Witching Hour   Part One: The Change   by Roberta J. Cabot   I wasn't a fan of the show. Even though I knew what I knew. Now, I don't know. My sister was. But she's gone now. Has been for a while. I miss Kaye. Sometimes I miss her more than usual. Sometimes less. But I miss her.

Kaye's hands felt so cold. "How do you feel," I asked her.

She tried to breathe deeper. "OK, I guess. Nothing hurts. Actually I feel sleepy. And light, you know? As if I weighed maybe only ten pounds or something." She sighed. "I just can't seem to catch my breath."

I kissed her on the cheek. "It's gonna be OK. Diane and Cassie are here." The two moved closer to the bed. I moved back to give them room.

Cassie leaned over, holding her long red hair away. "It's the spell, sweetie," she said. "That's what's making you sleepy."

"Then it won't be long now, huh?"

Cassie nodded. "Yes, dear. Not long." She started crying. Kaye raised a frail hand and touched Cassie's cheek.

"It's OK, Cassie," she said. "It's not anyone's fault." She looked to Diane. "And don't worry, Diane. Kim's here."

"Kaye," Diane responded, kneeling by her bedside. "I know what you said. But it can't be Kim. It's..."

Kaye made a shushing motion. "It is. HE is."

"He's a man, Kaye. How can it be him?"

"Trust me. I know. I feel it. Give me your hand." She reached for Diane.

Diane gently held Kaye's right hand in both of hers. After a while, Kaye sighed. "Can you see it, now?" Kaye asked. "It's as plain as day."

Diane closed her eyes and tried to see what she saw. Her hands shook with concentration, but it was useless. "I'm sorry, Kaye. I..."

Kaye's eyes clouded over. "Oh, Diane." Her voice fell in sorrow. But, suddenly, she looked up at the ceiling, and her attitude changed as if she was listening to someone.

Slowly, she smiled and looked back at Diane. "Never mind. She says you'll have no choice but to believe when the change happens."

"What change," Diane asked. "Who are you talking to?"

"When Kim changes, silly!" Kaye giggled.

"Who were you talking to?" Diane repeated her question.

"My mom," she smiled a happy smile. "I'll be with her in a bit. Right?"

"Oh, Kaye..." Cassie sighed, and started to cry.

Kaye looked at Cassie. "Oh, Cassie, don't cry, my love." Cassie errupted into a full-tilt bawl.

"Cassiopea!" Diane exclaimed. "Stop it!" She stood up and went to Cassie. "Stop it," she hissed. "If you really love her, you'll stop." Cassie nodded and swiped her arm across her eyes.

"Diane?" Kaye asked softly.

"Yes, my dear?"

"I need to talk to Kim now. Can you leave us for a bit?"

"All right, dear. Let's go, Cassie." Diane reached up to pat the tall girl on the cheek. "Let's go, hon."

Cassie nodded, and went to Kaye's bedside. She gave her a gentle hug. "I love you," she said, and gave her a tender kiss. "I'll love you forever."

Kaye smiled and nodded. "I know. I'll love you forever, too."

Before she stepped through the door, I stopped her.

"Cassie," I said, "I didn't approve before, but she told me she loves you. And I think you do, too. I’m sorry. For not understanding. For not accepting."

She looked at me straight in the eye. I didn't know any other girls who were tall enough who could, except for Cassie.

"Thank you, Kim. That means a lot."

"It’s no big deal," I said. "You're family. Have been for a while. I guess I was just too narrow-minded to accept it."

"Kim?" Kaye called plaintively.

I shooed her out. "Go now. I'll call you if..."

Cassie nodded, and stepped through the door. I closed it and went to her side. "Hey, Big Sister. You okay?"

"It's really time now, Kim. But I have to tell you some things Momma told me."

She was delirious, poor girl. I played along. "What did mom say?"

"Did you bring the tape recorder that I asked for?"

I pulled the little device out of my jacket pocket and showed it to her.

"Turn it on." I switched it on and placed it on her bedside table.

She sighed. "That's good. I might not be able to say this again so it's good that we have a recording."

"Kaye, that's..."

She waved my protests away and continued.

"Mom says that the changes will start a couple of minutes after I'm gone, so be ready for it. The changes will happen all on their own so Diane and Cassie just need to keep you comfortable.

"The physical changes won't hurt but Momma says it would be better if you were asleep for it. Tell the girls. It will all be done in just a couple of weeks. But she says it will take a while for you to understand and control your powers, and that you will need Diane and Cassie's help." She smiled. "Especially Cassie's. Oh, you lucky girl."

"Girl?" I thought.

"Momma won't tell me what kind of powers you will have, though. I But I have an idea." She smiled merrily at that. "Anyway, she says they are important to the work you guys will be doing. So you better learn how to handle them as soon as you can." She sighed again. "Oh, it's so hard to breathe!"

"Kaye..."

"It's coming. I have to do this fast." I held her hand and wiped the tears from my eyes. "Momma says that you have to trust your instincts, and not to fight the changes. Your life will be so different from before, but it will also be a good life if you want it to be."

She smiled her mischievous smile. "I wish I could be around to see your face when you see yourself!" The old grandfather clock started tolling twelve o'clock. Witching hour. Kaye sighed again. “Everything that’s mine is now yours, Kim. I just wish…”

"Kaye?"

"I love you Kim..."

"Kaye!"

"Promise that you’ll be strong for me. And don't forget that I love you..." And she closed her eyes.

"Kaye!" I put my ear against her chest, and I couldn't hear anything. I took her wrist and looked for a pulse, but I couldn't find any. I looked at her beautiful, fragile face and started crying. “I love you, too,” I whispered. “I promise…”

The clock had finished chiming twelve.

As my silent tears coursed down my cheeks, I could feel Diane leading me away. I gestured to the bedside table, and Diane switched the tape recorder off and pocketed it.

Cassie rushed passed us, almost bowling us over. She kneeled at my sister's bedside and great wracking sobs filled the room.

As Diane led me to my own room, the private nurse that she had hired rushed into Kaye's room. I neither had the strength nor the will to tell her. She'd find out soon, anyway.

Diane tucked me in my bed and passed a hand over my eyes. I could feel the magic flow. And I blissfully fell asleep.

I vaguely remember the dream. Mom and Kaye having tea by a window where a bright yet soft white light shone through gossamer pink curtains, bathing them in a light peach-pink glow. Pink was Kaye’s favorite color.

Mom lifted her teacup and I saw that it was the teacup from Kaye's little tea playset when she was little, the flowers circling the rim. I remember the pattern so well. But this time the cup was full-sized.

Oh, how I loathed that tea set when I was young! Kaye would force me to play with her, and we would drink imaginary tea and eat air-cookies for hours on end. But now I recalled those times in a better light because they were times that I got to spend with her.

"Mom?" I said.

"Oh, Angel. Shoo! It's not yet your time. You have so much to do, yet." She waved an impatient hand to shoo me away, a gesture from my childhood I recall so well, when she wanted me to leave Kaye and her as they baked those wonderful muffins that Kaye and I would eat later in the porch with tall glasses of ice-cold milk.

"Kaye?" I asked.

"It's all right, Angel. We'll see each other again. Now, go."

"Angel? Who's Angel?"

"Why you are, silly!" Kaye giggled merrily.

I woke up, then. I opened my eyes, or rather fluttered them open, and made a small yawn. And Diane and Cassie were there, as if they've been waiting there for me to wake up. I wondered why.

 
*** Cassie, seeing Kimmie for the first time ***

Diane and I had played the tape over and over again, and followed Kaye's instructions to the letter, only half believing. Diane had put Kim in his bed, and he had been asleep for two weeks, now, so something's due to happen today.

We had tried to wake Kim up before, but he just wouldn't snap out of his deep sleep, even with Diane's spells. So we buried Kaye without him. And that was all more than a week ago.

When we got back from grocery shopping, we put the bags of stuff away and went up to Kim's room, expecting to see Kim still in his deep sleep. What greeted us was this angelic little blonde curled up under the blankets, wearing Kim's pajamas.

We stared at her open-mouthed. She couldn't be more than fifteen years old tops. "That can't be Kim," murmured Diane.

"Gorgeous!" I exclaimed. I couldn't help it. She had on the most beautiful gentle smile I had ever seen. I just wanted to hold her and cuddle her.

She turned in her sleep, making a sleepy little murmur, like "mmmmph," and stuck her thumb in her mouth. I giggled. So cute!

Her turn had pulled the pajama top tight against her, and it outlined the most beautiful pair of breasts I had ever seen. Their large size, compared to her apparent youth, forced us to re-evaluate her age, to maybe something like an eighteen-year-old girl - a very well-developed eighteen-year-old girl.

Kim's pajamas were definitely too big for her. The blanket was pushed to the side revealing that the pajama pants had been kicked off, leaving her clad in Kim's jockey shorts, smooth and sexy legs on display.

"That can't be Kim," Diane repeated.

"I don't care," I said. "She's so pretty..."

And then she woke up. She fluttered her eyes, bringing attention to the long eyelashes surrounding those incredible blue eyes. She yawned bone-crackingly, and made a noise like a little purring kitty. I think she saw us, but she closed her eyes again.

She sleepily reached up and got one of the pillows, curled around it, hugged it to herself, and purred.

Smiling, Diane approached the bed and pulled the pillow out of her grasp. She curled up again, murmuring in soft protest.

"All right, little miss. Time to wake up," she said.

"Awww, Mommy," the girl said, "just a few minutes more."

"Kim?"

"Mmmmm..."

"Kim!" Diane exclaimed.

"All right, already!" she mumbled in sleepy irritation, and sat up on the bed, just like a typical teenager. She sat effortlessly in a crosslegged lotus position, yawning and stretching hers arms, and wiped her hair away from her face.

She fluttered her eyes open again, and looked at us.

"Hi," she said mildly.

Diane and I looked at each other. "How are you feeling, Kim," I asked. I deliberately used his name as a sort of test.

"All right, I guess," the girl answered. She responded, so it must be Kim... Diane and I looked at each other, and we finally believed Kaye.

"I feel good, actually," she continued, "I feel so rested. How long have I been asleep?" Her voice was so cute.

"Two weeks," Diane said.

Kim looked shocked. "That woke her up," I thought.

She looked down at her lap, in deep thought. "Kaye," she sighed.

"We buried her more than a week ago, honey," Diane said gently.

"Kaye," she whispered again. Her eyes sparkled as she tried not to cry.

We looked at her in sympathy.

"I want to visit her," she murmured. We could feel the change in her demeanor: she's trying so hard it almost made me cry. She sat up on the edge of the bed.

"Kim..."

"Please..." she said, almost begging us.

Diane and I looked at each other. I nodded.

"All right," Diane said. "But not until you take a bath and we all have some breakfast."

Kim suited words to action. "Sounds good to me," she said hoarsely, and climbed off the bed. She went to a cabinet, got a towel and some of her old underwear, and headed off to the bathroom.

"The flighty girl is gone," I thought with some sadness. "The old Kim's back now."

Suddenly, we heard a high-pitched girlish scream coming from Kim's bathroom. Diane and I looked at each other, with an idea of what just happened. "Well, she's not gone completely," I thought wryly. We rushed into the bathroom and saw Kim naked, except for a pair of men's jockeys, gaping and pointing at her reflection in the bath's mirror. She looked so sexy. "She's so beautiful," I said to Diane.

"What's wrong, Kim?" Diane asked innocently.

She mutely continued pointing at her reflection.

"Cute, ain't she?" I giggled.

"Is that me," she quavered. "Is that the change?"

"Apparently so, dear," answered Diane.

And then she fainted.

 
*** Kim, seeing himself after the change ***

I woke up in my bed again, with Diane and Cassie sitting on the bed on either side of me. All of us had our feet under the covers, with Cassie and Diane sitting up against the headboard.

I was curled up against Diane, my arm over her lap. I looked up to see her sitting against the headboard looking back at me, smiling gently.

"Hi, there," she said.

"Hi, Mummm... ah, Diane." I had this urge to call her Mommy.

I felt Cassie rubbing my back, and I wriggled in sleepy, indolent pleasure. "Oooh, that feels good!" I said. Cassie giggled, which made me smile.

I sat up and yawned, stretching my arms wide. I could hear my bones cracking. "Nobody could feel this good, this contented," I thought.

I saw my pajama sleeves fall away from my arms, and saw how thin and smooth my arms were. I looked at my left hand, studying the fingers and the general lithe elegance of it.

Then I noticed the light-pink color of the pajama sleeves. I looked down and realized I was dressed in a girl's shorty silk pajama. Maybe Kaye's. And then I noticed my chest. "My God, I've got gorgeous hooters," I thought, which brought everything crashing back down on me. I stiffened in fright.

"You okay, Kim, honey?" Cassie asked.

I nodded, trying to get my brain around the idea that I was a girl now. I tried to get into a logical frame of mind, and started with the basics.

"I need to pee," I thought, "soon."

I felt the sleeves of my pajama, and felt how nice the silk was against my skin. Then I had a thought.

"Who changed my clothes?" I asked.

Cassie giggled, but Diane was the one who answered. "We both did, actually," she said. "You like?"

I nodded, and studied the rest of my outfit. I looked at Diane.

"I wanna see myself, Mumm... Diane."

Diane smiled. "Are you sure, sweetie? You didn't react well the last time."

I nodded my head emphatically, and had this sneaking feeling I was acting like a little girl.

"Wait," Cassie said, "I'll bring the mirror from Kaye's room so you don't have to get up." She kissed my cheek and went out of the room.

The mention of my sister's name brought it all back, but I tried to control my grief. I hugged Diane again.

After a few moments, Cassie came back, with Kaye's full-length mirror tucked effortlessly under an arm, as if it were just a bunch of books she was bringing to school. I wondered where that image came from. But, it couldn't distract me from the fact that the girl was strong. In her other hand, she was carrying my sister’s old polaroid camera.

Cassie put the camera on a table, set up the mirror at the foot of my bed, and adjusted it so that it caught mine and Diane's reflection.

In the mirror were two gorgeous girls, the older one with long, straight raven-black hair impeccably combed, and horn-rimmed glasses that emphasized her blue-black eyes and scarlet lips. She was wearing a light-yellow top with a white collar, and jeans, the front of the blouse molding against her beautiful breasts as she sat on the bed hugging the other girl.

The younger girl was even more gorgeous - a platinum-blonde nymph dressed seductively in a light-pink pajama, her long hair in a tangled mess. But far from making her look disheveled, it made her seductively sexy, like she just woke up from a satisfying sleep.

"That's me," I whispered. I looked over the top of the mirror at Cassie. She nodded gently.

I looked at Diane, who I still had clutched around the hips. "Yes, it is, sweetie," she said.

"I have to go pee," I said suddenly. And they both laughed at the non-sequitur.

"I'm serious!" I said.

"Well, then go pee. Nobody's stopping you."

I pushed the bedclothes away and stood up. I scampered to the bathroom on my tiptoes, feeling my bladder was about to explode.

When I got to the bathroom, I paused a bit and tried to figure out what to do. I took off the pajama bottoms, throwing them away from me. I pushed down the sheer panties I found I was wearing, sat down and let go. At least the muscles I needed to use were about the same.

I sighed in relief. I was about to get up when I felt how wet my butt was. I thoughtfully got some toilet paper and wiped carefully. I dropped the paper in the bowl and flushed.

Rising, I pulled up my panties and went to the sink to wash my hands. As I was washing, I looked at myself in the mirror above the sink.

I was beautiful. Amazingly so. In fact, I couldn't help but start getting turned on in a major way. I had a cute nose, sexy pouty lips, beautiful blue eyes with incredibly long lashes, almost translucent eyebrows in little half-moon shapes, a long and slender neck, and pale yellow hair that reached all the way to the top of my butt - I could feel it tickling my back and the tops of my bum. God, I wanted to fuck me so bad! But I shook my head to take such thoughts away. My long hair rippled sexily and I couldn't stop a moan from coming out.

I swiped at my hair, pushing the mass of silver-yellow tendrils from my face with a dainty movement of my hand and arm. That inadvertent gesture made me pause. I shook my head again to banish such thoughts, and took a deep breath.

"Get a grip, Kim old boy," I thought, and giggled. I definitely wasn't a boy anymore.

As I thought about it, my giggling died out. All this giggling and making girly gestures was starting to worry me. The changes are apparently more than just physical. "I need to talk to the girls," I thought.

I made a face and stuck my tongue out at myself, but it just made me look more unbearably cute. I sighed in defeat and turned to the door. I stepped out of the bathroom, walking on the balls of my feet.

I suddenly noticed this and stopped. I looked at my feet. Or tried to - my new breasts blocked the view. So I had to look from the side.

They looked like ordinary feet, albeit very sexy girls' feet attached to long and very sexy girls' legs... And they were standing on tiptoe... I also noticed that I kept my hands away, bent at the wrists and pointing away from my hips. I also belatedly noticed that I forgot to put my pajama bottoms on, leaving me naked from the waist down, save for my barely-there panties.

There was a bright flash and I looked up to see Cassie, with the camera still aimed at me. Just as I looked up, she took another picture. I gave her a raspberry, but she just giggled and took another picture of that.

I consciously brought the heels of my feet down, and I started to walk normally. But it took a deliberate and conscious effort to walk normally. If I didn't think about my walk, I'd start walking on the balls of my feet again. I walked to the foot of my bed slowly, deliberately putting my heel down on the carpet after every step.

"Darnit!" I exclaimed to Cassie. "What's wrong with my feet?" And then I gaped at her. "Darnit?' I said to no one in particular.

Cassie giggled again. I looked up at her, starting to get pissed with hands on my hips. And then I realized how tall she was. "Ohmigod," I said involuntarily. "you're, like, so tall!"

Cassie giggled again. "So what else is new, Shorty?" She ruffled my hair.

"Don't call me that!" I said, batting her hand away.

Cassie grinned. "OK," she said amiably, and gave me a casual kiss on the cheek. "But that brings up a question. What do we call you now, anyway?" She held my arms out and swung me around. "You definitely not Kim, anymore."

I thought about it, unconsciously sticking the tip of my tongue between my teeth.

"Well," I said, "the quickest solution would be to just keep on calling me 'Kim' but this time with an ‘I’ and ‘E’ at the end."

"I guess we could do that," Diane said. "But you know, witches are always given new names when they join a coven. They are usually given names by their new sisters that reflect who they are, and it is by these names that they are known in their coven.

"We witches believe that, by doing so, we bind their powers to them. But, to the outside world, they are still known by their old names."

"We can do this for you, if you want," Cassie said.

"Does that mean I'm a witch, too, and I'm a part of your coven, now?" I asked.

"Well, duh!" said Cassie.

"That means, when I twitch my nose, I can cast a spell?"

"Sure, you can cast spells," Diane said. "Plus a few other tricks. The nose-twitching is totally optional, of course."

"But we wouldn't mind if you twitched your nose," Cassie said. "I think you'd look like a cute bunny if you do that."

"I want my own broom this instant!" I giggled.

Diane laughed. "Well, we prefer to use cars, nowadays, Brooms are just a little too passé."

"So, what else can I do?"

"We don't know, yet," Diane said. "but most witches have the power to levitate things, to influence people, or to cause certain things to happen.”

"But, for you, we won't know what your powers are until they manifest themselves," Cassie said. "And that usually happens over time."

"How about you two? What can you guys do?"

"Cassie and I, and another girl named Tamara are called the Elementals. The things that we can do complement what the others can do. I think that you are..." She stopped herself and shook her head. "Let me start again, so I can explain it better," she sighed.

"Our coven is a little different - those that join us are given new names, just like some of the other older covens. But, for us, we only get our new names when our powers come out. Also, we are all required to use our new names in the outside world, too. That practically means changing our identities altogether.

"Traditionally, we are given names from Greek or Roman mythology. That was the way with both Cassie and me."

"What was your name," I asked. "you know, before."

"When I discovered my powers and joined the coven, I was given the name Diane. But before that, my name was Joyce."

"Joyce," I said, trying it out. "No," I said. "Diane suits you better."

"I'm glad you approve," she said, and smiled at me.

I turned to Cassie. "How about you," I asked. "What was your old name?"

"I've always been Cassie," she said, and hugged me.

Diane stood up and walked over to us. "Well, what really happened," she said, "was that we were having trouble divining a name for her. We don't pick the names at random, you see. The names come to us. With Cassie, it was different. Her name just wouldn't come.

"Cassie then gave us a suggestion - she wanted to be called Cassiopea, after one of the constellations in the night sky. She picked the name so that she could still use her old nickname. And it was the right name."

"What was your old name anyway?" I asked Cassie.

"Cassandra," Cassie dimpled.

"I like Cassiopea better," I said.

"Well, if you like it, I like it," she said, and kissed me again.

"How about you," asked Diane. "Any thoughts?"

I thought about it some more. Suddenly, there was another flash, and Cassie squealed, "that's so cute!"

I belatedly noticed that I had stuck the tip of my tongue between my teeth. "Stop saying that!" I said in irritation, "and stop taking my picture!".

Cassie pouted. That little gesture made me feel so guilty, I hugged her. "I'm sorry, Cassie," I found myself saying. "It's just that I'm so scared. I used to be a guy. I don't know how to act like a girl. I'm ending up saying the wrong things..."

Cassie hugged me back. It made me feel good. "I don't know about that," she whispered in my ear. "I think you're doing okay. Especially for a new girl."

"Yeah," I said. "I've been a girl for all of thirty minutes." I pushed away from her. "Diane," I turned to the brunette, "how did this happen, anyway?"

"I think it was triggered by you walking in on us that night, and getting in the way of our spell," Diane said.

"Originally, we wanted to use the spell to awaken the power of the fourth element," Cassie tried to explain, "to see if Kaye was the one to complete us."

"Fourth element?"

"In mythology," Cassie explained, "there were gods called the Elementals, who could control or influence the elements of nature - four of which were earth, wind, fire and water. In our coven, for every generation, there have always been four witches which had influence over these so-called elements. We called them Elementals. For this particular time, the Elementals were us."

I was struggling to absorb what she was saying.

"Cassie," she gestured to her, "can control the wind." Cassie obliged with a small demonstration - she whipped up a brisk draft that whipped up my hair into a golden halo. I shrieked in momentary fright as Cassie giggled and snapped another picture.

"I," continued Diane after the wind died down, "can influence the Earth." Diane closed her eyes as if concentrating, and I looked at her expectantly.

"Nothing's happening," I whispered to Cassie.

"Better look behind you," she responded. I looked, and was confronted with my old little potted fern on the windowsill - it was twice as big as normal and still growing.

"Diane, you better stop, or you'll tear a hole in the roof!" Diane's eyes snapped open and the plant stopped growing.

After a moment of shocked silence, I whispered, "Wow! Way cool!"

Diane smirked. "I think so," she said. She was about to gesture at the potted plant again.

"Wait," I exclaimed involuntarily.

"What is it?"

"Like, what are you gonna do?"

"I'm going to shrink your fern back to it's original size. What did you think I was going to do?"

"Umm, I don't know... Go ahead, I'm sorry for stopping you..."

Dianne grinned and gestured again, and the fern shrank back to its former approximate size, but this time a lot more healthy-looking. "You should take care of her better," she said, "and water her more often. She doesn't like it when you forget."

"Her?"

She pointed at the plant. "Your fern," she said simply.

"Oh." I scampered to the fern, dragging Cassie along by her hand. "Look at that, Cassie!" I squealed, and giggled. "Do you think I could do that when I grow... ummm," I stopped myself short. "when I grow into my powers, I mean..." I wondered what was happening to me. "I'm twenty-nine, for gosh's sake," I thought, "not some five-year old... now, why'd I say "gosh?" Even in my thoughts, I wasn't thinking normally. The tip of my tongue popped out between my teeth again, as I thought deeply.

"Kimmie?" Cassie asked. "Are you OK?"

I shook myself out of it again. "I'm fine," I said, and smiled brightly at her just to show her how fine I was.

"So I'm the fourth?"

Cassie nodded emphatically, whereas Diane agreed, but more sedately. “Well, we hope you are,” she said.

"Well,” I said, “if I'm the fourth," I said, "who’s the third?"

"You haven't met her," answered Cassie. "Like Diane said, her name is Tamara. She's from Japan, but speaks English really well."

"I can speak Japanese!" I dimpled.

"Then I guess you'll get along real well." I clapped my hands happily.

Diane looked at me, with an eyebrow raised.

"What?!" I asked. She just shrugged. I looked back at Cassie again.

“She is… a little difficult to get to know,” said Cassie.

“I’m sure that’s not true. Any friend of yours, and all that.”

Cassie shrugged.

 
*** Kimmie, getting dressed for the first time ***

Diane took my hand and dragged me to the bathroom. “All right, young miss. You need to finish your shower.”

“Shower, Mumm… ah Diane? No bath?”

“No time for a bath, dearie,” Diane said. “So a shower will have to do. Now, scoot!” She paddled my behind lightly.

“’Kay…”

Cassie stuck her head in the bathroom. “Kimmie, just give me a holler if you need a hand in there, okay? You know, to show you how to wash your new parts?” I stuck my tongue out at her, and she giggled.

When the door clicked closed, I pushed my panties down and stepped into the bathtub naked. I looked up at the showerhead which was mounted so impossibly high. No chance for me to reach it and adjust it properly. Anyway, I turned on the water, adjusting the temperature so I can get it just right.

Instead of adjusting the showerhead, I moved backwards so that the water hit the parts of me I wanted to wash.

I took a small washcloth and lathered it up with the bar of soap I found, probably Kaye’s since it smelled a lot like her. I then started scrubbing. “Ow!” I inadvertently exclaimed. It seemed my new skin was really sensitive. I lathered up the washcloth again and rubbed my skin more lightly. Aside from my new boobs, washing up was pretty much the same as it used to be. Curious, I used my hand to try and cup one of them, but my palm couldn’t gather the thing fully. I got big boobs, I said to myself, amazed and a bit turned on. I gently washed both of them, and as the washcloth grazed the nipple, I shuddered involuntarily. Girl parts are fun, I thought. And as my hand was about to explore further, Diane called through the door.

“Honey,” she called, “I’m putting your outfit on the bed, some stuff of Kaye’s that I think will fit you. Just give me a call if you need some help. Cassie and I will be downstairs.”

“All right. Thanks!” I called. At the mention of Kaye, any desire for further “exploring” disappeared. I squeezed some shampoo onto my hand and scrubbed my new blonde hair. But there was so much of it, I had to use maybe a third of the bottle. I rinsed it out for what was probably fifteen minutes and then finished washing up the rest of me quickly. I stepped out of the tub dripping wet, got one of the towels from the cabinet and started drying myself. Though the towel was thick and fluffy, my skin protested at the scrubbing. All I could do was to pat myself dry.

My thick new hair was another problem. I leaned over the tub and actually squeezed water out of it. I tried the usual rubbing but all it did was frizz out my hair and not dry it much. I went to the medicine cabinet and found a small hair dryer. I was skeptical if it could do the job.

“See?” Cassie said, walking in nonchalantly. “You did need my help.”

I shrieked and hastily wrapped my towel around my torso. “Cassie!”

“What, dear,” she said, and stepped up to me uncomfortably close.

“Don’t you know how to knock?” I said indignantly. “I’m… naked…”

Cassie giggled. “We’re all girls here, hon. You don’t have anything I haven’t seen before. Although I wouldn’t mind if I did see.”

I was blushing up a storm. “Still, you should knock next time…”

“Yes, sir,” she said comically, and saluted.

“Well, now that you’re here…”

“Can I help my little princess with anything, then?”

I smiled at her calling me princess, but more than that, inside, I felt so happy she said I was her princess.

I gestured at the top of my head. “I can’t figure out how to dry my new hair! There’s so much of it! Maybe I should get it cut.”

“Don’t you dare!” she said and carried me into my room like a little child, plunking me down in front of my dresser table with the mirror. “Sit here and I’ll take care of it.”

I sat and adjusted my towel a littler better since it was about to fall off. When she came back, she had a hairbrush in her hand as well as a big, wide-toothed comb.

She pulled up a chair behind me and started untangling knots in my hair with the comb. As soon as she started doing so, a warm breeze seemingly coming from below surrounded me. I shrieked in delight as I watched Cassie in the mirror combing out my hair as well as drying it out with her powers. It was like I was surrounded by a golden halo, which was actually my hair.

In less than five minutes, my hair was dry and smooth, no tangles at all. Cassie then used the brush to tease some body back into it.

“There,” she said. “Now you’re back to being gorgeous again, instead of being just plain beautiful.”

I giggled at the compliment, and gave her a thank you hug.

“So do you want me to go, or would you want me to help you with getting dressed?” she gestured at the clothes on the bed.

I stood and went over to the bed and saw the clothes laid out. A very smart looking woman’s suit in black, with a low-neckline white sleeveless blouse, and the usual accoutrements. At the foot of the bed was a pair of calf-high stiletto boots.

“Diane’s sorry for the heels,” Cassie said, noting where I was looking at. “But it was the only pair in Kaye’s closet that could remotely fit you. Don’t worry, though. We’ll get you your own stuff later.”

I remembered the jacket and bootcut pants as something Kaye wore for a job interview, and I remembered commenting how smart she looked in them. My heart felt like it was being crushed at the thought of my sister. I picked up the jacket and held it close. I could smell the faint perfume, the kind Kaye always wore. But I had to be strong. I promised.

I squared my shoulders and dropped the towel. I heard Cassie gasp but I was concentrating hard on putting the clothes on. I picked up the sheer pair of dark-colored satin panties and put them on. As they slid up my legs, I couldn’t help but shiver a little at their satiny smoothness and softness. As I snugged them around my waist, I felt them gently cup my sex. I rubbed my thighs together, enjoying the feeling.

I then picked up the matching black satin bra. I stopped, trying to figure out how to put the thing on, and then I recalled how Kaye used to do it. I put the strap around me, clipped it at the closest set of hooks in front, spun it around and fitted the cups around my breasts. I then put my arms through the shoulder straps, settling them on my shoulders. Kaye had a pretty hefty pair herself, though not as large as mine, I thought, and her shoulders a little narrower than mine, so the cups were a little snug and the cut of the bra squeezed them together. I looked down and saw the most incredible-looking cleavage I ever saw. I pushed my breasts together even further and giggled at how I probably looked. I was sure I’d get the attention of every man I passed today. (I faintly heard Cassie say something like, “good god!”)

I then put the blouse on, buttoning it up the best I can. But since it was fitted for Kaye’s smaller bosom, I couldn’t button it all the way up. My resulting cleavage was very prominent, and with the dark color of the bra, you could just see the bra underneath the thin white material of the blouse. I wondered if Diane deliberately did this.

I put on the jacket and, thankfully, it somewhat camouflaged my chest when I had it buttoned up. I then bent over to pick up a pair of nylon knee-high stockings (Cassie’s gasp barely registered with me as I concentrated on getting dressed), and sat on the edge of the bed, sliding the things over my feet and lower legs. I still didn’t have the technique down pat as I had trouble putting the pair on but eventually managed to do it without ruining them. I then took the pants, slid them on and tried to get them over my hips. Thing was, as much as I tugged on them, they just wouldn’t get passed my hips.

As I was jumping up and down trying to get the pants on, I finally noticed Cassie. She was there through my whole performance, and was looking at me slack-jawed. I blushed fiercely. “What?” I said gruffly, or as gruffly as my cutie-voice could, and tried to cover up my embarrassment.

“My god, Kimmie,” Cassie said. “You’re so sexy…”

I cleared my throat as I turned a further shade of red. “I think there’s something wrong with these pants. Either that or my butt’s bigger now than Kaye’s.”

Cassie finally looked up at my face. “Huh? What? What’d you say?”

I harrumphed (in a cute, feminine way). “I said these pants are too small? I think I need to change outfits.”

Cassie shook her head, as if trying to clear it of errant thoughts, and, without saying anything further, left the room.

As I started getting worried, wondering where she went, she came back with another article of clothing, this time a plain, short, stretchy black skirt.

“Try this,” she said. “It’ll still match your outfit and it’s stretchy so it’ll be sure to fit you.”

I took off the pants and put on the skirt. I got it up to my waist and, when I was about to snap the closure, Cassie stopped me.

“This is supposed to go on the side, Kimmie,” said Cassie.

I nodded and spun the skirt around so that the clip was on my left side, and clipped it closed. I felt a zipper, so I zipped that up. When it was properly clipped and zipped, I tugged on the bottom of the skirt to smooth it down, and looked at my feet.

“Here,” Cassie said, and kneeled down.

I put my hands on her head for balance as I stepped into one of the boots. The stockings helped to make my foot slide in smoothly, and I did the same with the other, still using Cassie for balance.

When I had both of them on, Cassie reached to zip up the left boot.

She did it slowly, and as the zipper slowly went “zzzip,” I felt so sexy. In a way, Cassie’s zipping up the boot was so erotic. It wasn’t so much the feel of it, as it was the act of zipping me up in the sexy boots.

She did the same thing with the other boot, and I almost moaned.

After zipping me up, Cassie stood up slowly, holding on to my waist and sensuously running her hands up my sides as she stood up.

By then I was breathing hard.

She pulled me back to my dresser again and had me sit.

She felt my earlobes and found that they were already pierced. She put in a couple of thin hoop earrings, and put a necklace with a ruby pendant around my neck. The pendant was a little cold at first but warmed up pretty quick, nestled in my cleavage.

To finish my look off, she put a gold ladies’ watch around my left wrist and a half-dozen thin gold bangles around my right one. She took my left hand and slid a gold ring around my finger. I looked at the tiny ruby set in the middle.

“It was a gift from me to Kaye,” she said in a melancholy way. “It’s yours now.”

I looked at it, and then at Cassie. I gave her a hug. “I’m sorry, Cassie. I miss her, too.”

She hugged me back.

We decided not to put makeup on me, for which I was eternally grateful. Cassie joked that my constant blushing was enough. I swatted her playfully on her butt, and she went, “ow!” I was immediately contrite, but Cassie giggled and said she was just fooling with me. I stuck my tongue out at her again.

“Girls,” Diane called from downstairs. “If you’re done getting dressed, come on down. Lunch is ready.”

Cassie called back, “Yes, mommieee,” and giggled.

I echoed her, “yes, mommy.” I stopped on the stairs and thought that over. I wasn’t joking. I was being earnest. I really called Diane mom…

These changes were really messing me up in the head. “Oh, big sister,” I thought. “Is this really what you wanted me to be? To be such a girlie-girl? Oh, if you could see me now…”

In my mind’s eye, I could see Kaye smiling her little crooked smile, giggling happily. “You’re doing fine, Little Sister,” her image said in my mind.

“If you say so, sis,” I thought back at her imagined face.

Downstairs in the kitchen, I sat down with Diane and Cassie - Diane at the head of the table, and Cassie sitting right beside me, again uncomfortably close. We had chicken salad sandwiches and hot bowls of tomato soup.

I picked up the spoon with one hand and a sandwich in the other. Cassie tucked a napkin in my collar, or more appropriately in my bra (the blouse top was still unbuttoned), and I noisily slurped the soup, holding the spoon handle in my fist, and took a big bite of the sandwich. “Mmm…” I said. The soup and sandwich were delicious.

“Go slowly, Kimmie,” Diane said. “I know you’re really hungry, but it’s not ladylike of you to wolf down your food like that.”

“Okay, mumm… ah, Diane.”

Diane looked back, and after a moment, stood up and crouched beside me, to get her face level with mine. I was a bit worried.

“Kim,” she began.

“Yes, umm, Diane?” I answered worriedly.

“Why do you keep calling me Mommy?”

I looked down. “I… I don’t know. I’m trying hard not to…” I put down my sandwich and spoon. I was about to cry.

“Is it the change that’s making you do it?” she asked gently.

“Yes… no. Oh, I don’t know!” I started crying. “I just… need you to be my mom. I’m sorry! I’ll try and stop.”

Diane gently took my face in both her hands and made me face her. “I wouldn’t mind if you did, you know. I’d be flattered.”

“Seriously? Honest and true?”

She giggled. “Honest and true,” she said, quoting me.

I felt my heart almost bursting. I threw my arms around her neck. “Oh, thank you, thank you!”

She hugged me back, and after a bit, she let go. “Now,” she said, clearing her throat a little, eyes shining bright, “let’s finish lunch so we can go already. Okay?”

“Okay,” I answered happily.

I took my spoon and finished off my soup, one hand firmly holding on to Cassie’s right hand. Cassie looked at me as I picked up my sandwich and polished that off as well.

“I’m done, Mommie,” I said.

“Okay, dear,” Diane answered. “Put the dirty plates in the kitchen and wash up.”

“Should I also wash the plates and bowls.”

“Leave that for later.”

“But it wouldn’t take long. Lemme wash the plates.”

“All right then. But use the dishwasher, okay? We are in a bit of a hurry, after all.”

“’Kay.” I stood up, took off my napkin-bib, wiped my mouth and stacked the bowls and plates into one stack so I could carry it back to the sink in one go.

“Careful,” Cassie said.

“No biggie,” I said. “Piece of cake.” I went to the sink with the dirty plates.

 
*** Cassie, talking to “Mom” ***

I looked back at Kim as she expertly maneuvered in her skyscraper heels with bowls and plates in her hands, no less. I shook my head disbelievingly.

“What do you think of that,” Diane whispered to me.

“I don’t understand what the change is all about,” I said. “Naturally, she had to be changed to a girl, otherwise the magic wouldn’t work. But what’s with this girlie act?”

“It’s not an act, Cass. Kim has really been turned into a real girlie-girl.”

“But she knows she was a guy before!”

“I know, Cass. Still – there it is.”

“She acts like she’s what, five or six at most.”

“That body of hers is far from a six-year-old.”

“Tell me about it,” I said. “It’s all I can do to keep my hands off her.”

“All we can do is to play along and try to understand what this all means.”

We quieted down as Kim came back to get our glasses.

“Excuse, please,” Kim dimpled and grabbed the glasses to bring back to the sink.

When she was out of earshot again, Diane gestured at Kim.

“I have to think that this is all part of the plan. We just have to trust that all of this is part of what Kaye, or the Goddess, intends for us.”

“So, ‘mom,’ how does it feel to be a mother to an eighteen-year-old hottie that acts like she was six years old?”

Diane looked at me. “Tell the truth, Cassie,” she cocked her head to the side, thinking, “I think I like it. When I found out what and who I was, I gave up the idea of having any sort of normal life, of having a family – a husband and kids. This sort of makes up for that.” She looked at me merrily. “And, besides, Kim is a sweet girl.”

“You don’t mind?”

“Mind? Why would I mind?”

I looked at her, and sensed something deeper. I think she really wants this. A sense that this fulfills something deep within her. And if I was right, I felt happy for my friend. I still felt Kaye’s loss, and I guess I will never get over that. But the fact that Kim’s here – it’s allowed me to think of life without Kaye as a possibility. I guess both of us had a lot to be thankful for. I gave her a hug.

When we broke, I saw Diane a little teary eyed, as I suspect I was, too.

“Mom,” Kim said. She was standing right beside us. “What’s wrong? Please don’t cry.”

The both of us grabbed her in a three-way hug, and Kim said, muffled by our arms. “This is nice and all, but I think I’m getting squished.”

 
*** Kim, saying goodbye to Kaye ***

Diane parked her car right beside the well-manicured lawn. The cemetery was one of those new ones, with very few tombstones to mark the graves, most being marble markers lying flat against the turf. The cemetery had more of a park kind of feel, with trees in the periphery rustling in the wind. I stayed in the back seat a bit longer, savoring the peace and solitude.

“Are you okay, Kimmie?” Diane asked.

“I’m okay, mom. I guess we better go.” I opened the door and stepped out. Mindful of the soft turf and my stiletto heels, I kept to the cement paths that meandered through the park. Diane and Cassie held both of my hands and led me to Kaye’s marker. Cassie handed me the big bouquet we bought at the corner florist’s. It was hard to get pink and white carnations the florist said, but I batted my eyes at him and he relented. Somehow he was able to produce half a dozen white and half a dozen pink carnations. Carnations were Kaye’s favorites.

I looked down at Kaye’s simple marker, with her name, date and a simple motto: “Our Beloved.” We never knew our dad as he died when we were kids. Mom’s favorite line, when she wanted to tell us something important, or was feeling mellow, was to begin whatever she was saying with “my beloved.” It was a special thing for us, and I’m glad Cassie decided to use it.

“Hi, sis,” I said to Kaye, wherever she was. “I’m sorry it took so long to visit. That little whammy you left me with really took a lot out of me.”

I knelt on the grass, and picked out the little stray leaves and twigs that fell on the white marble marker, and laid the bouquet down. “I hope you recognize me. I changed a lot since you last saw me. Look!” I spread my arms. “I’m a girl!” And I giggled. “Only you can play a trick on me like this.”

I sighed and touched the marble. “I hope you’re in a better place now. And maybe mom’s with you. Is she there with you? Oh, how I want to hear your voice. Even just once.” I couldn’t stop my tears from flowing. Cassie tried to hand me a little flowered handkerchief but I shook my head, not wanting to mess up Cassie’s nice clean hankie. I seem to have an aversion to getting things dirty now.

“Cassie and Diane are here,” I said. “They’ve been helping me out. And they explained the situation a little bit. Is this what you really meant for me? I’m scared, sis. I don’t know if I can do this alone.” I used the heels of my hands to wipe my eyes, and sniffed back the tears.

“If only you can tell me, if only I can be sure that you can hear me, hear me tell you that I love you. You went away too quick and I wasn’t able to tell you. I love you Kaye. My beloved Kaye.”

As my tears hit the marble, it was like each drop hit water instead of marble. The marble rippled like the surface of water in a pond being hit by raindrops, and as each ripple faded away, the surface went back to marble, except that where the ripples were, the white marble turned to pink.

I giggled a little. “Wow. Is that you doing that, sis?” I sniffed and my tears tapered back as I looked on in amazement at the magic of the changing colors. The few tears of mine that fell continued to make the marble ripple, and after a while, the entire slab of stone had turned pink. I curiously touched the marble again. It was slightly warm and a little textured, somewhat like touching felt – not really, but almost.

And then I heard a whisper coming from somewhere. “I heard you the first time, little sister,” Kaye whispered. “I love you, too. Everything will be all right. Trust me. I love you little Angel.”

I looked up at the sky. “Kaye…”

I looked back at Cassie and Diane. “Did you hear her, too?” I asked them. Diane held my hand and nodded. Cassie knelt and hugged me.

“Yes,” Cassie said. “I heard her, too.”

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Witching Hour   Part Two: A Familiar Cat   by Roberta J. Cabot   Kim is now a girl – a girl who was supposed to take over for his sister Kaye as part of a quartet of witches, for a purpose that he didn’t know anything about, except that it’s important. But before that, he needed to know how to work his newly-acquired powers even though he didn’t know what powers they were yet. But maybe he needed to get a handle on this girl thing first. Well, at least he had the help of Kaye’s witch friends, as well as the help of four new, furry… housemates. Author’s Note: No long-winded author’s note this time. Except that… it seems this story is the least popular of the stories I’ve written so far (not that I’ve written a lot heehee). Even so, hope you guys give it a chance nevertheless. BUT! Be warned – this is a verrry sentimental kind of story, with buckets of sugar-sweet scenes sprinkled liberally throughout. If that’s not your type of story, stay away from this one. ;-)

After visiting Kaye’s grave, we rode back in silence, with me driving this time and Diane sitting up front with me.  I kept on glancing at the rear-view mirror, looking worriedly at Kimmie sitting in the back.  She was staring out the window, tears rolling down her beautiful face.  Diane had put a box of Kleenex in the back, and I could see some in Kimmie’s hand.

We would hear her breathing hitch every few minutes, and I would look in the mirror.  I would see her face scrunch up as she tried to control a new bout of tears.  I felt for her, and longed to put my arms around her.  Diane said to leave her alone as she needed to come to terms with her grief by herself. I agreed, but I didn’t much like it.

I decided to take a more scenic, though longer, route back to the house, and drove a little more slowly than what was warranted, hoping that it would help calm her down.  After a few minutes of driving, I decided to play some music on the car’s radio, and hunted around for a nice, easy-listening station. I would have used my phone, but I didn't have any tunes that Kim would probably like.

“Is it okay if I play some tunes, baby?” I asked, but no answer was forthcoming.  Eventually, as I was getting annoyed at not finding a station and was about to hunt up a nice streaming channel on my phone, I finally found a mellow-music station and turned the music down low enough so that it was mostly just in the background.

“Nice day today, isn’t it?” I said.  Again, no response.

“Maybe we can go somewhere today,” I continued, hoping that Kimmie would respond. “Watch a movie, maybe? Or a picnic by the duckpond in the park?  It’s a weekday today, so we’d probably have the entire park to ourselves…”

Silence.

“I know!  Maybe we can go to the mall? And do some shopping? Maybe Union Square? Doesn’t that sound like fun?  I know you need lots of new clothes and stuff.  We can buy you a new wardrobe! Doesn’t that sound fun?  Diane? It’s okay to shop for Kimmie’s new clothes, right?”

Diane played along.  “Sure.  It’s not as if we couldn’t afford it.  Just don’t go overboard.”

“Oh, I don’t know – I’m sure our new girl needs a little pampering.  I know I do.” I giggled. Still no response.

“Well, okay,” I said.  “Let’s just go home instead, and get some rest.  Kimmie?”  I looked at the rearview, and just saw Kimmie staring out the window, occasionally dabbing at her tears with the tissues in her hand.

The silence was quite loud, if you know what I mean, but neither Diane nor I wanted to make any noise.

The radio continued to play quietly, changing the silence to something bearable, and I continued driving on.

I pulled up to the house, parking at the curb, not bothering to drive it up the driveway and into the garage, and switched off.  I looked at the rearview and I saw Kimmie leaning limply against the door. I hurriedly unbuckled, stepping out to get to Kimmie.

“Honey?” I said, and gently opened her door.  She was slumped against the door, with only the seatbelt holding her up.

I reached around her, unbuckling her seatbelt, and held her close to me.  I could hear slow and deep breathing, and felt her sweet breath on my cheek.  I guess she’s worn out.  I gently lifted Kimmie from the seat, stood up with her in my arms, and walked to the front door.

Diane came over, and she put her hand gently on Kimmie’s cheek.  “She’s sleeping,” I said.

“Emotional exhaustion, probably,” Diane agreed.  She went back to the car to get her bag and more tissues, and I sat down on the steps of the front porch, easily settling my charge on my lap.  Diane came back with her big hobo bag and rummaged around it.  “Where is it?” she said as she hunted for her house key.

I had half a mind to go back to the car for my own purse and get my own key.  Which reminds me – we need to get Kimmie a key, or maybe give her Kaye’s set.  I seemed to remember Kaye telling me that Kim never had a key of his own the whole time they lived here.  The advantage of living in a home with a witch with ESP, I suppose – Kaye would always know when someone needed to be let in.  I looked at Kimmie’s face and I found it hard to associate the beautiful, feminine face with Kaye’s brother.  And that reminded me again - we have to find the name of my new girl.  Wonder what it’ll be… Hmmm…

I also noticed that I had said “my new girl.”  When did I start thinking of her as mine? I tried to be honest with myself and realized that I had started thinking that way right from the first time I set my eyes on the female Kim.  I felt a small stab of pain in my heart.  Am I being disloyal to Kaye, or Kaye’s memory?  And is it a good thing or a bad thing for Kim to have a girlfriend this soon after becoming a girl?  An even bigger and more painful question – will she want me to be her girlfriend? Or maybe she'd prefer a boyfriend instead?

While Diane continued to search for her keys, Kimmie’s eyes fluttered open.  Those long, sexy lashes fluttered up to reveal Kimmie’s shining bottle-blue eyes.  They took my breath away again.  I tried to hide the reaction by hugging her close to me.

“Hello,” Kimmie said when she had her chin on my shoulder.  I felt a glad smile creep into that one word, and it made me happy.

“Hello to you, too, baby,” I said.

“Not you!” she said a little impatiently.  “We got a visitor.”

“Huh?”

“Turn around, Cassie,” she said.

I twisted around and looked.  There on the porch deck was a big dog, with white fur all over.  It was sitting on its haunches, looking back at us.  I instinctively tightened my arms around Kimmie, but she wriggled.  I stood up, ready to take her away and maybe kick the strange dog if it attacks or something.

“No!” She protested “She’s a good doggie! I want to play with the doggie! Mommie!”

“What, honey,” Diane said, and looked up from her vain search for her keys.

She gasped when she saw the dog and ran to put herself between us and the dog.

“No, Mommie!” Kimmie protested.  “It’s not a bad doggie! It’s a good doggie! Cassie, let me go!”  I wasn’t prepared for how strong she was. She managed to wriggle free of my grasp and ran around Diane to the strange dog.

“Puppy!” Kimmie squealed happily and put her arms around the dog’s neck. 

Diane and I were still a bit shocked and didn’t move.  As we took in the scene, Kimmie hugged the dog around the neck and the dog just took it patiently.

With its head laying against Kimmie’s, we could just see how big its head was.  The dog looked at us, and we felt it smile.  We couldn’t see any “expression” on the dog’s muzzle and face, of course, as it was a dog after all, but we felt sure it was smiling.  As I looked, the dog’s left eye closed.

Did it wink at me?  Or maybe his left eye was irritated by Kimmie’s blonde locks.  But I felt sure it winked. Can dogs even wink?

Kimmie let go and sat back on her haunches to get a good look at the entire dog. “You’re a pretty puppy,” she said, and petted it on the top of its head.  “Big, too.”  The dog made a loud and powerful “woof,” which made me and Diane step back in surprise.  The dog moved in closer to Kimmie and started licking her face.

Kimmie giggled.  “Ewww! Yuck!”  But she didn’t pull back.

After a bit, Kimmie batted the dog’s head away good-naturedly, but the dog didn’t seem to mind.  The dog stood up and went to Diane.  It sat down again and put a paw up and onto the front of Diane’s blouse.  Diane didn’t move.

“The doggie’s saying hello, Mommy,” Kimmie said. 

“Ummm, hello,” Diane said hesitantly, and the dog, which seemed to be responding, woofed again.

“Diana!” I whispered fiercely.  “I don’t recognize the dog.  It’s not from around here.”

“I know,” Diane replied.  “But I don’t think it’s an ordinary dog.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think this dog is a ‘familiar.’”

“Huh? I thought witches’ familiars were supposed to be cats?”

“Not necessarily.  According to legend, a familiar is like a spirit in an animal form, and it doesn’t have to be a cat, but can actually be any kind of animal.”

“Well, why couldn’t if have been a goldfish?” 

Diane giggled a little.  “Just imagine a witch with a goldfish for a familiar.  You’re gonna have to bring a fishbowl with you all the time just to be able to have it around.” 

I giggled at the image.  “Anyone in the coven own a familiar?”

“A few were lucky enough to have been chosen,” Diane said.  “And they don't 'own' them. Familiars aren’t like pets, Cassie.  You don’t just buy one at the pet store.  And they have a specific witch or human that they attach themselves to.  Like I said, they’re spirits that work with witches, like protective or helpful servants, or provide inspiration like a spirit muse would for an artist.”

“Okay.  So, Ms Smarty-pants, if you’re so smart, tell me which witch does this familiar belong to, then?”

Diane kneeled on the porch deck.  “Cassie, you stay over there.”  She had indicated a place on the deck a few feet to her right.  I went there and kneeled, copying Diane.

“Kimmie, honey?” Diane said.  “Can you go and sit over there?”  Diane pointed at a spot on the deck a few feet to her left.  Kimmie had a puzzled look but obeyed.  Owing to the tight skirt she was wearing, she sat with her legs together and folded to one side.  I was amazed at how these things seem to come to her automatically.

“Now,” Diane said.  "The two of you be quiet and don’t disturb the animal.  Let it do what it wants.”

We sat quietly and waited for the dog to do its thing. 

The big white dog walked in a circle several times, looking at each of us in turn as it did so.  “Oooh!” Kimmie squealed.  “We’re letting it pick the one that gets to keep it!”

“Quiet, honey,” Diane said.

“Ah, nuts,” Kimmie pouted, but settled down.

As the dog circled again, it stopped in front of Kimmie.

“Me! Me!” Kimmie whispered.  “Pick me, pretty puppy!”

The dog went forward and licked her face again, but after a moment, it walked away and sat on its haunches in front of Diane.

Diane and the dog looked at each other, as if contemplating each other.  The dog then put it’s paw on Diane’s lap.

“Are you sure?” Diane said, and the dog woofed, seemingly in agreement.  “Okay, then.”  Diane opened her arms and the dog came forward to be hugged.

“And I wanted the doggie, too.” Kimmie said, disappointed. But, after a moment, she set aside her childish disappointment and went over to Diane and the dog.  She ran her hand over the dog’s back. 

“You have nice fur, you know that, puppy?”

The dog woofed, as if he was responding again.  It then walked around us and looked over to the front lawn.  It woofed again and head-bumped me on my left leg.  It gestured with its head towards the yard in front of the house. 

I looked to where the dog was pointing, and there on the sidewalk immediately in front of the house stood three animals.  One was a small red fox, with a white chest and bushy red tail with black sparsely mixed into it at the end.  Beside it was bigger rounded animal that looked somewhat also like a fox, except it was too big and fat.  Almost as large as Diane’s dog, and it had a small face like a koala or a chubby puppy, but with white ears, and a long and bushy red tail with light-red stripes.  The tail was moving around restlessly.  I couldn’t figure out what animal it was.  A fat dog?  An undersized red bear? 

Right beside the bear was a more conventional animal.  It was a predominantly-white cat, with bushy fur all over, and a dark face, ears and dark, bushy tail, and the fur nearest its feet was pure white, making it look like it was wearing booty-socks. Pretty cute cat.  Actually all three of them were pretty cute-looking. 

As we were looking, all three of them started walking towards us.  The cat went straight for Kimmie, and the bear-like animal went to me. 

Predictably, Kimmie grabbed the cat, and proceeded to hug it to death.  “Pretty kitty!” she said.

As for me, my familiar was a little more stand-offish.  I stood, unconsciously trying to show my new pet who was boss. The bear stood up as well, standing on its hind legs, and using its tail to balance itself.  The top of its head was level with my boobs.

“Whatinheck are you, anyway?”  I said to the bear-like thing. The bear looked at me, twitched its white ears and shrugged.  At least I thought it shrugged.  “So, what now?” It shrugged again, and made what sounded like a meow kind of sound.

I noticed the red fox, and it was curled up in the middle of the floor, like it was both sad and scared.  I can only guess it was to be Tamara’s familiar, but since Tamara wasn’t around…

Kimmie, with arms around her new cat, walked over.  “Hi, pretty fox.  You’re missing your human, huh?”  The fox looked up at her with sad eyes. “Don’t worry, we’ll keep you with us until she turns up.  Right, kitty?”  The cat jumped down and walked around the fox, rubbing against it like an affectionate cat would around your leg.

I looked at my familiar again.  “So, are you hungry, bear? Wanna grab a bite?” The thing twitched its nose as if agreeing, and ran to the door.  It stood on its hind legs again and scratched at the door with it’s front paws.  It had pretty long and sharp claws, but, somehow, that didn’t scare me.  “Wait until I get the keys,” I said to the bear.

I was about to go back to the car and get my purse with the keys, but Kimmie stopped me.

“Wait!” she said, and went to the door.  She put her hand on the doorknob and twisted it.  Apparently, we had left the door unlocked.

“C’mon, guys!” Kimmy said and ran in, high-heeled boots tapping on the marbled floor.  All the animals, except for Diane’s dog, followed Kimmy inside. 

It looked back to Diane.  She gestured to the dog, then to the door, and said, “go on, then.  It’s all right. This is your home now.”  The white dog turned and walked into the house, neither hurrying nor running. 

“Let’s go in before Kimmie makes a mess of things inside,” Diane smiled and went in.  I locked up the car and followed.  “We left the door unlocked?” I asked Diane, stopping her.  “Hope nothing’s missing.”

“No,” Diane said, “we didn’t leave the door unlocked.” 

“But Kimmie…” 

“Kimmie unlocked it.”

I looked at her. “You think so, huh?”  For a new witch to be able to do such a thing, and without casting a spell – that was a pretty powerful witch.

“Well, let’s not jump to conclusions until we know more.”

“Did you notice the fox?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Would that fox be Tamara’s?” Diane nodded.  “Where IS Tamara, anyway?”

“I forgot to say - she texted last night and she said that she was pretty much done with whatever she was doing in Japan, and she would be coming back soon.  This week, as a matter of fact.”

“Glad that she’s coming home.”  Changing the topic, I gestured to the kitchen.  “What are we going to do with all of those animals in the house?”

“Cassie,” Diane said, “although those look like animals, they aren’t.  Those are witches’ familiars.  And it is our privilege and duty to be their partners.  In a previous life they were undoubtedly powerful witches or warlocks, and it is their turn now to provide protection and service to other witches. So think of that first, Cassiopeia, before assuming that these are just animals. These souls are duty and honor-bound to be our familiars, and are perhaps forced to act like animals, but we shouldn’t abuse the privilege nor take these souls for granted. Show respect.”

I nodded. “I understand, Diana," I said, deliberately not using her nickname.

She giggled suddenly.  “But, it’s nice to have a pet, too.”

I giggled myself and wagged a finger at her.  “You’re a bad girl, Diane.”

I pushed the swinging doors that separated the kitchen from the rest of the house and got an eyeful of the mess that Kimmie had wrought.

The bear, cat and fox were on the dining table, with the cat and fox slurping up milk from large bowls and the bear daintily nibbling at celery sticks, a chopped up head of cabbage on a flat baking dish, and what looked like raw eggs in a soup bowl.  Diane’s white dog was eating what looked like raw hamburger meat in a bowl on the floor, thawed in the microwave no doubt.

Dumped on the counter by the sink were the candelabra, flower arrangement, and decorative fruit bowl that were usually on the dining table.  The dining table cloth itself was dumped on top of the dishwasher.

Kimmie herself was eating a bowl of cornflakes and milk, watching the antics of the animals with a big smile.

“Guys, this is so much fun! Did you want to eat, too?  There’s lots of snacks an stuff, cereal an other things. But we only have half a container of milk left.  Guess we need to buy more, huh?”

“Aaaah! Kimmie, what did you do!”  

Kimmie looked up at me, her chin quivering. “Did I do something wrong, Cassie?”

I looked at her, and couldn’t stay mad.  “Honey, it’s just that we don’t have pets on the dining table, and the kitchen’s a mess…”

“But… but… I took the place settings off, the tablecloth… an' I put newspapers down…”

“We don’t allow animals on the table, Kim.”

“Ah, nuts.”  Kimmie pouted, and made a move to pick up her kitten.

Diane was looking around the kitchen.  “Actually, Cassie,” she said, “since everything’s set up, let’s leave it as is.  I’m having cereal as well.”  She reached up and got a bowl, I suppose for her cereal.

“Diane,” I said.  I didn’t like it that Diane was contradicting me.

Diane put down the bowl, and went to me.  “Cassie,” she said quietly, “these are not pets, nor just animals. So long as they are minding their manners, they can sit on the dining table.  I’d prefer that they sit in the chairs but they just not built for them.  Physically, I mean.”

“But… but...”

“I said it’s all right, Cassie.”

“But the kitchen’s a mess!”  Even I knew I was reaching.

“It is?  Look around, Cassie.”

I glared at her but did look around.  And I noticed that what I thought was a mess, wasn’t:  The flower arrangement, candelabra and fruitbowl were well put away on the kitchen counter, and the tablecloth was neatly folded and on top of the dishwasher.  And indeed, there were newspapers on the dining table, and the animals… I mean, the familiars, were eating daintily and neatly – no messes at all.

“Well,” I said, “ummm, Kimmie should have used old papers, not the new ones.  And, ummm, and, everyone should have washed their hands… or paws….”

They all looked at me, including the animals, and they all burst out laughing.  At least, I had the impression that the animals were laughing, too.

“Well, sorreee!” Kimmie said and giggled.  She got a large bowl, filled it one-third full of water, put it on the floor as well as a folded towel.  “Okay, kiddies! Wash your paws for Aunt Cassie.”  The animals padded to the bowl, dipped their front paws into the water and wiped them on the towel.  The three smaller ones jumped back up and went back to their food.

I got a bowl of cereal myself and sat down.  As I poured milk in and started eating, the little fox and the cat nudged their bowls near mine with their noses, and proceeded slurping.  They would sneak looks at me, and I couldn’t help think that they were smiling amusedly at me.

“All right,” I said to the animals, feeling like a fool talking to a cat and a fox, “I overreacted, okay?”

The bear, “my” bear, waddled up to me, gently put a paw on my arm, and looked into my eyes.  I looked back, and felt the bear’s soul.  With that one look, I knew I wasn’t looking into the eyes of an animal but a person - a person ages older than anyone I knew, with massive experience and knowledge, and, most of all a gentleness that I only felt with my gram.  The bear was looking at me with a sort of gentle, tolerant smile, indeed like the kind gram would give me when she was trying to get a point across.  With that one look, I finally understood.  “Hi,” I said, and my bear put its clawed paw oh so gently on my cheek.

 
*** Kimmie later that night, working on her computer ***

It was a sad kind of day. Actually, it was the worst day, even with our new 'visitors.' The novelty of our new 'pets' wore off me very quickly, and I started missing my sister again. I can't believe that she's gone.

Most of the day I just floated around the house moping and crying occasionally. Cassie was always there, though, trying to cheer me up, and I loved her for it. But I was still in a kind of shock. I was just inconsolable. Kaye cannot be gone.

My new friend, my little kitty, was always there, too, trying to cheer me up as well, I guess. I must have squeezed her pretty hard a few times, but she didn't complain. I needed the hugs. I guess Kitty knew this, and fetched the fox for me as well, for additional company.

Dinner came and went. I didn't really notice, and I even failed to notice how delicious Diane's cooking was. Kitty and the other familiars had dinner with the family as well, and they occupied the other end of the table. It was good we had one of those large dining room tables. Poor doggy had to eat from a bowl on the floor, though.

As we were finishing up dinner, Diane and Cassie started thinking up names again for me. I don't understand what the fuss was all about, though. Anyway - so they talked about possible names for me from Greek and Roman mythology. And possible names for Tamara, too, apparently. Some of the names they mentioned I recognized, but most of them I didn't. Well, I wasn't any sort of expert on literature.

From what they were saying, they didn't really have any special method to select the names - just sound out a name, and see if it fit.

"In thirty-five generations, Cassie," Diane said, "No one has come along like Kaye and Kim. I don't know if we should recycle any of the usual names. None of them fit."

Cassie giggled. "I know. But that's good. I'm getting pretty tired of girls named Diana."

"Cassie!" Diane exclaimed, sounding offended, but ruined the effect when she giggled as well. "Well, 'Cassiopeia' isn't that unique in the Family, too, you know."

"Sure. I just wish it'll be easier than with me. Has... inspiration hit you yet?"

"No, nothing's been coming to me."

"yeah, me too." She thought a bit. "How about Aphrodite?"

Diane shook her head. "No."

"Venus?"

"No..."

"Athena? Thea? Io? Gaia? Minerva?" Nike?"

Diane giggled. "Sounds like a basketball shoe."

"Oh, sorry! I mean Victoria. But, yeah. None of them sound right." Cassie saw me looking at them.

"How about you, angel?" she asked. "Any thoughts on a name?"

I shrugged. "Kim?" I suggested.

Cassie smiled at me compassionately. "Maybe something else," she said.

"I'll think of something else later," I said.

"Okay," Cassie said, and leaned over to kiss me on my cheek.

I offered to do the washing up, and found it almost therapeutic to clean up the table and wash the dishes. It felt good to keep busy so I didn't have time to think about Kaye. Unfortunately, I was soon done and my sadness descended on me again. I retreated to the verandah to be alone with my thoughts and my grief, and my cat and my fox.

Cassie and Diane peeked in and said goodnight. Cassie said she was going to watch TV in her room, and I should just knock if I needed anything.

I still had trouble getting used to the change. After all, I had been a girl less than a day. How could I hope to? My mind kept straying back to my dead sister Kaye. I forced myself not to dwell, both on the change, and on Kaye. This morning helped a lot in putting a sort of closure for me, but I knew it would still take time. I wanted to forget, deny that Kaye was gone. After all, I saw her in my dream last night, and we all heard her today. She isn't really gone, I thought. Then I remembered enough of my psych college electives to know that grief had distinct phases, and what I was feeling, witchiness aside, was probably one of them. But I was in a hurry for the acceptance stage to start, darn it! I giggled inside, imagining how Kaye would laugh at my feigned, but stereotypical, impatience.

The cool air finally chased me indoors, so I decided to go to bed.

I went to Kaye's room to look through her cabinet for something to wear to bed. Thing was, Kaye's taste in clothes was pretty girlie - there were, indeed, tons of sleep clothes, but most of them were pretty flimsy negligees or wispy nightgown-type stuff, and though my interest in these nightclothes would just normally be seeing them worn by a girl, God help me, I felt a kind of attraction to actually wear them. I didn't give in, though, and dug through these gossamer gowns and other stuff looking for something else.

Thankfully, I found some other more conventional-looking pajamas in the bottom drawer. In silk, and in pastel colors, though - guess you can't have everything. But, in the back of my brain, I was thinking that I would have preferred the sexier stuff.

I grabbed a matching top and bottom, opened a other drawer and grabbed the most plain-looking pair of panties there.

"Hope you don't mind, sis," I said out into the night.

As I was about to change into my borrowed sleep clothes I heard a small voice, almost like the sound of a stray gust of wind whistling through the window. I came down with a feeling that I was missing something... Oh.

I'd been getting this kind of feeling ever since I woke up. It was a little unsettling, but also comforting. It sounded weird but that's how I felt.

I turned and opened the drawer with the panties, and looked for an appropriate bra. I looked through the tags and found the one with the largest size - a t-shirt bra in white cotton-spandex.

So I shucked my clothes, hung up the blouse and skirt, put the bra, stockings and panties in Kaye's hamper, and then put on the nightclothes.

I saw my reflection in Kaye's mirror and I looked adorable. If one can ignore my hooters - an almost impossible thing, I know - one would think I was like ten or twelve. It was probably the short-sleeved pajama top and capri-length pajama bottoms that did it.

I found a pair of terrycloth slippers, put them on and padded to my own room, my ever-present kitty and fox following. I still walked on tiptoe, but managed.

I lightly washed my face, brushed my teeth, and brushed my hair in my bathroom. After that, I climbed into bed and tried to get some sleep.

But I couldn't.

Feelings were whirling inside me. It wasn't about Kaye, although my thoughts were a bit about her - it was mostly things I couldn't pin down. You know when you feel restless, and you just toss and turn, not thinking of anything in particular, but can't sleep anyway? My first night as a girl was like that.

Since I wasn't getting any sleep anyway, I decided to get up. I went over to my study table carrying Kitty. I opened my room's windows and the almost-full moon was high and bright in the night sky. I looked at it as a cool, gentle wind wafted against my face. It wasn't cold, but was exhilarating and bracing instead.

I put Kitty on the desk, and she sat patiently, looking at me. I looked around and found the fox on the floor by my feet, looking up at me. I picked her up, gave her a quick cuddle, and put her on the table as well.

That took away the melancholy mood. Kitty, Foxy and I were fine, just the three of us.

I petted Kitty and switched on my desktop computer - a relic from my college days. Not exactly cutting edge, but still good enough for surfing and word-processing.

On my screen desktop was a ten-year-old picture of Elisha Cuthbert. I was afraid that my sexual preferences might have been affected as well when I changed, but it was clearly not as I still found her awfully sexy. But I felt the same when I looked at Cassie, too, so I shouldn't have been worried. But when I recalled how I looked like in Kaye's mirror this morning, maybe I wasn't too relieved when I found out my new self was turning me on, too. I may be in a bit o' trouble, Boyo, as Mom would have said.

I sighed and opened my browser. To test myself, I typed in a couple of search words like hunk and beefcake, and checked out the images displayed. Oh-oh. Seems my libido couldn't decide if it was AC or DC...

"You really know how to mess with me, Kaye," I mumbled. "You really do." I decided to check my mail instead, and think about this at a later time.

The mail was really piling up. But could I open them? If I do, the senders would know that I did. Hmmm. That could be a problem. This is something I need to talk to the girls about.

So I ran a little program I wrote a while back: I am (or maybe 'was' was the more appropriate word) a structural engineer for the state, and would often be on the road to inspect roadwork or civil structures like government buildings or dams or bridges, and signal was often spotty or nonexistent when I was on the road.

To make sure I didn't miss any correspondence, my program would dump all my mail into a file without opening them. I can then download that file remotely the next time I had internet access, and browse my mail later at my leisure so internet connection wouldn't be needed anymore.

And so, with my program, I could access my mail and people wouldn't know it. I decided to keep the program running and have it dump my mail into the file at regular intervals. That way, it'll look like I wasn't touching my emailbox.

Better to discuss this situation with the girls tomorrow, I thought. I mean, what'll happen to the male me? I mean, Kim-the-guy's gone now... In the meantime, I checked my new mail after it was downloaded. There was nothing major - just a lot of work stuff, and junk from facebook, twitter et cetera.

After knocking around in the web for a bit, My eyes strayed to Kitty and Foxy. I searched for stuff on "familiars."

Okay. There wasn't much on the web. But it did jibe with what Cassie and Mommy... ummm, Diane, said.

Next, I decided to check out what animals they were. First thing was to try and find out what kind of animal Cassie's familiar was. I found out that it was a "Red Panda." It wasn't really a panda, but was closer to a raccoon than anything. I looked up it's diet and habits. Hmmm. My guess earlier was right on the money. But I guess we needed to grocery-shop a bit tomorrow.

I then turned to my kitty, and it turned out that she was actually a Birman cat. Nothing too unusual there. Then, Foxy - as best as I can tell, was a Red Fox. Again, not too exotic. And then there was Doggy. I went through everything I could google, and it turns out she was an Alaskan Malamute.

Well. That was a relief. Except for Cassie's bear, they weren't too difficult to take care of. Guess I'll ask Mummm.... ah I mean Diane, and Cassie, what we should do next.

I wanted to give them names. We couldn't continue calling them Doggie and Kitty forever. I didn't want to presume and give the others names, as they were not my familiars (if it was even proper to think of them as pets), but I thought it was okay to give "my" cat a name, at least.

I pulled her closer to me and contemplated her as she sat on her butt and looked at me quizzically.

"Hmmm... how would you like a name, little furball? Would you like that?"

She looked at me and meowed like she was agreeing.

I still wasn't sleepy. I guess, since I was still up, maybe I should work on finding a name for me as well. That seemed to be an important thing, apparently.

I looked through all my usual sites and found some references to Greek mythology. Hmmm. The male Greek gods outnumbered the female ones maybe by fifty to one. But when I started to include the demi-gods and the humans, the numbers evened out more-or-less.

But that's all I got. I never got closer to selecting a name for myself, or for Tamara (a name which I found out, in my research, wasn't at all Japanese). I did think up some nice names for the new guys, though. I guess I'll suggest it to the girls tomorrow. Or, rather, this morning- it was already four AM, after all.

 
*** Diane, the following morning ***

Waking up the following morning, I felt a load off my mind. That puzzled me, though, since nothing really had changed since last night, except for the arrival of the four animals... I mean "familiars." Could that be it?

I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed, reached over to the chair by my dresser and grabbed my negligee's gossamer gown. As I put it on, I noticed the dog from last night. He was sitting up, alertly looking at me. I had this feeling that he had been there all night, and it didn't bother me much. Actually, knowing he was there gave be a feeling of security, like someone was watching over me and keeping me safe.

"Good morning," I said pleasantly, and didn't feel at all weird talking to a dog.

The dog woofed at me, and thumped his tail. Like last night, I felt that he was actually smiling at me, and that made me smile, as well.

I padded to my bathroom, and did my usual morning routine while the dog stayed at the bathroom doorway.

"Hey, how about some privacy, huh?" I said in slight indignation.

He panted the way some dogs do, and the panting sounded like laughter. He considerately turned around and faced the other way.

"I guess you four are here to help us, huh?"

He stayed at the doorway and woofed.

"Well, I apologize if I seem a little rude. I guess I have to get used to this first."

I went to my closet, picked out a change of clothes, and settled for a comfortable top, a pair of shorts and a pair of canvass shoes.

"I'm a bit worried for Kim," I said. "I'm sure that Kaye and whoever knew what they were doing, but I can't help it. Being changed from a man to a girl's a big thing. I don't know if he... she will come out of it okay."

As I sat on my bed to tie my shoes, I heard a loud thud. I looked back and saw that my familiar had somehow pulled one of my psychology textbooks from my bookshelf, and it had fallen to the floor. The dog then used his nose to open it, and was using one of his paws to turn the pages. Well, he was actually sliding the pages more than actually turning them.

"What're you doing?" I asked. But the dog eventually stopped pawing at the pages. He woofed at me and I came over.

"What do you have there, dear," I said. I looked at the open book and where he had his paw on.

Prior to my... being introduced to the life of a modern-day witch, I was a professor at the nearby college. At the time, I was teaching psychology and was actually on the way to becoming the head of my department. But then, my... real calling was revealed. Needless to say, I left my old life and, with the help of a few changes to my files and records care of some of the coven's friends in the government and in the university staff, the face of Dr. Joyce Anne Burton in all of her records had been changed slightly and now looked different from mine - it looked very similar to mine, making us look like relatives, perhaps, but still a different person. And with a few spells courtesy of the coven, everyone that ever knew or have seen me will all recall me always looking like the new picture.

But the subterfuge wasn't uncovered because Dr. Burton soon after resigned and disappeared from campus life, and from the life of my family and friends. It was ridiculously easy, actually, to make Dr. Burton disappear from the world, and it was even more easy to create my new identity as Diane Burton, a distant cousin of Joyce.

I was then indoctrinated and moved into the Burton Manor in the other side of town. I found out that the Manor was owned by distant relatives, and was being managed by the coven. Now that I was "found," the big house was turned over to me.

I then learned about the coven, and about our family, and it seemed I was to inherit not just the house but the family line, and it was up to me to... reconstitute the legacy.

These psych books and some other odds and ends were all that was left of my life as Joyce, but I didn't regret leaving my old life since I was still able to keep in touch with my old friends, coworkers and students, though I had to be careful not to tip my hand and comport myself in my new identity as Diane, or Diana - Joyce's well-to-do antique collector-cousin studying to be a psychologist and psychotherapist.

- - - - -

I looked at what the dog's paw was pointing at, and it was the section on gender, with the sub-section on identity and the sense of self. Was the dog telling me something?

I knew this stuff already but, nevertheless, I picked up the book, sat on my bed and started reading.

 
*** Cassie, preparing breakfast ***

After I woke up and got ready for the day, I went downstairs fully expecting Diane to already be in the kitchen getting breakfast ready, as usual. She was always the first one to wake up in the house, and she and Kaye would usually be the ones that took care of breakfast.

But since Diane apparently had overslept, I decided to be the one to prepare breakfast today. My bear was with me - he had been tagging along since yesterday, and had even slept beside my bed last night.And this morning, the thing started "helping" me, seemingly helping to choose what to prepare today through gestures and cute little yips, and "suggesting" what spices and vegetables to include in my scrambled eggs and other things, and would yowl if I picked the wrong ingredient or whatever, and would nudge me with his nose if I had to take something off the stove or something.

I was grateful, actually, as I would not have been as... organized. I had a reputation of being all thumbs in the kitchen, and the girls will be surprised that I turned out something edible this time.

In gratitude, I gave him a couple of carrots and a celery stick to munch on as I prepared things. He used his two front paws and held on to the vegetables like an old man would hold a glass of watr with both hands, and contentedly munched on them. The disadvantage of no opposable thumbs...

Eventually, Diane came downstairs, with the big dog following. She had one of her college books under her arm.

"Hey, Diane," I said. "Good morning."

She came over and gave me a good morning kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, Cassie," she said. "Whoa! You're cooking breakfast? Oh, no!"

"Shut up, Diane," I said mock-sternly. "I think the eggs came out okay this time, and the bacon's draining on that plate over there."

Diane took a peek. "Honey, I don't think you cooked this."

"Shut up, Diane," I repeated, this time a little more seriously. "I did so cook them! ... well... I had some help..."

"You did? So, when did Kimmy wake up?"

"No, no!" I said. "Kimmy didn't help me - he did!" I pointed to my bear, who was just sitting in the corner looking at us and nonchalantly munching on his carrot.

She looked at the bear, and then back at me. "Somehow, I believe you," she said.

"You do?"

She nodded. "Let me tell you what happened this morning."

She sat at her customary chair at the head of the table, and I dished up some eggs, bacon and toast for her.

"So," she said, "I woke up and the dog was near the bed looking at me, and for some reason, I started talking to him."

I got myself some eggs and bacon, and sat down and listened.

"Anyway," she said, "I was thinking aloud and saying to the dog I was worried about Kim, and that being changed from a guy to a girl would be quite traumatic, so I was wondering if Kim would be okay. Anyway, he," she gestured at the dog, "pulled down this book somehow, and turned it to this page." Diane opened the book and showed it to me. The title of the chapter was something about gender identity or something, but I was paying more attention to her.

"Anyway, I think I now know what Kaye did what she did to Kim. The book sort of gave me a clue."

"Yeah? And?"

"Did it ever bother you why Kim was acting so girly, and acting so much like a kid?"

"Not really," I said. "I think it suits her."

"Well, I think that Kaye, and whoever else, did that to her intentionally."

"Not that I'm complaining, but why, for god's sake?"

"I think that Kim is undergoing a kind of adjustment or something. This childish behavior of hers is her going through a kind of childhood. It's like she's going through her own version of growing up."

I looked at her a little quizzically. "Eh?"

"It's like she's growing up again, and by the end, she'll have grown up into the girl she is now. In a way. Otherwise, Kim could actually go psychotic, or maybe suicidal."

I looked at her in alarm. "You mean she could kill herself or something?"

She shrugged. "I can't be a hundred percent sure, of course, but all I know says this probably the reason why, and this is their way of protecting Kim."

"Is there any way to be sure?"

She shook her head. "No..."

"Okay... So, anything else?"

"Well, assuming I'm correct, Kim thinking me as her mother - it fits. After all, a child needs parents. I guess I've been drafted to be her mom."

"Oh..."

"Oh, don't worry about me - I don't mind. In fact, I kinda like it. Given our life now, I don't think I'll have a chance to have a family, anymore. I guess this would be my chance."

"Diane," I said, and reached for her hand.

"Yeah?"

"You're my family now, and always will be. You and Tamara, and Kim."

She gently smiled at me. "I know, honey, and you're mine. But, you know what I mean."

I nodded. "Yes, I do."

"Here's the thing, though - we have to let this thing play out. Otherwise, it might hurt Kim, psychologically, at least."

"Meaning..."

"Meaning I will be mom to her, until she's, ummm... grown up into an adult again, and doesn't need me to be mom anymore."

"How about me? What's my role here?"

Diane shrugged. "I don't know."

"Then how can I..."

"Just be patient and understanding. I'm sure it'll become clearer as time goes by."

I nodded. "No problem - I can do that. What about, you know, Tamara?"

"I have an idea about that she's supposed to be, but I'm not sure?"

"Well, whatever it is, tell me."

"Tamara's like, what, sixteen?"

"Yes?"

"I think she's gonna be the sister."

"Then what about me?"

"I don't know, Cassie," she shrugged. "Anyway, whatever she will be, we'll know soon. I got a text from her. She's actually en route, and should be landing this afternoon."

"Good morning," a sweet, somewhat high-pitched voice called.

Diane and I turned around. We saw Kim by the dining room door, holding one of Kaye's stuffed toys, and the cat and the fox right beside her. Kim was wearing shorty pajamas, sleepily rubbing one of her eyes with the back of one hand, and held one of the doll's arm with her other hand. I cringed because the doll was dragging on the floor. Knowing how Kaye kept her precious plushie toys so clean and spic-and-span, I had half a mind to tell Kim to put the doll back, but I bit my lip.

"Good morning, honey," I said.

"I'm hungry," she said.

"Well come on over and sit down, and I'll dish you up some eggs and bacon."

She sleepily shuffled to the chair across from mine and climbed onto it like a little child. I had to smile at that. She put Kaye's little stuffed monkey on the table beside her.

"Got milk?" Kim asked.

"We only have less than half a carton left, but I don't want milk this morning." I put a loaded plate in front of her, and put my glass of milk beside it. "Guess we need to grocery-shop later."

Diane put a couple of pieces of toast on another plate and slathered them generously with marmalade. I couldn't stand marmalade myself, but we knew Kim liked it. At least when she was still a he. Diane put the plate beside the glass of milk.

"Go on, honey," Diane said. "Dig in."

Kim looked at the glass of milk for a little bit, and after a moment or so, got down from her chair. picked up the glass and walked around the table to me. She put the glass beside my plate and reached up to give me a kiss on the cheek. "I'm gonna have orange juice this morning," she said, and walked to the fridge and got the carton of juice.

"Honey?" I said. I was very touched by that. It was only milk, but to a child's mind, that's a big deal. But Diane gave me a warning shake of the head.

"Uhuh?" Kim said around a mouthful of eggs.

"Thank you for the milk."

She gave me a big smile, and then proceeded to eat with gusto.

"Thiff iff real good, mommie," she said as she proceeded to stuff herself. "Fank you."

"Cassie was the one who cooked breakfast today, dear."

Kim looked at Diane with unbelieving eyes. "No!" she said, and then looked at the both of us with suspicion.

"Hard to believe, huh?"

"Now, wait a minute, you two!" I said in feigned indignation. "I cooked this all by myself!"

"Really?" Kim said unbelievingly, full of the conviction of a five-year-old.

"Really, really!"

I felt a tug on my sleeve and looked down. It was my bear. He had his eyes closed and was sticking his tongue out. Diane and Kim giggled, and I wasn't sure about the other familiars.

"All right, all right," I huffed. "The bear helped me." And the girls broke into laughter.

After everyone got themselves under control, Diane looked at us.

"You know," she said, "I think our guys need names. You can't keep on calling him," she pointed at my familiar, "'the bear,' and neither can we keep calling the others 'the cat' or 'the fox,' or 'the dog.'"

"What would you suggest?"

"I got a suggestion," Kim said.

"Go ahead, dear," Diane said.

"Well, I was thinking," she got up from her chair and went to the bear, "what if we call this guy, 'Alloysius.'" And she pronounced it correctly: "ah-low-wee -shoes."

"That's the name of the stuffed bear in the book, 'Brideshead Revisited,'" she explained, "and it sounds really sophisticated." Brideshead revisited... Yes, Kim liked to read a lot.

She petted the bear on the head. "Would you like that, little guy?" she asked.

The red panda nodded his head and made a "yip" kind of sound.

"Guess Alloysius likes it," I said. The red panda then licked Kim on the face and then went to me. He put his paw on my lap, and looked into my face with those soulful eyes, sort of asking if I liked it.

"I don't know if I get a vote," I said, "but if you like it, I like it, too." And he licked my face, too. Yuck...

"How about my pup," Diane asked.

"Hmmm..." Kim said. "I was thinking Brian. You know - the smart-alecky talking dog on 'Family Guy?'"

Everyone laughed. The malamute comically put his left front leg over his eyes like you sometimes see those trained dogs on TV shows do, and everyone laughed.

Diane had to wipe her eyes - she was laughing so hard. "Maybe something else, Kim?" she said.

But the dog woofed and nodded his head vigorously.

"You're sure?" Diane asked, and he woofed again, with tail-wagging enthusiasm.

"Okay - from now on, you're Brian." She then turned to Kim. "Now, how about your cat?"

"I don't know," Kim said. "'Socks,' maybe?"

Besides it being a common cat name, and it being a Birman cat with its white paws, it felt accurate. It also sounded cute, which is probably what Kim was going for.

The cat jumped up into Kim's arms and proceeded to buzz and purr.

"Guess Socks likes it," I said.

"How about Tamara's fox?" Kim asked. "Can I give him a name, too?"

"I think we need to wait for Tamara, dear," Diane said. "We need her approval for that, and not just the fox's."

"How about we give him a temporary name until Tamara comes home? And if she doesn't like it, she can change it."

Diane shrugged. "I guess that'd be all right. What did you think of, anyway?"

"I was thinking of calling the little guy 'Miles.'"

"Miles? Why Miles?"

"Miles is the name of the fox in Sonic the Hedgehog! It'd be real cute! And appropriate, too!"

The little fox yowled in a high-pitched kind of whine, and nodded vigorously.

"Okay, then," Diane said, "but!" She then gestured for the fox to come closer.

"But you have to realize that this is just temporary," she explained to the fox. "You and Tamara have to agree on your forever name later tonight, when she comes home. Okay?"

The fox yowled again and nodded.

"Okay. Then you'll be Miles until then."

The fox started jumping up and down, and Kim giggled.

"Well," Diane said, "after all these names, have you come closer to a name for yourself, Kim?"

Kim frowned. "I'm sorry, mommie," she said. "I really tried. I even stayed up almost the entire night doing research..."

"Research?" I said.

"On the internet? Duh?" She looked at me, like she was saying, "you're so clueless."

Normally, those would be fighting words for me, but Kim was so cute, I had to laugh.

"So, what did your 'research' show?"

Kim sighed dejectedly. "Nothing."

I got up, went to her and gave her a hug.

She hugged me back, and I was surrounded by her scent and her aura. It was enough to make me swoon.

"But..." she said.

"But?" Diane said. She got up, went to us and took Kim's hand.

"But... a voice, or more like the ghost of a voice - a whisper, really - woke me up. It was like Kaye's voice. And she had a few suggestions."

I felt her tremble, a kind of sadness swept over her as she thought of Kaye, but it wasn't as devastating as yesterday.

"What did she say?" Diane asked.

"Like I said, a few suggestions, and the ones I liked best was Selene and Cate, which is short for Hecate" (she pronounced it Hek-ut, like the verrsion in the Shakespeare play, with the stress on the first syllable).

"But?"

"But the one I liked best was Bia" (she pronounced it Bee-ah, with the stress on the first syllable).

She turned to Diane. "Can I be called Bia?" she asked.

Diane looked at me, and within us, something clicked, as it did when Joyce became Diana, and Cassandra became Cassiopeia.

Diane spread her arms. "Sure?" she said. And Kim, ummm, I mean, Bia, gave her a one-armed hug (she was still carrying Socks, after all).

And, with everyone having real names now, we continued with breakfast.

Later on, Kim decided on a bath before we went shopping and doing a few errands. Diane started doing research of her own among her psych references and other tomes before we had to go, and I decided to do some research as well.

When I... became what I am now, I learned many, many things. And one of the things I learned was that names - at least among us... witchy folk - names defined what one was. That was why names were so important to us.

For example, Diana's namesake, was the goddess of the hunt, of the earth's fauna, and of motherhood. It was an appropriate name for the brave Joyce Burton, especially in light of her elemental power over earth, and over creatures, her quick mind, and her protective nature, especially over her "children," which were me, and later Kaye, and then even later, Tamara, and then, now Kim... I mean, Bia.

But she preferred "Diane" for casual conversation - "Diana" felt too formal.

I suppose it's not that names define us. Rather, names that are correctly chosen woud fit us. So our coven tries to find names that best fit our sisters instead of force-fitting names to us.

Which why it was unfortunate that the name that fit me was Cassiopeia...

In Greek mythology, Cassiopeia was vain and arrogant and quick to anger, which suited my ability to conjure up destructive cyclones or tornados in the blink of an eye whenever I wanted, but Diane was also pointed out that the Cassiopeia of legend was also very beautiful and powerful, just like me. How very like a mother, I would usually think, when she tried to make me feel better about my new name. But when she said things like that, it would usually pick me up and cheer me up. And I suppose that is what mothers do best.

They say knowing is half the battle. So knowing these things of Cassiopeia, and finally realizing that they also matched what was in me, I tried to be better, and was constantly at war with my temper - my quickness to anger, and my vanity.

I was always trying to be better, and Diane was always there to point out that I was becoming a better person for it. Truth be told, and humility aside, I think she's right. I guess I was able to forge my quickness to anger into something like a quickness to decide, or a quickness to take action, and my vanity into an ability to appreciate beauty, wherever I found it and not just me - and not just in a pretty face, but a pretty sunrise or a beautiful gesture of kindness for exampe - not like my old, narcissistic tendency to just focus on my own physical beauty.

Sure, I'd sometimes fall back to the old Cassie, but that vain and arrogant Cassie was largely gone now, thank god.

- - - - -

For me, doing research was pretty simple, actually. I basically grabbed my phone, connected to the house's wifi, and googled "Bia."

I found out that the Bia of Greek mythology was the daughter of two Titans, and along with her mother and her siblings, she fought on the side of Zeus in the Titan War, or what academics refer to as the Titanomachy.

Among the Titans, the Bia of legend was the personification of force, power and raw energy. In fact, after the Titan war, she was the chief enforcer of the will of Zeus. But she was also the personification of anger and violence. Yikes.

That last piece of information was troubling, and if that was indicative of who... or what Kim, now our Bia, is... But we haven't seen any of that.

As for the other things: well, all I can say is, as soon as Bia's finished "growing up," she's going to be hell on wheels and then some. But with what the coven told us, we'll definitely need someone like Bia.

In the pictures and illustrations that I was able to google, the Bia of myth was always shown in heroic poses, some in armor and some in flowing Grecian robes, also, in some of them, Bia had wings - something her siblings and mother sometimes had as well - but in all cases, she always had some sort of weapon in her hand.

I shrugged - I just didn't know enough. I need to talk to Diane.

But when I heard giggling in the hall, I knew Kim... I mean Bia... was done with her bath. She was probably playing with Socks and Miles. And I guess Alloysius, too, given he wasn't with me.

That galvanized me into action, and I took a quick shower, dried my hair with the medium setting on my hair dryer, styled it minimally the way the girls at the salon taught me, picked up a casual outfit, put it on, and when Kim, I mean Bia, knocked and came in my room, I was almost ready, and was just putting the last touches on my makeup.

"Wow, Cassie," she said, "you're so pretty!"

I finished with my lipstick and turned around. Even in casual clothes, Kim, I mean Bia, was drop-dead gorgeous.

She was wearing a pair of khaki shorts, but they were so big, they looked like a skirt on her, especially when she had it cinched tight around her waist with one of Kaye's white canvas belts so it wouldn't fall. I wracked my brain or a moment for what I was thinking her pants looked like, and I came up with a skort - that god-awful combination of a skirt and shorts.

A skort was a pair of shorts but had a flap in front and another in the back to make it look like a skirt. But on Bia, it looked very elegant. Casual-elegant, if you know what I mean. On top, she was wearing one of Kaye's casual blouses - this one was the stretchy, sleeveless white top that Kaye sometimes wore when shoppin - the one with a boatneck collar and thin horizontal black stripes about an inch apart. And since Kaye was a touch smaller, the blouse was quite form fitting for Bia. Wow!

Over it she wore Kim's old Letterman Jacket. It was pretty big on Bia, but I think the oversized fit made it look chic.

On the left breast it had the initials of Kim's alma mater, but instead of it being white, with black cuffs and collar, it was pink now. I remember Kim complaining about it months before - Kaye had mistakenly washed his varsity jacket with one of her red jeans. And, as you know, you're not supposed to wash colored clothes with white clothes. So Kim's then pristine white varsity jacket had become a light-pink one. And from then on, Kim never wore it again.

For shoes, she wore a pair of strappy platform sandals with a three-inch heel. I suspect she wore them because none of Kaye's shoes fit properly, and sandals were the most forgiving in terms of fit.

Guess this shopping was a necessary thing, after all - to get some clothes for Bia, I mean.

Diane got me to drive again, and I picked the F150 again since I assumed everyone, including the familiars, were going, so we couldn't use any of the other cars - they were too small to fit all of us.

So, with me in the driver's seat and Diane in the passenger seat beside me, Bia stayed in the back seat. That left everyone else in the back luggage area, but Bia folded the other half of the back seat so it gave the animals free access to her if they wanted. Miles and Socks took advantage, of course, but Alloysius and Brian stayed in back.

"Pass by Helen's first before we go to Union Square, though," Diane said. Helen was also part of the coven and one of Diane's friends from when she was still Joyce. "Crossover" friends are rare but we do have them.

Helen happened to be a veterinarian in her "civilian life" so i guess this had to do with the animals.

"It's all arranged," she said, as I pulled over. "No need to get down."

"You contacted her before we left the house?" I asked. "What did you use? Scrying? Some kind of spell?"

"What's wrong with you?" she said. "I called her on my cellphone."

Bia giggled.

"Ha-ha-ha," I said, smiling. "Very funny. Laugh it up, little miss."

Since Helen's house and clinic was just ten minutes from the Manor, we were already there before I could ask Diane what this was about.

After I pulled up at the curb in front of Helen's place, Diane jumped out.

"Stay in the car," she called back to us. "This'll only take a couple of minutes. Ten tops."

True to her word, she was back quickly, this time carrying a plastic grocery bag.

"Okay," she said, after she got back in, "I told Helen about you guys," meaning the animals, "and she got all of you licenses. She gestured for each of the to come closer, and slipped collars around their necks, with little medallions that had their name, and our names on the back as their "owners," with contact information. "Alloysius," she said, "you and Miles are special cases, though - because of your species, you're getting these WWF medallions."

"Eh?" I reacted, "WWF? World Wrestling Federation?"

Bia giggled.

"No, you stupid, silly girl!" Diane laughed. "The World Wildlife Fund!" She showed us Alloysius' and Miles' medallions, and it had the WWF logo on one side - a picture of a Panda with the letters WWF underneath it. On the other side was stamped with the important information about Alloysius. Of course, I was very interested in Alloysius's medallion, and I looked it over. On the back, it said,

"Name: Alloysius
"Species: Red Panda
"Home Range: Nepal
"License: Protected Species Custodial License WWF 555-A12RP001
"Registered Custodian: Cassiopeia Martin
"Permissions: Authorized in public places under leash, with registered custodian only
"In case of emergencies, contact the custodian or the nearest branch of the World Wildlife Fund"

It was then followed by the WWF's San Francisco office's telephone number and my number.

Hmmm. That's impressive.

Since Brian and Socks were a regular dog and cat, their medallions probably aren't this fancy, but Miles' medallion was - it was a WWF medallion, too after all.

"And, I'm sorry, guys," Diane said. She brought out leashes, and this was met with woofs, yips and yowls of indignation from those concerned.

"I'm sorry guys," Diane repeated. "You know that this is the only way we can go out together, and for you not be hunted down by people from the pound."

There were more barks and yowls of protest but it was cut off by a flash of lightning and a loud crack of thunder.

In the sudden quiet, Diane and I looked at each other. This felt ominous, and in this family, omens were treated seriously.

"Mommie, look!" Bia said, and pointed out the window.

We could see what appeared to be a dark cloud hovering over one of the tall buildings downtown. It stood out in the bright, cloudless late morning sky.

"That's scary," Bia quavered. "What is it?"

"I think we need to get to town now," Diane said.

I pulled away from the curb and started driving towards whatever that was.

I didn't realize what we were supposed to handle would be starting this early.

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Witching Hour   Part Three: Family Feud   by Roberta J. Cabot   Courtesy of Diane's witchy friend, Helen, all of their pets, I mean familiars, have all been provided proper papers and licenses, and after they got their new licenses and medalions, the girls were to go on to Union Square, one of the pet-friendly places in San Francisco that had a lot of places to shop and browse, but as they were on the way, they noticed dark stormclouds gathering at one of the tallest buildings in town. It was weird because the rest of the town was totally bright and drenched in sunshine. Taking it as an omen, the girls instantly decided to change plans and started making for the building. What they'd do once they got there, they didn't know. But, hey, they were witches - what can happen?

I wasn't a local, and I have only been in San Francisco for less than three years. I only relocated from LA to San Francisco to be near my sister Kaye, so I didn't know the city enough and be able to follow where Diane was going.

I didn't really want to move to San Francisco but Kaye insisted - thank goodness my job allowed me to do this, but I suspected that the other girls didn't want me there much, like I was an intruder in their home. But with my job, I wasn't there much - I was usually there once or twice a week only, which probably gave Cassie and Diane a kind of sense of relief.

Also, I was ill-at-ease there, especially around Cassie, because it was obvious Cassie and Kaye were an item.

I'm ashamed to admit it, but I guess I wasn't as enlightened as I thought I was, and Kaye and I had very bitter arguments about it.

But then, what happened to Kaye happened, and I realized my stupid prejudice didn't matter. What really mattered was that the two were in love, and I was so sad that I made it so hard for them when I should have been supportive.

But now, I felt totally different. Now, I could understand and accept their love. Also, I was very attracted to her now even though I was now a girl. Does that make me a lesbian? But then, was I actually hetero becuase, though my body was a girl's body now, was my mind still a guy's mind?

But then I looked through those pictures of those gorgeous guys on my computer last night and I was equally turned on. So was I I being hetero that time?

Or maybe I was actually bisexual.

And as I thought all these things, I then had a new thought. Does it even matter?

It was enough to make anyone confused. I wished Kaye was still here so I can talk about my problems with her the way we used to...

When Cassie made a sharp turn, it snapped me out of this chain of thoughts. Socks and Miles squeaked when I inadvertently squeezed them when we slid around the back seat.

"Cassieee!" I complained.

"Sorry, honey. Buckle up, and buckle up the kiddies as well."

"Okay," I pouted. and sat Socks and Miles in the middle of the seat, their butts on the seat like they were little people, and buckled the seatbelt across their bellies.

As for the other two in the back, Brian and Alloysius seemed to be manageing well so I just told them to hold on

I looked through the window and I saw the clouds gather around the Transamerica tower. It was one of the tallest buildings around, and since it was shaped like a needle or a tall, skinny pyramid, the dark clouds around it made it appear like it was a needle piercing a large flat cloud in the middle of a clear, sunny sky.

As I looked, bolts of lightning from the cloud was arcing and striking the building.

"Oh, wow," I said. "Hurry, Cassie," I said.

"I see it, Bia," she said, and goosed the accelerator.

The car jumped over one of those ubiquitous San Francisco streets, and I exclaimed "yayyy, rollercoaster!"

The girls laughed at that, and it lightened the mood a little bit.

Cassie drove even faster.

When we got to the Transamerica Tower, or rather the Transamerica Pyramid, we stopped right at the foot of the tower.

 
*** Cassie, in Downtown San Francisco ***

"What's happening, Cassie," Diane said.

"Why, Mommy," Bia interrupted.

"We're in the middle of the commercial district, baby," Diane said. "Look around."

"Gosh," she said. "No people."

"No cars, either," I said. Actually, as I drove here, I've been noticing the traffic had been thinning out, from Helen's all the way here. I wouldn't have been able to drive as fast as I did if it hadn't been. But here, there were no cars at all. And no people.

"Well," Bia said, "there's them." She pointed down the street, and right right in the middle of the street, where the pedestrian lane was, there were eight people - three women and one man, plus four others that look like midgets - three male ones and one female.

And they were all wearing what looked like leather biker costumes, or maybe I should say fetish costumes. the women were wearing black patent-leather bustiers or corsets plus tight leather miniskirts or tights and sky-high stiletto heels or boots, while the men were wearing leather pants with jackets or leather singlets or sleeveless shirts.

In a way, their outfits were like cliche biker outfits, but far from making them look tacky, they were looking very sexy in a dangerous way: the man had a shotgun that he was holding and resting on his shoulder; the woman to his right had a whip wrapped loosely around her neck; the one to the man's left had a scabbard hanging from her belt, and by the length of it, the sword it contained was extremely long and wicked-looking; and the woman to her left had daggers in her hands, and by the amount of metal jewelry piercing her cheeks, eyebrows, lips and earlobes, she was, by far the scariest looking. As for the midgets, they aped the normal-sized people in their own costumes, though none of them held any weapons.

I looked a bit closer and I noticed that the small people had collars around their necks, with studs and a chain that was being held by their, I guess, their masters.The males to the women and the one female midget to the man.

I leaned over to Diane. "Midgets?" I asked.

"I think they're humunculus," Diane said.

"What're... humming crews?" Bia asked, and Diane pulled her close and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Humunculus, honey," Diane said. "They're like artificial people that are grown inside horses' wombs or from mandrake root. They're usually used by their masters to do their bidding."

"They each have one," Bia noted. "They're like their slaves?"

"I suppose."

"I wouldn't have slaves," Bia said, like an eight-year old who had made the decision that she will eat her vegetables from now on. "An' I will hurt anyone who does, an' free their slaves."

"Me, too, baby," I said.

"But who're they," Bia asked.

"They're sort of relatives, honey," Diane explained. "Those four witches too. They're from the Unheimlich Schwesternschaft, but we like to just say the Clan of Evil."

"Huh," Bia said, seemingly unimpressed.

"You're a snob, honey," I chuckled, and she gave me a razzberry.

"They're sort of the modern equivalent of dark witches," Diane continued. "Starting at the end of the 1600's, white witches, like us, started to, ummm, get rid of these dangerous witches, and, in a period of about fifty years, we had more-or-less dealt with the dark witches, though there were still a few that continued to exist and make trouble for the world. Among them, These particular ones were the worst of them."

"So we gotta get rid of them?" Bia said.

"I don't think we can," Diane said. "We're not ready, and Tamara's not here."

But Bia was in high spirits. "C'mon, guys," she said and unbuckled. She opened her door, stepped down from the car and waved for us to follow. "C'mon!"

A clap of thunder reverberated throughout the buildings, and we couldn't stop from wincing.

Our four familiars rushed out as well and surrounded Bia, like they were protecting her.

"C'mon, Diane," I said, echoing Bia. I knew a little bit about the dark witches, but I was feeling cocky. We were the elementals, after all.

The both of us unbuckled and stepped out. I went to Bia and put my arm over her shoulders and Diane stood on the side of Bia. Diane and Bia held hands.

Another spear of lightning and another boom. I could feel Bia jump a little.

"So, Lucy," Diane said, "we meet again." Seems Diane knew them personally.

Bia made a face.

"What's wrong, Bia?" Diane whispered to her, sotto voce.

"That's such a cliche," Bia whispered back.

The woman with the sword laughed. "The little one is right, Diana," she said. I suppose that would be Lucy.

"Such a cliche," Lucy continued. "What will you say next? 'A bird in the hand?'"

"Shut up, Lucy," Diane said. "Why are you here?"

"Can't we take a stroll in your beautiful city in peace?"

"Why are you here?" Diane repeated in deadly monotone. I've never heard her speak like that before.

Lucy relented.

"Well, we heard you had a new addition," she explained. "We just wanted to say hi, and meet her."

Bia made a face and stuck her tongue out from behind Diane.

The four laughed, and, after a beat, their humunculus laughed as well.

"Your addition seems a trifle too young," the man beside Lucy commented.

"No, I'm not!" Bia yelled back, and the dark witches laughed again. I felt Bia tremble, and I was afraid she might just cry. I gave her a kiss and whispered in her ear to buck up and not show them what she was feeling.

I felt her square her shoulders and steel herself against these a-holes.

"So now that you've seen her," I said, "get lost."

"Well, Cassiopeia," Lucy said, "maybe not right away?" She knew me.

The woman with the whip growled. "Will you stop screwing around?" she said. And with that, she mumbled some kind of spell and held her right arm out and toward our direction.

Diane was thown back by some kind of power.

"Mommie!" Bia screamed and ran to Diane. She tried to sit her up but Diane was completely out cold.

"You hurt my mommy," she grated.

"What was that, child?" Lucy said. "I couldn't hear you."

"You hurt my mommy!" she screamed. She stood up and rushed them. The girl with the whip did the same thing she did to Diane, which pushed Bia back, but though she was knocked down, she wasn't knocked out.

Bia got up, and started walking towards them again. She was plenty mad now.

The witch with the whip tried to blow her back down again. But this time, Bia wasn't affected, and kept on coming.

The girl tried again, multiple times, but Bia kept on coming. Bia screamed and a big orange ball of fire exploded in front of the four dark witches and their humunculus, and it was their turn to be thrown down. Nothing was burning, though, probably because the fire was there for only a moment.

As soon as the fireball exploded, the dark clouds in the sky started to disperse, and the lightning stopped.

Bia came running and started kicking the the girl with the whip on her side while she was still lying on the ground stunned. I can't help but think of a little girl kicking the playground bully while he was down.

I suddenly realized I wasn't moving yet, and wasn't helping. So I ran towards Bia to help.

Our familiars also went into action and stopped the humunculus-dwarf things from helping their masters. Only Brian, Diane's dog, and Alloysius were large enough to hold their own with the dwarf-things, but Socks and Miles had claws and teeth out, and bit and scratched their humunculus as they harassed them, and these ones ran away yipping in terror. As for the ones that Brian and Alloysius were fighting, they were bleeding all over. In the case of Brian's dwarf, the little monster was cradling his arm because Brian had probably broken it. They ran away as well.

As for their masters, the girl with the knives was the first to recover. She got up and tried to rush Bia with knives out. I called up what Diane calls my "talent," and sent a strong gust of wind towards this one. But the witch wasn't pushed back down to the ground. I was, however, able to mess up her aim enough that she missed Bia and fell forward a couple of feet beyond my girl, fetching up near me. But the witch was able to recover quickly and stood up again.

I reached out, grabbed her by her ponytail and lifted her up. Needless to say, she was caught off-guard by that, and she flailed ineffectively, with feet kicking in the air. I wasn't really strong enough to lift people off the ground that way, but with my talent to affect the air around me, I could lift things with it and make it look like I was super-strong.

Anyway, I lifted the much shorter witch while holding her by her ponytail, and turned her around so she faced me.

"You've been a bad girl, little witch," I said.

But I miscalculated - her arms were long enough that she was able to slash me on my arms and on my stomach. I let her go and staggered back.

"Cassie!" I heard Bia scream.

Before the witch could slash at me again, little balls of fire exploded in her face one after another, like little firecrackers. She held up her hands to protect her face, but the fireballs kept on popping in front of her, and they were so many, they set her hair and leather bustier ablaze. As for me, I whipped up a breeze and made the fire grow, The witch ran away in the same direction as their humunculus, screaming.

Bia went to me, and looked at my slashes. "You're bleeding, Cassie!"

As she was assessing my slashes, Lucy and the guy-witch (or is it worlock), had recovered enough that they were able to sit up.

"Ich denke es ist zeit zu fliehen," Lucy said to the guy. "Was denkst du?"

"Ja," the guy said. They both staggered up and ran in the same direction the girl and the midget witches ran. And when the girl with the whip saw them run, she struggled up and ran after them as well.

 
*** Bia, taking charge ***

I wanted to hug Cassie but she was still bleeding. I took her by the hand. I noted our pets, I mean familiars. "Guys? Check out mommy. See if she's okay."

The dog, red panda, fox and cat ran to mommy, their new leashes dragging on the ground. That was a load off my mind, that mom was safe, with our pets standing guard.

But then I had a thought. "Brian?" I called, and Diane's big dog came over.

"Can you go to the car and get my purse? I need my phone to call for an ambulance."

Brian woofed in agreement, and ran full-tilt to the car, and in less than a minute, he came back with my borrowed purse in his mouth.

"Thank you, honey," I said, and hugged him around his neck. "Now go to mommy and keep her safe." The dog woofed again and trotted back to the others while I called for an ambulance.

- - - - -

Before the ambulance arrived, people had started coming back. It seemed that when the clouds around the building disappeared, whatever kept people away disappeared as well, and the crowds had slowly trickled back.

Because he had the most flexible front limbs and had the most functional paws, I asked Alloysius to go back to the car and lock it up. If we left the doors wide open, someone was liable to steal stuff, or maybe even steal the car.

I then had everyone but Brian come stay with me, and I made sure Brian put his leash in mom's hand so no one would be in doubt that he was mom's "pet," while I made sure I had everyone else's were in mine.

I was almost out of my mind with worry because I couldn't be with mom, but she had a concussion and I couldn't do anything for her while Cassie was bleeding. I needed to stay with Cassie more, but that didn't mean I could stop my worrying about mom.

Some a-hole wanted to rob Diane but Brian could be very scary if he wanted, and the guy just ran away.

Thank god the ambulance arrived in less than twenty, and they were able to take Cassie and mommy to the hospital very quickly. I explained to Cassie that I was going to follow them in the car, and left my name and phone number with the ambulance driver, and that was how I finally accepted my new name. I had no choice - I had to give them something. So I was now Beatrice Kim Nightingale (although I'd be pronouncing my name "bee-yah-triss," with stress on the middle syllable, instead of "bee-triss" as it was usually pronounced. That way it'd be closer to "Bia").

I got into the car and let out a shuddering breath. Less than three weeks ago, I was a man that drove himself regularly, but now... Would I still know the the things I used to know? I think I did. The problem was more a matter of confidence, and I didn't have a lot of that now. I was crying from panic and fear - fear that I might let my family down.

Socks jumped in my lap and looked at my face, and Brian, who was in the passenger seat, rubbed his big head against me. My new friends were trying to comfort me.

I gave them all hugs. "Thank you, guys," I said.

I took a deep breath. "I can do this," I said to myself. "I'm a thirty-one-year year old guy, I mean girl" (my mistake made me giggle). "I'm not really twelve years old!"

I adjusted the seat, the rearview and side mirors, and the seatbelt, having to pass the belt between my new babies, and when I got them to the best possible setting, I finally turned the key.

When the engine rumbled to life, I jumped a little bit. "Now or never," I thought. I took a deep breath, reversed, and pulled away from the curb.

"Yayy!" I said.

With a lot of backseat driving from my four-legged passengers, I was finally able to get to the hospital parking lot, and we only had a couple dozen close calls, too. lol.

But when I got to the parking attendant's booth, the guy shook his head - no available parking. I sighed and got down from the big SUV. I had to almost literally climb down. Three weeks ago, I'd just step out. Guess I still had to get used to being so short.

I went to the attendant. I knocked on the glass window of his booth and he rolled it down.

"They just brought my... mom and my friend through the emergency room, and I need to be there with them," I said to the guy. "Please, are there really no more parking spaces?" My lower lip trembled and was so, so worried I couldn't go right in to the hospital.

I looked up at the guy, but he was looking at my chest. "Mister?" I said, and he suddenly realized what he was staring at. He looked up.

"Parking," he said briskly, trying to cover up his embarassment. "Right."

He got out of his booth and blew a whistle he had hanging around his neck, and waved to the car that had just entered the parking lot. The car's driver hadn't found his parking spot yet and was still driving around looking for it.

When the attendant blew his whistle, the driver stuck his head out of his car window and yelled, "What!"

The parking attendant waved him back, and though very irritated, he drove back.

"Dammit, dude," the guy said, "what is it? Oh!" He suddenly realized I was there. From there, his angry demeanor changed.

"Hi," he said, and smiled at me.

"Can I have your ticket, sir?" the attendant said to him.

"Why?"

"Just gimme your ticket!"

Without another word, he handed his parking ticket back, and the parking attendant tore it in two.

"Hey!" the driver exclaimed, but the attendant went closer to the guy.

"Listen, man," the attendant said in a voice that was so low, I shouldn't have heard it, but I guess my new ears were better than my old ones.

The attendant pointed back to me with his thumb. "See that babe? Her mom just got brought in in an ambulance. Can't you just let her have your parking spot? I'm sure you're not here on an emergency."

"God, she is truly smokin' hot! Okay, dude, go ahead and let her have my spot."

"Thanks, man. Pull up over there, and, as soon as someone leaves, I'll let you be the next one up."

The attendant punched up a new ticket and gave it to me. In gratitude, I gave the attendant a kiss on the cheek, and I gave the driver a kiss as well.

The attendant raised the barricade, and I went back to the car and drove through, waving at the two boys.

Hmmm... I think I can get used to this, I thought to myself, giggling.

- - - - -

Several hours later, I was in a double-occupancy room with Cassie and mom. I was able to use my newly-found charms to sweet-talk the head nurse in charge to put them both in the same room. I had also snuck in my four guys and, with a kind of extra-sensory thing that I seemed to have now, I'm able to sense if someone was approaching, and I'd be able signal the kids, and they'd hide. Socks and Miles, because they were the smallest, were able to hide under the beds, while Alloysius and Brian hid in the two closets.

Cassie was awake now, and was very alert as Diane was brought in - she had just had a cranial scan, and it was confirmed: apparently, she hit her head on the pavement and now has a concussion, but she was totally out of danger now.

As for Cassie - her wounds were bandaged now. They weren't as bad as they looked, and not deep at all. They did require stitches but nothing much beyond that. In fact, the doctor told us that she could probably go home tonight.

But Diane will have to stay longer.

Cassie and I talked about what happened, with Socks and Miles on my lap, and Alloysius and Brian, chins on Cassie's bed, listening to us.

"Those guys were real scary!" I said, and shivered.

Cassie laughed. "You wouldn't know it to look at you."

I pouted. "You're making fun of me..."

"Me? No!" She smiled. "The way you faced off those biker chicks - it was amazing. Plus, I guess we now know which element you are."

"We do?"

"Well, if Diane is Earth and I'm Wind, and since the two left are fire and water, then I guess you have to be Fire, and that would make Tamara Water. Hmmm... I guess we should tell her - she probably doesn't know yet."

She beckoned me to come closer. I came over and leaned down. Cassie gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek. I shivered. Not that it was sexy, though it was, but I couldn't escape the feeling - the feeling of love. Love unreserved, unquestioning and complete. It was... I guess the only word I can think of is "indescribable." And to think I hated her before. I felt so guilty.

I reached out and touched her cheek.

Cassie smiled and took my hand.

"Thank you for rescuing me, my love," she whispered.

I guess, since it was still so new, I felt a little awkward.

"So," I said in an effort to change the topic, "who were those guys anyway? Diane seemed to know them. Or at least the leader, Lucy."

"Well, like Diane said, they're from the Unheimlich Schwesternschaft. I guess you could say they're a rival witch clan. And, yeah, they're the bad guys, which makes us the good guys, I guess."

"But what does, ummm... Heimlich sweater-shaft mean?"

Cassie giggled. "'Unheimlich schwesternschaft,'" she corrected. "In English, that translates to the 'the scary sisterhood,' although that's their old name, and it isn't accurate anymore. They have worlocks now. You know - male witches. And they have sorcerers and other witchy folk. Like us and most modern covens. Of course, no one calls them the scary sisterhood anymore - most witches call them the Clan of Evil nowadays."

"You make it sound like everyone knows them."

"Well, yes, most everyone knows them... well, most witchy folk, anyway. You see, very few practice dark magic anymore - we got rid of most of them over the centuries, because they were dangerous, but for self preservation as well: the normals were scared of us, but mostly because of the dark ones. So we went underground and helped the normals hunt down the dark practicioners.

"There are a few still practicing the dark arts, and the few covens that still do - they couldn't help but stand out. And because they're dark practitioners, most don't, well, dont like to be around them. But so long as they didn't bother anyone, much less hurt anyone, they're tolerated. These dark witches paled in comparison to the evil that the old ones indulged in.

"The only coven who's actively being a dick, pardon my french, and is indulging in the dark arts without caring whether they hurt or harm, is the Coven of Evil. Many things have happened in the world over the years that are directly attributable to them, and this included several supposedly natural disaters as well as several man-made ones."

"Such as?"

Well, the first and second world wars, the 1929 stock market crash, the explosion of Krakatoa and Pinatubo, the 2011Tsunami in Japan, Typhoon Haiyan..."

I looked at Cassie wide-eyed. "Ohmigod!"

Cassie nodded. "I know. That's why, in 1915, all of the known covens in the world got together and formed a new one basically to stop the onslaught of their clan, and we were able to stop them, and this was our clan.

"We used to be around a thousand strong, but because of divided loyalties, almost of all of them had gone back to their home clans and families after the end of Word War One. But the... predations of the black clan continued. So, around 1921, a new conclave of the covens came to a decision - to finally do away with the Clan of Evil."

I was listening to Cassie's story wide-eyed. "And?" I asked, hanging on to her every word. Unconsciously, I had been holding on to Socks and Miles so tightly that I was hurting them, but they weren't complaining. It took Brian to let me know by head-butting my elbow. I let go of my little guys immediately, gave them apology kisses on top of their heads and repeated, "And?!"

"Well, the witches, having banded together, basically dealt with them and, for a time, everyone had thought they were gone forever, but I suppose, through some kind of spell, the clan came back with new members and new witches. Over the years, it's been in the middle of most of the century's major tragedies, and it was only the intervention of our clan that their efforts had been, ummm, restrained. And to prevent the decimation of our clan again, a spell was especially composed and cast, and we who heard the call are now here."

"Wow..."

"Yeah. Wow," Cassie said and chuckled. "But our sisters knew that our coven needed some help as it struggled to become self-sustaining, and that is how the elementals came to be. Four from the clan were to be the elementals, with power to control nature, and combat the dark witches.

"For a hundred years now, our clan has been struggling to keep our numbers up and prevent its dissolution, but, apparently we were reall meant to be only thirteen in number - nine sisters of the dawn and their four elementals."

"Sisters of the dawn?"

"That is what our coven is called - the Coven of the Dawn." She shrugged. "Almost all of us find the name a little pretentious, so we just call it our coven. And you know how our coven is about names," she chuckled.

I giggled. "And how!" I agreed.

"The dark clan is about fifty-strong now, so we're desperate to... reconstitute the elementals. Otherwise, we're dead, and the world may be, as well."

I gave Cassie a hug. "We'll be okay," I said. "Especially now that I'm here." I grinned widely and and waggled my eyebrows at her.

"Ha-ha," Cassie said. "You're so full of yourself, you know that, my love?" She smiled.

I giggled like a little girl, and gave Socks a squeeze, and Cassie laughed as well.

"So!" someone at the door said. "What's all this laughing about?"

"Who's that?" I asked Cassie.

"That, my dear, is one of your coven sisters. That's Helen, the lady who gave all of our pets..." the four howled and yipped in protest. "Sorry, guys!" Cassie apologized. "I mean, familiars! What I was saying was, Helen was the lady who got our, ummm, kids their licenses. Helen? Come on over and meet our new sister, Bia."

"Bia? Oh, wow! That's amazing. If I recall properly, Bia's one of the Titans that fought on the side of Zeus and the other gods. She's going to be awesome!"

"And more!"

"Oh, Cassie," I said. "Stop it..." I couldn't stop blushing.

Helen giggled. "You're so cute!" She came over and gave me a hug. "Welcome to the family, m'dear."

"How did you manage the licenses and the medalions?" I asked. "And all in a few hours?"

"How else?" she said, "with magic!" and Helen and Cassie laughed.

I looked a little confused and irritated at the corny joke.

"Oh, come on, my dear," Helen said, "it was begging for it."

"You'll eventually get used to Helen, Bia," Cassie said. "But aside from the one-liner, Helen was being serious. It was a spell that gave the kids their medalions."

"Speaking of which," the kindly, silver-haired old lady said, "I have a present for you, little girl!" She reached into her giant satchel-bag that reminded me of my mom's bag, especially with the embroidery on the side.

From the bag, she brought out a Manila envelope and handed it to me.

"In there is a full brace of identification papers. You know, I do all the paperwork for everyone in the coven. And this one, I put some extra flourishes, just for the heck of it."

Inside were several IDs - essentially equivalents of my guy-IDs... I mean my old IDs - based on these new ones, it seems I was still an engineer, but instead of being an L3 engineer, I'm now just an L1, which meant I'm practically just starting out. But that was to be expected since I noticed that I was now ten years younger than my old age - per the IDs, I was now only twenty-one, although my new birthday still had the same day and month. I looked through everything, and there was a birth certificate, high school diploma, a college undergrad and masters diplomas, a social security card, driver's license, employment certificate, and so on. Everything was the same except that the last digits of the ID numbers were all higher, and the year of all the dates were all ten years later, and, of course, they had my new picture in place of my old picture - funny, though - my poses and expressions in all the new pictures were exactly like my old pictures' poses and expressions. But...

"Cassie," I whispered and showed her my new driver's license. It had all my new details - new birthday, new eye color, new hair color, new height, but...

"Ummm, Helen," Cassie said.

"What?" Helen said sounding worried.

Cassie showed my new ID to her. On it, it said my name was "Kimberly Nightingale."

"Oh!" Helen exclaimed. "I thought her new name was Kimmy, so, naturally... Well, let me take care of that."

She took back the Manila envelope and made some gestures over it with her right hand.

"There you go!" she said, and returned it to me. I was surprised that it was that quick. I took out the papers and looked for my driver's license again, and now it said "Beatrice Kimberly Nightingale" - exactly the name I was hoping for.

I gave Helen a big hug. "Oh!" she said. "That's a nice surprise."

"Thank you, Aunt Helen," I said.

She gave me a kiss on the cheek. "You are quite welcome, my dear. And if you are to look at the bottom of the pile of papers..."

I did and found my birth certificate again, with my new birthday and new name properly filled in, but there was another certificate paperclipped to the back of it. I checked it out, and it was another birth certificate - this one, a certificate of live birth, just like the other one, with all the details the same except this one had the name of my adoptive parent in place of mom's name, that Diane Joyce Burton was my adoptive mother, and that it was a San Francisco birth certificate issued about a year ago instead of an LA one issued thirty-one years ago.

Later on, after a bit of research, I found that adopted children were issued new birth certificates, and that was all that was needed.

Anyway, this made mommy my official mommy. Yayy!!!

I gave Helen a big hug.

She hugged me back, and, then we heard a new voice.

"So, what's with all this hugging, and how can I get some of that?" I turned around.

"Mommy!" I exclaimed in happiness. "You're awake!"

I resisted my urge to give her a hug. I didn't know if I should, what with the IV drip and other wires attached to her. I settled for a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Hi, baby," Diane said. She sounded weak and tired.

"I'm so glad you're awake, but the doctors said you'd be asleep for a while yet."

Mommy nodded her head to the kindly silver-haired grandmother-type.

I looked at my new Aunt Helen.

"Didn't you know?" Helen said. "I do a lot of things for my sisters. And one of them is I fix everyone." She gave me another hug. "Your mommy's gonna be okay in a couple of hours, and maybe we can have her home by today."

"What's wrong with who?" someone asked.

We all looked and there was this pretty, oriental girl by the door. She had a backpack on her back and a small suitcase in her hand.

"Tamara!" Helen exclaimed. "You're back!"

"Yes, I am," she agreed, smiling, and then looked at me. "Who are you?"

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