Emily dressed herself nervously. This was probably going to be the weirdest day in her life. Well, maybe the second weirdest, she thought, giggling to herself. Learning that she had changed into a girl in the first place had to come in number one, of course.

An accumulation of magical residue had changed her from Gabriel Randall, popular Sophomore student and JV quarterback, into Emily Randall, his pretty, supposedly grieving cousin from Flagstaff; Arizona.

Thanks to some of her Grandmother’s magic, she was now quite comfortable in her new gender, along with being familiar with the Flagstaff, Arizona area. She had wached several videos of then Flagstaff area. Emily felt that she would be able to maintain her cover story of being the only survivor of a terrible accident that took the lives of her parents and her “cousin.”

She had chosen her clothing carefully, hoping not to stand out much. If she could just blend in, most people wouldn’t even notice her. She knew she wasn’t particularly pretty, but she wasn’t unattractive, either. She slid into her jeans, rather than put on a skirt. A comfortable red T-shirt, some ankle socks and her cross-trainers finished her outfit. It was going to be hard enough to be there, with all of her old friends, while pretending not to know them. She didn’t need some boy trying to get into her pants (uhgh!) as well.

Mom and Grandma Liz had spent most of the Easter break trying to teach her to be a “lady”, although she had every intention of ignoring most of their lessons. She didn’t want to be a proper girl today. She wanted to be just a semi-tomboyish, normal teenage girl, like most of the other girls at the school.

A horn honked from down in the garage below her small loft. “Hey, are you done staring at yourself in the mirror?” her mom called. “It’s time to leave, sweetie.”

They had decided that she would get a ride from her “Aunt Jenny” today, rather than drive
Gabe’s truck. This way, it wouldn’t seem quite as strange to Gabe’s friends on her first day at school as Emily. Too many people knew the old green Stepside, and it would attract too much attention.

She was very nervous, and her mind was racing with worry, so there wasn’t much conversation on the way to school. Her mom smiled as she stepped out of the car,

“Have a good day, Emily. Relax, it will be much easier than you think. Grandma Liz will pick you up after school. Bye, honey!”

“Bye!” Emily called. “I love you!”

She held her books close to her chest as she walked into the school, and no one said anything. She stopped at the office to see “where her classes were,” even though she was quite familiar with the school. She also had to be assigned a locker and get her temporary student ID card. She stepped up to the counter and smiled.

“Hi, I’m Emily Randall, and I’m starting here today. My Aunt said I needed to pick up some things, and I’m hoping you have a school map?”

Ms. Branch, an attractive older woman, stood and returned her smile. “Yes, I have a welcome packet here for you. I’m Jenny Branch, the school secretary. There’s a map in there, but if I remember right, you’re in Mr. Stewart’s homeroom, and that’s right at the end of this hall, on you’re right, room 110. I’m glad to meet you, Emily. Have a good day!”

“Thanks, I hope I will!”

On her way down the hall, she saw her friend, Larry, and she almost called out to him, but stopped herself in time. She put her head down and headed into the classroom, doing her best not to cry. She found a seat and opened her welcome packet. As she’d expected, there were a few papers there. She ignored the map, but read the locker assignment and put the combination sheet into her purse, along with her temporary student ID.

Mr. Stewart, wearing his usual black turtleneck and black slacks, clapped his hands and called the class to order.

“All right, everyone! Welcome back, let’s take the roll now.”

He went down the list, and when he called Emily’s name, several people looked her way.

Grace Martin leaned over to her. “Hey, Are you related to Gabe Randall? I haven’t seen him today,”

Emily had known this would happen, and she thought she was ready, so she was a little surprised at how quickly and easily the tears came.

“I’m his cousin,” she said, wiping her eyes.” I’m sorry, but Gabe was killed in a traffic accident in Arizona, along with my parents.”

The room suddenly went silent. Grace’s mouth dropped open, and her eyes began to water.

“You...you’re serious? Gabe’s dead?!” Her shocked look brought up a flood of Emily’s tears, and she quickly pulled Emily into a hug. “Oh crap, honey, I’m so sorry!”

Several people were in tears. Some had shocked looks, not believing what they’d heard. Mr. Stewart took a few minutes to let people deal with this news, then called the class to order.

“I am sincerely sorry, Miss Randall, I’m sure we can all sympathize with your loss. Gabe was well liked here at Armstrong High, and the loss of your parents must be terrible for you as well.”

“Thank you, sir,” Emily said, wiping her eyes.

“Well, then,” He said, wiping his eye, “back to regular business...”

Throughout the day, people would approach Emily and express their good wishes. As she expected, it was a long day, but no one made any comments that they might have believed that she was actually Gabe. Everyone had been friendly and sympathetic, and Emily began to relax and believe that her mother had been right, it was easy.

Feeling much better about the school, she packed up her books in her new backpack, and went out to meet her grandma. Just as she reached the bottom of the stairs, she heard something that made her turn. Someone had tripped and fallen hard to the cement. She ran to help, and saw that it was Debbie!

Debbie was unconscious, and somehow Emily knew she was seriously hurt. She reached out, not knowing what to do, but truly wanting to help. A “draining” feeling started as soon as she touched Debbie’s arm, as though something was being sucked out of Emily and into the wounded girl. Debbie moaned and started to sit up, but Emily lightly held her down before she could move. Again, Emily realized she already knew that Debbie would be all right.

“Relax, hon, it’s gonna be all right. You need to stay as still as you can, you took a nasty fall and you might have hurt your back or your neck, so don’t even move your head, okay?”

“Owww,..uhh...what?”

Emily gently held Debbie’s head so she couldn’t move it.

“You fell down the stairs, hon. Just hold still until the paramedics get here, okay?”

Emily tried to call 911 on her cell phone, but before she could punch in the number, she heard sirens, and saw an ambulance approaching. Someone must have seen Debbie’s accident, and called for help.

“It’s all right hon, help is here, and you’re going to be fine.”

The paramedics quickly took over and got Debbie into the ambulance. One of them talked to Emily about what had happened.

She quickly explained as the other paramedic finished locking the gurney into the ambulance. “I heard a noise and saw her fall from the top of the stairs.” She said, indicating the low stairway, only five steps high. “She hit the ground pretty hard, so I rushed over to see if I could help. She tried to get up, but I got her to relax, and hold still until you came.”

“Who are you? Are you a friend?”

“No, I’ve never met her before. My name’s Emily Randall.”

“Well, you may have saved her life. I’ve gotta go, thanks!”

He rushed to the ambulance and they drove away, lights and sirens warning everyone to get out of the way. Emily looked up and saw her Grandmother’s car.

“I saw you helping her.” Grandma Liz told her as she got in the car. “You did very well, I’m very proud of you.”

Emily blushed. “Thanks, Grandma. I-I think I healed her, somehow, but maybe it was just my nerves.”

“No. I felt your power. I’ll admit, I was very surprised.”

“I have magic?” She asked, not sure if that was good or bad.

I’m in my bed, just staring at the ceiling. I have a lot going through my mind, and it’s very confusing. School seems to have gone much better than I expected, which really makes me happy. The touching responses of my classmates in regard to my “death” was a big ego boost. Now I’m going to have to find a way to get my ego back in check. I have to get this head through the doors. Then there’s Debbie’s accident. I kind of don’t know how I feel about it, but I guess I’m glad she’s okay. Last, but very definitely not least, there’s my feelings about the magic.

I can’t have magic. I may have a girl’s body, but this is definitely a boy’s brain. Boy brains can’t do magic. There’s something about the way we think that keeps us powerless as far as the quantum world goes. Maybe it’s because we see the world differently. Maybe it’s chemical. I don’t know.

Anyway, I have a boy-type brain. There are no if, ands or buts about it. Therefore, I cannot do magic.

But I did magic. And only a girl’s brain can do magic, so, logically, I must have…a girl’s brain.

Crap.

I had believed that some part of me was still Gabe, that he wasn’t completely gone. Now I know that it’s true, Gabriel Anthony Randall is truly deceased.

I think I’m just gonna stay here in my loft, today. I really don’t want to be around anyone today. I’m just going to sit here and mourn Gabe.

“No, Emily, you’re not.”

I look up and I see my Grandma. Has she always been able to read my mind? Wow, no wonder I never get away with anything!

She sits down on my bed and hugs me. Whatever it is that she does, she always makes me feel better. Even if I really didn’t want to feel better at all. How’m I gonna develop my “teenage angst”, with her around? I’m being deprived of life experience, here. Yeah, just remember, when I’m old and gray, and I don’t have a bitter, grumpy personality, remember, it’s all Grandmas’ fault.

“So you’re not Gabe anymore. We still love Emily, you know that don’t you?

”Yeah, I know that. I love you, too.”

“Heck, we might even like Emily better, she doesn’t eat as much, so there’s a big savings on the grocery bill, and there’s actually milk in the refrigerator an hour after it comes in the house. That hasn’t happened in a long time!”
I smiled and stuck out my tongue.

“Emily, I’ll admit, I thought the same way that you did. It might be a prettier, less stinky exterior, but inside, it’s still my Grandson Gabe. I was very surprised to see you do magic, even if it was only an instinctive healing spell. This means the spell was much more comprehensive than I thought. Oh, and you did a great job, by the way. I talked to Debbie’s mother, Gwen, and she said Debbie has nothing but a few minor bruises, and she was released from the ER last night.

I also told Gwen about Debbie’s sudden display of talent. She’s quite upset to learn that Debbie had been snooping in her dresser drawers, although she’s very pleased that Debbie has some ability. That love spell has been removed from Tim Davies, and she’s been grounded for the foreseeable future. We are discussing additional punishment, but I have to tell you, I think Gwen should be punished as well. Keeping a spellbook? That was irresponsible, and I mean to talk to her about it at the next coven luncheon.”

“Is a spellbook a bad thing? Don’t you need a Grimoire to record your spells and stuff in?”

“Oh, that’s just for Fairy Tales, Emily. You know that unless you are a female blood descendant from one of the families, magic is impossible. No spells, potions or talismans have any power without the heritage.” She looked a bit embarrassed. “A spellbook is really a cheat book, and naughty student witches use them to help focus their instinctive powers. It’s considered as bad as a crib sheet in a test. And before you ask, yes, I had one, too.”

“You, ah, wouldn’t happen to have saved it somewhere, would you?” I tried to bat my eyelashes and smile very sweetly.

Grandma laughed. “Nice try, young lady. No, my Mom found it and made me burn it. Your Mom didn’t have one, at least not to my knowledge, anyway. If I can help it, you won’t have one, either. They actually don’t help in the long run, you know. It becomes a crutch, and it can promote bad habits.”

Sigh. “Okay, Grandma.” Geez, how am I going to get a dark side if I’m so darn good all the time?

“By the way, as of tonight you have 3 classes a week with Mrs. Andrews. She’s going to be teaching you basic magic techniques.”

“Oh, Witchcraft 101?” I asked, my eyes as big and innocent as I could make them. “When do we get our brooms?”

“How would you like to have explosive diarrhea for the next few days?” she asked, looking sternly at me.

“Ah, well, uhm…No, thank you?”

She laughed. “Basic Magic is actually fun, you’ll see. I know there’s already another student who will be studying with you, so maybe you’ll make a friend, hmm?”

It was starting to sound good, and I couldn’t wait to start the class.

School went well, and I drove to Mrs. Andrews’ house, anxious to start the class. She seemed very nice, and I asked about the other student.

“She’s a very lovely girl, and I hope you two will become great friends. Oh, here she comes now!”

Oh, crap.

Debbie Holloway.

Debbie walked up, smiling. “You must be Emily. I’m told I have you to thank for saving me yesterday. I’m Deb Holloway, I’m very happy to meet you. I used to date your cousin, Gabe. I was very sorry to hear about what happened.”

We hugged, and she actually seemed sincere. “I appreciate your kind words, Deb, Gabe had mentioned you. Well, are you ready to go learn why everything we’ve done is wrong?”

She laughed, but I noticed her giving me a worried glance. I guess that she was wondering what Gabe had told me about her.

I was kind of torn about her. Part of me wanted to hate her and her manipulative ass, but part of me felt I should give her another chance. Revenge sounded so good to me! She’d broken my heart, and her reckless use of magic had led to my transformation.

I’ve heard that there are three questions you need to ask yourself before you seek revenge. First, will revenge fix the problem? No, I’d still be a girl.

Second, will revenge improve the situation? No, it would probably cause even more issues.

Third, and really, most importantly, will revenge make me happier? I thought about it, and though I was very sorely tempted, I finally came to the conclusion that no, I don’t really believe it would. It’s best to just let the problem die. I’m a different person now, and I need to start fresh. Besides, I seem to have a definite shortage of friends.

We do share some things in common, and maybe she’ll be a better friend than she was a girlfriend. We’ll see.

Our first lesson was designed to teach us patience and control. We were supposed to light a candle with only our minds. My first thought was to wonder what Debbie was going to use?

I kill me. Yes, Grandma, if you’re listening, that is a petty and unproductive thought. It’s still a little funny, though.

Yeah, I’ve read several books and stories where the student has to struggle with lighting the candle, and eventually it they become so proficient that it takes only the merest thought to perform the task, and everyone is sooo impressed.

Deb and I focused on our candles, pictured what we wanted in our minds, and then concentrated. Both candles lit with very little effort, and we celebrated with a hug. Mrs. Andrews sewemed suitably impressed, but her only comment was to tell us to do it again. And again . And again…

And she had seemed like such a nice lady, too!

Actually, although it was rather monotonous, we both got to a point where the tiniest thought would light the candle. Then Mrs. Andrews started making things more interesting.

She had us light multiple candles, candles around corners where they were out of our line of sight, lighting several candles in a circular sequence, while we extinguished the candles that started the sequence,, and then relighting them again, kind of like the circle was blinking. That one made me dizzy.

No, comments about “dizzy blondes” are not necessary, thank you very much.

Our “homework” was to practice our control over the flames, making them bigger, smaller, even hotter or cooler. The first thing I needed was a safe place to practice.

I’ve heard of witches who can “create” a practice area in some kind of a “pocket dimension.” Too cool! I can only dream of such things. I have to settle for practicing in the driveway. Really? It was only a candle, for goodness sakes!

“Mom!” I yelled as she sprayed the fire extinguisher.

“I’m sorry, sweetie! I thought you might get burned!”

“I haven’t started yet!”

She made it very hard to practice. Maybe I should start by setting her bra on fire.

Despite the best efforts of my parental unit, I actually did get some practice in. It really wasn’t that difficult. In fact, I was having fun!

At least, I was, until Grandma sprayed me with the hose.

The next day I met Deb at school, and we compared experiences. Her family had really enjoyed themselves. The worst was either her father with the pitcher of water, or her brother with a super-soaker.

I’m sensing a conspiracy here.

After school, we settled into our seats at Mrs. Alexander’s place. She sat down and asked us how our homework went, and then she broke into laughter. Seeing the silliness of it, we joined in.

“I’m sorry, girls, but it’s the traditional welcome for new students.”

“So you got it, too?” Deb asked.

“Oh yes. My mom, and your grandmother, Emily, gave me a nice wet welcome. The candle lighting is actually a very simple thing, but it often impresses the new girls. I’m not sure who started the welcoming wetting, but it’s been going as long as I can remember.”

“You’re not sure…does that mean you have an idea who started it?” I asked.

“Well, the rumor I heard was that it was Elizabeth Carstairs, but there is no proof, and she’s never admitted anything.”

“My Grandma?” I thought about it, and giggled. “Yeah, she'd do it.”

“I’ve always been told that there is a great deal of serious responsibility involved in our lives as witches.” Mrs. Alexander explained. “Having a sense of humor is very important to our sanity, so we try to have fun with what we do, but never forget, magic is not a toy. There are serious dangers when we use our powers, and that’s what we’re going to work on today.”

I was very familiar with the dangers of wild magic. I was surprised at how much of this “magical pollution” was created with each use of our powers, but there were things we could, and should do to minimize the effects. It struck me that if only Debbie had known this, I wouldn’t have to deal with this, but it was useless to worry about that now.

"Mrs. Alexander?" I asked. "Doesn't the magic we do with the candles cause problems?"

"Not really. Yes, there is some buildup, but lighting a candle takes almost no effort at all, and thus has little waste. It actually takes more energy just to breathe."

"So it's directly related to how much effort we use?"

"Yes, the energy to create magic comes from you. A major 'spell', for lack of a better word, will pull a great deal of energy out of you."

"When Deb had her accident, I could feel a draining, almost like I was pouring some of myself into her."

"That's actually a good analogy. Even though you did the healing instictively, you had to give her your own energy to help her heal."

I noticed Deb was thoughtful. I don't know how much energy her "love spells" used, but I'm guessing it was considerable.

Class went well, and Grandma was right, I actually had fun. Deb and I were building a bond of friendship that my Mom said would last throughout our lives. I hoped she was right-I wondered how Debbie would feel when she found out that I used to be Gabe?

I knew that she would eventually find out. Secrets always come out at some point, and I’ve always felt that if the truth was told, hard feelings are avoided. I was afraid, though, that Debbie would feel the guilt that I didn’t want to lay on her. So what do I do? I had a feeling that nothing I did was going to be right.

I was so confused. If I told Deb my secret, how would she handle it? Could I trust her? If the secret were revealed, even by accident, it would be disastrous. It would affect many people, including my family. How could we explain it? I just didn’t know what to do.

It all came down to two things. Did I have faith in the secret, or faith in Debbie? To tell the truth, I wasn’t comfortable with either one. My head was spinning with worry. If I did tell Deb, how would I do it? I could just see it now…

“Debbie? I need to tell you something. See, I’ve known you for longer than you think. Thanks to your careless playing with magic, I was hit by wild magic. I used to be your boyfriend, Gabe.”

Oh yeah, that’ll work.

Grandma and Mom could tell I was worried, and naturally they wanted to help. I told them I was thinking about telling Debbie.

“Mom, our witching community is really not that large, and I worry that someone will reveal the secret in some way. I could totally ruin my friendship with Debbie if she feels I don’t trust her.”

“I can’t tell you what to do, Emily.” Mom told me. “That’s on you. I’ll give you my advice, but this is really something you have to decide.”

“Jenny’s right, Emily. I know this is driving you crazy, but you need to trust your judgment. Personally, I think I’d tell Debbie. Secrets in a small community never last.”

“I disagree.” Mom said. “Who knows the secret? Only we three, and your father. Yes, I had to call him, sweetheart. I couldn’t spring that on him. He’s upset, but never at you, hon. He knows that there you did nothing wrong, except to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Anyway, since we are the only ones who know about this, I think we’re pretty secure, and there is too much danger if the secret is revealed, even if it happened by accident.”
Wonderful. No pressure at all. Now I’ve got a headache.

I didn’t sleep well that night, and I woke several times. I think I had some bad dreams, but I can’t remember what they were. I gave serious thought to using my new ability to set my alarm clock on fire, but instead I groggily got up and went in for a shower.

The shower woke me up, and I got dressed quickly. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to all this frilly stuff. After I got my underwear (oops) my lingerie, on, I pulled on a pair of black jeans and a blue patterned blouse. A couple of ankle socks and my trainers, and I was ready for the day. I hoped.

Breakfast was a muffin and a glass of orange juice, then out the door to my truck. I pulled into the school parking lot, grabbed my backpack and headed for the door. Before I even got out of the parking lot, two of the football players got between me and the gate.

“Hey, Emily, you look really nice today.” Brad Mallory, a 6’3”, 275 lb linebacker, and one of the richest kids in school, was a well known player. Even if I had been interested in guys, I would have avoided him and his buddy, Jim Parker. Neither one was unattractive, to tell the truth. Jim was 6’2”, very muscular and his long blonde hair was his pride and joy. I already knew that they were both thinking of nothing but getting between my legs. They had a very high opinion of themselves, and they loved to brag about their conquests.

“Hi, ah, Brad, isn’t it?” I had to pretend that I was totally oblivious to them and their reputation.

“Hey, you remembered my name! I knew I saw you checking me out.” Brad smiled, obviously believing that he was irresistible. “I’d really like to get to know you better, and I hope you’d want to know me, as well.”

“I’m sorry, Brad, but I really don’t have the time for dating right now. I have a class after school, and a lot of homework to catch up to the class. I’m really sorry.” I started to walk around them, but they just moved to block my path again.

“Oh, come on, Emily, you could skip one night of extra schooling, couldn’t you? I think you’re very pretty, and I’m sure you’d enjoy a cup of coffee, at least? I know this great place…”

“Like I said, I really can’t. Now, would you please get out of my way before I’m late to class?”

“But, Emily, I-“

“She said move, Brad.”

“Hi, Tim. We were just-“

“We have class in 15 minutes. Get out of our way.”

“Okay, I’m sorry. I’ll talk to you later, Emily. Have a great day, okay?”

Tim Davies, the varsity quarterback, was not tall or overly muscular, but he had a definite “presence” that got my notice. I knew he was a nice guy, and several colleges were checking him out to join their football programs. What I didn’t know was how nice he smelled, or how he somehow made me shiver as he softly touched my back as he let me go through the gate first. We talked a little, and I thanked him for being a gentleman and coming to my assistance.

“Oh, that’s okay, it’s just part of my duties.”

“Duties?” I asked.

“Yes, ma’am. As a knight, I am required to assist any lovely lady where I can.” He bowed very grandly. “Sir Timothy, at your service, fair lady.”

I did my best not to laugh. He was so charming.

“Alas, Sir Timothy, I hath not the time to converse with thee, as I have obligations elsewhere. Another time, mayhap?”

“Truly, milady. I pray that the time fly speedily, but until then, I must bid the adieu, and farewell!” He dashed up the staircase, and I walked to my classroom. For some reason, I felt a very happy glow.

Tim and I didn’t have any of the same classes, and even our lunch times were different. I did get a chance to see him as we passed in the hallway, and I shyly waved at him as he smiled at me, and then vanished into the crowd.

After school, as I opened the door to my truck, I noticed a note on my windshield.

Milady-I must speak with you soon, as I am fair troubled. Your smile doth brighten my day, and I wouldst be most happy to escort you to one of our lovely theatrical presentations. When thou hast time, I would ask thee to send a message hence on ye text line. I pray that this message doth find favor with thee, and that thou dost look with favor upon mine invitation. Your servant-Sir Timothy

He had written his number at the bottom of the note, and I confess that I felt very pleasant when I read his message. I would have to consider this, but for now I needed to get to Mrs. Andrew’s.

As I drove to my magic class, I realized I had decided what to do about Debbie. Perhaps all I needed was a distraction to let me see the problem in a new way, and the answer was quite clear.

After our class, I asked Debbie if I could talk to her for a minute.

“Deb, I have to talk to you, and I”ll ask that you trust me as to the truth of what I’m going to tell you. I also have to ask you not to repeat this to anyone, please.
I’ve struggled with this since yesterday, and I hope I’ve made the right choice. More than anything, I want to trust you, but I’m very nervous.”

“I swear that I will never tell anyone what you tell me, Emily. You can trust me with anything.”

“Debbie, I’ve gone through a lot of changes recently. In fact, I, um, used to be Gabriel Randall until a couple of weeks ago.” I admitted, waiting for her reaction.

“I know,” she said with a smile.

“You…know? B-but who…how…”

Crap. Who else knew?

Debbie smiled. “Relax, Emily. No one told me anything. I figured it out from the clues.”

I stared at here, totally stunned. “Clues?”

“Oh come on, Gabe-‘scuse me, Emily-You’ve told me yourself that you don’t have any relatives except your immediate family. Suddenly, Gabe is killed in an accident far from here, and a girl named Emily, claiming to be his cousin shows up. There are other clues-Gabe was such a guy. You do too many things wrong to have been a girl all along, even if you were a tomboy. You are very obviously uncomfortable in your clothes. Taken all together, I worked it out that my former boyfriend is now my best girl friend.

I wondered, how did it happen? Not voluntarily, of course. Gabe was all man, and happy about it. After our lesson on magical safety, I know that major spells need to be cleaned up, or they leave free magic to build up.” She had tears in her eyes. “I was going around town, using Mom’s old spellbook to cast some major spells. I’m not stupid, Emily. I know that I did this, somehow. I’ve ruined your life, and it’s all my fault!

Then what did you do? You saved me when I tripped over those stupid heels, even though I had screwed up your life. I didn’t know how to tell you I knew, but I swear, I would never do that to you intentionally. Despite what you might think, I actually liked you a lot; I was just so power crazy and greedy!

I am so sorry, Emily! I don’t know how you can stand to be anywhere near me, but I hope someday you can forgive me.” She said, her face wet with tears.

“I was very angry with you at first, but it was an accident,” I said.” I’m going to have a hard time dealing with being a girl-like you said, I never wanted this, and now I have all this weirdness going on. I get all these weird feelings, like being interested in a boy(shiver!). I never thought that would happen, even after my change, and I still don’t know what I’m going to do about it.

I do forgive you though. You did something inconsiderate and stupid, but we’ve all made mistakes. Okay, so yours was somewhat more…intense than most. What happened was still an accident. You didn’t want this, I don’t want this, but we have to deal with it now.

If you’re really feeling guilty, there is something you can do for me,” I said as I looked at her. “Help me! I need a friend. I need someone my age to help me get through this! I need someone I can talk to about all of this, and…I need you.

Despite everything, I…I love you.” I whispered the last part, looking straight into her eyes.

She looked at me with amazement. “Oh, God!” She gave me a hug, sobbing. “I can’t believe it! Thank you, Emily! Of course I’ll help you, whatever I can do! I will always be your friend, forever!”

“Well, let’s just stick with the foreseeable future, okay? Besides, there’s an issue I need to deal with, and I don’t think you’re going to like it very much.”

“Oookay, what’s the problem, and why won’t I like it?”

“Umm, well…Tim Davies kind of asked me out, and I want to go, but I don’t want to hurt you, and I don’t know what to do!”

She giggled. “Emily, once the love spell was broken, Tim and I discovered we have nothing in common. I was just after the status, hon. Besides,” she said, striking a sexy pose. “I have plenty of boys to choose from…and I’ve learned I want to find the one who really loves me. I was just so shallow, and I hate people like that!

Now, what kind of a date is it?” She smiled.

I laughed, partly with relief, and partly with fear. I was going on a date-with a boy!

I sent Tim a text to let him know my decision.

Arr, matey, t’would be my pleasure to accompany thee on such an expedition. Pray, contact me at -------- to arrange the details of our liaison. ‘Til then, mate! Arr!

Corny, I know, but it’s fun. I couldn’t believe the butterflies I was getting, just waiting for his call. Fortunately, I didn’t have long to wait.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Emily?”

“ Yes, hello, Tim. Thanks for calling so quickly.”

“No problem, I’ve kinda been hoping you’d text me.”

“I guess I was kinda nervous. No one’s ever asked me out before.”

“Really? I would have guessed a pretty girl like you would have guys just waiting to go out with you.”

“I guess you could say that I’m sort of a late bloomer.”

“Well, I was thinking about going out Friday night, around seven?”

“That would be great, Tim. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Cool! All right, I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?

“Yeah, I can’t wait! Bye, Tim.”

“Okay, bye!”

Grandma came out of the kitchen. “Did I hear you setting up a date? Are you really ready for that?”

“Grandma, I’m not sure. If you‘d asked me before today, I’d have told you that it’d be a cold day in Hades before I let a boy date me. Something about this guy, though. He makes me all ‘tingly’ inside, and I feel gooey and happy. He’s such a nice guy, and I just…I want to see where this goes, okay?”

She came over and kissed my forehead. “More than okay, sweetheart.”

I blushed, I guess, and Grandma gently chuckled. “So how did it go with Debbie? Did you decide to tell her?”

“Oh yeah, Grandma, you wouldn’t believe it! She already knew!”

She suddenly stopped and looked at me. “What?”

“Nobody told her, Grandma. She figured out, and from what she told me, it really wasn’t that hard.”

“That’s a little frightening, Emily. What if…”

“Grandma, I don’t think most people could have done it. Part of the way she figured it out was because we used to date, and I told her some things about the family that was not all that important then. She also figured out that she made it happen with that spellbook, and she was very apologetic. I really think we can trust her.”

“I hope you’re right, sweetheart. That’s one more person who could accidentally let your secret out, one more bit of risk. That said, I think telling her was right, even if she hadn’t known already. I also think you needed someone you could talk to, someone you could trust. Debbie could be that lifelong friend and sister, and that’s something to be treasured.”

“So, I did it right?” I asked.

“Only time will tell, Love. I certainly hope so. Now come on, let’s get dinner ready. Oh, I have some good news for you, baby. Your Dad will be home tomorrow, and he’s really looking forward to meeting his daughter!”

“As much as he’s gone on those business trips, he barely even knew his son.” Okay, so I was a little bitter.

“Now, honey, you’ve got to understand, your dad has to work like that.” She said, angrily. “He allows us to live as well as we do! Your mom and he have done everything they could to support us, and it’s a lot harder than you seem to understand, young lady.”

I’d known I was wrong when I said it. “I’m sorry, Grandma, really I am. I just miss him so much, sometimes.”

She gave me a supportive hug. “I know, baby, I do. It’s hard for him, too, believe me. Not only does he miss you, but he and your mom miss each other terribly.”

I really felt a bit like a spoiled brat, whining like that. I really hope he liked his new daughter, and he didn’t need to deal with a whiny bitch. I resolved to be a little more upbeat, and give him a proper welcome tomorrow. I just had to figure out what that was.

My mom woke me before my alarm went off, and after a few minutes of brain rebooting, I staggered into the shower, then got dressed for the day. Mom had laid out a sundress for me, but I really wasn’t ready for that. I don’t know if I ever will be. I wore a pair of light tan jeans, with a light red (no, it’s not pink-I don’t care who says it is) t-shirt. My usual ankle socks and trainers, of course, and I put my hair into a nice ponytail.

“Okay, Mom, I’m awake. Now can you tell me why I’m awake at 5:30 in the morning?”

She looked a little disappointed that I hadn’t worn the sundress. “I thought you might want to come with me to pick up your Dad, honey. We can talk about…things, while we drive to the airport.”

Oh, and I can just guess what we’re going to talk about, too. Ookay. I do want to see Dad, and get his reaction to me, and I guess I’m even looking forward to a friendly conversation with Mom as well. At least I hope it’s friendly…

We took Mom’s minivan so that we’d have room for Dad’s luggage and stuff. It was a little rainy, more of a mist than rain, actually. I was hoping the Sun would dry things a bit as the morning progressed. The beating of Mom’s wipers, back and forth, back and forth, was almost hypnotic, and it made me sleepy.

“Mom says that you’re getting along with Debbie now, and that you have a date? Seems like an awful big adjustment in a fairly short time. I’m worried that you might be trying too hard to fit in, and that scares me a little.”

“Mom, I-”

“Just hear me out, sweetheart. You’ve gone through a lot of changes recently, and I really think you need to give yourself more time.”

“Mom, I’m not trying to rush anything. I needed to be honest with Debbie, it was driving me crazy, and not trusting her could have been very hurtful. You don’t see me wearing a skirt or walking around in high heels. I’m really not trying to be more of a girl, not yet, and maybe not ever, I don’t know.

“As to the date? I don’t know. I know I get a bit giggly when he’s around, but we’re just going to a movie. Part of me is scared to death about this, but part of me is sooo…attracted to him for some reason. I have to figure out what my body is telling me, but I’m pretty sure it’s not saying ‘Hey, you need to be making wild passionate love’-at least, not yet! The only way a boy is getting in these pants is if I suddenly turn back into Gabe.”

Jenny laughed.

“All right, I was just concerned. Things will be different for you now. Some will be better, some will be worse, but some will be just annoying and unfair.”

“I know, Mom. I’m terrified about my first period, I’m nervous about my date with Tim, and I’ve never
really felt so vulnerable and weak before, but I’m not going to let that stop me from living!”

I could see that I had pleased her. We spent the rest of the hour’s drive talking about school, my magic lessons, and what I was going to wear on my date. I had just planned on my jeans and a T-shirt, but Mom was hoping I’d try the sundress. Oh, geeze! She had a good point, that Tim would be pleased, but I just wasn’t comfortable with that yet.

We got to the airport about 5minutes before Dad’s flight was scheduled to arrive. We parked the minivan near the terminal where he would be, and then went in and found some seats to wait. The flight was a little late, but I soon saw my dad. I was very nervous. Mom got up to meet him, and I followed behind her. They hugged, and then he looked at me.

“Hi, kid. How are you handling it?” He asked, “You certainly turned out beautiful.”

I blushed. “Thanks, Dad. I’m …adjusting.”

He held his arms open, and I gave him a hug.

“I’m so sorry you have to go through this, baby.” He said. “I just want to let you know that I’m very proud of the way you’re handling everything, and that you can count on me to support you any way I can.”

I hugged him even harder. “I know, Dad. I love you.”

“You two are going to make it hard to do these sales trips. I won’t want to leave again!”

We both looked at him. “Good!”

“You probably don’t want to hear about how well I did on this trip, do you?”He asked.

“Sure we do, Dad. We just wish you could be home more, that’s all.”

“Well, I had a conference call with the some of the company brass yesterday, and they said I’ve done very well, especially when you consider the past year. They had a few issues though,”

That didn’t sound good.

“What happened?” Mom asked.

“Seems they lost a Vice President and a major salesman this week. This is going to mean some major changes in our lives from now on.”

“You’ll be gone more often then, won’t you?” It just seemed like I’d never get to spend any time with Dad. He’d been gone so often, I sometimes didn’t even get to see him when he was home.

“Well, honey, sometimes you need to make sacrifices to get that promotion, or the raise in pay, and we’ll need that raise to support your shopping habits now.” He joked.

I just hugged his arm. “I just want you, Dad.”

His eyes got big, and he looked at Mom. “I can’t do it anymore, Jen.”

She smiled and nodded.

“The conference call was to tell me I was being promoted, sweetheart. Your dad is now the Vice President, in charge of sales, meaning somebody else does the traveling. I have to make one more sales trip to train my replacement, but I’m due to be back here early next month to take over my new job.”

“All right! Way to go, Daddy!”

“Aww, thank you, princess. It’ll be nice to be home, then. I can get out my old shotgun and intimidate your boyfriends!”

I gave him the evil eye. “Are you sure you really want this promotion? There’s a lot of stress being a vice president, you know.”

Mom and Dad laughed at me.

I looked for Tim in school today, and I might have seen him, but I was too far away to be sure. I was disappointed, but I still had time.

I noticed Debbie seemed to have issues when I saw her in the school hallways. There weren’t as many of her “admirers” dogging her around, and she seemed distracted. Something was really bugging her.

When we got to Mrs. Andrews house, she asked a question even before we’d said a greeting.

“Mrs. Andrews, we’ve learned a lot about why we need to learn to control our magic, the proper etiquette with magic, and the history of magic. So when do we actually learn how to do magic?”Debbie asked, a bit anxiously.

The Teacher smiled. “Okay, what do you want me to teach you?”

“Well…maybe…uh…” Debbie looked confused.

“You already know how to ‘do magic’, dear. You decide what you want to do, focus and release the energy. The question isn’t ‘how to do it’. As I’ve said before, spells, potions, totems and formulae are all ways to focus your energy, and they are unnecessary.

What you need to learn is energy management. You need to learn how to build your energy efficiently, how to conserve energy to allow for efficient use of your magic, and other things like what you can do when you need more magic, but you’re out of energy.

I teach you history so that you learn why we do what we do, where our families have come from, and how other witches have handled a situation in the past.

Personally, I feel that when I am teaching you why we do what we do, and the way we do it, I’m also teaching you to survive. The people around us believe that we are somehow evil, or a threat to their safety. Some greedy people in the world would covet our abilities, and they would do anything they could to control and exploit those abilities. We have to keep hidden and use our abilities judiciously. That’s what you’ll learn here.”

“Do you really think that we are that much at risk?” I asked. “I mean, there are laws against discrimination, and-“

“I’m sorry, Emily, but those laws are nearly useless. They’re a joke!” Debbie said angrily. “For example, if my Uncle Rich wanted to legally marry his partner in this state, it would not be recognized. Why? ‘Because the Bible defines marriage as between a woman and a man.’ So? The Bible also has instructions for a Father to sell his Daughter into slavery! What happened to the separation of Church and State? Your Civil Rights are subject to interpretation, and that interpretation is for sale.”

“You might be just a little pessimistic, Deb.” I said, smiling to show I wasn't attacking her.

“Emily, I only wish you were right, but the reality is that if our ability was exposed, we’d be in danger. People who are friendly to us now would turn on us in a minute, maybe not all of them, but enough that it would be a serious threat.”

As much as I wanted to say she was wrong, I knew she wasn’t.

“Okay, I surrender. I can’t realistically disagree with you.” I admitted.

Debbie smiled in satisfaction, her blue eyes sparkling with glee.

“All right, girls,” Mrs. Andrews said. “Can we get back to our lessons?”

We spent the rest of our time learning about the religion of our people, not that we had to believe in it. Apparently, it was based in the Wiccan beliefs, but because of our abilities, there had been a theological split, and our family had quietly faded into the background. They’ve maintained this status ever since.

Personally, I’m a Christian, at least until someone can convince me otherwise. It’s just who I am, and I’m not going to apologize for it. Yeah, I know about the evil that has been done by those claiming to be Christians, and yes, t’s a terrible thing. Should I blame all Muslims for 9/11? Do all Mexicans want to be in America? It’s idiotic to believe that, but Lord knows, there are plenty of idiots out there!

And that’s all I’m gonna say ‘bout that.

It would be absolutely wonderful to come home to my whole family, but that thought brought back my memories of the times my father and I had spent together, working on my truck, or fixing things around the house. It’s not that I can’t do the same things with him now. I've had to learn to cope without him because he was gone so often. I'm sure there are those who will disagree with me, but now that I'm female, it just ‘feels’ different. I can’t explain it, but I know how it feels.

Part of the problem is the way Dad treats me. Am I that much different, or are the gender roles so ingrained that he only sees me as weak and fragile? I get the feeling that if he could, he’d hide me away from the world-is it because he wants to protect me, or is he embarrassed by me?

I haven't been a “girly-girl”. Is it my fault the magic made me shorter and pretty? I still drive my truck, and I still do all my own work on it. I think I need to talk to Dad, and soon. I’ve lost so much-did I really have to lose that special relationship with my father, even more? Why can’t he see that I'm still me?

I’ve never worn skirts or high heels before, although I’m thinking Mom would like to “Girlify” me. Who knows? I saw a girl in school with a white turtleneck under a denim shirt (blouse! I know!) and a leather vest, with a brown patterned “broomstick” skirt and some very attractive boots, and I thought to myself that I would look good in something similar. The boots had a 2” heel, and I thought they looked beautiful.

I think I liked that look because it was a bit “tougher” than the usual skirt and blouse. Her huge hoop earrings made the look, I thought, rubbing my ears. I wonder if it’s true that it wouldn’t really hurt to have my ears pierced.

A part of me still wants to be Gabe, to resist being female. Yes, I’m fully aware that it’s stupid. The thing is, that part seems to be losing the battle. I know that I’m changing; I even find that Tim turns me on! It scares me to think that I've changed so much!

I’ve always retreated deep into myself when I’m chewing on a problem. I got home and went straight to my room, closed the door and tried to figure out everything. I brought my laptop on-line and went shopping for clothes. Because I wear a fairly common size, I can usually find the clothes I’m looking for and have them waiting for me at the store when I get there. I figure I can either pick them up tonight or tomorrow, and see if I can surprise Tim tomorrow night.

I think Grandma can sense my unrest, because she comes in to see how I’m doing, and if she can help. I still think she can read my mind, at least part of the time. She smiles, and without saying anything comes over to my bed, sits down and hugs me.

“You seem like you’re working over a serious problem, honey.”

“Grandma, I’m changing some more, and I’m not sure how I feel about it.”

“Changing how?” She asked.

“I-just-placed-an-order-for-a-skirt kinds of changes. It bothers me that I’m starting to feel comfortable like this. I’m very attracted to a boy, I’m planning to wear a skirt and maybe some heels, and I’m looking forward to it.

Shouldn’t this be harder? It seems that suddenly, it’s all right for me to want to dress up in a skirt. It’s exciting to be going on a date with a boy. I’ve even thought about trading in my old truck for a newer and smaller model! I just don’t know if this is just me coming to terms with my change, or if someone might be pushing me into this somehow.”

“Oh my. I can’t imagine why someone would be pushing you into femininity. Of course, there’s no way to know what’s ‘normal’ in this situation, but perhaps it’s a psychological thing. You associate skirts with girls, and as you relax onto this new life, maybe you are allowing yourself to change, to try to ‘fit in’ with those around you?

It may seem far-fetched, but isn't it more likely than the idea that someone is maliciously manipulating you? That seems a little paranoid to me, Emily, There is always a possibility that you are right, though, and it would be silly to discount the idea on an assumption. Let me ask around. There may be a way to figure out what is actually happening.”

I think Grandma is right. Would anyone do this to me on purpose? Why?

At last! It was Friday, the day of my date with Tim. Every time I thought about him, every time I pictured his smiling brown eyes, I got a flutter in my gut, like flocks of butterflies, and a very nice warm feeling in my heart (yeah, I know what YOU were thinking. Tsk Tsk!).

I still don’t understand how it is that I am so accepting of this part of my transformation. It was just a short time ago that I was dating and in love with Debbie, even if that was “assisted” by a love spell. To my mind, the idea of dating a guy, especially this soon after my transformation, should be totally unacceptable!

It makes me worry about the idea that someone could be manipulating me again. I was angry when I found out that Debbie did it. The possibility that it is happening again makes me very suspicious about almost everyone and everything that is going on around me. There should be a way to tell if I’m being affected by magic, but Mom and Grandma told me it isn’t that easy.

It seems that Witches are not just affected by magic, we are completely surrounded by it. There is too much “interference” going on around me to be able to tell if something malicious is going on. I need to research this. It seems to me that it should be possible to distinguish between what I naturally have, and anything foreign to me.

Enough with the whining…so where was I? Oh, yeah.

I tried to dress the same as usual. I wanted to really make an impression on Tim when he saw me in a skirt for the first time. I can’t believe how much I was looking forward to this! I had been wearing my new boots as much as possible. I wanted to be used to the heels for my date-although a little bit of convenient clumsiness might get me into his arms a little quicker…

Even though I hadn’t planned on dressing particularly special, I have to admit, I looked awfully good! Tight black jeans, a navy blue blouse and a silver chain and earrings really looked nice against my blonde hair. I was half tempted to wear my boots, but I wore my black ballet flats instead. Not quite as nice, but so much more comfortable!

Mom smiled as I came into kitchen. “Wow, you look nice!”

I blushed a little. “Too much, ya think?”

I jumped when Dad came up behind me. “No, honey, if they don’t like my pretty daughter, they'll just have to deal with it. Just think, a couple more years, and you'll be in college!"

“Ooh, don’t rush that! I won’t have any football scholarships available anymore, so I’ve got to reconsider what and where I want to study.” I waved my hand in front of me. “This changes things.”

“I know, honey,” He said. “With your grades, you can pretty much choose whatever you want, though. Do you have any idea of what you might choose as a major yet?”

I had been actually been looking at going into the Navy. I could have played football there, and studied physics as a way to get into nuclear power technology, and except for the football, I could still do a big part of that, but I found that I no longer saw that as a career field I was attracted to.

What had changed my mind was my new ability in magic. I was fascinated by the possibilities. The question I had was, how could I best use college to take advantage of the things I could do now? I was considering a medical degree, but did I really want to be a Doctor?

I really enjoyed the idea of helping people, and the talent I had demonstrated in helping Debbie had definitely shown a proclivity towards magic. It was also a very long term commitment, and since I was close to Walker State University, I could remain at home, and still work with my magic. It seemed a good idea all around. I was going to have to look into this.

“I’m a little bit indecisive right now," I admitted. "I’m thinking pre-med, but I need to do more research.”

“If I can help you in any way, honey, just let me know. You’ve worked very hard all through school, and you should know that I’m very proud of you.”

I felt a warm glow from his praise, and it only made me want to excel, to make him even prouder of me. My eyes got a little wet, and I hugged him for a long while. “Thank you, Daddy; you have no idea how good that makes me feel.”

“Oh, I think I might, honey. You’d better get to school, so have a great day, all right? Love you, honey!”

“Got it handled, Dad. I love you too!”

Between the praise of my dad and the anticipation of the date, I was in a very good mood. I smiled at the parking guard, and found a good spot to park my truck. Before I could finish locking the door, I heard a voice behind me.

“Wow, Emily, you look great!” Tim said as he walked up behind me. I smiled and turned to look at him. He looked very sharp, in grey Dockers, a dark green long sleeve shirt and some black trainers. Some little Gabe part of my brain said “Nice”, but the Emily brain was drooling.

“You don’t clean up half bad!” I told him, smiling. “What’s the occasion?”

“Y’know, I just felt good this morning.” He smiled that killer smile. “I think it might have something to do with my plans for tonight,”

“Oh?” I said, as innocently as I could. “What’s up tonight?”

He laughed, and took my hand. “I have a date with a wonderful girl.”

“Hmph. I think I’m jealous. Is she pretty?” I asked, fishing for compliments.

“Yeah, but not glamorous. She’s got a great smile that just makes me melt, but best of all, she's genuinely a great person. Smart, funny and almost always smiling.”

“Oh, yeah? Sounds like someone’s dream girl.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“So, where are you taking Miss Perfect?”

“Oh, I have plans,” he said. “I want to take her out on a friendly date at first. I don’t want to put any pressure on her, and I want to enjoy being with her.”

“Gonna kiss ‘er?” I asked.

“Oh, I sure hope so. I think that’s up to her, though.” His smile was so wide, it almost cut his face in half!

“Hmm. Good plan.”I agreed.

“I thought so.”

We walked up to the doors, still hand in hand. Many people took note of us.

“Well, I gotta get to class.” He said. “See ya in the halls, I guess.”

“I’ll be watchin’ for ya.” I said, “Oh, hey, I got something for you!”

“Really? Whatcha got?”

“This.” I pulled him down to me and kissed him quickly. He smiled, and I said, “Coming attractions.”

I let go of his hand and walked away. I gave him a quick wave, and then smiled like crazy all the way to class.

It was gonna be a great day!

As I walked towards my class, I noticed several people smiling at me. I figured that people were starting to get used to seeing me around, and they were just being friendly. It wasn’t until Debbie came up that I realized it was more than that.

“Girl, that smile could light up a room!” She laughed at me. “What’s got you so — oh, that’s right! Today is your date, isn’t it?”

I blushed. “Debbie, I'm so excited! I can’t wait!”

“Well, you need to tone down the bright works a bit! The teachers are going to get suspicious at a smile like that. Think about something else, like, oh, I don’t know, maybe the English paper we have to turn in next Friday. What are you using as your topic?”

We discussed possible subjects for our papers, and I was able to get myself to at least look normal. It worked, until I passed Tim in the hallway, and he smiled at me. I blushed, and shyly looked down at the floor, but it was too late. The smile was definitely back!

Amanda Hastings giggled at me. “Someone has a big date tonight, eh, Emily?”

That didn’t help at all. Dang, I was gonna be low on blush juice if this kept up! Umm...Modern Architecture...the American Legal System...Finally I got it under control-I hope!

Lunch was great. Debbie and I sat in the shade of our favorite tree, and she asked if I knew what Tim’s plans were.

“I think he said we were going to dinner. It doesn’t need to be much; I just wanna get to know him better.”

“Yeah, which part, and how much better?” She asked, coarsely.

Shocked, I blushed (again!) and playfully slapped her arm. “Geeze, Debbie! Are you sure you’re not a guy? I haven’t heard anything like that since I was in the locker room!”

She was laughing so hard, she couldn’t catch her breath, and I was worried she would pass out.

“Easy, Deb...c’mon, breathe in...Yeah, take a deep breath...okay, just remember, in and out. You can do it! Dang, girl, I thought I was the blonde one...”

That got her laughing again. I didn’t think it was that funny!

Finally, she got herself under control. “The look on your face was priceless!”

“I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I said, folding my arms together, which made her giggle

“You are such a virgin! I don’t think Gabe had the ability to blush like that!”

“I’m so glad you find me amusing.” I said, and she giggled. “Thanks, I’ll be here all week.”

She dissolved into laughter once again.

By the time she got herself under control, we had to run back to the building so we wouldn’t be late. Unfortunately, we shared our last class, and every time she looked at me, she began to giggle, which got us both in trouble. We apologized to Mr. MacGregor after class, and we got a stern talking to, but no detention (thank you!).

We headed over to Mrs. Andrews’ house, for another lesson in magical morals. As soon as we entered her house, I felt strangely on edge and anxious. I noticed Debbie looked confused at something too. For some reason, I was upset that after these several days here, we hadn't learned anything about actually using magic in our magic classes.

Yes, we actually have to take classes in the reasons we can’t do things that we can do, and why the rule was instituted. Basically, there are so many rules involved with witchcraft that we aren’t learning how to do magic-we’re learning how not to do it. Duh. Why am I wasting time with this crap?

Just take the damn magic away and let me get back to learning how screwed up my life is.

I left after class and went home, feeling more than a little disappointed. One of the only good things about my transformation was the magic, but I spend my time after school learning why I’m just wasting my time?

I’m not really a happy camper right now.

I went in the house doing my best to stay calm. It really wasn’t my Mom’s fault, or my Grandmother’s, really. It’s just that after my change, they made a big deal about having magic, but why? So far as I can tell, all it does is make a mess of my life, and gives me another way to get in trouble.

Of course, because of who I am, I need to “set a good example”, therefore, if I do something wrong, it’s a major deal, but Debbie cast two love spells, basically mind-raping me and Tim, then because of her carelessness, I lose my sports, my class standing, my scholarships, my manhood and basically my whole friggin’ future, and she got grounded?

I don’t bother talking to anyone; I just go to my room to cry.

Naturally, it doesn’t take long before Mom comes to my room to find out what’s wrong. I’m so upset that I don’t want to talk to anyone at all. I’m worried that I’ll say something inappropriate to my Mom, and I really don’t want to do that. I’m just depressed and angry, and my Mom doesn’t deserve my anger.

My life sucks, and I don’t trust anyone, not even Tim right now.

Eventually, Mom and Grandma open the door and come in, and I try to ignore them, but they can be a little insistent. They finally get me to sit up, and then they torture me for information-okay, there wasn’t any torture. Jeeze, try to add a little drama...

They got on each side of me and hugged me. It took a little while before I caught my breath, but eventually I was able to explain that I was upset about the situation, and why.
Mom held me tightly in a show of support, but Grandma had a look of concern.

“Emily, did something happen today? You’ve always known we have to be careful with our magic, but it doesn’t mean you can’t use magic. I’m surprised you could be that upset over a restriction you’ve known about for years.”

Mom looked up at her. “Mama, I think someone’s been influencing her.”

That got my attention. “What was that? Someone was making me feel that bad?”

“Not necessarily.” Mom said. “They may have been exaggerating a more positive feeling, and something happened to interrupt the control. Then the sudden cessation of the influence could have caused this. Your emotions can suddenly react uncontrollably.”

Now I am well and truly pissed.

Grandma made a telephone call to Debbie’s Mom. “Gwen said that Debbie came home light-headed and confused. She was surprised at our theory of the girls being influenced, but she agreed that it was a definite possibility.”

Meanwhile, Mom was doing her best to talk me down. I was so angry I was shaking. It was a serious crime to use magic to “influence” someone, but the fact that we had no way to track the culprit made me even angrier.

Who knows-that person or persons could be working to re-establish control at this very minute! How did we stop it earlier?

I was tired, angry and frightened. As I began to lose the adrenalin from my anger, I began to bawl. This was a first for me, but I just cuddled into my Mom’s arms and held on for dear life. I didn’t see it, but Grandma must have come up behind me and given me a whammy. I just remember waking up in my bed, calm and rested. I checked the clock, and Tim was going to be here in just less than an hour.

I got dressed, and went to the living room. My Dad was sitting at the desk top computer, and he turned and whistled at my outfit. I’d worn my sexiest underwear, then a plain white blouse under a medium blue denim vest, followed by a calf length denim skirt, split at the left side. I had on my new, brown leather boots with the 3” stiletto heels, then slapped on a subtle bit of makeup and some spicy perfume Mom thought I would like (and she was right!), and I thought I was all set.

Grandma met me in the living room with a very pretty amulet and neck chain. The amulet was small and silver, with a heart made from a beautiful saphire. The chain was also silver and very thin and delicate.

"We know how you and Debbie were able to break the spell, now. When you went into Mrs. Andrews’ house, her protective wards didn’t allow the controlling spell to connect any longer. Using that information, I made this for you, and it will protect you from any outside influences. I’ve made one for Debbie as well, and sent it to the Holloway’s already.”

I smiled gratefully as I put it on. Immediately I sensed a confident peace settle over me. It was almost like holding Grandma’s loving hands, and nothing could break that protection.

“I love it so much!” I told her, my eyes a little wet. She quickly grabbed a tissue and dabbed at the moisture.

“None of that now, you’ll ruin your makeup, sweetie. I need to ask you a question though, and I want you to answer me honestly. How do you feel about Tim, right now?”

“Oh Grandma, I really like him, and I hope he likes me as much.” I told her. “I’m afraid that those feelings might just be false, that the controlling influence made me feel that way. I-I’m a little scared, Grandma.”

“Well, since you are wearing my amulet, that control can have no bearing on your feelings now.”

You could have knocked me over with a gentle breeze. I hadn’t realized that this meant I really did feel good about Tim. I truly relaxed for the first time since I went into Mrs. Andrews’ house. I had been very worried that it was all a lie, just a disaster waiting to happen. I hugged Grandma.

“Thank you.” I whispered to her. “That may have been the best gift I’ve ever received.”

We hugged each other tightly, and then the doorbell rang. Mom called out that she had it. I looked at Grandma. “Do I look all right?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, my dear, but you only look gorgeous. Go, have fun.”

I smiled and kissed her cheek.“Thanks, Grandma, I will.”

I loved the look on Tim’s face when I stepped out. It felt so wonderful to see the surprise on his face. He wore some gray jeans with a dark blue short sleeve pullover and some black trainers, Very handsome, I thought.

“Ahoy, Sailor, would ye be needin’ a date then?” I said, striking a sexy pose and winking at him.

He smilede that devastating smile, and he was so handsome my heart started melting. “Oh, aye, indeed! Ye looks like a fair wench, how'd ye loike to see me vessel?”

His accent was horribly bad. I smiled then stared suspisciously at him. “Aye, ye’d best be referring to yer transportation, mate.”

My mom looked at us as if we were both insane.

“Avast, set sail, the two of ye!” She giggled. “Afore ye drives me to drink.”

We both saluted. “Aye, Cap’n!” I could hear her laughter as we went out to Tim’s bright red Trans Am.

He opened the door for me and bowed deeply. “Welcome, Milady.”

I bowed in return and made a cute curtsey. “Why thank you, good sir.”

I sat in the comfortable black leather seat. “Tim?”

“Yeah, Emily?”

“Do you think we’ll ever have a normal conversation?” I asked with a smile.

He closed the door, laughing. He took his seat behind the wheel, put on his seat belt and looked at me for a few seconds.

“Emily, I get the feeling that nothing will ever be the same again, and I like it.”

I thought he was making fun of me, but I saw that he was serious. I put my hand on his as he prepared to shift, and looked him in the eye.

“Tim, I think you are absolutely right.” We stared into each other’s eyes. I don’t know what he saw in mine, but I was amazed at what I saw in his.

If they could bottle the energy that was passing between us, Tim would have saved a great deal on fuel.

They say you just know when you’ve found the perfect one for you, and everything just clicks together? That’s exactly how I felt, and I could almost hear the clicks as my life fell into place. I couldn’t tell Tim yet, but I knew, and I was absolutely positive I was going to grow old with him.

I released his hand, sat back and put on my seat belt, realizing that I was quite possibly the happiest I had ever been. I was also starting to feel a warm, tingling feeling that excited me.

Of course, with my luck, it’s probably my period.

Tim pulled into a parking spot at the Green Onion. I had never been here before, but I’d heard of it. Mom called it a “fusion” restaurant, serving a slightly odd mix of Hispanic and Mediterranean foods. It was supposed to be pretty good, so I thought it was a good choice.

There were quite a few couples from our school, and I realized that this was a popular “date” restaurant. I couldn’t give Tim any points for originality, but if this was that popular, the food must be pretty good. We were shown to a comfortable booth, and a smiling young man gave us our menus.

“Hi, welcome to the Green Onion. My name is Stephan, and it will be my pleasure to be your server this evening. May I get you something to drink?”

I choose a Diet Pepsi, and Tim had a Mountain Dew. When he returned with the drinks, I decided to have a small chicken Wet Burrito. Tim decided to be a little more adventurous, and he ordered something called a Chicken Cranberry.

“Interesting choice. Have you eaten here before?” I asked.

“No, but I’ve been asking everyone for their recommendations. I wanted someplace where we could relax, have some great food and get to know each other. It had to be a place where we could talk privately without bothering anyone. Several people suggested this place, so I thought it would be good for our first date.”

“Thanks, Tim. I’m impressed that you gave this so much thought.”

He smiled, shyly. “I really wanted to make a great first impression, without getting too “over-the=top”. I’m really glad you decided to accept my invitation.”

“Oh, Tim, we’ve had so much fun together already, and you’re a very nice guy. How could I not accept?” I smiled. “There aren’t that many good looking crazy guys out there!”

“Crazy? No, pretty lady.” He pulled himself up and sat very formally. “I consider myself to be pleasantly weird.”

I giggled, which got us both laughing.

“Pleasantly weird. I like that! Do you mind if I use that?”

“Be my guest, I’m happy to share. There really aren’t enough pleasant weirdoes out there.”

"Oh, I must agree!" I giggled.

Dinner continued in the same way from there. We had a lot of fun, and got a little silly at times. All in all it was very pleasant, and I really had a good time. Tim was right, the food was excellent. He let me try a bit of his Chicken Cranberry, which is a grilled chicken breast, Provolone cheese and spinach, with their special cranberry sauce. I thought it was very tasty. For dessert we split a caramel fried ice cream (Heaven!). I'd wondered how you could fry ice cream, and I was very pleasantly surprised at how good it tasted.

As we left the restaurant, it was still light out, so we drove to the beach and watched the sun go down while we talked. We held hands and walked quietly along the boardwalk. I think we were both almost afraid to talk, not wanting to ruin the special feel of the evening. By the time we got back to the car, it was getting dark.

Tim opened my door for me, and before I got in, I reached up and put my arms around his neck. I had to pull him down a little bit, but our first kiss was amazing. The second was even better, but after that, they just kind of stabilized at wonderful.

When we came up for air, Tim looked at me with surprise. “Wow.” He said as I sat in the car. I smiled as he walked to his side, sort of dazed, but when he got in, he had a huge smile. I held his hand as we drove the short distance to myu house.

“I know you aren’t supposed to kiss on the first date, but I figured that was an old rule.” I told him, as we pulled into my driveway and parked.

Tim laughed. “Yeah, the rules have changed a lot. Now you’re just not supposed to sleep together on the first date, and that’s not really a rule...”

“Oh, yes, it is!” I said, firmly but with a smile. “I think that’s likely to apply to several dates yet.”

Tim laughed. “I don’t think we have to worry about that for some time yet. I’d really rather wait until I get married, personally.”

“My parents are gonna really like you!” I said with a giggle.

“I’m more worried about what you think, Emily.”

“I wouldn’t be worried, if I was you,” I said, smiling. “I’m already pretty sure how I feel.”

I gave him a kiss that I hoped wouldn’t leave any doubt about how I felt. He seemed to get the message loud and clear, and returned my answer enthusiastically.

We sat in the car talking (yeah, talking, that’s what it was...trust me) until Grandma came out and waved. I laughed.

“I think that’s their ‘subtle’ signal that it’s time I went in, what do you think?”

He smiled, and kissed me again. “Oh, I think maybe you’re right. I’ll let you go, as long as we do this again, and soon?”

“As much as I liked this, I hope we do some other things, too.” I smiled.

“Oh, if you insist, but I have to warn you, I’m a creature of habit.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah-and I think I’m really hoping to make this a habit. I’ll call you sometime this weekend-I don’t know what my parents have planned, but I’m sure that at some point I can steal a few minutes to talk to you.”

“Then I’ll keep my cell with me.” I kissed him one more time, and opened the door. “Talk to you later, I have to go make my report.” I giggled.

“I better go, too. I really had a good time, Emily.”

“Pretty great for a first time.” I agreed. “I don’t know how you're gonna top it next time.”

“Ooh, tough assignment!” He saluted. “I’m on it, Ma’am! Bye!”

I watched as he drove down the street, then sighed and went inside. Mom and Grandma were waiting, of course, and I told them what a wonderful time I’d had.

It was amazing. I’ve only been a girl for a short time, but I was pretty sure I was already in love. I wanted to be so happy, but I worried that things would change, or that I had read more into it than I should have. I held Grandma’s amulet tightly.

Please, let this be real.

Please?

I want to title this one “I believe”. I’m going to just take a minute to say some things.

I’m laying in my bed, thinking about my date last night, and what my life has been like for the last couple of weeks. Yeah, I’ve been a girl for a less than a month, and in that time I’ve gone from a depressed Junior Varsity quarterback with a broken heart to a fairly happy witch, dating (and maybe even in love with) the Varsity quarterback.

Wow, when you think about it that way, it really sounds like I’m some kind of a slut.

Personally, I’m amazed at how fast things have been happening, but there are a couple of things to help explain this. First, and most importantly to my mind, I’m not a whiner.

I mean, yeah, suddenly becoming a girl is a major deal. It’s traumatic, it’s disorienting and I still get very angry about it. But whining won’t change anything. I’ve never understood people who have a major event happen in their life that turns them into complete idiots, totally unable to function.

My (or should I say Gabe’s) friend Mark lost his Dad to cancer over a year ago. He’s still moping about it, and says he’s “too depressed” to do anything but sit in his room and watch videos. His family says he needs “space”. Bullshit, he needs help!

Because of my father’s job, he wasn’t around as often as either of us would have liked, so my primary male role model was my Grandpa Andy, Mom’s dad. He was a very practical man and my hero. In Grandpa’s mind, things just were, and you dealt with it. Some things just can’t be changed, so you’ve just got to get used to it. Maybe it seems unfair at times. Well ya know what? No one said that life was fair.

In the classic movie, Bambi’s Mom got killed, and his Dad took him in. That’s bullshit. It’s a fantasy. Bambi’s a cartoon. In real life, Bambi would either have learned to survive on his own, or most likely, he’d have died. That’s reality, sorry.

Reality sucks. Things happen in an instant. Time and tide wait for no man. Shit happens. We’ve all heard these sayings, and we recognize their truths. So why do people waste their time in some kind of a fantasy, thinking that they are somehow entitled to anything? Life is. Deal with it.

Yeah, my changes affected me deeply. The changes go deep, they hurt and worse, they’re permanent, but if I sit and cry about it for too long, the world will, without a doubt, run over me. Grief is allowed, and expected by most of our society, but come on, it gets old quickly.

This may sound like I don’t have faith. Wrong. Think about it, Jesus had to die on the cross. Yeah, God’s Son Had To Die. He wasn’t crazy about it, but He knew it had to happen. If things work like that for the Almighty Creator Of The Universe, then why do we think we don’t have to follow the same rules?

I guess what I’m saying is this. I am a girl. Next?

And that, folks, is how life works.

Where does magic fit into this? It’s said that any sufficiently advanced science will appear to be magic. Somewhere, somewhen, a mutation gave some of the female members of a certain group the ability to cause certain reactions in a certain way. Maybe it was an advanced psychic phenomenon, who knows?

Yes, psychic abilities are real, they’re just hard to prove, and until a scientist can categorically prove it and reproduce it, it doesn’t exist. In the meantime, while we wait, psychics locate bodies without the help of clues. Successful business men make millions on a “hunch”, and more. It’s real.

And so are witches.

Okay, even I have problems believing in UFOs and honest politicians, but hey, I could be wrong. It has happened. Once. Okay, maybe twice.

The world is a far more wondrous place than most people believe, especially if you’re willing to believe that we don’t really know everything.

Now the second reason I’ve accepted things so quickly? Quite simply, I want to. As I said before, I am a girl now. I have very female feelings and desires. At first, I thought it would be a very long time before I would ever be interested in dating a boy.

When I met Tim, though, something inside of me jumped. He touches me, and it makes me shiver in a very nice way. I’m familiar with these feelings, even if I’ve felt them differently in the past. I can recognize a definite attraction there.

Tim is a nice guy. I knew that, even before my change. Unlike with some of the perverts around here, I’ve never felt threatened by him at all. I know that when he holds me, I feel warm, and secure. He’s never been known as a fighter, but I do know he works out and uses martial arts of some kind to keep in shape. Besides, he is very easy on the eyes.

I’ll admit, I’ve worried that my feelings might not have been real, but when I put on Grandma’s amulet, I could feel peace settle over me, and I’m confident that my thoughts were my own. Most importantly, I could tell that I still had very real feelings for Tim. It was wonderful to know that these were truly my own feelings.

This brings me to my next major concern. Don’t get me wrong, I have truly forgiven Debbie for casting the spells that manipulated my emotions and eventually led to my transformation. Old news, moving on...

Try to imagine how I feel. My manhood was ripped away from me, and now, I’m just doing my best to adjust to my new situation. Then someone decides to mess with my very thoughts! This, to my mind is even worse than what Deb did initially. She just pushed my emotions to make me fall in love with her. Yes, it was selfish, blah blah blah. She honestly apologized to me, and I know she was sincerely remorseful, even though my transformation was genuinely an accident. It’s over and dealt with, okay?

This is an ongoing attack on both Debbie and I, and if it wasn’t for Grandma’s amulets, we would have little real defense against it. I’m royally ticked off, and worried because while I am very sure of my emotions, how can I be sure of Tim’s? There are very few people I know that have the ability to protect themselves.

I am a serious believer in the idea that the best defense is a good offense, I am itching to go on the offensive. When I find out who is responsible for this attack on me and my friends...

Trust me. I’m fixin’ ta get serious, and it won’t be pretty. Even if I have to be.

I walked into the kitchen, looking for something for breakfast. Eggs? No, too much work. Cereal? Maybe, if only... I checked the cabinet, hoping that Dad hadn’t found my Raisin Bran. Yes! I still had half a box!

I always had to hide my Raisin Bran when Dad was home. I’ve seen him eat three big bowls of it at a sitting, which didn’t leave much for me. I got the box down and put it on the table, then went to grab a bowl and some milk. I heard someone coming down the hall. If it was Dad, I knew my cereal would be gone quickly, so I had to do something, quickly.

I’m not sure if I honestly realized what I was doing, but when Dad walked in the door, the box of Raisin Bran was nowhere to be seen.

“Morning, Angel. Big day, today?” He went to the cabinet and looked for our favorite cereal. When he didn’t find any, he closed the cabinet and grabbed his briefcase.

“I’ll grab some coffee at work, I guess. Have a good morning, sweetheart.”

“You too, Dad.” I smiled, as sweetly as I could.

I waited a few moments for him to leave, and then the Raisin Brand reappeared on the table, much to my surprise. I heard clapping from behind me.

“Well done, Emily!” Mom applauded. I blushed a little, especially since I wasn’t really certain how I had made it vanish. I think I had a pretty good idea of what I had done, but I’d have to try it again to see for sure. I concentrated and my bowl and spoon vanished, just as I’d planned.

Mom hugged me proudly. “Very nice, sweetie. I am very pleased, and very proud of you.”

“Thanks, Mom. I’ve gotta admit, I was surprised at the first one, but I just had to save my cereal!” That got me giggling, which soon had us both laughing at my silliness.

“Save your what?” Grandma asked, which made us laugh even harder.

“Cereal, Grandma, it’s something silly, but I’ve just cast creatively for the first time!”

“That’s very good, Emily, very good, indeed. I’ll discuss this with Mrs. Andrews. Did you “clean up” after yourself?”

“Whoops! No Grandma, I didn’t, I’m sorry. I should know better.”

“Yes, you should, but I imagine it was very exciting, wasn’t it?” She smiled.

“Yes, but I guess I still need to be careful.” I concentrated, and tried to “pull” any magical energy back into myself. I had some success, but I’m not sure if I got it all. I really should have known better.

“Nicely done, dear. I could tell there wasn’t a large amount of excess energies-you were actually very efficient, and not wasteful.” Mom said. “You need to get to school, now. I think you still have plenty of time.”

“Okay, Mom.” I kissed both of them. “See ya later!”

I didn’t need to run, but I couldn’t help myself. I had to burn off a little of this bounciness I was feeling. It wasn’t really the first cast I had done, but I had done this all on my own, without any coaching, and with a specific goal in mind. Before this, anything I had done was either accidental or closely supervised. It was an important distinction, at least to me.

I saw Debbie as I ran around the corner, and quickly caught up to her. As soon as I caught my breath, I told her what I’d done.

“I had an interesting weekend as well. When your Grandmother sent me that amulet, it was like I could suddenly think again. I don’t know what really happened, or why the amulet helped me. I’m guessing that you have an idea what’s going on, but we had to go out of town. We just got back late last night, so spill, girl. What’s up?”

“You won’t believe this, Deb, but someone was messing with our emotions, although I don’t know why, but that's why we were so giggly and happy at school on /Friday.”

“I wondered why I couldn’t stop giggling! So what stopped it?”

“Mrs. Andrews’ house is protected by wards that are actually meant to keep magic in. Her protective wards blocked the effect, and as soon as I walked into her house, I felt anxious and angry. My mom said that when the influence was broken, our natural emotions sort of went in to overdrive, and in my case, I got very angry at everything.”

“Yeah, I was so sad I could barely walk home. My mom put me into bed, and I cried myself to sleep. When I woke up, Mom gave me the necklace and amulet, and as soon as I put it on, I felt so much better!”

“It felt great, but I was still pissed off. I don’t need anyone playing with my head. Heck, I don’t use it all that well myself!”

Debbie snickered at that and I smiled.“Anyway, I’m not happy about the idea of someone messing with my head, and I want to know who’s responsible. There has to be some way to figure out who would want to play with my head.”

“Well, in my journalism class, we learned that you need to ask five questions,” Debbie said. “Who, what, when, where and why. So, to start, Who would benefit from making you happy?”

“That’s hard. Anybody I care about might want to make me happy, including you, so that’s too general. What would the benefit be? I don’t know. When would someone benefit? Same answer, and that applies to where, as well. Why would someone benefit from making me happy? I think that’s the most important question. If we can figure out why, that would point us to who.”

Debbie looked at me thoughtfully. “We need to find a way to narrow things down so it wouldn’t be so hard to figure that out. I think the next thing we should do is to create a list of people around you, and then work on eliminating names that most likely wouldn’t benefit. That would leave a list of people that would become our main list of suspects.”

“Well, it’s a start, anyway. Are you busy after magic class? We could work on homework, and after that, make a preliminary list, and start narrowing things down.” I said, hopefully.

“I’ll call my mom at lunch.” Debbie smiled. “I need some help in my History homework, anyway, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Cool. I’ll talk to my mom, too, and see what we’re doing for dinner.”

“Sounds like a plan.” She said.

“Yeah. I don’t know what else to do, but at least we’ll be doing something, I guess.”

“We have to start somewhere, Emily. We just might surprise ourselves.”

“I’ll see you at English class, okay?”

“Yeah, okay. Hey, Emily!”

“What?

“Smile!” She laughed and dove into the crowded hallway. I laughed at her, then began my own journey through the teeming masses.

This is a long chapter, because I haven’t posted for a few days

I fingered my amulet, unable to get this influence crap out of my head. What bothered me most was the “why?” question. I mean, whoever had done it had made me happy, for crying out loud, which just made no sense.

Then again, how much control could someone actually have? Could they only effect emotions, or could I actually be controlled to do something I didn’t want to do? Mom didn’t know for sure. Unfortunately, magic is incredibly variable. No one knows what the true limits are, as each witch has different strengths and weaknesses. It’s believed that the only real limits may lie in the imagination and confidence of the witch. So yes, real control was possible, if unheard of.

That was not only scary, but it really made me angry, and when I’m angry, I have serious problems concentrating on my classes, which is absolutely not helpful. I had to really work to keep my focus on school. I almost pulled Grandma’s amulet off, but I decided to wait until lunch. If somehow the influence should start to get to me again, I wanted Debbie to have my amulet ready, just in case.

Mr. Roberts’ Physical Science class seemed to take forever. Ionic reactions just couldn’t keep my interest, but I managed to look interested for long enough that Mr. Roberts didn’t notice anything. I walked to the cafeteria, passing Tim, who had just ended his lunch period. We smiled and said a quick “Hi!” which was all we had time to say, but just seeing him was enough to really improve my mood.

Debbie and I made our way through the line and took our lunch to our favorite spot outside by the tree. I ate my so-called “pizza,” shoestring grease fries and mixed veggies, then, while Debbie watched, I took off my amulet and handed it to her. Almost immediately I felt a wave of giddiness come over me.

“Okay, Emily, you need to put the amulet back on; I can see a definite change already.”

I smiled. “It’s okay, Deb, I feel great! Better than I have all day, in fact!”

“It’s not real, Em. You need to put the amulet on, honey.”

“All right, all right, I’ll just-“

As soon as I had the amulet on, I felt a definite change, almost as if a weight was taken from me. I closed my eyes and focused on creating a shield to help the amulet do its work, not knowing if I was really doing anything at all. If I had known where the source of the influence was, I would have tried to send some kind of “feedback” back to that source.

Now that was an interesting thought.

“Debbie, do you think it might be possible to link with this “broadcast” and send some kind of feedback through the link? Maybe that would stop whoever is doing this?”

‘It sounds good, but since the amulet does cancel the effects, let’s talk to Mrs. Andrews after school. If she doesn’t know the answer, I think we should see your Grandmother. Thinking logically, it wouldn’t be her creating this. She made the amulets for us, so why keep trying to influence someone who you know is protected?”

I smiled. “You’re right, Debbie. We haven’t even started the list, and we can pull one suspect off of it! You’re so good at this!”

She laughed. “I’m no Sherlock Holmes, Em. We can’t take Grandma Liz completely off the list, because it’s still possible she’s involved somehow. Mrs. Burns told me back in 6th grade that you should follow the KISS principle. I’m just thinking like that, and-“

“KISS principle? Is this from some song or something?”

She giggled. “Not that Kiss! It stands for ‘Keep It Simple, Stupid!’

“Huh?” I said, obviously demonstrating my incredible intelligence.

“It means that you look for the most obvious answers. Your Grandmother isn’t a logical suspect, so maybe we don’t eliminate her as a suspect, but we definitely move her off the “most likely” list.”

“Oh, kind of like Occam’s Razor-the simplest solution is the most likely. Yeah, that makes sense. I’d just never heard it put that way. I had Mr. Sherwin for 6th grade, unfortunately.”

“Oh, you were the one with the penguins!”

“Yeah, that was me. I watched a lot of nature shows, and I saw one about the Galapagos Islands. Mr. Sherwin was trying to explain why penguins and polar bears wouldn’t be anywhere near each other in the wild. He said that penguins were only at the South Pole, and I said that they were also in South America and at the equator. We argued, and he tried to insult me and told me to prove it. I went to his encyclopedia, opened it to the Galapagos Islands, and showed him the pictures. Then I showed him pictures of the penguins on the Falkland Islands. Everyone was very surprised that I was right, even though Mr. Sherwin tried to make me look stupid.”

“I heard he didn’t like you much after that.” Debbie said.

“Oh, he didn’t like me long before that! This was before my growth spurt. He thought I was too ‘bookish’ and weak. He almost didn’t let me pass-until my Mom set him straight.”

“I’ve seen your Mom at school before. She’s scary when she’s mad!”

“Yeah, and she was scary a lot when I was a kid. I guess we pushed each other’s buttons a lot, and my Grandma was kind of my protector. She could at least calm Mom down when I did something stupid, which apparently was a habit of mine.”

“Were you really that bad?”

“Grandma says I was too smart, and that I got bored easily. I think I was just trying so hard to be Mr. Macho all the time. Boys are really supposed to do such stupid things, and I was really never-“

I suddenly realized that I had said too much, and the look on Debbie’s face said that she had figured it out, too. Now I really blushed.

“Emily Elizabeth Randall!” She said, and I cringed. I hate it when someone uses my full name. It always means trouble! “You mean to tell me that you weren’t happy as a boy?”

“Shhh! All right? Dang, Deb, you don’t need to announce it to everyone!”

“What did your Mom think about that?”

“She never knew about it. I’ve kept it to myself forever. You are the only one I’ve ever said anything about it to...ever!”

“So your mother didn’t know that you were transgendered?”

“Oh, I don’t think I was ever really transgendered. I was pretty happy with being a boy. I just thought some of the things I was supposed to like were stupid, like sports. Okay, maybe I thought about it a few times. I was just so different from the boys, but I never really went further than a few fantasies, I swear!

Mom used to say that I was just gentler than the other guys. I used to get picked on a lot because I was small and skinny, and I could talk to the girls about stuff, but not the boys. I mean, I always liked animals and I was obsessed with horses. I drew them, I talked about riding and I dreamed of having my own palomino. Mom wouldn’t let me have a horse, though. She said I wasn’t responsible enough, because I missed a lot of practices for football and soccer.”

“Why didn’t you just tell them you weren’t interested?”

“Are you kidding? I’m pretty sure that’s what my Dad wanted a boy for! He always talked about how much fun he had, and how much I would love to be an athlete! He probably bought me my first football right after I was born, so...I had to do everything I could, and I had to really work at it. Special high protein, low fat diets, practicing or working out all the time, no playing because I might hurt my arm... No, Debbie, my parents had a definite picture of the child they wanted.”

“You never really wanted to be a girl?”

“Oh, heck no! Okay, maybe I thought about it a couple of times. I just couldn’t be the boy my dad wanted. I loved camping, riding my bike, that kind of stuff. I just never really liked sports-but then I had a growth spurt and suddenly...I’m good at them!

Dad was so proud when I made JV quarterback, and then people started talking about giving me all these scholarships. I wanted to go into engineering, to build and create important things, so scholarships were very important to me. I had my life figured out, and I was finally happy with the way things were going.

When I suddenly became Emily, all of that vanished for me. All of my dreams and plans were suddenly taken away. It was so scary and everything seemed so different. Now, instead of making airplanes or nuclear power plants, the thing my family wants me to make most is babies! As you probably know, I wasn’t at all happy.”

“I swear, Emily, I never wanted to hurt you!” She said with tears running down her cheeks. “Okay, I was so selfish that I didn’t think or even care about Gabe when I broke up with him and enchanted Tim. I was so stupid! I think Gabe and I were much better together than Tim and I, but now...I-I’ll never know!”

Debbie turned and started to walk away from me. I noticed her shaking and breathing hard, and when I went to her, she really broke down and started wailing.

“...all my fault, it’s all my fault. (sob) I ruined everything!”

I hugged her and let her get it out. “Shh, it’s all right, Debbie. I know it was just an accident, okay? I’m okay, and yes, I still love you...it’s just a little bit different now.”

She only picked up on part of what I said, I think, but she stopped crying.

“Y-You l-l-love me? B-but...” She wiped her eyes and looked at me, almost shocked.

I put both hands up, almost like pushing her away. “Whoa girl! Don’t get me wrong, Debbie. I’m definitely not a lesbian. Maybe it’s the spell, I don’t know, but I’m very definitely heterosexual. But I still love you as my BFF, okay?”

“Yeah, I guess I’ll live with that.” She smiled and hugged me, then looked me in the eyes. “Emily, you need to talk to your parents. I mean, okay, they really wanted you to be into sports, but most parents will want something like that, whether it’s education or employment or sports. Parents want you to follow in their footsteps. That’s normal, hon.”

“I was still a huge disappointment, Deb, at least until I had that growth spurt. I was finally the kid that they could be proud of, and brag about to their friends. Now that’s gone, and once again...”

“Emily, I know your mother loves you with all her heart. Do you really think she wouldn’t want you, just because you don’t play sports?” She hugged me tightly, and wiped my tears away. “Okay, I can see that they might have expected a lot of things that just weren’t you, and that you felt pressured, but parents will adjust! They’ll be proud of what you do, or even just what you are trying! You can’t live your life by their script-it just doesn’t work that way.”

“I’m worried, though, Debbie. Yeah, normal people would just deal with it, but people with magical abilities? Maybe they could just make a few little...adjustments?”

“No, I don’t believe that! Okay, your dad wanted you to play sports, but that isn’t the only reason they wanted you! They love you!”

We heard the bell ring. Ten minute warning! We made our way back into the cafeteria and dropped off our trash and our trays.

“I’ll see you after last hour. I think you’re reading your parents wrong, Em, but you really need to talk to them about that.” She smiled at me and headed off to class.

Nothing much happened the rest of the day. Oddly enough, I actually felt better after talking to Debbie. It felt good to tell someone how I felt, but at this point, I still felt that my parents could be involved in “influencing” me, and to tell the truth, thinking about it was depressing.

As I got into my truck to go to my class at Mrs. Andrews’, I tried to think who else I could think of that would possibly want to man1ipulate me. Unfortunately, Tim was the first one that came to mind. Yeah, I knew he didn’t have any magic of his own, but he might know someone that did. His family was quite wealthy, and I had only known him for a short time, but...

Thinking like that made me very sad. I truly hated to think that Tim would have done something like that, but it did fit in with making me happy. If he could get me feeling good every time I saw him, I might be more receptive to doing things I wouldn’t normally.

I pulled up to Mrs. Andrews’ house, but had to clean up a bit. I was a teary wreck. Tim wouldn’t do that to me, would he? The worst thing was that I couldn’t talk to him about it. I had to assume that he had no knowledge of magic. If he did, it gave him a tremendous advantage if he was being malicious. It was so frustrating!

And who else could I screw up my trust with?

I walked into Mrs. Andrews’, not even really paying attention. It took Debbie a minute to get my attention.

“Emily, honey, your eyes are all red and puffy-what’s wrong? Did something happen to you?”

“I realized that Tim made a great suspect, and it just made me so sad...”

“Aww, I’m pretty sure Tim isn’t like that, Em. He’s such a nice guy that I can’t believe he would ever have been so nasty.”

This is true. Tim has a great reputation for being a stand up guy, someone you really wanted as a friend. I started to feel a little bit better.

Then she said something I hadn’t thought of, which sounds pretty self-absorbed.

“Just thinking outside of the box, what makes you think that you are the target?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s entirely possible that I pissed someone off when I had Mom’s spell book. What if you’re just collateral damage, while someone attacks me?” She looked down at the floor, embarrassed. “I was a very selfish person, Em, and it wouldn’t surprise me that I’ve pissed someone off, or maybe stepped all over them while I got my way because of some spell I cast, and yes, I cast a bunch of spells, most of which I don’t even remember.”

“You’re right, Debbie. I was so caught up in myself, I didn’t think about that. I’m sorry, Debbie, I’ll try to be less self centered. There’s just that one problem...”

She looked at me, puzzled. “What problem?”

“Well, it’s just that I’m so darn wonderful, it’s really hard not to think about me. I’m so cute, and smart, and-Oww, dang it!” Debbie smacked me hard, right into my shoulder, the evil wench!

“I’m so sorry, oh wonderful one,” She said, as she bowed with her hands together, as if in prayer. “I just had to knock some of the bullshit loose. It was really becoming annoying.”

We looked at each other and giggled.

Sorry, I had some writer’s block, but I think it’s where I want it, now!

Okay, first things first, I don’t have a great vocabulary (Hey, I’m a sophomore in a fairly small high school-our computers still run Windows 95), so I’m going to call the effects of magic a “spell”, in order to simplify things. Yes, I know it’s wrong, but it’s the simplest way to describe it, okay? I don’t want to confuse everyone any more than I already am.

And now back to my regularly scheduled programming..

Mrs. Andrews’ wasn’t very encouraging. Although my “feedback” idea was possible (almost anything was for the right person), it wasn’t really practical. See, you really need to have a solid visualization of what you want to do, so you can “pour” your energy into the spell.

My visualization pretty much ended at the idea-the only visualization I had was to send my magic into the sky to counter the manipulation spell. Could it be enough? Or would my counter-spell just create a great deal of free magic? Yeah, more wild magic, that’s just what we need. It would probably be attracted to me again, and I’d end up a collie or something. No, thank you!

I hoped that Grandma’s amulets could hold out. I didn’t know if our adversary was even continuing the spell, or possibly casting it intermittently to get our guard down. Or even...

“Mrs. Andrews, can a spell be set up to continually act, even if the caster is not actually casting it?”

“Oh, certainly, Emily.” She smiled, maybe a little condescendingly. “For example, your amulets are constantly protecting you, even though Elizabeth is not actively casting that protection. Oh, I see where you are going with this. In all likelihood, something around you is charmed to work the spell continually. If there were such thing as a magic detector, it would be most handy for this, but it would also detect you and I, so I pray such a thing never exists!

I could see Debbie’s devious mind (I love her, but it’s true) trying to come up with something. It looked a whole lot like she had an idea just how to make such a detector, regardless of the personal danger to witches everywhere. I would have been angry, but you can’t stop people who think creatively. They just can’t help it; it’s like trying to stop technology from advancing. It will happen, like it or not. Maybe once she has the problem solved, we can find some way to counter the detection?

Debbie has never been the smartest person in class, but I’m beginning to think that this was intentional. Some people will always think that girls can’t be smarter than guys, despite years of anti-discrimination and new attitudes in society. There will always be reactionary people with their head in the sand, prejudiced against someone for their faith, color, gender or sexual orientation, or financial standing. It’s all a way of doing one of two things. Either you’re trying to see how much better you are than other people, or you’re proving how bad you have it because you aren’t better than other people.

Stupid.

I could go into an entire political rant here, but I won’t. If you don’t know how messed up
things are in the world, have someone else explain it to you. I’ll limit my political contributions to my vote, but make no mistake, I will vote.

The point is that Debbie has always been clever at getting things to go her way, and she was always very selfish. I’m so impressed that she is working to improve herself and act in a mature manner, but the problem is her enthusiasm. She is really trying to be a better person, but she still doesn’t look at consequences. Good intentions can be a very bad thing, if you don’t try to take everything into consideration.

At least she’s trying. It’s very hard to change, but Debbie’s doing her best, and I’m very proud of her efforts. If I can, I’ll just have to protect the rest of the world from her efforts.

The rest of Mrs. Andrews’ lesson went as usual, but the best part was when she told us we would only have one more of these lessons. If we had more questions, we would go to a senior witch in the coven. Basic training was almost done.

I guess I was a little surprised, but not displeased. The witchcraft class was not at all what I was expecting. The whole class had been about being responsible and polite when using our talents, when and where to use it, what the consequences of magic could be (that part that Debbie ignores) and why the rules were there. We didn’t go much into the how to use it, which I thought was the whole point!

I drove home, parked my truck and went inside. The lights were on in the kitchen, so I thought I would find Mom or Grandma making dinner. I was surprised when I saw my dad cooking.

“The ladies went into town, so it’s just you and me tonight. I thought I’d make my spaghetti for us.”

Now, Dad’s spaghetti is one of my favorite meals. He takes a package of regular spaghetti, breaks it into thirds and boils it until the texture is right. He drains the water off, then quickly tosses about 3 cups of grated cheddar cheese into it and stirs like crazy.

Once the cheese is melted, he adds two cans of tomato sauce and a whole package of bacon that he’s cooked up and crumbled, then stirs it some more. The end product is delicious and extremely bad for you, which Dad says is how you can tell it’s good.

According to Dad, anything that tastes good is either fattening or unhealthy, and his spaghetti is both! It’s also very tasty and one of my favorite comfort foods. I happily dug into a plate, knowing Mom would never approve, but what can I say? I just ate what was on my plate! I did enjoy it, but we won’t mention that to Mom, will we, hmmm?

“We haven’t had a whole lot of chances to just sit and talk since I’ve been home, have we?”

“No, but I’m kind of used to that, Dad.” He’s always jetted off at a moments notice. When I first was transformed, Mom didn’t even know he had left, but it was nothing new. His job paid him extremely well for his inconvenience, and his loyalty to the company had paid off, as he was now a Vice-President, and was home almost every night.

“I don’t know how to apologize to you that I haven’t been here for you as much as I would have liked, Emily.” He looked down, as if he was embarrassed.

“I understand, Dad. Someone has to get the crap, and by your doing that, you proved your worth to the company. You have a more secure position with the company, and we’ve got a pretty good life here. Yeah, I’ve missed our times working on my truck and stuff, but I’m not angry or sorry that you couldn’t be here. You made sacrifices for us, so we could have this great life, and I’m proud of you, Dad.”

“Emily, even after all of the incredible changes you’ve been through, you’ve handled yourself as well or better than anyone could ever expect. I can’t tell you how proud of you I am. Your Grandpa would be very, very impressed.”

That was the best thing he could have told me. He knows how much I loved my Grandfather, and how much I wanted his approval. I ran into my daddy’s arms and cried.
Part of me was very happy, but I still missed Grandpa so much.

“Dad, I need to talk to you.” I told him, as I got control of myself. This was going to be difficult.

“Are you all right, sweetheart?”

“Yeah, but this is real important.”

Just then Mom and Grandma bust into the room, bags in hand. Mom kissed Dad, and Grandma kissed me, but not like Mom kissed Dad! Wow!

“Hi baby, how was your day?” She asked me with a smile.

“Pretty good, Mom. Tomorrow is my last day of magic class, according to Mrs. Andrews.”

“I know, darling, I’ll be taking over your training. It is traditionally the job of the mother to take over the more advanced training.”

“That’s cool, Mom.” Oh crap. Now I didn’t really want to be having the discussion Debbie said I needed to have with my parents, but I also knew that Dad wasn’t going to let it go now, so, I decided to jump in, and see how much of a mess I could make.

Yikes.

I was trying to work out the best way to talk to my parents about my greatest secret. I had been about to start talking to Dad, when Mom and Grandma got home. Oh, joy...

“Umm, Mom? I guess I need to talk to the whole family if I could?”

Mom looked at Dad, who shrugged his shoulders. Grandma looked at me with concern, and then suddenly seemed to smile a little.

“Let’s go into the living room and get comfortable, okay?” Mom said.

We found comfortable seats, Mom and Dad on the sofa, Grandma and I sat in the comfortable chairs, and I tried to find the best way to start.

“I was talking to Debbie today, and some things came out that I never intended to discuss. She said I needed to talk to you about them, and I confess that I’m afraid, either that I might hurt your feelings, or that you’ll really think I need help. I love you all, and I don’t want to hurt you-ever! Maybe I do need help, I don’t know.”

I took a deep breath and concentrated on holding back my tears, while Mom and Dad looked concerned.

“I’ve always kinda felt like I was a failure and a disappointment to you. I couldn’t be the boy you really wanted for so long, and I didn’t know how to deal with it. I sort of felt you didn’t really want me-“

“Honey, we always wanted you!” Mom said, shocked. Her eyes were bright with tears. “Why would you think we didn’t, sweetheart?”

“We love you, Emily." Dad said. "When you were Gabe, we loved you just as much-“

I interrupted. “It didn’t feel like it at the time. You were always pushing me into sports, and being all macho and stuff. I-it wasn’t me, though. Most of the kids laughed at me because I was so pitiful, and even though I grew to hate sports, I had to keep getting laughed at and being a loser, while you pushed me into every sport you could.”

Mom had tears in her eyes as I explained that even some of the coaches thought I was a waste of their time, and kids and their parents in the stands would groan when I came up to bat, or if I somehow got the ball, or the puck.

“I felt like you didn’t want me, you wanted some kid who loved sports and was built like everyone else. I tried, and I tried and I tried, but it didn’t get better for a long time. Baseball, football, soccer, hockey, basketball, and who knows what else? I did my best, but I was always the smallest, slowest and weakest kid.” I looked at them both. “I hated any and all sports. I could beat the grades of any kid three grades ahead of me, but everything was either practice, practice or we had a game for me to get laughed at again. I couldn’t even watch TV without seeing sports, and it hurt. I just wasn’t that boy!”

“But I thought you liked sports, and I wanted to support you.” Dad said with surprise.

“Did you really, James?” Grandma scolded. “You were always on a sales trip or something, and when you were home, you've told me you used that time to ‘network’ and make connections with some of the fathers of the kids on the team. You probably can’t remember a single actual game, can you?”

Dad thought about it for a while, but he didn’t say anything.

“Emily...please?” Mom said, tearfully. “I always thought I knew my boy, but it turns out that I was maybe too involved in my own life to pay attention to yours, and I’m ashamed and sorry, baby. You always did your best and tried hard to play, and I-I just didn’t notice you weren’t happy.

Baby, I knew you weren’t very good at sports, but I was so proud of you! You gave everything you had, no matter what sport it was. In my mind, sweetheart, that IS the definition of success. You didn’t give up, no matter what; you pushed yourself and gave a hundred percent. It hurt sometimes, watching you, and listening to what some people said, but you were so determined!” She got on her knees in front of me. “I really never had any clue that you were so unhappy!”

Looking at it that way, I guess it did look like I was having fun, and I can see how it appeared. I guess I really had myself to blame. I had never once complained, or said that I didn’t want to play. Yeah, I missed a lot of practices, but what kid doesn’t? I was starting to see that I had been the one who was wrong. How could they have ever seen that I sometimes didn’t want to be a boy, and did it even matter now?

Dad held his arms out, so I went over to him and we hugged.

“I am so sorry, sweetheart. I realize now that I've pushed you into sports. I’m going to bet that you didn’t complain because you didn’t want to disappoint me or your Grandpa, did you?”

I shook my head no. I was kind of choked up from crying.

“Emily, your Grandfather and I both believed in you, and we thought we were supporting
you. I know if he’d had the slightest idea that you weren’t happy, he would have never even mentioned the idea.” Dad smiled at me. “Grandpa C. loved you, and you made him so proud. He would never have hurt you intentionally!”

“I know that, Dad.” I said. I couldn’t look him in the eye. How could I think that they didn’t love me?

“Me, on the other hand, I can see that I used you to help me at work, and I'm so truly sorry for that. It was incredibly selfish of me, and I really let you down. I never wanted you to feel like I was disappointed in you, sweetheart.

Like your Mom said, you never gave up or quit, and you’ve got to admit, you did get better and better. You would have been the varsity quarterback next year, after Tim graduates. You improved in every sport you played, and while you may not have noticed, it wasn’t just your talent that people saw; it was also your heart. I couldn’t be more proud of you.”

Apparently, it was Grandma’s turn. “Look at how strong you’ve been in this latest challenge. My God, you’ve had to change your whole life for this! From your underwear to your friends, almost nothing is the same, but look at how you’ve handled it.

You’re still an excellent student, and you seem to have found a measure of happiness in your boyfriend. You’ve never really had a close friend, but now look. Your very best friend is the girl who broke your heart, and was responsible for your change. That shows a lot of character, Emily Elizabeth.”
“I never thought of any of that,” I said. “I guess I got caught up in my childish anger, and I just let it stew for all these years. I’m very sorry that I ever doubted how much you loved me.”

“I can’t imagine how much that must have hurt you.” Grandma said, and we all started weeping. Eventually we looked at each other and felt the love in the room. We were all in a group hug when I started to laugh. I caught my breath and explained.

“It just occurred to me that it took changing into a girl to see how much of a boy I was.” I smiled.

“Yeah,” Grandma said thoughtfully. “Almost like magic isn’t it?”

This is a bit rougher than my usual story, and it's not what I had planned to put in here. This part came to me while I was in the hospital. I don't plan to keep it this rough, but...

I was sitting on our sofa, in the dark. Mom’s candles burned on the mantle, giving a golden light to the room. I felt very good, and my date was busy, her head bobbing into my crotch, my right hand pushing her down on my cock.

Part of me knew that this was wrong, that I couldn’t be Gabe again, but for some reason, I was completely comfortable. Her light blonde hair was all I could see of her as I pulled her down, forcing her to bob up and down. I was reclined as much as I could with my left arm laid on top of the sofa. I could tell I was very close, and my breath was coming hard as I enjoyed her ministrations. She lifted her head I looked into her tear-filled eyes for a second before I realized it was me, and as I looked up into Gabe’s eyes, I freaked out and jumped back, screaming and hitting my head on my headboard as I scrambled to get away. I wanted to vomit, to get the feel of that...

I was completely confused, scared, still screaming and in pain. What the heck? I heard my Dad yelling, pounding on my bedroom door, and I slowly realized I was dreaming...

“Emily!? Are you okay, honey?”

The door crashed in before I could get up or say anything, and Dad ran to me.

“Oh, baby, you had me so scared...”

I tried to talk, but I grabbed him around the neck and hung on for dear life as I fell apart. He picked me up and carried me into the living room, whispering that everything would be all right, but I was still freaked until I felt someone touch my arm, and I quickly came back to reality as a calm settled over me.

“We’re right here, Emily, you’re safe, baby.” Mom said as Dad set me down on the sofa next to her. Grandma stroked my hair, reassuring me as Dad knelt in front of me, tears running from his eyes.

“Sweetheart, are you all right?” I nodded slowly as he gently stroked my cheek. I grabbed his hand with both of mine and just held it as I looked into his eyes and suddenly understood what girls had felt about their Daddies all through history. I could just feel his love and protection, and it made me feel so good!

“It was horrible, the scariest nightmare I’ve ever had! I ... I was Gabe again, and for some reason I was forcing a girl to give me oral sex, and I was enjoying it! I could feel everything, and it felt so good, but then I looked into her eyes and saw that she was me! I looked into his eyes and he looked so evil, and then I could feel his hand trying to push me down again. I could feel and taste th-that...ugh...it was so disgusting and I pushed myself off of him, and just as he was reaching for me, I hit my head and that woke me, but I didn’t know where I was and I was so scared! I wanted to throw up, but I didn’t want to stop screaming and...

When Daddy burst in I was so relieved that I couldn’t even talk. I just wanted to hold onto him and cry...it was so real!” Talking about it made me start to panic again. I started to squirm, just wanting to get away from me. Grandma reached out and held my hands, and Mom put her hands on my head.

The next thing I remember, I was waking up in my bed, feeling very good and ready for the day. As I dressed, I started to remember my nightmare, but it was almost like it had happened to someone else. The more I thought about it, though, the more details I remembered, and once again I could see those eyes and taste that disgusting ...thing...

My stomach cramped up, but I choked it back and didn’t let myself go any further. Mom stepped out and quickly enfolded me into a hug. I had tears in my eyes, but Mom’s hug gave me a kind of strength, and I could feel her energy pour into me, relaxing me.

We just stood there, and she quietly spoke to me, reassuring me. “It was only a dream, love, that’s all. It’s an illusion created by your own mind as it tries to make sense of what you’ve sensed and thought. You know that Gabe would never intentionally hurt someone, so there must be something else your dream was telling you. Try to think about what you are telling yourself.”

I knew what dreams were, it just hadn’t occurred to me to look at it that way. What could be disturbing me, or perhaps there was something I needed to resolve? It would take some thought, but a big part of me was very afraid to revisit that horrible nightmare.

Well, first things first, I guess. I needed to take care of my everyday responsibilities. Things like breakfast and school needed to be a priority right now, and perhaps a little time not thinking about my dream might let me be more impartial and analytical, rather than emotional.

I decided to drive my truck today. I had a little cash for gas (I kinda regretted my decision to drop a Buick 455 into my truck, the mileage was...oh, heck, I can’t lie. This thing is an absolute blast to drive!), and I didn't feel like walking and thinking about...so I threw my books in and fired it up. I tried to drive as responsibly as I could, just to see if I could squeeze a few extra miles out of what little gas I had. It felt awfully good when people’s heads turned as I drove into the student parking lot.

I picked up my pack and walked into school. Several people said hello, and I tried to keep it friendly but I still had to be careful. It might be strange to say something to one of my old friends that “Emily” didn’t know. I struck up a conversation with Grace as we walked into homeroom, just casual discussion about the weather, how pretty her skirt looked, even a little gossip. It helped to keep the guys away, and allowed me to fit in like any other girl in school.

In the back of my mind, though, I still had a nauseating memory of having that disgusting thing in my mouth, and being forced to suck on it...No, Em! Those kind of thoughts could only lead to a disaster. I need to set my emotions aside, and concentrate on analyzing what it could mean. I was somehow able to stay focused during class, but any time I could, I tried to figure this out.

Let’s start with the most basic description of the dream. He-me was forcing she-me into a sexual act. Could it be some kind of anger issues? Perhaps the old “Gabe” side of me was still pissed at my transformation? The rape itself probably had meaning on several levels, but I think that perhaps at its most basic level, there was the resentment at being forced into this situation. I get the feeling that a major part of me is still fighting this, still trying to find a way to keep Gabe alive.

On another level, perhaps my “Emily” side is feeling resentment at being forced into these new sexual expectations. I’m very definitely (but carefully) heterosexual. Girls don’t seem to get me interested at all, and just picturing Tim in my head gave me goosebumps. Would Tim at some point want me to suck his...and why does that thought give me such a thrill? It took me an enjoyable few minutes to get the thought of Tim and I out of my mind.

So it wasn’t really the sex that bothered me (hmmm. down girl!), it was the situation. Was the whole dream just me expressing my anger about my transformation?

Or was I just telling myself to stop messing around and learn how to adjust? Maybe I’m telling myself that it’s time to get away from Gabe, that he can do nothing good for me.

I need to do a lot of thinking.

Our resident MegaTomboy won't be happy with this. Sorry, hon.

Debbie looked at me in shock as I walked up to her. “I can die happy now, I’ve seen everything!”

“Ha ha, five thousand comedians out of work, and you’ve gotta be funny.” I smiled and twirled, and my short denim skirt flared out, showing my legs. I had paired it with a white cotton blouse and black ballet flats. “So, whatya think?”

I was anxious as heck, but I’d decided to present a bold, confident front, even if my knees were shaking like crazy. I felt so naked, but I had to try this, I had to resolve this conflict within me somehow, and since I don’t think I’m going to be using the men’s room anytime in the near future, I figure it’s time to let my “inner Emily” out.

“Damn girl, you don’t do things by half, do you?” Debbie said with wide, surprised eyes.
“I would have bet almost anything that you’d see me walking downtown naked in 6” heels before I ever saw you in a skirt.”

“Well, it’s only a ten minute drive...” I said as I jiggled my keys hopefully. “Heck, I’d
even pay to see that!”

“Forget it!” She giggled. She did look good in her black skirt, red blouse and boots. “What happened? Did you get blackmailed into this or something?”

“No, and you have no idea how hard this is for me!” I said. “I kinda decided it was time for a change.”

“George W. Bush marching in the New York Gay Pride parade is a change. This is extraordinary!” She looked at me critically. “Damn, you’re so dang cute in it, too!

I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I mean, yeah, it was great that I looked good, but I was having a hard time dealing with these girly clothes. I was committed, though, and I was going to see this through.

A couple of cars passed by, and the guys inside honked and waved. We just smiled and ignored them. Deb looked at me, concerned.

“You gonna be okay, Emily? I can almost feel you shaking.”

“I’m embarrassed, Debbie, but I have to do this. I’m tired of fighting a useless battle. I’m going to have to accept that Gabe’s turn is over, and Emily has to get started.”

Debbie looked at me with obvious tears in her eyes. “Are you...are you sure you want to do this? Maybe we can still find a way, somehow?”

We were both choked up. “I’m sorry, it’s time, Debbie. We have to face it, Gabe died in Arizona. Let him rest in peace.” Neither of us said anything for a long time, but we both were upset. I think Debbie had been hoping that I would eventually change back, and maybe something might happen between us, but it was time to stop living in a fantasy world, depressing as that might be.

When we got to school, we both made a stop at the ladies room. We cleaned ourselves up, had a quick hug, then we headed for our respective home rooms. I got several admiring glances that made me wish long skirts were in. Amanda and Grace clapped their hands when they saw me, but then they saw that my eyes were a bit red.

“Emily, are you all right?” Amanda asked me.

“Yeah, Debbie and I were talking about Gabe, and it just made me sad.” Oh dang, there go my eyes again. Grace quickly hands me a tissue, and I dab at my eyes.

“Hi, guys! Oh, Emily, are you okay, honey?” Kathy J. came in from behind me, but quickly saw that I was upset.

“We were just talking about Gabe, Kathy.” Grace said, and I noticed her eyes were also a bit misty.

Several people overheard us, I guess, because I felt several light touches as girls offered their sympathies. I heard someone clearing their throat, and when I looked up, Andrew was looking uncomfortable, but his eyes were moist, too.

“A lot of us miss him, Emily. He was a super great guy.”

“Thanks, Andrew. Hey, we need to get into class. Thank you, everyone.” I really needed to get my mind on something a bit more pleasant.

I got through the next couple of classes and was headed to my next class when I saw Tim as we passed in the hall. He smiled, and then he noticed my outfit and his smile got bigger yet. I was both embarrassed and happy that he liked my skirt, and I probably blushed again, but I held my head up and continued to class.

Debbie and I met up at lunch, and we headed out to our favorite spot.

“I’m having a very hard time focusing,” she confessed. “It’s almost like Gabe is really gone, now.” She was really struggling to keep it together. I reached over and gave her a hug.

“I’m so sorry, Debbie. I just can’t do it anymore.” I told her. “I can’t hold back my life waiting for a way to change back, when we all know it’s not going to happen. I’m forcing myself to really accept that I’m a girl, now. I know that no one wants to give up on that possibility that I’ll go back, but I’m tired of mentally holding my breath.”

“I know you’re right, but my heart always hoped...”

I hugged her again. “I know, Debbie. I know.”

We didn’t talk much after that, but we held each other’s hands as we sat in the cool shade. When the bell rang, we hugged again, and then headed into our next class.

“See you later, Em.”

“Do you wanna stop at the Ice Cream Shoppe after school?”

She smiled. “Like you really had to ask.”

We both giggled and then we went to our separate classes.

After school, we sat eating our ice cream and just making small talk.

“Hey, I just thought of something!” I said with a smile.

“A blonde with a thought! It’s a sign from God!” She laughed.

“Cute. Laugh it up, funny girl, paybacks are a bitch.” I said, with an evil glare that made her laugh even harder, which made me laugh a bit as I watched her. “No, it occurs to me that we need to do some shopping, now.”

Funny how that one word made her stop. Almost like someone kick-started her brain.

“Oh yeah, you’re going to need a lot of clothes, won’t you?”

“Yeah, maybe I could go with mom and Grandma, if they aren’t too busy.”

“Oh no you don’t!” She smiled, then looked concerned. “Have you told your family about your decision?”

“No, but I’m going to have to. I don’t think it’ll be a big problem, to tell you the truth.”

We hugged again (Wow, we do that an awful lot, now), and I headed home. I walked in the door and saw Grandma and Mom in the living room. This was the first time they nhad seen me in this skirt, and I could see they were surprised.

“Congratulations, it’s a girl?”

“I have to say, this is quite a different way of dressing for you.” Mom said, very calmly. “So, I take it that this means things have changed?”

“Yeah, it’s time Emily started to live a real life. I have to face it, Mom; I’m never gonna be ‘me’ again.” I found that I didn’t have any tears left to cry. I was kind of numb, now, and it surprised me that I almost didn’t care anymore.

Mom hugged me, and smiled with wet eyes. She just held me for a long time without saying anything.

Grandma looked at me very seriously. “Emily, I understand what you’re doing, and I approve, but being a girl doesn’t mean you have to start doing girly things, you know. It just seems like maybe you’re being a little over-the-top.”

“I know, Grandma, but I need to make a statement, even if it’s only to myself. Wearing skirts may not be a daily thing for me, but I’m going to do my best to be comfortable in them. I’ve got a lot of things to get used to that I never thought I’d be interested in.”

“Well, I know this is important to you, but remember, there are many different kinds of girls out there. You’re allowed to choose what best fits the way you feel.”

"I know Grandma," I told her. "Well, gotta go change-be right back, okay?"

I went to my room to think. Was I going too far? I knew lots of girls who rarely wore skirts, and who looked very good. On the other hand, business wear for women generally means a skirt, and most formalwear was a dress of some kind. I wanted to fit in, and be comfortable doing so. I think I need to talk to Debbie about this.

Of course, she might be a little too much for me, with her mini-skirts and heels. When we were dating, she would wear these pleather pants that were so tight you could almost tell if she shaved that day. As I guy, I had loved them, but you couldn’t get me to wear anything like that. No way, no how!

Then there was the subject of makeup. It’s something that most people expect, and just like a skirt, is almost mandatory in business, or in formal situations. Could I get used to that, too?

I changed tops, and threw on one of my favorite T-shirts, a black one with the “Bat-logo” on it in yellow. I was feeling a little less than heroic, but I had to do it. I went back to the living room to see if Mom was busy.

“Mom?” I called, but she didn’t answer. I figured that it was no big deal, she must have gone on an errand. I went to the kitchen to start something for dinner, and found Grandma on the floor, unconscious. I rushed to her and dropped to my knees.

“Grandma? Are you all right?" I said, remembering my first aid training, but as soon as I touched her I knew she wasn’t well. I focused, and pushed my energy into her. I somehow knew what she needed immediately, and I willed it to happen. I gave her all the strength I could, and got her stabilized, but she needed to see a doctor, and fast.

I pulled out my cell-phone and punched in 911, keeping a hand on Grandma’s arm at all times so that I could monitor her condition. I did my best to tell the operator clearly who I was, why I was calling, and where we lived. In minutes I heard the sirens.

I told the EMT’s what I knew, without going into details that I wouldn’t have normally known. An ambulance arrived just a few minutes later, although at the time it seemed like it took much longer. As they loaded her into the ambulance, I told them which hospital to take her to, and I called my Mom.

“Hello?”

“Mom, it’s Ga-Emily, where are you?”

“On my way home, honey, what’s up?”

“Grandma had a small heart attack, I did my best to help her, and she’s on the way to Eastside right now.”

There was a short silence, and then Mom asked me in a strained voice if I was all right.

“I’m fine, but a little drained. I’m gonna grab a popsicle for some quick sugar, then head on over to the hospital. Are you coming home, or heading to Eastside?”

“I’m on my way to Eastside, honey. I’ll see you there, drive arefully!”

"Got it, Mom.”

“I'll hang up and call Dad. Love you, sweetheart.” Her phone clicked off, so I went inside, got my popsicle and made sure everything was locked up. I called Debbie and told her what was up, then climbed in to my truck and went to Eastside General (A HealthyFirst! Facility).

It didn’t take long to get there (yes, Mom, I drove carefully), and when I got there Grandma was doing fairly well. She was in a regular room, and as I walked in, she and Mom were talking, which kind of surprised me.

“There she is!” Grandma said. “My hero!”

Huh? (Yes, I know. Real Intelligent)

“Thanks to you stepping in and opening up the blockage, the damage was minimal, and I’ll only be in the hospital for observation. The doctors couldn’t even tell what happened for sure. The theory right now is that it was a ‘cardiac event’, but no one wants to commit to anything.”

“So there’s no long term damage?” I asked, amazed.

“Well, that’s why they want to keep this monitor on me.” She pulled out a small gray box with wires running out of it and into the pocket of her gown. “This is connected to sensors on my chest, and it transmits the readings wirelessly so I can move around while they keep an eye on my heart.”

“When I came in, the doctor was here,” Mom said. “He looked a little confused, but he said if everything continues to look good, she can go home tomorrow.”

“That’s wonderful!” I had been very worried that we could have lost her-after all, I had no idea how long she had been on the floor. I was so glad that I had tried to help Mom out with dinner.

Mom smiled at me. “Sweetheart, we are both extremely proud of you, so tomorrow, your real training begins. I’ve been trying to decide how I wanted to start your lessons, and now I have a few ideas.”

“Umm, could we add some lessons in being a girl? I think I’m doing well, but there are things I do need help with, like cosmetics and learning how to take better care of my hair.”

“I think you’ve been more than successful so far, but yes, I will be happy to help you. In fact, I’ve been itching to do some mother-daughter things with you.” She smiled. “Some of my ideas may sound a little crazy, but there are reasons.”

“What...kind of ideas?” I asked, cautiously.

“Well, for example, to help you feel better about your body, I was thinking about dance lessons, and more specifically, ballet.”

Me, in a tutu?

Kill me now.

Ballet?!” Debbie looked shocked at what I’d told her, but then she seemed to think again. “You know, that might be a good idea. Ballet will help you in the same way it helps football players. It will help you to feel comfortable with your body and improve your grace and coordination.

“Okay, but...ballet?” I asked.

“You wanted to be more feminine. It’s not just pretty clothes and make-up; there is a whole different feel to your body that you need to understand. Ballet can teach you that.”

“Okay , but...ballet?”

Debbie laughed. “What is your problem with ballet?”

I blushed. “I am not wearing a tutu!”

I thought she was going to hurt herself, she was laughing so hard.

“I love you so much!” She said, as she struggled to catch her breath. “You are so silly!”

“Well, I’m not!”

“Your mother wants you to take the class to improve your appearance, your poise and grace, not to really become a dancer. Just like some football players, you will probably go no further than to wear a leotard and tights, not a tutu, although I think you’d look very cute in one.”

“Hmph! I don’t think so!”

Debbie smiled. “Would it make you feel better if I took the class as well?”

I looked at her suspiciously. “Well yeah, but...”

“But nothing. The studio is owned and run by my cousin, so it won’t cost me anything. If there is anything to be embarrassed about, we’ll face it together, all right?”

I was shocked and grateful, and I wrapped her in a hug. “Thank you, Debbie! I can honestgly say that I’ve never had a better friend.”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” She said, blushing. “My mom’s been bugging me to take the class, too. Just like your mother, she says it will make me ‘more of a lady.’” She casually spit on the side of the sidewalk, then wiped her mouth with her arm. “As if I had anything I needed to learn.”

That got us both laughing.

After a few minutes I got my breathing under control.

“Mom says we’ll start working more actively on my magic, too. I guess after she brings Grandma home from the hospital this afternoon, they are going to see how strong I am.’

“Cool! My mom keeps putting it off. She always says she’s too busy with some Coven Administration business. Sometimes she doesn’t get home until ten pm, and it’s too late to do much by that time.”

“Oh, I know how that can be. My mom was on some committee, and I swear, sometimes I think they just went to a club or something. That lasted for months!”

“I hope whatever she’s doing is finished soon. I kind of miss our talks and stuff.” She sighed. “Oh well, I guess it’s just a part of being a witch, and I am 16. I can pretty much take care of myself.”

I thought for a minute. “How about coming to our house some night? You’d get a homemade meal, help with your homework and maybe you could sit in on a magic lesson or two!”

“Oh, that’s a great idea! I’ll have to clear it with Mom, but I’m sure she’ll agree.” She checked her watch. “We need to get into school, we don’t have a lot of time.”

I was looking forward to school, and hoping I could get a little time with Tim today. Maybe we could arrange another date for sometime this weekend, I hoped. I headed to my homeroom, just smiling and waving to my friends, maybe saying a few words about how nice someone looked, just being friendly. I finally got to my homeroom, and Tom Dimarco smiled as I came in.

“You look very nice, kinda like the anti-Stewart.”

I laughed. I had worn my white overalls, a light blue tee and my white trainers, and with my blonde hair, I was in direct contrast to Mr. Stewart, who always wore all black and had dark hair and beard.

“I hadn’t thought about that, really. I just kinda thought it was cute.”

“Well,” I heard from behind me. “You were right, you look very cute!”

I turned around to see Tim, and we both smiled at each other.

“I don’t have a lot of time,” he said. “Could I meet you after school, out by the parking lot?”

“Sure, I can do that! See you later, then!”

He rushed off. His homeroom was on the far end of the school and on the third floor, so he had to hurry. Seeing him made my morning so much better, but the day just seemed to drag along after that. I don’t think I was ever so happy to hear the last bell!

Debbie waited by the steps as I met with Tim for a few minutes. I kissed him, and it made me tingle all over.

“I know you're busy with your afterschool classes and stuff, but would you like to go out this weekend? I have to work with my Dad every night this week until the weekend, but we could spend some time together on Saturday, if you'd like?”

I nodded like some idiot. “Yeah, that would be great! Just casual, then?”

“Yeah, nothing too fancy, I’m not sure what we’ll do yet, I have to see what’s going on. I just wanted to see you this weekend.”

“I’d like that, very much!” I kissed him again, this time for a little longer. “Call me with a time, okay?”

“Great! See you later, I can’t wait!” He went to his car and I met up with Debbie.

I think my smile almost broke my face, and my body was on pure automatic.

“Hello, Emily, do you read me? Em-i-ly? Please, Emily, don’t go into the light!”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“Wow, you’ve got it bad!” She smiled. “I think I’m jealous!”

I blushed and looked away. I was incredibly happy, and she wasn’t going to spoil it.

She pulled me into a hug. "Emily, you are so lucky, hon!”

“Oh, come on, you’ve got plenty of boyfriends.”

“Yes, I do. But I’d trade ‘em all for one that made me smile like that.”

Yeah, okay, I had to admit, Tim was very special, and I knew that what Deb had said was true. I had believed at one point that I was truly in love with her as Gabe. I realized, though, that it had been a poor shadow of what I felt now. The rational part of me said that it was going too fast, but the other parts told that first part to shut up, this was too good to stop!

Yes, I knew it was really just infatuation at this point. We hadn’t even had our second date yet! Somehow though, I knew this was right. Still, while I might have given him my heart, I was going to keep a close guard on everything below that!

I told Debbie I’d pick her up in the morning, because the weather report was calling for rain and high winds in the morning, and then I headed home.

It was great to see that Grandma was home. She was in a wheelchair and I hugged her as soon as I came in.

“The doctors want me to take it easy for a few days yet,” she explained. “They still don’t know what happened; all their tests say I’m very healthy.” She kissed me and looked into my eyes. “Thank you, honey. I wasn’t ready to go, yet.”

I hugged her and we both had wet eyes. I wasn’t ready for her to leave, either.

Mom brought out a tray with some tea and small cookies. I nibbled while Mom told me what we were going to do this afternoon.

“I need to get an idea about what kind of strength you have, what you have an affinity for, and what is more difficult for you, all right?”

“Okay, so what do we do?”

“Well, the first test of strength will be to wheel your Grandma outside so we don’t accidentally damage the house.”

I pushed Grandma out to the back yard, and out to the patio, under the big umbrella. I made sure she was in the shade, although we have so many trees that the sun really isn’t an issue.

“How do we test my healing ability? That can’t hurt the house, can it?”

“Sit down, sweetheart.” I pulled up a patio chair next to Mom, and Grandma continued. “I don’t want you to get a big head about this, but no one has ever been able to do what you did for me.”

“What? But...”

Mom took my hand. “I’m considered a very strong healer, but the best I can do is to speed up someone’s own natural healing ability. I’ve never heard of someone who could stop and reverse a heart attack. In my opinion, your Grandma probably had a serious attack, but you instinctively fixed the problem and repaired any damage, in a very short time.”

“So this means...?”

Grandma sat up and smiled. ”This means your healing ability is beyond our capacity to measure. A specialized, well trained team of scientists, familiar with magic and witches might be able to tell us just how powerful you are, but to my knowledge, no such group exists.”

Whoa. Off to an interesting start, then. As Mom put me through some basic tests, it seemed that I had more talent than I would have thought. I appeared to be very strong in all of the types of magic we tested. My weakest talent was with fire magic, although Mom said that I was still stronger than many witches who had an affinity for fire.

I was getting scared. What if I did something accidentally, or while in a nightmare? I could seriously hurt someone if I got angry, and the chance of my making a catastrophic mistake had jumped enormously. Mom and Grandma were even debating taking me out of school, because it might be too dangerous for me to be there. They were amazed that nothing had happened already.

Now, back when I was Gabe, I might have thought that was wonderful to miss school, but Emily was just starting to have a real social life, and my grades were excellent! I wasn’t ready to give up, though. If I did, the next thing they might do could be to forbid me from dating Tim and that was not happening.

“Help me! Train me so that I can keep things under control. Pulling me out of school won’t help, and I want to go to college. I want my friends, and I want my life! Tying me to the ground isn’t going to help when I really want to fly-it will only make me miserable. Teach me to fly safely!”

“It won’t be easy, honey.” Mom said. “More than anything, you’ll have to learn to control your emotions like never before. We’re talking about meditation and yoga, things to help you focus and control your mind and body. Ballet and perhaps Martial Arts as well. It may seem like a lot of work, in addition to school. Make no mistake, sweetheart, it will be a lot of work, but it is absolutely necessary.”

“I can do it, but with one condition.” I said, “and this is not negotiable. I'm still going to have my time with Tim, otherwise my time is yours, all right?”

They looked at each other and sighed.

“Agreed.” Mom said. "But you'll have to be very careful!"

I could see lots of fun times ahead.

Not.

I guess I wasn’t feeling so hot when I picked Debbie up at her house, and she quickly picked up on that.

“Are you all right, Em? You seem very...distant, almost upset. Did I piss you off somehow? If so, I apologize, but please talk to me, please?”

“Oh honey, it’s not you. I just got some interesting news last night, and I’m not sure how I want to handle it.”

“Is there anything I can do to help, somehow?”

“I honestly don’t know, Deb. Mom and I were doing some testing to find out where my affinities lay, and, well...”

“Well what, Em? We know you have some healing abilities, so you’re probably a pretty strong healer. I have an affinity for Air magic, myself. Mom says it’s because my mouth is always flapping in the breeze.”

I giggled. “It’s not that, Debbie. It’s just that my magic is too powerful, and that’s a huge problem. I have to learn to control it, before I have some kind of horrible accident.”

“Do you know which type of magic you’re too strong in?”

“You’re not going to believe it. Heck, I don’t believe it-or want it!” I said in frustration.

“Emily, I can see you’re upset. What magical discipline has you so worried?”

“All of them.”

“What?”

“Trust me, Debbie, I’m not bragging or pulling your leg. Mom says I may be the most powerful witch ever, and as an untrained novice, that makes me very dangerous. I guess I’m the magical equivalent of nuclear nitro-glycerin, and I might explode if I’m not extremely careful.”

“Whoa. So you mean if you were to cast a spell of some kind, it could cause problems because you could over do it?”

“Yeah. Mom and Grandma wanted to pull me out of school, because they don’t think I can handle it.”

“Well, that’s just silly. You didn’t know about your power before, and there were no incidents at all, maybe you have more control than they’re giving you credit for.”

I hadn’t thought about it before, but maybe she’s right? Maybe I have some kind of natural limiter-some way to protect myself? I don’t know, but if Mom and Grandma are right, if I’m that dangerous, why hasn’t anything happened before? Of course, I haven’t been trying to cast any spells, either. Maybe if I just relax and avoid trying to cast any spells, there may not be any real danger?

It was at least an interesting theory, and I’d have to bring it up with Mom and Grandma, but I already knew they wouldn’t change their plans for me. They might worry less, but that would be about all they’ll consider.

“Emily if you’re strong in all disciplines, have you had any problems with things like telepathy, or precognition?”

“No, I think it’s something that you need to be focused on. At least, I hope it is. I mean, I don't hear everyone’s thoughts, all of the time, or always see things that will happen to people. I suppose it’s sort of like Superman, in a way. His heat vision and super hearing aren‘t constant things for him, they’re only there when he needs them.”

I thought about it for a few minutes. “Debbie, what if I’ve been using those powers unconsciously all along? I mean, on our first date, it just sort of clicked, then I knew that I was going to spend my life with Tim. Even before that, I just knew you would become my best friend ever. Could I be tapping into my ability with out knowing it?”

“Whoa, that’s almost scary weird, if it’s true. I’m a complete zero when it comes to the psychic abilities, and I don’t know anything about how it works. Maybe you just have good judgment when you’re dealing with people? I don’t know.”

“You’re right, it’s very freaky. I was just thinking, if I was being precognitive, I would have known about Grandma’s heart attack, but maybe I did, and that’s why I went to the kitchen at just the right time. Oh, I don’t know!”

“Relax, honey. If you have those abilities, you can’t change it, so why worry about it? You haven’t been hurt by them in any way, right? Okay, so I guess it’s weird, but before you get too stressed about it, talk to your Mom and your Grandma.”

“That’s good advice, Debbie. You’re right, and thanks for helping me relax.”

“Hey, BFF here, remember? That’s why I make the big money!” She started giggling and got me started as well. It was a great stress reliever, and I was soon feeling like myself again.

The weather prediction had called for high winds and heavy rain, but all I saw was a light shower with a bit of a breeze. Hardly a storm, but when I turned on the radio for a weather report, they explained that the real storm wouldn’t hit us until around noon. I always keep an umbrella behind the seat, so I grabbed it and brought it into school with me.

The morning was fairly pleasant, but just before lunch we noticed that it was getting darker, and we could hear the far away thunder. The gym classes that were outside quickly moved into the gym, windows were closed, lights were turned on and life went on, pretty much as normal.

It rained quite hard, but that was nothing new. Behind the concrete and brick walls, I felt very secure, but I still cringed when the lightning struck close to the building and the thunder shook the building. A few of the girls even screamed (No, not me. Uh uh. Honest. Well, okay then...maybe, all right?) and the lights flickered and then went out. The teachers did a great job, and kept things cool and calm.

We waited about an hour, just sitting and talking casually before the rain stopped and I’m guessing that someone had contacted the power company. I found out later that there were outages all over the county, and they weren’t projecting a restoration of power anytime before tomorrow, and possibly later, as the school was fairly low in priority. We were finally released early, and Tim decided to take advantage of the extra couple of hours and to my surprise, took Debbie and I out for coffee.

I was very pleased that even with Debbie there, we had a very good time. We got several looks because of our fairly raucous laughter, but no one really said anything. Tim was very attentive, while still being good company all around, a talent that really impressed me. We had so much fun. I was really looking forward to my date now!

As Debbie and I drove home, we noticed little bits of windblown debris along the road. Nothing too large or anything, but as we approached our neighborhood, it did seem to get worse. I dropped Debbie off at her place, and then made my way home. As I got closer to the house, I could see something was different, but it wasn’t until I was pulling into the driveway that I saw the fallen tree. I went into the house to make sure everything was all right, and was greeted by Grandma. Mom came out a few minutes later.

“So,” I asked. “No real damage, then?”

“Damage? From what, dear?” Grandma asked innocently.

“From that fallen tree, in the back yard! I didn’t see any damage like that anywhere else on the way home, although we did lose power at school, and I don’t know when that may be repaired.”

Mom smiled. “Sweetie, that wasn’t an accident. That’s your homework.”

“My homework?!"

“Yes, dear.” Grandma said. “You have so much strength, small challenges just won’t be enough at this point. As you get more proficient, we’ll get smaller and smaller to help with developing and improving your fine control. At this point however, your strength allows us to begin on a very large scale.”

“I guess I can understand that,” I said.

“Guess not, young padawan.” Grandma said. “Do, or do not. Test you, your training will. Go now, and prepare.’

“You watched it again,didn't you?"

“Yes, my student.” Mom said bowing. “Is most awesome on Blu-Ray!”

Oh, Lord. It’s gonna be one of those nights.

How long until I can drink?

This was very hard to write. Been there, done that, but nobody ever found out. At least so far as I know!

Mom, Grandma and I went outside to the backyard, and we walked up to the tree. It was quite large, easily 40 feet tall.

“Okay, now what am I supposed to do with it?” I asked.

“Well, the first thing to do would be to strip the leaves off of it, then remove the branches from the main trunk, stacking them carefully over by the garage for a bonfire Friday night.” Mom said.

“How should I do it? Is there some kind of mental tool I need to use?”

“No, just picture what you want in your mind, see things happening and then will it to be that way.” She stood back with Grandma while I tried to envision how it would look. In my mind, I saw the leaves rustle a bit, then vanish and reappear in the compost pile. I concentrated, and then put my will into the picture as I said my magic word to help me focus on the action.

“Now.” I said calmly, and I heard gasps of surprise from behind me. I did the same thing with the branches. I could see them come off of the tree as if they were being shaved off of a man’s face. Focusing on my vision as I said “Now” again, the only sounds I heard were a couple of gasps and I only felt a slight draining sensation.

I opened my eyes and the bare trunk of the tree lay in front of me.

“Here honey, you’d better sit down for a while, you must be exhausted.” Mom led me to one of the patio chairs.

“Okay, but I really didn’t feel like I’ve made any real effort so far.” I stated. “Is it normally this easy?”

“Easy? Well then, let’s challenge you! Can you divide the trunk into pieces, no more than two feet wide, and then divide those pieces in to 8 pieces? Then it should be stacked with the woodpile, and we should...”

Mom and Grandma both turned pale as I closed my eyes and thought Now. I divided the trunk, then split the pieces and put them in the woodpile with no saw dust to clean up. I believed I had done a decent job, but Mom and Grandma seemed to be upset about something. I was trying to think of what I had done wrong, when Mom started to tell me what she thought.

“Emily, I don’t think you realized it, but you never looked back at the tree trunk, and you never even put down the soda!” She was right, come to think about it. I really didn’t need to see it, at least not with my eyes. I knew exactly where everything was, in fact I could close my eyes completely, and I could still you what the label on the new garden shovel leaning against the garage said.
“I-I just did it like you said you wanted it, Mom.” It had taken less effort than it sometimes took to drag myself out of bed in the morning.

“What most impresses me is the casual way she did things. Almost off-handed, as though it didn’t affect her in the slightest.” Grandma told Mom.

“Emily, it looks like you don’t understand why we’re surprised. Think about it this way. You’ve just taken a 40 ft tree, and in less than 15 minutes, all that's left is compost, several cords of firewood and a few branches for a bonfire this weekend. That’s a scary level of power, and you aren’t even breathing hard.”

“B-but I...” Oh, my blessed God. I had been clueless, just trying to do what Mom had said, but I had done a job that should have taken several men hours to accomplish. As I thought about it, I began to get very anxious. I knew that nothing would ever be the same again, and that a temper tantrum could hurt someone or cause terrible damage, and I could never, ever be the person that I’d wanted to be, I was too dangerous to be around people and even my Tim, and it all just seemed so overwhelming that I just wanted to die, and I cried and cried until it finally just became too much, and everything suddenly went dark.

I woke up lying on my bed, and the enormity of what had happened made me just want everyone to leave me alone, I just wanted to cry. Even my transformation hadn’t disturbed me this badly, and that made me wonder what that said about me? Was I secretly happy that I had changed? Was I some kind of weirdo? Am I going insane or something?

I walked around my room, looking at pictures of Gabe, some trophies I had won, a couple of yearbooks with pictures of Gabe, football pictures and stuff, and I just couldn’t stop crying. I held a picture of Debbie and I from last year, and I just wondered why things had to change. We looked so happy there. I ran my finger over a picture of me, still in my football gear, smiling and proud, and I realized I was never going to be that happy ever again.

I couldn’t even talk to Tim again. If I got too emotional, what might I accidentally do? I got back in bed, pulled the covers over my head and bawled. I wanted to talk to him, so bad! I didn't want to never msee him again, and my heart just hurt. I needed something to calm me down and maybe stop the pain a little. I decided to go to the back and I got a bottle of Kentucky Whiskey. Maybe I could stop my insides from hurting so bad. I wish Mom was like other Moms, but no, no painkillers or sleeping pills in our house. Crap. The whiskey didn't even taste very good, but I was starting to feel a little better, so I drank some more.

Killing myself seemed like a very good idea, that would stop me from being so dangerous to everyone, and I just couldn’t handle this pain, it was just eating into me. What did I have to live for?

I’d have to live far away from everyone, alone for the rest of my life. What if somebody was able to manipulate me again, or even somehow control me? I was worse than a nuclear weapon in some ways. Maybe I could just jump off of a building, or drive my truck into a bridge.

God, Help me! Change me back, please? I don't wanna die, but I can’t live like this! Please, take these powers away from me!

Who am I kidding? No one is going to help me, nothing is going to get better. Eventually I’ll either make a mistake, or something, and people are going to get hurt because of me, and I just can’t...I can’t allow that to happen.

I won’t let it happen. Not because of me. I sat down and wrote some letters to my family, to Debbie and to Tim. His was the hardest, and it just made me hurt even more. I decided to tell him everything. Maybe if he knew that I was once a guy, it would gross him out enough that he might even be glad that I’m gone.

No, I didn’t mention being a witch. I didn’t tell him how I was changed; I just said I didn’t want to hurt him anymore. I told Debbie that it wasn’t her fault. I didn’t want her to feel guilty for anything. I wrote a long letter to Mom and Dad, and another long one to Grandma. I hated that this would hurt them, and I almost changed my mind about the whole thing. I didn’t want to hurt anyone, but no matter what I did, I knew that I was going to hurt someone eventually.

I decided to sit and think about things, and sitting really felt like a good idea. I flopped down on the sofa, wiped my eyes, and slowly counted to ten. By this time I wasn’t thinking all that well, thanks to the whiskey, and I was really getting depressed. I was really tired so I decided to go back to bed, but my legs didn’t seem to want to let me get up. I finally just decided to lie down for a while and watch the TV. I might even fall asleep.

Maybe I’d get lucky and never wake up.

,

t.

The pain was the first thing I noticed. I was afraid to open my eyes because the light already hurt, even through my eyelids. I had the most incredible headache, kind of like brain freeze multiplied a hundred times. My tongue tasted kind of like I had spent the night mopping the floor with my tongue, and every sound seemed to make my brain pound. I sort of wanted to puke, and I think every part of me was in pain.

Remarkably, it seemed that this was the good news. First, I was apparently still alive, although just now I might actually be willing to enter a debate on the subject, if only it didn’t hurt so much to think...

Secondly, I really didn’t feel much better than I had last night. Nothing had changed, my problems were all still there. The only difference was that now, I felt awful physically, as well as emotionally.

I wiped my eyes because they almost seemed to be cemented shut, and someone gently pushed my hand away and washed my face with a cool, moist cloth. I knew it was my Mom somehow, and then I realized that I could hear her thoughts. I even felt the things she was feeling, and the disappointment, pain and fear were almost too much for me to bear, and I winced in response.

Dad came in and put his arms around Mom, to give her strength. Together, their emotions were like standing in the surf as their pain washed over me, and I just dissolved into tears, knowing exactly how much I had hurt and disappointed them. I actually wasn’t sure I would be able to survive hurting this bad. I looked at both of them with regret for what I had put them through.

“Young lady,” my mother said, in a voice that was far too loud for me this morning. “Do you have any idea of how-“

“Mom, please!” I cried. “I can’t...I just can’t...”

I guess I passed out, but when I came to again, I heard Grandma laying into both of them. Opening my eyes was even harder this time, but they weren’t looking at me just now.

“-es, dear, I’m well aware that you are hurt and upset, Good Lord, do I know. Jenny, we should have realized it, but Emily has my gift!”

“Gift? What...you mean, she can read minds, too?” The fear from my mother was deep, but she was afraid for me, not at me...she worried that it would all be too much for me, and that someone would covet my talent

“Yes, only she’s much more powerful than I am. She feels everything the two of you and I feel, don’t you, honey?”

I looked at my parents. “I’m so sorry! Oh God!” I held my hands over my ears, as if that would help me to stop the assault I felt... I thought I would pass out again.

“Oh, my God! I didn’t realize she would hurt so much!” Mom wanted to comfort me, but Grandma stopped her.

“Okay, you two,” Grandma told my parents. “You need to go for a drive or something, Emily hasn’t learned how to shield yet, and in a very real way, you are hurting her intensely. Jenny, I feel your fear and despair, and it hurts me...what do you think Emily is feeling?”

“I deserve it,” I choked out between the tears, but Grandma wouldn’t back down one bit.

“Jenny, go now! I really need to help Emily right now. It’s just all overwhelming her.
She’s still close to suicidal from seeing what she thinks is her world fall apart, and she’s finally really dealing with the despair over the loss of the life she had as Gabe. Then there’s the hangover she’s feeling from trying to use alcohol in her desperate attempt to numb her pain. Add to that the anger, despair, disappointment, fears and even the love from both of you, and you wonder that she passed out?

It’s just too much, but I can help her. You need to go now, and stay away from her until you calm down, both of you. I know, sweetheart,” she said as she hugged Mom. “I can feel how much it hurts, and how much you love her, and Emily feels it so much more than me. Go, please!"

They walked down the hall, with Grandma trying to keep them moving.

"Come back once you’re more in control and relaxed. Don’t forget, I’ve been trained for this, and even though I’m retired, I can handle it. I’m trained to shield and to control my emotions, and since I have a taste of what she feels, I’m not at all angry with her. We’ll be fine, but I have to teach my Grand-daughter to shield her mind. Now Go!”

They had decided to go for a drive that would take them to the beach for a while, but as they left, I caught a wave of relief, concern and love. I didn’t know what to think, but I trusted my Grandma, especially since I could feel almost nothing from her mind, which showed me how strong her shield was.

Grandma got me some pain medication, and I soon started to feel almost human again. We just sat there until I was able to get control of myself. I still heard the thoughts of people around our neighborhood, but they were distant and impossible to understand.

“Okay, Emmy, take a deep breath and let it out. You need to be able to focus for this. I want you to picture a giant beachball, about a foot taller than you are, all right?”

“Okay, Grandma, I’m picturing a huge plastic ball.” I said, keeping my eyes closed.

“Now, keeping your eyes closed, picture the ball all around you.”

“Yeah, I see it.” I opened my eyes to a transluscent darkness. I could almost feel it.

“You’ll notice how all sounds are muffled inside of the ball.”

“Yeah, they are.” All of the other mental voices were also silent.

“Now here comes the hardest part. That ball is your shield, okay? Imagine that it’s
impervious unless you specifically want to let someone or something in. Nothing can get through it. I want you to focus on my voice, to let my voice, and only my voice in, you got it?”

The ball got darker inside, as though I was even keeping light out.

“Yes Grandma. It’s very quiet inside here. I don’t hear all of that ‘static’ of other people's thoughts.” I had a huge smile on my face. This was starting to get better and better.

“Do you think you can do this by yourself?”

“Oh, sure! No problem.”

“Very good, sweetie. Now the last thing. Your ball is imaginary, so you can shape it in anyway you like.”

“Does that mean my shield is imaginary?”

“No, you could be hit by a truck, or shot with a gun, Nothing will get through that shield.”

“Very cool.” Oh, I was in love with this.

“You could wrap it around your body, and make yourself completely bulletproof. Done right, you could comfortably walk naked in a blizzard, or across a burning desert and never even get a tan. A lot of it depends on your imagination.”

Whoa.

“Now, young lady, you and I need to talk.”

“I know, Grandma.” I knew this wouldn't be any fun.

“I’m a little disappointed in one thing, Emily.”

Wow, just one? “Which thing bothers you?”

“The idea that if your grandfather was alive, you would have gone straight to him for help, so why didn’t you think of coming to me?” Her voice told me she was hurt, and I hugged her to show how much I loved her.

“Grandma, I was panicked; my world felt like it had come to an end. I don’t want to live without my family and my friends. It’s just not worth it.”

“Tell me this. Where did you come up with the idea that you couldn’t have friends?”

I was confused. “I thought it would be too dangerous, isn’t that what you and Mom were saying? I was worried about that, and then you and Mom looked so astonished and scared at what I could do. I guessed that if you thought I was dangerous before you knew how strong I was, how much worse would it be knowing that you had seen my real strength?”

“Emily we said an untrained witch with your strength could be dangerous. Honey, I’m going to tell you what your Great Grandmother told me when I was learning and a little scared.

She told me that ‘Magic is like potty training. It takes a little time to understand what you have to do, and you might have a few accidents, but really, it doesn’t take long before you’re not peeing in your bed anymore.’ Once we get you trained and comfortable, your life can be just as normal as you want it. I guess one thing we need to work on first, and that’s your confidence. Debbie mentioned a precog you had about you and Tim. Don't you trust your own precog?”

I blushed-a lot.

“Yeah, but Grandma, how can you tell if a precog is true?

“You know when it’s a real precog by the way it affects you. What did you feel when you had yours about Tim?”

“It was like the world clicked into place for me. I just felt like we were going to grow old together,”

“That sounds like a valid precognitive event to me.”

“You mean, it’s true?”

“I’d have to say, it sounds like you two are soul mates to me. You could try to fight it, but personally, when a psychic of your strength tells me something will happen, I think I’ll listen.”

It was like a sunshine bomb went off in my heart. Whatever it was I had to do, I would do it. My insecurities were suddenly tiny, and I was feeling very, very happy.

Mom and Dad cautiously came in, unsure of what they were walking into. I met them as they came in. Mom seemed shocked that I was so bright and laughing, and I hugged them both.

“Who are you?” Dad asked and chuckled, bemused by my obvious glee.

I smiled with everything I had. “I’m the future Mrs. Timothy Davies!"

.

Mostly just a filler today.

I awoke this morning, and I felt very good. I became concerned that whoever had been playing with my emotions was at it again. Grandma said no, the amulet was working well. By that time, my good mood was ruined. I have to check with my grandmother to see if I’m happy?

Someone is seriously going to pay.

I walked into the kitchen, and I was almost immediately pounced on by my mother. As she did her best to smother me in a hug, my bad mood disappeared.

Note to self, hugs are enormously powerful, highly addictive and, considering their immediate effectiveness, extremely inexpensive. I wonder if anyone has locked down the patent? Naah, the FDA probably considers them hazardous in some form. Otherwise some pervert could approach people, groping them and claiming they were offering first aid.

“Good morning, Mom. I love you, too.” I said, happily.

“Emily, I think we need to see somebody about your crazy mood swings!” She said, smiling to show she was joking...I think. “Seriously, sweetheart, one minute you’re almost suicidal, then a couple of hours later, you’re incredibly giddy, happily bouncing around trying to help everybody, then this morning you’re almost angry at the world.

You wouldn’t be the first witch to need a little counseling, and with what you’re going through, I keep asking my self why we haven’t started already. I guess I relied too much on Grandma.
Sometimes, the people we love are the last to see things. She had even mentioned it, but I guess I thought you were so strong you wouldn’t need any help.”

“We’ve talked about this, Jenny.” Grandma said as she came into the kitchen. “I’ve been trying to help where I could, but a therapist needs to be someone who can see things with a different perception than family would. She smiled at me as she lovingly touched my cheek. “I’m afraid that I love my grand-child far too much."

“Whoa!” I called. “I don’t think I need counseling, I just had a bad thought this morning. I think overall, I’m handling this pretty well. Yes, I had a little incident, but I’m over that now. I’ve been like this for weeks, and now you want to call a therapist?”

“Honey, it doesn’t mean you’re insane because you see a counselor. I did suggest you see a friend of mine after your change, but I think your mom just thought all you needed was love, and not a therapist. She wasn’t trying to hurt you, but, as I said before, sometimes you need a new prospective.”

I thought about it while I ate some of Dad’s raisin bran. “Okay, I confess, I don’t see anything wonderful about counseling, but I don’t see any big downside either. If you would please set me up with your friend, I would appreciate it.”

“Good choice, Emily. I really think it might be a good thing.” Grandma said.

“Well, we’ll see.” I said. I kissed her cheek, and then hugged Mom. “I’ve got to get to school, see you this afternoon.”

I jumped into my truck and headed for the school. I was actually looking forward to school today. I was hoping to see Tim, and looking forward to seeing Debbie. The weather was a little wet, and I watched for Debbie along the way. Fortunately, I saw her not far from her house, and I honked to let her know I was there.

“Hi. Em, thanks! I hate the rainy season-unless I’m sleeping in. Then it just makes me more relaxed.”

“I know, it’s like the ultimate weekend relaxer. You party a little, sleep in the next day while the rain cleans the air and the sound of the rain falling outside your window-“

Debbie interrupted. “Stop, please, you’re making me sleepy! So how was your night?”

“Well, let’s see. I went home, and my mom and grandma told me they were going
to test my powers. I went out to discover that they had cut down q 40 foot tree. It took me less than 15 minutes to strip and clean he tree, slice it up, and put it neatly away, and I never broke a sweat or a nail, and I wasn’t even breathing hard.

I got scared, panicked and got very upset, because I believed that I wouldn’t be allowed to see my friends anymore. I misunderstood some things and overreacted. My grandma set me straight.”

“Wow, honey, it sounds like you didn’t have a good night!”

“Once Grandma calmed me down, I got a little silly, but I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and I think I’m starting to understand who I am, and who I’ll have to be in the future.”

“Oh? Is there anything you want to share?”

“Have patience, Grasshopper. There is still much to learn yet.”

“Yes, oh wise and powerful one.” She put her hands together and bowed. “And when may I learn these things?”

“Right here, Debbie, " I said as I pulled into the school parking lot. "Gee, ain’t ya never heard of school?”

She hit me.

"You are so strange, Emily!”

“Hm, let’s see, you’re a trainee witch, and your best friend is another trainee witch, who used to be your ex-boyfriend, who was changed into a girl by wild magic, and then discovered she’s the most powerful witch of this generation, and we have to wear these amulets so that we can stop someone from trying to control our minds...yeah, you might get the idea I’m not the only strange one here.”

“Okay, okay, so we’re both strange. I get it!” She said with a giggle, as we got out of the truck and then we ran for the doors.

Tim had seen us, and was holding the door open. We hurried in, and before he could say anything I gave him a very quick kiss. I wasn’t sure if he would feel me, but I tried to read his mind a little as I kissed him. I didn’t go very deep, but he certainly seemed to share the love I felt, which didn’t hurt my feelings at all!

He smiled. “Wow, you know just how to start my day!”

“Yeah, our new school motto. ‘Start your day with a PDA’-no, it’ll never fly.” Larry Nash said from beside us, smiling. Tim gave him a smile and a friendly shove, which got all of us laughing.

“I’ll see you later, okay?” He said, and I flashed him a smile.

“I sure hope so!”

Nothing cool happened at school today-whether that’s a good thing or not kinda depends on your circumstances, I guess. I did experiment a little with my telepathy, but there were really no great secrets, just a lot of normal teenage considerations.

I’ll admit, it was interesting. There were, of course, several people who would fit into stereotypes, like girls who thought about boys, fashion, boys, the coming weekend, and of course, boys, and the guys who thought about little more than sex. There were more exceptions than I would have thought. For example, Grace worked through some complicated equations while a beautiful piano piece she had been practicing ran through her mind.

Some of the cheerleaders confirmed my belief that contrary to stereotype, they were actually very good students, although there was a girl who was very worried about whether or not her boyfriend would like her new lipstick. More guys than I would have thought had several things going through their brains. Cars, basketball, homework and yes, girls were major figures in the boys thoughts.

I did scan Tim’s mind, just for fun. He was worried about understanding his trigonometry and remembering his German language presentation. I also caught more than a few thoughts about a certain sophomore gal I was very familiar with. Oh God, he had actually thought about ENGAGEMENT RINGS?

I quickly pulled back into my own brain, and I was very surprised, but also very thankful. My Tim actually felt about me pretty much the same way that I thought about him. That gave me a very nice, warm feeling, which was quickly interrupted by some very strong, very disturbing thoughts about me, chained in a basement in some fetish clothes, being whipped while I did several disgusting things. Ewww!

I looked around to see where these intense and deranged thoughts were coming from, and saw Brad Mallory, the perv. Wow, maybe I should keep an eye on his guy...I know that if a girl from our area should ever “mysteriously” disappear, I’m going to be looking for Brad. Even when I was Gabe, I suspected that Mallory was more than a little disturbed, but...Wow.

When I saw Debi at lunch, I decided to scan her, and I was surprised to discover that I could tell she had magic! I knew that she did, of course, but it was interesting to see that it was so obvious.

We were talking about what I had been doing, and Debi sighed.

“I really wish I could get my Mom to start my training.” She said with a dejected look.
“She’s always busy with her coven project. Sometimes I think she’d be happier if I wasn’t even around.”

“Oh, you know that’s not true, Deb.” I told her. “Your Mom’s just really absorbed in whatever the business is with the coven. I don’t know what it would be but I wouldn’t be
surprised if she...” I stopped talking as I suddenly had a quick vision.

“Emily? Are you okay? Emily?” Debbie seemed a bit worried.

“I-I’m okay, Deb, I just had a vision, and it surprised me.”

“What did you see?”

“I’m not really sure...I have to try to figure out just what it was I saw. It was kind of confusing, but I think I was in some kind of office, and I was working on some paperwork.”

“Was it a nice office? I mean, were you behind a desk, or in a cubicle? Were you alone, or in a room with a lot of people?”

“I was alone behind a nice desk. It looked kind of fancy, and the papers seemed important. I...I think maybe I was in charge, somehow.”

“In charge of what? Try to remember the details-what color was the room, did it have windows, was it a familiar room?”

“It was a blue room with a wooden desk, not huge but comfortable, with a computer kind of off to my right and some papers in front of me. The room had a familiar feel, but it was at the same time strange, as though I was in someone’s place or something like that.”

“Weird,” she said. “Maybe if you go home and relax, you might see more of it. Do you meditate at all?”

“Grandma has me meditate for at least an hour every afternoon, except for Tuesday and Thursday, when I have yoga.”

“So when you meditate, try to focus on your vision. Maybe you’ll see something that will tell you more.”

‘Okay, I’ll try.” We were almost to her house, and I pulled into her drive. “See you in the morning, it’s going to be raining.”

She smiled. “Seeing the future again? I’ll look for you, have a good night.”

I backed out if her driveway and headed home. How had I known about the weather for tomorrow? Was this precognition getting so easy I didn’t even know if I was using it?

I was very thoughtful when I pulled into the driveway at home. There were things happening in my life that I really wasn’t comfortable with. Precognition is a strange thing. If you use precog to warn yourself, then change something to avoid the problem, then what did you see?

Grandma says what I actually see is “strong possibilities,” but that these are still changeable, so a precog is never completely dependable. The stronger I feel about something, the more likely it is.

This does make me a bit nervous about my predictions about Tim and I, but I’ve decided to have faith and take it slow. Nothing is certain, of course, but I feel very confident in our relationship.

I walked into the house and saw Grandma working on some bread for dinner.

“I had a vision today, but I don’t know what it means. I saw myself in a blue room behind a desk. I felt that I was somehow in charge, but I have no idea what I was in charge of.”

“What kind of blue are we talking about, sweetheart?”

“A bright, medium blue, kinda like Dad’s old Chevy. I didn’t see any windows, but I could see a rug that had a bunch of different blues that went around in an oval shape. The desk looked like oak, and there was a blue telephone on the desk. There was a wood bookcase with several books on it, and I felt weird, kind of like I was supposed to be there, but it was new and uncomfortable at the same time.”

“I think things are beginning to make sense to me, Emily. What were you doing when you had this vision?” For some reason, Grandma looked very serious.

“Debbie and I were on our way home, and we were talking about how her Mom is too busy with some Coven business, and she hasn’t been able to teach Debbie anything about her abilities.” I said. “All of a sudden, I saw this vision of me, like a still picture. Debbie suggested I meditate on it, but I thought you might have some ideas.”

“I’m not sure, honey, but some interesting things are coming to mind. Let me think about it, okay? You go get changed so we can do our meditations.”

“Okay, Grandma. I’ll be right back.” I went to my room and put on some comfortable sweat sorts and a tee, my favorite meditation outfit, then went out Grandma. I have to admit, I don’t seem to be feeling the same things as my Grandma when we meditate, but I’m trying. It’s supposed to help me focus, but so far it’s just boring. I’m going to take Debbie’s idea and try to focus on my vision, just to see what happens.

Grandma lit some Sandalwood incense (which smells pretty good-most of the others are a little less pleasant, in my opinion, but whatever floats your boat, I guess.

I followed Grandma’s instructions and got into a “Lotus” position (Wow, this body is so flexible), then tried to chant like Grandma. I guess I stopped chanting, but as I focused on my vision, there were many more details. I also felt my Grandma with me, quietly watching my vision as it proceeded.

It was just as I had seen it before, but I noticed some more details, like the plant in the corner and a ring-on my finger! There was a picture of Grandma on the wall, and smaller pictures of my family, including Tim, on my desk, but little else changed. It wasn’t a static picture, sometimes I turned a page or took a drink of some coffee or tea, but really, nothing earth-shaking happened, and I soon drifted back to normality (or reality, however that works).

I looked over at Grandma, and she seemed a little upset, although she said nothing. She got up and left the room, and when I tried to follow her, Mom met me and gave me a hug.

“Grandma’s trying to understand what she saw in your vision, and she needs a little time alone, honey.” Mom told me. I noticed that her eyes seemed a little moist.

Just what had I seen?

As predicted, it was raining the next morning, so I got as close to Debbie’s house as I could. She ran out and jumped in the truck.

“So how did your night go?” I asked her. “Anything interesting?”

“In my life? I’m not the one with precognitive visions and major magical abilities! Until the weekend, I am the definition of boredom. TV and homework are my life, leftovers are my dinner. I didn’t even see Mom last night, which is the way things have been lately. How about your evening?”

“She’s never given you any kind of clue as to what the project is she’s working on?”

“No, it’s all hush-hush. She doesn’t even let me discuss it on those rare times that I do see her. Usually, the only way I know she’s home is that her car is in the driveway.”

I wonder what this mysterious project is, I’ll have to ask Grandma. Umm...maybe not, I don't want to get Debbie in any trouble.

“Emily, you’re avoiding my question for some reason. Is everything all right?”

I sighed. “No, something is going on with my Grandma, and it has me worried. When I was meditating last night, I focused on my vision, like you suggested. Grandma used her telepathy to see the vision for herself, and something about it made her very upset. She hasn’t talked to me since!”

“Did you ask your Mom about it?”

“Yeah, I think she knows what the problem is, but she just said that Grandma wanted some time to figure out what she saw. Mom looked like she wanted to cry when she told me, and it’s driving me crazy! If I knew where that room was, I might have a clue, but I don’t remember seeing a room like that!”

“Maybe it’s not a real room, but it could be symbolic. The important thing could be what you were doing in there; maybe the whole thing represents something important to you in some way.”

“Maybe, although the visions I’ve seen seem to be pretty literal. All I know is that I’m going to drive myself nuts trying to figure it out. I feel like I’m right at the edge of knowing something important.”

We got to school, and nothing unusual happened. I was too involved in trying to understand my vision to even think about mind-reading. I was so distracted that I almost missed seeing Tim after school. It was only by chance that I heard him calling me, but as he walked up, we both smiled happily. I held his hand as we walked out to the parking lot, and as soon as we were outside, I planted a kiss on him that made him dizzy.

“Wow! What did I do for that?” He asked with a huge smile. “Not that I’m complaining, you understand, I’d just like to make sure I do it again!”

“I don’t know. You just make me feel so happy!”

“Emily, you make me feel good just seeing you,” he admitted. “And even though it’s going to sound horribly sexist, I’ve gotta tell you, that skirt the other day? Capital H, Capital O, Capital T!”

I blushed, but I was pleased he’d liked it. “Hmm. Maybe I should wear it tomorrow night?”

“Oh, definitely!” He said. “You’re going to want to look your very best. I’m going to commit a cardinal dating sin, and I’m not telling you where I’m going to take you.”

“Oh?”

“No, you challenged me to find something different, so I’ve done my best, and I really hope you like it.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure it’ll be at least interesting, and I know and appreciate that you cared enough to work at this.” I kissed him again. “I hate to do this, but I know Deb is waiting, and I have some things to do at home.” I kissed him again, and this time I really kissed him. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Uh, s-sure...” he said with a really goofy look. “I-um, I have to go Dad for my work, I mean, work for my Dad, too. I’ll see you, Em.”

I waved sweetly as I walked to my truck. He waved back, then disappeared from my view as he sat in his TA. I thought Debbie was going to be waiting, but I saw her and Larry enjoying each other a couple of cars away by his Beetle. I started my truck, and she gave him a quick kiss and a pat on his cheek, then ran over and jumped in the door.

“You and Larry?” I asked. “Pretty nice, but I would never have seen that one coming.”

“Geeks may not be cool, but they get paid really well.” She said. “It doesn’t hurt that he’s cute and, let’s face it, very well built.”

We laughed, and I pulled out onto the street. At the next light some kid in a ratty looking little Toyota Celica pulled up, revving his engine like he wanted to race. I let my 455 speak up like I had accepted his challenge.

He looked like an idiot, revving his engine and kind of jumping around in his seat. The light turned green and he stomped his accelerator, burning rubber like crazy. I calmly accelerated as I usually did. As he zipped past me, the Police cruiser I had noticed approaching the intersection turned his lights and sirens on and took off in pursuit. He caught the little squirrel fairly quickly. We waved as we passed him sitting on the side of the road with the officer. After we passed them, we broke into laughter, and eventually had to pull over to catch our breath. I had truly needed to laugh like that.

We talked about school and stuff, and then I dropped her off and headed home. Mom was waiting for me, and she smiled as I walked in the door.

“Emily, Grandma wants to talk to you in her rooms, please. She’s concerned about what you saw in your vision, and she needs to talk to you about it.”

I was surprised. Ever since Grandma moved in with us after Grandpa died, I haven’t been into her rooms. She has her own small kitchen and bathroom; I think it’s called an en suite or something French like that. I’ve never had any reason to visit her rooms, because she’s usually in the main part of the house anyway. When she’s in her rooms, she likes her privacy, and I respect that.

I walked back to her rooms and knocked on the door. I felt her touch my mind as I got closer. *Come on in, Emily, and don’t be too surprised.*

It’s really strange to some people to have someone talk to you telepathically, but Grandma’s been doing it for so long that I hardly notice the difference when she’s mind talking.

I walked into her main room, and it did surprise me when I saw that it was the room of my vision. Grandma sat behind the nice oak desk, and she smiled at my reaction.

“Yes, it’s very interesting, isn’t it? Precognition is a funny thing, and you have to be very careful in your interpretation of what the vision is trying to tell you. I’ll admit my first interpretation was that I had died and passed the Coven’s administration to you.”

“Wha-No! Grandma, I’m not ready! I’m not ready to lose you, and I’m not ready to lead the coven!” I started to get upset, but she smiled and took my hand.

“I agree with you on both counts, dear. Your Mom did a full check on me today, and I’m fine. That led me to think that I had misinterpreted the vision. Instead, I believe that your vision is a warning that some person or group is trying to push you into taking over the coven, believing they can manipulate you into changing some things to their favor.

You need to understand something, Emily. You are my heir. Your mother doesn’t have the temperament to deal with the hassles, which is why she’s a nurse, and not a doctor, like I tried to push her into. I’ll admit, she was right, she is an excellent nurse and she uses her abilities with a subtlety I admire.

The leadership of a coven traditionally goes to the strongest, most powerful witch of that generation, something I find very ‘male’, but there are reasons. You are the strongest witch of this time, and quite possibly the strongest ever. You have a good heart, and the intelligence to handle the coven well. I know you’ve been at loose ends since your transformation, and I would like you to consider taking some business administration courses. I realize that being my heir is an imposition, but I feel you were given your talents and your strength for a reason.”

“Who was going to be your heir if I hadn’t been changed?” I asked her.

“I have to admit, I’m very egotistical. I’d like to keep the leadership in my family. I know, it’s a silly weakness of mine, but there you have it. You also need to understand, there were no particularly strong witches at the time. When you and Debbie Holloway first started dating, I noticed she had good potential, though she was very raw. I thought that once you two were committed to each other, I would work with her to find her talent, and bring out some real strength, but I was worried after she broke up with you and went after Tim Davies. She showed poor judgment there, but I thought she would eventually understand that you and she were much more compatible.

After your transformation, when you linked with Debbie, I...”

“Wait, linked? What’s that?”

She smiled. “You didn’t even know? I’m quite surprised; I really thought you were aware of it. Honey, when you healed Debbie, you went much further than you needed to. You not only healed her, but you linked your life with hers.”

“You mean I’m a lesbian?” I said in shock, but Grandma just laughed.

“That has happened before, but it usually means you will be more than merely friends for the rest of your lives. You will always be very close to her, and she will always be faithful to you. You could never hurt each other intentionally, and your hurts will be hers, and vice versa.

Even if you and Tim marry and have a wonderful relationship all your lives, you will still never be as close as you and Debbie are. In a very real way, the two of you are like twin sisters, with a connection that will only be severed in Death...if then.”

“I’m going to have a fun time explaining this to her.” I said.

“Oh, Sweetie, I’m sure she’s known all along,” Grandma said. “She’s really quite bright, you know.”

I thought about all Grandma had told me. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised at the Heir thing. I’d already been told about the strength of my magic, and I know about how the coven’s leaders are chosen. I guess it just never really occurred to me, I mean, it’s not like I wanted to be the leader, after all. After thinking about it, though, I guess I like the idea. It gives me a goal in life, anyway.

Mom saw me come back into the living room and sit down. I must have been very preoccupied, because I never saw her sit down next to me. She hugged me, and being suddenly grabbed surprised me.

“Emily, are you alright?” She asked.

"Just thinking, Mom."

"About Grandma's plans?" She asked, and I nodded.

I knew that she and Grandma had already talked about this, but I didn’t know how she felt about the whole idea.

“Grandma’s offering me a huge responsibility, and I think I’m okay with it. I know Grandma talked to you already, so, what do you think? I worry that Grandma seems to have passed you by, and it makes me feel a little guilty.”

“No, honey, you don’t understand. I like my life, and I have everything I want. I’m not an administrator or a Doctor. I’m a nurse, and happy that way. A nurse is the person who truly takes care of the patients, and I enjoy that interaction. Working with my patients allows me to add a little ‘help’ in their healing, sometimes a bit of a nudge to get them over the hump and that makes me feel good.

I definitely think you should do all you can to learn how to be a good leader. Sometimes it’s just learning how the paperwork needs to be done. Heaven knows, the world seems to run on documentation!

Sometimes, though, you need to deal with personal problems or other issues that come up. You need to work with your Grandmother to learn how she deals with coven issues. I think the best way for you to learn is to become her assistant, to see what she does and why she does it.”

“Mom, that doesn’t leave me any time to be me, to spend a little time with friends after school, or even just do my homework!”

“Nonsense.” Grandma said, as she came into the living room. “Unless there is an emergency, I only do coven business on Tuesday, and once in a while on a Saturday, when we have our luncheons. I think it’s a wonderful idea. I could use someone to act as my secretary and aide for coven business and it will help you get some real world experience in Coven Administration. I may even be able to get some college credit for it.”

I thought about it. Tuesdays were not a big deal for me, and giving up the occasional Saturday afternoon shouldn’t be a problem. “Okay, I can see this will be important to me, so I accept.”

“Very good, honey. You can start next Tuesday, all right?” I nodded my agreement, and shook Grandma's hand.

Mom hugged me, and I could tell she was very proud of me. I’ve always known my parents love me, and making my mom proud made me feel 20 ft. tall.

“Changing the subject, have you made any plans for tomorrow night?” Mom asked.

“Yeah...why?”

“Your father and I will be going out, and he wanted to invite you, too, but I told him you might have plans.”

“I’m sorry, Mom. Tim wants to take me out tomorrow, although I don’t really know what he’s planning. He’s been trying to come up with a date to top our last one, and he says it’ll be a surprise. I don’t care what we do-the idea that he would work to find someplace special for us is just.... flattering!”

“I think you might be right, sweetie, he just might be special.” She smiled. “We’ll see. In the meantime, I’m getting hungry. Would you like to help me make my world famous, award winning chili?”

“Award winning? What award?” I asked. “I thought it was just simple chili?”

“It is,” she said. “But I nabbed your Dad with it. He likes it spicy and thick, and I had made a batch for the guys at my father’s shop. Your dad worked there then as part of our school vocational program. They had their lunch, and when I came in to gather my Mom’s bowls, he decided to ‘complement the cook’. I was impressed with his manners, and he was very handsome, and when he asked me out on a date, I couldn’t resist. Eighteen years later, here we are! I’m still impressed with his manners, and he’s still very handsome and loves my chili.”

We went to the kitchen, and I got out some of Grandma’s canned tomatoes, a small can of tomato paste, some low-salt tomato soup, and some jalapeno peppers. I also grabbed a couple of our biggest onions and peeled the outside skin off, then cut them into sixths and separated the layers (Dad loves big onion pieces, and so do I!). I chopped the jalapeno’s, opened the cans and put them in Mom's big kettle, then added the onion and the canned tomatoes and set the stove to slightly less than a medium flame, then got a pan and started the meat. I added onion powder, a little garlic powder and some pepper to the meat mix. My own "special" contribution was a little A-1 sauce as I stirred the meat.

I was using a pound of ground chuck, a pound of ground turkey and a half pound of pre-cooked and drained sausage. Our butcher uses very low fat with his ground chuck, so we keep it as healthy as we can (well, as much as possible, anyway). Mom added some mushrooms and a few “secret ingredients” to the tomato/onion mix, and then raised the temperature of the burner she was using. As soon as I had finished cooking and draining the meat, we added that to the pan of veggies and mushrooms. I added some chili powder (although I know part of Mom’s secret ingredients is a pepper blend she makes herself. It has dried ground habanero and pequin peppers, along with some other things-she keeps threatening to add ghost peppers, but I’m not sure I could eat it then, although Dad and Grandma could) and stirred it all together, cooking it fairly slowly. Mom says it’s so
spicy, it cooks itself!

For desert, I just added some pomegranates to some cold home-made applesauce. It’s always been a big favorite of mine, although sometimes I chop up a pineapple as well. Yum!

She also made a large pan of cornbread with chopped Vidalia onions, and when we were ready, everyone except Dad had a glass of cold milk. Mom had a cold bottle of Corona, his favorite, for Dad. I’ve tried beer, but it just doesn’t taste good. Dad says it’s an “acquired” taste. Too me, if it tastes bad the first time, I’m not going for the second chance! Several of Gabe’s friends used to tell me that I didn’t know what I was missing, but seeing them the morning after a party, I'm pretty sure I know exactly what I’m missing.

I do have a mixed drink or two every so often-I even have my own drink. I call it an “offset screwdriver.” A shot of vodka, a shot of gin and some 5-Alive. It can surprise you if you’re not careful. I’ve had exactly one hangover, and if you’ve ever had one, I have to ask-Why in the world would you do that twice?

Dinner was delicious, although I thought it was too spicy and Dad and Grandma complained that it was a little too mild. I could see it in Mom’s eyes, she was going shopping for some ghost peppers. Next time we have chili, I’m going o McDonald’s. Save me, Golden Arches!

I think I melted my spoon eating that chili, and my mouth was still convinced it was carrying a low flame 2 hours later. Mom and I solved the problem with some Mixed Moose Tracks ice cream. Ahhhh! Moose Tracks, Chocolate Moose Tracks and Mint Moose Tracks, topped with some chocolate sauce, whipped cream and a cherry. It’s not an orgasm, but according to Mom, it's pretty close.

I slept pretty well, which was actually kind of a surprise. I was pretty sure the chili would give me a tummy ache, but the ice cream must have done its job. I woke up and dressed to tease Tim a little. A short denim skirt, pink T-shirt with the word “Dangerous” on the back, a pair of pom-pom ankle socks and my pink striped trainers made a nice statement, I thought.

Well, until I saw Debbie! A black lacy tee, grey denim mini-skirt, smoky hose and a pair of black slingbacks...the girl was on the prowl! She had a black choker around her neck, along with Grandma’s amulet (I always had mine on, but I wore it under my shirt), and she had some fairly large black hoops in her ears.

“You look very nice, Deb!” I told her as she seemed to ooze into my truck. She laughed, and I could see her blush.

“Larry and I are going out with some friends right after school, so I thought I’d try to look nice for him. I gotta say, Em, you don’t look too bad your self! Channeling a little bit of the cheerleader, are we?”

I blushed and smiled. “Tim thought I looked good in a short skirt, so I thought I’d rock his world a little.”

We both laughed, and then I decided to ask her a question,

“Debbie, did you know you and I were ‘linked’?”

“Em, I’ve known since that first magic class where we ‘met.’ When I shook your hand, I could feel it. Does it bother you?”

I smiled and took her hand. “Not at all. You are my BFF, and you always will be.”

“I dunno," She said, snootily (is that a word?). I have very demanding requirements for my friends, but I do have an application here...”

“Oh yeah? Here, I think have a pen somewhere. Oh, here it is.” A flame rose from my palm, which surprised Debbie, but she recovered quickly.

“Ooh, that is one NASTY burn, girl. You really should put something on that.”

We giggled. “I suppose we could put your butt there, I guess.” I said, then I looked at her and knew we had the same thought.

“HOTTIE!" we both yelled, and then I had to pull over while we laughed.

Yeah, yeah, I know. I guess you had to be there.

We finally made it to school, and there were a lot of wolf whistles and comments.

*I hate this, Debbie! I just want to...*

*No, Emily! Student Flambé will destroy the school day, and then someone’s gotta clean the greasy stains!*

She got me laughing, and soon we were inside the school. I was hoping to see Tim this morning, but no luck so far.

I did eventually catch his eye as we passed in the hall. I blushed and bit my lip as he quickly checked me out, but I could tell he liked what he saw. I heard one of his friends ask him if the "hottie" was his girlfriend. I felt pretty good, and I knew we were both looking forward to our date.

I'm just wondering what he has planned, but as long as it’s not a witch burning, I should be fine.

I just hope there’s food!

Tim was waiting for me at the gate to the parking lot, and he walked me back to my truck.

“I’ve got to get a couple of quick things done for Dad, then get home, clean up, and pick up this extremely pretty lady I’m taking out tonight,” he said, then he kissed me. “I’ll see you around 6:30?”

“Uhmm...yeah, that works. I’ll send my other boyfriend home, and then wait for you.” I said, looking innocent and sweet.

He nodded, not really paying attention to what I said, just as I suspected. I smiled at his reaction when he suddenly figured out what I was saying. He looked at me and blushed, then he smiled and shook his head. “All right, I apologize.” He kissed me again, and then stepped around to his car, which he’d parked a couple of spots away from mine. I left the lot and turned left, he pulled out behind me and turned right.

I was trying to decide just what I was going to wear tonight. I had bought a black skirt, a little longer than a true mini, but still above the knees. I wasn’t sure what I should wear with it, though. It was supposed to be a bit cool tonight, so I decided to wear black tights with my black leather boots, and I was thinking of wearing a dark gray silk long sleeve blouse. My necklace and amulet would go well with that, and my gold hoops and my watch would be adequate jewelry. I could wear Mom's black shawl, if that was all right with her.

I got home and went to my room, dropped off my bag and took a bath. Once I had taken care of everything in the tub and I was smooth and silky, I dressed in my black lacy lingerie and brushed out my hair. I dressed and finished my makeup, but something seemed to be wrong, and I couldn’t think of what it was.

I went back out to the living room, and Grandma stopped me. “Emily, would you let me do something with your hair? It’s pretty as it is, but you need a little bit more, if that’s okay?”

“I can see it’s missing something, so go ahead, Grandma.”

She pulled my hair up into a bun and it was exactly what I needed, something to kind of “glam” it up a bit. We had a quick snack of tea and some small cookies, and I was just getting things cleaned up when Mom and Dad came in.

“Emily, you look even more beautiful tonight,” Dad said. Mom took a critical look and pronounced me perfect. They went in to get ready for their night out. Dad had invited Grandma to go with them as a surprise, so she went to get ready also. A few minutes before 6:30, I heard the sound of Tim’s Trans Am. Dad and Mom both came out and we talked for a few minutes, then Tim and I left for my surprise date.

“Okay, so now can you tell me where we are going?” I asked as I got into his car.

“Oh, let’s not spoil the surprise just yet.” He said. He looked quite nice in some beige Dockers and a white turtleneck with a brown herringbone print jacket, complete with leather patches on the elbows. The jacket was nice, but it made him look older somehow.

“I really wasn’t sure, but I asked my Dad for suggestions. He thought his old jacket would look good, but I’m not sure. I think it might be too, umm, old for me, what do you think?”

“Well, on first glance I’d say you need some glasses and a pipe, but really, it doesn’t look bad, Professor,” I giggled. “Just kidding, Tim. I think you look quite nice.”

He chuckled. “The really funny thing is, that was exactly what I first thought. You though, you look simply mahvelous, Dahling.” We both laughed at his attempt at a Billy Crystal impression. “Seriously, you are, as always, very beautiful. I am surprised you’d be out with a schlump like me!”

I got a little miffed at that. “Timothy Davies, you stop that! I won’t have you putting yourself down like that. I’m quite proud to be out with you, and if you put yourself down, then what does that say about me?”

He looked at me surprised at my vehemence.

I smiled, then leaned over and took his hand. “You are absolutely wonderful, Tim, and I’m completely serious. You are nice, polite, funny and very good looking. If I was to place an order for the perfect guy, I’d be pretty close to a guy just like you, and that’s the truth!”

“I’m sorry, Emily,” He said with a smile. “You are wonderful, sexy, intelligent and friendly, and I’m just blown away by how perfect it seems you are for me. I guess it takes my breath away a little.”

I blushed, shyly, but smiled happily.

“There’s only one thing that would make you better, Emily.”

“Oh?” I asked.

“Yeah.” He pulled into a parking lot. “Can ya' sing?”

It was then that I saw where we were.

“Oh, my G...Piper’s Pizza?” Piper’s karaoke night was a legend in our area, although I had never been there.

It was then that I realized what was happening tonight. Piper’s had been advertising an Oldies themed karaoke night. I laughed.

“I’ve never actually tried karaoke before, but yeah, I’m willing!” I said with a smile.

“We draw a song and a number, and when they call our number, we’re up! I was thinking that if you draw the number, I’ll draw the song.”

“Okay, it sounds like fun!” We went into the building, and as soon as you went in there were two large baskets. Each choice was in a small plastic ball that split apart and we made our picks and sat down at a table. A waitress came by and took our order, and then we opened up our choices.

“I’ve got number 11,” I said with a smile, and then Tim opened his.

“This shouldn’t be too bad,” he said. “It’s an old one by the Police, “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.”

It was almost too funny, considering my situation. I couldn’t tell Tim why I was laughing so hard, though. The moderator, Mr Piper himself, told everyone to relax-this was for fun, so if you made a mistake, just keep going, and enjoy ourselves.

“I guess we should have asked where you were going.” I heard from behind me. We laughed when we saw my parents and my Grandma. Tim asked what number they had, as they sat down at the table next to ours.

“We’re number 8,” Mom said.

“Whew, now I won’t feel so bad!” I said. “We’re up for number 11.”

“What song are you doing?” My dad asked.

Tim told him, and Mom, Grandma and I started laughing. Dad knew what was so funny, and he explained to Tim that it was an old family joke. Their song was “Jackson,” a song by Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. Grandma decided not to sing, but she was perfectly willing to go along with a little joke I made when Mom and Dad finally got up to sing.

We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper spout
We been talkin’ bout Jackson, ever since the fire went out
I’m going to Jackson, I’m gonna mess around,
Yeah I’m going to Jackson,
Look out Jackson town.

Well, go on down to Jackson; Go ahead and wreck your health
Go play your hand you big talkin’ man, make a big fool of yourself
Your going to Jackson; go comb your hair
Honey, I’m gonna snowball Jackson
See if I care.

When I breeze into that city people gonna stoop and bow (Hah!)
All them women gonna make me; Teach ‘em what they don’t know how
I’m going to Jackson, you turn-a loose-a my coat.
‘Cos I’m goin’ to Jackson.
“Goodbye,” that’s all she wrote.

But they’ll laugh at you in Jackson, and I’ll be dancin’ on a pony keg.
They’ll lead you round town like a scalded dog
With your tail tucked between your legs,
You’re goin’ to Jackson, you big-talkin’ man
And I’ll be waitin’ in Jackson, behind my Jaypan fan.

Well now we got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper Sprout.
We be talkin’ ‘bout Jackson; ever since the fire went out.
I’m going to Jackson, and that’s a fact.
Yeah, we’re going to Jackson, ain’t never comin’ back.

We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper Sprout.
We been talkin’ ‘bout Jackson; ever since the fire went out...

To Fade

"Jackson"
(Billy Ed Wheeler-Jerry Lieber/Gaby Rodgers)
Originally Recorded 1963

As Mom and Dad took a bow, Grandma, Tim and I held up paper plates. Grandma’s read 9.0, Tim’s said 10.0, and mine said 9.5. Mom came up and jokingly hit Grandma’s shoulder.

“What’s with the 9.0, Mom?”

“Russian judge, leave me alone.” She said, and we all laughed.

Very soon Tim and I heard our number being called, and we made our way up to the stage. I heard several wolf whistles, but I ignored them. We waited until our cue, then gave it our best shot.

Though I’ve tried before to tell her
Of the feelings I have for her in my heart
Every time that I come near her
I just lose my nerve as I’ve done from the start

(chorus)
Every little thing she does is magic
Every thing she do just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic
Now I know my love for her goes on

Do I have to tell the story
Of a thousand rainy days since we first met?
It’s a big enough umbrella
But it’s always me that ends up getting wet

(chorus)

I resolved to call her up
A thousand times a day
Ask her if she’ll marry me
In some old fashioned way

But my silent fears have gripped me
Long before I reach the phone
Long before my tongue has tripped me
Must I always be alone?

(chorus)

(chorus)

Every little thing every little thing
Every little thing every little thing
Every little thing every little thing
Every little thing she does

Every little thing she does
Every little thing she does
Every little thing she does
Everything she does is magic

Every little thing every little thing
Every little thing she does is magic
Magic magic magic magic magic

Do I have to tell the story
Of a thousand rainy days since we first met
It’s a big enough umbrella
But it’s always me that ends up getting wet.

"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"
(Sting)
Originally recorded 1981

We took our bows, and, of course, my loving family had to make their comments. Grandma scored us at a perfect 10.0, but Mom and Dad both gave us 7.5’s! I confronted them, and Mom apologized.

“Sorry, sweetheart, but it really...umm...how can I say this...”

“I shouldn’t plan on competing with Sarah Carrera?”

Dad had to put in his two cents worth. “Honey, if I was you, I wouldn’t try to compete with Porsche Carrera!”

I looked at Tim. “It’s so nice to be so loved, isn’t it?” I said as everyone laughed.

We had a surprisingly good evening, and when Tim and I got up to leave, Dad got up and shook his hand.

“Thank you, Tim. Although it was inadvertent, we have intruded into your date, and you handled it very well. This has been a wonderful evening, and I believe most of the credit for that goes to you and Emily.”

“Um, well, thanks, sir.” He said, chuckling. “It has been a lot of fun, and since the object was to provide Emily with a date that was different, this seems to have been a success!”

We made our farewells and headed to Tim’s car. I was holding Tim’s hand in mine and I squeezed it-just a little-and smiled. “It has been a fantastic date, Tim, and there is only one small problem, now.”

“Problem? What problem?” He almost looked panicked.

“How do you plan to top it on the next date?” I said with a smile.

“Give me a chance, Emily. I’ll find someway to top this!” He promised, chuckling.

I was more than willing to let him try! He opened the door so that I could get into the car, then he walked around and got behind the wheel. We headed out towards my house. It was only 10:30, and I knew he had every intention of stopping and-Ahem!-“talking” for a while.

We were on the main road when it happened. I saw the buck as it came running across a field toward the highway. I turned to warn Tim.

“There’s a large buck, running towards us.”

“Thanks, I see him.”

He started to slow down, but what neither of us had seen was the doe, standing next to the road. Something, probably the buck, spooked her and she jumped onto the roadway almost directly in front of us. Tim slammed on the brakes, and we began to slide sideways, and my side rushed toward the doe.

I had no time to think, only react. I teleported both deer across the highway and “reached out” grabbing Tim’s car and bringing it to a halt, while cushioning Tim and I from the sudden stop. We sat there, trying to catch our breath, while our hearts slowly came down to a normal speed. Mentally, I was pulling any free magic back into my body, but I knew I was in trouble.

“Holy sh-How did you do that?” Tim asked. Oh, how I wish I had knocked him out before I did my stuff, but it was too late. Crap.

“Tim, find us a place to talk privately, please. Understand, I’m going to be in a lot of trouble because of this, but I will be absolutely honest about it, as soon as we park, okay?”

He nodded, but I could see in his racing thoughts that he was confused and worried. We parked in the trees by my house, and I settled back in my seat. The only thing keeping me from freaking out was my vision that Tim and I were destined to be together. Still, this was going to be difficult.

I took a deep, calming breath. Here goes nothing, I thought.

“I don’t know how to say this, except to be completely honest with you and almost brutally direct. I would have preferred to have the chance to ease you into this, but that option’s gone, now.

Tim, I’m a witch. Because of a mutation many, many generations ago, the women of a small group of families have developed the ability to manipulate things-to perform magic.” I watched, both with my eyes and my mind, to see how Tim was dealing with it. So far, he seemed to be fairly relaxed. He was holding my hand, so I knew he wasn’t freaking out too much.

“There are a lot of rules about using magic, both for our protection and to limit the exposure of magic to the world. I was planning to tell you about me after we got to know each other better, and I hope I’ll still have a chance to get to know you. I realize this is a shock, but please, believe me, we aren’t anything like what the stories say.”

“I know that the stories got at least one thing wrong. You’re not ugly, and I don’t think you’re evil. I don’t know how I know it, but I know I can trust you. Thank you for being honest with me.”

“Umm, about that...” Oh, God. I knew I had to, but this would be very, very hard. “I’m very afraid of what you will say about this, but I promised to be honest. I’ll understand if you hate me after this, I mean, I’ll be very sad and disappointed, but I will understand.

“I’ve actually only been like this for a short time. It was purely an accident that this happened to me, but it did, it’s permanent and complete. I was very different from the way you see me until recently.”

He smiled. “What, were you an ugly old crone?”

“Worse.” I said, closing my eyes against the tears, but I couldn’t hold them all back. “Tim, I used to be a guy.”

He laughed at first, but when he saw my tears, he stopped. “You’re serious?”

“Yeah.” God, I must look awful! “There’s something called ‘wild magic’ and it was attracted to me, because someone had previously cast a spell on me. It hit me like a bolt of lightning, and I woke up a few days later, looking like this. It isn’t just how I look, it’s a complete change. I am a real girl, with all the feelings, fears and periods that go with it. I didn’t think I would ever find guys attractive, but then I met you, and...”

“I remember that,” he said quietly. “You were so withdrawn at first, I thought that maybe you might have been on something, and then, when I saw some of the guys were hassling you, I felt a pull, like I had to step in. Did you do that?”

“No, honest! I didn’t even know you were there until you told them to move.” My tears started again. “I’d better go, Tim. I hope you can forgive me, but I can see how it would be hard to trust me.”

I got out of the car, but I hadn’t even made it 10 feet when he ran in front of me.

“That’s not fair! You have to give me my chance to say something, please?”

I just stood there crying for a few minutes, before I finally nodded.

“Okay, I'm very surprised by this, I’ll admit. It’s just-It’s not exactly something I would have expected.” I just waited for him to tell me how sorry he was, but it was more than he could handle, or something like that. I just hoped he wouldn't hit me.

“Emily, I know we haven’t gone out very much but...I think I love you.”

I think I must have passed out, because the next thing I remember was Tim, kneeling on the ground and holding me, stroking my hair. “Emily, are you all right?”

“I’m not sure. Was it a dream, or did you really say-“

“I love you, Emily. At least, I’m pretty sure that’s what this is. You make me feel so... different, I guess, like sometimes I just don’t want to breathe. I dream about you, I think of you all the time, and my heart makes weird jumps every time I see you. I don’t know how else to explain it, Em.”

“Heartburn,” I said, almost without thinking. “I'm sure Alka Setzer will fix that right up.”

He laughed. “You’re a nut, you know that, right? I never know what you’re going to say, but I love everything that you do say! Remember how you chewed me out for putting myself down? My heart almost burst out of my chest when you told me what you thought of me. I-I almost proposed right then.”

“Now that would have been silly! I figured we’d need at least four dates before you proposed, otherwise I’d look pretty easy when I tell you I would be proud to marry such a wonderful guy.”

We both started to laugh, but then Tim looked at me. “Uhm, did we just, uh, get engaged?”

“I sorta felt like it, didn’t it? H-how would you feel about that?” I asked, hopefully.

He kissed me, and we laughed and kissed again. He looked at me, and his eyes...Wow.

“I love you, Emily Randall.”

“Oh, I love you so much!” I said. I hugged and kissed him, then we stood up and walked back to the car. “You do realize you’re never going to top this date, right?”

“Hmmm. Maybe not right away, but I have every intention of surprising you as much as you surprise me.”

We both laughed. “Tim, I really do love you, but how do we tell people we’re engaged? Everyone is going to think we’re just being silly, and that it will never last.”

“Not my parents. I’ve already told them that I’m going to marry you, and they know I’m completely serious, so this won’t surprise them at all. Now, we do have a lot to discuss, so what’s your schedule like tomorrow?”

“I don’t think I have anything planned...why?”

“So how about a longer date? Maybe go someplace private for a picnic and a lot of talking? I have several questions, like did you have powers when you were Gabe?”

“But I...”

“You used to be a guy that lived at the Randall’s, right? Honey, it’s not real hard to figure that one out.”

“No, I guess it wouldn’t be, would it? Are you okay with that?”

“I proposed, right? I love you, Emily. Now, and forever.”

I was tearing up again, but they were happy tears.

“I’ll pick you up at 9 in the morning, if that’s all right?”

I nodded. “I have some cash, maybe we can...”

“Not to sound like some macho he-man, Em, but I have a lot of money, don’t even worry about it.”

I looked at Tim and smiled.

“Timothy Davies, I want to know how you did it.”

“Uh...did what?”

“I may be a witch,” I said, as I touched his cheek. “But you’ve cast a spell on me.”

He blushed, and held my hand.

“If I didn’t before, I believe in magic, now.” He said, looking at me. "It's either that, or miracles."

Y’know, it’ll be good to get out of the house tomorrow. Mom and Dad are going to FREAK...

But I’m gonna be smiling all night.

I came into a well lit house, and everyone was up, watching a DVD. As I walked in, Mom saw the mess my tears had made of my face and makeup, and she quickly wrapped me in a hug.

"Are you all right, honey?”

“It’s been an interesting night, Mom. Very interesting.” I giggled as I tried to wipe off my makeup with some tissue.

Grandma smiled, and I knew she had been probing. I really do need to learn how to shield.

“I know that look, Mom. Emily, what happened after you left?”

“Well, it started out with some deer...” I told them about the accident, and what I had done. Mom said she understood why I had used magic, but she thought I should have quietly erased a bit of Tim’s memory, but I disagreed. I’m not familiar with that, and I wouldn’t be comfortable doing that to him. Suppose I had wiped all of his memory? No, I did what I did, and I’ll live with that.

“How did Tim handle your revelation?”

“Well, ah, we, umm, got...engaged?” I said, and I braced myself for the explosion.

Total silence.

Okay, I thought the worst thing would be the yelling. Instead, the silence was so oppressive that I had to sit down.

After a few very uncomfortable minutes of silence, I decided to go to my room. I didn’t know what to say to them, and I got the feeling they didn’t know what to say to me, either. I went in and got undressed, then put on an oversized sleep shirt and went to the bathroom to clean up. I made it a lot harder, because I couldn’t stop my tears.

After a few minutes, I heard a knock on the door.

“Emily?” Grandma said. “Honey, can I come in?”

“O-Okay.” I unlocked the door and sat sniffling on the edge of the tub.

“Oh, honey.” She came over and hugged me, and the floodgates opened. I was starting to hyperventilate, and I felt Grandma come into my mind, calming me down.

“Just relax, breathe...wipe your nose, sweetie, that really looks awful. For what it’s worth, I’m very happy for you. Your Grandfather and I were married when I was a bit younger than you are now, but that was the way of things then. I am assuming you aren’t planning on a wedding anytime soon?”

“No, Grandma (sniff), we’re a long ways from that. I think I should graduate from High School first, for one thing (sniff).”

“Yes, I think that would be an excellent idea,” she chuckled. “I think your Mom and Dad will be relieved, too.”

We laughed for a while, maybe as a bit of an emotional relief.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll talk to your parents, and let them know they don’t need to worry about arranging your wedding yet.”

“Thanks, Grandma, I love you.” I kissed her on the cheek, and then I went to my room. I was sitting in my bed reading when Mom came in and sat on the edge of my bed.

“I’m so sorry, honey.” She said as she leaned over and hugged me. “You really surprised us, Emily. I’m sorry that we made such a wonderful thing feel bad for you.”

“It’s so right, Mom! I’ve seen it, and I know we are supposed to be together. Of course, I wasn’t expecting him to propose already! I don’t think either of us had planned this, but Mom, I love him. He’s the one, I know it.”

“Honey, it may come as a surprise to you, but your Dad and I know it, too.” She kissed my forehead and I felt so loved. “We just...weren’t expecting this just yet. It was a shock, that’s all.”

We hugged each other. “Thanks, Mom.”

“We love you, sweetheart,” she told me, and then she got up and turned out the light. I heard her whispering. “Congratulations, Baby.”

I actually slept quite well, much to my surprise. My alarm went off at 7:30, and I woke up feeling great. I went in to shower, and got ready for my day. I was surprised how quickly I was ready. I wasn’t really sure what we would be doing, so I went with my blue jeans, pink tee shirt, some ankle socks and my trainers. I also brought a bag that held a swimsuit, a sundress and some sandals with a 2” heel. You never know what might happen, but I was going to be ready!

I put in some simple gold studs, my amulet, a matching bracelet and my watch. Then I did my makeup very simply, and then went to the kitchen for a couple of toaster pastries and some coffee.

Tim pulled into the driveway at about 8:45. He came up to the door, and I pulled him in. He was totally shocked when Mom hugged him, but he recovered quickly.

“So, I guess you’ve told them?” He said, happily. Grandma hugged him and kissed his cheek.

“Yeah, she did. It was a shock at first, but it was obvious you two are made for each other.” My Dad said as he walked into the kitchen and poured himself some coffee, while I blushed like crazy.

“I love Emily with all my heart,” Tim said. “We really haven’t discussed anything beyond that. I knew I would eventually ask her, but I think we were both surprised at what happened.

I think Emily would agree that it will probably be a long engagement, but I’m just happy to know she loves me.”

“That’s good thinking, and it’s nice to know you two aren’t jumping into anything.” Mom said with a smile.

“Why don’t you two go have fun,” Dad said. “I know there are a lot of things you want to talk about. Be careful, all right?”

“We will, Dad. See you later!”

As usual, Tim opened my door for me, and before I sat down, I gave him a quick kiss and whispered in his ear, “I love you, Tim.” I sat down and got comfortable.

He smiled and went over to the driver’s side and got in. “You never fail to make me smile, sweetheart, but now it’s my turn. I told my Mother about my proposal this morning. She didn’t seem surprised at all, but she did chew me out for doing it wrong.”

He pulled into the old lot where we had parked last night, then turned off the car and got out, walking over to my side. He opened the door, and before I could stand up, he got down on his knee.

“Emily Randall, would you do me the great honor of marrying me?”

“Yes, I will, enthusiastically and without reservation.”

This is where he surprised me. He pulled out a beautifully crafted ring and slipped it on my finger. It didn’t quite fit, being just slightly large.

“Mother said I needed to do it right, this time, and she told me to give this to you. It was my great-grandmother’s ring, and has been passed down each first borne son. It’s supposed to be very lucky. Each woman to wear this ring has had a long, happy marriage.”
It was so beautiful, but it had to be very expensive, and it somehow made me nervous to have that much money sitting on my finger.

“Uhm, Tim? Just how much is this beautiful ring worth?” I asked nervously.

“Emily, trust me-You really don’t want to know.”

“Please, Tim, At least give me some kind of estimate?”

“I honestly don’t have any real idea, Em. I know that it is insured for a lot of money, but it’s basically priceless and irreplaceable.”

“It’s so...graceful, I guess. What kind of stone is that?” The translucent silvery gray stone had several blue striations that ran through it, something I had never seen before. Two small sapphires and a small diamond were set around it, and the ring itself was an unusual shade of silver. It really was almost unnaturally beautiful.

“Good question. Someone told me once, but all I know is that it’s rare and very unusual. My Grandmother once told me that it was made from a meteorite, and polished for a very, very long time.”

“I love it, Tim.” As I kissed him, I quietly reshaped the ring to fit my finger, and then tried my first protection spell, hopefully keeping the ring safe from damage.

“You said you had some questions.” I said, smiling as we separated. “I’ll tell you everything, as truthfully as I can.”

“Well, let’s start with the obvious. What can you do?”

“You’ll have to take my word for this, because I honestly don’t know. It’s said that almost anything I can imagine, is possible, as long as you have the energy. Most witches are actually fairly weak, which limits their ability.”

“Amazing,” he said, and I could see in his mind what he was going to ask next. “So, how strong are you?”

“I hate that question.” I wasn’t kidding at all. “Don’t read too much into this, please? I’m told I am the strongest witch...ever.”

“Wow, I would think you would be proud, but I can tell that it really bothers you. There must be something I’m missing.”

“Tim, it’s a little hard to explain. In the first place, the strongest witch leads the coven. I’m only 16, and I’ve only been a girl and a witch for a very short time.”

“So you didn’t have any power when you were Gabe?”

“No, there’s something about the way our brains work that inhibits a male’s ability. I had the genetic potential, and could pass it to my daughter, but I never had any ability myself. Then I went through my transformation, thanks to...well, mostly it was an accident, but after I changed, my talent ‘woke up’. We recently discovered my strength as I began my training, and I have to tell you, it’s a major pain in the buns!”

“Is it very hard to control? Is that why it bothers you so much?”

“It’s hard to explain, but no to both of those questions. I was afraid that I would have problems like that, but no, I can control it pretty easily. The reason it bothers me is the responsibility, and the demands on my life. I just want to get used to being a girl, and I have to deal with all of this as well. It’s almost too much for me to handle.

I didn’t want to be a girl, and I hated it at first, but then I met you.” I blushed. “I think I fell in love with you right from the start, and before meeting you, I thought I would never be happy with a guy.”

“I think I would probably feel the same if the same thing happened to me.”

“It almost did.” He looked at me in surprise. “The reason I was affected was because someone had cast a spell over me, and the same person cast the same spell over you. If I hadn’t been the focus of the wild magic...”

“What spell was on me? You mean, I could’ve been the girl?”

“Yeah, I believe so, although you wouldn’t have had any magic. Don’t worry about it. I’m quite used to being female, now. I can’t tell you about the spell, because I don’t want you to be angry at the caster, just believe me that nothing really happened for you, and what happened to me was an accident. I have forgiven the spell caster, and that person has been punished, okay?”

“All right, pretty lady. So, do all the women in your family have magic? How does your Dad feel about it?”

“I don’t know how Dad was at first, but he’s always been fine with it around me. Mom and Grandma both have strong magic. That’s why Mom is a nurse, and Grandma was a counselor and therapist until she retired a few years ago. Witches generally feel a great need to help people, we just don’t talk about it. If people knew that Mom was a healer, there would be folks lined up outside our door and down the block.”

“Yeah, I can see that, and it must be hard, wanting to heal people, but knowing there’s no way she could take care of everybody. She’d probably be in a lot of danger from greedy people who want her power for themselves.” He took my hand. “I promise, Emily, that I will never tell anyone your secrets, or reveal the fact that magic is real. I swear it,”

I hugged him so hard. I couldn’t believe that I had fallen in love with such a wonderful person.

“You said that witches needed to help people, which is why your Mom is a nurse. What do you want to do?”

“Even before my change, when I was Gabe, I’ve always loved helping people. I probably won’t do it as a formal occupation, but I’ll continue to volunteer and support my mother at the hospital. One of the traditions we have is that the strongest witch becomes the leader of the coven, and as I told you, I’m apparently the most powerful witch ever (shudder). Wow that just gives me chills to even think about that!”

“So, you’re the leader of the coven, now?”

“No. my Grandmother is right now. I’m still in training, and I confess, I’m hoping to be in training for a very long time yet. Right now I’m Grandma’s assistant and secretary.”

“So are you going to go to College?”

“Yeah, I’ll be taking business and biology classes eventually. I still have two and a half years of high school yet, though. What are your plans after graduation?”

“Oh, I have a definite career plan.” He said with a smile. “Eventually, I’ll inherit my father’s businesses. Just like you, I’m learning a lot by working with my dad, but I need some college education to understand new technology and things like Business Law, or Marketing. I plan on going to our local community college for a couple of years, but then going to a more formal college to get the rest of my training.”

“So, you won’t be going very far away for a while then?” I asked him, and he smiled and pulled me over to him.

“No sweetheart, I’m not going anywhere without you. I think we should get married after your graduation, and then I believe I should transfer to Elmtree. It’s not far from here, so we could still live in town. That way we could both work on our apprenticeships and school.”

“That’s genius,” I said. “It’s also completely workable. Even my parents would be happy with it. Elmtree State is a great college choice, and yes, I love it that it’s close.”

“I thought about it all night.” Tim told me, not looking at me. “I realized that I would be leaving for college after this year, and I decided I was going to stay here, no matter what.
I won’t leave you, my lovely Miss Witch. Of course there’s the added benefit of being able to keep working with my father, so that I’ll know what I’m doing when the time comes, which will please my parents.”

“And it let’s me continue working with Grandma, which will please my parents.”

“I think that solves the majority of our problems,” Tim concluded.

“Well, ah, almost. First I need to check something, if you’ll let me.”

“Emily, I trust you completely. What do you need me to do?”

“Just stand there a minute and close your eyes, okay? I’ll tell you what I’m doing afterwards.” I had to do this, even if it broke my heart. I put my hands on his temples and focused on Tim. I knew that he could have been manipulated, and if so, I had to free him from any spells, no matter what it did to us. I was so afraid, and the only reason I had Tim close his eyes was so he didn’t see my tears.

It only took a minute, and I was immensely pleased. There was no sign of tampering, but several deep signs of love. I was so happy I kissed Tim, and I felt him smile and return my kiss.

“So, did you find what you were looking for?” He asked, smiling, but touching my wet cheeks.

“Nope, and that’s a good thing.”

“So what was that about?”

“I had to check to see if you were really you.” I said. “I’ve had someone trying to manipulate my emotions somehow, and I had to make sure they weren’t trying to do it to you.”

“Someone could do that?” I nodded. “So...what did you see?”

I gave him a huge smile. “Lots of love, honey. So much love there.” I had happy tears. “You are so special.”

“Well, yeah! I knew that part, of course.” He smirked, and made a “muscleman” pose, which made me giggle.

My cell phone rang, so I grabbed it and took the call. “Hello?”

“Emily?” Debbie sounded like she was crying.

“Deb, are you all right?” Tim quietly held me from behind.

“No, I’m not.” She said, weeping. “I’m scared, and on my way to your house now. I'm pretty sure my Mom is possessed.”

We jumped into Tim’s car and went back to my house. We had just opened the doors to get out when Debbie came running down our street. She collapsed into me, crying almost hysterically. She was bruised and bloody, and her clothes were ripped and torn to shreds. I saw that she was in severe distress, so I carefully knocked her out with my telepathy.

Without saying anything, Tim picked her up and carried her into the house. Mom and Grandma went to work on her immediately, and I helped Mom. We started by closing any open wounds, and then went to work on the swelling and bruising. Grandma went into Deb’s mind, calming and reassuring her.

Tim watched in amazement as Debbie was healed before his eyes. While Mom finished healing her, I started fixing her clothing. I ran my finger along the rips and the fabric rewove itself, until it looked as good as new. It only took a few minutes, and by the time I was done, Deb was starting to wake. I knew she might be a little violent when she woke, so I stepped back and Tim put his hands on my shoulders in support.

As I expected, Debbie woke with a start, then looked down. “Was it all a dream? I thought...”

“No Debbie, it wasn’t. Can you tell me what happened? Emily said something about your mother being...possessed?”

“Oh God,” She said as she put her face in her hands and wept. “I was out very late last night, and when I woke today I got busy with my usual weekend routine. I took my shower, then picked up my laundry and took it down to the laundry. When I came back up I made some breakfast, then straightened the house and watched a couple of DVDs.

I was starting some Dinner when Mom came in looking furious. I have no idea what had set her off, but she went right into attacking me like a stranger in the house, screaming for me to get out, over and over. I was finally able to get out and I kept thinking I had to get to Emily. I called her and said I was on my way to your house, and I remember seeing her and she reached out for me, and then I woke up here.

“Tim, I hate to do this,” Grandma said. “I have to borrow your fiancé for a little while.”

I turned to him and he kissed me. “I’ll be here, waiting for you. Do what you can, bit be careful, please.” He said.
I knew he understood how important this was. Debbie, Grandma and I squeezed into my truck, and then we headed over to her house.

I think Grandma and I felt it at the same time, a feeling that made us want to turn back, almost like a physical force. I looked over and saw that Debbie and Grandma looked like they were in pain. I got angry and threw up a shield, and suddenly the feeling was gone. Both Grandma and Debbie looked like they were quickly recovering as I pulled into Debbie’s driveway. I could feel something trying to hold me back, but my shield held without difficulty. We got out of the truck and I was impressed at the way my shield was made. It surrounded us like a bubble. It had no reaction to material things at this time, but no magical force could get in. Grandma looked at me and smiled.

“Nice work,” She said, and I blushed.

Debbie opened the door, but Grandma went in first. “Gwen? Gwen, it’s Liz, honey.”

I had changed the shield to make us as invulnerable as I could, fortunately. Gwen came out with a pistol, and though Debbie tried to say something, she started shooting.

Now, you have to understand how my head works. I had built my shield to absorb the momentum and inertia of anything it came in contact with, so the bullets hit it and immediately slowed. Gradually they slowed enough to just drop to the ground.

I felt Grandma go on the offensive, and she attacked Gwen from inside her mind. Gwen dropped to her knees, but she started to get back up, and her face was contorted by rage. I don’t think she was able to think, let alone speak, because she made a feral growl and attacked, running right at us.

“Emily, stop her.” Grandma said. I focused on her and grabbed her with my telekinesis. I lifted her a bit so she couldn’t get any traction against the ground, and then created a bubble of force around her. She floated inside, raging at us as if anything she could do could hurt us. Debbie was on her knees screaming at seeing her Mom like this.

“Grandma was focused on Gwen, sweat pouring off her as she fought with whatever was in Gwen’s mind. I watched for a few seconds, and I was worried about Grandma putting too much energy into the fight. I reached out to her and took her hand in mine, and everything changed.

Grandma’s flagging powers suddenly flared with my additional energy. She pounced on whatever she was fighting with and easily forced it out. She absorbed the energy of our enemies attacks and threw it back at them. I had a short vision of several figures in a circle, screaming in pain as they collapsed.

Grandma stood, triumphant, and caught her breath. I was still holding her hand and I used that to check her out and send her healing to anywhere she needed it. She smiled at me and then took me into a hug.

“Oh, my! I’m so proud of you! You handled that beautifully, Honey. Are you all right?”

“Yeah, why?”

She stared at me. “I think we need to do a little more testing, my darling Granddaughter. It may be we’ve
under-estimated you.”

I heard Debbie weeping for her Mama. Gwen was totally limp inside my field, just floating there. I went to them as fast as I could, and while Grandma held and calmed Debbie, I dropped the field and telekinetically moved Gwen to her sofa. I held her hand and poured energy and healing into her.

She began to stir and Debbie rushed to her side and took her into a hug.

“You had me so worried, Mama! I thought you were dead!”

“What happened?” She said, looking around and acting very confused. She looked at me, and stared. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”

Grandma came up and took her hand gently.

“Lizzie? What’s going on?”

Grandma ran her hand along Gwen’s brow. “Oh, dear.”

“What!?” Debbie asked. “Is she all right?”

“Physically she’s fine, although that may be to Emily’s credit. Gwen, what’s the date?”

“April twelfth, 2011. Lizzie, what’s going on?” She demanded.

“Gwen, I’m not sure, but you seem to have been possessed. It’s almost March, 2012.”

She stared in shock, and then she got very angry. “Who would have had the temerity? I want their fucking necks!”

“Mom!” Debbie said, then smiled. “Yep you’re okay.” She hugged her mother, who held her lovingly.

“I don’t know who-yet. I know it was a circle, but how many there were or who they may have been, I have no idea, and I’m not sure what their reasons may have been.”

She seemed to relax and looked at Debbie, and smiled. “Thank you for saving me, both of you. Do I know you young lady? You seem very familiar, but...”

“Mom, this is going to blow your mind, but believe me, it’s the truth. This is the best friend I’ve ever had, and my sister in every way but biology. Her name is Emily Elizabeth Randall, and she used to be Gabe Randall.”

“The boy you had such a crush on?” Debbie blushed, but I just smiled and nodded. Gwen got up and gave me a hug. “I can never thank you or your Grandmother enough, Emily. What ever happened to change you, it certainly left you beautiful!”

I blushed. “Thank you” I said quietly. “I’m glad we could help you, Mrs. Holloway.”

“None of that!” She said. “If you’re going to be my daughter’s sister, then you’re a part of my family now. You can call me Mama, or Gwen if that’s too much.”

We hugged and I whispered in her ear. “Thanks...Mama Gwen.”

“Good girl.” She smiled. “Let’s sit down, and someone bring me up to date, please? Deb, would you bring me a Coke, please?”

“We don’t have any, Mom. You said that you were gaining too much weight, so all you’ve been drinking is bottled water.”

“Oh My Gawd!” Mama Gwen said. “I can’t believe it! Debbie, you know how I feel about Coke!”

Debbie smiled. “It’s the elixir of life, I know.”

I had an unopened Coke in the truck, so I telepathically told Debbie. She smiled and snuck out to get it. I got a bottle of water and a couple of glasses of ice, and took it out to Grandma and Mama Gwen.

“Emily, if that ice is for me, I’m sorry but I don’t drink bottled water, hon.”

“Oh?” I asked innocently.

She smiled. “That stuff’ll kill ya. I mean, fish poop in it, for goodness sakes!”

Debbie came in with the bottle of Coke, and I opened it from where I was and then winked, which made her laugh.

“Is that the bottle of Life I hear? I thought we didn’t have any?”

“We don’t, but Emily did.”

“She’s only a daughter for a few minutes and already impressive! Thank you, dear.”

Debbie brought her the soda and poured it into the large glass of ice.

“Ahhh. That hits the spot. So who’s gonna tell me what’s been going on?”

Debbie told her what had been happening, and when she got to the part about finding the spell book, Mama Gwen interrupted.

“Spell book? I never had a spell book! My teacher would have roasted me!”

“Who was your teacher?” I asked.

“Your Great Grandmother, Viola. She was tough, she made us work, and I loved her very much.” Both Mama Gwen and Grandma had tears in their eyes. “I was one of her last students before Liz took over. She was a very powerful fire-witch, Emily. What magic do you use?”

Grandma smiled. “All of them, Gwen. It seems that Emily is the most powerful witch that has ever been recorded in the books.”

“Yeah, and it’s generally a pain, if you ask me.” I said. “Well, until today. That was awesome!”

Grandma took over the story, up to the part about our battle with the circle, and Gwen looked at me. “So for some reason, this “Circle” is trying to influence and manipulate your emotions? But what could their goal be?”

“We don’t know yet.” Grandma said. “It may have to do with the fact that Emily will inherit the leadership of the coven when I step down.”

“But it seems like they started this even before Debbie cast her spells. How would they know about her power back then? Unless they have a very powerful and accurate Diviner, which could be true, I suppose.

“There has never really been a Diviner with that kind of accuracy, Gwen.”

“And there has never been a witch with power like Emily’s, either. Maybe they have some way to produce special people? Looking at the long game, say Emily was supposed to have been a girl, all along? What if they’ve been using some influence to ‘push’ certain people together in some kind of breeding program?”

“That sounds like the plot from Dune, Gwen. In reality, there are far too many variables to do anything like that. I think it’s far more likely that it has something to do with the Wild Magic, and may even have been influenced by the Lord, for his purposes. I will admit, though, that things are moving in a pattern that is far too smooth to be random. Who ever the master Chess player may be, it looks like the game might be coming to a critical point.”

Debbie and I were just sitting in our chairs, watching the discussion go back and forth like a ping-pong game. I suddenly thought of Tim, and I told Grandma we needed to go, as my parents would be worrying,

She smiled, slyly. “To say nothing about how your fiancé will feel.”

“What? You mean...”

I held up my ring, and Debbie squealed and hugged me. Even Grandma wanted to see it.

“Oh. now I know this is much more than we thought, showing Mama Gwen my hand with the ring on it.

She inhaled sharply. “The Moonstone?”

“Yes, and Emily’s birth date is in mid July.” Grandma said. There was something going on here, but Mama Gwen and Grandma would say no more.

I hugged Debbie, and after Grandma and Mama Gwen took advantage of my energy to set up some powerful household wards, we headed home. I was eager to get back to Tim, so Grandma had to tell me to back off on the speed every so often. I just had this feeling of wanting to get home to where we were safe.

At least for now.

As soon as we got home, Grandma began interrogating Tim about my ring. “Tim, I really need to know how you came upon this ring. Emily says it has been in your family for a very long time?”

“Yes, Ma’am, it has been passed down to the oldest female in each generation. I know that there is a kind of prophecy about it that I’ve always thought was just a fairy tale, but now I know that magic is real, so perhaps the prophecy is as well.”

“Oh yes, I’m aware of the prophecy.” Grandma said. “The Moonstone is a legend to those in the magic using community. Supposedly, a threat to everyone is coming, but no one knows just what the threat is. According to the prophecy, a woman, a powerful witch, will face the threat and win. The ring will help her in her battle, it’s said, by increasing her great power.

The prophecy is actually a story about the ring, how and why it was made and such. It’s actually some pretty awful poetry. Someone translated it, and it’s still pretty terrible. The legend says the ring was created from a piece of the moon which fell to earth, and it is said to have been blessed with the magic of a hundred witches.

A mighty King had it in his possession for almost a century, but when he died, the ring was gone. My guess is that it was given to an especially loyal retainer, who became the caretaker. I’d bet that this person is your ancestor, Tim. It wasn’t until I saw the ring that I realized that Emily fulfilled the prophecy.”

Oh crap. More magic?! My dad once told Gabe that he was a “trouble magnet.” Apparently, my transformation hasn’t changed me all that that much, darn it!

“All right, so what is the prophecy, anyway?” I asked, not that it was going to matter-whatever it said,
I knew it meant that I was gonna be in the crap-again.

Grandma wasn’t smiling. “Well, it’s actually the last few lines of some pretty rotten poetry, but it goes something like this:

‘A child, a woman, of Cancer born
On whose left hand the ring is worn.
The one who shrinks the ring in size
her power, the ring will magnify.’

Or something to that affect. As I said, not really great poetry, but perhaps a decent prophecy.”

I stared at my engagement ring.

My Mom walked over and hugged me. “You shrunk the ring, didn’t you dear?”

Slowly, I nodded. “It was just a little too big, so I squeezed it down just a tiny bit, to where it fit perfectly. It was just a tiny little bit,”

“And your birthday, July 14th, is definitely in the sign of Cancer,” Grandma reminded me.

“So, according to the prophecy, my family has been holding the ring for you all these years?”

“I guess,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. I looked at him, afraid he might be as freaked as I was. “Does that bother you?”

“Do you understand what that implies?” He asked with a smile.

I thought about it. Well, it implies that we were meant to be together, which made me smile. But that also means that I was supposed to be a girl, which means that my accident wasn’t one...it was deliberate and planned! But if this was planned five hundred years ago...Oh hell, I don’t think I’m meant to think like this! I had to sit down.

Tim could see that we were on the same wavelength. He smiled, like someone who’s just won a lottery. “If someone knew enough to set us up 500 years ago, I’m thinking maybe they want things to be fairly smooth sailing for a certain couple who plan to get married in a couple of years.”

Sounded like wishful thinking to me, but I was still trying to deal with the idea of a prophecy roughly 500 years old. C’mon, it was a lot to think about. One of two things occurred to me. First, that maybe it was a witch with some extremely awesome clairvoyance to have seen me so far off into the future, but I didn’t believe that.

Then there was the other possibility that I somehow knew to be true. Instead of someone seeing the future, I had been made to fit the prophecy. I started to get angry, because that meant that Gabe’s whole life had been a lie. Someone knew that every single hope and dream that I’d ever had was just a fantasy. Apparently I had started crying again, because Mom came over and hugged me.

“Emily? Honey, I know this must be kind of a shock, for you.”

“Really? Knowing that my whole life as a guy was wasted? That I probably should have just started wearing dresses in Kindergarten? Mom, I wanted to be like Grandpa. That was what kept me going when Grandpa died, the idea that someday I could be just like him.

It was bad enough knowing that Gabe was gone forever, now I find out that he never really had a chance. It’s just...”

“I know, Emmy. It’s very hard to see your whole world change, but think of it this way. What if Gabe was a kind of smokescreen or mask, protecting you and hiding you from enemies too powerful for us to even understand? Someone like that might have just killed all of us easily, and you would have never had the chance to live at all.

Sometimes, we have to have faith that there are things we can’t understand, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t be happy. Look at how happy you’ve been for the last couple of days. Now tell me, is your life really all that awful?”

I looked at Tim, and my heart made a small jump. I realized I had never really been this happy in my whole life as Gabe. Maybe Mom was right, maybe if I had been born as Emily in the first place, something truly awful might have happened. I guess Gabe was a caterpillar, and I was like a butterfly.

Fortunately, this butterfly came with one heck of a sting! I was starting to feel better already, and I melted into Tim’s arms, where I knew I was meant to be right now. I giggled, knowing my friends with some feminist leanings would crucify me for that thought, but they didn’t have a prophecy that was half a millennia old guiding their lives.

Which brought me back to this evening. What had I seen in my vision as Grandma and I fought the circle? Did I see any faces, or were they all just shadows? I knew at once that they were women, but the vision didn’t last long enough to give me any details.

“So, Grandma, do you have any idea why Mama Gwen was possessed by this “Circle”? What were they trying to achieve?”

“I have a theory, but it’s only a theory right now. It fits all the facts, though. What if Gwen was a test? She’s fairly strong, so if you were trying out a new technique, she’s a pretty good choice as a test subject.

I’m pretty sure that the Circle you saw was only a small one. What if there were many more of them? Could they then take control of the most powerful witch ever? I don’t know, but I think the reason Gwen went a little ‘crazy’ was that they pushed too far, and when they did, she snapped. The frightening thing to me is that now they’ve lost their test subject, they probably will need to find another. We already know that it’s hard for us to detect a possessed person, but we’ll have to find a way.

Speaking of which, I’ll have to ask you not to leave for a while, Tim. I’ll prepare a talisman of some kind, and as long as you keep it against you, they won’t be able to use you. The property within our territory is well warded, but don’t leave the grounds without that talisman. I'll give you a couple of small charms to protect your parents, as well.

I helped Gwen to get her wards up, and I told her how to make her own talisman, but we can’t protect everyone. I’ve sent a message to every member of our coven, warning them to protect themselves.”

“Whoa, I didn’t know you could reach that far with your telepathy, Grandma.”

“Telepathy?” she asked, and then held up her phone. “Not everything has to be done with magic, dear. I just texted them, same as usual.”

Okay, well, now I felt dumb, but I guess I should have known. Grandma loves hi-tech, and she’s always beaten me in computer games, which is probably why I never got hooked on them. I don’t even know which system she uses.

Tim and I took a walk outside in the woods behind our house.

“I’m sorry I ruined the date,” I apologized. “Can I make it up to you?”

“It’s okay, Emily, sometimes things happen. The important thing is that we’re together. Oh, why don’t you come have Sunday dinner with us? I’ve been telling my parents all about you, and my Mother really wants to meet my fiancé.”

I’ve faced down a madwoman, a gun and a powerful circle of witches. So why does meeting his parents make me so nervous?

“All right, that sounds...interesting (gulp).”

He laughed. “Relax, they really aren’t that bad. Mother is very happy for us, and she can’t wait to meet the girl who stole her son’s heart. I am very sure you’ll get along with her, especially after I tell her that you are the girl of the prophecy.”

“Why does that make me so nervous? You know if you reveal that, then you'll have to reveal my magic as well. Do we really want to do that?" He shook his head. "So, how big a deal is Sunday dinner at your house?”

“Oh, it’s huge! I mean, you know how us rich people are, right?” He said in a stuffy accent.

I smacked his chest. “You’re teasing me! I just want to know what I should wear-Sundress or something really nice? I want to make a good first impression, okay?”

“Emily, I can almost guarantee my Dad will be in jeans and a work shirt, and Mom’s favorite outfit is an old Denim skirt, tee-shirt and an old straw sun hat. We’re just not fancy people, except for one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Well, their son has this very pretty and wonderful girlfriend, and...” He leaned over and kissed me.

I smiled, then hit his chest again. Brat. But such a cute brat!

Tim wasn’t able to stay long after Grandma gave him a metal bracelet, in an acceptably masculine style. It looked like the metal had been powder coated a bright red that matched his Trans Am. She added the “Pontiac T/A”, and it looked very sharp on Tim’s wrist. She spent a lot of time learning about his parents, the kinds of things they enjoyed, a favorite color, what they drove, etc.

He asked her how he could convince his parents to each wear their talisman, but she told him to leave it with her. I followed him outside and we kissed for a while before he left. I almost had a problem, because certain parts of my body were anxious to try something that my mind just wasn‘t ready for yet.

I went in to find Grandma working at the kitchen table. She had some supplies scattered across the table, and was rummaging through them. There were two small piles of things directly in front of her.

“What are you doing?” I asked her, thinking maybe I could help. “I’m making a couple of very special bracelets for your future in-laws, hon.”

That sent a chill down my spine, and with the look Grandma gave me, it was exactly what she had wanted to do.

“Are you sure you’re not a wicked witch?” I asked, and we both laughed. “You meany.”

“I have to stay in practice,” she said. “Your mother already knows all my tricks.”

“All your tricks, Mom?” My mother said. “I’m sure you must have a few you haven’t used yet.”

Grandma just looked away, humming innocently.

Mom and I looked at each other and smiled, then we both kissed Grandma and went to sit with Dad, who was watching a new DVD in the living room.

I woke in the morning to the smell of breakfast. There is nothing like the blessed smell of bacon and eggs to get you out of bed on a Sunday morning. I made a serious attempt at resisting, but my nose sent a telegram to my tummy, which began growling noisily. Really, what could I do?

“There are biscuits in the oven, and would you please get the pitcher of Orange Juice out of the refrigerator?” Mom asked as I came into the kitchen.

“Sure, Mom.’ I put the biscuits on a trivet to cool and got the juice out, then set to work preparing a honeydew melon. I wasn’t really a big fan of it, but everyone else loved it, and it was a nice way to show how much I loved them.
Grandma came in, smiling, but Dad stumbled in, grumbling,

“You’re inhuman, all of you. And you,” he said, pointing at Mom, who was doing her best to look innocent. “You’re just Evil. 6:30 on a Sunday morning, and you stoop to making a wonderful, irresistible breakfast.” He kissed her on the cheek, and then sat down at the table with Grandma, while Mom finished frying the eggs and I took a spatula to put the biscuits in a basket and served them at the table.

Breakfast was very pleasant, and I helped to put things away and clean up, and then went to get dressed for church. I had decided to wear my yellow sundress and my white, low heeled sandals. This way I didn’t need to change to go with Tim. I had decided to look nice but not fancy meeting his parents.

Yes, I was still very anxious about it, but at the same time I realized that this was normal. We’ve all seen this scene on the TV. “But what if they don’t like me? What if they don’t think I’m good enough?” I decided that this was all silly. Surely Tim knows how his parents are, and most importantly, he loves me, so it will be all right. You hear me butterflies? Settle down, it’ll be all right.

I’ve noticed lately that butterflies are extremely difficult to talk to.

The sermon was great, the pastor’s energy was very contagious and I had a good time. I shook hands with several of the older women, many of whom were members of our coven. Witches in church, I hear many of you ask? We attend a non-denominational church, and true witches (not Wicca, although I know of at least two witches who are Wiccans) are not as the books depict us.

Our coven is just a group of related families; all descended from some ancient woman who learned that she had abilities, and passed them down to us. Do you have any idea how interconnected a family can get through hundreds of generations? There are a lot of us, although not as many as there were before World War 2. The European parts of our families were decimated in the war. We’re witches-not invulnerable.

And no, Salem had nothing to do with us. That was just idiotic.

I had a light lunch with my family, and a little after 1:00, Tim came by to pick me up.
Grandma handed me a couple of packages and told me which was for whom. She said they would love them, and she winked.

This witch was not going to need a broom if these butterflies didn’t calm down.

“Relax, Emily, they don’t bite. At least, not hard.”

“Oh you’re hilarious, Mr, Davies. Remember me? Witch? How’dja like to spend the afternoon on a lily pad, buster?”

He laughed, and then kissed me.

“All right, no lily pads. But you may notice a small craving for flies.”

He laughed and kissed me even better.

“Well, okay. Webbed toes?”

We left and headed for his house, and my date with destiny.

Wow, just rereading that. Dramatic, much?

We pulled up to a fairly nice yellow house with white trim. Kind of large, but certainly not the mansion I had been expecting. We followed a path from the driveway in front of a detached 2 car garage to a rear entry into an air-conditioned and very comfortable sun-room, where I was introduced to Tim’s parents. Thank you, Grandma, I couldn’t get the line about “future in-laws” off of my mind.

Tim’s Dad was a bit taller and more stocky than Tim, but without any extra fat. He had the same brown hair as Tim, and just like his son, his smile would light up a room. I felt instantly comfortable with him. Then his Mom, a tall slender redhead, stood up and gave me a hug, and I wondered why I had been concerned. I felt as if they had always been my family.

Tim’s Dad introduced himself as Jack, and his wife Tina. They were dressed almost exactly as Tim said they would be (except for his Mom’s straw hat), and they seemed very friendly and relaxed. I gave them the packages Grandma had given me, and they thought both bracelets were beautifully crafted. Jack’s was a twisted yellow and white gold chain, while Tina’s was a simple thin white gold bracelet. Somehow I knew Grandma had done something, and that they wouldn’t take them off in the near future.

Tina took a good look at me.

“Emily, you are very pretty, but I knew you would be. You’ve been a rather constant presence in this house for some time now. Tim speaks of almost nothing else. I don’t know what magic you used, but you’ve certainly enchanted him.”

I almost choked at the mention of magic, but I smoothly said that it was Tim who had cast a spell on me, and that I was very glad he did. Tim was doing his best to hold back a smile, but his eyes spoke volumes.

We had a wonderful afternoon. Tina showed me around their beautiful home, and I noticed that a great deal of attention had gone into its decoration. I’ve seen many houses where there were several antiques but no real organization. I could tell that Tina had been deliberately subtle in her decorating. Everything in the house had a legitimate reason to be there, and fit in beautifully, even though I noticed some very fine antiques around the house. I was very impressed.

After the tour, while Tim and his Dad worked on the grille outside, I told Tina how impressed I had been.

“It’s almost like artwork, the way you’ve placed things around the house. I once worked for an antique dealer, so I recognized the quality of the pieces. Nothing is hidden, but a thief could walk through your house and only pay attention to the TV. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Thank you, Emily; you have a very good eye. Yes, some of the pieces are very valuable, but most of them have been in Jack’s family forever. We didn’t need to go hunting for them, just finding a place for them was all. There are many, many more in storage, because they simply don’t fit.

I see the ring fits you, and I hope you like it. I was very upset at first that Tim hadn’t proposed properly, but he said he’d had no plans to propose that night at all, it just...happened.”

“Yes, my parent’s were stunned as well, but the ones who were most stunned were Tim and I. It was almost like we were guided together, and it simply felt right. I have to confess, I fell in love with Tim almost immediately, but I wasn’t going to say anything, for fear it might have just been a crush.

Even after Tim ‘sort of’ proposed, we both agreed that we needed to be very careful with each other. We don’t plan on actually getting married until after I graduate, and even then things are very fluid. Neither of us is in a hurry, and we both want to be sure it’s right, but I’ve got to say, I have no doubts whatsoever. Tim is the one and only guy for me. He’s so special, but so normal.”

Tina stared at me, and then laughed. “That is almost word for word the way I described Jack to my parents. So special, yet so normal. It confused them terribly, but we’ve had such a wonderful relationship.

To be honest, Emily, Tim’s proposal came as no surprise to me. He’s very much like his father, and Jack proposed to me within 5 minutes of meeting me. He said he just knew, and I felt the same. I had never dated anyone before that night, and since we’ve met it has generally been an easy ride. The only issue we’ve really had was the fact that we couldn’t have more children.”

Dinner was excellent. Even after my change, I’ve remained a steak-and-potatoes kind of person, although I can’t eat as much anymore. We went out to the sunroom to sit and watch the sun set, and even played some cards, Tim’s parents were fun to be around, and I was very glad I had come. Tina brought out a homemade apple pie that was just so delicious with a side of vanilla ice cream.

As Tina and I cleaned up in preparation for him to run me home, Tina absolutely floored me. She gave me a hug and told me how glad she was that Tim had met me. And one other thing.

“Emily, please don’t be afraid, but I know about the magic.” She looked at me and smiled. “I think it’s wonderful.”

I looked at her in surprise and she hugged me, then Tim and I said our goodbyes and he took me home.

I think I was in shock on the way home, but I kissed him and said I would see him in the morning. I walked into the house, said hello to my parents and went to change. It had taken a while, but I think reality finally forced its way into my head.

I’ve gotta talk to Grandma!

It’s definitely not one of my better nights for sleeping. I’m trying to sleep-really, I am. I just can’t relax, thinking about what Tim’s mother, Tina had said. She knew about the magic and she thought it was wonderful.

But just how much did she know? And how did she know? Did Tim tell her my secret? He wouldn’t do that, would he?

Why would someone take control of Mama Gwen for almost a year? Was it, as Grandma suggested, a practice run to prepare them to possess me?

Then there are the more “usual” questions. How much longer until I have my next period? Did I turn in all of my assignments? Does my truck need a new paint job? Have I paid my insurance?

It feels so strange to be engaged. Will he change his mind? What if I decided to? How would I break it to him? Did I say yes too fast? I do love him, so much it hurts. Does he really love me as much? I turned on my light and looked at the ring again. I had tried to expand it enough to slip it off, bur it seems I can’t. It’s not uncomfortable in any way, and it’s sooo beautiful! I just want to show everyone I know!

I worry that flashing it around would be like bragging, but at the same time, if I don’t, Tim might think I don’t like it, or that I’m embarrassed by our engagement. I really need to calm down and relax.

Okay, deep breath. Count to Ten. Deep breath again. The facts are that Tim loves me, and I love him. Even my visions show us together. I’m engaged to the most wonderful guy, and I’m so happy about that I can’t believe it. I picture myself, snuggling into his strong arms, inhaling the smell of his shirt, his cologne, and I feel so secure and loved...

I wake up feeling very good. I get my shower (It’s so great that Mom & Dad have their own, and Grandma has one in her wing-I never have to worry about whom else might be in there!) and then pull on all my clothes. Wow, this bra always used to feel a little big-maybe it’s just shrunk a little. At least it’s comfortable!

I check the forecast on my computer-a high of 85-I’ll go with a white cami, then the sleeveless white button up blouse, and a black denim skirt. Some ankle socks and my white boat shoes...hmm, looks nice. Just a touch of makeup, and I think I’ll just leave my hair straight, so it gets brushed and I’m ready!

I grab my favorite breakfast (two toaster pastries-I love the Cinnamon kind), my backpack and my keys, and I’m out of here! I run past Deb’s and pick her up.

“How’s Mama Gwen this morning?”

“A little strange, but I expected that. She’s very happy to be back in control, and I feel her love for me more than I have in a long time. Thank you for that,” She says happily. “Her only issue is that she’s still angry that anyone could do that to her, but she’s planning on talking to your Grams about that today.”
The mood’s feeling kinda down, so we kick on the stereo and rock! Suddenly, it’s a good day again.

Pulling into the parking lot seems a little strange, almost depressing.

“Are you feeling the same thing I do?” Debbie asks, as she holds herself as though she’s chilled.

“Yeah, like my good day just nose dived. I don’t think this is natural, Deb. We need to see if we can clear things up a bit, but carefully, all right?”

Sitting in my truck, we close our eyes and cast a spell to push out the negative vibes and depression. I can feel it working, like lifting a fog. As we continue pushing it, it becomes obvious someone is behind this. It’s another attack, probably meant to be subtle, but way too heavy handed. I get angry, and focus on the ring, willing the fog attract any negativity and send it back to where ever it came from. I hope I just seriously ruined someone’s day.

Most of the school day was uneventful after that. I did show some of the girls my ring, and by last period, the news had spread and people were congratulating me. Then it got weird. Grace was just sitting at the desk to my left, and Debbie was on my right, when Grace suddenly seems to go into a seizure. It was a bad one, and as everyone else backed away from her, I rushed over and grabbed her, getting her to the ground so she couldn’t hurt herself. As I grabbed her, I started my own treatment, but I quickly realized it wasn’t an epileptic seizure. Someone was trying to possess her, and she was doing her best to fight it. Now I was pissed.

*Debbie, it’s another attack! Can you create a big distraction? I’m going to try something.*

*Go for it! Ignore this-it’ll be loud but harmless.*

A huge boom went off in the hallway, sending everyone to the floor. At the same time, I projected a part of myself into Grace and pushed the intruder out. I forced the energy back to the one who cast the spell, and I followed it. I found 3 women holding hands and chanting. I gave the energy a tweak, and forced it into them, twisting it and molding it so that it not only knocked them cold, but they weren’t even going to be coherent for a week or so. They would need full time care to even feed themselves, but I was careful not to make it permanent.

I retreated back to my body. We’re talking mental speeds here, so I was back before anyone saw anything, and the echoes of Debbie’s boom were still ringing in the hallways. Grace started to come to herself as I rebuilt the energy she used to fight those bitches.

“What-happened?” She asked, feeling very disoriented. Before I let go completely, I cast a small spell. She wouldn’t remember anything for the last few minutes, and I gave her a little food poisoning. She won’t feel very good, but at least the doctors won’t just assume it was epilepsy. That could hurt her in the future, and I needed to protect her.

“Are you okay, Grace?” I asked, as I helped her to a sitting position.

“Urk...No, I feel kinda sick to my stomach.” Someone passed a trash can to me just before she vomited. Out in the hall, people were running everywhere, checking to see if everyone was all right, and looking for the cause of the sound.

At about the same time, an alarm went off and they evacuated the school. We didn’t even have time to go to our lockers. A couple of teachers were telling everybody that if we absolutely had to, as soon as Emergency services had checked out the building, we should be able to go in, but for safety’s sake, they were dismissing school early. Debbie and I both had stuff we needed from our lockers, but teleporting what we needed from our lockers to my truck would be fairly easy.

As the Fire trucks and Police arrived, Debbie and I helped Grace over to be checked out by the school nurse or the paramedics. Grace gave us a quick hug and thanked us for helping her.

“It’s no problem,” I told her. “I just want you to relax and feel better, okay?”

“I will, I promise. Thanks again, Emily, Debbie.” The paramedics started checking her out, and Debbie and I headed for the parking lot. On the way there, we got intercepted by Tim.

“Hi! Do you have to wait for your stuff, too?” He asked after giving me a quick hug and kiss.

“No, why?”

“I left my stuff in my locker, including my keys, so I have to wait here.”

Debbie smiled, and I looked at him innocently. “But honey, don’t you remember that your stuff is in my truck?”

“Huh? But I...oh, yeah, I just forgot!” He smiled. Anybody listening would have thought nothing of it. As we walked away from everyone, we stopped and he kissed me again.

“There are definite advantages when your fiancée is a witch!” He said. I laughed.

“Now you know that there is a delivery charge for that, don’t you?”

“What’s that gonna cost me?”
“Oh, I don’t take money. Just a thousand kisses.”

“A thousand? How about a really good one?”

“Umm...” Debbie started, but Tim interrupted.

“Hush, we’re negotiating.” He said with a smile. “Okay, How about two really good ones?”

“Throw in a date, and you got a deal!” I said, happily.”

“Ooh, you drive a tough bargain, but...Okay, you’ve got a deal.”

He bent down, and gave me a kiss that just about had my toes curling. Anything better, and we were going to need a bedroom!

“Wow.” I said in surprise as we pulled apart.

“You ain’t kidding!” He said, looking at me with a lusty, almost predatory look. “Ready for number two?”

“Down boy, I don’t think we’re ready to go there yet! I want a rain check!”

We all laughed.

“Oh, all right. Would tomorrow be soon enough, ya think?”

“Oh, definitely tomorrow- after school. I’m not doing that before school!”

Tim and Debbie laughed as I fanned myself.

“Okay,” he said, as he gave me a smaller-but still pretty good-kiss. “I have some work to do, bit I’ll see ya later, sweetheart.”

“Tonight?” I asked.

“Hmm, maybe, if Dad let’s me out in time. We’ll see. I love you!”

He pulled out of the lot, and we got in my truck. I got behind the wheel. Then fell to my right.

“Wow, that boy has some skillz!”

“I don’t think that’s it.” Debbie said. “I think you both put all of your hearts into that kiss, and it was just really good for both of you. You should have let me negotiate for you, though. I wouldn’t have settled for less than ten.”

“Ooh, you’re right. I do like the way you think!”

“I’m just used to it. You haven’t even been female for a year yet, so thinking is still new. You have to kind of ease into it.”

We laughed, but then I got serious. “I need you to get Mama Gwen and come to my house, tonight.”

“Did something happen?” She asked.

“You mean, besides my turning 3 nasty bitches temporarily into drooling, gibbering idiots?” Debbie gawked at me in surprise. “I went into their heads, and now I know what they knew. Best of all, I know who it is we’re up against.”

I dropped Debbie off at her house, and then headed home. It was time for a council of war.

Grandma had scanned my mind as I pulled in the driveway. My “public” mind was available, and she knew I was upset, but she couldn’t get through to my “private” mind, and she couldn’t figure out why.

“Emily? What’s wrong, hon?”

“Grandma, I’m not sure that anything’s really wrong-in a way, everything’s all right. I need to get Mom and whoever else I can together. I have some information that’s gonna rock your socks off!”

“Gwen and Debbie are on their way, do you want to have a full coven meeting?”

“As many as possible, this affects everyone.”

She looked unfocused for a second, then looked back at me,

“I asked Gwen to call as many as she could reach.”

I could easily feel Grandma’s fear, but how could I reassure her-maybe she wouldn’t believe me?

“Emily? You seem very different, and I’m concerned you might not be yourself.”

“I know you’ll have a hard time believing me, but I’m fine, I think the only way for me to do this is to show you what happened today. I’m going to let you in, so you can really see what happened. I have to tell you, some of it isn’t pretty, okay?”

“All right, honey.”

I sat back and relaxed, then dropped my shields and reached out to her, both mentally and physically. She held my hands, and my world changed, forever.

Suddenly, we were connected almost completely. We didn’t need to talk, we knew almost instantly everything we were going to say. We realized that this was due to the strange amplification from my ring. We maintained our individuality, but we shared information at a fantastic rate. In that exchange, I became an adult.

The hardest part, for me, was when I touched her memories of Grandpa. I can’t put into words what she showed me, it was almost too much for me. I thought what I felt for Tim was true love, but what I realized was that we had only scratched the surface. Real, true love isn’t something you find. It takes a lifetime to develop. I felt all their joys, their pains, the way they treasured each other and the tremendous loss swhe felt when he died. Even the slight desire to die, to not feel the terrible emptiness she felt without him. The waiting to be with him again, which was only bearable because of my mother and her family. I had never before realized how important we were to her.

We shared a vision of my future, with Tim and our children. It was beyond beautiful. But was it real?

I later learned that we had only been holding hands for less than a minute. I can tell you, it felt much longer than that. I opened my eyes, and I saw Grandma looking back at me. We were both in tears.

“Are you both all right?” Mom asked “What happened?”

“Emily wanted to show me what happened today. What we both forgot to consider was the ring. We ended up sharing so much more than we had planned.”

“Like what? Emily?”

“All I’m going to say, Mom, is that you sure were a beautiful, precious baby, and I love you more than I ever have.”

“You shared...everything? Oh, my God.”

“Not quite everything, Mom, although I think it might have been possible. I’m still Emily, and Grandma is who she always was, but we both changed, a little. I thought I had absorbed the minds of the three 'bad' witches, but that was almost nothing compared to this.

I just...downloaded almost a life time of memories-so many that I can’t comprehend all of them just yet. When I focus on something, the memories are there, almost like looking through the best library that there ever was.

“It was awesome, Jenny.” Grandma said. “It’s too much to describe, but the important thing is that we know what is going on now.”

Debi and Mama Gwen, along with a few other ladies of varying ages, began to arrive and we sat down in the living room. Mom grabbed a few other chairs, so everyone could sit down. When we had all settled, I began.

"Ladies, some very important things have happened today, and I need to show you all what occurred.

I had everyone take each other’s hands, and with Grandma helping with my control, we were able to show the coven everything.

When I forced the energy out of Grace, I was able to send a part of myself along, following the retreating energy. Everyone was surprised that I could even do that. I showed them how I went into the minds of the three “bad” witches, and how I absorbed all of their memories. I had then taken their minds, linked them together, and then I angrily twisted. The pain drove them unconscious, but most importantly, I left them in such a confused state that they were nearly in comas. I was sure they would recover fully, except that their ability to use magic was gone, completely. They would be healthy, but completely normal.

After my little “show” we talked about what I had taken from the three ladies. Once again, we linked, and I showed them the face of our enemy, the driving force behind all the bad things that had happened, lately. To their complete surprise, it was a man!

I didn’t know his real name, but he calls himself a shaman, and people called him Thomas, the restorer. He had taken the common desire for these conservative women to reclaim the good old days, back to when witches were considered leaders, teachers and guides for the common people. They weren’t wicked, but they were deluded and deceived by a man who claimed to be a sorcerer who had stepped forward in time, someone who had existed before the decline of men with magical abilities. Personally, I suspected a mutation.

He had a very powerful personality, and he had played these women, building himself a huge power base of several hundred women, all of them giving him complete access to their magic. His power rivaled mine, and he knew a lot about me, while I had only a smattering of information about him. I did know that he was fairly handsome, and that he liked the things of the good life. He planned to subjugate every coven, forming a power base that would be unbeatable.

He was angry at the way I had interfered with his plans. He knew that I was amazingly strong, but had very little experience or self-confidence. He was doing his best to deny me allies, and to steal my power. What he didn’t know was that between absorbing the three witches who tried to control Grace, and the umm, thing with Grandma (calling it a mind meld sounds so geeky, so Star Trek-ish), I had a world of experience, and new abilities that I had known nothing of before.

Here I had thought we were up against a force of evil women, and they turn out to be mostly just a bunch of deluded older women who were being scammed and used. Some of them were quite aware of everything he did, but they didn’t have the will or the power to do anything about it.

As I saw it, the problem was that we had to be careful to protect these women, while stopping them from allowing this magical con man to access their powers.

Can’t life just be a little easy, once in a while?

The general feeling around our coven was to do exactly as I had with the witches who tried to possess Grace. Attack small groups, remove their ability to fight or support this asshole, and bring down his power to a level that he could be defeated and controlled.

What we didn’t want was a face to face conflict with him at his full, stolen power. We didn’t really know how strong he was, or if I could stop him in a “one on one” fight.

Well, okay, so I wanted to rush right at him and take him out. I was so much stronger and wiser than I had been even this morning, and my confidence was at an all time high. No one, not even Grandma, would support me though.

Mom show me that it was foolish to go into a fight blind. If he somehow was able to possess me, the fight was pretty much going to be over. No one would be able to stand against us.

So that was where I backed off. I was going to be no one’s mind slave, especially when it was unnecessary. Okay, so we chip away at his power base until he’s really low on power, and then I can try the frog spell. Okay, I’m kidding, there isn’t really a spell like that.

Is there?

“I just don’t know what to do next,” I admitted, pacing around the living room. Mom and Mama Gwen were on the sofa, while Debbie and Grandma sat in the chairs. Dad was at the dining room table, working on his laptop, but listening to what was going on.

With the experience I had gained from my merge with Grandma and the three “bad” witches, whose power I had removed, it seemed I was now the de facto leader of our coven. Our traditions say that the strongest witch should be the leader of our coven, and due to some freak mutation or something, I’m the strongest witch on record. Oh, how lucky am I!

“We need to keep our focus on the Circle.” I’d already decided they would be our first targets. “They seem to be the strongest of Thomas’ supporters so far. They’ve already been making moves on our coven, which makes them fair game.”

“I think we all agree with that,” Grandma stated. “The question is, how do we find them? I’m fairly sure that none of them are wearing uniforms or carrying flags that would tell us they’re Circle members.”

“So we have to wait for some kind of attack before we do anything?” Debbie asked. She looked at me. “When you fought off the Circle the first time, did you get any idea where they were? Could the three witches you took out be Circle members?”

“The first attack was a complete surprise, to everyone, including me.” I said. “It happened so fast, I didn’t get much detail, but I do know they were in Texas. The ladies I “took out” were in Ohio, so I don’t think it was the same group.”

“Maybe, instead of actively hunting them, you need to set out traps.” Dad suggested. “You’d need someone to act as bait, though. That could be very dangerous. Maybe if you had some kind of artifact or two? Just making suggestions, that’s all.”

“But it’s not a bad one,” Mama Gwen commented eagerly. “If we were to create a couple of phony artifacts, then somehow get the word back to Thomas and his supporters that they were really responsible for Emily’s incredible power, those artifacts could work as bait, perhaps.”

“I like that!” Grandma exclaimed as she smiled with an almost predatory smile. “We know that Thomas has his spies among us. If Emily was seen ‘using’ our fake objects, the word would get back to him. If we did it right, we might even get a clue as to who our spies are. Yeah, I think that’s an excellent idea.”

“I agree, but perhaps we need to research a little in order to make our ‘artifacts’ seem credible?” I suggested.

“Debbie and I can handle that part. She’s pretty darn good with the computer, and I think we can have some suggestions by tomorrow.” Gwen volunteered, and Deb nodded her agreement.

“Cool, then you get that started, and I’ll look into what Mrs. Davies meant when she said she knew about magic. She might even be an unwitting spy.” I really hope not, though.

“Grandma, I’m hoping you'd like to come along? Please?”

“I’d love to, honey.” Ever since our “merge,” Grandma and I have been much closer. It’s strange to have some of the memories I have now. I have to tell ya, the stuff with my Grandparents sex lives, I could live without. I mean, I know they had sex, but really? I would never have thought he was into anything like that! Kin-ky!

We drove over to Tim’s house, and then walked up the stairs to the door. Before we could knock, Tina opened the door with a friendly smile.

“I knew you were going to be here soon, Emily. Come on in, love. Let’s get comfortable.”

“Thanks, Tina. Have you met my Grandmother, Elizabeth Carstairs?”

“We’ve seen each other, dear, but we’ve never been introduced. It’s nice to meet you, I’m Tina Davies.”

“It’s my pleasure, Tina.”

The house was very “modern/ rustic”, with huge windows and large open rooms. We walked into the living room with its massive stone fireplace, and furniture made from logs and leather. It was beautiful, and quite comfortable, actually.

“I’ll bet this has something to do with magic, doesn’t it?” Tina said as we sat down.

I decided to go with a direct and honest conversation. This was my future Mother-in-law, after all. “When you told me that you knew about the magic, I was very surprised. How much do you know about it?”

She smiled. “My grandmother used to tell me stories about the witches in our town. She hated the stereotypical Hallowe’en witches. I was told that witches lived all over our little town, and that we had a very old connection with them. She told me stories about the Ring, and that it was very special.

One of the stories she told was the story of the ring. It was cast long ago, by a mysterious fellow known as Hartvig. Now, all this was in the old world, in what we now know as Germany. My many-times-over Grandparents worked for an important and much loved family, but they were accused of dark sorcery and of consorting with demons. For some reason, my ancestors were given the ring, and asked to keep it safe.

I’ve always known that someday, it would find its true owner. I’m so proud that we were the fortunate ones to meet you. It’s a pleasure to finally actually meet a witch, and to think, she’s going to be a part of my family! It’s just so wonderful!”

I blushed. “We’re still young yet, Tina. I hope you’re right about us, but things do happen. We’re still a long way from being married.”

“Don’t worry about it, dear, it’ll happen. You two are fated to be together, it’s actually quite obvious.”

I smiled and blushed again. How many colors of red are there?

Grandma laughed. “They do make a nice couple, don’t they?”

“I don’t know, Elizabeth. Red really isn’t Tim’s favorite color.” Tina giggled.

It just means they love me, I thought to myself. Relax....

Tina stood up and pulled me into a hug. “Oh, you’re such a treasure, Emily. I’m going to love having you in my family.”

That made me so happy I was crying a little. Okay, I thought, I have 2/3rds of the family that loves me, I just gotta work on my future father-in-law. Nah, that’ll be easy. I hope?

We talked a bit more, and Tina told us a couple of stories her Grandmother had taught her. I loved them, they were almost like fables, and she said that there were many more. I talked her into writing them down for me. I hoped someday to tell the same stories to my Grandchildren.

We had to stop by the hospital to pick up my Grandmother’s medication at the pharmacy there, and have lunch with Mom. We waited for some time, but she never showed up. I assumed that they were very busy, and she couldn’t get away, but I thought she might leave a message or something. Oh well, things like that happen.

We returned home, and found Debbie waiting. She was sitting on the back porch stairs, but as soon as she saw us, she smiled and waved.

“Hi, Debbie!” I called as we got out of the car. “What’s news?”

“I found some interesting ideas for an artifact,” she said, as we followed Grandma into the house. She picked up her backpack and came in, then set up the laptop in the kitchen.

“What did you find, Debbie?” Grandma asked.

“There are these mystic jewels, no one knows for sure how many, that vanished 3600 years or so ago, after the massive volcanic eruption at Thera. They were known as the Minoan Jewels. Some of them are said to have been recovered, and legend says they are known as the Santoron Jewels. They are supposedly in the hands of extremely wealthy private collectors.

There are stories that say Hitler searched desperately for some of them near the end of World War 2. I guess he was seriously into the occult, and was a known believer in the power of magic. Some people in our community believe that he was a descendant of one of the ‘Families’, and that his mother may have had some power, but there is nothing to support that.

Anyway, it’s a great way to produce our artifacts. We could just say that we had possession of some of the Minoan Jewels. We don’t even have to say they were magical, just that they’re in our possession. My mom is making a necklace and an arm brace, and she’ll be over a little later with them. The mere fact that you’re wearing them gives them credibility, and you don’t even have to do anything!”

It was perfect, and completely plausible. We didn’t have to claim that they did anything at all, which I really liked. Anything that I did would be attributed to them, as I’m sure Thomas would not accept that I could truly have as much strength as I have.

Now all I had to do was wait to be attacked, and have them fall into our trap.

Sounds like fun, don't it? My Grandfather always said that any plan falls apart once the battle is joined.

Oh Yippee.

Okay, I'm sorry! A little writer's block, but that's cleared now. Thanks, Beyogi!

They were beautiful. The necklace was more of a choker, with what looked to be an emerald, on a  ½” gold band that was open a bit in the back. It slipped around my neck comfortably, and looked amazing and exotic. I loved it, even as just a piece of jewelry.

The other was supposed to be an arm brace, but it looked more like a 3” wide band, and like the necklace it had an open part so that it slipped onto my arm, just above my wrist. It was made of gold with a ruby prominently displayed on it. I thought it looked a little gaudy, but it fit onto my arm well. I immediately decided that it 'enhanced my fire magic abilities'.

I wore a white, sleeveless tee and a black miniskirt with dark hose and my favorite black boots. When I looked in the mirror, I was very pleased. I looked great, and maybe a little naughty. I wonder if I'll see Tim today?

We had decided that the story of these jewels was that they had come from a private collection in an eastern European country which we didn’t specify. I had been given them when I accepted the leadership of the coven. I was to stick to this story, no matter what, until we had defeated Thomas.

I told myself the story over and over, of how I had received them in a secret ceremony known only to my Grandmother and I, and like a silly teenager, I insisted on wearing them openly, which my Grandma disapproved, but accepted. To get a more natural reaction from everyone, only my Grandma, Mama Gwen and Debbie knew that the whole thing was a sham, but we swore to never speak of that.

“Those aren’t toys, Emily! They need to stay in the vault until you need them!” yelled Grandma.

“But what if I’m attacked, and need them now? I want to be ready!” I insisted.

“I don’t think that will happen anytime soon, honey, and-”

“What’s with all of this argument?” Mom asked as I passed her. “Emily?”

“Sorry, Mom, I’m going over to Debbie’s, and then we’ll probably go to the mall or something. I’ll back in a while. Bye!”

I walked out the door, got into my truck and drove off, while Grandma sputtered impotently on the porch. This was a little hard, as I’ve never been a “rebellious teenager” before, and I’m not really sure what I’m doing. I hope this whole thing ends soon. I’m not sure I can do this for very long.

The biggest problem that I think I’ll have is school. Thomas’ people have already shown that they are perfectly willing to attempt to possess my friends. If I had not seen Grace’s struggle, she might have lost her fight. That still makes me very angry. I just hope that we can detect the next person they try this with. I really can’t trust anyone right now, and I don’t like it. I want to go and start my way up the chain, taking out each link and finding Thomas, then shutting down the threat somehow without hurting too many people. I’m afraid that this could get ugly, And most of my opposition isn’t evil, just mis-guided or manipulated. They don’t deserve to be hurt.

They really don’t want to piss me off, though.

I pulled to Debbie’s house and headed up to the door. Deb came out to meet me.

“Wow, you look great!” She said as I made a pirouette to show of my outfit. “I love the jewelry, is that new?”

“Grandma gave it to me yesterday when I officially took over the coven.” I bragged. “She wanted it kept in storage, but I wanna wear it for awhile. It’s supposed to help my powers, and I might need it to fight. Besides, I like the look!”

I felt so foolish, but I kept up the act. Debbie had also sworn to go along with our plan, and she was doing great, but I wanted to be a bit more serious, and it kinda ticked me off that I couldn’t. I took a deep breath and kept up the vapid girl crap as much as I could.

“Are you up for a little mall crawling?” I asked her, which was really a silly question. I was starting to get used to the expectations other people had for me, like the idea that all girls enjoyed shopping and fancy clothes. Debbie, however, loves to go shopping, and if given the chance, would have an apartment in the mall. Her biggest dream is to go to places like the Mall of America with several thousand dollars in her hand and a van to carry her stuff.

She once told me that part of her career planning was the idea that she would live near, and possibly work at the MOA. True happiness would involve meeting a millionaire who owned a store in the huge mall.

“I’m all set!” She told me. “Mom wants me to pick up some stuff at Bed, Bath And Beyond, and I’ve got to get a couple of DVDs, too.”

“I wanna check out a few places. I need a new LBD that’ll have Tim and the other guys tripping over their freaking tongues!”

We laughed and bumped fists. Okay, I was putting up a big act, but we could have fun too, couldn’t we?

Our mall is large and has two stories with a huge center section. There is a large elevator and two different escalators that go up the gigantic Food Court. The first thing you see is a large Merry-Go-Round that the kids (and some of the adults) love. A lot of our friends have jobs here at one of the restaurants or at the theatre that is the upper south anchor of our mall. As a result, a lot of the teens congregate here, sitting at some of the many tables. It doesn’t hurt that some of the stores closest to the upper center are the local Game Stop, Spencer’s Novelty shop, Claire’s and our Victoria’s Secret.

Debbie and I came in from the upper North parking lot and headed for our favorite place in the mall-Dairy Queen! We noticed several tables where some of the guys from our school were sitting. A few of them flirted a bit, and Debbie happily accepted their attention. Most of the students at our school knew about Tim and I, but a few were either stupid or just didn’t care.

I just told the ones who approached me that I was sorry, but I was taken. There were a couple who were more insistent, but they were merely annoyances. I had to be a little more direct, but they got the message finally. One jerk that simply could not get it was grabbed by a few of Tim’s friends from the football team, and they convinced him that I wasn’t to be messed with. I had hoped that Tim might be around, but I guess that since he already had a girlfriend, he wasn’t hanging out at the local “meat market.”

Debbie took note of the guys who helped me, and when I thanked them later, they each got a quick kiss on the cheek from her. I think she even got a date out of it!

We shopped for a while, bought a few items and talked with several of our friends. We had fun, but we were glad to be heading home as we walked out to my truck. We were surprised when the Jerk and two of his friends seemed to pop out of nowhere and surrounded us, trying to make us walk past a grey van. I knew what they were doing, and I let them get us out of view of anyone in the parking lot.

They never saw what hit them, literally. I gave a strong telekinetic punch to each of them, which knocked two of them out, and left the third one staggered on his butt. By the time we’d tossed the two unconscious guys into their van, the third one was coming at us. I pictured an invisible post in front of him that was just a little shorter than his belt buckle, and he walked right into it. Deb and I laughed as he collapsed after smacking my post and rolled around on the ground holding his crotch.

I gave the poor guy some mercy and painlessly knocked him out, then we put him in the van and while I kept all three boys asleep, wrote “I love cock” on their chests by giving them localized sunburns. When I finished we closed the van door and left. I fuzzed their memories of us so that they wouldn’t really remember our faces, but I knew they’d remember us a little bit for the next few days!

Debbie was laughing so hard she almost peed her pants. We went to my truck and drove off, both of us giggling for quite a while. Every so often Debbie would break up with laughter, and at one point we were laughing so hard, I had to pull over and stop for a few minutes!

I finally dropped Debbie off and promised to pick her up the next morning, then drove home. I was kind of thinking that Grandma might still be “mad” at me, but I was surprised when it was Mom who jumped on my case. What really surprised me was when she was lecturing me on respecting my Grandmother.

“I’m very disappointed in you, Emily. You’ve never been so irresponsible. She’s loved you since you were a little girl, and this is how you respect her? Consider yourself grounded young lady!”

Oh God, they had possessed my Mom! My first thought was to take out the possessor, but instead I telepathically called Grandma and told her what was going on, while using the anger that was burning inside me to really throw a tantrum in front of “Mom.”

Grandma! Can you hear me? I need you!

Yes, dear, I hear you. What’s wrong?

It’s Mom, she’s possessed! What should I do? I want to push them out, but maybe that isn’t a good idea?

Your right, sweetie, as much as I hate it, we can’t do anything right now. What’s all that racket?

Just me, fighting with Mom. I’m just about to go to my room in a huff, so it’ll stop in a minute.

Good. I’ll come and talk to your mom for awhile, okay?

Yeah, okay. She doesn’t know that I was Gabe...she was chewing me out when she said something about how you loved me when I was a little girl.

Clever girl! I might have missed that, very good. Go to bed, we’ll talk in the morning.

Not sure I’ll sleep, I’m so angry, but I’ll try.

I love you, goodnight.

I love you too, sweetheart.

I finished cleaning up and getting ready for bed, then climbed under the covers. I didn’t think I’d sleep a wink, but I guess all the walking and the argument wore me out. I’m very tired.

I know one thing. As soon as I can, somebody’s ass is gonna be mine!

I woke in a very dangerous mood, but I knew I had to control my temper. I took a few deep breaths and went in to take a shower. I’m amazed that the water didn’t immediately turn to steam. Inside I was a raging fire. I wanted blood, and I wanted the one who was messing with my mother to see me coming and know fear like never before.

Other than that, I was having a great day.

Okay, I have issues. It was hard to pretend to be the average teen when I had the power and ability to kick some serious ass. This was my MOTHER! I was so far past angry, it wasn’t funny.

Emily! Grandma said. You have to get yourself under control! You need to understand, it takes considerable power to get past the wards we have on the house. There’s either a bunch of them providing boost, or they’re very near. I’ll put my money on the nearness theory. They have to be watching the house closely, so Stifle It! Do you understand me, young lady?

All right, Grandma! I’m just so angry! I really want to...

I know, sweetheart, and it really irritates me too, but we need to use this, though. Somehow, we have to turn the tables on these bitches, without hurting Jenny, so let’s get creative!

Creative? Before I’ve had my coffee? Puh-leeze! I need a quick jump start, okay?

(Sigh!) Yes, yes, get your morning “fix” and I’ll be right down. Just act as normal as you can, all right?

Grumbling to my self, I went into the kitchen.

“Well, look who woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.”

“Yeah, I had a bad night. I need coffee, desperately.”

“I’ve got it ready and waiting. Is something bothering you this morning?”

“Yeah,“ I started angrily.

EMILY!

“I’m still ticked off at some dumbasses at the mall yesterday. They were bugging me and Debbie, and things went a little too far. I handled it, though, and Debbie and I were fine.”

“Were either of you hurt? Did you call the Police? You should have had them arrested!”

“And be stuck going to court, wasting my time so that a judge can give them a slap on the hands? No, I’m pretty sure they don’t want to try that again”

“You would think that with all the video surveillance we have today, things like that would stop happening.”

Oh crap. I hadn’t thought about that at all! But...did they see anything?

“Maybe we were in a blind spot? There are a lot of places that cameras don’t see, Mom.”

“That’s true. I certainly hope you didn’t get caught on the tape, either.”

“Yeah, me too. I gotta head off to school, Mom.”

“Bye, Honey! Any plans after school?” Mom asked.

“No, but that could change. I’ll call if it does.”

I got to my truck and headed over to Debbie’s. It looked a little gray, which fit with my mood. I made it to Debbie’s house, and saw her waiting for me. She walked out and got in to the truck. She looked a little sleepy.

“Hi, ready for another big day of nearly useless knowledge?” She asked with a fake smile.

“Somebody’s not happy this morning!”

“Oh, I spent most of my weekend studying for a test in World History 2. Politics in the early 1900’s...what a boring way to blow a nice weekend. I’m sure that I’ll need to know about hundred year old politics in Europe darn near every day, especially while I interact with my elite client base, and ponder that immortal question, “Do you want fries with that?”

“Oh, come on, Debbie. ‘Those who don’t study history are doomed to repeat the mistakes,’ right?”

“Oh, you’ve had Mrs. DeBrayle too? I completely and totally hate that saying. I’m pretty sure that if I can just keep from assassinating some Austrian dude, I’ll be fine.”

Talking to Debbie helped me to relax. I was still feeling stressed, but I didn’t feel quite as “on edge” as I had been. We listened to the stereo, enjoying our “morning girls” as they joked around. Alison and Amy were hilarious, and weatherman Bill West was a huge part of that. He took to his part as the “token guy” with a will, and he had a fantastic way of saying something funny without being obvious about it. He was a surprisingly older man, and frequently made reference to his impending retirement, while keeping us in stitches.

We were both giggling and laughing as I pulled into the school’s parking lot. My day quickly got better when I saw my fiancé pull into the lot and park. He got out and hugged me and gave me a kiss.

“Now that’s how I like to start my day!” He said.

“Hey, me too!” I said, kissing him again. “Isn’t that convenient?”

“I’ve got to go, so I’ll see you later, pretty lady. I’ve got to set-up a demo before class starts.” He gave me a quick kiss. “I love you, and I’ll talk to you afterschool, if not sooner, all right?”

“I love you, too. See ya later, handsome.” I smiled and watched his backside as he walked away. Yummm.

I guess I expecting something to happen, but it all seemed so boring, and completely normal. The whole day was like that. The only “real” excitement came when Miss Edwards’ chalk snapped as she dissected a Shakespearean sonnet. Absolutely gripping drama.

I was almost sleepwalking as we walked out to the truck, but a shout behind me made me smile again. Tim came up behind us, lugging a few boxes. I offered to help, but he told me they were no trouble, so I unlocked and opened his trunk for him.

“Thanks, honey! You’re kind of handy to have around, sometimes.” He joked,

“Yes, the amazing, um, make that awesome, no, how about “the Amazingly Awesome Emily, at your ser–”

Tim planted a kiss that made my toes curl. I looked at him and almost fell in love all over again.

“You know, you talk entirely too much,” I said. “But I do like what you say!” I planted a few kisses of my own right back.

“Ahem?” Debbie interrupted. “BFF, waiting impatiently?”

“Sorry, Debbie,” Tim said with a grin.

“No problem, I’m just jealous!”

“Oh, come on, you’re always the one with the guys!” I protested.

“But not right now, everybody’s already left!” Just as she said that, several guys came out of the school. I would guess that gym class ran late.

“Hmmm. This has definite potential...”

I don’t even pretend to know what she did, but before I knew it, one of the guys had led Debbie to his car, where they quickly got down to business.

I looked at Tim and smiled. “Now, where were we?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure...wasn’t it right about here?” He pulled me into his arms and our lips met. I was really enjoying his full attention, when I heard Debbie’s scream. I looked over and saw several boys attacking the guy she had been with. Tim started to run over to help
her, but I asked him to stay back and I would handle this. He smiled and told me to have fun.

I threw a shield up over Debbie, and we went to start pulling the bad guys off of Debbie’s friend. To my complete surprise, they vanished into thin air! Debbie and I were so surprised that we just stood there for a minute until Deb ran over to the guy she had been kissing.

I thought I could help him, so I ran over and helped Debbie to pick him up. My thought was to covertly give him some healing energy, but Debbie and I were surprised when he suddenly started throwing punches at us!

He hit me hard in the face, and I felt my nose break and I fell hard into the dirt. It stunned me a bit, and when he grabbed my collar and my brace, I couldn’t resist. He tried to take the ring, but it wouldn’t come off. He kicked me in my stomach, then slammed Debbie up against a car and ran off. By the time I had recovered enough to focus, he was gone.

Debbie had hit her head and had a small gash in her forehead. It probably looked worse than it really was, but I looked around quickly, and seeing no one, I focused my energies on healing both of us. I had to straighten my nose (Wow, that was educational!). In a couple of minutes, though, we were completely recovered. I looked at Debbie to make sure everything was okay, and then turned to tell Tim we were all right.

His car was still there with the door open, but I didn’t see Tim. I thought that he had gone to chase the guy that hit us, so we walked over to his car. The keys weren’t in the car, so I closed and locked the door. Debbie thought we should try to go after them, but neither of us had seen which direction he had gone.

I noticed my armband was gone, as was my collar. The ring was still on my hand, and I had a sense that it had no intention of allowing itself to be removed.

“It worked, Debbie. They actually fell for it! Now, if Mama Gwen can really track them, we’ll be able to go after the bastards!” I smiled. I was looking forward to round two with the shithead that hit us, so I called Mama Gwen and told her what had happened. She told me to go to my house where she would meet us.

I waited for Tim, but after almost half an hour he still hadn’t shown up. I was really worried for him. What if he’d been beaten up by the shithead, and was laying in some alley or something? They might have been arrested for fighting, or something.

So many different scenarios ran through my head. I tried to “feel” where he was, but I got nothing. With my range, he was either unconscious or...

No! I refused to think like that. Debbie finally convinced me that we should head home. There was nothing we could do right then, but I decided to cruise around and see if we might see him. After two hours of driving around, and several phone calls from Grandma, Mom and Mama Gwen, we finally headed home.

Debbie got a sudden look of anxiety. “Emily...do you think maybe he was kidnapped? If he was drugged, maybe you wouldn’t be able to feel him, and they could use him to threaten you.”

Damn.

I headed home quickly. I had an idea who might know what was going on.

Debbie was worried. I guess that as angry as I was, I probably looked a little scary to her.

“Change of plans, Debbie. I’m through with the subtlety. They've finally pushed me too far.” I said, angrily.

I walked into the house and called out for Mom.

Emily? Where have you been, young lady? You should have been home hours ago! What happened?

They’ve crossed the line, Grandma. Debbie and I were attacked, and they took Tim!

What?! But why...

I don’t care why, Grandma. I’m extremely angry, and it’s all going to stop today!

Please, be careful! Jenny may not be in control, but she’s still there, and if you hurt her, you’ll be hurting your Mom!

I know, Grandma, and I’m going to deal with that first.

I finally found Mom relaxing in the Living room, reading a magazine. She looked so normal that it hurt. I had to do this carefully.

“Emily?” She asked, with a worried look. “Honey, are you all right?”

I sat down next to her sadly, and she reached out to comfort me. I clasped her hands.

“I’m sorry, Mom.” I held her hands tightly and linked with her. I pushed until I found the part of her mind that was possessed, and then I locked us together. The invader was tenacious, but her strength was as nothing to me. I enveloped the foreign mind, and then pushed her out of my mother. I stayed locked to her as she was drawn back to her body. I found myself inside of a van with several other women who were chanting as they sat around me with their hands on my “host” body, feeding it power.

I made sure my host was not going to regain consciousness any time soon, and then I took advantage of the situation. I started draining the power out of them, and by the time they realized what was happening, I was pulling in so much of their energy that they all passed out.

I turned back to my host, and began to scan through her mind. As I suspected, my host was the group’s leader. I completed my possession of her body, then grabbed the van’s keys and drove into town, to the building where they had taken Tim. I sat everyone up and made them look like everything was fine.

The old garage where they had their base of operations was in decent shape, but so ordinary that I can’t say that I had ever noticed it. I honked the van’s horn three times, as was expected, and the overhead door went up to allow me to drive in. I knew that Dianne and Gina were the only two that were here, and I saw that it was Gina, an overweight brunette, who had opened the door.

“Gina! We’ve got a problem, get Dianne, quick!”

She said nothing, but turned to get Dianne. Dianne was an older, gray haired woman, and I knew she had been watching Tim. I greeted them as they returned to the van.

“Okay, what’s up?” Gina asked as she struggled to catch her breath.

“You lose, ladies.” I telepathically knocked both of them out, but I lowered them to the floor carefully.

I ran to the room where I found my fiancé, handcuffed to a chair. I grabbed the keys and went to release him.

“Stay away from me! Get away, damn it!” He tried to kick me as I got close, making me proud that he was still fighting them.

“Such behavior! Where is my brave and gallant knight, who has pled his troth to me, and whom I hold so dear in my heart?”

He stared, and slowly began to smile. “Emily?”

“Ta-daa! How do you like the new look?” I asked as I released him.

He checked me out, critically. “Kinda old, isn’t he?”

“Whaaat!? She’s not a...”

“She? Oops, my mistake, the moustache fooled me.”

“Okay, you snot! I found your keys and your wallet. The school’s only a couple of blocks from here, so go over, get your car, and then let’s meet back at my house. I’ll make some arrangements, and then get out of here. I need to leave them a little message, first.”

“All right, your house it is. See you soon!” He ran out the open door, took a look around to get his bearings, and then ran out of sight. I turned, got everyone out of the van, and then I telekinetically crushed it and rolled it into a large ball, which I left in the middle of the floor. I sat all of them around the crushed van and made sure everyone was all right. I was tempted to leave the girl that had posed as Debbie’s “love interest” with a broken nose, but decided not to do it. Darn it, I'm way too nice! I made sure that none of them had any magical ability, and left them there, unconscious but healthy.

I made sure all of their phones were destroyed, then I sat my “host” body down and left her unconscious, just like the others. They would all wake up with huge headaches, no magic and no transportation. Maybe they’ll get the idea that messing with my family is not very smart.

I pulled myself back to my body. I startled Debbie when I sat up in the living room.

“Hey, she’s back, Emily’s awake!” Debbie yelled.

My mom came running into the room. She kneeled down anxiously in front of me. “Baby, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Mom. I left them an example of what will happen the next time they mess with me, and I’ve blocked their access to their magic, at least temporarily.” I smiled. “Best of all, I know that they’re working out of Crawford, and I’m heading that way as soon as I can.”

“Not without us, you’re not. We need to gather the coven, and go there ready to fight.” Grandma proclaimed.

“No, I don’t want to risk anyone being hurt. I’ll just head-“

“You’ll listen to me, young lady. You don’t know what you will run into, so you should be ready for anything. I’m pretty sure this won’t be a physical fight, but that doesn’t make it any less dangerous. Thomas and his group will be a challenge, and you’re going to need all the power you can get.”

I could see that she was determined, so I knew better than to argue with her. Besides, what if she’s right? I really don’t know what will happen, so I nodded my agreement, and she went off to make some calls.

Tim arrived a few minutes later, and I ran to his car. He held me tightly, almost like he wasn't going to let me go.

"Grandma's calling out the troops," I told him. "We're going to Crawford tonight, to put an end to this crap."

"Are you sure you want to do it tonight?" He asked. "It might be better to wait, and make sure you're at your full power."

"I'm fine, Tim. This can't wait, I want to surprise them. The kidnappers will wake in the morning, and they'll let Thomas know what I've done. I have to do this tonight."

As we discussed it, a bunch of cars pulled into the yard, disgorging several blue haired old ladies. To tell
the truth, we looked deceptively silly, almost like an old folks’ home on a trip to the casino. There were a few younger women, and a couple of angry husbands with them. I finally called everyone to order and got them to be quiet.

“As many of you know, we've been the victims of several attacks against our coven. I don’t know why these attacks have been coming, to the best of my knowledge we haven't done anything to challenge or offend anybody, so these unprovoked attacks are pissing me off.

What we do know is that the attacks have come at the orders of a man named Thomas, a man with powerful magic. Somehow, he's gathered several covens together, and set them and their talents against us. Many of the witches with him are under his influence, and they aren't truly responsible for their actions.

After this latest underhanded attack on my family, I wentand kicked some ass and found out that the attackers are from Crawford. I know where they meeting house is, and I'm going over there tonight and force them to end this war, and free the people that he'zs using to fight for him.”

This produced several rumbles, and a few reactions which I hadn’t expected. Some of the coven felt that we should simply focus on defense, and not go looking for a fight. I even heard from a few people that perhaps Thomas was only doing what he thought was right, gathering the covens for our mutual protection.

Mama Gwen got angry at that. “These people stole my life for over a year! They're kidnappers and thieves! You think he’s doing it for our protection? You want to sit and wait while they use magic to steal and maybe even kill? You all know what could happen if we're exposed!

Do any of you really believe that this is happening for our common good? This is greed, pure and simple. They want our minds and magic! They can't allow us to oppose them. This is a war! This is a fight for our lives and our freeom. Hell, I'm done talking! I'm ticked off!"

We walked to the front of the group, and I stood in front of them all. “By right of power, for better or worse, I'm leading this coven. Anyone wanna argue with me? No, I didn't think so. I'm young, but I'm tired of this! If I’ve gotta do this alone, I will. If you’re coming with me, then say so, and if not, don’t even think about going against us. You'll be very sorry! Believe me, tonight, we will finish this!”

I turned and walked over to Tim, who hugged me tightly in support.

“Be careful, my Enchantress. I’m going home, but when you're done, you better call me. I’ll be thinking of you, and waiting for your call, whenever you get back."

“I’ll be fine. I can’t let this continue, Tim. I have to do this, and I've gotta do it tonight."

“I know,” he said, and he kissed me. “I can still be concerned, all right? I love you.”

“I love you, too. I’ll call you in a while, all right?” I kissed him again, and he went to his car, then waved and drove away. I walked over to my truck, where Debbie was waiting. “Not going with your mom?”

“Nope, I’m sticking with you. Let’s go!”

“You got it,” I said, as I started my truck. “It’s fun time.”

.

The trip to Crawford was not a long one, perhaps 30 miles and they passed without incident. I could tell Debbie was really keyed up with worry. She knew there was a real potential for violence.

“I’m a little scared, Emily. I’ve never really been in a fight before. I wish I had brought something like a baseball bat or something,”

“Relax, Debbie. I don’t really expect a physical fight. I mean, we’d probably be heavily outnumbered, you know.”

We had 4 vehicles including my truck, and about 20 people. I had a pretty good idea where I was going, and there was no immediate reaction when we parked on the street. The house that I knew Thomas’ coven used as a meeting place was huge, but rather dilapidated. It popped in my mind that the owners of the building probably didn’t even know how it was being used.

We had debated how to approach the building, but despite the many ideas, I decided to simply walk up to the door. My thought was to just get this over with, not play war games or something. We were at a disadvantage, being on their turf. There was really no use in sneaking around or trying to hide our approach. We walked up in a loose group, everyone doing their best to be ready.

I knocked on the door, and a young blonde man answered the door and welcomed us in. I led the way, as we filed in to a large living room. There were several scantily dressed women waiting for us, standing on the far side of the room. They didn’t seem threatening-in fact, it was almost like they didn’t even notice us.

“Welcome, welcome! I would offer you seats, but there simply aren’t enough chairs. As you probably already know, I am Thomas Fairweather, the leader of my coven. I’m sure you probably know a few of the ladies in our group, but I’m afraid they won’t be speaking much.”

“Yes, I noticed a very obvious lack of response from any of them.”I said, looking at several of their faces. “I’m assuming you have them in some kind of spell?”

“Yes, I learned a few years ago that I had the ability to use magic. It was a weak talent, actually, but the first time I met a real witch, something happened. I started asking questions, trying to learn how to improve my skills, and I was told that most men had no ability at all with regard to magic. As we talked, I could feel my mind almost sliding into hers, and I gradually found that I was able to control her. It was quite unintentional, and quite a shock at the time. She was not like a puppet, but simply did everything I asked her, as if unable to resist my will.

I was 19, she was perhaps 30, and of course, being the perpetually horny young man that I was, I was quick to take advantage of her. After I’d had my fun, I dressed and using what little power I had, I used some of my simple tricks to help myself dress. I found everything much easier, and soon figured out that I was using her as a sort of battery for my power. I had her introduce me to her small coven, and I spread my power among them. As I found myself in control of several witches, I spread my influence to other covens, slowly taking them over.

I originally thought it was perhaps a “group mind” sort of thing with me in control, but I soon realized that wasn’t the case. Once I had taken control, each of them acted completely normal, except that they followed my orders almost reverently. I even allowed a few of them to use a small bit of my abilities to help spread my influence more efficiently. You’ve met two of them, as they began to control your friends and family. We had begun to control you and your friend at one point, but we weren’t strong enough at the time to hold you.

I had to get you to come closer, so that we could meet and my power would be much stronger. I did my best to anger you, hoping you would get to a point where you would challenge me, and it seems I was successful.

As we’ve been talking, my power has slowly been sliding into your minds, quietly taking control of your wills, You may relax now, there will be no magical battles, and no hysterics. You are all now under my influence, and in fact most of you may leave, and return home. Miss Emily, you will remain and join these ladies, the leaders of the covens I've conquered. Please, allow me to welcome you into my peraonal harem of sex slaves.”

I smiled.”Well, you have a very powerful ego, I’ll give you that. Unfortunately, we were quite prepared for your possession abilities. Having broken two of the possessions already, I knew where to shield myself and my friends from your attack. It was actually quite simple. Your abilities have no affect on us, so I believe it is now your move, Thomas.”

As I spoke, it was quite obvious that he was becoming more and more angry. I thought perhaps I could goad him a bit more. I’ve heard that an angry enemy is a stupid enemy, one with less control of his emotions. With the combined power of all of the women whom he had influenced, it was quite possible that he was almost as powerful as I was so I needed an edge.

“Tell me Thomas, do you have to have control of a woman to get her to have sex with you? I get the impression that you are slightly less than a stud, perhaps even less than that. Oh I can see that hit a nerve, eh? Didn’t think I could tell what puny equipment you had? Tell me, when you’ve had sex, have you really been able to get it into the girl, or are you only able to pet the pussy lips, maybe tickle her a little? Heck, if you had sex with a virgin, would she still be a virgin afterward? I’d like to talk to one of your lover’s about oral sex. Is it more like a cocktail weenie or an M&M?”

By now he was really steaming. If his face had been any redder, he would have put a boiled lobster to shame. I knew he was drawing power into himself, preparing for an attack. I felt a large impact on my shield, just as I expected and prepared for. He was expecting me to return the attack, but I was busy elsewhere. He hit my shield several more times, each time with a bit less strength.

“I should have known, Thomas. No staying power at all. Apparently even when you can get that stub up, it goes limp quickly. What a disappointment!”

He ran at my shield, attempting to attack me physically, beating on my shield like a madman. I stood on the other side of the shield, blowing kisses, bending over and wiggling my bottom, taunting him unmercifully. My entire coven was laughing at him and his antics as he threw a tantrum, totally out of control, and if you don’t have control, you don’t have any magic.

Grandma and I had been working on the women in his coven, breaking his influence and allowing them to really get angry. He didn’t even notice as the witches behind him went from glassy eyed zombies to very angry women. They had been raped repeatedly, and made to perform foul, disgusting acts. I finally tired of my game, dropped my shield and kicked him in the nuts, quite hard.

I had thought of punching him in the nose, but I was afraid I might have broken a nail. The pained look on his face after my kick was very satisfying.

I reached into his mind, and blocked his magic, and I made sure it was permanent. Then I turned to go.

“Is that all?” Debbie asked, and I smiled.

“Look behind him, at the women he used and abused. I don’t think I need to do anymore, do you? I’ve asked them to wait until we leave before they do anything, but I think they’ve just about had enough. I think we’re done here, don’t you?”

My coven and I went quietly back to our vehicles. I didn’t even want to know what was going to happen to Thomas.

As we headed back home, I could tell Debbie was a bit disappointed.

“It all seems kinda like a whole lot of nothing, really. I mean, I guess I was expecting some huge fight, not that. It’s like I’ve been worried about what would happen all the way here, only to have you just kick him in the nuts and leave?”

“Kinda anti-climactic, you mean, right?”

“Well…yeah! It’s almost painful, like I really wanted to hit someone, and now I’m just going home, with no satisfaction at all!”

I laughed. “So you spent the whole trip to Crawford worried about getting hurt, and now you’re ticked because you didn’t get to hit anyone.”

She giggled. “Okay, when you put it that way, it does sound a little silly.”

“Ya think?”

Debbie blushed in embarrassment. “So now what?”

“So now we go back to our semi-normal lives for a while. Back to ballet classes, homework and trying to being ordinary teen-agers in an ordinary high school. I’m going to be spending some more time with my boyfriend and learning how to lead our coven. But first I’m going to get some badly needed sleep!”

“No more weirdness for a while!’

Why do I get the feeling it’s not going to work that way?

Wild Magic 41

Author’s note-I’m going to do something a little different to start the chapter off, but I’m going right back to Emily’s story, so don’t freak out, okay? This will happen every so often, as the story dictates. Thanks!

---Somewhere beyond---

I’m disappointed, but intrigued. I gave Thomas the ability to deal with this new witch, and he blew it in a bratty temper tantrum. The good news is the surprising ease with which Emily defeated him. The Game seems much more interesting now, and I think I need to change my focus and my tactics a bit.

I had thought of reactivating Thomas’ powers, but he was such a disappointment. He deserves his new life working as a sissy slave. If he only knew what their plans for him are! I enjoy watching him and his training. Incredibly funny!

Oh well. That’s only strike one. There’s a whole ballgame left to play, and I play to win.

---Emily---

I smiled, waiting to see what card Tim would play. We’d made plans for a picnic, but the weather was not cooperative. The cold rain might have been welcomed by the farmers, but it made for lousy picnicking.

No matter, the fact that we were together was all that mattered, and I was having a great time playing Uno with Tim’s parents. They were a lot of fun to be around, and maybe just a little crazy. I hadn’t laughed like this in a long time.

Tim finally played a red 8, and his Dad played a red 5. Not having a red card or a 5, I was forced to play a Draw Four on Tina, Tim’s Mom.

“Oh no! She sunk my battleship!” Tina whined.

“Wrong game, honey.” Tim’s Dad, Jack told her.

“I know, I know.” She said as she drew her cards. Her poker face was awful. I could tell I had stuck her with a lot of points, and Tim only had two cards left. Jack and I each had four, and Tina now had six.

We had been spending a lot of time her at Tim’s parent’s place in the weeks since the confrontation. It was comfortable, sitting in the sunroom, watching the falling rain. I was enjoying these chances to get to know my future in-laws. It was very relaxing after the stress of the past year or so. We’d had no incidents from the group that Thomas had led.

By the time we finished the game (Jack won), the rain had stopped, and the sun had come out, drying off the deck and presenting a great opportunity for some grilled chicken. Tina and I prepared the meat, which I took out to the boys to burn (okay, so it wasn’t really that bad. Jack was a very good grille chef, although Tim was still a rank beginner).

I chopped up some zucchini and squash into cubes, then added a few spices and wrapped it all in some aluminum foil. Jack tucked it in the back of the grille, along with several foil covered potatoes. Tina made some biscuits and put them into the oven to bake

Then we started chopping up strawberries, and Tina put them into some chilled sweet red syrup she made, then stuck them into the refrigerator.

Just before the meat was done, Tina tossed a salad, and I set the table. I brought out a platter for the meat, and soon we were sitting down to a good dinner. The vegetables turned out beautifully, and the meat was delicious. The best part was the strawberry shortcake, with fresh, hot biscuits. Yummy!

Since the rain had stopped, Tim and I decided to take a ride in his Trans Am. It sounded like fun to go to the big lake and walk along the beach. We relaxed on a blanket as we watched the sun set. As it got darker, we got a little romantic, which was a different kind of fun, but one that I really enjoyed.

We were interrupted by someone with a large stereo, having a small party at the picnic area. They had a nice bonfire going, and we thought it might be fun to see who it was. We wandered down the beach until we got close. Don Carpenter, a friend of Tim’s from the football team, saw Tim and I, and he waved us over. Debbie was with him, and it turned out that they had been looking for us.

Don and Debbie had some marshmallows and a few long forks for roasting them. A few other couples apparently had the same idea as we did, and soon we had a small party going. Most of them were kids from our school, and we had quite a bit of fun just kicking back and enjoying the fire.

All in all, life was pretty good. The fire burnt down, and Tim and I decided to head home.

Even the drive home was nice. We pulled into the driveway at my house, and spent several minutes wishing each other good night. Finally, he walked me to the door, and kissed me goodnight one more time. I waved as he drove off, then I went in. It had been a nearly perfect day.

Dad was waiting for me when I went in, which was a bit unusual. “Your Mom and Grandmother are at the hospital, a very good friend suddenly got sick and unexpectedly passed away, and they are visiting with her family.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Do you know who it was?”

“Yeah, Mrs. Andrews. You should know her; she was a member of your coven.”

I knew her, of course. Back when I first discovered my magic, she had been my teacher in basic witchcraft lore. We had talked several times since then. I was shocked, because she was not one of our older members. I knew she was older than Mom, but younger than Grandma.

It wasn’t long until Grandma and Mom came home. They were a bit red-eyed, and I hugged them both. I could see that they were both very tired, and emotionally spent.

As I held them, I “pushed” some of my energy into them, restoring a sense of calm, so that they could relax and sleep well. I got a kiss from Grandma before she went off to bed, but Mom and I sat down in the kitchen. I allowed my power to make us a bit of tea to help Mom wind down.

As I brought the teapot and some cups to the table, Mom smiled. “You’ve become so adept at using your power.”

“Grandma and Mama Gwen have been working with both Debbie and I, and as you may know, they are very hard to please. Grandma seems determined to turn us into ‘proper ladies, fit to guide our coven into the future.’ Argh! I don’t dress that badly, and why do I need to know the correct way to set a proper table?"

“Emily, you lead this coven, and we all know that Debbie will be your second. You both need to know how to handle formal gatherings. That includes proper manners and knowing how to arrange the meeting table. You are not from some backwater coven, you are a Randall. You represent not only your family, but the coven. Protocol is important, but remember, it has it’s place. You need to know when those times are.

You also need to consider your future husband, sweetheart. His family is quite wealthy. They are good people, but they sometimes have to present themselves in social circles we don’t move in. You don’t want to embarrass yourself, do you? You will be a very important person, baby, and I don’t just want you to be comfortable. I want you to be a true leader.”

“Okay, I guess you’re right, Mom. It’s just all so new and different that it sometimes feels very frustrating.”

I was surprised when Mom began to giggle, and then laugh!

“Emily, you should be the poster child for new, different and frustrating! Sweetie, look what you’ve had to get used to just since last year? You’ve become a girl, a witch, dealt with an incredible gift of great power, dated a boy, got engaged, became the leader of the coven and handled your first challenge in exemplary fashion!

You’ve adapted to every change that life could throw at you. All you’re doing now is adding a little polish to a wonderful image of a very strong young woman. You’ve not only handled the changes, you’ve conquered them decisively!”

I thought about what she said for a moment. She was right, I'd let nothing keep me down, and those who’ve challenged me have all regretted it.

“Your right, Mom, all I’m doing is whining. I can do this, and I will make you proud of me.”

“Honey, we’re already very proud of you!” She said as she took me in her arms. “You’ve always worked so hard to deal with problems no one should ever have to deal with, and no one could ask for more than that.”

I smiled. It made me feel good to know that Mom was proud of me. I know that sounds kind of juvenile, but the approval of my family mattered to me. I had a lot to live up to.

Emily, in both of your incarnations, I have always been proud of you. Grandma said. There’s something we need to talk about, dear. When we were talking to Mrs. Andrews’ family, I got a very definite and disturbing vision.

Sweetheart, she didn’t just die.

She was murdered.

I’m very afraid. I get the feeling that while I scored a rather easy win over Thomas, the true enemy has stepped up their game. Assuming that Thomas was just the agent of the enemy, rather than the enemy itself, I have several questions.

Are we still dealing with an agent, or could we be facing the true enemy this time? How much power does the enemy have? What are we going to face this time? And then, there’s the worst question. If they’ve gone from possession to murder, where will they strike next? How can I protect those I love? What have I stepped in?

So many questions, and so few answers. I can hardly rest, worried that some one close to me will be the next victim. How well does my enemy know me?

I need help, and I’m not sure where it will come from. I spend so much of my time reading, trying to find hints as to what I can do in this situation. I’ve read through many of the books from Mrs. Andrews’ collection, most of which tell of our history.

Her collection goes as far back as Medieval France, roughly just before the Norman invasion of Britain. At that time, our people had to be extremely careful. It was bad enough that superstitious peasants saw witches, demons and other frightful creatures around every turn, and in every shadowed glen. The people who actually had magical abilities had to feel both wonderful and afraid.

I’ve even begun to read popular fiction that uses witches. Since our magic is mostly limited by our imagination, I get ideas for creative uses of my abilities. It also amuses me to read some of the beliefs people have about witches. Tim, Debbie and I have had lots of laughs at what some people will believe. Time travel, raising the dead, transformation into animals....

From everything I’ve learned so far, all I can say is... No. Not going to happen. There are still natural laws that shape this world. I have many abilities, but they all fit into the world as we know it. I can manipulate matter and the forces of the world, but that other stuff...

Maybe it isn’t completely fantasy, but I’m going to stay within the bounds of reality. The one I believe can raise the dead is... well, he’s more than a little bit out of my league.

My abilities seem to be mostly psionic, you know, telepathy, telekinetics, things like that. I guess I don’t really believe in “magic”. Odd thing for a witch to say, huh? From what I know, my abilities are just like ESP, but taken to a more extreme, but still logical, level.

Thomas’ abilities still puzzle me. I have always been told that magic only exists in the abilities of the women of the five families and their relations, but I have begun to question this. Could there be others who have chanced upon a similar version of the mutation that allows us to use magic? Is it possible that there are those who have found ways to harness the energies that we use?

Or is everything I think I know essentially flawed?

As the famous saying goes, anything’s possible.

Tim and I spent our last date in an isolated part of the Davies’ property, where I have been trying several of the abilities my readings have suggested (Okay, yes. We did a few other things, too. Hey, we’re teenagers in love, gimme a break). Some things do work, while others are either far beyond my skills, or just not possible in the first place.

I can cause pain, and even kill. I can also heal, but once something has died, I cannot restore that spark. I don’t know why this is true. It seems to me that it would merely be an extension of my healing abilities. Creating life is also beyond me. I get the impression that some things are possible, but that I’m not allowed to do them and whoever is making those rules is not someone I want to argue with.

If there is some kind of guiding spirit leading my enemies, it would make sense that there would be a guiding spirit, leading me and others of my kind who want to do good in the world.

Hey, if you’re out there, I need some help! I have power, and ability. Using the memories of those I have defeated, and the experience my Grandmother shared with me, I have done my best to serve good, and protect my family, but I need more. Not more power, but more wisdom, the wisdom to know how to best serve you and your desires. To change this world, for the better. I hope you hear my prayers!

Well, I don’t feel any different...maybe it takes a little time?

Where else can I look? Who can I talk too? I’ve been talking to Mom and Grandma, I’ve looked through Grandma’s books and papers, and I’ve been asking around the coven for any thing else that might come in handy. Leading the coven has become worse than any homework assignment!

I need to relax, back away from this and then come back at it with a fresh start, so I called Tim and Debbie, and we’re going to spend the day in Grand Haven at the beach.

One of the best parts of cruising the Grand Haven/Holland area is the wide variety of cars that you will see. Super cars, lifted trucks and Jeeps, lowriders, rods, even RV’s and motorcycles, everything is here! There’s enough room at the many beaches for everyone, and we wanted to go and walk around town, spend some money and watch the different boats going through the channel. It’s a fun way to waste a few hours in the summer.

I stopped at Debbie’s house and picked her up. Someday her car will be fixed (yeah, sure it will). She inherited her mom’s 1981 Mustang Cobra. It’s not a bad car, And back when her Mom and Dad were married, he stuffed a 351W into it, so it scoots fine, it just needs a few important parts (like a clutch, a transmission...) to be up and running. Deb says it will be running this summer, but I’ll believe that when I see it!

I called Tim once we were on the highway, wondering where he was. He told me not to worry, he’d catch up to us soon. I wondered what he meant when I saw a flash of red with a hand sticking up through the T-top, waving at me! The brat! I tapped my truck’s throttle, the 455 roared, and we very quickly caught him. We weren’t really speeding (no, honest, we would NEVER do that!) and driving along together made the highway seem more interesting. We got off the highway and drove through Spring Lake, then got on 31 South, over the bridge and into Grand Haven.

Getting down to the beach meant we had to drive through the line of cars. What a beautiful mess! We were slowly moving down the lakefront road, following a couple in a very pretty yellow Pantera. Behind me was a 50’s style flamed Merc, driving low and slow, then a lifted Ford truck, then Tim’s Firebird. There were beautiful cars everywhere.

We drove past the beach the first time. It looked great, but very packed. We chose to drive around again, to see if we saw a couple places to park. We were all sitting still, waiting for someone to move, when Debbie took advantage of the traffic. She jumped out with her camera, and climbed into the bed of my truck. She sat back there, taking pictures of the cars, the crowds and the lake, until the road took a turn away from the lake, and when we stopped, she ran back to Tim’s car, jumped in, and as we drove back up to the main roads, every so often she would pop up, out of the T-tops and take more pictures.

It’s very odd, it wasn’t that long ago when a pretty brunette with a bikini popping out of a T-top every so often really would have interested me, but not now! Things like that really make me think about my transformation. Heck, if I had been able to have powers then, a situation like this would have had interesting potential!

Come to think about it...ooh, that would be so naughty! Hmmm...y’know, if our positions were reversed, I’ll bet she’d do it to me.

Such temptation! I wonder how pissed off she’d be?

Oh hell, let’s find out.

“EMILY!” The loud scream as her top fell off, coupled with the sight of Debbie rapidly vanishing into Tim’s T/A, made me laugh so hard I had to pull over.

Maybe I should have waited until we got past the Stes. Peter and Paul Catholic Boys school bus?

Naah!

We pulled into a gas station while Deb put her top back on and Tim and I caught our breaths. You know, they say that laughter is very healthy. If so, I won’t need medication for a looong time!

Whoops. That look Debbie just flashed me might mean I need that little bit of extra health. Oh, interesting. She’s coming back to my truck, and she doesn’t look very happy. She climbed into the seat, buckled her seatbelt and hit me softly in the shoulder.

“Bitch,” she said and then started giggling, which got me giggling, too.

‘Hey, I wasn’t gonna, but then I thought, well, what would Deb do? I knew the answer to that, and don’t try to deny it!”

“But I do deny it!” She said, then looked at me with a smirk. “I would’ve dropped your drawers, too.”

She really started laughing then!

A few hours later, we were sitting on the beach back in Grand Haven and watching some boats returning to port. We were all a little tired and just kicking back on the beach. There hadn’t been a great sunset, it was too cloudy. The darkness was starting to close in, and the lake looked very dark. I was glad I wasn’t a sailor tonight.

I was kind of watching this woman, walking toward us from the pier. Strange, I had not seen her walk out to the pier, and we’d been sitting watching the sunset for some time. She was tall, I’d guess at least six feet, and slender, although It was a little hard to tell from what she wore. As the wind blew it around, it almost seemed to change shape. I wasn’t sure what to call it. At times it looked kind of like a Mumu, then again, maybe it was a robe...no a skirt...no a shawl...but, no, it...

“It is my wrap, Emily, let us leave it at that.” She looked at me and my eyes couldn’t look away. It wasn’t that I couldn’t, really, more like I honestly didn’t want to. She was very beautiful, with long brown and nlonde hair and eyes that looked to be a mixture of brown and gold. Her eyes just made me want to trust her, so warm, and I felt so much love coming from her.

“My name is Elisabette,” she said, and with that, Debbie covered her mouth, as though in shock. "I have been sent to you as a trainer in the mystic arts. We need to get you home so that you may introduce me to your Mother Jenny, and your marvelous Grandmother, Elisabette Carstairs. I would suggest leaving soon; there is an incoming squall line that will have everyone trying to leave at the same time, which could be hazardous. Let us begone before the panic starts.”

I knew I had to trust her, so we packed it up. Debbie rode with Tim, while Ms. Elisabette rode with me, which seemed only natural. As we pulled out onto the main street, we heard the boom of distant thunder.

Who is Elisabette, I wondered in the back of my mind, and why do I feel so comfortable with her?

I looked over at the beautiful woman sharing my truck’s bench seat. Who was she, and why did I feel so connected with her? The streetlights glow and the flashes of lightning showed a woman who I’d guess was somewhere in her early-to-mid-thirties, with an athletic, slender frame and dark blonde hair. All she wore was her “wrap,” but as I looked at her in the seat, it covered her like a dress of finest silk, elegant and stylish.

Elisabette smiled and looked at me. “I confuse you, don’t I, Emily?”

I turned to watch the rain slicked road. “Yes, Ma’am, you really do. I hope you’ll pardon me for staring, and that you can excuse me if I sound stupid, but somehow I know that you are important to me, and I feel comfortable with you. I can’t really explain it, but I somehow feel honored, I guess, that you are here, and I know I can trust you.”

“Well then, let me begin with an introduction. As you know, my name is Elisabette. I am also known as the Sorceress, and yes, I know you are familiar with that name.”

Yes, very familiar. Mrs. Andrews had told us a lot of what I had believed to be silly fairy tales involving an immortal Sorceress, the strongest, oldest and most mysterious of all witches. I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that there might actually be some truth to them.

“Please excuse me, Elisabette, because I truly and honestly want to believe you, but from everything I have heard about you, that would make you well over a thousand years old, and my mind just can't handle that!

She smiled at my disbelief. “I know how difficult it is for you to accept. It’s a big step, but one you need to find the strength to make. Magic is truly much more than you believe it to be, and that’s why I was sent to you, to prepare you to accept it.

Emily, you already have great strength, and a powerful heart. Still, you don’t believe in Magic’s true potential, and this weakens and limits you. I am here to open your eyes to a world of magic that is beyond your ability to understand, a world that defies all of your ideas and your logical perceptions and expectations of reality.”

“I’m still struggling to take it all in, Elisabette. I’ve always known that I didn’t really understand magic. I thought that it was just a way for people to describe abilities like telekinetics, or telepathy, even teleportation. It’s very hard for me to believe that the stories I’ve been told about could be true.

For example, I know that every young witch is told the amazing story of the five lucky girls that first touched the rock, and developed magical abilities. The idea that you were one of those girls in the story is quite frankly difficult for me to accept.”

“All right then, to begin your training, I’ll tell you the real story of how we found the rock, and how it changed us. As you might guess, the truth is quite a bit different than the story.”

This I had to hear! “Elisabette, I really want to hear your story, but it might be better told in the comfort of my parent’s home, and we’re almost there.”

“That’s a good idea, Emily. Do you have an umbrella??”

“Yeah, molded into clips under the arm rests on each side of the truck. My father and I got the idea from Rolls-Royce.”

“Very clever!”

“Thank you. I’ll park as close to the door as I can get.” I pulled it in and got the passenger door within a few feet of the door. I shut the truck down, then ran around and opened the side door, to the house, then held the truck’s door open for her.

We went in and hung up the umbrellas and wiped our shoes on the coarse rug. Debbie and Tim came in just a few seconds behind us, and we all went into the living room. Not surprisingly (as I was sure Debbie had already called), my parents and Grandma were waiting for us, and there was coffee, tea and hot chocolate, and a nice welcoming fire in the fireplace.

My parents stood and welcomed my new teacher. I could tell Grandma was particularly impressed.

“Welcome, my lady,” She said, bowing. “This is a very great honor.”

“Nonsense, my dear, the honor is all mine. I have long wanted to meet you again, my dear.”

‘Thank you, Grandmother, for agreeing to tutor my grandchild, Emily. It can be difficult to train such a powerful and talented child.”

“I am proud of what you've done so far, and what was sacrificed by this family. No one ever suspected that this was the path we would be taking. Still, she has proven to be so acceptable, and I have to admit to being very proud that she comes from my line. You and Jennifer have both have done so well.”

Okay, wait a minute, back up. “Elisabette is my great-grandmother?”

Grandma smiled. “Well, you would have to add several ‘greats’ in there, but out of convenience and respect, we’ve always called her Grandmother.”

I was stunned. I’m related to Elisabette the Sorceress, the greatest witch ever known? I knew that I was somehow related to one of the five girls who touched the stone that gave us our powers, but I never would have expected this!

Elisabette waited until everyone was seated, then she started to explain.

“As a beginning of her formal training, I have promised Emily that I would tell her the story of how this all began. While you’ve all been told a simplified, pleasant version of this, very few people actually know the sometimes painful truth, but those of you here are about to learn of it.

We were playing on the shore near our fishing village, just a bunch of kids, somewhere between 10 and 16. We saw and heard the thing fall from the sky, and I now understand that it was probably only a piece of a much larger rock. I can only imagine how the world would be so much different, had the entire original stone survived.

After we saw it come down, Agatha, Molly, Mary, Colene and I decided to find it, and show our parents. To make a longer story short, we found the rock in a small crater on the hill.

Over the years, I’ve noticed that the damned rock grows in peoples memories. It was really not that impressive, perhaps only about the size of my fist, and once it had been cleaned and polished, it looked like a strangely blue colored gem. When I first picked it up, though, it was covered in a black, ashy coating

“You were the first to hold it?” I asked.

“Aye, if you want to call it that.” She laughed. “I picked it up and it knocked me flat, totally unconscious. That was the first sign that something was different about it. All of the girls were afraid to hold it, but like a hot potato game, it was passed between the four of them as they went to get some help for me. Eventually, they saw some adults at the pier, and they carried me home.”

“It knocked you out that long?” Tim asked.

“Aye, and it did far more than that. No one tells the true horrors of the tale, for while it’s true that I was the oldest, and charged with watching the girls, I was not actually one of them. I was a boy called Eric, tall and strong, the second of five sons of Ulrich, who was the Captain of his own boat. I was well liked, and proud to be a crewman on my father’s fishing boat.

When I finally awoke, my world was very different. From a tall, strapping young fisherman to a beautiful girl was a huge shock for all of us. Of course, my father was far less than impressed. He was not happy to see my change, not in the least. He saw nothing good in my transformation, and in fact he seemed to feel that it was somehow all of my doing, which had brought down some kind of a terrible punishment from God. He was sure that I must have done something horrendous indeed, to have been scourged so badly. After all, no one else had been changed, had they?

No one knew it at the time, but all five of us had been changed, in many mysterious and miraculous ways.

As things began to happen around us, it soon became apparent that the others had indeed been changed. People began to grow afraid of us, and some said that the stone had changed us by the power of Satan, himself. Less than a fortnight after the fall of the stone, we were cast out, banished from the village, and told that we were dead to them.

Wee Aggie took it the hardest, of course, and she cried for her Mummy for days. It truly hurt all of us very deeply. Our own families had turned us out, and in some cases they did much worse. Colene’s parents had even beaten her, chasing her out of their home, and into the rain. Mary’s parents tried to do the same, but Mary’s talents grew terrible with her powerful rage. She left them alive and mostly unhurt, but their cottage and everything they owned was leveled.” Elisabette snorted, sort of a small, unfunny laugh. “That girl always did have a terrible temper.

“My father was the worst. My mother tried to defend me, but he cruelly struck her down and killed her, then came after me. It was the last thing he did. I called down the lightning, and I destroyed him and his home. Some have said that because I killed him, I am doomed to live until the judgment, but for what he did, I don’t think even God would gainsay my actions.

We left, and we made our way into the world. We learned to be extremely careful with our powers, but quite often the superstitious people around us became troublesome, and we moved frequently. Eventually, we learned to defend ourselves and we decided that it would be best for us to split up, though Aggie stayed with me.

Over the years we had families, and I like to think we’ve changed our world, mostly for the better. We all went to different parts of what you call the United Kingdom, but our powers allowed us to continue to keep in touch. Colene went to Eire, or Ireland to you, now. She had many children with that big loveable lug of a husband of hers. I think I’ll always miss their laughter, and I have a great love of the irish.

Molly and Mary both moved to the North, and found good husbands among the Scots. Like Colene, we all had long, healthy lives. I know that Aggie, my beautiful adopted little sister, lived until the age of 90, before she passed, which was unheard of in those times. She was quite a beauty until the last decade or so. None of the others lived past 100, except me, of course. I’m not sure why I’ve lived so long, nor why, of all of us, I was so strong. We had many, many children, and our power grew strong, as you know. It has been so long since they've been gone, and I still mourn for them all.”

Her tears told us that while she had her Magic and a will of steel, her heart was still soft and loving, and Mom, Grandma and I all hugged her, to give her a small bit of our love, as well.

“I often walk that shore where we once played. The village is long gone, and I own a large estate there. A small city lies nearby, and I know I have family there, but I keep pretty much to myself. My last husband died only a few years ago, and my children from him all have their own lives, although they frequently come to visit, and my youngest, Elaine, is currently taking care of my house for me. I am sure that before your training is complete, Emily, you will meet her, and visit the place where it all began.

Our families number in the thousands, and our children continue to be healthy, and have long, generally happy lives, though we lost many in the great war. I’ve trained many young witches to become important members of their communities, but you, Emily, are a very special young lady.”

“What makes me so special, Grandmother?” I asked.

“To the best of my considerable knowledge, young lady, you are only the second person to have been gender changed, and you’ve already shown amazing strength and courage since your transformation. I’ve come to believe that it is something in the change of gender which gives the two of us our strength.”

”You mean, I could live as long as you have?”

“Well, we won’t know that for many years, but I believe you do have that potential.”

Oh. Uhhhm...is this good news?

“I wondered where I might find you.” She said, as she wandered casually up to where I was standing. Her ever-present wrap looked like a deep red dress, while I was scruffy in denim shorts and a bright green tee shirt.

I smiled and mentally launched another clay pigeon into the air.

“Just having a little fun,” I said as I threw another bolt of force and blasted the clay pigeon to dust.

“Still so very much the male,” Elisabette laughed. “What a waste of energy. Here, let me show you something. How many of these can you put into the air at once?”

I thought about it. “I’m not sure,” I admitted. “Let’s see.”

I started chucking the clay discs into the sky, and I soon had about 20 in the air but she hadn’t taken a shot. She smiled, turned away and snapped her finger. In an explosion of powder, all the discs disintegrated including those still in my truck!

‘It’s the way you think, Emily. You’re busy shooting them down one at a time, when you could just explode them all at once. What you don’t realize is that if I had chosen, every clay pigeon in a twenty mile radius would have disintegrated as well. You need to learn to see the world differently, dear.”

“With a feminine outlook, right?”

“I’m not exactly sure what a “feminine outlook” would be, Emily.” She said with a smile. “No, you simply need to learn to see more of the world around you. Not just focusing on your target, but seeing the environment that surrounds you and your enemy.”

It will take you some time to break you of old habits, and to help you to be more aware of everything around you, whether in combat or just walking down the street. A truck driver friend of mine called it ‘getting the big picture’. This is a very simplified version of what you need to do by reflex. There are many tricks to doing this well, and I will help you to master the basics, and then we’ll step up to the next level, which will involve senses you don’t even realize you have.”

“I have some kind of ‘magical 6th sense’?” I asked. I tried to reach out and use the extra senses to feel the world around me.

Elisabette laughed. “Some senses are magical, but don’t lock yourself down into the myth of 5 senses. There are many senses, besides the primary 5, that almost everyone uses everyday, and you don’t even realize when you do it.”

Huh? “I don’t get it,” I admitted.

“Okay, I’ll show you a simple one. Put your hands straight out to your sides.” I complied. “Now, close your eyes, and touch your nose.”

I did that easily, first with the right hand, then with the left.

“Any problems?” She asked, and I shook my head no. “All right, here’s the fun part. Which of the 5 senses did you use to perform that simple task?”

Sight? No, my eyes were closed. Touch? No, I didn’t feel around. I knew where my nose was, where my fingers were, and what the relation of the two was. Of course, smell, taste and hearing weren’t much help either. “So, my spatial awareness is a sense?” I could start to see what she meant by different senses.

“Yes, it is. Now, you already know you have other senses that are considered ‘psychic’ by some people, although many people have these senses to a different degree. You have a well developed sense of telepathy, and you have demonstrated a bit of precognition and of course, you’ve used telekinesis. These all use specialized senses, and even people without magic can have these senses. Scientists have even demonstrated some of these senses in dogs and cats.

“Okay, okay, I give up! You’ve proved your point!”

“Most of your training will involve learning to perceive and understand what these and other senses are telling you. Once you are done with my training, the world around you will be far different from the world you recognize now.”

With training, your abilities could eventually surpass even mine. Imagination is the key, Emily. Should you choose, all of the grass around you could be crimson, and the trees covered in Korean bills.” In less than the space of a heart beat, I was surrounded by red grass and multicolored money trees. “Now, in truth, the grass is green for a very good reason, and should probably remain as nature has intended.”

I tried to see what she did, but she never moved, and things returned to normal. “This is just a simple demonstration, not much more than parlor tricks. The real power is truly in your imagination, Emily. You just need to perceive what is around you, then use your creativity, dear. You have all the tools you need; you just need to learn how to use them.”

I shook my head, and then bowed to her, impressed by what she had done.

“I meant it, Emily. Those were tricks, and nothing more. You need to be able to do so much more, in order to conquer your enemies. This Thomas was a joke, a mere test at most. Come, dear, your Grandmother and I have much to speak of, and you need to be there, both as the leader of your coven, and as my apprentice.”

“Then, let’s go,” I said, and teleported us to the living room.

“Now I’m impressed." She said. "I didn’t know that you had come this far. Well done, young lady!”

It felt very good to have impressed her, but I also realized how much further I had to go yet. I had asked for help, and it had been provided, but would I be able to learn all I needed to know in time? Perhaps having Elisabette here would give the Enemy a reason to have second thoughts.

Grandma came in and sat down on the sofa. She seemed older than usual. I walked around behind her and massaged her shoulders, while at the same time giving her a bit of a boost. I closed my eyes and searched for anything medically wrong, and kept my thoughts open to her.

You seem fine, Grandma, just a little low on energy. Are you sleeping all right?

I’ve been a bit worried, dear, but having Elisabette here makes me feel much less stressed. I should be fine, sweetheart.

I finished checking her out, and just before I backed off completely, I gave her a little extra energy. Just because I love you, Grandma.

“I love you, too,” She said and kissed my fingers. I went to sit down, and I could see that she looked much better already.

“Very nicely done, Emily. I sense a strong empathic talent in you, probably due to your healing talents, or perhaps it is vice versa? I have never truly been strong in my healing. That was always something that Molly excelled at, though. Of course, after almost fifteen hundred years, I wouldn’t be surprised that at some point, the families may have done a little inter-breeding, so there may be a bit of Molly in you as well.”

She closed her eyes, and without any effort on my part, I could see her, a girl who was a bit plain, but loving and strong, with blonde hair like mine. I think Elisabette wanted me to see her, and as the vision continued, I saw the other 4 girls as Elisabette saw them, and I could feel the love between them. Just for a second, I felt the great depths of Elisabette’s loss. She stopped it before it overwhelmed me, and I rushed to her in tears.

“Is that how I will be, Grandmother?” I asked. “I’m not sure I want to feel that much pain, I don’t know if I’m really that strong.”

“Oh, my darling Emily, you need to realize that I’ve had a lot of time to get used to it. You know the saying, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger? Well, let’s just say that I’ve become very, very strong. It doesn’t normally feel as bad as you felt it-I guess I’m just used to it.”

Her words said one thing. The tear in her eye said another, and I hugged her for all I was worth, and silently cried for her. Could I really do this?

I resolved that if I could do nothing else, I would do my best to be there for Elisabette. If I was to live as she had, then at least she would never be completely alone again.

Always remember when you decide something like that, dear, to be careful not to do it in a room with telepaths. Oh, and I love you too, dear. So much!

Whoops! I giggled, and wiped my eyes.

I wasn’t quite as scared as I had been. Then I had a thought.

“Grandmother, Grandma, will I have time in my training for Tim? I don’t want to give him up, I won’t!”

“I am not that bad, Emily. Of course you will have time for him!”

Whew! That’s a relief. I’m still a young woman, I need that love in my life!

I wasn’t sure where the quiet, almost sad thought came from, but it was still there.

Enjoy him while you can, sweetheart. Treasure every minute.

I’d had a particularly difficult day. It’s really hard to explain, but I’ve been working with my understanding of these new perceptions. Sometimes it’s a strain, and it gives me a nasty headache. It wasn’t going to be hard to get rid of (I hoped), I just had to meditate for a while and let my body deal with the pain.

I had my eyes closed and was in my position on my mat, letting my body relax and just recharge in the shade, when I heard Tim’s Trans Am coming down the road to our driveway, and my mood quickly improved. My heart always seems to jump a little when Tim is near me, and a few other places have been getting interested lately, as well.

I got up and walked towards the driveway. He pulled in and parked behind my truck, and I ran over to him. By the time I got there, he had his arms open and I fell into his kiss.

“Hi! You seem to be in a good mood today.” He said as he hugged me. I just wanted to melt into him. I pulled back a minute and looked at him with a smile.

“Well, I wasn’t, really, but conditions have greatly improved in the last few minutes.”

“Oh, really? “

“Yup. I hear things could warm up, though. In fact, I think it might get downright steamy, if ya know what I mean?”

“Not today they won’t, young lady.” A familiar voice said from behind me.

“Methinks I detect a cold front, milady.” Tim whispered in my ear, and I giggled. The snow that started falling a few minutes later confirmed that Super Granny was behind me.

“Super Granny? You make me sound like some kind of Senior citizen superhero!” Elisabette protested.

I laughed. “You’re a 1450 year old witch. If the shoe fits...”

The snow turned into a small blizzard, centered on Tim and I.

“All right, I surrender! I apologize!”

The snow slowed to a crawl, and Tim laughed. “I guess you’ve really got to watch what you say around here!”

“Umm, Tim?”

“Yeah?”

“Look around, honey.” I said, looking at him, and waiting for him to get it.

He looked, and saw small drifts of snow against the porch and his car, while small, dark clouds rapidly gave way to clear skies. “Okay, what am I looking at?”

“Imagine that this was our living room.” I said.

“I don’t...ohhh. I guess that brings up a question, then,” he said, quite seriously.

“Really? What kind of a question? Are you having second thoughts? Do my powers frighten you?” I was angry. Question? I was furious. “I don’t know, Tim, maybe it’s too much for you, Maybe my magic is too intimidating for y-“ He put his hand over my mouth, and I started to really wind up, but found myself blocked by Elisabette.

“All I wanted to know was, can we keep the snow blower in the house, honey?”

I looked at him, and my anger quickly turned to shame. I teleported up to my room, and fell on my bed, bawling. How could I have been so stupid? What the heck was I even thinking? What was my freaking problem?

“Oh, my Emily, I am so sorry.” Elisabette said as she hugged me. I hadn’t even seen her come in. “Sweetheart, you need to learn to talk to me, to tell me that this is happening.”

“What’s happening, Elisabette? Why did I explode like that? I guess Tim probably left, didn’t he? I’ve ruined everything!” I just wanted to curl up and die. I was crying uncontrollably for a few seconds.

“No, I’d never leave you, Emily. Not in a million years, or maybe even longer!” a very familiar voice said from my doorway.

“TIM!!” I rushed to his arms. “Oh, I am so sorry, I don’t know what happened, please don’t be angry with me, I really do love you, and I-“

Once again, he put his hand over my mouth. This was getting to be an annoying habit with him.

He saw my angry glare and removed his hand.

“I'm sorry, sweetheart. Look, of course, I forgive you! I’m not angry, baby, just a little bit surprised. I apologize for not realizing that you were obviously stressed about something.”

“I think I should be the one apologizing, kids.” Elisabette said, as she stroked my cheek. “I may have been pushing you a bit too much, dear.”

“No, I’ve just been having a bad day today. I’ve been getting this major headache, and-”

“Excuse me, dear, but there is something I can do about that.” She reached up to my temples. “I’m no healer, but there is this trick I learned a long time ago.”

I suddenly knew how to do her “trick”, and I knew why it worked. The relief was immediate.

“Thanks, Teach!” I hugged her. “Wow, that worked fast!”

“I’m sorry, dear. Most people don’t get the headaches, and since you hadn’t said anything, I never thought you’d be one of the unlucky few.”

“I just thought it was something that would go away, eventually.”

“Unfortunately, no. It’s a sort of resistance from your mind, but you’ll also find that my trick will prevent you from ever having a migraine headache in the future.”

‘Does that work for regular migraines as well?” Tim asked. “My family seems to get them, and if I could get rid of them...”

“Say no more, love.” I quickly applied the remedy. “There, no more problems. If you’d like, we can go see your parents and give them the same relief.”

Elisabette smiled. “Why don’t you two go ahead and take care of that? I’ve had a very long, busy day, and I could use some rest. I’ll see you later, all right?”

I hugged her and kissed her cheek. “Thank you, Grandma, I love you.”

“Of course you do! What’s not to love?” She smiled and winked. “Be safe, dear.”

“I will!” I said as I headed out to Tim’s car. “Good night, Grandma!”

"You do know that could be very confusing, don't you? Too many Grandmas!"

I giggled, and got into his car.

We pulled out of the drive and headed to Tim’s place. Tim held my hand and smiled.

“Well, there’s another advantage to having a beautiful witch for a fiancée!” he said. “I thought a migraine was just a part of life.”

“You haven’t married me yet, Tim, you still might regret loving me.” I said, seriously.

Tim said nothing, but he carefully pulled over at the first good wide spot.

“Talk to me, Emily. What’s going on, that’s the second time tonight you’ve brought this up. I love you with all of my heart, honey, and I always will. Something has you scared, sweetheart, let me help.”

My eyes teared up. “Oh, Tim, I’ve been so worried! Ever since the night we found out that I’m not who or what we thought I was, I’ve worried that all these changes could mean something bad for our relationship! Are you sure you want me? It sounds like my life is going to be anything but simple.”

Tim’s smile was huge, and I couldn’t help but felt his love for me. I knew then that there were no doubts in him at all. His emotions, his thoughts and his life were all open books to me. It was similar to what I felt in my merge with Grandma, but it was all one sided. I decided to change that. I crawled into his arms and kissed him, while I opened my mind and heart up to him.

He saw my happiness and love, but he also knew all of my fears and concerns. I could feel it as he defeated or accepted all my fears. As I started to pull back and close up again, we shared a kind of precognitive event. There was nothing solid, no visions or anything, just a feeling of immense joy in our future. The feeling was electric and undeniable, and I knew that whoever was watching over me was pleased. Tim and I were meant to be together! My heart soared!

The next thing I knew, I was kissing Tim and when I backed away, I was giggling in pure joy. Tim laughed to see me, and I was so happy I was crying. I sat back in my seat and buckled up, then grabbed a tissue to wipe my eyes. I’m not sure if I’ve ever been happier.

We caught our breaths and relaxed, once again holding hands, but now everything felt different to me. Even my skin tingled. I had done some serious magic, although I’m not sure what it was. I know it sounds crazy, but I was really hoping I wasn’t pregnant, yet.

Hey, I’m a super witch! Who knows?

We got back on the road again, and headed for Tim’s. We were both incredibly happy, and wanted to share our happiness. I’m guessing that Tim’s parents were going to be very happy tonight!

Revised Rules for the Morphic Adaptation Unit, Mark 5

Foreward:
Some may consider these rules and notes to be extreme. Some may find
them offensive. I have been told that I should write "minimal" rules and
let people play, like has happened in other universes. I tried that;
even with reasonable guidelines, my universes have been radically altered
by adventurous authors. If the story universe is to stay open, it is
with some stronger guidelines to help keep things in line with my
original creation. So if you consider these notes and guidelines to be
extreme, invent your own universe and don't muck up mine. Thank you.

Below is the background story on the units, the rules, some additional
information in the form of the MAU Company's FAQs, and my final notes on
characters I've created.

*******************************************************
Prologue

First Tm'skor was having a bad day. This had started as a very routine
day on another routine freight run on just one more routine Fwirthian
freight ship. He was looking forward to a peaceful retirement after 84
cycles of dutiful, if boring, service on the Fwirthian merchant fleet,
including the past 12 cycles as First, commander of a vessel. Of course,
as a member of the merchant caste of Fwirthi, he lacked the imagination
to see how dull and boring his job really was.

Dull, that was, until this morning, when his ship was suddenly surrounded
by warp holes, each one spitting forth a M'Platwiri attack cruiser. Even
as the bells rang the alarm of the pirate attack, bolts of energy
splashed against his hull plates. The ship groaned in protest as his
pitiful crew, soft and helpless, shrieked their terror, dashing about in
confusion and abandoning their duty stations. Even Tm'skor was
frightened and confused. Fwirthian merchant ships were not crewed by the
military caste; as such, they were easy prey for the M'Platwiri pirates.

Rather, they should have been. The fates stepped in, and spared Tm'skor
the fate of being captured by the pirates. As he stumbled about his
bridge, confused and frightened like the other Fwirthian crewmembers, he
collided with his navigator, and the pair smashed into the navigation
controls. Of the buttons depressed randomly by the flailing captain, one
commanded the engines to engage and the warp generator to activate. The
ship, still drawing fire, vanished into a warp hole.

Wounded, spewing freight containers from the ugly gashes in the hull, the
ship popped out of its warp hole in a backwater of the galaxy, an
uninteresting, backward system with one nondescript yellow star and only
one reasonably habitable planet. First Tm'skor and his crew ignored the
system. It wasn't on their route, and as such it held no interest to
their unimaginative minds. And because their orders said nothing about
recovering cargo lost from battle damage (such conditions couldn't have
been imagined by the traders commissioning the cargo!), they ignored the
countless canisters trailing their ship like a ribbon of confetti, each
carrying nearly three thousand cubic meters of cargo . As soon as the
essential systems had been repaired, they swung around the sun, set a new
course, and dropped into another artificial warp hole. Behind the ship,
a trail of cargo canisters, not having a warp hole as a destination, felt
the tug and pull of the tiny sun and its tiny planets. Many fell almost
immediately into the sun. Others were smashed against moons or planets.
For centuries to come, though, most of the cargo canisters would drift
through the system, lost forever to the shipping company and its
customers. Occasionally, one would end up falling into the sun. Other
times, a rare collision with other astral debris would rip open a cargo
canister, freeing more cargo items to join the lengthening trail of
flotsam and jetsam in a cometary orbit around the small star.

Eventually, bits and pieces of the cargo and canisters, some still
bearing the legend of the Gamalfi Company, skimmed the atmosphere of the
third planet. Most of the debris broke up quickly, disintegrating in the
awful heat, but some of the smaller pieces of cargo was made of sterner
stuff.

**********

General information about the MAU

The unit comes packaged for shipping in a seamless metal box, about 9
inches by 15 inches by four inches thick. It is incredibly light, and
also resistant to virtually anything a normal person could find to attack
it. (This includes blowtorches, hammers, pick-axes, drills, being run
over, etc. You get the picture. This is one tough little box!) The
only thing visible on the box are some alien symbols, which if
translated, would read:
Gamalfi Corp.
Morphic Adaptation Unit, Mark 5
To activate evaluation unit, press HERE

HERE happens to be anywhere on the symbols. When activated, it stretches
itself to a box about the size of a telephone booth. (For those younger
readers who have never encountered such a strange contraption, a phone
booth is about 1 meter x 1 meter, with a height of 2.1 meters.) The
device will self-right, and move itself to a stable and level position to
complete opening. Three sides are bare; the fourth is covered by a door
on half, with controls on the other half. The door has a purplish
crystal, which causes the door to be opened. When the door 'opens', part
of the side simply disappears, and reappears to 'close'.

The controls are the picture of perfection in a user interface. There is
a ruby control plate looking like a 3-fingered hand (or bird- or
dinosaur-paw print), and above it, a rectangular display surface.
Touching the ruby control plate causes it to read the mind of the user;
thereafter, the system displays the form as directed by the user's
thought patterns. After thinking about a body or change, the display
shows the effects. When a user removes his or her hand, the display
freezes in the last configuration.

On first use, the display will scroll through alien characters; these are
the Gamalfi Corp's standard disclosure, license agreement, and disclaimer
from damage. It also says, very clearly, in perfect Fwirthian script,
that the unit has been activated for a 4-day evaluation period, and that
changes subsequent to that period would require electronic payment to the
Gamalfi corporation. Pressing on the crystal plate indicates that the
user accepts the terms of the license agreement, including the time
limitation.

Note - despite advanced technologies in the galaxy (many of which make
Earth-bound humans look like neolithic cavemen in comparison), no-one has
been successful in decoding the extremely eccentric Fwirthian language,
let alone the wacky script writing. It is impossible for a human-
manufactured computer to decode the script.

Changes are limited only by the imagination of the user, but with a
couple of safeguards. Intelligence cannot be reduced, nor can the unit
alter a body to a less-fit state. In other words, it can't deliberately
inflict damage or harm to a user. An MAU can easily be used for cosmetic
surgery, sex change, and with thought, to repair damage (such as broken
or missing limbs, damaged heart, or even mental damage). This fits
perfectly with the purpose of the MAU to enhance the user.

The change is limited by rules of physics, chemistry, etc. If a user
thinks of a magic-using Merlin, for example, the device will create the
costume perfectly, but cannot alter physics to make 'magic' possible.
The more detail a user knows about a complex or advanced technology, the
greater the accuracy of the changes. For example, if a user is an expert
in nanotechnology, a reasonable facsimile of a Borg could be created.
If, however, the user knows diddly-squat about nanotechnology, the change
would be cosmetic appearance only. The device is able to accurately work
with genomes; altering sex is a simple genetic manipulation. The result
will be genetically accurate - if two users were to transform into a
male/female pair of centaurs, for example, any offspring would be
centaurs. Attempting to make money would result in copier-quality money
unless the user was an expert in currency technology and details of the
currency. An average user attempting to create diamonds would probably
get rhinestones, whereas someone who knows that a diamond is a pure
carbon crystal would get pure diamonds. To restate the principle, with
advanced technologies or materials, one has to know something of the
desired item in order to get accurate results.

The MAU will 'scavenge' materials from the neighboring region if required
to make the changes; making diamonds, for example, would scavenge carbon
from CO2, etc. The scavenging function will not harm a nearby living
creature. The device will attempt to use materials from an unrefined
source. In other words, if someone were to create a Mr. T with lots of
gold chains and jewelry, the device would attempt to find unrefined gold
within the operating radius rather than pulling the gold from nearby
jewelry, coins, etc. Taking refined materials from someone else without
permission would be a major ethical violation to the Fwirthians, and as
such, they provided protection against the device engaging in theft, even
inadvertently.

The MAU contains a quantum computer which cannot only perform incredible
(by human standards) feats of genetic manipulation, but has a built-in
library of Fwirthian technology. Some of these technologies include
gravity manipulation (e.g. artificial gravity in spacecraft, gravity-
neutralizing units such as would be used in a 'Back to the Future' flying
DeLorean), warp-hole creation for FTL travel, advanced spacecraft
propulsion, etc. The user has to, however, have some idea of what to ask
for in order to achieve the accurate results in a transformation. Trying
to create a flying superhero (e.g. Superman) would result in a cosmetic
change, whereas trying to create a hero with an 'Iron Man' suit with
anti-grav propulsion and strength-enhancing mechanics would possibly
result in the desired transformation - especially if the user knew more
details about the expected result and if the expected results meshed with
Fwirthian technology. Some weapons may be created, provided source
material is available. Again, the results need to be consistent with
physics. A 2.2 TW laser that runs on a pair of rechargable AAA
batteries, for example, would be impossible, and thus not created. (One
would, however, probably get a good Hollywood stage-prop mockup of such a
futuristic, if impossible, laser.)

When the evaluation period expires, any and all changes are basically
permanent unless and until either payment is made or an unexpired unit is
found.

The unit will NOT work on a pregnant woman, even for a cosmetic change.

After the time expires, the following message is displayed, albeit in
Fwirthian.

We are sorry, but your thirty-eight Febulon evaluation license has
expired. To continue using the Mark 5 Morphic Adaptation Unit, please
remit 52,495 Fwirthi Rakburs to the Gemalfi Corporation within eight
Febulons. Thank you for trying the Mark 5 Morphic Adaptation Unit.

The message continues for about 20 hours (8 Febulons), after which the
box restows itself. It will be capable of being reactivated if 3
conditions occur: 1) the device must have moved at least 300 miles from
the point of its activation, 2) at least 3 months of time must have
passed, and 3) it can never be reactivated by the original user.

MAUs are rare. Repeat, MAUs are RARE! One might consider that dozens or
hundreds of shipping containers were lost, but if one considers the size
of the solar system, the density of MAUs is infinitesimally small. It is
highly unlikely that a person would encounter one in a lifetime.
Encountering more than one is quadrillions-to-one odds.

No one really knows when the MAUs began to fall to Earth. Some of the
past date suggests some of the enigmas of history could be attributed to
MAUs. Current estimates place the first reliable MAU use corresponds to
the giant Goliath of biblical history.

The US Government has a secret agency which is attempting to solve the
riddle of the MAUs. The agency has not directly figured out how the
devices work, but through interviews with victims, have deduced the basic
operating parameters. The agency has recovered many expired MAUs, but so
far, has either not moved them far enough, or has not allowed sufficient
time to be able to reactivate the devices, or quit fiddling with the
devices before the requisite time has passed. The government's primary
concern is to attempt to understand the MAUs so that they can counter any
attempt by a hostile power to use them as weapons. Scientists are
attempting to decipher the Fwirthian script. Users of the MAU may be
contacted by a special set of secret agents who investigate anything that
sounds like MAU use. The government agency is NOT an evil X-files-like
cabal.

The agency as it exists now was founded in the early 1980s. The original
Director was named Chuck Danielson or CD. He's the only named person with
the agency. Everyone by a code name, somewhat like the MIB series.
CD's first encounter with the MAUs was during the Vietnam War, and a
further Cold War incident with the MAUs led to the creation of the
agency. Its work, of course, is classified at the highest level
possible. Not even the President or the National Security Advisor know
details of the MAUs or the Agency.

Of course, the government had some 'prior knowledge' of the MAUs before
the 80's. Much of this 'lore' was lost due to the extremely high
classification level of the data, which has never been declassified.
Some past secrets have probably been lost.

The agency strongly suspects that other governments (both friendly and
hostile) are aware of the MAUs, and have reason to believe that some
plots by foreign hostiles center around finding an active MAU. This is
a driving factor for the agency's obsession with finding a working MAU
and unraveling all of its secrets - to understand how the MAU could be
used against the US. The agency has
headquarters in DC and a secret lab in an undisclosed location that is
studying the MAUs. To date, it is not confirmed that the agency has been
able to reactivate a unit, despite the passage of both time and (in many
cases) distance. It is strongly suspected that the agency has so many
collected units that they simply study the new ones, leaving the old (and
potentially reactivatable) units in their storage facility.

**********

FAQ from the Gamalfi Customer Service Department:

Q. How many units were lost?
A. Hundreds of freight containers were lost; only a few of these burned
up in the sun or smashed into planets or moons. Most are left circling
the sun in cometary orbits. A dozen or so containers burned up in the
Earth's atmosphere, spewing the units all across the Earth.

Q. How many units were in each container?
A. Given the shipping size and the volume of a container, it is assumed
that each container held over twenty thousand MAUs. Some of the
containers were mixed-cargo, so the total number is much smaller.

Q. Why does the unit leave changes permanent?
A. It takes energy to make a change, along with massive computer power to
direct and focus that energy. A 'temporary' change would imply that the
MAU would instill the user with sufficient energy and computer power to
undo the changes without the aid of the MAU. Containing this much
energy would be harmful to the end user. Besides, for how long would one
need an enhancement to perform a basic task before using the MAU to
change back?

Q. How much can the MAU alter thought processes?
A. The MAU can alter the thought processes only to the extent necessary
to make the user comfortable with the change and to behave in accordance
with what is expected. For example, if a creature were changed from male
to female, the MAU couldn't change his mind to that of a bimbo. It
could, however, make his libido high - assuming that was what his thought
pattern directed. It cannot make the male comfortable mentally being
female, nor change sexual orientation.

Q. Can an MAU cause damaging changes?
A. No.

Q. Can a person reuse a MAU after a suitable wait?
A. No. The MAU recognizes the brain waves of repeat users, and will not
open, let alone function. Anti-theft protection for the Gamalfi Corp's
intellectual property, you know.

Q. How long is an MAU dormant after a use?
A. At least three months. It also has to be moved, although that part
hasn't been figured out by anyone yet. The minimum distance is 80,000
Small Keflecs, which is roughly four hundred miles. (Remember, this is
Small Keflecs, not Great Keflecs. Otherwise, the unit would have to be
transported interplanetary distances to reactivate!)

Q. When you say that the unit deactivates in 4 days, does that mean that
the transformation wears off in 4 days, or that the unit's ability to
work deactivates, leaving the character stuck in a transformed state?
A. The device deactivates, precluding further use. The user is stuck
with the last transformation. We _do_ provide a warning that the demo
license is about to expire!

Q. Can the booths be used an unlimited number of times or with multiple
people?
A. The booth can be used an unlimited number of times within the 4-day
time span. Other people can use the booth as well, so long as the time
from first use to last use is no longer than 4-days. As an example, say
Bob find the booth on day 1. He does some transforms, and on day 2,
shows Phil. Day 3, he shows Rita. On day 4, they show Brad. All 4 are
using the MAU, but at the end of day 4, it doesn't work anymore for any
of them, since the unit was activated by Bob, and his license has
expired.

Q. How could a user possibly figure out how to decipher the symbols, if
they are truly alien symbols?
A. The symbols aren't deciphered by the people. That's the conundrum -
they use the device, despite lack of directions, because of curiosity,
and the lack of directions ensures that they get stuck because they can't
read!

Q. Does it have a countdown sequence like in Independence Day that sounds
like it's counting down - even though the symbols are unreadable to the
protagonists. Or maybe when they get altered, they remember bits and
pieces of the information, translated to their language, from what would
have been the ingrained instruction manual? And as the story progresses,
they have to piece it together, and see if they can figure it out before
the deadline is met, whenever that is.
A. Good suggestions. Maybe in the Mark 6. Gamalfi Customer Service
appreciates your suggestions for improving the Morphic Adaptation Unit.
As a way of thanking our customers, you are entitled to use a Morphic
Adapation Unit, Mark 5, for twice the standard demonstration period with
no additional fees. Please enter the supplied key code in the user
interface when you first activate your MAU demonstration unit.

Q. Isn't the idea of the unit is to let a potential customer try
something in the hopes that they'll buy it. Isn't it more likely that,
at the end of the demonstration period, the customer would change back?
A. Remember that this is a limited-time demo shareware. Everything works
just fine - until the time expires. Then one has to pay to continue
using it, especially to undo changes which are currently in place.
Please note that it is not practical to change a user to be self-
correcting without great risk to the user (see question above). We
Fwirthians use the MAU as a tool to adapt to a task, and no more.
Borrowing a tool allows the user to see how useful it is, with the hope
that the user will be convinced to purchase the device. It has proven to
be a very successful marketing strategy.

Q. Maybe this could be what happens. The system has failsafes so the
users don't mess things up when they initially transform. But if the
system isn't paid in that alien currency, the failsafes deactivate, e.g.
A human turns into a furry.
Intelligence decreases by 50%
36 C-cups go to 48 EE
Libido triples
A woman in her early 20s reverts to a 12-year old.
Does the subject get a warning of what will happen?
A. The Gamalfi Company appreciates your suggestions. This was tried with
the Mark 2 and 3 MAUs. Negative feedback from the customers, coupled
with an extremely high rate of purchase of demo units, has caused us to
delete this feature. (The numerous lawsuits were also persuasive.) As
to warnings, the unit clearly displays the End User License Agreement at
the time the unit is unpacked, and an additional warning is given the
first time the unit is used with less than 24 hours remaining on the demo
license. What more do you want?

Q. What is meant by 'less-fit-state'?
A. 1) The device uses the mind and genome of the user to extract
parameters of how the bodies of user's species normally operate. This
information is then used to 'bound' the alterations. Age cannot be
significantly increased or decreased, as age-related issues might cause
the subject harm. The normal parameters allow a + or - 30% change in
age, again bounded. An 80 year old person would not be permitted to add
years, as the initial age is frail. The 80 year-old would, however, be
able to reduce the physical age. Repeated use would allow an
enterprising 80 year-old to reduce his or her age to around 20 years.
2) Pregnancy cannot be either created or destroyed by the unit. The
unit will not work on a pregnant woman, even for cosmetic changes, due to
risk to the unborn.
3) The mental image being used as a model for the new form generally
conforms to some purpose, e.g. lingerie model or linebacker. That
purpose defines some limits to the system to assist in deciding what is
and is not suitable for transformation.
4) It might be less of a bother to just refine that to say the MAU can't
introduce disease or decrease intellectual capability. It can, however,
be curative; a person with serious illness or injury could be relieved of
that affliction through the MAU.

Q. Is it the case that the device designs the new form at the genetic
level for fitness of design, e.g. it doesn't allow a form that contains a
genetic disease or malfunctioning organs.
A. This is correct. The device, by scanning the user, can interpret the
normal parameters of bodily function, and will not allow changes that are
outside the normal functioning.

Q. What about things like breasts?
A. What about them? The unit knows, from the user's knowledge and
decoding the genome, that breasts are mostly ornamental, and increases in
breast size are merely decorative, unless the user wishes the breasts to
be lactating, in which case the device will comply. If too large an
increase is sought, the MAU will make corresponding changes in other body
structures, such as muscles and skeleton, to accommodate the extra load.

Q: Are there any other restrictions?
A: The device will scan the mind for moral restrictions inherent in the
user's species. These moral restrictions will be adhered to strictly.
Say, for example, a user wished to turn a pre-teen girl into a woman of
major age for the purposes of copulation. Such changes are not within
the bounds of moral behavior and would (attempt to be) screened. Note
that if the user is psychopathic, morally deficient, or amoral, change
limitations would be difficult to apply. As a safeguard, all MAU devices
within 2.5 Great Keflecs communicate via a proprietary data interlink,
thus allowing sharing of basic parameters of a species and civilization.
This safety feature was added after the disastrous lawsuits that resulted
when the MAU Mark 4 device was introduced to the YYthrillio race and a
few deviants used the devices to violate many significant taboos.

Q. Anything else?
A. Nothing that Gamalfi Customer Service can think of right now.

**********
Final notes:

Danni is the ONE and ONLY person to have ever re-used an MAU. This was
accomplished after she accidentally turned herself into a very accurate
replica of the Borg Seven of Nine (from Star Trek: Voyager), complete
down to highly-detailed Borg nanoprobes and human-machine cybernetic
interfaces. This was possible through Danni's PhD-level knowledge of
nanotechnology as well as the vast Star Trek lore which had been created.
The Borg interfaces, coupled with massive work on the part of the nascent
Borg hive (which she also accidentally started), allowed her to interpret
the MAU binary programming language.

Danni and her band of MAU-created Trekkies are ABSOLUTELY and TOTALLY
off-limits to any author who wishes to write in my MAU universe. C & D
are the most common investigators of the agency. Others may be created,
but the authors should treat them as MIB, but without the fancy toys.
They are investigators only; they are not X-files sinister agents.

Wild magic 46

We pulled into the garage at Tim’s house, still feeling the rush from the vision we'd shared. I felt so relaxed and stress-free. I’m glad we were at his parent’s place, because I had a feeling that as good as I felt, and as close as my heart was to Tim, I might do something I could regret later.

I was already worried that I might have impregnated myself magically. I scanned, but saw no indications. Intellectually, I don’t really think sex would be a good idea. Emotionally, I was ready to find a big comfy bed and try some of that “horizontal mambo” that I’ve heard Mom and Dad talk about.

Down, girl. Damn hormones!

I let Tim open my door and I got out. I surprised him by cuddling immediately and hugging him.

“I love you so much, Tim. I’m sorry that I ever worried about your feelings for me. I hope you’ll forgive me.”

“Nope,” he said with a frown.

“No? Tim?” My heart skipped abeat in horror. I know I had disappointed him, but I really thought everything was fine, now.

“There is nothing to forgive, sweetheart. I saw your fears, and I know how worried you are, and I know you have good reason to worry. Change can always be frightening, but you need to remember, you have a lot of people who love you, and you really need to learn to talk to us when you're worried."

I smiled. “Elisabette told me the same thing. Maybe I’ve been holding things in too much.”

“There’s no maybe about that, honey. You are a born worrier, my love." Tim said as he gave me a quick kiss before we went in the house.

We’d hardly made it in the house when we were met by Tina, Tim’s mom. She gave me a big hug.

“Hi, Emily! Let me guess, you’ve come to see if you can regain your Uno crown?”

I blushed. “Well, yeah, but I’ve also got something for you and Jack. Tim says you have a problem with migraine headaches?”

“It’s one of those special things that both Jack and I share,” she scowled and laughed. “I’m sure Tim’s told you he has them, too.”

“Yes, he did, but an old relative is visiting us, and she taught me something I think you’ll enjoy.” She let me work my magic, and seconds later she began to smile.

“How long will this last, sweetheart?” She asked me.

I quickly ‘pathed a message to Elisabette, and she confirmed that the remedy was permanent.

“They’re gone for good,” I told her, but I could tell she was skeptical. I laughed. “I know, it’s hard to believe, but give it some time, you’ll see!”

She hugged me. “Thank you, sweetie! Give me a minute to grab Jack; he’s out in the workshop.”

“Oh? Where do you plan to grab him? Do you two need some “alone” time?”

She giggled, and slapped my hand lightly. “You’re bad!”

We all laughed as she went out to get Tim’s dad. When he came in, I gave him a treatment.

“Wow! That was fast and incredibly timely. I was just feeling one coming on, which is really why I was in the workshop. I didn’t want to be rude, but now it's gone! Like magic!”

I hugged him and looked quickly at Tina, who shook her head no. “You can be rude with me, if you have to!”

He smiled and blushed. “Thanks, Emily.”

I made a small curtsey. “Why yo verruh welcome, sirrah. It was mah great plesha, ah'm shure.”

Okay, I do a lousy southern belle. Gimme a break, I’m from Michigan.

We laughed and sat down, except for Tim who brought out some coffee and the teakettle, along with the Uno cards.

“Okay, question time. We need to start making plans, and I want to get together with your parents, Emily.” Jack said. “Tim graduates in a very short time, and then Emily will be a senior. I know you two said you plan to get married after Emily graduates, but how soon after? Have you two made any plans, yet?”

“Well, you already know I’ve applied at Grand Valley State, Western Michigan and Ferris State. I’ve always loved the idea of working for you, Dad, so I’ve taken all the drafting and I.T. classes that our school offers.”

“And he’s tops in the school, too! Now, me, I’ve always loved working with people. My mother’s a nurse and Grandma was a therapist, so I’m considering either nursing school, or learning to be a physical therapist. I think I could really help at either of those, but the nurses have those cute uniforms!” I giggled.

Tim smirked. “Well, you could also work with people as a domestic, and wear one of those even cuter French maid’s outfits...”

I smacked him playfully on the shoulder. “Really, Tim!”

“He’s just like his father, dear. Absolutely incorrigible.” Tina said as she drank her coffee. Jack gave her a wink, so I leaned over close to Tina, and whispered, “Bonus!”

I hope I didn’t hurt her when she suddenly started coughing. I mean, that coffee was probably still pretty hot! I had never actually seen a “spit-take” before, but it sure was messy! Fortunately everyone laughed it off!

“I know that I won’t be able to see Tim as often, but we will still get together. This could be a very long year for both of us, or, considering we want to set up the wedding, it might go very fast. I want to be careful about setting a date, though.”

“Yeah, we’re concerned that it could affect our classes.” Tim told them. “As much as we want it, school comes first. Things that aren’t date sensitive, like picking a dress, or choosing a location for the wedding, can be done without time pressure. Other things are going to need definite dates. Emily and I want to wait until after this coming Christmas, after we have an idea how school will be affected, before we set the date or do any scheduling.

“That sounds very mature of you two, and I’m very proud of you both.” Jack said. You could tell he was impressed, which kind of surprised me. I guess now was the time to drop the next bombshell.

“Umm, we’ve also decided that whatever we do, we don’t want a big, expensive wedding.” I said, and I could see that Tina was surprised. “We want it to be memorable because it was beautiful, unique and well-planned, not because it was expensive.”

“We also thought that you and Emily’s mom should be important in the planning.” Tina was surprised at Tim’s statement, so I finished it.

“I was so impressed at how you set up your house, so subtle and classy, yet very beautiful.” I told Tina. “I want that for our wedding, too.”

Tim smiled at his mom’s surprised look. “We’ve already discussed it with Jenny, Emily’s mom. She is very open to the idea, and when the time comes, she wants the two of you to get together to see what you can come up with. I hope the two of you will become friends.”

Mom had originally been thinking of a huge, expensive wedding, telling me how she knew it was the dream of every girl. I reminded her that I hadn’t been a girl all that long!

“I’ll be glad to help, of course!” Tina said.

“Good thinking, kids. I love that you’ve got the right priorities, and that you would rather go with class, rather than flash. I’m extremely impressed!”

“My relative, who is visiting with my parents, told us that fancy is for now, classy is forever, and expensive is a waste, and we took it to heart.”

“Your relative is very wise. I’d love to meet her.” Tina said, and Jack nodded.

“Oh, I can almost guarantee that you’ll meet her soon,” Tim said, as he shuffled the cards. “We’re trying to set up a small party for just a few people at Emily’s, and you’re definitely a part of who we want to be there.”

“I very much look forward to it.” Jack said.

My phone rang, and when I answered, Debbie was upset and crying so that I had a hard
time understanding her at first.

“I-I need you, Emily. M-mom’s had a heart attack(sound of her blowing her nose), and they say it’s very serious. We’re at Eastside, can you please come right away?”

Damn. I’ll bet it’s another attack. I'm gonna kick someone's ass!

“Hang on, Debbie, the reserves are on the way.”

Shitshitshitshit.

Wild Magic 47

Tin pushed the T/A to the limit, but it still wasn’t enough for me. I focused my will and teleported us. Surprised, Tim slammed on the brakes needlessly-I had already removed our momentum and we were able to park easily.

“Uhm, next time you do that, please give me some warning?”

“I’m sorry, Tim, I’m just so concerned...”

“It’s okay, I understand. Hey, we’re here, right? If I have a heart attack, what better place, right?”

I giggled. “I promise, next time, warning first.”

“That’s all I’m asking.” He kissed me. “At least, for now...”

Debbie was in tears when she met us at the entrance. I tried to calm her down as she led us to intensive care, where Mama Gwen lay. She seemed to be sleeping, but Debbie said that the doctor’s felt it was more likely a coma, although there were some strange anomalies.

I felt the presence of magic, and in the space between two microseconds, Mom, Grandma and Elisabette were simply there. I think Tim was becoming immune to the “shock” of magic, and said little, but he accepted Mom’s hug and a kiss on the cheek from her happily.

I had no idea how to proceed, but Elisabette quickly organized us. She made me the focus, and she and Mom took my hands. Grandma took Mom’s other hand, and Elisabette joined hands with Debbie.

*Emily, I want you to concentrate, feel the energy that we are feeding you. Feel the love we all have for you. Open yourself to us, let us share your mind, and you share ours...Focus...Focus...*

My mind seemed to open like a flower, and I felt the thoughts of all of us, but I was still an individual. I guess I thought it would be more of a group, with all of us having a voice, but instead it was more like I knew their thoughts as though they were my own.

I/we had the ICU nurse take a nap as I/we reached out to take Gwen’s hand. I/we let our energy flow into Gwen, intensely scanning her, body and mind, searching for the cause of her problem. I/we were very surprised to learn that she had been told she had terminal cancer, and although a part of me/us reacted badly to that, another part took the necessary steps to eliminate the problem.

In any woman approaching 50, there are minor health issues, and I/we corrected those, but then I/we found something foreign, something that resisted my/our scan, and actively threatened me/us. I/we drew on my/our power only slightly, and restrained the thing, then scanned it, verified that it didn’t belong, and then I/we cut it off from the rest of the body. Isolated, it tried to fight me/us, but I/we simply teleported it to where it was harmless.

I/we continued to scan and repair where needed, and then jointly gave Gwen the energy she would need to awaken, and as we pulled back into our separate selves, we telepathically reached out to her, comforting and loving her, reassuring her that it was once again safe. There was a part of her that resisted. She had been hurt by her previous possession and by this second attack and like a child, she was afraid. I/we projected feelings of strength, security, happiness and love, until she felt calm, relaxed and reassured.

With my/our objective complete, we relaxed, and I felt the merge dissolve. I opened my eyes to a different world, somehow. Maybe it was just me that was different. I felt strange, but good...powerful.

I felt Mom and Elisabette pull away, and when I opened my eyes, Elisabette looked at me, checking me out.

“How do you feel, Emily?”

“Umm...a little weird, I guess. I’m okay, it’s just...”

“We were in a full merge, with you as the focus. You’ll feel a little disoriented, and you could be a little out of it for a while. I’m very proud of the way you handled the merge, it was very smooth and comfortable for the rest of us. You might want to sit and relax for a few minutes, dear.”

“All right, I think that’s a good idea.” I took a seat, and Tim came to sit with me. “Grandma, Elisabette, I’m concerned. I feel so strong, like I could pull down the moon if I wanted.”

Elisabette smiled, and Grandma chuckled. “I don’t think you’re that strong, but you need to understand, we made you the focus because of your incredible strength.

It’s not just your magical strength, but your true strength that comes from your compassion and caring. This is what makes you a true leader, and, in my opinion, a great witch.”

I blushed, and I felt the loving chuckles of Elisabette and Mom in my mind.

“So, what happened?” Tim asked. “It looked like all you did was hold hands and close your eyes for a few seconds, but I’m pretty sure that it was far more than that, just by the way you’re acting. Are you okay, honey?”

“Yes, love, I’m fine.” I kissed him, thankful for his concern. “Wait, you said we only closed our eyes for a few seconds?”

“Yeah, maybe 15 seconds at most, why?”

“Wow, it felt like so much more! I would have guessed around an hour or so. We went all through her, repairing and checking for problems. There was some kind of...thing, inside of her, but we removed that. Mama Gwen should feel much better, now.”

Debbie came over to us, smiling happily.

“Mom’s fine, Elisabette arranged it so that the nurse doesn’t realize she was out at all, and she’s calling the doctor after her latest eries of tests. I think she has the idea that something spontaneously “opened up” to make Mom feel better. Your Grandma made sure Mom knew not to feel too good. She’ll be relaxing here for a while yet, even though she feels fine.”

Her eyes were still red from crying, and I could see that she was having trouble trying to hold in her relief.

“Emily, I can’t thank you enough.” She said. “I was so scared...”

She started to weep again. Tim and I quickly pulled her into a hug.

‘It’s all right, Debbie, she’s going to be fine,” I told her.

“I can’t believe she never mentioned the cancer, or what the Doctors told her. She and I are going to have a very long discussion about trust, very soon. It’s so hard to think that I almost lost her...” She broke into tears again, but I could feel that she was just letting her emotions out. I held her until she relaxed and got herself under control again.

“Are they going to let you see her anytime soon?”

“Well, technically visitor’s hours were over a couple of hours ago, but since we’re family,” she winked. “We can get in to the ICU. However, both the nurse and I think we should let Mom rest until morning. Hopefully they’ll change her condition once she’s been examined. We’ll see come morning.

Mom called Debbie over, and a few minutes later, she asked Tim and I to join them.

“I know this is going to be an imposition, but I’d like you to take Debbie to our house with you. I don’t feel right sending her home alone, and the three of us are going to stay here for awhile yet. We’ll be home in a few hours, but we’re going to get Gwen situated and establish a few wards around her. Is that okay with you two?”

Tim smiled. “Yeah, she’s alright, at least in the short term.” Debbie stuck her tongue out at him, which made everyone laugh.

“We’ll see you at home, Mom. Debbie has slept in my extra bed before, and we’ll get some sleep and come back here in the morning. See you later!”

We walked out to the T/A, and I climbed into the back seat. I wanted to be the last one out, so I could spend a little time saying goodnight to Tim. I may be a blonde, but I only look stupid!

“I know you sent that...that thing someplace, but I couldn’t tell where, and I was a little concerned.” Debbie said. “What was it, and where did it go?”

“It was a physical manifestation of a small piece of someone’s awareness, kind of a nasty little spy. What I did was very painful for the witch who lost it.”

“You mean, like a piece of their soul?” She smiled, a vengeful and angry smile. “How long will it take to get that back?”

“Get it back? Debbie, I sent it into the sun. It’s gone, dear.”

“Ooh, I bet that was painful. Thanks, Em.”

“Happy to oblige. Besides, it was my night to take out the trash.”

I realize it has been a while since I posted. I have a chapter that should have been this
one, but it just won’t come out right. In the meantime, here’s a little bit of fluff that popped in my head yesterday. I’m really sorry it has taken so long, I’m just too fussy I guess!

I woke up and groggily looked around. I saw that Debbie wasn’t in her bed, so I lay back, closed my eyes, and let myself feel the house with my new perceptions. I couldn’t feel her anywhere in the house. I “saw” Grandma in the kitchen, but Mom was gone, so maybe they went to the hospital or something. It couldn’t be an emergency, Deb would have awakened me.

I took a quick shower and got dressed. I decided to go casual today, so I wore a tan denim skirt, a bright green t-shirt, my ankle sox and my trainers. Suitably clothed, I finished brushing my hair out and then headed to the kitchen.

“Good Morning,” Grandma said as I walked in. “I wondered when you were going to get up, dear.”

I gave her a hug, and scanned her quickly. I could tell she was feeling a little of her arthritis this morning, so I eased the pain and did a little bit of repair to make her feel better.

“I took a shower and I’d planned to take Deb to the hospital, but I don’t think she’s here. I’m guessing Mom took her into town when she went to work?”

“Yes, Debbie asked if Jenny would run by her house so she could change, and then they went to the hospital. She said she would meet you there later.” She gave me a quick kiss. “Thank you, dear, that’s much better.”

“No problem, Grandma. I love you, and I just wanna keep you around as long as I can.”

Elisabette stepped in to the kitchen, looking like an exotic and glamorous model in a beautiful blue dress. I pray that when I’m a little older, I’ll look at least a little like her.

“Good morning, ladies, how are you this morning?”

“Much better thanks to my wonderful grand-daughter. Can I get you something for breakfast, Elisabette?’

“I’ll just have a cup of tea, if it’s handy. Oh, thank you!” She said when a steaming cup of her favorite tea appeared in front of her.

“I’ve been practicing,” I said, smiling. I added a small selection of cookies and tiny cakes.

She took a sip of her tea. “Very nicely done, just the way I like it, Emily.” She picked up a cookie and took a bite. “Yes, very well done, indeed.”

I took a bow. “Thank you, thank you, I’m here all week!”

I put a fresh cup of coffee and another plate of sweets in front of Grandma’s chair.

“Come on, Grandma, have a seat, the coffee’s waiting on you. Is there anything I can do to help you out today?”

“Thank you, but no thank you, dear. Weren’t you and Debbie meeting Tim at the mall?”

“Oh, crap. I gotta go, I’ll see you later. Love you, Grandmas!” I shouted as I went out the door. I pulled my keys out of my purse and hit my new remote manager. I can lock or unlock my doors, start my truck and turn on my interior or exterior lights before I get to my truck. It also controls my alarm system. I guess I’ve got enough guy left in me to be a geek sometimes. I love this stuff

I drove to the hospital, and then went up to see Mama Gwen and to pick up Debbie. Mama Gwen was in a regular room now, and when I walked in, she and Deb were playing cards. I went around the bed and gave her a hug.

“Hi, Mama Gwen. I’m so glad you’re feeling better.”

“Well I owe it to you, and your family, Emily. I had been trying to find a way to tell Debbie about the cancer, but I was just too scared. Thanks, both of you.” A tear fell from her eyes. “I thought I’d never see my grand-babies.”

“MOM!”

“Now just shush. It was my biggest worry, ‘cause I know you’d be all right, Debbie. You’ve got good people around you now, and they’d never let anything happen to you.”

“You’re right Mama, but now we don’t have to worry about it.” Debbie said. “Have they said anything about going home yet?”

At the same time that Debbie asked her question, a doctor came in to check on her.

“Although they can’t find anything wrong with her, the Doctor in charge of her care has to be the one who releases her, and he’s worried about any side effects.”

“So how long do I have to stay here with nothing wrong with me? Oh, and just so you know, since nothings’ wrong with me, I ain’t paying to stay here. You might want to run that past your hospital administrator before my lawyer does. I’d also like to be paid for my time as a research subject.” She relaxed into her pillow. “Now what would be a fair rate?”

“I see your point, and I will try to impress upon Dr. Langdon the seriousness of your suggestions. Have a good morning, Mrs. Holloway.”

“Thanks, you do the same.”

As soon as the Doc was gone, Debbie began to quietly giggle. “Wow, Mom, playing some hardball, huh?”

“If I don’t, they’ll keep me here for another week trying to figure out what happened. I want out of here.”

“I guess we should stick around for a while, it sounds like you’ll be leaving real soon.” I said.

“No, there’s no reason for that, my car’s parked downstairs by the admitting desk. I didn’t bring much except my purse, thanks to my daughter, so I don’t have to carry much home. I’ll be fine, if they release me I’ll just head home, and if not, well, I’ll be making money.”

“All right, then I’ll probably see you at home, okay?”

“That’s fine, I’ll see you later. Now get outta here, this place is full of sick people!”

We laughed, even at such an old joke, and headed down to my truck. We jumped onto I-196 West, toward Holland and got off at Grandville, then turned left and got into the lane that would allow me to jump off into the Rivertown Mall parking lot. I found a spot on the upper level of the North parking lot, and we walked in and headed for the food court.

We were a bit early, so Deb and I walked over to the theatre to check out the movie posters. We talked about coming back later and seeing the latest Disney movie, then walked back and found a seat near the A&W. It wasn’t long before Tim showed up.

I gave him a quick hug and kiss, then we sat down.

“So,” he said. “What’s the plan of attack?”

“Well, I was thinking we could just wander around and see what we see. I definitely want to check out FYI, so why don’t we head that way first?” I said.

“Sounds good to me, but I need to stop at Bed, Bath and Beyond on the way back. Mom gave me a list of things to pick up for her.”

“Not a problem, I love going in there.” I said, and Debbie agreed.

We strolled down to the West end of the mall. We met a few friends from school and generally had fun. I picked up an Anime DVD I’d been looking for, and a couple of old cassettes for my Dad’s car. I’m planning on buying him a new mp3 capable head unit for Christmas, just to bring him up to this century. We were headed back towards GameStop and the bookstore, when Debbie pointed out an unusual looking store we’d never seen before.

Unlike the other stores, the entrance had an old fashioned wooden door for the entrance, and there was a wooden sigh with the stores name on it, but I couldn’t read it from up here on the upper floor.

I hadn’t noticed it before, but I felt a strong magical presence coming from the store. Debbie looked at me strangely, and I knew she felt it too. Something told me I didn’t need to check it out further-it wasn’t any of my business, so I decided to ignore it, and we went on our way. Debbie and I checked out the Victoria’s Secret store, while Tim went down the big glass elevator to Bed, Bath and Beyond. We followed him after a few minutes. I’m still not comfortable at VS, although I could tell Deb was right at home.

We helped Tim fill his list, and then headed on down to the Eastern end of the mall. We stopped at Dick’s sporting goods, and Tim couldn’t resist the climbing wall. As athletic as he was, he had very little trouble. He teased me to try it and I almost did, but I realized that my current outfit was not appropriate, to several boys’ dismay. I told him he was bringing me back here when I was dressed for such an activity.

As we left, I wondered what would happen if they put a Hooters next to Dick’s. Just a thought.

I walked up next to Tim and took his hand so he couldn’t walk away, then whispered into his ear, “Next time you embarrass me when I’m in a skirt, you just might find yourself in a leotard and tutu,” I giggled.

“Promise?” He said, and with my back against a wall, kissed me passionately. My knees went weak and I almost had an orgasm from the pleasure he was giving me. Wow! I had to sit down and catch my breath, but he just walked away like nothing happened. No fair, I wanted more!

If there hadn’t been rules against it, I’d have changed his clothing then and there. I wonder what would happen if the next time he came through the door of the locker room, his gym shorts and tee shirt changed to a bright pink leotard and tutu-with sparklies all over it? Hmmm...

Wild Magic

My Saturday started out all right. Mom and I went into town for some groceries. She bought a little black and grey Smart car, cute as a button and does a great job for her on a day to day basis. However, when she has to get groceries for five people, it just isn’t big enough, so we used my truck.

I threw on my new tonneau cover on the back of my truck bed. I wanted to show off my new mural, anyway. Debbie drew a black witch’s hat with the name “Enchantress” written on my tailgate in fancy electric blue lettering-sooo cool!

We went to the Wal-Mart on the other side of town. A few people in town hated the place, but Dartmann’s Grocery store was always over priced, dirty and they never did anything for anybody but the Dartmann Family. Wal-Mart had better prices, better variety and quality of goods, the store was always clean and yes, they donated to our schools and sponsored the ladies softball team, along with several other local charities.

Hey, I only look stupid. If anybody checked, I’ll bet any protest came from the Dartmanns. Yeah, it’s a shame about some local business that couldn’t beat the prices, but I knew of several businesses that competed in other ways.

There were stores on our side of town, little corner stores that had always complained they couldn’t compete with Dartmann’s. They stayed in business because they were convenient, or had some sort of special product that Wal-Mart didn’t sell. Okay, so maybe they charged the same for a small jar of peanut butter as Wal-Mart charged for a very large jar, but you could walk down to the corner and get what you want. It just works out that way.

Tim says that people don’t realize, that’s the American way. If you have the best deal, you get the customers. If someone offers a better price, well, you do what you gotta do. Find some way to compete, or else. It’s called Free Enterprise. Look it up.

I think if Dartmann’s and Bancroft’s over in Beckville, and Plumbs in Grand Rapids and a bunch of other stores got together and formed a kind of co-op, they could buy in the qualities they needed to lower their prices. True, they’d still have to clean up their acts and be more efficient, but they could do it. Not that they will. It’s much easier to whine.

Okay, rant over.

While we were shopping, I saw my friend Cassie from school. She’s a pretty blonde girl, not a diva but very cute. I almost asked her out once when I was Gabe, but I found out she already had a steady guy. We weren’t friends, but we were friendly, if that makes sense.

I went over to say hi, but she acted really strange. She was wearing a long sleeved blouse, big sunglasses and a hat on a hot summer day. I could feel that she was hurting, and I was pretty sure why.

“Cassie? Hi, how’re ya doing? Um, Cass, are you okay, hon?”

“Yeah, I’m uhh, I’ll be fine. I’ve gotta get some stuff for my parents. We didn’t get everything we needed for the weekend. Hey, I’ve gotta go pick my Mom up at Delta’s-I’ll probably see ya around, okay?”

“Okay, Cass. Hey, if you or your Mom ever need to, you can drop by at our place, anytime, all right? Just in case, okay?”

“I’M ALRIGHT, okay? I don’t need anybody’s help, everything’s just...oh!” She almost ran as she took off, angrily. I felt such terrible pain from her, and in her mind I could that her Mom had been hurt, too. I also saw that it wasn’t the first time it had happened.

“What was that about?” Mom asked me. I tried to keep back my tears.

“Her Dad...ever since the economy’s tanked, her Dad’s been getting drunk, then comes home and beats on her Mom and her. He’s got so many worries, about his job, and their house and the bills... he gets drunk to unwind, but it makes him mean, and he loses control. He apologizes, but can’t seem to stop.

I told her they could come to our house if she ever needed to, but she got very upset. I just wanted to help...”

“Honey, sometimes people are too ashamed to accept help or admit they need it, even to themselves. A lot of times, they even think the whole problem is their fault, that if they had just done things a little different, behaved better, or been more perfect, the problem wouldn’t have happened.”

“But it hurts her so bad, Mom! She hates it, but she loves her Dad, even when he’s hurting her or her Mom. It hurts her so bad, and somehow it’s hurting me! I feel so much pain!” I fell into her arms and tried to hold back the tears as best I could.

“Oh honey!” Mom held me and tried to get me to relax. Elisabette helped Mom to finally calm me down.

Elisabette? What was she doing here?

“I came when I felt your anguish, sweetheart. Part of your training makes you more empathic, so you feel strong emotions much more intensely. You also broadcast them to anyone sensitive to that, like your Grandmother and I.”

I got myself under control, then I asked Elisabette and Mom to excuse me, and I rushed to the bathroom. I cast an invisibility spell, then I teleported myself to Delta’s Liquor store. Cassie was helping her Mom get into their car, and I could see that she looked awful.

I kinda stopped their time for a minute and touched both of them. I accelerated their healing, and in her Mom’s case I repaired her broken arm and rib. She would still be sore for a couple of hours, but by then both of them would be feeling much better. I backed away and teleported back to the restroom, then stepped out and washed my hands. In all, it probably took me less than five minutes.

I walked out of the restroom then went back to Mom, feeling much better that I had done something to help, but knowing it was only temporary.

“Well done,” said Elisabette when I returned, and Mom looked at me with pride. “I was able to show your Mother what you were doing. I am very impressed. You were able to help them with causing them shame or feeling obligated to you. Very subtle, I approve, and I’m proud of you.”

I blushed at her praise, but I admitted that it felt as though I’d only given them a short reprieve. “They’re going to get hurt again, unless I do something, but I can’t interfere with their lives. It’s very frustrating!”

“Sometimes, dealing with other people and their strange emotional ties can drive you crazy, but you still generally have to respect their feelings.

“Uhm, Generally?” I asked her.

“In extreme situations, I don’t consider peoples feelings, I save lives. I don’t care if they hate me afterwards. In that kind of a situation, I do all I can, regardless.”

“People get angry because you saved them?”

“Oh yes. Never underestimate the stupidity of religious beliefs.”

I thought about that for a while. Is there a way I could help Cassie and her family without their knowledge? I came up with several different solutions, but the best one I came up with was the easiest. I arranged to bump into Cassie’s dad, and I gave him a reaction to alcohol. I reasoned that he only became violent when he was drunk, so I took his ability to become drunk away from him.

He made a valiant effort, but no matter what he drank, if there was any alcohol in it, he wasn’t able to keep it down, but became violently ill. He ended up returning home, still depressed, but sober. No one was assaulted that night, anyway.

I know that some will think I should have come down hard and punished him for what he did, or that I should have made him somehow understand what he was doing to his family. I guess I don’t see that as something I need to be involved with. I’m not a judge or some kind of avenging angel superhero, although I really think I’d look great in some slinky costume.

I kind of kept an eye on them for a couple of days, just to make sure the violence didn’t start up again. I don’t know what they decided to do, just that they were talking, not fighting, so I got back to my own business. I still had a summer vacation to finish, and important decisions to make about my future. Should I go to the lake and work on my tan, or go to the mall and check out the new movies. You know, the really important stuff.

I was walking down the street when I heard a local radio host complain about “some idiot kid who claims he’s transgendered, or some such crap.”

Suddenly, there were two loud explosions, and the station went off the air. Actually, there were 3 explosions. The station had an electrical surge, and everything sort of...melted. The antenna for the station broke 2 support lines, and their antenna fell into a farmer’s field, narrowly missing several cows, and boy, was the farmer gonna be mad! And finally, the radio host had a major episode of explosive diarrhea, and was now sitting at a desk facing a smoking microphone with his pants completely ruined, along with his socks, shoes and underwear. Oh, and just wait until he notices what has just become much shorter...and semi permanently limp.

He’s lucky I didn’t give him breasts.

Wild Magic 50

Back to school. I’ve never really minded going back, to tell you the truth. Okay, that first day after my change was hard, but the usual back to school stuff? No problem. I get to see friends I haven’t seen in months. I meet my new teachers, see who I’ll be in class with, that kind of thing. In a way, it’s the restart of my social life. This year, though, is different.

Senior year. My last year of high school, in some cases, the last time I’ll see the people I’ve gone to school with since kindergarten, although they don’t really know that. They’ve only known Emily since the end of our sophomore year.

It’s also the first year since my change that Tim won’t be here every day. When I first pulled into the parking lot, I admit, I looked for his Trans Am, and that’s when it hit me, Tim’s not here this year. He starts classes tomorrow at Elmtree State, which is only on the other side of town, so it won’t change anything about our relationship, but it’s still going to be strange that he isn’t here.

“Missing him already?” Debbie asked.

“A little, I guess, but considering we went out last night and we’ll probably go down to the beach this afternoon after school, I guess I can deal with it.” I didn’t say that I still missed his strong presence.

“I was just thinking about Larry, too.” Debbie said. “I hate that he’s down at Western Michigan. At least he got that football scholarship, and we aren’t so far apart that we can’t go out.”

“It’s just not the same, is it?”

Debbie had a sad look on her face. “No, it’s not. I’ll live with it, though.”

“Wait, is that the sound of...commitment? Have you two become serious?”

“Well, he hasn’t proposed...yet. I don’t think it’ll be too much longer, though.”

I smiled, happy for her, but... “Have you told him yet?”

“I’m so afraid, Emily. What if he can’t handle it?” She leaned on me, and her teary eyes surprised me.

“Can you imagine what would happen if you don’t tell him you’re a witch? Especially when he learns the truth, and knows you didn’t trust him? You have to be honest, Debbie.”

“I love him so much! If he can’t handle it...”

“Then everything you have is a lie, hon, and lies aren’t love.”

“I...I know it, Emily, but if he can’t deal with the truth, then I’m afraid of what I would do if I lost him.”

Damn it. I know how she feels, but she HAS to tell him.

“Okay, what if Tim and I went down to Western with you? We could try to help Larry see that you are still the girl he’s in love with. It might help if he heard it from Tim; they’ve been good friends for a long time. We’ll go down and have some pizza together, okay?”

Debbie smiled. “Thanks, Em. I hope this works.”

“Talk to Larry, let’s figure out a good time to get together, we’ll work this out, okay?”

It turned out that Tim was already planning a trip down to Western to visit Larry, and he thought the pizza idea was a good one. We had to work around Larry’s practice schedule, but Thursday evening found us southbound in Tim’s car. We met Larry at the school, and then he and Deb followed us to Steve’s Pizza.

We had a good time, but Debbie was very nervous, and Larry picked up on it quickly. I finally had to step in. Debbie was too afraid to say anything, and Larry thought she was breaking up with him.

“Larry, one of the reasons we came to visit is that we have to talk about a rather personal issue that Debbie is very afraid to talk to you about. Is there a place that we can all get together in private?”

He thought for a minute, and we realized the best place was right there behind Steve’s.
There was a small park by the river, well lit with good benches to sit down. We walked to the park, and Tim and I had a quick telepathic strategy session.

“Larry, you’re going to be let in on a very big secret. I need you to see that you can never say anything, to anyone. It could not only hurt Debbie, but Emily and I as well.”

Larry looked hurt. “I could never hurt Debbie or you guys.” He turned to Debbie. “I love you, honey. No matter what.”

Debbie was close to tears. “I love you too, but I’ve been so afraid to tell you about this. I’m so afraid of losing you, and I need you. I love you so much.”

That was what Larry needed. “I’m ready, honey. I don’t care what you tell me, we can handle it together, I promise, and I’ll never say anything that could hurt you.”

She curled up to him, still nervous, but determined. “Larry, this may be very hard for you to believe, but it’s all true.

A very long time ago, 5 kids saw a falling star, a meteorite, hit the ground near their village. They decided to investigate, even though some of them worried that it might be bad luck. The oldest was a 16 year old man, and the rest were girls, the youngest was only seven years old. They found a stone like they had never seen before. The 16 year old bravely picked it up, and he fell unconscious.

One of the girls finally picked up the stone, but nothing happened when she did. She handed the stone to one of the others, and then she ran to get help. The other girls stayed with the boy, and while they wanted, they all passed the strange stone around, but no one felt anything different.

When help arrived, one of the men took a heavy cloth and threw the stone out to sea, believing it was cursed, and the stone wasn’t seen again.

The young man soon recovered, but he was changed. As hard as it is to believe, he became a girl. At that time in history, females were considered to be much less than males, so the villagers were less than pleased. As the 5 children began to demonstrate strange abilities, they were cast out from their village, even the 7 year old.

Eventually they found new homes, and they did their best to hide their abilities. People heard of the things they had done, and the stories about them became exaggerated by superstitious people.

Over the years, although few people knew who the girls were, the stories grew, and they were called witches.

Larry, the story is true. Emily and I are descended from those girls. We have some abilities, but we are nothing like the stories. I am not evil, or cruel. I’m a witch, and I love you very much. I hope that you can accept me.”

He looked at her, and he looked at me. “You’re kidding!” Debbie sadly shook her head and was about to leave, when Larry took her in his arms. “This is all you were worried about? You scared me!”

Debbie looked at him strangely. He put her down, and then got to one knee. He opened a small box. “I don’t care about any of that. I love you, and I’m asking you to marry me, please?” He held out a ring and slipped it on her finger.

Debbie almost exploded in joy. “YES, of course I will! I love you so much!” She leapt in to his arms, and they kissed each other happily. She held him and then she came over and hugged me, showing me the ring.

Tim reached over and gave her a kiss on a tear covered cheek. “Congratulations, Deb!” He shook Larry’s hand. “Very cool, bud.” Larry’s smile was amazing. “Thanks!”

Debbie ran back and jumped into his arms. They laughed, and we walked back to the cars. Larry asked Tim and I if we minded that he took Debbie home. “We’ve got a lot to talk about.”

“No problem. Just drive carefully, all right?” Tim said. “I know you are very happy, but be safe, Larry.”

“Oh, definitely!” He held Debbie’s hand. “We’ll see you guys later, okay?”

*I’ll see you in the morning, I love you!* Debbie told me telepathically.

I smiled and waved, and they climbed into Larry’s mini truck.

Tim hugged me. “It looks like we’ve been abandoned. Any ideas?”

“Yeah, there’s an orchard I know of where we can get some fresh cider and caramel apples, and that sounds really yummy to me. Do you wanna go?”

“Yeah, that sounds great. Do they sell the girl caramel apples?”

“Girl apples?”

“Yeah, the ones with no nuts.”

Groan...

Wild Magic 51

I was stupid. I let down my guard, and I almost lost the most important person in my life.

Tim and I were heading for my friend’s orchard, cruising comfortably down the highway with the cruise control set on 70, and we had some really great songs playing from the mp3. I was holding Tim’s hand, just relaxing and enjoying the ride.

There were only a few cars around us, and everything was great when I felt a powerful magical presence and we were suddenly flying through the air sideways and upside down. I barely got a shield up around Tim and I before the car hit the highway and rolled several times. By the time we came to a stop, only the seats were left undamaged. I was so concerned about Tim that I didn’t notice I had a compound fracture of my lower right arm. Tim was unconscious, and I could tell he had a broken leg and internal injuries. I may have been in shock at first, because the next thing I remember was being loaded in the ambulance. I saw a helicopter taking off and realized Tim was in being taken to the trauma unit. My heart dropped and I panicked.

*MOM!* I screamed telepathically.

*Emily? My God! You're going to deafen me! Are you okay?*

*No Mom, we were attacked! I’m in an ambulance on my way to Bronson Hospital, and Tim’s being Lifeflighted there. Can you check on him for me? I can’t just pop out of here right now.*

*Emily, are you hurt?*

*Yes, I have at least a broken arm, and I’m having a hard time focusing my healing abilities.*

*Do you have your Grandma’s amulet?*

I felt for it, but it was gone!

*No, Mom, I don’t know where it is.*

*Try to relax, I’ll meet you in the ER when you get there.*

*Please hurry! Would you call Tim’s parents, please?*

*We’ll take care of it- relax. I’m on my way!*

The ambulance pulled into the hospital ER area. I could see the helicopter sitting on its landing pad. I reached out for Tim, and I could feel him, but he must have still been unconscious, or I was being messed with. The ambulance guys turned me over to a couple of nurses who took my blood pressure and performed a quick triage, I was actually doing pretty well other than the pain, but the nurse, a fairly good looking man, said that I had to see the Doctor first, and that he would be in shortly.

I laid back and closed my eyes, trying to get my healing ability to work, and I could feel it, just not at full strength. I kept trying to focus, and suddenly my mind seemed to clear, and I knew that Mom had arrived. She handed me an amulet and then touched my forehead. Blessed sweet relief!

My pain stopped and my arm began to knit itself together. Mom told me not to go so fast, that the doctor would need to put a cast on my arm before I could fully heal it. I saw the wisdom in that. A nurse walked into my room, but in between the opening of my curtain and her entry my Mom vanished.

I knew she was with Tim, and doing her best to help him. I could feel her energy flow into him, so I opened a small "window" and passed my energy to her. I felt her surprise, and then her talent took my energy and applied it where it would be most effective. I tried to open a channel to him.

*Tim?* All I saw was an unfocused grayness. I tried again, hoping to wake him.

*Tim? Please?* Mom has always said a psychic injury is the worst. I took my feelings and tried to shock him awake. I tried to put as much feeling as I could into my telepathic touch. I love him so much!.

*Tim? Honey, please, answer me. Just relax and open your mind.*

*Mom? Is he all right?*

*I’m not sure, honey. I’ve told you before, the mind can be extremely difficult. We’ve healed the most life threatening injuries, but we can’t heal everything too quickly-that would attract too much attention to the magic.

You two have already had a miraculous escape from death with surprisingly little injury. How far can we push this? I know you’re concerned, but I think it’s just a matter of time. He is healing, but we have to be patient.*

How can I be patient? I’m a teen girl, we’re not built to be patient!

I decided to experiment. I had never tried astral travel, but I laid back and tried to project myself to the crash site. Wow, this was easy! I looked around trying to sense magical energy. I thought I would try to follow the slight trace of wild magic. I found my astral body traveling to an office building not far from the hospital. I tried to focus for a fight, but the office where the energy originated was empty, without even furniture in the room.

Damn!

I felt something strange, and found myself back in the hospital, where a nurse was doing her best to wake me. I sat up and the nurse assisted the doctor to create a cast for my arm. He said he wanted to keep me over night, just for observation, so they sent me up to a room.

As I was getting settled on the bed, another nurse came in, introduced herself and told me she would return in a few minutes to get my information. I laid back and decided to try to reach Tim again.

*Tim? Are you awake yet?*

I thought I could hear something, but was it just wishful thinking?

*Please, Tim, wake up, honey.*

*Emily?*

*Tim! Oh my God, I was so worried!*

*Oww...what happened?*

*I think we were attacked...what do you remember?*

*My car...lost control...where are you?*

*I’m in my room here at the hospital. I’m not sure where you are, but my Mom should be nearby.*

He suddenly seemed more aware.

*Were you hurt? Are you okay?*

*Yes, I’m okay, I just broke my arm. I was able to get a shield up around the two of us, but there was a lot of damage and we got a little tossed.*

*How about the car?*

*I’m sorry, Tim, it happened too fast, I couldn’t save us and the car. It’s beyond totaled, honey.*

*You did the right thing, sweetheart. It was just a car, but you saved our lives. Your Mom just came into the room.*

*Okay, I’ll talk to you in a little while, I need to rest. I love you so much, Tim.*

*Get some rest, baby. My parents just came in the room, and Dad's not happy. I love you, too.*

I closed my eyes, but I couldn’t sleep. I had so much going through my mind, and I was so angry! They’ve killed my friend, tried to kill Mama Gwen, and now they’ve tried to kill Tim and I. I tried to call out to Debbie, and I woke her up.

*What’s up, Emily?*

*Are you okay, Deb?*

*Well, somebody woke my up at 3 in the morning, but otherwise fine. Where are you, you feel far away?*

*I’m in Bronson hospital in Kalamazoo. Tim and I were attacked.*

*What! I’m on my way...*

*Stay there, we’re safe until morning. Get some sleep, I’ll talk to you in a few hours, I was just worried about you.*

*I love you, talk to ya later, okay?*

*Cool, love ya too. Night, Deb.*

I think Mom went back home to get some sleep. I know I would have enjoyed it. Just as I’m almost out, a guy comes in to take a blood sample. I dropped off, and a little later, the nurse shows up to get my blood pressure, pulse and temp. I’ve been in the hospital enough to know that this is normal, but wow, I was just so tired!

I finally dragged my butt out of bed a little after 10AM. I did a quick check. Tim was already awake and feeling much better. They had moved him into another room on the floor below mine. My mom was on her way in the Smart, and planning to take me home.

I was interrupted by a police officer who interviewed me about our accident. I related everything as best I could (leaving my magical shielding and the feeling of magic I had out of it)

I had my breakfast, talked to my doctor, who said they were kicking me out, setting me free, and giving me the old heave ho! I had to wait until all the paperwork was done, but he thought it wouldn’t be long. I decided to gown up and go to see Tim. Two of the police officers were there. He was in a good mood, and his kisses were wonderful. They had him in a cast, and I carefully took a seat next to him on his bed.

"The two of you are extremely fortunate, not only in that you survived the accident, but that two different people witnessed the accident, and they both reported exactly what both of you have told us, that the car suddenly launched itself into the air, came down sideways and rolled. They also said that they were sure you were not speeding or driving recklessly. In my opinion, this was caused by some unavoidable freak natural phenomenon, and that is what will be in my report."

They explained how to get copies of the report, and they left their business cards with us.

I gave Tim a kiss and I quietly assured him that he didn’t need to get too used to the cast.

“Well darn! I thought I had an excuse to be lazy for a while.”

“No way, bud. You’re almost healed already; we just won’t mention that to the doctors. I’m very sorry about your car, if I had just been a little faster...”

“I’ve already told you, don’t worry about the car. With that police report, my insurance should cover the accident, and we can spend some time car shopping. How does a new black Camaro sound?”

“Those are so sexy! But is it really practical? Winter’s coming soon, and your T/A was a real pain on slippery roads.”

“You’re right, how would you feel about a big black Jeep Wrangler?”

“Quite possibly my second choice for a sexy vehicle. Jeeps look tough just sitting there.

“We’ll go check one out, as soon as I get out of here. I hear you get to leave today?”

“Yeah, Mom’s on her way with some clothes she thinks I can wear over my cast. Of course, as soon as I can, I’m losing the cast. I hate that I have to wear it at all, but I can’t let anyone know I’m a witch...”

“I know, honey. I have to talk to you about that.” I looked at him, as he took a breath and
steadied his resolve. “We have to tell my Dad about the magic. If I go home and take my cast off, he’s going to wonder about it. Besides, I don’t like keeping this from him.”

“I agree, I’ve never been happy about that. Will they be here today?”

“They went to a motel for the night, but I expect them any time.” Tim explained

“Then we’ll tell him today. I hope he’ll be all right with it.”

“I don’t think there will be any problem, honey. Dad’s pretty cool.”

I like Jack, Tim’s dad. I’m pretty sure he likes me, so I feel okay telling him.

My mom got there first, and she told me the nurses were just waiting on the doctor to sign some papers before I could go. She brought me some clothes so I had something to wear, since my old clothes had already gone home and were in the laundry.

I took her bag and borrowed Tim’s bathroom so I could change. Mom had made it easy, some fresh underwear (No no, it’s Lingerie! I’m never gonna get used to that), some shorts and one of my old football jerseys, which was huge on me! When I came back out, Tim’s parents had arrived. They had asked about taking Tim home, so the Doctor was filling out a release.

Tim looked at me, kind of letting me know it was time...

“Mr, Davies, um, Jack, I need to explain something...”

So I told him the whole story, from the beginning. I just used Debbie’s approach. To my surprise, he suddenly seemed to get agitated and without saying anything, he angrily stomped out of the room.

Tim looked at me in shock, and Tina had an angry look on her face as she followed him out the door. We could hear them arguing in the hallway, and when it quieted down, Tina came back with tears in her eyes.

“He’s very angry. He feels that you’ve deceived him, and that you have corrupted both Tim and I. He plans to expose you for the ‘evil temptresses’ that he says you are.”

“What will you do?” I asked. What had I done? How would this affect Tim and I?

“He’s waiting outside. As soon as Tim is released, he expects us to go out and leave with him. He is forbidding either of us to have any further contact with you or any member of your family.” She was shaking with anger. “I think the best thing to do right now is for Tim and I to go home and see what we can do. We need to find out where this anger comes from.”

My heart was breaking. I looked at Tim, and saw the sadness in his eyes. “Oh, okay, I guess, if that’s how it has to be.” Then I teleported home, and spent the next couple of hours crying. I tried to look into the future, but it seemed jumbled, and nothing was clear. I realized that my future must have changed, making my previous visions wrong.

I decided that I would try to concentrate on my lessons, both with Elisabette and with school. If Jack tried to expose us, I had to show that I was only what I seemed, a normal high school student. That meant my cast had to stay on for the next several days, at least.

I didn’t care. Nothing really made any difference. I either just kind of drifted along through life, or rushed around with a fake smile. I really didn’t get anything done except cry, and I did that a lot. Mom and Debbie tried to cheer me up, but I was starting to enjoy being miserable, I think. I wanted to talk to Tim, but I couldn’t call him.

Elisabette watched me, concerned and confused. Still, we tried to continue my lessons as though there was nothing wrong. I got used to the cast, and continued to sulk. I thought I was going to spend the next couple of centuries as a sad and lonely witch, until one day Tim showed up at my house in a black Wrangler. I wasn’t sure what to do. I wanted to rush to him, and be in his arms, but what if...

He pushed his crutches out ahead of him, and then made his way to me. “Please, Emily, I love you, and I need you, forgive me please?” He said, sadly. “You don’t need to worry about my Dad.”

I rushed to him with tears of happiness, and then I carefully hugged him. “What happened?”

“Mom’s in the hospital, and Dad’s in jail for putting her there. It’s all a huge mess”

You could have knocked me down with a light breeze. “Oh, my God! What happened?”

“My Dad has been pushing this strange version of God in every sentence lately. He’s been an absolute monster, quoting scripture, demanding ridiculous changes and throwing huge fits...it’s been awful, Emily. On top of all that, trying to live without you has made my life a living hell.

It was a strain, but I tried to make peace with him. I took him car shopping with me, and we even had fun picking this out, and I thought things were going to settle down a bit, but he blew his top and had a tantrum because a light changed before we got to it! He said he had these huge ‘headaches’, and they were driving everyone crazy. It got so bad I wanted to just leave, but I couldn’t abandon Mom, and she wouldn’t leave him.

Last night, they finally got into a huge argument. Mom says that Dad read some part of the Bible that said women should be silent in church and he felt that his home was a church, so she should just do her work and “perform her duties” without complaint. It totally sent Mom over the edge. She got on him about you, and his craziness and everything.

Suddenly it was like he had gone insane! He began slapping her and that became punching and kicking, all the while screaming. I called 911 and then jumped in to defend Mom. I had been out in the garage and their screaming brought me inside. I finally punched him and knocked him down, then tackled him and kept him down until the police got there.

Mom told the officers what had happened, and I explained what I had done. Dad ranted and demanded to be released. As far as I know, he’s still yelling. A paramedic said Mom had some ribs that were at least bruised and a broken arm, along with possible internal bleeding. They took her in to the hospital immediately. I checked on her this morning, and she’s doing pretty well, there was no internal bleeding, just a lot of bruising all over, along with her arm and the bruised ribs. She told me not to worry about her, and to see you as soon as I could.

I’m sorry I couldn’t call or anything, honey. I’ve been missing you so bad. I hoped you would use your telepathy or something to get a hold of me, but I’ll bet you were too upset to even think of it, weren’t you?”

I stood there with my mouth open. It had never even popped into my mind! He must have felt like I had abandoned him!

“Tim, I-“

“I know, honey. Not being together just hurt so bad, I had problems thinking too. I wish I could have kept that pain from you, and I’m so sorry for what my Dad did. Emily is it possible that he’s under a spell?”

I smacked my forehead. Why hadn’t I thought of that? It’s so obvious, the sudden, unexpected and atypical change...why wasn’t I thinking?

Perhaps because part of me has been expecting that reaction?

“C’mon, we have to go see your Dad.” I said.

We got into Tim’s Wrangler and headed for town. I gotta say, compared to any Jeep I’ve ever been in before, this thing is a limousine! Very nice...but then, I’m used to an old
Chevy truck!

He parked the Jeep in front of our little police station. At the front desk we identified ourselves and asked about Jack Davies.

“He was loud and out of control for hours! Was he on any kind of medication that could do this?”

“No sir. He’s been acting kind of strange, then last night he went crazy!” Tim told him.

“He’s been sleeping for the last few hours, probably wore himself out. I can take you back to see how he’s doing, if you’d like?”

“Yes, please, we would appreciate it.”

I think I was expecting something a little more high tech, but the set up could have come almost straight out of the 1800’s. Brick walls and bars. Throw in a couple of cots and a toilet in each cell, with a brick wall between them. Almost a motel room.

Jack was laying on a cot, curled up and asleep. The phone rang, and the Officer asked if we would be alright, and we assured him we would. I sort of “encouraged the Officer to leave us alone for a few minutes, which should be all I need.

The first thing I did was throw up a strong shield around the room, including us and both cells. That should interfere with any manipulative forces. Next, we tried to wake Jack. I expected a relieved soon to be Father in law. What we got was a madman. He screamed and yelled, but he was almost incoherent. He kept trying to rush the bars, as if he could break them. I reached in and telepathically knocked him out. He fell against the bars, so I made sure no one me for a few seconds.

I reached through the bars and touched Jack’s arm. I went in to see what I could find, if there was another one of those “horcrux” things. Yes, I have read the books, but I haven’t seen the movie.

Surprisingly, there was nothing like that. I kept checking things out until I found the problem. I wasn’t able to completely fix things, but I did remove the large tumor that I found in his head, putting pressure on his brain. To do more without really knowing how to fix it might have caused more problems. I thought that perhaps Mom and Grandma could help me.

I came back to myself, and restored things to normal, and then I carefully woke Jack, who was much calmer. He seemed glad to see us, and had no idea why he was in Jail. When the officer finally came back, he was surprised to see Jack acting almost normally.

The problem came when he tried to stand. His legs moved, but he couldn’t stand up. I broke into tears when I realized to my horror that I had messed up somehow. Somehow I had crippled Jack.

Wild Magic 53

This is what I’ve always feared. I went in without anyone else and messed around in one of the least understood organs in the body, and now my fiancé’s father has lost the use of his legs! I’m so angry at myself! I got overconfident and now I’ve ruined someone’s life!

I should have known this would happen eventually. I can't handle this, I’ve got to stop it. Magic is just too dangerous, and with my strength, it’s unsafe to be around me. I've gotta go, gotta stay away from people as much as possible. I teleported home and quickly packed my backpack. I was crying my eyes out. I knew that I had to hurry, before they could find me. I just had to go, to escape!

More than anything I had to get away from Tim. I could just see his face, he would be so mad, and I couldn’t bear it. I didn’t want my last memory of my Tim to be one where he hated me! I knew everyone else would.

I put my backpack in the back of my truck, pulled all the money I had out of the bank and headed North. I didn’t know where I was going for sure. I had the vague idea that I would go up to the Upper Peninsula, then across to Canada at the Soo Locks, and after that, just straight north. I’d find a place away from people and hide, try not to use my magic, Maybe get a job doing something away from people as best I can.

I couldn’t use the main highway; it would be too easy to find me. I headed up M37 to start, but I would frequently change roads so they couldn’t find me. Yeah, it was a lot slower, but if I stayed on the back roads as much as possible, the police wouldn’t see me as easily. I worried about crossing the bridge to the UP. They'd probably have pictures of me and my truck, waiting to arrest me.

I thought about possibly trading my truck for a van, or maybe a 4wheel drive Suburban. I figured I would need something with off road capabilities but big enough to sleep in. These older trucks are becoming popular, and with that big engine under the hood, she’d probably bring a pretty penny.

Maybe I could find a camper top for the back? I could sleep in the back then, and let’s face it, if I got stuck, it was no big deal. With my abilities, getting it out would be easy. Yeah, that’s what I’d do.

I saw this house built into the side of a hill, and as I drove I decided that I would try to do that. Maybe I didn’t have to cross the bridge, where they would be looking for me. No, I’d just find one of the little towns I'd been going through that weren’t much more than a gas station and a little supply store for the deer hunters. I kept seeing signs with property for sale.

I figured I’d buy a cheap piece of land, maybe with an old mobile home on it until I finished my underground house, which shouldn’t take long. I’d build it kind of the primitive style, like some of the Indians did. Heck, I’d taken that old 40 footer and cut it into firewood in 15 minutes. It shouldn’t take me long to build a cabin!

I pulled into a little town that had a gas station, a kind of combination drugstore/ hardware/grocery store with a small restaurant built into it, and a couple of other little businesses I didn’t pay attention too. I sat down at the restaurant and ordered some chicken, fries and a soda. I was surprisingly tired, like I’d burned up all my energy.

I finished my meal, and I decided to park my truck off to the side of the drugstore, where I had some shade and could take a little rest. I pulled the truck in to a nice spot and leaned up against the door, falling asleep almost instantly.

I woke up and looked around, trying to figure out where I was and what was going on. I was in the living room at home. Mom held one of my hands, and Grandma was holding the other. Elisabette sat regally in one of the big chairs, Tina in the other. Jack sat in a wheelchair near her. The entire room was so filled with love, it made me cry.

“Sorry, honey,” Grandma said. “You’ve been poisoned sweetie, and we had to make you sleep without frightening you.”

“Poisoned? But I...”

“It‘s a kind of drug, honey, and it makes you very anxious and you start to doubt yourself. They’ve been sneaking it into your food for a while, and when you felt that you had injured Jack, it pushed you over the top and made you kind of paranoid.”

Tears filled my eyes. “I did hurt Jack! I know Tim hates me, that’s why he’s not here, isn’t it?!” I cried. “I should have waited for you and Grandma, I never should have gone in by myself...”

“Emily, you may have saved my life, little girl.” Jack said, from a wheelchair. “We’ll never know for sure, but that tumor was causing all kinds of problems.”

“But if I had only waited, maybe...”

“Maybe I’d be dead. Maybe I’d be a vegetable, just waiting to die, or worse, what if I was trapped in my brain, alive and aware, but unable to move or interact with anybody?” He shivered. “We’ll never know, thank God.

Your Mom told me you took out that tumor completely-one hundred percent, 'no bout adout it', as my Dad use ta say. It’s gone. There is no compromised tissue left. What you did not do was take out any healthy cells.”

What?

“It was the tumor, honey.” Mom told me. “It was already affecting his motor skills, and a few other parts. When you removed all the cancerous cells, it caused a few problems, but we’re working on it, and while I can’t heal like you do, I’ve been accelerating the healing process. Hopefully this is just temporary.”

“Was that an attack, too?” I asked.

“We may never know for sure. It just happened that Jack had cancer, and it was starting to spread. It’s highly suspicious that his symptoms were much like yours, only very exaggerated. The drug is no longer in his system, if it was the case.”

“Tim will be here in a little while, dear,” Elisabette said, smiling. He’s bringing your truck home, and it won’t take too long, he’s using a much quicker route than the one you used. It was too far for me to teleport, but he volunteered to drive it home.”

“How did you find me?” I asked. Heck, I had no idea where I was!

“I followed your Grandmother’s amulet,” Elisabette said. “On her advice, I made you sleepy, so that you wouldn’t panic and run away again.”

I looked at Jack. “If it doesn’t make you too nervous, would you please let me try to heal you again?”

“Emily, you did it right the first time. Of course I’ll let you see if you can finish it.”

“Mom, Grandma, and Elisabette, would you work with me?”

“I’m torn, dear.” Elisabette said thoughtfully. “I’m rather sure that you could do this without us, and I wonder if I don’t let you do it, will it hurt your confidence in your own abilities?”

Mom looked at me, and smiled. “She’s right, honey. You’ve made no mistakes. Yes, you left the full healing unfinished, but in truth, even that may have been the right move at the time. I have faith in you and your skills. Take your time, and let your magic guide you.”

“I agree.” Grandma said. “You can do it, Emily. I don’t have any doubt. Feel the magic work, let it find the wrongness, and make it right.”

Tina and Jack agreed. Tina gave me a hug, and in just that short time, I fixed the damage that Jack had done to her, and made sure everything was as it should be. Tina looked at me with love. "Thank you, saweetheart!" She hugged me again. They were right. I was ready.

I held Jack’s hand and closed my eyes. I felt for the wrongness, the place where his body had been damaged. Just like I had healed Debbie back when we learned I had magic, the energy flowed out me, drawn out by desire to heal. I rebuilt the parts that the cancer had damaged. I reconnected nerves and made everything feel right again. I knew I had healed him, I was sure of it.

I opened my eyes and let go of his hand. “All right, it’s done. Be careful, it hasn't been very long, but it still might be a bit weak at first. Your muscles haven't had time to atrophy, so that won’t last long.”

Jack locked the wheelchairs brakes and grabbed he arm rests. Tina pulled the footrests out of the way and Jack stood up.

“You’re right, they do feel a little weak, but they work. Well done, Doc.”

I suppose he’s right, in a way. I’ve healed cancer, mended broken bones, fixed the damage from a heart attack...I can pretty much do anything a Doctor can do, and generally faster. They should just give me a degree.

You know I’ll never get this big head in Mom’s little Smart car.

Yes, I realize that if people knew I could heal, I would be inundated with requests, even demands for healing. I’d never get a minute to myself, and every other witch out there would be in danger, even those that don’t have any healing ability.

It’s kind of funny, the world would probably be so much better if the general public didn’t want to kill all of the witches.

I heard a knocking, so I went to answer the door I opened it and my wonderful fiancé walked into the house wrapped his arms around me and kissed me like crazy. All of his love was in that kiss, and I just wanted cry from the joy of it.

“You know sweetheart,” he said, smiling at me. “Sometimes you drive me crazy, but I know that life is never going to be boring with you, and I love you so much!”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, and ya know what else? That truck is a BLAST to drive. Wow!”

I smiled. “Yeah, ain’t she?”

“She’s just like her Momma. Beautiful, and lots of fun, but if you step on her too hard, she’ll kick yer ass!”

Wait until your warranty runs out on your Jeep. I bet it would be lots of fun with a Viper V-10."

"Oh crap!"

I laughed as we went into the living room to join everyone. Once again, the love that was directed towards us was almost overwhelming. There was only one chair available, but that was okay. I let Tim sit down, and then I sat on his leg, just like girls have done forever.

In among all the love and happiness though, I was planning, and thinking about the people who had caused all of this. I was beyond angry, I was in a whole new universe of pissed.

Somehow, someway, and someday, someone’s gonna have a really bad day.

Wild Magic 54

Kinda short, with a big change. Please comment!

Tim told me that we needed to have a private and very serious talk about our relationship. He asked if it would be all right to pick me up at 7 that night, and I agreed. Of course, as soon as I agreed, I got very anxious. Had I messed everything up?

Please, God, don’t let this be the end of us. I love him so much.

Looking back, I'm amazed at what has happened to us, and how far we’ve come since my transformation. I’ve gone from being a Football player to a Krispy Kritter, and then a young woman, before I found out that I was a witch, learnt that I’m very powerful and potentially immortal, and got engaged to a guy!

Just a few minor changes.

I dressed casually but nice, and then waited for 7. Wow, does this clock need batteries? Maybe I need to wind it? Tim was there early (Thank you Lord!), so we took off in the Jeep. He took me down to the lake to talk. The woods where we usually talk are near a landfill, and sometimes, when the wind is wrong, it gets a bit nasty there. This was one of those nights.

Grand Haven was quiet, with the end of the season, and a bit chilly down by the beach. We parked in the lot of a bar/restaurant, and then walked to the beach. We held hands, and I wondered, is this the last time? I wanted to cry, but I held it together for a while longer. Finally I couldn’t wait.

“Tim, are you mad at me?”

“Mad? No! I love you,honey. Please, never forget that. You’re my world, sweetheart.”

My heart started beating again in relief.

“Then what’s up with the relationship talk? You really had me scared.”

He looked thoughtful for a minute. “I see that I did, and I’m sorry, sweetheart. I promise, I will not ever leave you willingly. I just wanted to suggest possible changes to a few plans.”

“Plans? Which plans, what changes?

He looked nervously at the sand.

“What would you say to a Christmas Wedding?”

“I’d bet our parents would freak, is my first thought. My next thought is to wonder why you want this?”

Tim looked embarrassed and unsure. “I don’t know why, It just seems important.”

I kissed him, and at the same moment I sent a probe into his mind and found just what I had expected, he was being manipulated. I decided to quietly try following his biofeedback to the source of the manipulation, and I scored, big time.

I was in a room with ten women of differing ages. I marked the location, then instantly went back to my mind and teleported myself to the room. My appearance startled them, but I shut them all up with a restraining spell and called Elisabette.

*Hey, teacher!* I called. *Elisabette!*

*On my way, dear* Not even a second later, she appeared in the room.

“Well done, Emily.” She looked around the room, probing. “That one is the leader,” She said, focusing on a middle aged women, dressed in some Goth like clothing. She had black hair, a lacey, knee length skirt with a corset of black leather and a black choker, with golden hoops in her ears. “I need to take a little look.” She closed her eyes, and then reopened them a few seconds later, and the woman in black passed out.

“Most of these are sheep, and only by forming a circle do they have power, which this one (indicating the woman in black), uses to cause mischief. I’ll hold these three, disperse the rest, please.”

The women found themselves in an office, upstairs in a police station, with no idea how they got there, and no memory of Elisabette or myself, nor any recollection of magic.

Back to the fun. Elisabette was listening to the woman in the Goth outfit, who was screaming almost constantly.

“You have no right to hold us! Release us and leave this place, or else!” She hollered, and her friends agreed. Loudly.

Elisabette looked at them and all three gradually shut up. They stared at her, all of them very frightened.

“I am the Sorceress, leader of the prime council. We have many questions, and we will have our answers.”

The only question in my mind was, were these the ladies responsible for the most recent attacks on Tim and I?

I walked up to the Goth woman and took her hand. I scanned through her memories; getting angrier and angrier as I saw that she had been the one who had planned and sometimes caused our accident, my anxiety, Jacks distress and Tim’s impatience.

Elisabette looked at the woman. “My dear, you had better start coming up with answers. You are in extreme danger right now.”

I looked her in the eyes. “This is your car, correct?” I indicated the Impala sitting outside. She nodded. Without ever looking away from her eyes, I crushed her car into a small cube, then ‘ported it inside and dropped it next to her.

“Now I’d like some answers, and I’d like them now,” I said calmly, as I compressed her car like a stress ball. “Who is behind these attacks?”
“I can’t-he’ll kill me!” She said.

“I won’t kill you.” I told her. “You wouldn’t suffer long enough, and I want it to last for a long time. How about a nice set of third degree burns, the pain which doesn’t end? That’s more like it!” I produced a large ball of fire in my hand and approached her, which started her screaming. I think she knew I wasn’t bluffing. My anger was white-hot.

“Okay, Em, let me do this, okay?” Elisabette asked me.

“She's hurt my family, my friends and me!” I cried, turning the flame up even more. “She owes me!”

“Please, don‘t let her burn me! He’s a Demon, his na-” To my surprise, she instantly burst into flames, screaming as she burnt into ashes while I stood there and spit into the flames. The other two women vanished. Whether they were alive or dead, I don’t know. Elisabette stood looking at me, and I could feel her disappointment from where I stood. I burst into tears and teleported back to my fiancé.

I fell into Tim’s arms, crying uncontrollably. “What happened?” Tim asked.

Elisabette appeared. “She was pushed past her boundaries, and her anger almost took over. She will need to have some time to recover, and she will need you, Tim. I hadn’t realized how she affected she had been.”

“She’ll be alright?” Tim asked.

“She needs time, and love, but she’ll be fine.” Elisabette smiled. “She was so concerned with protecting you, and so angry. Take her home, Tim. Hold her, and love her. That’s what she needs.”

Tim helped me to the Jeep, and then he took me home. Elisabette must have said something, because Mom and Grandma just held me, and led Tim and I to the living room.

We spent a quiet night watching some chick flick, drinking cocoa and just holding each other. I felt much better by the time Tim had to head home. Knowing he was there was the best medicine I could have had.

Before I fell asleep, Elisabette came in to see me.

“I just wanted you to know that I wasn’t disappointed in you, Emily. I’m actually quite proud. I feared you might have been too soft, or too angry. Yes, you were angry, but you kept control. You did it just right, sweetheart. Good night.”

I still didn’t sleep well.

Wild Magic 55

I tried to just meditate, but so far my mind refused to slow down. I looked over at Elisanette, who was sitting in her lotus position with her eyes closed.

“Relax you need to, young padawan,” she said in a “Yoda” voice. “Quiet your mind, you must.”

“Oh no! Grandma got to you, too?” If they want eternal wisdom, check out my Chuck Norris, or Clint Eastwood Collection, for goodness sake.

Elisabette smiled and an image of Master Yoda appeared. His light saber ignited, and that Yoda voice spoke up. “Lucky you feel...punk?”

I laughed and the image vanished . “Feel better?”

I shook my head. “Thanks, but no. I’m...I’m scared, Teach. I can’t get over the idea that I have to fight a demon.”

“Who said you do?” She asked me.

I looked at her, confused. Hadn’t she been there for the immolation of that flunky?

“You and I have an awesome power, but it has a weakness. You must have a solid faith in that power. Remember, our ability is affected by our belief and imagination.”

“Yes, I know. I’m missing the point, O mighty teacher.” I said, bowing low.

“I like the respect, we should keep that,” she said with a smile, and then continued. “Knowing this, if you, as a less powerful witch were to attempt to defeat one with more power, what must you do?”

Light was beginning to dawn. “Decrease her faith to make her lose power...”

“Perhaps through fear and illusion?”

“The flunky didn’t die, it was all an illusion!” I said. “She was the enemy!”

“Bingo.” Elisabette said, smiling. “Our enemy is an illusionist.”

“So we are battling another flunky, not the main enemy?”

“A good illusionist is a powerful enemy, especially if she is also capable of using drugs and poison to reinforce her illusions.”

“So she could have been behind Thomas’ power-which explains how a male had magic!”

“That and a powerful paralysis drug to stop the other coven leaders. She was probably hidden among them when you arrived, making Thomas believe he had magic. It seems our illusionist is not only a fraud, but also a coward.”

“But what about the manipulation?” I asked.

“I’m guessing here, but what if that is her true talent, manipulation? The illusions could be a form of manipulation of our minds, couldn’t they?”

“She’d have to be very good at it.” I said. “Why don’t the amulets work then?”

“I would bet that the protection is weak because the mind wants to believe the illusion. Just like in stage magic, if you know how the trick is done, you can see through the illusions, but we tend to believe what our eyes tell us, even if it is illogical.”

“Even Gwen’s possession could have been drugs and manipulation, couldn’t it?”

“Or the work of an ally-She does not want to face us directly.” Elisabette told me.

“So how do we defeat her?” I asked.

“By using your other senses to get around her illusions.”

“Using the other senses all the time? There’s a headache in the making.” Aspirin, anyone?

“No, you use those senses like using a car’s mirrors. Pay attention, but keep checking for anything odd. Keep aware that she could strike at any time, so she has a bit of an advantage there, but once she strikes, you have the power. At this time, she doesn’t know that we have her figured out. She might do something stupid, allowing us to isolate her and shut her down.”

“I just hope that whatever she tries isn’t dangerous.” I said with concern.

“That could be a problem, too, especially if we over-worry about things.”

“One question, Teach. Until she moves, how much worry is too much?

“Good Question.”

<--oo-->

Tim and I had a small argument. He wanted to have half of the football team as his attendants, because he can’t disappoint his friends.

I said that they’re football players-they’re strong, they can deal. I think we should keep it down to your Best Man and four, and he finally agreed. Tim says that since everyone is an individual, and sees things their own way, that disagreements and differences of opinion are inevitable.

The important thing is how you handle an argument. Being graceful and respecting the opinion of the other person is mature and reasonable. Screaming and making threats is
juvenile, childish behavior, but unfortunately normal.

Sometimes, no matter how much you try not to, especially with someone you love, you end up in a screaming match. These are very dangerous, because you can lose your self control and say things, hurtful and disgusting things that you would never normally say. The kind of things that are meant to be hurtful, and are very hard to forgive when the argument is over.

Tim and I firmly believe that we will have fights like this. We have to maintain control, and I plan to ask all of my parents for suggestions. They’ve had successful marriages; I want to know what they did.

Okay, I know what you’re thinking. ‘You’re a powerful mind-witch, just change his mind!’ right? That or ‘Just merge your minds, like you did with Grandma’. Those are both possible, but it just seems wrong, especially the first one, so no, those won’t happen.

And no, I probably won’t use the frog spell.

I want my marriage to be happy, but I’m realistic. It won’t be a typical marriage, but Tim is a strong, confident person, and able to be his own man. I like that about him. He’s my Knight.

We had several discussions and visited many vendors for things like invitations, cakes, tuxedos, halls and music for the reception...it starts to get overwhelming. Tim surprised me one morning with a book of home plans.

“I want to have our house built by the time we get married, but I thought we should talk about it first. These are houses my Dad’s company has built, and I think we’ll find something we like here.”

This is not what I expected. I thought we’d probably live on campus, or in an apartment very close to it. I forget that my fiancé has considerable funds! It took a minute, but I finally caught up (after a couple of cups of coffee). My thought was to find our property first, and then come up with a house that fits. So we spent the day in the Jeep, looking at properties.

We are very fortunate, in that we have several choices of environments to live in. I like the forested sort of places we both grew up in, and Tim wants to be near water. Our town is near a part of the Grand River, and we both like to fish, so that is sort of what we’d like. I don’t want to be too close to the water, because there are floods and high water every spring. If I live close to the water, it should be on a boat in Florida!

We found several lots we both liked, but one really stood out. It was north of Marne, just a few miles from our parents’ houses, and it overlooks a small lake. We thought a modern log building would work perfectly. Tim called and placed a bid on the property, and then we headed home. It was a Saturday, so we didn’t really expect a response until Monday, but before we got home, our bid was accepted!

This is a very big step for me, and one I hadn’t expected this soon. I like it, and I love the house plan we picked out, but I’m a little overwhelmed right now. Tim is gung-ho, and he says construction could start by Friday. Oh my!

I’m still picking invitations, and he’s building a house! I really need to talk to Mom and Grandma, so I can ground myself again. The house is so wonderful that I feel...wild and unconcerned, I guess, but this is reality. There are holidays and homework and so many other things on my mind.

I love Tim, but I think he’s going to spoil me. Aww, darn.

Wild Magic 56

(Let's hope this is the end of the dry spell)

This might be disappointing, or boring, but nothing has happened in my search for my enemy, the illusionist. Elisabette says we have to remain vigilant, and pray that she does something stupid. Waiting for her to do something gets old quickly.

The weather here is much nicer than usual for November. No real snow at all so far, and maybe not until mid-December. Of course, Michigan weather can surprise you.

I know, some of you are thinking, look, no shoveling, fewer driving accidents, less hassle, etc. True, but without the snow, the water table and lake levels drop. That hurts all kinds of people.

Elisabette says I have to really know what I’m doing before I mess with the weather. Small changes can have disastrous consequences. Things happen for a reason but our magic is like correction fluid. We can make small, individual changes, but big changes have huge repercussions.

“So you’re saying we make ‘dents’ in reality, like healing a broken leg, but trying to stop a famine...”

“...is too big a bump, and the ‘structure’ resists too much. Of course, you and I have the strength to make bigger bumps, but remember, the more you push, the more you distort reality. That’s one reason we sense the small changes. They have the most effect for the least effort.”

“I see. That also explains why we can’t time travel. Reality becomes too rigid to change.”

“Not exactly, but a good working theory. Describing the process is beyond my ability, but trust me, the past is immutable. It’s done and gone.”

“Darn,” I said. “I had hoped...”

“I’m sorry dear. Time shouldn’t be messed with.”

“Umm...”

“What did you do?” she asked, a little panicky.

“I’ve ‘frozen’ time before for some people. Not often, but...”

“What you did was throw up a short term suspension for an individual. It’s not really stopping time.”

“Oh, okay.”

Elisabette touched my cheek. “Sorry, dear, I don’t believe that there is any way to go back and prevent your accident.”

I sighed. “I sorta figured that, and I guess I’m kinda used to the idea that Gabe is gone. I mean, it won’t be long, and I’ll be Tim’s wife!

The construction on our house should be completed soon. I’m not even sure how I feel about that, to tell the truth.

I mean, I’m conflicted. It’s one thing to plan on getting married, but another thing entirely to see your house take shape! Suddenly, it’s really going to happen, and soon! In 5 months, my whole life will change. In a way, it’s a bigger change than my gender transformation. Grandma won’t be there to wake me up for school, or to chew me out for not acting “ladylike”. They won’t be that close anymore (okay, it’s only a few quick miles, but still...).

Okay, I know it sounds stupid, but I can’t wait, and I’m half scared to death. If the anticipation doesn’t kill me, the panic will! I feel almost like a child waiting for a spanking on Christmas morning. I don’t want the bad parts, but waiting is driving me crazy!”

“I hope you realize that when you marry, I will be going home to England, and you’re basic training will be done. Oh, your mother and Grandmother will still help you train, but you know the basics.”

“I know, and I appreciate all you’ve done for me.”

“Let’s take a trip,” she said, smiling. “Let’s go to where it all started.”

“You’re kidding! To your place?”

“Yes, to the UK-just for a short time. That way, if you should ever need me, you’ll know where to go, or even if you just want to visit.”

“I don’t have a passport, yet.”

“Bah, silly things! Helps ‘em to track you, I’ve never had one!”

“Let’s tell my mom so she doesn’t worry.”

“Already handled. Now, shield up, focus on this image and let’s go!

We were near a modest brick house, nothing fancy. Elisabette smiled and invited me in. It was comfortably furnished, and had two large windows with a fireplace in between. It was a beautiful view of the sea, and the fire felt very warm and relaxing.

“So where are we?” I asked.

“Just south from Low Hauxley.” She looked around. “This is very near where it all started.”

“So all the witches can trace their history to a small village near here?”

“The village is long gone, but yes, the meteorite landed less than a kilometer from here. In fact, it’s probably just offshore someplace close by.”

“You’ve never tried to look for it in all those years?”

“No, what would I want it for? It’s in a safe place where it is, and likely to remain there several more centuries.”

We had a good time, talking for hours, then driving into High Hauxley for a meal at the pub and then out to where the rock fell (approximately). We talked about what it was like when they were driven from their town, and how they lived at first.

I wondered how it felt to live all those centuries, and to outlive everyone you know and loved. There were a lot of tears and a few laughs between us, I promised that I’d be back when it was time. She wouldn’t be alone again.

Elisabette told me that she moved around, keeping her head down so no one knew she was as old as she was, but yet looked so young and beautiful. We decided she could come to me when she had to. We could mix and match and be each others child or cousin. Part of it sounded like fun, other parts...I didn’t want to think about at all.

We went home in a somber mood. Grandma of course, knew what I was thinking about. She tried to comfort me, and said that the memories and thoughts she had shared with me meant that in a way, she would be with me for a very long time. It didn’t help, and I cried in her arms.

Living forever is only good if everyone around you does it, too.