sensation of gripping a pair of tits combined with the feeling of having his new soft delicate flesh groped was almost too much. Then remembering the pain from his crotch Steve dropped a delicate hand to groin. The smooth flat surface between his thighs confirmed his fear. “It’s gone.”

Looking up Steve saw that both women were looking at him with wide grins. Then Mary lifted the glass of wine she’d collected after retrieving the mirror, while Steve had been distracted exploring his new flesh, and in a mock toast said, “I should hope so. A penis on that sexy body would be horrible.”

Ivy walked around Steve who was still too stunned to do much more than examine his new flesh, and then glanced over at Mary, “You know, this may sound narcissistic, considering my current form, but I’m damn hot!” Then with a laugh added, “I’ve got to admit, Mary was right. Those jeans make Ivy’s butt look really sexy.”

Mary giggled, “Oh, god, Steve the look on your face right now is priceless.”

Steve placed his hands on his feminine hips and glared at Ivy, “Okay you proved your point. Magic exists, now turn me back.” As he spoke one hand reached up to touch his throat, as Steve realized for the first time that his voice was now a perfect breathy copy of Ivy’s.

At this Mary moved to stand in front of Steve and grabbed each of his hands stopping the panic that was rising and forcing Steve to look up into her eyes. “Steve, what are you talking about? Don’t you see this is a perfect opportunity! You always said that you wondered what it was like to be me, to be Mary. Remember, when we were small and we used to dress in each other’s clothes and try to trick people into thinking that we were each other? You aren’t me, but now’s your chance to see what it’s like to be a woman! If you do this then we’ll both owe you a favor!”

Steve looked into his sister’s eyes noticing that she was taller than him, by several inches, and felt his resolve weaken. He loved Mary and would do just about anything for her. He was also a little jealous of all the attention she got and had always wondered what life would have been like if they’d been identical twins, if they’d both been girls.

“No, I’m sorry Mary. You’re right I’ve said I wanted to know what it felt like, and now I do! Just change me back, please.”

“What if I give you an added incentive?”

At this Steve glanced over at the sexy blonde, “What do you mean?”

“I’m rich. Do this for me and I’ll pay you a thousand dollars a day. Today’s Thursday, you can switch back once you get back from the funeral on Sunday. Four thousand dollars for a weekend? What do you say?”

“What?!” Mary glared at Ivy. “Four thousand dollars!”

“It’s just money . . . I’m rich and I’m asking a lot of poor Steve here. It’s the least you-er-I can do.”

“But that’s a whole month’s allowance.”

“And money well spent if it keeps me on the squad and gets me out of going home for a funeral.”

Steve was stunned, magic wasn’t real. Men just don’t change into women. Then his mind latched onto one cold hard fact. Four thousand dollars would go a long way, and he was a broke college student. A tiny voice in the back of his mind also reminded him, that if he was being honest, Mary was right, he’d always wanted to know what it felt like to be a woman.

“Fine, I’ll do it,” he interrupted the bickering women. “For you, Ivy, and you sis, but both of you owe me, big time.”

“Excellent! Now that that’s settled, we need to test something,” Ivy said, looking at Steve. “Steve, tell me your name?”

“I’m Ivy Grant.” Steve replied and then a shocked look came over his cute face. “I-I meant to say that I’m Ivy . . . no that’s not right, I’m Ivy, Ivy Grant!”

Mary couldn’t suppress a laugh, “Wow, the look on his-er-your-er-her face. Priceless.”

“What’s going on?” Steve looked back and forth at Mary and Ivy.

“As I said, the witch who crafted the mirror used it to steal other women’s bodies to prolong her life. One of the effects of the mirror is that it won’t let you admit to being anyone other than the person who’s body you’re wearing.”

“That will help Steve pull off pretending to be Ivy, but look at him. The way he’s standing there is so butch.” Ivy noted.

“Steve, walk around the room for us.” Mary commanded.

Feeling silly and self-conscious Steve slowly made his way around the living room. The sound of his heeled boots on the hardwood, the feeling of hips and boobs moving, back-and-forth, up-and-down, side-to-side, within the soft sweater . . . it was almost more than his male brain could handle. ‘How is it possible to have so many body parts moving in so many directions all at once?’

“See?” Mary asked, “My gaydar is going off like crazy. I’d swear if I didn’t know that was Steve, I’d say that she’s butch.” Then Mary continued, “Steve, the magic of the mirror will help you adjust. It’ll change your mannerisms and helps make you increasingly comfortable your new body.” Then she glanced at Ivy who chimed it.

“According to Uncle Philip’s journal, if you’re in that body long enough you’ll even start to gain some of Ivy’s-er-my memories. I’ve used the mirror a few times and what you need to do is stop thinking.”

Ivy glanced at Mary who gave a small nod, as if to approve what she was about to do. Ivy moved forward to stand right in front of her clone. “Close your eyes.”

“This isn’t going to work,” Steve noted, and closed his eyes. “Everything is so different, so . . . uncomfortable.”

“Relax, stop thinking.” Ivy moved around behind Steve and then whispered into his ear, “Tell me your name?”

“I’m Ivy Grant.” Steve felt a slight shiver run through his body but kept his eyes closed.

“Are you a man or a woman?”

“A woman.” Another shiver.

“Take a deep breath and slowly let it out. Another. Another. Feel how your breasts push up against your bra, it’s a feeling you’ve known since 8^th grade, it’s nothing new or uncomfortable, it’s the most natural thing in the world, isn’t it?”

Steve wanted to shout, “NO!” Instead, he heard his voice softly respond, “Yes.”

“Bend one knee and now the other . . . again . . . again, keep breathing deeply, feel how your hips move, the way your thighs rub against each other. Feel the strain of your jeans as you flex your sexy bottom. The tight fit of the material against your crotch, the seam of the jeans, as it pushes against your pussy. The feeling is so erotic, so sexy, so feminine, you love it . . . Ivy . . . don’t you?”

Steve felt the words sink into his mind and couldn’t resist following her commands. As Ivy spoke he felt a tingling sensation in the back of his mind, he tried to ignore the feeling. Then he heard his soft voice, now throaty with desire as new erotic sensations filled him. “Oh, god . . . yes.”

“Feeling sexy and feminine gives you confidence, makes you feel strong and in control. You know there isn’t a man out there who wouldn’t want to make love to you. You love the feeling of power this gives you, admit it.”

“Y-Yes,” Steve felt his skin flushed, his mind seemed on fire with new sensations.

“Now, without thinking about it, walk over to the table, where you left your wine, pick up the glass take a sip and tell me how it tastes.”

Steve opened his eyes glanced over at the coffee table where he’d set his glass down when he’d accepted the mirror. He walked over to it, bent over slightly and picked up the glass before turning around and saluting Mary and Ivy. Then Steve took a delicate sip. The strong dry flavor of the wine exploded across Steve’s tongue. ‘Wow, this is really good,’ he thought.

“Oh. My. God!” Mary said, looking from Steve to Ivy and back. “That was amazing. He looked and moved just like you.”

“If he’s not thinking about it, the magic will take care of his mannerisms. I wanted to distract him and get him thinking about something else and then have him walk across the room.”

Steve looked at the two women and lifted a delicate hand to brush his long blonde hair out of his face, “I still don’t feel comfortable.”

“You will.” Mary replied, “The longer you’re in Ivy’s body, the more comfortable you’ll become. Who knows, before long maybe you’ll prefer it to your original body.” The comment sent a shiver down Steve’s spine and he opened his mouth to demand Ivy change him back, but Ivy lifted a hand in warning.

“Don’t get any ideas, I like my body and my life and there isn’t room for two Ivy Grant’s so when you get back I’m restoring you to your former male body, Steve Pierson.”

“You don’t have to worry about that, I might have been curious to know what it felt like to be a woman, but I don’t want to BE a woman. I prefer my life and body, thank you very much!”

“Now that we’ve settled all of that it’s time for Steve to get on the road.”

Steve flashed Mary a surprised look. “W-What?”

“Yes, Steve, my car is already packed. You should be able to drive for at least three or four hours tonight and then get a room. That way, if you get an early start you’ll be home by mid-morning. The reading of the will is at noon on Friday and you’ll need to be there for that. The funeral is set for Saturday.” Ivy added.

“Wait, I’ve got a life here too! I’ve got a test tomorrow at 8 am. I can’t miss that!” Then with a look of panic, “I-I’ve got my makeup date with Stacy tomorrow night. If I miss that she won’t go out with me again!”

Mary and Ivy shared a quick look. “He’s your brother.”

“He’s doing you the favor.”

“And I’m paying four grand for it!”

Steve looked back and forth between them trying to follow the conversation. “We’re supposed to go bowling with my roommate and his girlfriend and then dinner.”

“Fine, you take the test, since you’ve got the same class just a different session. I’ll cancel my date with Ted and go out with Stacy.”

“No, I’ll do them both. I know Steve’s roommate and I’m friends with Becky, his girlfriend, she’s in my sorority. It’ll be easier for me to do both.”

Mary looked at Steve, “Okay. You’d better get going Steve or should I say Ivy. Hehehe . . . You need to get a few hours of driving in tonight.”

Steve, more confused than ever and unable to follow the conversation just nodded, “I guess so.” With a glare he added, “Just don’t screw up my life while I’m gone!” Then he turned around to head out and paused. “Uhm . . . Ivy, I think I need your purse, keys, and driver’s license.”

“By the door dear. I packed a purse for you and a second one for me with my student ID. You’ve got my driver’s license in your purse, but I’m keeping my cell phone.”

“What about my phone, wallet, and keys? They were all in my pockets when I looked into the mirror!”

“Don’t worry, when Mary looks at your reflection she’ll get all of those things during the transformation.”

“How will we communicate while I’m gone? If I don’t even have a phone?”

“I put my iPad mini in the purse. We can FaceTime or use WhatsApp to call each other. My Mercedes is a mobile 4G hotspot so you should be able to call us from the road if you need too.”

Feeling a little better Steve picked up the purse Ivy had packed and headed out. After Steve shut the door both girls looked at each other and burst into giggles.

“I never thought your big, strong brother would agree to be a cute girl for the weekend.”

“I told you he’d do it. We just had to keep him off balance.”

“More wine?” Ivy asked.

“Sure, but then we need to change back. I need to get back to the House.”

“To a successful weekend!” The girls clinked glasses.

The girl who looked like Ivy, but was actually Mary, shook her head, “I can’t believe how easy it was to trick Steve. He never suspected a thing.”

“We did a good job rehearsing our stories. I mean, I never knew you two used to dress up as each other and fool your relatives, that is so cool. It makes me wish I had a brother.”

“Hehehe. It was always fun pretending to be the boy. I’d go outside play with the neighborhood boys and get muddy and track through the house and spy on Steve playing with my dolls!”

“I never got to go outside and get muddy or play with other kids. My mother always insisted on proper behavior. If I hadn’t begged Daddy she would have sent me away to an all-girls boarding school.”

Mary gave Ivy a hard look. “Not to change the subject, but how did you get the mirror, again?”

At this Ivy in Mary’s body settled onto her sofa and tucked her legs under her bottom. “Uncle Phillip and his bimbo wife Cindy had a fight and Cindy had taken off to Hawaii. The little gold-digger only married Philip for his money! Anyway, Philip locked himself in his house on the estate and wouldn’t talk to anyone. We’d just gotten back from Ireland and the annual End-of-Summer charity auction was coming up. When Uncle Philip refused to come out Daddy asked me to go through the boxes of old artifacts and antiques Philip kept in storage on the estate. He wanted me to pick out several pieces to donate. I did, and that’s when I found the mirror and Philip’s journal in the secret drawer to an antique jewelry cabinet. I didn’t really think it would work, but brought the mirror back to school with me to test.”

“Wow, and now your Uncle is dead?”

Ivy nodded, “Yeah, pretty sad. But to be honest I think he was developing Alzheimer’s. After Cindy took off he just acted too weird. He had all kinds of memory problems and he mostly locked himself in his room.”

Mary flashed Ivy a wicked smile, “How do you think Steve will do?”

Ivy giggled and took a sip of wine before answering. “He’ll be fine. I’ve only used the mirror once, well not counting right now, anyway, I had no problem fooling people. According to the journal, the magic has a way of helping you to adjust. Besides, my family will be so caught up in family politics that if Steve just stays quiet no one will notice.”

“Okay,” Mary in Ivy’s body stood up and grabbed the mirror, “Four clicks? You first or me?”