A Friend in Deed

Copyright© 2016 Quadhouse
All Rights Reserved.

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“Are you kidding me?”

Marcus looked down into Janet’s beautiful green eyes. The pain in them hurt him. This was the last thing he wanted to do to her. She had recently been outed as a lesbian and all of her so called friends turned on her. Marcus was the only one who stood by her. “I’m not joking,” he said.

She held up a heart shaped locked made of silver. “Do you honestly expect me to believe that this will do what you just said?”

“Have I ever lied to you,” Marcus asked. “I know you don’t believe me. Hell, I wouldn’t believe me. But I’m telling you the truth. You put that locked on me, and I’ll turn into the girl of your dreams.”

Janet turned and started pacing. “Marcus,” she began. “Magic isn’t real. There’s no way this locket will do what you said.”

“Magic is real,” the teen insisted. “Unfortunately, the only way to prove it is to show somebody real magic. And I can’t prove it until you put that locket on me.”

Janet paced for a few moments. “Okay,” she said. “Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that I believe you. I put this locket on you and I get my dream girl. What do you get out of it?”

Marcus gave his friend a small smile. “I get to see you happy. Even if it’s only for one night. You deserve this. You’ve been a good and reliable friend. You do not need all the shit you’ve gotten recently.”

Janet studied Marcus with narrowed eyes. “And going out on a date with me has nothing to do with it?”

Marcus rubbed the back of his neck. “I’d rather go out with you with me as a boy. But, you don’t do boys. I don’t like it, but I can understand it. Sorta.”

“I knew it,” Janet said as she pointed at her friend. “You just want to go out with me.”

“Who’d blame me? You are a sexy woman. Only a fool wouldn’t want to go out with you.”

Janet blushed at Marcus’ reply. She knew he was attracted to her. He had asked her out before she was revealed as a lesbian. Of course, she turned him down, but she was polite about it and he didn’t react badly. Only disappointed. “Marcus,” she growled.

“What?” He replied. “I’m being honest. Besides, I think this is the only way you will try the locket.”

Janet looked at the locked in her hand. If what Marcus said was really true, she’d have a date for the dance tonight. If it wasn’t. . . If it wasn’t, she wouldn’t have lost anything. Then there was the fact that Marcus had never lied to her. Oh sure, he’s kept secrets. What person doesn’t have secrets. But he has never lied to her. Whenever he didn’t want to tell her something, he told her that. Sometimes, he even told her why he didn’t want to tell her.

“Marcus,” she sighed. “I can’t do this.”

Marcus blinked. “Don’t you believe me?”

“I do. That’s why I can’t do this.”

“Why not?”

Janet took a deep “There are things you don’t know about me,” she said. “Things that you may not like.”

“What,” scoffed Marcus. “You think that the fact that you like short girls will scare me?”

Janet blinked. “You know I like short girls?”

“Of course,” Marcus answered. “For the people who know you, you’re not exactly discreet. I’ve seen you watch the shorter girls whenever you thought you could get away with it.”

Janet blushed and looked away from her friend. “Was it that obvious,” she asked.

“Like I said, only to those who knew you.” Marcus thought for a moment. “Your mother probably knows. If she does, she’s most likely waiting for you to tell her.”

Janet had to agree with that. Her mother was a very perceptive and accepting woman. As long as she wasn’t doing anything to hurt herself or anybody, she would wait until she, Janet, brought it up. Which made her think about how long her mother knew she was a lesbian. And why didn’t she say anything to her about it.

“So,” Marcus began. Startling Janet out of her thoughts. “Are you going to put it on me?”

“Marcus,” Janet said, suddenly nervous. “I don’t think you want me to do that.”

“Of course I do. I wouldn’t have gotten this from my mom if I didn’t.”

“Your mom!”

“You think I could just get something like this off the streets? This is like a family heirloom.”

“All the more reason for us not to use it.”

“Janet. I want to give you one night of fun.”

Janet gave a nervous grin. “Really, Marcus. There’s things you don’t know. Things you need to know.”

“The only thing I need to know, is that you need a night of fun,” Marcus replied. “You don’t smile much since, you know. You don’t laugh anymore, either. You need this. Really. And I want to give it to you.”

“Marcus,” Janet said sadly. “As much as you know about me, you don’t know everything. The things you don’t know could hurt you.”

Marcus gave Janet a slow smile. “I may not know everything about you, but I seriously doubt it would hurt me. So, please, put the locket on me.”

Janet slowly raised the locket. “Marcus, I think you’re making a big mistake.”

“I don’t think so. You’re my friend and I trust you.”

“That makes one of us,” muttered Janet. She took a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll do it. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you if something you don’t like happens.”

Marcus smiled. He bent his head forward to allow Janet to put the locket on his head. “Don’t worry. You’ll put the locket on me, I’ll turn into a girl. Then we go to the dance, have a good time and make those bitches jealous, then come home. Simple.”

Janet just sighed and shook her head. She didn’t really believe the locket would do what Marcus said, but she went along with it anyway. He always could make her smile and laugh. Even when she didn’t want to. She closed her eyes and place the locket around Marcus’s neck.

Marcus felt the locket go around his neck. At that instant, he felt a shock go through his body. He closed his eyes as he felt his body twist and change. He swayed on his feet as his body lost height. He felt his waist narrow and his hips widen. Hair fell down his back in soft waves. He grimaced slightly as his face rearranged itself to a more feminine shape.

Altogether, the changes were not unpleasant. Especially when his penis turned into her vagina. He, now she, was definitely glad when the changes stopped. She knew she’d have to go through the changes again, in reverse, but that was later. She took a deep breath. She frowned at the way hanging from her chest. It was more that she was expecting.

“Well,” she said looking up into Janet’s eyes. “How do I look?”

“Beautiful,” Janet breathed.

Marcus waited a moment. When Janet didn’t say anything else, she got suspicious. Her suspicions increased when she noticed Janet wasn’t staring at her face. Her gaze was lower. “Janet,” she growled. “Those are not my eyes. Why are you even staring anyway? You have a pair of your own.”

“Mine are not as big as yours,” replied Janet. She crossed her arms over her breasts. “I’m feeling flat all of a sudden.”

Marcus blinked. At a C-cup, Janet was not small. She should not be feeling flat. Then she remembered the weight she felt earlier. It was still there. But now she was more aware of it. Slowly, she turned her eyes to look. Hoping that it wasn’t that bad.

It was worse.

Marcus saw her breasts well before she thought she should. She couldn’t see her feet. She couldn’t see Janet’s feet. Janet wasn’t standing that close to her. Huge wasn’t the word for her breasts. Each was bigger than her head. She could feel them pressing against her from her armpits to the top of her stomach. They were wide enough that they could be seen from behind. Yet, despite their size, they still projected almost a foot from her body. She didn’t understand how she was still standing.

“Janet,” screamed Marcus. “What the hell is this?”

Janet gave a nervous grin. “Um. I told you there was things you didn’t know.”

Marcus glared at Janet. “Are you really a girl?”

Janet glared back. “Yes! I’m a girl. I just like short girls with really huge boobs.”

Marcus looked back down at her breasts. Her hands hefted their weight. “Mom’s going to love this,” she finally said. “She wanted to take me shopping for a dress for our date tonight.”

Janet stared at Marcus’ breasts. “Good luck finding a dress that fits.”

After a few moments of waiting, Marcus realized Janet wasn’t going to say anything else. “I know I’m short,” Marcus finally said. “But my eyes are not down there.”

Janet snapped her eyes back to Marcus’ face. “Sorry, “she said with a slight blush. “It’s just. . . They’re so big!”

Marcus looked down at her breasts. “You don’t have to tell me,” she sighed. “But what really gets me, is that I had to tell a girl that my eyes are up here.”

Janet’s blush darkened. “I can’t believe I was staring like a boy.”

“I think anybody would stare,” Marcus said as she shifted her shoulders. “These things are heavy. I can’t believe they’re real. Real girls just don’t get this big.”

“Not normally,” Janet said.

“I don’t mean those fake girls you find on the internet,” Marcus said with a roll of her eyes. “I don’t know how you even get on those sites. Don’t you need a credit card to pay for them?”

“My brother,” answered Janet. “And I don’t mean those girls. I mean real women. “

Marcus opened her mouth.

“Women who don’t have implants.”

Marcus closed her mouth.

“Are you sure those women are real.”

“Yes,” nodded Janet. “If you dig long enough, you can find evidence for or against them. The only thing they had in common was their condition. It was called breast hypertrophy.”

Marcus tilted her head in thought. “You’re making that up.”

“No, it’s true,” insisted Janet. “You can Google it yourself, . . . Um. What do I call you now that you’re a girl? I mean, Marcus is a boy’s name.”

“Mom was going to name me Nicole, if I had been born a girl,” Marcus answered. “I guess you could use that name.”

“Nicole, huh? I like it. For now, on, your name is Nicole. As long as you’re a girl that is.”

“Fine,” the newly christened Nicole said. “Now that that’s over, I need to get home.”

“But you just got here! Why do you have to leave already?”

“Because I need to get ready for the dance” Nicole patiently answered. “For some reason, Mom is convinced I can’t get ready in less than four hours.”

Janet looked at the clock and her eyes widened. “Is that the time,” she shouted. She turned back to Nicole. “You need to hurry,” she said. “If we’re lucky, your mom has already made an appointment to have your hair done at the salon.”

“What,” yelped Nicole.

“Hey,” snapped Janet. “I may not be all girly-girl, but I do like to be pampered every now and then.” She sighed. “But I’m not sure you’ll have to the time to get everything done. You really should have done this earlier today.”

“How was I supposed to know girls take a long time to get ready?”

Janet blinked. “You know, that comment doesn’t make any sense now.” She shook her head. “But that doesn’t matter right now. We need to get you back to your home. You need to start getting ready.”

“Fine already,” Nicole moaned. “I’ll go home.” She started patting her pockets. “Um, where are my keys?”

“Probably in your purse,” smirked Janet.

“Purse? What purse.”

Janet pointed. “That one.”

Nicole turned to look to where Janet was pointing, but she turned too fast. Her gigantic breasts kept moving when she stopped turning. Their momentum caused her to spin around and crash into Janet.

“Easy there,” Janet said as she caught the smaller girl. “You are a very top-heavy girl. You can’t just spin around like that.”

“And who’s fault is that,” grumbled Nicole as she regained her balance. “I know it isn’t mine. I wouldn’t have chosen such ridiculous boobs.”

Janet blushed. “Dreams aren’t always practical,” she admitted. “And they’re not always something you can achieve. Sometimes, they’re just something to motivate you to do better.”

“That’s nice. Who told you that?”

“My mom,” Janet answered. “She told me when I asked her about lesbianism.” She sighed. “I was so afraid she would figure out I was talking about myself. I’m still not sure why she told me that. But, from what you said, she probably already knew I was a lesbian.”

“Well, she is a bit strange.”

“True. And you’re stalling.” Janet pointed. “Get your purse and let’s go. We really don’t have the time to waste. Or, do you not want to go to that dance with me?”

Nicole squared her shoulders. “I said I’d go with you,” she said.

Janet started grinning.

Nicole stared at the taller girl for a moment. “What are you grinning at,” she finally asked.

“You really shouldn’t square your shoulders like that,” she pointed out. “It really makes your boobs stand out. Not that they need that. They stand out enough on their own.”

Nicole blushed and hunched her shoulders. “Janet,” she moaned. “That’s embarrassing.”

Janet sighed. “You’ll have to get used to the stares,” she said. “With as big as you are. Sorry about that. I just wished I knew why you turned out like this. I mean, I know I like really big boobs, but your size is impractical for everyday life. If this was just for sex, then I could understand the size.”

“Wait,” Nicole said. “You don’t fantasize about women with boobs this big?”

“I do,” Janet answered. “But only for sex fantasies. Those are way too big for everyday living.”

“Wait,” the extremely endowed girl began. “If you only fantasize about girls with boobs this big, why am I this big? I should only be what you consider large and sexy.”

“Who says I don’t find them sexy?”

Nicole glared.

Janet backed up a step. “You sure you weren’t born a girl? You definitely have the death glare.”

Nicole glared harder.

“Alright, already,” Janet said. “I have a tit fetish, okay! Are you happy now?”

“I’d be happier if I knew why my boobs are so big,” Nicole answered.

“I don’t’ know. I do know that I like them big.” She looked at Nicole’s breasts. “Maybe not quite that that big. But big. I mean, your size is impractical for regular living. They’d get in the way of anything you try to do.”

Nicole eyes narrowed. “You’ve thought a lot about this, haven’t you?”

“What?” Janet asked defensively. “I have fantasies, you know. I’ll bet your fantasy girls had giant tits too.”

“Don’t you try to change the subject,” Nicole demanded as a light blush covered her cheeks. “We’re not talking about me. We’re talking about you.” She went to cross her arms over her chest. But, she couldn’t find a comfortable position and ended up putting her hands on her hips.

Janet couldn’t help but giggle at the sight.

“I’m happy to amuse you,” growled Nicole. Unfortunately, her growl wasn’t as fearsome as she wanted it to be.

Look, this is getting us nowhere,” Janet said. “Let’s just get you home so you can start getting ready for the dance tonight. Okay?”

Nicole sighed. Janet was right. She really needed to go and get ready. She turned to her purse. Slowly this time. She didn’t want a repeat of the last time. She, then slowly knelt and reached for her purse. “Um,” she blushed. “Can you tell me where my purse is? I can’t find it.”

“M-move y-your hand a l-little to the r-right,” stuttered Janet.

“Are you laughing at me?”

“No,” Janet managed to say. “Why would I do that?” She couldn’t stop the snort as she finished speaking.

“You are laughing at me,” huffed Nicole. “Why are you doing that?”

“I’m sorry,” giggled Janet. “It’s not every day you see a girl with boobs so big she can’t see what’s in front of her.”

“At least you could hand me the purse.”

Giggling, Janet walked to the purse and picked it up. “Do you want some help standing,” she asked her friend. “I’m not sure you can get back up with all that weight.”

“No, thank you,” Nicole said. “I can stand up fine on my own.” Nicole went to stand up, only to find that the weight of her breasts wouldn’t let her. She tried leaning forward, but quickly stopped as she felt herself tipping over. She tried using her arms to keep them close to her body, but that didn’t work either. Finally, she looked around for something she could use to help her stand. The only thing close was Janet. She had her hand out and a huge smile on her face.

“Are you sure you don’t want any help,” she giggled.

Grumbling, Nicole took her friend’s hand. Even with help, Nicole had a tough time getting to her feet. “Don’t even think about it,” she growled at Nicole. “Just give me my purse so I can go home.”

Even though she tried, Janet couldn’t keep from grinning as she handed her temporary girlfriend her purse. “So, what time should I expect you?” Janet asked as Nicole rooted through her purse.

“I don’t know,” Nicole answered. “I’ve never done this before. Um, I guess 8. That’s not too late, is it?”

“No, that’s not too late,” Janet answers. “You should be finished getting ready by then.” She watched Nicole root through her purse for a moment. “What are you looking for?”

“My car keys,” the busty girl said without looking up. “For some reason, I can’t find them.”

Janet studied the shorter girl for a moment. “You may not have car keys,” she finally said.”

Nicole froze. “What?” she asked. “I have to have car keys. I drove here didn’t I?”

“Not exactly,” Janet said with a wince. “I mean, I don’t know much about magic, but with as short as you are, and as big as your breasts are, you may not have been able to drive here.”

“What?”

“Couldn’t the magic decided that since you’re both so short and so big, that you can’t fit behind a steering wheel,” Janet asked. “I mean, your boobs are bigger than you head! Only porn stars have boobs that big. And they’ve got implants!”

Nicole glared at her friend. “And who’s fault is that,” she demanded. “I know I didn’t ask for these.”

Janet blushed. “You know I like big boobs,” she said. “Even bigger than this, if you want to get picky. But those are just fantasies. I would never want a woman to be this big in real life. For one thing, those have got to be really heavy. And, they’d be a bitch to work around.”

Nicole glared at her friend for a moment before reluctantly agreeing with her. “So, what about me not driving here? You know how hard I worked on getting that car.”

Janet nodded. Marcus had practically built that car. Marcus’ father had salvaged a 1975 Ford Mustang and he and Marcus had worked on it for 2 years. Marcus didn’t expect anything but to spend some time with his dad. The fact that he got the car for his 16th birthday came as a complete surprise.

“Maybe you’ll get your car back after you take of the locket,” Janet said with a wince.

“I am not taking off this locket until after we get back form the dance,” Nicole said flatly. “But you may have a point about my car. I’ll ask my mom when I get home. I’ll call home and see if somebody can come and get me.”

“No,” Janet said. “I’ll take you home. It’s the least I can do. Especially since you’re doing all this for me.”

Nicole looked into her cleavage and sighed. She couldn’t stop the shiver that ran down her spine at the feeling of her breath against her breasts. “Alright,” she said. “Let’s go. I just hope Tammy doesn’t laugh herself to death when she sees me.”

“She’d better not,” growled Janet. “And if she did, I’d remind her that your boobs are bigger than hers.”

“Just what I always wanted,” Nicole said as she rolled her eyes. “Boobs bigger than my sister’s. Come on. I’ve get a date to get ready for. It may be the only time I get you out on a date.”

Once in Janet’s car, Nicole took a few moments to get the seatbelt settled. “Damn seatbelt’s,” she grumbled as she finally snapped it closed.

“All women have that problem,” Janet remarked. “Some just find it more annoying than others.” Nicole huffed and turned to look out the window. Janet just shook her head as she buckled herself in and started the car. “You may want to watch the jiggle as well. As big as you are, I don’t think you’ll enjoy it.”

“And just how am I going to do that?”

“Hold them,” Janet said. “You can either put your arms on top and press them down. Or, you can hold them from the bottom. Personally, I’d like you to hold them from the bottom. But, I’d probably get distracted and crash.”

“What!”

Janet grinned. “Holding them from the bottom will only stop them from jiggling around. And, with your size, that really won’t stop them from jiggling.”

Nicole glared a Janet for a moment before putting her arms on top of her breasts. She then turned to stare out the window. “Just get me home.”

“Remember,” Janet said. “This was your idea. I didn’t ask you to do this. I wouldn’t have asked you to do this even if I knew you could have done this earlier.”

Nicole sighed. “I know,” she said. “It’s just my boobs are so fucking big! I know you like big boobs. I like big boobs. I just wish I knew why I’m so big.”

“Ask your mom,” Janet said. “You did say you got the pendant from her, right? Maybe she knows why you’re so big. I mean, it can’t be just because I like them big. I would have been perfectly happy if you were only a D-cup.”

Nicole looked down at her chest. “I don’t know,” she said. “D-cups look awfully small now.”

Janet couldn’t help herself. She snorted. “Porn stars look flat next to you,” she said. “And I don’t mean the girl-next-door types, either. I’m talking about the ones with the big implants. They wish they were as big as you.”

“Why now,” Janet asked after a few moments of listening to the radio.

“Huh,” Nicole asked. “’Why now’ what?

“Why did you show me you and your family can do magic now?”

“Oh, that.” Nicole sighed. “You’ve seen the news about the ‘snake girl?’”

“Oh yeah,” nodded Janet. “She’s been on the news for a couple of months now. Wait! You mean she’s real! She’s not some sort of elaborate hoax?”

“She’s real,” Nicole said. “She’s the reason why Mom okayed me telling you about the pendant. Magic is coming back into the world. That ‘snake girl’ is the emissary of the gods.”

Janet couldn’t stop her head from turning and staring at her buxom friend. What she just said was too incredible. It couldn’t be real.

“Eyes front,” snapped Nicole.

Janet snapped her head back around. She saw that she was fast approaching the rear of another car. She slammed on the brakes. The car screeched to a stop. Both girls sat there, panting.

After a moment, Janet caught her breath and pulled over. “Now,” she said once she put the car in park. “When you say ‘gods,’ whose gods are you talking about?”

“All of them,” Nicole said. “Yes, that does include the Judeo-Christian god as well.”

“Why do you think there hasn’t been any miracles for the past few hundred years,” Nicole quietly asked when Janet didn’t say anything. “From what Mom has told me, magic left the world thousands of years ago. The gods fought over what little was left. One god one, and you know which one. That one, banned all magic users. Saying they were either evil, or worshipped evil. He even tried to kill all magical creatures. The only ones that survived were the ones that went into hiding, or submitted to him.”

“But why do all that?”

“Magic had left the world,” Nicole said. “No more was coming in. The magic users and magical creatures used magic. Leaving less for the god. And, without magic, even the gods can’t stay in the world.”

Nicole studied her friend for a moment. “I can understand if you don’t want to go to the dance with me,” she said. “It’s not easy having your world view shaken.”

Janet shook herself. “No,” she said as she put the care back into gear. “We’re going to that dance. And I’m going to rub those stuck up bitches’ faces in your cleavage. And their bastard dates too. Tell me I should die because I’m a lesbian. Fuck them and their god.”

After pulling back in to traffic, Janet gave Nicole a side long look. “Does your religion accept new people?”

“You don’t even know what my religion is,” protested Nicole.

“Does it have anything against lesbians?” Nicole shook her head. “Then it’s okay with me. Too many so-called upstanding Christians hate homosexuals. They tell everybody we’re sexual deviants. Ha! All the rapist I’ve heard about were all straight. Bet they don’t spread that fact around.”

“Okay,” Nicole said. “Calm down. I want to get home in one piece, you know. Besides, our high priest has told us that their god will be having a few words with his followers when he gets back. Apparently, he’s not happy with how his words have been twisted.”

Janet’s eyes widened. Then a wicked grin appeared on her face. She could just see how her friends would react when they heard this. “Any word on when that will happen,” she asked.

“The emissary hasn’t said,” answered the busty girl. “She says that the magic has just now started returning to the world. It needs to build up before any other magical being or creature can return. Mom hopes she doesn’t give a time frame. If people believe their god will return at any moment, they’ll clean up their act all the sooner.”

Janet nodded. “I can see that. Now, about your religion. I’m serious about joining. If not yours, then another. I’m tired of people telling me I’m going to hell because I’m a lesbian.”

Janet gave a mental groan. She hadn’t meant to say that. She didn’t want to burden her friend with that particular problem. Sure, Nicole knew she was having problems. But she didn’t need to know that people were telling her she was going to hell. Now, here she was, trying to come up with another subject to talk about. “So,” Janet suddenly said. “When you said the snake-girl was the emissary to the gods, what did you mean by that?”

“Exactly what I said,” answered Nicole. “She’s the emissary to the gods.”

“Whose gods?”

"From what my mom said,” Nicole answered. “All of them.”

Janet blinked. She opened and closed her mouth several times. “How does that even work,” she finally asked. “Aren’t most gods insisting that they’re the only god?”

“Most religions,” Nicole stressed, “insist that they are the only true religion. A lot of religions have multiple gods, you know.”

Janet pressed. “But they still insist that they’re the only one, right.”

Nicole nodded then grimaced as a bump caused much jiggling in her abundance. “How to girls deal with this?”

Janet grinned then answered. “Most do not have that much. Most strippers don’t have that much. Girl you are a fantasy come true.”

“I wish your dream had smaller breasts,” grumbled the busty girl.” Janet just laughed.

“So,” Janet said after a moment. “What else do you know about that snake-girl? And what do you actually call her?”

“Her name is Rebecca. Or, were you asking what she is?”

“What she is. I’ve heard some arguments about that.”

“We’re not sure,” Nicole answered. “She has features of both a Naga and a Lamia. But neither has four arms or her coloration. So, we do not know what, exactly she is.”

“What does she say?”

“Nothing,” Nicole answered. “She says it doesn’t matter. She’s here and she has a job to do. Personally, I think either she, or the gods, have a twisted since of humor.”

Janet asked, “What if she’s something new? If she’s some new kind of monster, she may not have a name.”

Nicole tilter her head to the side. “I hadn’t thought of that,” she said. “Let’s talk about something else. I get enough talk about magic at home. With Mom and my sister going on about all the possible changes.”

“How about your dress,” Janet asked after a moment’s thought.

Nicole’s heart sank. She realized she may have made a mistake asking Janet to change the subject.

* * *

Nicole had never been so happy to get home. The questions Janet asked her about the dress were exhausting. She didn’t know much about dresses. And she didn’t want to learn. But the questions kept coming. When she wasn’t being asked about dresses, it was shoes. Or jewelry. It was a good thing she liked Janet, or these questions would have had her cancel the date.

She did have a little trouble opening the door as her right breast was pressing against it. When it did open, she had to catch herself as her breast tried to pull her out of the car. She blushed as she heard Janet giggle. By the time she got herself out and stable, Janet was already at the door to her house. “I thought you were going to wait on me,” she said.

“I’m avoiding temptation,” Janet answered back. “I think I’ll have enough of that tonight. And I don’t want to anger your mom. Magic is real, and you proved that it can transform people. I don’t want to wake up tomorrow sitting on a lily pad.”

“My mom would not do that,” exclaimed Nicole. “I doubt she’d turn you into anything.”

Janet gave Nicole a look. “She let you have a necklace that turned you into this, didn’t she?”

“Because I was doing this for you,” Nicole shot back. “Mom wouldn’t have let me use this otherwise.”

Janet blushed. “And I appreciate it. But I didn’t ask you to do this.”

“Yeah well,” an embarrassed Nicole said. “Enough with the mushy stuff, we do have a dance to get ready for.” They both started walking toward the house.

“Keep your eyes front,” Nicole said when Janet stumbled. “You’re not walking over a nice and level floor.”

“Your jiggling breasts are distracting me,” Janet replied. “I can’t help but look at them.”

“Janet,” Nicole sighed. “When I was a boy, I didn’t stare as much as you are. I didn’t want to be labeled a pervert.”

“As far as most people are concerned,” Janet sourly answered. “I’m already a pervert. So why hide it?”

Nicole didn’t know what to say. Luckily, they arrived at her front door, so she didn’t have to think of something. She reached for the doorknob. Before she could open it, the door was jerked open from the other side.

“Marcus,” exclaimed the woman standing in the open door. “Is that. . . you?”

Nicole stared at the woman. With a sinking heart, she realized that she had to look up to see the woman’s eyes. Standing at 5-foot-6, she had long curly black hair, hazel eyes, and a ready smile. All this fit in an oval face with high cheek bones. She had a slender figure that showed nicely in the pullover shirt and jeans she was wearing.

“Mom,” Nicole said. “I think you have some explaining to do.

Eyes wide, Mrs. Kimby looked her new daughter over. “What happened to you? Your boobs are huge!”

“Ask the boob crazy girl,” Nicole answered. “Oh. My name is Nicole while I’m a girl.”

“I’m not boob crazy,” Janet protested as Mrs. Kimby looked at her.

Nicole and her mother looked at each other. Then they both looked at her breasts. They turned to look at Janet who blushed. “Okay. Maybe I’m a little obsessed,” she admitted.

“Why don’t we sit down,” Mrs. Kimby suggested. “Then we can get to the bottom of this.” The three females walked to the living room. Nicole and Janet sat on the sofa while Mrs. Kimby took the love seat.

“Now,” Mrs. Kimby said once they were settled. “Janet, you did put the locket on Nicole, right?” Janet nodded. “Then she turned into this?” Janet nodded again. “Hmmm.” Mrs. Kimby rubbed her chin.

“Mom,” Nicole said as she pulled the locket out of her cleavage. “Are you sure this thing is working right?”

“Dear,” Mrs. Kimby answered. “This locket has been in our family for thousands of years. Not once has it failed to deliver. Yes, sometimes the wearer was surprised at what body they got, but it still was the dream lover of their chosen one.”

“So why the giant boobs,” asked Nicole. “Janet admitted to liking large ones on short girls. But this is a too much.”

“Um, why don’t she take it off and let me try again,” Janet asked. “And why didn’t Nicole do that in the first place?”

“Because then she wouldn’t be able to use the locket for a week,” answered Mrs. Kimby. “That’s a failsafe that’s built into the locket. Too many transformations in a short period of time can cause serious problems. The more drastic the change, the faster the problems develop.”

“Don’t worry, Janet,” Nicole said. “This wasn’t that drastic a change. Despite the giant boobs. But that failsafe does prevent the chance of problems from happening.”

Mrs. Kimby stood up. “Nicole,” she said. “Let me see the locket.”

Nicole held the locket out for her mother to see. The older woman bent over to examine it. After a moment, Nicole cleared her throat with a light blush. “Mom. That’s my cleavage you’re studying.”

Her mother blushed. “I know, Dear. They’re just so big!”

“I know, right,” exclaimed Janet. “Your eyes just can’t help but to be pulled toward them.”

“Hush you,” Nicole said to Janet. Nicole wondered why she felt a warm tingle at Janet’s words.

“Oh dear,” Mrs. Kimby said. “I know what went wrong.”

“Well what,” Nicole demanded when her mother didn’t say anything for a long moment.

“You got the wrong locket,” the older woman answered. Her face was rapidly turning red.

“Okay,” Nicole said as she eyed her mother’s red face. “If I didn’t get the dream lover locket, what locket did I get, then?”

Mrs. Kimby backed away with a cough. “Well,” she said. “You got the fantasy lover locket. Which explains the giant boobs you’re sporting.”

The two teens stared at the older woman. Neither could believe what they had just heard. If, for different reasons. While excited to see her fantasy in the flesh, Janet did not want to inflict such extremely large breasts on anybody. She couldn’t imagine carrying around those weights for any length of time. Her C-cups were bad enough.

Nicole wasn’t happy to know that her current body was Janet’s fantasy lover. It was bad enough knowing that she was going to become her dream date. Now, she knew more about Janet than she was comfortable with. Certain fantasies people just kept to themselves. If for no other reason than they’d be embarrassed. She was surprised that Janet had only stared at her. Nicole knew she would be hard pressed not to do more if her fantasy lover was standing in front of her.

“So, um, what are we going to do,” Nicole managed to ask.

“Do you still want to go to that dance with Janet?”

Nicole looked at Janet. The girl in question had turned her head away from them. Nicole bit her lip then sighed. “Yes,” she firmly said. “I said I’d go with her if she put the locket on me. And she did. I can’t complain about the body. She did try to warn me.”

Mrs. Kimby nodded. “Alright then. You need to go and start getting ready. Your sister should have the bath ready for you. You need to go and get ready too, Janet. But, before you go, I’d like a few words with you.”

With a look toward Janet, Nicole got up and started walking to her bathroom. Once there, she found her sister, Julie, there. Julie was 5-foot-7-inches tall. Her slim figure was encased in a T-shirt and jeans. Her long, brown hair hung to her mid-back in a loose braid. She was just finishing putting out some bath items. The tub was full of steaming water. “Hey, Julie,” Nicole called as she entered the bathroom.

Nicole startled and spun around. Once she saw Nicole, her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped in surprise. Nicole could tell that the taller girl hadn’t expected her. “Marcus. Is that you?”

Nicole sighed. “Yes, it’s me, Julie. My name is Nicole right now.”

“Okay,” Julie said as she stared at Nicole’s breasts. “But what happened to you? I thought you said you were going to let Janet put the locket on you.”

“I did,” Nicole answered as she shut the bathroom door. “She’s a lesbian, remember?”

Julie stared at her sister’s body. “Are you sure she’s a girl,” she asked. “You look like some horny boy’s wet dream.”

Nicole blushed hotly. “Yes. I’m sure,” she said. “She just likes short girls with big boobs.”

“More that big, I’d say,” Julie remarked as she turned back to the bathtub. “Those things are ginormous.”

“Hey! They’re attached to me, you know.”

“Either way,” Julie continued as if Nicole hadn’t said anything. “You need to get started. It takes a girl longer to get ready for a dance than a boy. So, strip.”

Nicole stared at her sister’s back. “You got to be kidding me,” she finally said.

“No, I’m not,” Julie said as she turned to face her younger sister. “You need to take a bath before you put on your dress.”

“But you’re in here with me!”

“So, what? We’re all girls here.” Julie eyed Nicole for a moment. “Unless there’s something in those pants that you haven’t told anybody.”

Nicole blushed. “Nope,” she said. “I’m all girl here.”

“Then what is the problem,” Julie asked.

“I’m not used to anybody being in here with me when I take a bath,” Nicole said. “It’s weird.”

Julie gave an exasperated sigh. “Look, girls do this a lot. I mean sure, we like our privacy, but we don’t really say much when another girl is in the room with us.” Nicole didn’t look convinced. “Think about this way. It’s just like a locker room. Only there’s just the two of us right now.”

“I don’t know,” an unsure Nicole said. “It still feels weird.”

“What about Janet,” Julie suddenly asked. “How can you go to the dance with her if you don’t take a bath? Don’t you think she’d be upset?”

Almost without thinking, Nicole started to take off her clothes. It wasn’t long before she was down to her bra and panties. She moved to take off her bra when she realized her sister was staring. “Why are you staring at me like that?”

“That’s all you, isn’t it,” Julie said.

Nicole looked down at her breasts. “Huh? What do you mean?”

“Your boobs,” Julie said. “They’re real. You don’t have any implants.”

“Of course, they’re real,” Nicole said. “Why wouldn’t they be? Why would you even ask that?”

“Because you’re bigger than any woman I’ve heard of,” Julie nearly shouted. “Even the ones who get the giant implants aren’t as big as you! Your boobs are close to twice the size of your head.”

“They’re really that big,” Nicole asked as she stared at her breasts. “I knew they were bigger than my head, but not that big.” She blinked. “Wait. There are some women who actually want boobs this big?” She hefted her chest.

“Yes!”

“Seriously?” Nicole shook her head. “I don’t believe it. And, even if it was true, how would you know about it?”

“Internet,” Julie stated. “You only have to do a search to find these women. There are some sites that has them listed with links to their own websites.”

“If you’re so knowledgeable,” challenged Nicole. “Name two of them.”

Julie stared at her younger sister. She was so much like the brother she used to be. “Okay,” she said. “An adult model name Beshine and a retired porn star turned adult model name Chelsea Charms are the closest to you in size. Beshine has 10k cc implants last I heard. I don’t know what Chelsea has, but I do know that they’re always swelling. Both women have their own websites.”

Nicole opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say. Silently, she proceeded to take off her bra and panties. She tried to use one hand to steady her breasts when she went to get into the tub. But she quickly discovered that one hand wasn’t enough for breasts her size. One arm wasn’t enough either. She had to use both her arms. That left her a little unsteady when she tried to step into the tub.

“Need a hand,” Julie asked.

“Just this once,” Nicole answered. She gasped when Julie’s hand brushed her breasts. “Watch the hands.”

“It would be easier if your boobs weren’t so big,” Julie said. “But they are soft.” She squeezed the breast her hand was on. “And surprisingly firm.”

“Julie!”

“What?” She looked at Nicole’s angry face. “You better get used to it. Girls will get into your personal space. Especially if they think you’re stuffing and they don’t like you. I figure that a lot of the girls at the dance will have an eye on you. Most won’t believe your boobs are real.”

“Implants?”

“Prosthetics,” corrected Julie. “Remember, your size isn’t natural. Even if you are. Now, get to bathing. We have less than 4 hours to get you ready.”

* *

In her driveway, Janet sat in her car. She was thinking about what Mrs. Kimby had told her. She couldn’t believe it. She didn’t want to believe it. But she had to. With what she had learned, she wanted to call the date off. But that would hurt Marcus. She did not want to make his sacrifice meaningless. She’d just have to keep an eye on Nicole. She had to make sure none of the signs she had been warned about showed up.

“Do you think Janet will like my breasts,” Nicole asked her older sister. “I know she likes big boobs. Are mine big enough?”

Julie blinked. That was not a question she was expecting. Nicole’s breasts were humongous. Easily as large as her new sister’s head. If not bigger. If that Janet girl did not like the size of Nicole’s breasts, Julie would have something to say about that. A sudden thought crossed her mind. Hopefully, Janet didn’t want them bigger.

“I think they’re big enough,” Julie finally answered. “She’s sure to like them.”

“Do you really mean it,” Nicole asked, eyes big and hopeful.

Julie looked into her sister’s eyes and froze. It wasn’t fair. She hadn’t even been a girl for a day, and Nicole already had the big puppy dog eyes down cold. She swallowed and open her mouth.

“Did she really mean what,” came from the bathroom door.

Both girls turned to see their mother standing in the door. “Hi Mom,” Nicole greeted her mother. “I was just asking Julie if Janet will like my breasts. I know she likes big ones. I hope mine are big enough as I can’t go bigger right now.”

“I’m sure she’ll love them,” Mrs. Kimby assured her youngest. “She has already seen them, you know. If she didn’t like them, she would have said something.”

Nicole nodded. “That’s true,” she said. “Do you think she’ll like them if they were larger? She does like big ones.”

Mrs. Kimby studied her daughter for a moment. “Dear,” she said. “You can’t make them larger now. You’ll have to take off the locket, wait a week, then have Janet put it back on. If you do that, you’ll miss the dance tonight.”

Nicole perked up. “Yeah. I do not want to miss the dance tonight. I need to hurry up and get ready.”

“You do that,” Mrs. Kimby said. “I need to talk to your sister for a moment. We’ll be right back.” She motioned Julie outside.

Once outside the bathroom, Julie turned to her mother. “What’s going on with Nicole,” she asked. “She’s starting to creep me out.”

“It’s the locket,” Mrs. Kimby said with a sigh. “She’s losing herself to it. I did not think it would happen this fast.”

“Losing herself?”

“When the locket is placed on a person, it changes that person into the fantasy lover of the one who put it on,” Lorie’s mother explained. Lorie nodded. “Well, when the wearer loves the other more than the other loves them, the spell can change their mind. Their mind changes to what the other desires.”

“Are you saying that Janet doesn’t love Nicole,” Julie demanded.

“Oh, I believe she loves her,” Mrs. Kimby said. “Just not as a lover. But more like a friend or a sister.”

“And that’s a problem?”

“Since Nicole loves her, yes.” Mrs. Kimby sighed. “The only way to stop this, is to take off the locket. But I don’t think Nicole would let us. Also, Marcus wouldn’t like being brought back before the dance.”

“What about Janet,” Julie asked. “Will she take advantage of Nicole?”

“I doubt it,” Mrs. Kimby said. “I had a talk with her before she left. She knows that this is possible. Hopefully she’ll notice that Nicole isn’t behaving like herself. If she does, she can keep Nicole from doing anything they’ll both regret.” Both women fell silent.

“Well,” Mrs. Kimby said after a moment. “You go and help your sister finish bathing and I’ll make sure her dress is ready. Hopefully we’ll get through this night with only good memories.”

Mrs. Kimby walked away. Thoughts of her youngest child ran through her head. Would Marcus, now Nicole, regret what he’s done when he changes back? Would he be disappointed? Or, would he learn something new and wonderful about himself? She hoped it would be the latter.

Back in the bathroom, Julie approached her sister. “Do you need any help,” she asked.

“Yeah,” Nicole answered. She gestured toward her breasts. “I need some help washing my boobs. I can’t reach the front that well. Also, I need some help washing under them.”

Julie stared at her sister’s breasts. Normally, large breasts didn’t intimidate her. She was perfectly happy with her C-cups. She had seen larger women both at the gym and at school. But none even half the size of Nicole. Nicole’s breasts scared her. “What do you want me to do,” she tentatively asked.

“Can you clean the front of them,” Nicole asked.

Julie swallowed. “Okay,” she answered. She reached for the washcloth. Slowly she started washing the front of her sister’s breast. It was a lot firmer than she expected. But then, it was a fantasy, so she shouldn’t have been surprised. Then Nicole started making noises as she rubbed. She winced with every gasp and whimper Nicole made.

“I’m sorry,” Julie. “I’m trying to be gentle.”

“It’s not that,” Nicole said. “They’re sensitive.”

Julie’s arm froze. She looked from Nicole’s breasts to Nicole’s face. Then back to the breasts. She dropped the washcloth. “That’s it. I’m done.”

“Julie,” whined Nicole. “C’mon. I need your help.”

“No,” Julie said. “This is too weird. This morning you were my brother. Now you’re my sister. As if that wasn’t enough, you also have the biggest tits on the planet! And you want me to help you wash them. When every time I touch them, you moan or gasp. I don’t want to think about why you’re doing that. Especially after you tell me that they’re sensitive.”

“But I need to finish here so I can get dressed for the dance,” Nicole said. “Can’t you help me, please?”

Julie tried to resist her sister’s ‘puppy dog’ eyes. But it was a futile effort. Within seconds she had given up. “Okay,” she grumbled. “I’ll help you finish here.” She started undressing.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m taking my clothes off.”

“Why?”

“Because I am not going to even try to lift those things from the side,” Julie said. “As big as they are, I’ll bet they weigh 30 pounds each. If I didn’t know magic was involved, I’d wonder you could even stand, let alone walk.”

Julie finished undressing and got in the tub. She reached for her sister’s chest then stopped and looked up. “Don’t tell mom,” she said. “I don’t want her to know I did this.”

Nicole nodded. She wasn’t sure she wanted their mother to know about this either.

* * *

Janet sat in her car after pulling into Nicole’s driveway. Part of her couldn’t believe she was doing this. Just that morning, Julie was her friend Marcus. Now, he was Nicole. A short, massively endowed girl. And there were going to the Christmas dance. Together! Now that she had time to think about it, Janet knew she really owed Marcus. She couldn’t think of any boy who’d turn himself into a girl just so a friend of his could go to a dance. A friend he knew he wasn’t going to have sex with. Marcus was one special boy. No, not a boy. He was a real man.

With that thought, Janet was able to get out of her car. She straightened her dark green dress as she stood. She probably should have worn a dress suit, or even a skirt and top combo. But she felt like wearing a dress. She was a normal girl, even if the people in town thought something was wrong with her for being a lesbian.

Janet walked to the house. Before she could knock on the door, it was opened. “Um, hi,” a startled Janet said. Nicole’s sister, Julie had opened the door. There was something, off about her look. “Um, is something wrong?”

“You remember that talk my mom and you had?” she asked as she shut the door behind her.

“Yes,” Janet slowly said. During the talk that Mrs. Kimby had given her, Janet learned all the things that could happened to Nicole. None of them sounded very good. A couple actually scared her. She was suddenly worried about Nicole. Did something happen to her?

“Well,” Julie said. “One of the things happened. Nicole is losing herself to the spell.”

Janet blinked. “That’s not good. I’ll take the locket off her.”

“Don’t do that,” blurted Julie.

“What!?”

“I said ‘don’t do that,’” Julie repeated herself. “Like it or not, Marcus chose to do this for you. He wouldn’t like if we stopped him because of this.”

Janet thought about it for a moment. Then she nodded her agreement. Marcus would hate it if they stopped him after this. “So, what do we do now?”

“You go to the dance with Nicole,” Julie said. “After the dance, get her home, then take of the locket. Just be careful. Nicole is your fantasy lover. She’ll do her best to do whatever fantasies you had at the time you put the locket on my brother.”

Janet’s eyes widened. Now she was really worried. She knew her fantasies. And they were not for public display. Hopefully, none of the ones where the girl outgrew her tops will happen. Not that she wouldn’t enjoy watching it. She just didn’t want it to happen at the dance. If it did look like one of those was happening, she’d just have to got her date out of there and someplace private quickly.

Julie noticed Janet’s expression. “What,” she asked.

“Um, let’s just say I have some interesting fantasies and leave it there.”

Julie studied the girl for a moment. “Are you sure you’re a girl?”

“A girl can have fantasies too, you know,” an indignant Janet said.

“About boobs?”

“How many lesbians do you know?”

“You have a point,” Julie admitted. “Anyway, let’s get you inside before Nicole charges out here. She’s been driving me and mom crazy getting ready for this.”

They enter the house, Julie with Janet following. When Janet saw Nicole standing there, waiting on her, she froze. The short busty girl was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Her hair was up in an elegant style. She didn’t look like she was wearing any make-up. Her red dress was a simple strapless thing. That surprised Janet as she thought straps would have been needed. But then she looked at Nicole’s breasts and her mouth fell open. Impossibly, they looked even bigger than before. Nicole’s cleavage was bulging up to her neck! Janet lost herself in the astonishing deep valley of her date’s cleavage.

A bright flash startled Janet. She looked up to see Mrs. Kimby holding a camera. She couldn’t help the blush that flooded her face when she realized what the woman had done. “You didn’t have to do that,” Janet told the other woman.

“Of course, I did,” Mrs. Kimby replied. “I just had to have a picture to remember this by. I doubt this will happen again.”

As much as she didn’t want to, Janet had to concede Mrs. Kimby the point. “So, you’re going to be taking pictures?”

“Of course,” Mrs. Kimby said. “This way I’ll have proof that my son is a real man. How many boys, or men, do you think will do this?”

Janet couldn’t think of anybody who’d do this. Man or woman. “Yeah,” she said. “He’s a very good friend.”

“And don’t you forget it.”

“Are you two finished talking like I’m not here,” Nicole asked. “If so, there’s a dance we need to get to.”

Janet stared at Nicole in shock. “You want to go to the dance,” she asked.

“Of course,” came the reply. “I said I would, didn’t I? Besides, I want to see the look on the faces of those,” her eyes darted to her mother, “little freaks when we walk in.” She smiled and gave Janet a look that had her worried. “I’m also looking forward to after the dance.”

“After the dance?”

“Yeah. That’s when you and I are going to a motel.” She studied Janet for a moment. “You did arrange for a motel room, right?”

“Y-you shouldn’t say that in front of your mom, Janet said with a nervous look at Mrs. Kimby. There was a neutral expression on the older woman’s face. Janet could feel the sweat build up on her body. “And aren’t you supposed to turn back to normal after the dance?”

“Oh, I can do that when we get home,” Nicole said. “Don’t you want something special to remember this day by?”

Janet smiled at her friend. “I already have something special to remember this day by,” she said. “I have you.”

There was a bright flash of light. Mrs. Kimby had done it again. “These pictures will be great,” she said.

Twenty-five minutes later, the two teens were finally able to get Janet’s car. Mrs. Kimby had snapped, probably, a couple hundred of pictures. Most of them had Nicole hugging Janet tightly. Janet would have enjoyed those more if Mrs. Kimby hadn’t been there. As it was, she was happy to have gotten out of there without any mishaps.

“So,” Nicole said as Janet got into the car. “What did you not want to say in front of my Mom? Did you rent a room somewhere?”

“No, I didn’t Nicole,” answered Janet. “You’re a good friend doing me a favor. I wouldn’t take advantage of you like that.”

Nicole ran one hand along Janet’s thigh. “What if I want to be taken advantage of,” she asked.

Janet gulped. “Let’s just get to the dance,” she squeaked. Nicole chuckled as Janet started the car.

• *

Janet had never been more relieved to get somewhere than when she pulled into the community center’s parking lot. Nicole had been flirting with her the whole way over. Giving her flirtations looks and saying innuendoes. It was driving her crazy. If she hadn’t been worried that she was losing herself, she would be now. This was not something Marcus would do. Not in a million years.

As soon as she parked the car, she hopped out. She cursed as she put her keys in her small purse. She had wanted to wear a suit, but her mother insisted on her wearing a dress. Not that she had anything against wearing dresses. She just didn’t want the hassle of keeping track of her purse. There’s no telling what her so-called-friends would do to it once her back was turned.

Janet almost forgot to help Nicole stand as she got out of the car. The incredibly busty girl had made sure Janet had gotten an eyeful of cleavage as she leaned forward. “Nicole,” she groaned.

“What,” Nicole asked innocently.

“Do you have to do that?”

“I just wanted them to know that I’m here only for you,” Nicole said as she stood. “I want them all to be jealous of you.”

“Well, the boys might be,” Janet said. “But I doubt the girls will be. Knowing them, they’ll just insult the both of us.”

“At a Christmas dance,” Nicole scoffed. “That’s not very Christian of them.”

“People tend to ignore the inconvenient,” Janet said as they started toward the door. “And me being a lesbian is inconvenient for them. Even though I never did flirt with one of them. And, now, I never will.”

“Some of them are kind of’ cute,” Nicole said with a shrug. Janet felt her eyes go to the girl’s undulating cleavage. “But I wouldn’t want to deal with their attitude.”

Before Janet could reply, they arrived at the entrance. She could see the hate filled looks being shot her way. Those looks changed to those of stunned amazement when they saw Nicole. She didn’t blame them. It’s not often you see a girl as short and as busty as Nicole. And, of course, there’s the amount of cleavage she was showing.

“Mr. Owens,” Janet said as they approached the door. She held their tickets out for him to take. He only stood there, staring.

“Ahem,” Nicole said. It was obvious where Mr. Owens was staring. The size of Nicole’s breasts prevented her from completely closing her coat. The deep valley of her cleavage was on display for all to see. “Those are not my eyes!”

Janet saw one of the two police officers near the door turn to look in their direction. She shook the tickets in order to get Mr. Owens attention. The man did not break his stare at Nicole’s breasts. The officer frowned and nudged his partner. When that officer turned, Janet could see that that one was a woman.

“You do know you’re staring at a teenager’s breasts,” Nicole said. Again, like her last comment, it was not said quietly.

The female officer walked over. “Is there a problem,” she asked.

“He won’t stop staring,” Nicole said. “I know my breasts are big. I carry them around all day, every day. But come one. He’s an adult. He should know better.”

“Sir,” the officer said. “If you do not stop, I’ll have to arrest you with sexual harassment.” Mr. Owens started to drool. All three shuddered. “Sir,” the officer said sharply.

Mr. Owens jumped and looked up.

“I’m going to have to ask you to step away.”

“What?”

The officer motioned to her partner. “Sir. You need to step away from these teens.” The man stared in shock as the other officer came and escorted him away. “Now that that is taken care of,” the female officer said. “Let’s get you two inside. Tickets?”

Janet handed the officer their tickets. She inspected them, tore off the stubs and hand them back. Janet and Nicole went to enter the building, but the officer stopped them. “I know this is inappropriate, but I just have to ask. You know, woman to woman.”

“They’re real,” Nicole said. “The doctor who’d do this to a girl my age should have his hands cut off.”

“How?” Janet wanted to hear this too. She knew Nicole’s size had come from magic, but she didn’t think Nicole wanted to tell anybody that. And she couldn’t think of a reason for a teen to have such large breasts. If fact, she didn’t think it was possible for anybody to have such large breasts.

“It’s a medical condition,” Nicole said with a sigh. “There are several names for what I have. Macromastia, gigantomastia, and breast hypertrophy. Basically, they’re the same thing. The only difference is degree. Macromastia is the least of them. Of course, I have breast hypertrophy. The worst of the three.”

The officer shook her head. “Can you get a reduction,” she asked. “I can’t imagine walking around with all that.”

“No.” Nicole answered. “Well, I could, but the doctors don’t recommend it. As they’re still growing. They want to wait until they stop to do a reduction. So, no surgery until then.”

“Damn. Well, good luck to you. I hope you two will enjoy the dance.”

Janet watched the officer walk away then turned to Nicole. “When did you learn all that,” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Nicole answered. “I haven’t even heard of any of this condition before today.” She thought for a moment. “As for when I learned this, just now. She asked a question and the magic came up with a valid response. In fact, I’m willing to be that if you looked up those words, you’d find them, and they’d probably mean what I said they meant. Or, at least close to it.”

“Magic is weird,” Janet said with a shake of her head.

“Don’t worry about it,” Nicole said. “I want to dance.” She grabbed Janet’s hand and started walking.

Once inside the two girls looked around. Whoever decorated did a very good job. The them was ‘A Winter Wonderland.’ The auditorium was decorated like a forest glade in winter. There were fake trees and bushes. All covered in fake snow and ice. Janet didn’t want to admit it, but she was impressed.

“They didn’t hold back, did they,” commented Nicole.

“No, they didn’t,” Janet answered. She could see people turning to look their way. Trying to see who just walked in. She saw several faces start to frown at her. Especially the teen girls. She frowned back. It was just a dance. Couldn’t they let her enjoy herself?

Nicole grabbed Janet’s shoulder and turned her. She looked into the taller girl’s eyes. “Don’t pay any attention to them,” she said intensely. “They don’t matter. Only me. Let’s find a place to put our coats and purses so we can dance.”

Janet followed Nicole to the coat area. The woman working there, smiled at them as they gave her their coats. Surprised, Janet smiled back. She had not expected many people here to be friendly toward her and Nicole. “I hear what some people are saying about you,” the woman said. “They shouldn’t be saying any of that. Who you chose to sleep with does not involve them.”

“Mom says that they react that way because they’re insecure in their femininity or masculinity,” Janet said.

“She just may be right,” the woman said. “Anyway, my name is Alice. If you’d like, you could leave your purses here. I’ll make sure that nobody touches them.”

“Thank you, Alice,” Janet said. “That’s very kind of you.” She pulled Nicole closer. “This is my date, Nicole.”

Alice turned to look at Nicole. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. Nicole smiled and pulled her shoulders back. She even turned side to side a bit to show them off. Not that her massive breasts needed any help in showing off. Any body standing behind her could see them.

“They’re real,” Nicole said.

“How can you even stand,” Alice blurted. “They have to weigh a ton!”

“Not quite a ton,” Nicole said. “But they are heavy. I’m carrying over fifty pounds of tit.”

“Again, how can you be standing up,” Alice repeated in awe. “I know women who aren’t even half your size who complain about the weight. Not to mention the stares.”

“I don’t mind the weight,” Nicole said. “But the stares can be annoying. That’s part of the reason why I’m here.” At Alice’s look, she continued. “Back in school, somehow a boy snuck their phone into the girl’s locker room and got pictures of me topless. He then posted copies of them around the school.”

“That’s horrible,” Alice said. “I hope they found whoever did it.”

“When I last spoke to my mom, she said they found who did it,” Nicole said. “He’s been expelled. The principle does not take that stuff lightly.”

“Good,” Alice nodded. “So, just leave your purses here, and I’ll make sure nobody touches your stuff. Go and enjoy yourselves. If anybody needs to enjoy themselves, it’s you two.”

The two teens thanked the older woman and went to the dance proper. Janet could feel the stares as the two approached the dance floor. “Remember what I said,” Nicole said. “Only look at me. They don’t matter. We’ll show them that we don’t need their approval to have a good life.”

Janet swallowed then nodded. She remembered what Nicole had said and she was not going disappoint. She took a deep, calming breath and managed to smile at her date. “Shall we,” she asked as she held out a hand.

Nicole smiled in answer and took her hand. She stepped closer to Janet only to stop and frown. Both girls looked down at Nicole’s voluminous chest. “I don’t think I thought this through,” Nicole said as she looked back to Janet’s face.

“It’s not your fault,” Janet said with a blush. “I’m the one who designed that body. So the fault’s mine.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Nicole said as she squeezed closer to Janet. “I like this body. I got curves in all the right places.”

Janet felt her face heat as Nicole’s cleavage bulged further out of her dress. “Um,” she said. Nicole giggled.

“Let’s dance.”

The two teens danced. At first, Janet kept glancing at the people watching them. Looking for those who would try to ruin their fun. Each time she did, Nicole would draw her attention back. Usually by causing her breasts to jiggle or shake. Unfortunately, this also caused other people to look.

When they got tired, they’d sit and talk. Some of the friendlier people would come over and talk with them. They all seemed to be in support of her relationship with Nicole. They were even saddened to find out that she wouldn’t be there for long. Of course, in every bunch, there’s always a bad one. Those few people who disapproved of her who came over wasted no time in insulting her and Nicole. Thankfully they didn’t stay longer than it took to insult them.

Eventually, it was time to leave. Both girls were surprised at just how much time they had spent at the dance. They truly had fun together. But, now that it was over, Janet became nervous. She remembered what Nicole had said back at her house. Nicole wanted them to have sex after the dance.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to have sex with Nicole. She wanted it. Very much so. It was that it would be unfair to Marcus. And, considering what he did for her, she couldn’t do that to him. She now had to figure out how to turn Nicole down without hurting her. Which would be damn hard. After all, Nicole was her fantasy girl.

“I’m almost sad this has to end,” Nicole said. “I had a lovely time.”

“Yeah, me too,” Janet said. “Let’s get our coats and purses and go home.”

“I need to go to the bathroom first,” Nicole said. “I’ll only be a minute. Why don’t you get our stuff while I’m there?”

“I don’t know,” Janet said. She did not want Nicole being alone here. “We could stop someplace on the way.”

"I’d rather go now,” Nicole said.

“Nicole, I’m worried about you. I’m afraid they’ll do something to you.”

Nicole chuckled. “Don’t worry. I did see all those dark looks they gave us. I know they’ll try to start something in the bathroom. Or, when I come out. But I got this. I’m not all beauty, you know.”

Janet could only watch as Nicole made her way to the bathroom. No matter what the busty girl said, Janet still worried about her. She had only been a girl for less than one day. She had no idea how vicious girls could get.

Nicole didn’t show any reaction to the small crowd waiting as she exited the stall. She knew they would be waiting for her. They probably started moving toward the bathroom the moment they saw her go in. She knew they wouldn’t waste this opportunity to do something to ruin her and Janet’s night. If they thought their numbers intimidated her, they needed to think again. There was only four them, after all.

Nicole walked calmly to the sink and started washing her hands. She knew the four girls. Their names were Rebecca Daisly, Sarah Covens, Melissa Streetly, and Diana Marrens. Diana usually led the group. “You have some nerve,” one of them said. Nicole recognized Diana’s voice.

“What? Washing my hands,” Nicole asked. “You’re supposed to wash your hands after using the restroom. Please tell me you wash your hands.”

“Of course, I wash my hands,” Diana yelped, shocked.

“Good,” Nicole remarked as she continued wash.

The four girls stared at her for a moment. “I don’t think you understand what’s going on here,” the Diana said.

“Oh, I understand what’s going on,” Nicole said. “You’re here to try to intimidate me.”

“We’re here to warn you,” Diana said. The others nodded their agreement. “You’re with a pervert.”

“I wouldn’t call you a pervert,” Nicole said. “I’m sure you’re a very nice girl.”

“What? No,” Diana almost shouted. “I’m talking about Janet. The girl who brought you here. She’s the pervert, not me.”

“Okay. Why is she a pervert,” Nicole asked. “Oh, and could you tell me you name. I’d really like to know who’s trying to warn me about possible perverts.”

“My name is Diana,” said Diana.

“Nice to meet you, Diana,” Nicole said. “Now, what’s this about Janet being a pervert?”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t notice her staring at your breasts?”

Nicole looked down into her cleavage. “Who hasn’t,” she asked as she looked back up at Diana. “They’re bigger than my head! How can people not stare at them.” She glanced at the other girls. “Your friends are staring now.”

Diana whipped her head around fast enough to catch the others suddenly looking at anything but Nicole's breasts. By the blushes on their faces, she could tell they had been staring. Diana shot them a glare before turning back to Nicole. “Janet doesn’t stare because they’re big,” she said. “She stares because she’s a lesbian. That’s how she’s a pervert.”

“She’s a pervert because she’s a lesbian,” asked Nicole. “How does that work?”

“Because lesbianism is a sin against God,” Rebecca declared.

“Really? Have you asked Him?” The question caused all four girls to blink. Not one of them had thought that question would ever come up. “You do know He’s coming back, right?”

“You believe that demon girl thing told the truth,” Diana scoffed. “Something like that would lie about anything.”

"So, you think she’s lying?”

“Yes.”

“And you think she’s a demon?”

“I know she’s a demon.”

Nicole shook her head. “Keep telling yourself that,” she said. “Me, I’ll accept people as they are. Those that I don’t like, I won’t socialize with. Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s a girl I need to get back to.”

Nicole went to leave but the teen girls stepped in her way. “What,” she demanded.

“You’re a lesbian too,” Diana said. “Don’t deny it. That’s the only way a pervert like Janet could get a date.”

“We don’t like lesbians here,” Melissa said.

“I don’t see why not,” Nicole said. “You four can’t seem to keep your eyes off my boobs.” She pretended to think. “Maybe it’s because you’re jealous. Either of my size or that Janet got to touch them.”

“We’re not lesbians,” yelped Sarah.

“We’re trying to help you,” Nicole said. “You don’t want to hang around the wrong people. Others might get the wrong impression.”

“Oh please,” Nicole said with a roll of her eyes. “If two girls can’t dance together without people assuming they’re lesbians, then something’s wrong. And I don’t the problem lies with the girls.”

“Diana, I don’t think we’re going to convince her,” Melissa said. “We should teach her a lesson.”

Diana nodded. “That does seem like the best thing to do,” she said.

“I wouldn’t do that if I was you,” Nicole said. “I’ll scream and that’ll bring people in here. With just the five of us in here, who do you think they’ll believe?”

The four girls looked at each other. This time, when Nicole tried to leave, they got out of her way. At the door, Nicole stopped and looked over her shoulder.

“You girls should think about what’s coming,” she said. “Whether you believe it or not, the gods are returning. From what the emissary has said, they’re not happy with humanity. You should make sure you’re not on their shit list.”

• *

Janet was worried about Nicole. Even though the busty girl was very good at distracting her, she still had seen the dark looks shot at them. As long as they were together, those people didn’t do anything. Now that they were separate, she knew somebody was going to try something. And she did see Diana and her crew heading toward the restroom.

After seeing Diana go in the restroom, Janet would have entered as well. But she was stopped by a series of boys. They all wanted to know the same things: Who was her date, where did she come from, and did she have sisters. She told them the girl was Marcus’s cousin and to ask him about her. As they walked away, she could see them making plans on talking to Marcus. She hoped Marcus and his family had a cover story.

Janet was relieved when she saw Nicole walking back toward her. Her and every male eye tracked her. Or, more specifically, they tracked the bounce and jiggle of her massive chest. Again, she marveled at the fact that the buxom girl could even stand. Those breasts were too big to be real. Of course, she knew their size was because of magic. She shifted Nicole’s coat in her arms to give herself a distraction. “No problems,” she asked once the short girl was near.

“Not really,” Nicole answered. “Diana and her group tried to start something in the restroom. But I stopped it.” She frowned.

Janet didn’t like the frown. “What happened,” she asked as she helped Nicole with her coat.

“It may not be much,” Nicole hedged. “But I suddenly started warning them about the gods’ return. Especially their god’s return.” She looked Janet in the eye. “Why would I do something like that? I’m not Christian.”

“I don’t know,” Janet slowly said. “But magic and the gods are returning. There’s no telling what caused you to say that.”

“I can ask Mom later,” Nicole said with a sudden smile. A smile that Janet was suddenly nervous about. “Now, let’s leave. We have something special to get to, don’t we?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Janet stammered.

“Oh, yes you do,” Nicole said as she pressed herself against her date. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

Janet was worried. Nicole was not acting like she should. Well, she was, since she was, literally, a sex fantasy. Her current behavior was correct for that. But she wanted a date for the dance, not a sex partner. She really needed to get her someplace private so she could get that locket off. She wanted her friend back.

“Let’s go,” Janet said with sudden inspiration. “Whatever we do, I don’t want anybody following us. There’s no telling what they’ll do if hey get us alone.” Nicole happily nodded and lead the way out. Janet could tell that she was excited about what she thought was going to happen.

Thirty minutes later, the two pulled into a parking lot. “This is not a motel,” Nicole said. “I thought you’d want a bed for this.”

“Nicole,” Janet said. “You know I really like you, right?” Nicole nodded. “But the thing is, I love Marcus. Yes, I don’t love him the way he wants me to. But I do love him. As a friend. A really good friend. I mean, look at what he did! He turned himself into you just so I’d have a date tonight. How many people do you think would do that? How many men? Hell, how many teen boys?”

“You don’t want me,” Nicole asked with tears in her eyes.

“God yes! I want you. But it wouldn’t be fair to Marcus. Nor would it be fair to you. You are more than a stupid sex fantasy.”

“But I’m your fantasy,” Nicole said. “I want this. Marcus does too. So why don’t you?”

Janet growled in frustration. She really wanted Nicole, but she didn’t want to hurt Marcus. A part of her believed Nicole was telling the truth, but she still did not want to do this. Maybe later, if Marcus and his mother agreed. Now that she knew magic was real, she did not want to upset the magic user. Especially when she was the mother of her best friend.

“I can’t,” Janet said. “I can’t do that to Marcus. How would he react if I had sex with you, but not him? If anybody deserved it, it is him.”

Nicole was crying now. “So, this is it? You’re going to take the locket now? Can’t I have something? A kiss?”

“I can do that,” Janet said. “But let’s do it right.” She got out of the car and helped Nicole out. As the shorter girl stood, Janet brushed her face with her finger tips. “You are a very beautiful girl. If things had been different, I’d would definitely have dated you.”

“Thank you,” Nicole said and closed her eyes.

Janet tilted Nicole’s face up, leaned in and kissed her. She put all that she felt for both Nicole and Marcus into the kiss. She believed they both deserved that. As the kiss when on, Janet ran her hands up Nicole’s back to her neck. She carefully unclasped the chain and pulled the locket off.

In hindsight, she probably should have ended the kiss before taking the locket off.
 
EPILOGUE

One week later, Janet and Marcus sat in Marcus’ living room watching television. Even though the dance was long over, neither could look at the other. Marcus’ family thought it was funny. Janet was studying what was going to be her new religion. They haven’t told her the name, yet. But she was sure they would when they were sure she was going to convert. She knew she was, but she also understood why they wanted to be sure of her. Ever since the gods announced their return, people have gotten serious, and strange, about religion.

Janet peeked at Marcus, saw him looking at her, blushed then snapped her head back to the television. They were watching an interview of the emissary. She had been on television a lot recently. There were still people trying to proof her false. They only thing those people managed to do was embarrass themselves on national, if not international, television.

“The gods are always watching,” the emissary said. “Even when they couldn’t talk to us because of the lack of magic. They know all the things we do, both good and bad.”

“Can you give us an example,” one reporter asked.

The emissary nodded. “Yes. There recently was something that attracted most of the goddess’ attention.” She paused and looked at the camera. Marcus and Janet felt as if she was looking at them. “Marcus, Janet. You two have attracted the gods’ attention.”

Marcus and Janet froze when they heard their names. While Janet knew what Marcus had done was special, she did not believe it would draw this amount of attention. She managed to turn and look at her friend. He didn’t seem to be taking this any better than she was.

“What you did Marcus, was something the gods had to take notice,” the emissary continued. “They haven’t seen such a sacrifice in eons. To give so much of yourself just so a friend could go to a dance. You have earned their respect and a gift. Hopefully you’ll find someone worthy of it.”

Janet could hear Marcus’ shocked grunt, but she didn’t look to see what was happening. The emissary was continuing.

“Janet. I hope you realize what Marcus has done. When you find your love, you and her, should offer to have a child by your friend. There are several ways this can be accomplished. The gods will allow you to pick the method which best suit you.”

The press suddenly flooded the emissary with questions. Neither Marcus or Janet were paying attention. They were staring in shock at each other. “The gods know our names,” Janet said. “Is that good or bad?”

“I don’t know,” Marcus said. He shifted in his seat. “I think we should ask Mom. I also need to talk to her about my gift.”

Janet heisted to ask. “What did they give you?”

Marcus’ face turned as red as tomato. “You don’t want to know,” he said.

Chapter 1

Marcus gave a sigh of relief as he reached his car. He couldn’t believe things hadn’t died down yet. It’s been seven weeks! The girls still wouldn’t leave him alone. But then, that may be because of the gifts he received. Apparently, the gods couldn’t decide what to gift him with, so they gave him three gifts. The first of the three was obvious. Well, to him it was. A boy can’t miss his dick doubling in size in a few seconds. Especially when he was wearing blue jeans at the time.

The second gift became obvious the first time he left home. It wasn’t hard to notice all the heads turning to watch him as everywhere he went. Especially when he realized it was only the women who were watching him. He was puzzled, at first. Then he asked his mother and sister, but they were just as confused as he was. Even after a girl he vaguely knew came and asked him out, he had no clue. He knew something strange was happening when full-grown women started flirting with him. His mother quickly intervened when that happened. Needless to say, the trip was quickly cancelled. His mother and sister quickly ushered him back home.

Once home, Marcus was interrogated by his mother. She didn’t want to know if he did anything to attract the women. She wanted to know if he noticed anything strange happening around him. Any unexplained lights or sounds. If any strangers had approached him or given him something. The only thing that he could think of was getting that gift from the gods. And he knew it wasn’t that. Not unless those women had x-ray vision. But now that magic was coming back, he wouldn’t doubt that somebody would make a spell to do that.

After hearing his answer, his mother went to her workroom. And hour later she came out and got him. In the room, she placed him inside a scribed circle on the floor. While Sam did trust his mother, he was a little nervous to enter the circle. She had told him tales of what could happen to somebody once they were in one. But, enter the circle he did.

“You definitely have a blessing from the gods,” his mother told him a few minutes later. “Three of them in fact. The first one is physical, and I think you already know what that one is.”

Marcus blushed. “Yeah,” he said. “You don’t have to tell me about that one.”

“The third one,” his mother continued. “I can’t tell what it does. You haven’t activated that one yet. And I can’t tell you how to do it. But the second is the one I’m concerned about. That one attracts women.”

Marcus stared at his mother. “It does what now,” he finally asked.

“It attracts women,” she calmly repeated. “Specifically, women you’re not related to.”

“But that’s virtually all the women in the world,’ Marcus exclaimed. “Who would do that to me?”

“The gods, remember?”

“And a good thing it is,” Marcus immediately said.

His mother snorted, then started laughing. “Is that all you have to say about it,” she asked once she regained control.

“Yes! I am not going to question the gods. Who knows what they’ll do next if I do?” Marcus paused for a moment. “You said something about a third blessing.” His mother nodded. “Do you have any clue as to what it may be?”

“I can only tell that it’s there,” she said. “Until you use it, or it activates on its own, I can’t tell you what it does.”

That was where things stood until the third gift activated a few days later. Up until then, Marcus hadn’t gone outside unless he was with his mother. That day, she and his sister had left to do some personal shopping. Julie insisted that he stay home. She did not want her little brother, sometimes sister, with her while she was picking out new panties and bras. Marcus agreed.

A couple of hours later, Marcus was bored. There was nothing he wanted to watch on TV. He’d beaten all of his games and didn’t want to play them again at the time. In fact, he was tired of being in the house. He wanted to go outside. He wouldn’t go far. He did remember the strange affect he had on women. They backyard should be safe enough.

Marcus quickly put on his coat, hat, and gloves. It was January and it was cold outside. A quick peek to make sure none of the neighbors were around. He then stepped outside. The crisp cold air felt invigorating. He started smiling. Everything was perfect. Nothing could go wrong.

Twenty minutes later, Marcus was running from a crowd of women. He didn’t know where they all had come from. They ranged in ages from as young as sixteen to as old as seventy-eight. He was surprised. He did not think Mrs. Canby, their elderly neighbor, could move that fast. He needed to find a pace to hide. And soon. He knew the longer he remained where women could see him, the bigger the crowd would grow.

Frantically he ducked around a corner only to find a dead end. He looked around to see if there was a place to hide. There was nothing. He even would have taken a dumpster full of trash. Marcus started to panic. He knew what would happen when all those women got to him. Only idiot boys wanted that to happen. He was not an idiot. But that wouldn’t stop what was about to happen.

Marcus frantically looked around for something, anything, that he may have overlooked. There was still nothing that would hide his presence. He knew he was screwed. Whatever was left of him after the mob of women were through with him, would be destroyed by his mother. He braced himself and a strangely familiar tingle ran through his body.

“Hey, you,” a voice cried out. Demanding Marcus’ attention.

Whatever that tingle was, Marcus decided that he could find out later. Right now, it was more important to find out why he wasn’t being mobbed by a crowd of women. He looked at the alley entrance. It was filled with women. “Yes,” he said. He frowned at the sound of his voice. It was not his. It was too high.

“Did you see a boy run in here,” the woman in front of the group asked.

Marcus shook his head. “No,” he said as he felt his, now, long hair fly about his head.

“Are you sure about that,” the woman asked with narrow eyes.

“Look around,” Marcus said. “There’s no place to hide in here. There’s not even any doors.”

The woman reluctantly nodded. “He must have gone on ahead,” she told the others. “Let’s find him!” They rushed off.

Marcus stood still. He had a sneaking suspicion what had happened to him. But he wasn’t going to confirm his thoughts until the women had left. When the last had passed the alley’s entrance, he finally looked down.

Marcus’ gaze was filled with the cleavage of two very large breasts.

“Well, shit.”

Fractal
A Whateley Academy Fanfic
By Quadhouse

Author’s Note: All characters within, except Fractal, her alternates, and her family, are property of Whateley Academy universe and the various authors who write there. You can read these stories, and various fanfics, at the following sites: http://www.crystalhall.org/, http://www.sapphireplace.com/, and http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/node

Prologue

Fractal woke as something shook her. For a moment she stared up at the man shaking her. Then she recognized him. “Hello Greasy,” she said. “I guess it’s time to get up?”

Greasy sighed. “I’m sorry,” he said as he backed away.

Puzzled, Fractal looked around. She was still in the same cubicle she had went to sleep in. She could see the light from the setting sun shining in. At first, she didn’t know what he was talking about, then she realized the sun shouldn’t be setting. “Greasy,” she roared. “You let me sleep to long!”

“It doesn’t matter, Fractal,” Greasy said.

“It doesn’t matter!? What do you mean it doesn’t matter? Without me, how will you guys escape?”

“There’s no place to escape to,” Greasy said. “Four hours ago, we received the last transmission from base Alpha.”

“Wha-what happened,” Fractal asked.

“Peeper can answer that better than I can.”

“Where is he?”

“In the command center,” Greasy replied. “He’s the one who told me to let you sleep.”

Fractal didn’t answer. She just brushed by him as she left the cubicle. She immediately turned toward the command center only to find her face buried in somebody’s cleavage. Startled, she looked up into eyes that shifted in a fractal pattern. She sighed. She knew those eyes. She saw them every time she looked into a mirror.

“Hello, Fractal,” her near duplicate answered. “I see you’ve finally woken up.”

Fractal growled and Butte chuckled.

“Hopefully Greasy has told you what happened,” Butte continued. Fractal nodded. “Good. Then you know there was nothing you cold do.”

Fractal sighed. She didn’t want to admit it, but Butte was correct. There was nothing she could have done. Her power was the ability to open portals. But only to places she had been or could picture clearly in her mind. It was a shock when her first near clone came through one of her portals though. “If only the Great War hadn’t happened,” she said.

“But it did,” Butte said. “And we have to deal with the results.”

“Terrible, results,” Fractal said. “Sometime, I wish I could go back in time and kill those idiots before they set the world on the pat of destruction.”

The Great War had started fifteen years ago. It began with an all out attack on Whateley Academy by on of the more militant branches of the Humanity First movement. They had kept and educated two devisors and four gadgeters when their mutations started. Luckily for the mutants, their mutations didn’t alter their bodies as they would have been killed instead. Nobody knows how many children Humanity First had killed when they mutated. The mutants then constructed several types of combat armor which the fanatics then used to attack Whateley. Whateley, of course, fought back.

Virtually all the faculty and approximately one fourth of the students fought the invaders. It was only when the other students realized that the fanatics were targeting all mutants that they joined the battle. It quickly ended after that as the mutants were fighting for their very lives and didn’t hold back. It wasn’t until the next morning that they discovered the rest of the world’s mutant population was under attack.

In those first two years of the war, people and nations quickly took sides. A few tried to remain neutral, but fanatics on both sides refused to let this happen. The calmer heads were ignored in favor of mindless violence. The few places that tried to hold onto peace were quickly destroyed. Usually in more spectacular ways than those that fought back.

As the war raged, both sides used larger and more powerful weapons. Soon, areas began to appear where life could not sustain itself or, was twisted beyond imagining. No one seemed to care that the very planet they lived on was being destroyed. But, in the tent year of the war, everything changed.

Kellith woke in all of her terrible glory.

At first, the mutants cheered her awaking. But it soon became obvious that the demon princess cared only for the complete domination of the entire planet. The remnants of humanity joined together to fight off this larger threat. But it was too little too late.

The battered defenders couldn’t stand up to Kellith or her hell-spawned children. One by one, the bases of both mutants and humans alike fell. In desperation, the survivors banned together. Pooling their knowledge, weapons, and tactics, they managed to slow Kellith’s progression. But not stop it.

Eighteen months after Kellith’s awakening, a plan was created to kill or, at least, banish her. Blade Dancer with Destiny’s Wave would attack Kellith’s base and kill the demon. Supporting her would be the Eight Immortals, Chaka, and Lancer. They left from the nearest base a dawn. It was the last time there were seen.

From reports of the captured humans who had escaped during the battle, the group had arrived at the building three weeks after leaving the base. The witnesses couldn’t be sure, but it appeared that one of the group had been injured. The group entered the base with no problems. Two hours later, the building exploded. It is believed that the group had died in the explosion.

Everybody believed that the blast had killed Kellith. Weeks went by without any sighting of the demon princess. Only her worshippers and devotees were seen. It wasn’t until Fey pointed out that the devotees would have died if Kellith Nobody wanted to believe her, but those in command thought it prudent to start preparations for Kellith’s unwanted return.

There preparations were not enough.

Two months later, Kellith returned. Her first act was the re-secure her hold on the lands she had previously conquered. That took her all of two months. Then she turned her sights on the last few unconquered lands. Mostly North and Central America. Though, there were some parts of China, Africa, and Europe she still didn’t possess.

After crushing all resistance outside of North America, Kellith started on Fey. In the few years since Kellith’s first appearance, Fey had brought all of what was Canada and Alaska under her control. She hadn’t been idle while Kellith marched on the world. She had plenty of defenses in place and waiting. They proved to be more than a match for the any of the forces Kellith sent against her.

After her forces had failed to even gain a foothold in Fey’s empire, Kellith decided to lead them personally. She led them straight toward Fey’s home base. Ignoring all that wasn’t in her way. When Kellith finally reached her goal, she found that Fey had even planned on this and had acted accordingly.

Fey knew that Kellith would eventually reach her. She also knew she couldn’t stand against the lust demon alone. Beside her, stood her lover, Bunny, who would never willingly leave her, and her last surviving teammate, Tennyo. Together, they hoped to end the menace of Kellith.

However, Tennyo was there for revenge. In a raid, Kellith had captured Jade, another teammate, and turned her into a brood mother. It was Tennyo who found her three months after her capture. During that time, Jade had given birth to three of Kellith’s spawn and was pregnant with a fourth. The pregnancies had driven the woman mad. Tennyo had no choice but to kill the gentlest person, and best friend, she had ever known.

Fractal didn’t know the details of the battle, only the results. When the battle of over, Fey and Tennyo were dead. The area within a five mile radius was scrubbed down to the bedrock. The only reason Bunny survived was because of Fey. She had sent her lover to the only place she would be safe enough to heal and build what, she hoped, would be the weapon to finally end Kellith.

This time Kellith was down for almost two years. The last free forces on earth took the time to consolidate their forces. They chose Whateley Academy as their final stand. It was the most secure and best defended base they had left. It didn’t hurt that all the devisor and gadgeters had left designs, if not working copies, of their most destructive weapons there.

Bunny didn’t waste time either. As soon as she could, she designed and built cybernetic replacements for her missing and damaged body parts. She also built a mech suit she could, with the help of her cybernetics, merge with. The mech suit was needed to carry and power the beam weapon she believed with end Kellith. That or destroy the planet, if not the universe. At this point, Fractal didn’t believe that Bunny cared.

Bunny was outside, with what force they had remaining, waiting for her shot at Kellith. Fractal did know that Bunny’s gun was based on one of Tennyo’s attacks. Something that made people very nervous whenever it was brought up. It was also something that made people very glad she was there. And that made Fractal nervous.

Fractal stopped thinking about the past when she arrived at the command center. She took a deep breath and raised her hand to open the door. She froze. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t make her hand touch the door. She just couldn’t do it. She knew why she didn’t want to. If she went into the room, she would be admitting that all was lost. Nobody knew what would happen when Bunny fired her gun. But they all agreed that Whateley wouldn’t be here any longer.

Fractal felt warm, strong arms surround her. She looked up into the knowing gaze of her Amazonian self.

“Don’t worry,” Butte said. “I know you can do it. You brought me and three other versions of yourself into this universe. You’ve had to search through an infinite number of universes to do that. How hard can it be for you to open a path for you to travel to another universe?”

Fractal lowered her eyes. “But I’ll be leaving all my friends here to die.”

The arms tightened. “They want you to leave. They want to you live so that somebody will remember them. And, if the universe you choose has a Kellith in it, you may prevent this from happening to their alternates. Isn’t that a good thing?”

“I guess so,” mumbled Fractal. “But it still feels wrong. Like I’m running away.”

Butte studied what some would call her creator, for a moment. “I know what it is,” she said. “You just wanted to tell Greasy that you loved him.”

Fractal’s face turned red and the pattern in her eyes sped up. “N-n-no, that’s not it.”

“Yes, it is. You probably wanted him to take your virginity.”

Fractal’s face was flaming. She couldn’t believe her double was saying this. Sure, Greasy was an attractive man. But there were others who were just as attractive if not more so. But, there was something about him that just attracted her. Even if he was seventeen years older than her.

She opened her mouth only to have Butte place her finger on her lips. “Don’t say anything,” she said. “You know we have similar minds.”

Slowly Fractal nodded. “That may be true, but I’d never say that.”

“That’s why you have me. And don’t forget the others.”

“Wha, how,” sputtered Fractal.

“Don’t worry,” Butte said. “We can’t talk to each other unless you bring all of us here. I just know you. And, if I do, so do the others.” She nodded toward the door. “Let’s go in. You need to say goodbye. You might not have time later.”

The two girls entered the room. It was a large, circular room with monitor stations scattered around it. In the center was a pit. It had a large table with a hologram of the base and surrounding area over it. Neither had to study the image long to see that they were in trouble.

The air in the room was thick with fear and anxiety. All who wasn’t out preparing for the upcoming battle were here, peering into the monitors for the first glimpse of the enemy. Nobody believed they could defeat Kellith. The best they were hoping for was to give Kellith a pyrrhic victory. Mostly, they were hoping to take the demon princess with them. Despite all the time she escaped death before.

The pair descended toward the pit. Fractal was silent. While she wanted to say her goodbyes, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. These were the people she had spent the last twenty months of her life with. They had become her family after her original family died protecting her. She put those thoughts out of her head and approached the one man who didn’t seem worried. He was a tall, heavy set man. His loose clothing did nothing to hide his build or the cybernetic replacement he had for his left arm. He was rubbing his left shoulder as they approached.

“Hello, Peeper,” Fractal said.

Peeper turned and gave Fractal a long, slow look. Usually she slapped the older man or had Butte punch him. This time, she didn’t do anything. This was probably the last time she would see him. Or anybody else from here. She could let him look to his heart’s content.

He gave her a sad smile. “Now I know the world’s going to end,” he said. “Neither you nor Butte hit me.”

Fractal’s eyes started to water. “I could hit, you one last time, if you want,” she whispered.

“That’s alright,” he chuckled. He turned to look at the table. “Are you ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Good.” Fractal started to wipe her eyes and Peeper gave Butte a carrying case. “Maybe you should find Greasy and tell him goodbye.”

Fractal gasped as Peeper and Butte chuckled.

“They don’t call me peeper for nothing,” he said. “Seriously, the whole base knew. I thing the only one who didn’t know was Greasy. But then, he was always like that. Sometimes, I think he’d have been better off if we hadn’t met.” He sighed. “I will never know, but you might. Now get going.”

Silently, Fractal and Butte walked out of the room. “You know, Butte said. “For a pervert, he’s not so bad.”

Fractal opened her mouth only to snap it shut as an explosion rocked the base. She would have fallen if Butte hadn’t held her up.

“It’s time,” Butte said. She handed Fractal the carrying case. “This holds all the information we have on Kellith. Her birth, rise to power, and, hopefully, what is needed to destroy her. As soon as you can, you need to contact that universe’s version of Whateley. Hopefully, their Kellith hasn’t awaken yet.”

The two stared at each other as numerous explosions rocked the base.

“Will you just go already,” Butte finally said. “We don’t have time for dramatic scenes. Just remember to call me back when you can. Or I’ll tell Greasy you have a crush on him.” With that, Butte entered the command center.

Once the door closed, Fractal calmed and centered herself. She had already decided what she would look for in the new universe. She wanted a universe that Greasy was young enough for her to date, Team Kimba was whole and healthy, and most importantly, Kellith wasn’t awake. Maybe, with this information, she could prevent her form ever awakening.

Slowly, in front of Fractal, an oval appeared. It shimmered with the colors of the rainbow before fractal patterns appeared on its surface. The oval started to flicker and Fractal frowned with concentration. The flickering sped up as sweat started to bead on her face. Finally, the flickering stopped and Fractal opened her eyes. Slowly, she took one last look around. As much as she hated this world, it was her home. She would miss it. But her friends and loved ones were counting on her. This world was all but dead. Through her, they would live on.

Suddenly, space rippled around her. Instantly, she knew Bunny had just fired her gun. And it was doing what most people feared. It was ripping the universe to shreds. Desperately, Fractal threw herself through her portal. Closing it behind and saying goodbye to the only world she knew.Chapter 1

The passage had been rougher than she had expected. There were things obstructing her. She didn’t know what they were. She couldn’t even see them. All she knew was that every time she touched one, it hurt. Breaking one brought mind numbing pain. It may have been disruption from her dying universe. Or it may be because she was traveling between universes. Something she had never done before.

Whatever the reason, she had to get through. For her, there was no turning back. She felt her world, her entire universe, die before she closed the portal. Even if she could have gone back, she wouldn’t. It was obvious the Kellith would have won. The few who could have stopped her were either killed in the war with Humanity First, or kill by assassins early in the war with Kellith herself.

After a few minutes, Fractal began to worry. This was taking entirely too long. The few times she used her gates to travel were instant. Then there was the obstacles. She had expected trouble, but not these and definitely not the pain. She started to wonder if she would die here.

Just as she was starting to lose control of her fear, Fractal saw the end of the passage. With a sobbing gasp of relief, she strained to reach it. For a moment, it seemed she couldn’t reach it. With a faint pop, she was suddenly through. And falling.

Fractal hit the floor with a bone crunching thud. She lay there for a moment, happy to feel the normal pain of bruises yet to be. After a moment, she became aware of two things. One, was the sickening, but sadly familiar smell of burnt flesh. The other was frantic screaming. She struggled to face the screamer and received the shock of her life. Her parents, standing with a boy and a girl, were staring at her.

“Mom,” she incredulously said. “Daddy? But, you’re dead.” She passed out.

******

Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Molesly didn’t expect this. Sure, they had mutants in their families, Jonathan had a cousin, and Carolyn had a nice, but they had been told that the traits were too weak to manifest in any children they had. So, When they were told their youngest child, Michael, was a mutant, they were stunned.

Once they got over their shock, they were relieved. Michael was the youngest of three and had no discernable talents or skills. He wasn’t the stare athlete like his older brother, Steven. And Samantha seemed to have inherited the brains, excelling in any subject she tried.

With two such overachievers for siblings, they feared for Michael’s self esteem. But, with his mutation, they felt he would find something to set himself apart. They were right. But not in the way they were expecting. Their youngest son was turning into their youngest daughter.

This was a shock to Jonathan and Carolyn, but they put the best face on it they could. They and Samantha kept Steven from teasing Michael about his unwanted change in gender. Samantha started giving her new sister advice about clothes and make-up. Even though she resisted with all her might.

A few minutes ago, Jonathan and Carolyn woke to a terrifying scream. They quickly jumped out of bed to find Steven and Samantha already in the hall. Together they ran to Michael, now Melissa’s, room only to fine horror. Her body was wrapped in flame. Her flesh was literally burning up. She was in the middle of catastrophic burnout. And there was nothing they could do.

As she burned, Melissa looked up at her family and smiled. “Don’t worry,“ she said. “It will all work out.” The family watched as the youngest died.

Steven, who had ran downstairs to get the kitchen fire extinguisher, returned to put out Melissa’s remains and her bed. He had just finished when Fractal dropped from nowhere to hit the floor. The four of them stared in shock as the young girl on the floor. Suddenly Carolyn started screaming hysterically. The girl looked exactly like the girl their daughter was becoming.

Groggily, the intruder turned to face them. Mom, Daddy,” she incredulously said. “But, you’re dead.” She passed out. Quickly follow by Carolyn

******

She was back. Both her alternate and her father thought they had destroyed her. But that will never happen. Not as long as the other kept her human emotions. But that’s what happens when a god is raised among mortals. Now, all she had to do was get her body back.

She had been trapped in the void between realities. Unable to find a way out as her alternates died, one by one. No matter what she tried, she couldn’t keep her other self from destroying her alternates. But this time, it would be different. Now she had to element of surprise.

She looked down on the scene below. The one who had made this possible was laying unconscious, on the floor. Her family from this universe were standing around her. As much as she would like to properly thank this Fractal, she couldn’t. She wasn’t strong enough to take the entire family. All it would take would be for one to survive long enough to alert the wrong people. She couldn’t let that happen. Besides, she could always return later to thank her.

She crawled along the ceiling, searching for the direction of her body. She paused as she found something she wasn’t expecting. A thing she would have never expected her alternate would allowed. Her body had spawned! A fine healthy male. This could be interesting. She smiled to herself.

“Prepare, Sara,” she whispered. “For Kellith has returned.”

******

Fractal woke to a strange environment. She kept her eyes closed and tried to keep her breathing slow and even. She could tell that she was clean, something she hadn’t experienced in too long. She was also lying in a soft, comfortable bed with fluffy warm covers pulled over her. She could hear faint voices from outside the room.

Cautiously, she opened on eye. A wall stared back. Trying to make it seem natural, Fractal turned to look around the room. It was definitely a girl’s room. The room was pink. The walls, carpet, furniture, everything was pink. The only things not pink were the few posters of, what Fractal assumed, popular boy bands. “Some them were cute.

Fractal blinked. What was she thinking? She had a mission to accomplish. But first things first. Namely, to find a bathroom.

She threw the covers off her and blushed. She was wearing a nightgown. “That meant somebody had to have undressed, bathed, and dressed her. She really hoped it had been a woman. /She looked around for her clothes, but couldn’t see them. That didn’t surprise her. They, and her, had been rather dirty. Bathing and washing clothes had been low on her list of priorities.

Fractal went to the door and pressed her ear against it. She could still hear the voiced, but they didn’t sound close. She eased the door open and peeked out. She couldn’t see anybody standing in the hall. She quickly and quietly walked to the nearest door. It was a storage closet. The next door was a bedroom. The third room was the bathroom. She quickly did her business and flushed.

For one horrified moment, she froze. She couldn’t believe she had just did that. She was supposed to be quietly leaving. She hurried back to the room she had woken in. She remembered seeing a window there. Maybe she could get out before someone found her.

She entered the room and stopped cold. The girl she had seen earlier was standing there. She looked like she had been waiting for her.

“Hello,” she hesitantly said. “You’re Melissa, right? I’m Samantha.”

“H-how do you know my name?”

“You look just like her, you know,” Samantha said. “The girl my brother was turning into.”

Fractal didn’t know what to say. She knew alternate version of her existed in the other universes. She had met four of them. She knew that a version of her could have existed in this universe. She just never expected to run into her alternate’s family.

When Fractal didn’t say anything, Samantha continued. “It would have been nice, having a younger sister. Even if it meant changing my younger brother. Not that I wanted that. It just would have been nice, is all.”

Fractal studied the girl as she talked;. She looked to be about four inching taller than her, making her about 5’7.” Samantha’s hair was a little darker than her own and a lot longer. Reaching down to her waist. Samantha’s figure was a little better than Fractal’s. She bit her lip at the thought. Even though she had been a girl for a little over a year, she still wasn’t used to having these thoughts.

Samantha’s eyes stared to water. “I love my bother. And I would have loved the sister he was becoming. But she died. Before I could really get to know her. All the experts say it was burnout. That somehow her power went out of control and burnt her up. I don’t believe that. Especially since she told us it would be all right. Michael had never lied to me, and I don’t think Melissa would have either. So why did she say that?”

“And then, you appeared. Before her body had even stopped smoking, you dropped out of nowhere. Looking exactly like Melissa. You even have the same name a Melissa had chosen to call herself.”

“But you’re not my sister. You look like her, and you sound like her. Hell, you even have the same name as her. But, you’ll never be her. I don’t know if I can forgive you for that.”

“I’m sorry,” whispered Fractal. “I didn’t know where the portal would drop me. I didn’t even know if I could have came here. I just had to get away. If you’ll tell me where my clothes are, I’ll leave.”

Samantha wiped her tears away. “I’m sorry. But we can’t let you go. According to the papers in that case you had, you’re here to warn Whateley abut something, or somebody named Kellith.”

“You looked in that?”

“Of course,” came the almost calm reply. “We had to know who you were. It’s not every day that somebody drops out of nowhere. And we do know about mutants. You could have been a known mutant teleporting blind.”

Fractal could only stare at her.

“You need to get dressed,” Samantha said. “We want to ask you some questions before the people from Whateley get here. Mom shouldn’t faint now. She’s had four days to get used to you.”

“Four days,” gasped Fractal. “I’ve been asleep for four days?”

“You weren’t in very good condition when you arrived.” Samantha shrugged. “Your body was striped with burns. We were worried, at first. But, then you stated to heal. So we knew you’d be alright. Now, get dressed. I have some clothes you can borrow.”

“I, uh, I don’t need any clothes,” Fractal said. She studied the young woman who could have been her sister. “I sorta’ brought my own.”

Samantha stared at her. “We looked through that case you had. It didn’t have room for clothes.”

Fractal blushed and lowered her head. “It doesn’t need room,” she mumbled.

“How’d you do that,” Samantha asked. Dropping the clothes issue, for the moment.

“Do what,” the young mutant asked as she jerked her head up.

“Make your eyes do that. The colors are moving faster.”

Fractal’s blushed deepened as the patterns in her eyes sped up. “It’s something that happens,” she said. “I don’t really control it.”

“Oh.” Samantha was quiet for a moment. She was thinking of her sister. Her eyes had been changing colors recently. Not like Fractal’s. Melissa’s eyes were one, solid color at a time. “About your clothes,” she said. “You said you didn’t need any. Where are they?”

Fractal warily studied the older girl. “You promise you won’t get mad,” she asked.

“What would I get mad about?”

“Just promise me. Too many women have gotten mad at me about this.”

“I promise,” Samantha said after a moment.

Fractal slowly raised her hand. It was unnecessary, but it helped to let others know she was opening a portal. Before her, a large oval appeared in front of her. The colors of a rainbow shimmered through it before settling down into a fractal pattern. She glanced at Samantha then put her hand in the oval. She could feel her clothes on the other side of the portal. She felt through them to find a clean set. Once she had one, she pulled it out, let the portal close, and turned to face Samantha.

Samantha was staring at the clothes Fractal had just pulled out of that glowing hole in space. She couldn’t believe it, but she watched it happen. When the oval first appeared was a surprise. But the bigger surprise was when Fractal put her hand in it and pulled out a pair of dark brown leather pants, a tan linen shirt, and a denim jacket. Not the best fashion, but that wasn’t important. “Fractal,” she calmly said. “Just how many clothes do you have in there?”

Fractal gave her a hurt look. “You promised you wouldn’t get angry”

“I’m not angry. Now, please answer the question.”

“Not many,” Fractal whispered. “About twelve, I think.”

“Twelve. And you can get to them at any place and time?”

Fractal nodded.

“And just how much can you put in there?”

“I don’t know,” whispered Fractal. She was starting to get nervous. A lot of women back in her world started out like this before exploding.

“I see,” Samantha said. Slowly she turned and exited the room. Fractal could hear her muttering to herself, but couldn’t make out the words.

After Samantha left, Fractal quickly dressed. She would have opened a portal away, but she didn’t know of any locations in this world to go. She thought about going straight to Whateley, but she didn’t know how this one felt. So she found herself heading to meet her alternate’s family. She had already met the sister and that wasn’t bad. As an only child, her life was a little lonely. Even if she had a large number of cousins to run around with. It just wasn’t the same.

Thoughts of what her life could have been like if she had siblings occupied her mind as she went down the stairs. Somehow, the pictures on the wall made it through the fog thoughts. Stopping, she examined them. What she saw brought tears to her eyes. The pictures portrayed her alternate’s life. From birth to his death a few days earlier. She saw pictures of him as a baby being held by the proud family. As a boy playing with friends. There was even a few with him posing with family. Fractal stood there, lost in a world of what could have been.

Samantha found her, staring at the pictures. She had been wondering what was taking the young mutant so long so she had came looking. Part of her had though that Fractal had left. Went looking for Whateley on her own. She was surprised to find her just standing at the bottom of the stairs. Fractal turned as Samantha approached. She could see the tear streaks running down Fractal’s face. “What’s wrong,” she asked in a sudden burst of sympathy.

Fractal weakly waved a hand at the pictures. “My family,” she whispered.

“Those are of my brother, Michael,” Samantha said. “My parents wanted to remember his life before his mutation. They had plans to change them outwit new pictures as we had them made.”

“Michael was my old name,” Fractal said. “Before I mutated.”

Samantha stared at the young mutant in shock. She did not want to believe the young girl in front of her. Michael was dead. Even though she didn’t believe Fractal did it deliberately, she believed that the mutant was responsible for her brother’s death. She wasn’t sure she could forgive her for that.

“Even though I was a mutant,” continued Fractal. “My family still protected me. They could have lost their lives if the people in our area found out. But it didn’t matter to them. I was still family.”

Samantha looked on in shock as Fractal continued to speak. She only wanted to know what was taking the girl so long. She didn’t want her life’s story. She just wanted her younger brother, maybe sister, back.

It got worse as Fractal began to cry. “They died defending me,” she sobbed. “The only thing I could do was run. Even when that bastard killed my mom right in front of me.”

In desperation and fear, Samantha grabbed the crying mutant into a tight hug. As she rubbed Fractal’s back, she tried to think of what to do. She saw her mother and shot her a desperate look She motioned for her to continue hugging Fractal.

Eventually, Fractal cried herself to sleep. Samantha and Mrs. Molesly looked at each other over the girl. Neither knew what to do next. They had never expected to be in this position. They closest they thought they would come was helping Michael adjust to being a girl.

The Molesly’s didn’t know what to say. After Fractal had arrived, they went through her case. At first, it was just to find some form of identification. But what they found was unbelievable. The called Brookhaven Hospital in Tulsa, as they had the only mutant treatment center in the area, and told them what was happening. They rushed a team there, but it was too late. Michael was dead before they had even called. But the girl who dropped from the ceiling was still alive, and worse, unknown.

The medical team wanted to take Fractal back with them. She was an unknown mutant. Appearing under mysterious and possibly dangerous circumstances. As the strange burn marks on her body showed. Not to mention the papers in her case. After reading them, the team called Whateley. The doctors at Whateley wanted Fractal, but didn’t have any way of transporting her at the time. They told the team to hold her at the hospital until they could get her. The team, of course, readily agreed. But Mr. And Mrs. Molesly wouldn’t let them. For them, the young mutant closely resembled the girl their son was becoming. They wanted to keep her, and his memory, as close as possible. At least until she proved too dangerous.

Not having any real reasons for taking her, the team let the Molesly’s keep her. Before they left, they took some blood and skin samples. Maybe there was some record of her, somewhere. They also made sure the family would call as soon as Fractal woke. Nobody was expecting her to break down crying.

“That can’t be true,” Samantha said. She and the others were sitting in the living room. Fractal had woken up a few minutes earlier after sleeping for an hour. Mrs. Molesly took the opportunity to get to know the young mutant better. They had all read the papers Fractal had brought with her. But none of them wanted to believe what was written there. “Some of them have to have survived.”

“You don’t understand,” Fractal said. “With my powers, I felt my whole universe die! I’m the only one left. I’m alone!”

This was too much for Carolyn. Even though she knew it wasn’t her son-turned-daughter, she couldn’t help but want to comfort her. Gently she pulled the grieving girl into a hug. It was then that Carolyn felt a connection. Somehow, holding this girl was like holding her youngest.

Slowly Fractal calmed down. She hadn’t cried like that since her parents died. While she was sure she had plenty of reasons, she was still embarrassed. And why was she thinking of her mother? She hadn’t the time to think of her family, let alone her mother, for the last eight months.

After a timeless moment, Fractal opened her eyes and found herself sitting in her mother’s lap with her head resting on her shoulder. For one moment, she stared into her mother’s kind eyes. The next thing she knew she was on the wall. She knew she couldn’t teleport that way and she definitely wasn’t a speedster, so what happened.

She stared at the family. They stared back. “Um,” she said. “Who are you?”

***

Carolyn stared a the young girl as she stood next to the wall. Her appearance was almost identical to her youngest. In fact, she could see the young woman her new daughter had been becoming. Tears gathered in her eyes, but she held them in. She didn’t want this familiar, but not, girl to get the wrong idea.

“My name is Carolyn Molesly,” she said.

“B-but that’s my mother’s name,” the girl said.

“I know,” Carolyn replied. “I hope you don’t mind, but we read your papers. We needed to find out who you were, how you appeared like you did, and why. We also wanted to know if anybody was chasing you.”

Fractal didn’t say anything.

“Jonathan is my husband’s name, but you should know that,” Carolyn continued. “Steven is my oldest child, and you’ve met Samantha. My youngest, Melissa,” Fractal twitched. “died just before you arrived. She was a mutant, like you. We don’t know what her power was. We do know she could make circles of colored light appear. Samantha said that the colors appeared in a Fractal pattern. Whatever that is.”

Fractal still didn’t say anything. But she did begin to look less tense.

Carolyn sighed. “Let me tell you a story. My mother had a touch of the sight. She’d always know when we, her children, were getting in trouble or hut. I know. Everybody says that’s just a mother’s intuition. But, with Mom, it was somehow different.”

“Anyway, Mom was dying. She knew it, and made us promise not to cry. She had no regrets, and had lived a happy life. She had called me into her room and made everybody else leave. Once they were gone, she told me something I didn’t understand.”

“She told me that I would lose my youngest child, only to gain one who was and yet wasn’t mine. This one, would have dark times ahead. Whether that one could face them, depended a lot on my love.”

She looked directly into Fractal’s eyes. “When Michael started to mutate, I thought that was what my mother was talking about. But then she died, and you appeared that same day. It was only then that I realized what she had been talking about.”

“I couldn’t take it at the time, and passed out. This was, of course, after screaming my head off. But I’m ready now. That is, if you’re willing to accept me. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to, nor can I, take the place of your mother. But I’m willing to be there for you. To give you all the love she would have given you. Please, won’t you let me try?”

Fractal stared at the woman. She looked so much like her mother that it hurt. She had always known that her mother loved her. She had proven it by sacrificing herself so that Fractal could live. It was a price Fractal didn’t want to pay. Not only had she lost her mother, she lost her entire family that day. They all died to protect her.

At that time, Fractal did the only thing she could. She ran. She left behind everybody she knew. It helped that all of her so-called-friends wanted to kill her now that they knew she was a mutant. Like it was her fault the war Humanity First had started and then, the demon Kellith started her bloody take over of the world.

Fractal stared into the strange and familiar eyes. She swallowed and took a hesitant step.

******

Fractal was basking in the warmth of the hug. This woman may not have been her mother, but she wasn’t complaining. It felt too good to just be held. She didn’t know how much she had missed this. The last time she had been held like this, she had been a little kid. She didn’t complete her change into a girl until after she had arrived at Whateley.

Later, the rest of the family entered the room and she started talking about her world. Though her home town wasn’t directly affected, she was able to give them an overview of the war with Humanity First. They weren’t surprised by that group’s actions. They were horrified by her descriptions of the war against Kellith. They couldn’t believe anything like that could happen anywhere. They were happy that nothing like that had happened in their dimension.

There was a knock on the door.

They all looked at each other. Finally, Jonathan stood and walked to the door. “Who is it?”

“Dr. Otto from ARC,” came the answer. “Whateley sent me.”

He opened the door to find and older gentleman dressed in a three piece suit. Behind him was a rotund man wearing ill fitting clothing with his pockets jammed with pens, note pads, and various other note taking utensils. There was also a couple of young men and women.

“This is Dr. Hewley, from Whateley,” the suit wearing man said. He pointed at a woman and a man. “His assistants Hillary and Clark, also form Whateley.” He pointed at the last pair. “These are my assistants from ARC, Peter and Stephanie.”

“What happened to the ones from Tulsa?”

“They forwarded the information to Whateley,” Dr. Hewley answered. “That’s standard procedure with all burnout cases.” He looked around. “May we come in?”

Mr. Molesly opened the door wider, allowing the group to enter. Fractal and the Molesleys watched as the others entered and sat when motioned to by Mr. Molesly. “Okay,” Mr. Molesly said. “Why did all of you come here?”

“It was this mutant, Fractal,” Dr. Otto said. “Burnout, unfortunately, isn’t as uncommon as we’d like. But, having a possible identical mutant appear out of nowhere is.” he looked at each of them. “We have samples form Melissa, both before and after burnout. We can positively identify her. The few samples from Fractal that we have, say that she is identical to Melissa in every way. We’ve come to verify this.”

“It’s not that we don’t trust the hospital,” Dr. Hewley said. “This has never happened before. We’ve never had a mutant who was completely identical to another. Not even identical twins have mutated in the exact same way. We both would like to know how this is possible.”

Fractal stared at the two doctors. She knew them, But not as they appeared. Dr. Hewley was about 100 pounds heavier than he should be, and Dr. Otto still had both his arms. She shook herself as Dr. Hewley stopped speaking. “How much did they send you?”

“Not much,” Dr. Hewley said. “Blood and tissue samples along with the results of their tests. We couldn’t believe the result of our tests so we brought in Dr. Otto and ARC.”

“We confirmed their results,” Dr. Otto said. “We definitely wanted to meet you. Especially after we heard of the papers and computer disks you were carrying.”

“What about the memory crystal,” Fractal asked. “I was supposed to be carrying one of those as well. It has more storage space than the disks, so its more detailed than they are.”

“No one told us anything about that,” Dr. Otto said as he looked at his colleague and assistants.

“Don’t look at me,” Dr. Hewley said. “I wasn’t informed of it.”

“Don’t worry,” Samantha said. “Its still in her case. Nobody could tell us what it was, so we left it alone. I’ll go get it.” She left the room.

“The crystal is simply a holistic memory crystal,” Fractal said. “It has a capacity of 800 exabytes.”

The visitors stared, slack jawed. Dr. Otto cleared his throat. “Exabytes,” he said. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Fractal,” Dr. Otto said. “I don’t think we have any computers with that much memory.”

“As long as you don’t count any the devisors or gadgeters have built,” put in Hillary. “Should I go and get the laptop?”

“Yes,” Hewley replied. “We might be able to read the disks. I know we don’t have anything with us that can read the crystal.”

“Would you mind telling us about your powers,” Dr. Otto asked Fractal.

Before Fractal could answer, Samantha returned with the case. “Here it is,” she said. “Do you want it to open it now?”

“Not right now,” Dr. Hewley answered. “Hillary went to get a laptop. Hopefully those disks are in a format we can play.”

“Besides,” Carolyn said. “I want to hear about Fractal’s power.” Everybody turned to Fractal.

Fractal shrugged. “I can open holes to anyplace I have been or can visualize,” she said. “A professor back home told me I was actually opening wormholes.” She saw the doctors and their assistants twitch. “I can also bring alternate versions of myself to me. At least, that’s what I think I’m doing. There really wasn’t that many people who could give me a proper evaluation.”

“How many alternates can you bring,” Dr. Otto asked.

“Right now, only four. Flow, Butte, Mercy, and Shrink-wrap. Flow is an energizer. She absorbs energy and changes it to kinetic energy. Mercy is a healer. Both of herself and others. Shrink-wrap can shrink things. Butte is a brick. I usually keep her with me.”

“Would you be willing to be tested at Whateley,” asked Dr. Hewley. “There are several people who would love to study your ability. Especially if what you say is true.”

“I need to get to Whateley anyway,” Fractal said. “That is my mission. I have information for them.”

The door opened and Hillary walked in. “I got it,” she said. Dr. Hewley motioned her over to him and together, they set up the computer.

“If you would be so kind,” he said to Samantha.

Samantha opened Fractal’s case and handed the disks to Dr. Hewley.

“They look like standard Cds,” he said after examining them. “Let’s see if they’ll play.” He placed one of the disks into the slot and waited. His face lit up as the screen brightened. Only to fall as the words ‘insert disk 1’ scrolled across the screen.

He took the disk out. “I guess we can read it,” he said. “Mr. Molesly, may we borrow your television? I’ll need a larger screen if all of us are to watch this.”

“Please do,” Mr. Molesly replied. “I admit, I’m starting to wonder what’s on those disks.”

Hillary took the computer and began to hook it up to the television. Dr. Hewley searched through the disks until he found disk one. He then put the restate in order. Whatever was on those disks, he wanted to see them without any further delays.

Dr. Hewley gave the first disk to Hillary who put it into the computer. A moment later, the screen brightened and a menu appeared. Hillary looked back at Dr. Hewley.

“Pick the warning icon,” he said.

“Yes,” Dr. Otto agreed. “Might as well get the bad news first.”

Hillary clicked the icon and joined the others.”

An hour later, Dr. Otto and Dr. Hewley looked at each other. “We have to get this to Mrs. Carson,” they told each other.

******

Sara couldn’t shake this strange feeling of unease. For the last two days, she had this feeling of impending doom. She even shorted her stay with Donna and their son. That wasn’t as bad as it seemed. Somehow, her cult had found out about Donna and Gary and were keeping a close watch on the two. At least she made it perfectly clear that they were not to harm either of them.

She thought of going back to Merry, but decided not. She wouldn’t be very good company with the way she was feeling now. Besides, Merry was still officially in hiding. She knew ARC was watching her. She didn’t feel like trying to ditch them. Maybe she should go back to her room. With most of the students gone for the summer, there really wasn’t much to do here.

She would be glad when school started again. Her friends would be back then. She felt she would need them. Whatever was causing this unease, was coming closer.Chapter 2

The Moleslys and Fractal looked at each other. While they were polite about it, the speed the doctors and their assistants left didn’t assure them. Before they left, they did promise that Fractal would be admitted to Whateley when school started in three weeks. They also asked if they could take her case with them. There were some people who needed to see the information it contained. Until then, she was to get used to her new world.

Samantha wanted to take her shopping. But her mother decided that first, they would get to know Fractal better. The family made themselves comfortable. When they were ready Fractal began to tell them about her world.

The Moleslys couldn’t believe their ears as Fractal told them about the war. They were horrified at her tales of torture, sickness, and starvation. As the mutants fought against the forces of Humanity First, the neutral people suffered. Finally she tells them how her own family died. Defending her from an angry mob looking for some payback. It was a huge shock for her. Most of them were people whom she had known all her life. She couldn’t believe that they wanted to kill her just because she was a mutant.

She stopped there, close to tears. Mrs. Molesly went over and enveloped Fractal in her arms. Comforted, she was able to calm down. “I’m alright,” she said.

“That’s alright,” Mrs. Molesly said. “you don’t have to tell us.” The others made noised of agreement. “I never thought that you went through so much. You’re only thirteen. You shouldn’t have had to lived through that.”

Fractal shrugged. “Kids grow up fast in wars. Besides, I haven’t told you the worst.”

“You mean there’s worse,” blurted Samantha. She slapped a hand over her mouth and blushed as Fractal turned to face her.”

“Yes. Remember, there was two wars. I’ve only told you about the first one. The second is much worse.”

Fractal then told them what she knew of the war with Kellith. It wasn’t long before they asked her to stop. But she couldn’t stop. She talked for several more minutes. Trapped in a world of memories, the words kept coming out.

Eventually the words stopped and Fractal sat there, panting. The Moleslys didn’t know what to say. They knew she had a hard life. They just didn’t know who bad she had had it.

“How about some ice cream,” Mrs. Molesly desperately said. “I have chocolate fudge.”

Fractal looked up. “What’s ice cream?”

Steven and Mr. Molesly looked at each other. As on, they turned and walked out the room. Neither wanted to be there while they introduced Fractal to the mysteries of women and chocolate ice cream.

Fractal stared after the two departing males. “What’s wrong with them?”

“Nothing,” Mrs. Molesly frowned. “Let’s go to the kitchen and get the ice cream.”

******

On their flight back to Whateley, neither Dr. Otto nor Dr. Hewley could believe what they had seen. They had only watched an hour of footage, but what they had seen was frightening. If half of what they learned was even true, then Whateley, and possible the world, was in for some dark times.

As for the existence of Fractal, they each were aware of string theory and the possibility of alternate worlds inherent with it, but Fractal hadn’t. Instead, she had mentioned something called membrane theory. She couldn’t explain it, but she did say the information was in the files she had brought with her.

The two doctors sat off to one side as their assistants eagerly went over the material. While they wanted to examine the material, they were willing to wait until they were back to Whateley. Hopefully, one of the gadgeteers would have something able to read the crystal.

“Found it,” exclaimed Peter.

“Found what,” Dr. Otto asked.

“Directions for building a reader for the memory crystal. With all they wanted to tell us, I knew the disks couldn’t hold everything.” He pointed a the computer screen. “This is the file I was looking for.”

“Good work,” Dr. Otto said. “Mark that file. We’ll print it out when we get back.” The assistants went back to work.

“That’s one problem out of the way,” Dr. Hewley said. “Unfortunately, it’s not the biggest one.”

“That’s why I’m glad I don’t have to deal with this.”

Dr. Hewley gave Otto a look. “Don’t worry,” he said. “You’ll have to deal with it sooner or later. Imagine what criminals would do if they knew Fractal’s power. From what little she said, it’s possible we don’t have any way of preventing her from opening a portal into the most secure areas in the world.”

“That wouldn’t be good.” Arc held some of the most dangerous mutants in the world. There were several criminal organizations that would love to spring them.

******

It was morning. Fractal knew that. What she didn’t know was where she was, or how she got there. But most importantly, she wanted to know who was in the bed with her. She shifted her weight to see if the person was awake.

Whoever it was shifted with her. She felt their hand brush her butt. It was only then that she realized something else. Something important. While she was dressed, it wasn’t what she normally would wear. It was something light, thin, and very impractical if it came to a fight.

She opened her eyes and found she was in a bedroom. A pink bedroom. That was all it took for her memories of the previous day to return. She also remembered something that frightened her. With a quick peek at the sister she never had, Fractal started to ease out of the bed.

“Just where do you think you’re going?”

Fractal let out a squeak of surprise and froze. She looked over her shoulder to see Samantha sitting up in bed. She had a very wide grin on her face.

“You wouldn’t be trying to sneak off now?”

“Um, no?” Fractal said.

“It sure looks like it.” Samantha stood and stretched. “I didn’t think a girl like you, who has been in all sorts of danger, would be afraid of a little shopping trip.” She looked at Fractal. Obviously enjoying the young mutant’s discomfort.

Fractal started to pick at the hem of her borrowed nightgown. “It’s just that I’ve never been shopping before.”

Samantha stared at her. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You’ve never been shopping? For anything?”

Fractal stared at the floor. “No,” she answered. “Remember, when I finally was old enough to have some say in the clothes I wore, we had been at war with Humanity First for several years. The average person didn’t travel much. And with all the raiding parties moving about, you never when where or when one side or the other would start a battle.”

“Then the war with Kellith started, and my mutation kicked in a couple of years later. What few shopping areas left intact were soon destroyed.” Suddenly, Fractal had a bad feeling. Like she started something terrible.

“You’ve never been to a mall,” Samantha asked. There was a strange light shining from her eyes.

Fractal slowly started to back away. “I’ve never even heard of one.”

The almost demonically ecstatic look that appeared on Samantha’s face sent Fractal running from the room. Back in her dimension, she had faced horrors that never sent a chill down her back like the look on Samantha’s face had.

Several minutes later, Samantha found a trembling Fractal hugging Mrs. Molesley. “What did you do,” Mrs. Molesly asked.

“Nothing really,” Samantha replied trying to avoid her mother’s eyes.

“I said I was taking her shopping,” Samantha muttered a moment later.

“That would scare any sane person,” Mrs. Molesly said. She patted the trembling girl on the back. “Don’t worry. I’ll be going with you two.”

“You will,” came Fractal’s muffled voice.

“Sure thing sweety. I won’t let Samantha terrify you. I know how she can get when she’s shopping.”

Mooom!”

“Don’t you mom me,” Mrs. Molesly said. “I know what you’re like when you go shopping. Now, go get your brother and father and let’s eat breakfast. Like a normal family for a change.

“Now,” Mrs. Molesly continued once her older daughter had left the room. “You saw your mother die, didn’t you?”

******

Mrs. Carson was slightly puzzled as she walked into the small room. All the room had in it was a table and some chairs. There was a flat screen viewing system set up on one side. It was rare that Dr. Hewley requested her presence. Usually he sent reports on the students he examined. But, then, he rarely leaves the campus now. Not with all the medical mysteries the students here provide. That was how she convinced him to stay in the first place.

Then there was Dr. Otto. They have talked various times in the past, both in her office and his. But why he should insist that they meet here when either one of there offices would do? It had to be important. Considering how close it was to the start of the new school season, very important.

“I’m glad you could make it,” Dr. Otto said. “I apologize for the inconvenience but it had to be this way. Now that you’re here, we can start the meeting. Dr. Hewley, if you would be so kind?”

Dr. Hewley placed a disk on the table. After a moment, it started to glow. “There,” he said. “With this, the spells on the room, and the Faraday Cage around the room, we should be save from any known listening ability.”

Mrs. Carson sat as he continued.

“As you know, we recently received word that a mutant had died from burnout. What isn’t known, yet, is that a physically identical mutant appeared the very instant the first mutant died.”

“Twins?”

“No,” Dr. Otto said. “The parents are sure of that.”

“Besides,” Dr. Hewley said. “They were present when their daughter died and the new mutant appeared. They were understandably shocked when she told them that they were dead. They called Brookhaven Hospital in Tulsa and reported what had happened. Brookhaven called us, and you know the rest.”

“So, what happened that you couldn’t tell me through normal channels?”

“This,” Dr. Otto sad as he pressed a button, causing the screen to light up. Mrs. Carson didn’t gasp, but she couldn’t keep her eyes from widening.

On the screen, was her face. But it couldn’t be her face. Hers wasn’t so worn or tired looking. Nor would she be drinking from a bottle of Scotch.

“My name,” her face said, “is Mrs. Elizabeth Amelia Carson. I hope you forgive me for drinking, but my world, and possibly my entire universe, will be coming to an end soon. And I don’t want to waste this Scotch.” She took a drink. “If you, my alternate self, is watching this, then Fractal managed to make it to another universe. One, where, I hope, none of this has happened.”

Dr. Otto stopped the recording. “You begin to see why we did this.”

“How many people have seen this,” Mrs. Carson demanded as she tried to deal with the shock.

“Very few,” Dr. Hewley answered. “Dr. Otto and I, of course, a couple of our assistants, and Fractal and her family. We’ve tried to keep this very quiet.”

“Who set this up?”

“I did,” Dr. Otto said. “Your alternate didn’t want to leave anything to chance and sent this using different mediums. Each had instruction for how to build the necessary equipment for viewing. Several members of my staff are pestering me to tell them where I got such a compact design for a memory crystal reader. So far, the only ones that small are devisor made. With the usual problems that follow.”

“Continue the playback,” Mrs. Carson said. “I get the feeling that there’s more to this.”

“Unfortunately,” her duplicate continued. “if what Dr. Molvey told me is correct, you may be facing this in fifteen years. According to Dr. Molvey, all similar universes share a common timeline. Major events will happen in all those close to each other. If the event is big enough, it will happen in all of them. Only the timing will change. If it changes.”

“It all started fifteen years ago, when Humanity First attacked mutants and mutant training areas all over the world. They, along with the MCO.” Mrs. Carson clenched her jaw. “killed as many mutants, heroes, villains, and noncombatants alike, as they could. We didn’t want to believe it, most of the Western World didn’t want to believe it. But, as more and more reports came in, we were force to believe it.”

“At first, Whateley, and military mutant training areas in the U.S., Canada, and most of Western Europe didn’t come under attack. So, we didn’t know how they were able to successfully attack and destroy so many installations. Then an U.S. base in Germany was attacked. Much to our regret, we found out how then.”

“There were seven bricks, two energizers, and one mage on the base. All the psychics were off base as the shielding was being upgraded. All the mutants, except the mage, were killed. Several other military personnel were killed as well as they tried to repel the attack. It was from the mage that we found that the attackers had some kind of universal power nullifier that was able to suppress all mutant abilities.”

Stunned, Mrs. Carson looked at the two doctors. They motioned her to continue watching.

“Hearing this, I made that discovery our top priority. We, the CIA, NSA, and the FBI, launched a very intense investigation. Our investigators were mostly mutants who didn’t rely on their powers. Their training included the style of martial arts developed by Chaka. By the way, if you have her, get her to watch all martial arts films you can, if you haven’t already. It doesn’t matter if they’re realistic or not. It doesn’t even matter if they’re live action or animated. Her mutation allows her to duplicate any of the abilities she will see in those films.”

“The agents were able to discover news of secret bases. Bases where Humanity First had imprisoned and studied several mutants over the years. None of the agents could get into these bases. Many tried, by they all failed. Several died in the attempt. So, we turned to our computer experts.”

“Amelia Hartford, her husband Dr. Palm, and their adopted daughter Circuit Breaker . . .” Dr. Otto stopped the recording.

“Amelia Hartford. The Hartford who is my executive assistant. That one. Married. To Dr. Palm!” This was the first time either of the two doctors saw Mrs. Carson this upset.

“Believe me,” Dr. Hewley said. “It was a shock to us when we first saw this. For me, it was the defining moment when I knew that this was from an alternate universe. Do you want to take a short break?”

Mrs. Carson shook her head. “No. I’m alright. It’s just that she, of all people, would marry somebody. She even adopted a child.”

“I just hope her Merry wasn’t the handful mine was,” Dr. Otto said.

Mrs. Carson looked at him. “You still haven’t found her?”

He sighed. “No. Wherever Sara hid her is very effective. I don’t believe we can find her unless whoever has her makes a mistake. Maybe I can get some ideas from this to convince her to bring her back.” They turned back to the screen.

“These three led our team of researchers and hackers. Using our, police, and stolen MCO records, it wasn’t long before they discovered a disturbing trend. For the last 42 of the 50 years the MCO had been active, they’ve been giving information on mutants to Humanity First. For those 42 years, several of the MCO’s leaders, and the secretaries of some of the others, were members. They leaked information on all mutants and told them which would be perfect for them to kidnap for study.”

“How members of the church got into those positions isn’t clear. I suspect bribes, extortions, and blackmail. The exact details are not important. You should look into your own political movements to be sure the same isn’t happening on your world. The results on our world should tell you what the worst could be. But that didn’t tell us how they discovered a universal power nullifier. And, with our forces being pushed back, we definitely needed to know how they did it.”

“Finally, after weeks of searching, we discovered the base where they developed the technology. It was a base on a remote island in the Pacific. With this information, a two-pronged raid, physical and electronic, was quickly developed and launched.”

“The physical elements consisted of a task force led by a new being named Hive. Hive was an ex-special forces marine who had been accidentally implanted with the first functional A.I. nano-colony. The electronic was led from Whateley by Circuit Breaker. They never saw it coming.”

“The raid was extremely successful. Not only did we get the plans for the weapon, we also got several working models.” Her voice turned sad. “But that wasn’t all. We also found 48 mutants that had been kidnapped, held prisoner, and studied. Some of the regenerators had been repeatedly dissected. It also appeared that the mutant known as Negator was responsible for their weapon. He had disappeared seven years before the war started.”

“But that wasn’t the worst. The worst was the information found in a secure computer they had on the island. It had never been connected to the net in any manner. Here, was where they stored information on their most secret infiltrators. Their most important was one Most Righteous Reverend Darren Englund.”

To be continued

Chapter 3

Fractal lay on the ground watching the sky. It was very blue with large, fluffy white clouds. While it was hot, there was a light breeze keeping it from becoming too hot. In other words, it was a perfect late summer day. In fact, it was the last day before she was to travel to Whateley Academy. Which was why she was here.

Here was the top of Flat Top Hill. At least, that’s what she’s always called it. The Indians from her home may have called it by another name, but they never told her. And she knew enough not to ask. In her old world, nobody gave away any names that may lead to power. The Humanity First! people wouldn’t stop at getting anything that would give them power over others. Especially mutants.

But those days were behind her, and, with any luck, wouldn’t come again. That’s why she was in this world. She had to warn this version of Whateley Academy about the possible threats to it. She didn’t want any of the horrors of her old world to be repeated here. Especially the Kellith years. She shuddered. What little she saw gave her nightmares.

Fractal jumped and squeaked as a bell started ringing in her pocket. She immediately knew what the noise was, but she still wasn’t used to it. She pulled out the cell phone and checked the number. It was her mother. As she still wasn’t used to the thing, it took her a few moments to answer it.

“Melissa, where are you?”

“I’m safe Mom,” Fractal answered. Some part of her still wasn’t convinced that this was real. “I’m just hiding from Samantha.”

“Shopping isn’t that bad,” Mrs. Molesly said. “Although, I will admit that Samantha takes it to extremes. Is it because you used to be a boy?”

Fractal blushed. “No, that’s not it. Um, before I came here, shopping meant going to the weekly meetings to see what the neighbors had for trading. We rarely had anything that somebody local couldn’t produce.”

“Hmmm, that would explain your reaction to your first bra.”

Fractal could feel her face burning. She was just happy Mrs. Cutly could make panties. She had known that there was garments meant only for breasts, she just never dreamed that she would see, let alone, wear a pair of them. Now she owned over 40 bras. Even Samantha, a true clothes horse, didn’t have that many.

“I’ll ask her to hold back on the shopping,” Mrs. Molesly continued. “Would that help?”

Fractal shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll be leaving for Whateley tomorrow anyway.”

“And that’s what I called about. Are you sure you’re comfortable flying there?” Mrs. Molesly sounded anxious. “I don’t mind driving you there.”

Fractal’s smile faded from her face. She knew why Mrs. Molesly was anxious. Every morning she was surprised to find that she wasn’t in some sort of prison, waiting to be sacrificed to Kellith or some other of the like. “I’m sure, Mom. I don’t mind flying. The brochure said I was to wait at the airport where I’m to be picked up by a staff member. I won’t be the only student arriving early. All the freshmen are to arrive a day or so early.”

“I just worry,”

“You shouldn’t worry,” Fractal assured the older woman. “Remember, you’re only a portal away. As far as I know, there’s no way to stop me from getting home.”

“I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help it. You’re my daughter.”

“And you’ve already seen me die once and don’t want to see it again,” Fractal quietly said. “I don’t want to put you though that again. I also don’t’ want to see my family killed again.”

“Well, dinner’s at 6,” Mrs. Molesly said in an obvious effort to change the subject. “Give an old woman a break and don’t be late.” She hung up before Fractal could reply.

Fractal slowly closed her phone and put it back in her pocket. These few weeks had been rough ones. She had seen her family killed. Her mother, father, and all of her surviving cousins had all sacrificed themselves so that she could get away from that mob. It wasn’t her fault that she had mutated. She hadn’t chosen too. If it was up too her, the whole war wouldn’t have even started. She just couldn’t understand why people feared and hated what was different. It didn’t help that Humanity First! flamed the flames either.

She still didn’t know how they have figured out that she was a mutant. She had taken great care in concealing that fact. She had always been small for her age. And she wore baggy clothing all the time. Mostly in a vain attempt to grow into them. She was almost painfully shy and spent a lot of time alone. Nobody but her family and the few Indians still living in the wooded areas knew that she had mutated. The Indians wouldn’t tell, they hated Humanity First!, and her family would rather die than betray one of their own.

Maybe it was just bad luck that let the Reverend Englund was making a visit to Spiro. He was on Humanity First!’s monthly, and wasted, “we-are-your-friends” parade. Since attendance was mandatory, only serious illness got you out of it. Even then, they’d send doctors to make sure you were sick.

Whatever the reason, Englund was there. Somehow, he spotted her in the crowd and recognized that she was actually a girl. Of course, he wanted to know why a girl would dress so shabbily when all the other girls were showing off their developing figures.

Even as her family protested that she was a boy, they were subtly getting ready for a fight. Ever since she had started mutating, Fractal’s family had made evacuation plans. Ultimately, they were to escape to the Indian controlled areas north of town. Humanity First! hated them. Mostly it was because every trooper, agent, and machine they sent there just disappeared. But it was all in vain.

Englund wouldn’t drop it. He insisted on having Fractal brought up to him. And when her family resisted, he had his troops act. They immediately leapt into the crowd. Shoving people out of their way in order to reach Fractal. That proved to be a mistake.

The crowd may not have understood his obsession with the Molesly child. But when Englund’s soldiers started attacking them to get to the boy, they fought back. They shoved at the soldiers, doing their best to keep them from getting one of their own. It wasn’t until they soldiers stated using their guns that the crowd scattered. A few brave people returned the soldiers fire.

Through all this, Fractal, her parents, and a couple of her cousins ran. Most of her family was still in the crowd. It was part of one of their plans. Plans they had discussed over and over again. Taking in all of the variations they could think of. But something happened. Something that they never thought Humanity First! would ever do.

When the HF troops started chasing the Moleslys, they did what most small towns would. They closed ranks and tried to help them escape. When this happened, the troops didn’t see small town folk defending their own against outsiders. Instead, they saw traitors to humanity defending mutant scum. They readied they weapons and opened fire. It was then that it got ugly.

The townspeople who had carried their guns started firing back as others ran. They didn’t run far. Those who owned guns, but wasn’t carrying them, ran to their cars and got them out. Others ran to the gun shop or the sheriff’s office to get the guns there. When they were armed, they started shooting at the troops attacking their town. And the bloodbath truly began.

Fractal and her family never saw this. They had managed to get away before the townspeople started shooting back. They heard the increased gunfire but didn’t slow down. Her family had planned for this too long to turn around and help those who chose to fight back. Their only destination was the family farm a few miles outside the town. After a brief stop to grab some ready supplies, they were going to head for the nearby Indian controlled area.

At first, there was no sign of a chase. But that soon changed as sounds vehicles and people on foot came to them. It wasn’t long after before they saw the first soldier. Fortunately, he didn’t see them. But he was only the first. They saw more and more soldiers searching for them and all the others who left the town when the shooting began.

Soon they got to the point where they couldn’t move without somebody seeing them. After a brief discussion among the adults, it was decided that they would split into two groups. Fractal, her mother, the children, most of the women and a few men, would wait while her Fractal’s father and the rest would draw the soldiers away.

Quietly, those chosen, left the group. The others prepared themselves to take out whichever of the guards didn’t leave. Shortly after, shouts and gunfire were heard. Most of the soldiers ran to the noise. Those that stayed, were quickly taken care of. The group quietly moved out of the area. A few minutes later, the surviving men returned to the main group.

Even though it would cost them stealth, the group started moving faster. The surviving men were all wounded. Some of them, badly. No matter what they did, they couldn’t help but leave a trail of blood for the soldiers to follow them with. Even with their increased speed, it wasn’t long before they started hearing signs of pursuit. This time, though, they didn’t split up. They believed they were close enough to the Indian controlled area to risk making a run for it.

They were wrong.

One mile from the markers, they ran into an ambush. Somehow, Reverend Englund had figured out where they were going and got there, with a sizable force, ahead of them. “Stop,” he ordered them. “If you just give us the mutant, we’ll let the rest of you go.”

While the crowd muttered amongst themselves, the general consensus was no. Michael was one of them. They didn’t care that he was a mutant. Instead of turning him over, like Englund wanted, the crowd put him and his parents in the middle. They were going to do everything in their power to get the only mutant, and his family, to safety. Even if it was the last thing they did.

As one, the crowd turned and started toward the Indian held ground. They only had one hundred feet to go before they were safe. They were not going to stop until they were across that line. Or dead. Those who had guns, put themselves on the perimeter. They had decided they were going to sell their lives dearly so that their families could be safe.

Seeing this, the H1! soldiers opened fire. Killing several of the fleeing people and wounding many others. The crowd kept moving. Those who believe they were too severely wound to make it, picked up the fallen guns and returned fire. Some of the soldiers fell, but most got back up to continue shooting.

Through it all, Michael huddled in the middle of the crowd with his parents. She knew that H1! was after her. Why, she didn’t know. Wasn’t there peace between humans and mutants now that Kellith was destroying the world? The answers didn’t come to her. The only thing she felt was a strange pressure building up inside her as her desire to get away grew.

The crowd pushed advanced against the soldiers fire. They did not hesitate or falter to protect Michael and is family. In the run from town, they had pinned all their good will on them. They were so dedicated that Michael was starting to think she had developed some mutant power and was influencing the townspeople. The stress increased to the point that Michael couldn’t take it anymore. It was then that it happened.

For some reason, the crowd broke. They all started running toward the woods behind the H1! Troops. Michael’s mother grabbed her and pulled her along. Michael thought they might make it, but a H1! Soldier seemingly appeared out of nowhere to menace them. He was tackled by Michael’s bloody and battered father. He quickly grabbed the soldier’s survival knife and slashed his throat. He then staggered to his feet only to be shot down.

Mrs. Molesly didn’t hesitate for a moment. She grabbed Michael and took off running. She could grieve her husband later. Right now, she had to focus on saving her son-turned-daughter. She was all she shad left in the world. She had lost family throughout both wars. She had just seen her husband gunned down and lost track of the last two cousins in the charge. She was not going to loose the last remaining member of her family.

They managed to get clear of the mob. They had even managed to be on the side nearest the trees. Unlike some of the more unfortunate townspeople. More determined than ever, Mrs. Molesly pushed on. Only to stop short as a figure suddenly arrived in frond of them. It was Reverend Darren Englund. And he had a gun.

Michael stared in horror as Englund smiled cruelly and raised his gun. He wanted to run, scream, do anything. But fear held him frozen. He could only watch as the gun slowly raised until it was pointed at them. Then Englund fired.

Michael flinched. At first he thought Englund had shot him. He frantically searched his body for the bullet hole. He couldn’t understand why he couldn’t find one. It wasn’t until his mother started to slump that he understood. Englund had shot his mother.

With that realization, the pressure inside Michael exploded.

Englund leaped back as an oval, six foot tall and 3  ½ foot wide, appeared between him and Michael. The oval had various colors on it that shifted in a fractal pattern. When nothing else happened, Englund grew more confident and started to walk around the oval. He froze when a large, feminine hand came out.

The hand was quickly followed by the rest of the woman. She was an Amazon. Six foot six inches tall, very muscular but still feminine. Her muscles were easily seen through the thin nightgown she wore. “Okay,” she said as she looked around confused. “This is a strange dream.”

“Die mutant,” shouted Englund as he fired his gun.

The tall woman’s head snapped back as the bullets struck her. But she didn’t fall. Instead, her head rose back. Eye’s narrowed, she glared at Englund. “Even if this is just a dream,” she growled. “You do not get to shoot me.”

With that the woman grabbed the reverend by his shirt and threw him. Up he went, describing a perfect arc as he sailed over the fighting. Several Humanity First soldiers looked up as he flew over them. The people fighting them were quick to take advantage of their distraction.

“I know this is a dream, but damn that felt good,” the woman told Michael.

“This isn’t a dream,” Michael told her even as he stared at her eyes. He had never seen eyes like that. Multi-colored and constantly changing in a fractal pattern.

“Of course it is,” the woman said. “I went to sleep and work up here. Besides, those look like Humanity First troops and everybody knows they shut down years ago.”

Michael blinked. He wasn’t sure if he was safer with this strange mutant or the soldiers. They would only kill him. There was no telling what she would do to him. But he didn’t want to die either. “Look,” he said. “This may be a dream to you, but to me, it’s real. I could die here.”

“So what do you want me to do about it,” the woman asked as she looked around.

“Help me get out of here,” Michael answered.

“Why?”

Michael wanted to scream in frustration. But he knew it was only a matter of time before the Humanity First soldiers started shooting at them again. Inspiration struck. “If this is a dream, why did getting shot in the face hurt?”

“It didn’t hurt. It only stung . . a . .little.” She stared at the people fighting. “This isn’t a dream, is it,” she asked in a small voice.

“No, it’s not,” Michael gently said. “Now, can you please get me out of her before I get killed!”

“Sure,” the tall woman answered. “Which way is out?”

Michael didn’t waste a moment. He quickly pointed toward the woods. “That way,” he shouted. “Hurry before they start shooting again.”

The woman picked Michael up and started toward the woods. “My name’s Butte, by the way,” she said.

“Mine’s . . . Melissa,” Michael said.

“Weird,” Butte said. “That’s my real name. How strange is that?”

With a jerk, Melissa snapped herself from the memories of her past. Now was not the time for her to get lost in them. She had to focus on keeping those event’s from happening in this new world. She’d just die if she couldn’t keep that from happening. She stood and gathered the dishes she had brought with her. She never came here without some offering of food. The Indians of this world may not remember what was buried here, but she did. And she did not want to anger the spirits. Idly she wondered if the sleeping goddess was still buried under Tulsa. She opened a portal back to her room and stepped through.

******

Mrs. Carson sat in her office, thinking furiously. She was debating whether or not she should let Team Kimba view the files Fractal had brought with her. But that was the problem. If it was any other of the teams, she knew how they would react. But with them, it was impossible to guess. They had gotten entirely too good at keeping secrets. Even though they had copied Fey’s privacy spell, the Mystic Arts instructors still haven’t found a practical way to crack it. After several months of trying.

And that wasn’t her only problem. Englund was still a member of the faculty. She was not going to let him view the information that Fractal had brought. She knew he’d take it as confirmation that Carmilla was a threat, not only to the students at Whateley, but the world as well. He was bad enough now that Carmilla had gotten a son off her legal guardian. Though the tests did prove that he was human. That wasn’t as reassuring as most would thing as Carmilla was human before she manifested.

Mrs. Carson closed here eyes. There was no hope for it, she would have to tell Team Kimba about Fractal. For one, she wasn’t sure Fractal could hide her reaction to them from them. And she wanted those trouble magnets to know that they could trust her. The thought of all the things that could happen otherwise chilled her blood. As for Englund, well, she’d order him to stay away from Fractal, at least until somebody could talk to her.

With her decision made, Mrs. Carson started making phone calls. She’d have to get Team Kimba to return early. As well as Carmilla. They’d all have to be her before Fractal arrived with the other freshmen. They’d have to be briefed on her so they’d know what to look for. She really didn’t want Carmilla meeting with Fractal without some warning. It would not be good for the god of a cult to be killed on school grounds.

To be continued

Author’s Note: All characters within, except Fractal, her alternates, and her family, are property of Whateley Academy universe and the various authors who write there. You can read these stories, and various fanfics, at the following sites: http://www.crystalhall.org/, http://www.sapphireplace.com/, and http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/node

Chapter 4

Fractal stretched as she walked down the hall. She was surprised at how quickly something new became uncomfortable. Back in her old world, airplanes were not something anybody used anymore. And, if those seats were as uncomfortable as those in this world, she could see why they wasn’t in use.

When Fractal exited the hall, she started to look around. She had been told that there would be somebody there to meet her and take her to Whateley. She was also looking for the baggage claim area. Steven and Samantha had told her how luggage sometime went missing. She did not want any of her new clothes to go missing. Especially if it meant another shopping trip with Samantha.

Once again, she gave praise to whoever invented the wraparound tinted eyewear she was wearing. They really cut down on all the stares and glares she was receiving before she remembered to put them on. Now, only members of the MCO glare at her. It was a little unnerving, but not unexpected. She only hoped she was in time to stop the wars from happening.

Once Fractal got to the baggage claim area, it didn’t take her long to find her luggage. For some reason, people seemed to want to be as far away from her luggage as possible and still remain close enough to claim their own. Maybe it was all the MCO security tape. Either way, it allowed her to collect her things, so she wasn’t complaining. She grabbed a luggage cart, stacked her bags on it, and went looking for her ride.

Once her luggage was secure, Fractal started walking toward the waiting area. She was sure whoever Whateley sent to pick her up would meet her there. She just hoped it would be soon. She really wanted to see if a young version of Greasy was there. If so, she couldn’t wait until she could start working on him.

There was a few people in the waiting area when she got there. Fractal just gave a mental shrug and took a seat not too close to anybody. A few minutes later, a tall Asian woman walked in and held up a piece of paper with Fractal’s name on it. Not her code name, but her real name, Michelle Molesly.

“Are you Michelle,” the woman asked when Fractal approached her.

“Yes,” Fractal said. “Are you my contact?”

“In a manner of speaking,” the woman said. “I’m Mrs. Shugenda. I’m to take you to Whateley.” She looked at Fractal’s luggage. “Is this all yours?”

Fractal blushed. “I’m afraid so. My family didn’t want me to leave without having plenty of clothes.”

Mrs. Shugenda gave a slight smile. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I’ve seen students with a lot more than that. Now, let’s get you loaded so we can get you to school. You’re arriving earlier than normal for our freshmen. I’m told you need extra time as there may be some complications to your enrollment. Knowing this school, I can imagine what some of them may be.”

Fractal nodded her agreement. But she wasn’t sure if any students had her set of complications. How many students came from an alternate universe anyway. “I didn’t kill anybody,” she said.

“Didn’t say you did,” smiled Mrs. Shugenda. “But it wouldn’t be the first time a newly manifested mutant killed somebody by accident when their powers developed. Now, you just follow me and we’ll have you at the campus in no time.”

Fractal followed the woman out of the airport and to a waiting van. She helped Mrs. Shugenda put her bags in the van, and got in. “It will be a few minutes until we arrive at Whateley,” Fractal was told.

Fractal nodded her reply and settled back to look at the scenery. It was both the same and different from what she remembered. For one, the buildings were still standing. In her world, most of the buildings around Whateley had been destroyed in the various battles of the war. The forests hadn’t fared too well either for that matter. It was good to see how everything would have looked if it wasn’t for the wars. Good, but strange.

It was these thoughts that started her thinking about Whateley itself. For a time, it had been her home. How noticeable would the changes be? Would she be even able to recognize it? After a few moments of worry, she calmed down. She was here now, she decided. She should, at least, give it a chance. After all, it wasn’t like she couldn’t try to find a better Whateley for herself. She’d just need a little time to search for one. These and other thoughts kept Fractal’s mind busy as she rode toward Whateley.

Pulling onto the private road for Whateley brought Fractal out of her thoughts. At first, she wasn’t sure they were approaching the school. But, after a careful examination, she realized that they were almost there. She started looking for the obvious and not so obvious defensive measures that should have been there. She couldn’t see a single one. She did spot some of the hidden detectors along the road, but that was it. She shuddered as if she just realized that this was not the place she remembered.

Mrs. Shugenda noticed her shudder. “Is everything alright,” she asked.

“I’m fine,” Fractal replied. “Just some memories.”

Mrs. Shugenda didn’t say anything to that. Over the years of escorting new students to Whateley, she has learned to let that subject drop. Not all memories were pleasant. They rode the rest of the way in silence.

* * *

Fractal lay on the bed in her room, stunned. The tour she had just finished left her mind whirling. The buildings were the same, yet they were different. Even worse than the private road, there was no fortifications. Other than the basic defenses, she couldn’t see any way to defend the school from an attack. What she had been told during the tour had to be true. The only way she could see that the school hadn’t been attacked yet was because the children of both superheroes and super villains came here.

Was the school really like this before the wars?

Before she could find an answer, there was a knock on her door. “Who is it,” she asked.

“Its Mrs. Horton,” came the answer. Fractal scrambled to her feet.

“There’s a security guard her for you,” the house mother continued. “Don’t worry. You’re not in trouble.”

Fractal opened the door and gasped. Standing beside Mrs. Horton was Hive! Fractal couldn’t help but stare at the seemingly young woman.

“Dear, is anything wrong?” Mrs. Horton asked as Fractal continued to stare.

“I think it’s me,” the young woman said. “Something about me, has shocked her.”

“You spoke normally,” gasped Fractal.

“Okay,” Everheart said slowly. “I was warned that you had some memory problems. I should have known that it wouldn’t be a simple thing like amnesia. This is Whateley after all.”

Mrs. Horton sighed. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going. There’s still several rooms to check before the rest of the freshmen arrive.” She turned and walked away.

Fractal and the officer stared at each other. “So. Do you mind coming with me while you tell me why you’re staring,” Everheart eventually asked.

With a sigh, Fractal followed the seemingly young officer. As they walked, she told her what she requested.

* * *

Ayla walked down the hall. He wondered what he and his team mates had done over the summer break to have been called back to campus a couple days early. He had contacted Mrs. Carson and Chief Delarose after Sparkler had, somehow, escaped from prison and came after him. Then the demon had came back for revenge. The West Coast League had NOT been happy about that. Neither had he. The worst part was that he still didn’t know why all this was happening to him.

Not that Lieutenant Merrill, The West Coast League, or Mrs. Carson believed him. Although Doctor Arcturus did believe him. Even if he wanted to study him mystically to find out how he was attracting all the trouble. Arcturus did give him a worried look when he discovered that Ayla was studying magic under Circe. That only reminded him what Fey had told him concerning Circe last year. He seriously needed to step up his magical studies.

He finally arrived at the conference room the meeting was to take place. Pausing at the door, he could hear the voices of his teammates. He sighed. He hated being the last to arrive. Especially when he had no control over his tardiness. The MCO had been playing their games again. Either they still haven’t forgiven him for Christmas, or they’re holding the summer events against him. Either way, it didn’t speak well for him.

Ayla opened the door and entered the room. Inside, he saw all his team mates. Lancer, Chaka, Tennyo, Generator, Shroud, and Fey. Looking at Fey, Ayla felt his body freeze. He couldn’t believe he had forgotten how beautiful the young Sidhe woman was. With a slight shake, Ayla freed himself from the slight mesmerization.

As he entered the room, all the occupants turned to face him. “Phase,” cried Generator as she jumped up and ran to him. She gave him a fierce hug.

“Easy there,” Ayla said. “I need those ribs.”

“That’s our Generator,” Chaka said. “Energetic as ever.”

Tennyo rolled her eyes. “Could you even wait until she got to sit down?”

Generator ignored the comments as she stared at Ayla. “Guess what,” she said.

Ayla opened his mouth to reply but Generator rushed on.

“I’m ¾ of an inch taller and almost ½ inch bigger!”

Ayla stared blankly at the seemingly young girl. He could understand the comment about being taller. The one about being bigger? What was that about. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a grinning Chaka make a cupping motion in front of her chest.

“Generator,” Ayla exclaimed. “That’s not something you just blurt out.”

“Why not,” Generator asked. “I can tell you’re bigger too,”

Ayla couldn’t stop the blush from flooding his face. He definitely did not want anybody to know that yet. But leave it to the breast obsessed girl to find that out.

“Generator,” Tennyo said. “You’re not supposed to say things like that. Especially in public.”

“Sorry, Oneesan,” the seemingly young girl apologized.

“It’s not me you need to apologize to. Phase’s the one you embarrassed.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ayla said before Generator could say anything. “I’ve come to expect such things from you.”

“Hey!” Generator shouted indignantly as the rooms occupants laughed.

“I thought this was supposed to be a meeting,” a dulcet voice said from behind Ayla. “Not a party.”

Ayla turned to see a drop dead sexy redhead girl standing next to a beautiful Asian girl. She was a little shocked to see them standing near each other. Something must have changed over the summer as the last she remembered, they still hadn’t found out who was behind the murder attempts on Sara.

“Are you two supposed to be next to each other?”

“Relax Ayla,” the redheaded girl said. “Other than faculty, the only ones here are students who couldn’t go home for one reason or another. And with the way some secrets travel around here, I’m sure everybody already knows that Mrs. Carson called us all here for something.”

Ayla knew the demon princess had a point. Especially after all the action she and her team had seen this summer. But that didn’t mean she had to admit it. Especially since she suspected the reason they were there had something to do with her or her teammates. “Hopefully it’s not something we will regret,” Alya sighed. “We’ve had too many of those since we started classes last year.”

“When was their a time we didn’t regret being called into Mrs. Carson’s office,” Lancer asked.

“We have never regretted being called into her office,” Tennyo said.

“It would help if we could stop getting into fights both on and off campus,” Lancer said.

“Good luck with that,” Ayla said grumpily. “We’re trouble magnates.”

“We be bad,” Chaka said. Ayla couldn’t see what the hyper-active teen was doing to enable her to be still until now. “That’s why everybody wants to take us down.”

“Unlike some of us,” Ayla said while not looking at his team mate. “I don’t want to constantly get into fights. I have more important things to do.”

“Maybe it’s not that bad,” Generator said. “What’s the worst that could happen?” Everybody in the room stared at the seemingly young girl in shock.

“I can’t believe you just said that,” Fey said. “Are you trying to get us in trouble?”

“What,” Generator asked. “You know somebody was going to say it.”

“Nobody in this room should be saying such,” Bladedancer quietly said. “It provides to much temptation.”

There was a knock on the door.

to be continued.

Prologue

The scene was a confusing mess as fifteen girls in brightly colored costumes fought each other. Punching, kicking, and shooting energy beams. While none of the girls received much damage, the same could not be said for the surrounding area. After a moment of study, one could see that they were in groups of five.

As the girls fought, the buildings and ground around them bore the brunt of the damage. Walls and trees where shattered. Craters pitted the ground and flames raged through the area. In the background, two individuals dressed in dark clothes could be seen sneaking away.

The scene froze, and several animal-like creatures looked at each other. They were seated around a large table. For a moment they all were quiet. It didn’t last long.

“The situation if Tower City has become intolerable,” bellowed a fox. “Our forces there are spending more time fighting each other than the enemy!” The fox was sitting a large table with various creatures arranged around it.

“What about their guides,” a rabbit asked. “Aren’t they doing anything to stop this?”

“They aren’t listening to them,” the fox said. “I don’t know why?”

“They’re teens,” a doe said. “When was the last time teenagers actually listened to adults in charge?”

“You may have a point,” the fox said after a moment. “But they still shouldn’t be fighting each other.”

“That goes without saying a badger said. “But how? If they’re not going to listen to their guides, what can we do?”

All the animals quieted down at the question. None of them seemed to know how to answer it. They all looked around, hoping one of the others could give a response.

An elderly tortoise started to raise one foot.

“I know what I’d like to know,” a wolf said. “I’d like to know what the other guides are doing. We, the animal guides, are trying to come up with a solution. Are they?”

“They’re holding a meeting at this very moment,” an owl said. “If you didn’t know, a grand meeting will take place next week. There, both the animal guides, the water animal guides, the insect guides, and the spirit guides are supposed to present any possible solutions they have come up with.”

“But we haven’t come up with any,” a raccoon cried. This caused most of the others at the table to start arguing amongst themselves.

The tortoise finished raising his foot. Only the wolf saw him. “Quiet,” he shouted. All the animals turned to look at him. “The historian has something to say.”

The animals turned to face the tortoise who was just now putting his foot down. “There may be a solution,” he said in a surprisingly strong voice. “In the archives, there are records of a plan for just this situation. The plan has never been activated before, so I don’t know how well it will work. But, we need to do this. Or else, the planet will fall to the forces of darkness. We need to activate the Magical Girl Assassination Squad.”

Chapter 1

Sam stared at the girl in front of him. She stood 5’4” tall. Her heart shaped face was framed by short, thick black hair. Her large green eyes seemed to take up half her face. She had a small nose over full lips. Her figure was slim, but curvy with high C-cup breasts. A narrow waist widened into hips that let to shapely legs. Yes, she was a beauty. Except for the large bulge of a penis and testicles in her green panties. For Sam, her penis wasn’t a turn off. For the girl in front of him was his reflection.

Sam turned to the side and scowled at his reflection. On a girl, that curved and perky butt would have been sexy. But since it was his, he didn’t like it. He turned away from the mirror to look at the two girls in the room with him. “Do I have to wear this,” he asked.

“Yes, you do,” the brunette said. “Sam, you need better fitting underwear. You’ve outgrown your old stuff.” Her name was Rebecca Hangly. She stood 5’6” tall and had a slimmer figure than Sam. Her long, curly hair reached the small of her back. Like Sam, she was dressed only in her underwear. She turned to the other girl. “Don’t you agree, Jennifer?”

“Don’t you get me in this,” Jennifer said as she held up her hands. At 5’10” she was the tallest of the three. Her blonde hair framed her oval shaped face as it spilled down her back. She was also the only one dressed. She wore a scoop necked T-shirt and blue jeans that showed off her ample hips. “It’s bad enough you talked me into letting him try on his clothes in my room.”

“I doubt your mom will think you’re up to something,” Rebecca said. “I am right here with you.”

“I don’t want to have sex with Sam,” Jennifer said. “I don’t want to date boys who look better in my clothes than I do.”

Sam opened his mouth, then shut it. He had to agree with Jennifer. He didn’t like looking better in girls’ clothes than girls. “I can’t help it,” he grumbled. “It’s not like I want to.”

“Don’t worry about it, honey,” Rebecca said as she stepped closer to the feminine boy. “Good looking girls naturally compare their bodies to other pretty girls. You need to get used to the idea that they’ll be angry because you’re better looking. The fact that you’re a boy will make some of them even angrier.”

Sam turned his head away and sighed. The two girls looked at each other. They both were worried about Same. He had been showing signs of depression these last couple of week. Neither of the two needed to be told that was a bad thing. It didn’t help that the Rodger Dennings was constantly bullying him.

“Look,” Jennifer said. “You’re at least satisfied with your underwear, right?” She waited for Sam to nod. “Then you and your girlfriend get dressed and we go and do those errands you said your mother wanted you to do.”

“Yeah, we should do that,” Rebecca said. “I don’t want Mrs. Hathings to get mad at me.”

A puzzled look went across Sam’s face. “Why would Mom get mad at you,” he asked. “I’m the one she asked to do those.”

“True. But I’m your girlfriend. She’ll think I took you somewhere and distracted you with sex.”

“Mom’s always do,” Jennifer added as Sam sputtered. “No matter what we say or do, they think the worst of girls that take their innocent boys out on dates.”

Sam finally got his mouth working. “But she already knows we have sex,” he cried.

“All the more proof that she’s corrupting you,” Jennifer responded.

“Whose side are you on,” Rebecca asked Jennifer.

“The side that won’t get me in trouble,” Jennifer laughingly answered. “You two better get dressed. Remember, you don’t’ want Sam’s mom getting mad at you, Jennifer.”

With that reminder, Jennifer began to dress. “Hurry up and get dressed,” she told Sam. “Remember, you promised to wear your new clothes today.”

Sam’s shoulders slumped. “You had to remember that,” he said.

“They’re not that bad,” Jennifer said. “I’d wear them.”

“Yeah,” added Rebecca. “I think you’d look cute in them.”

“But you’re a girl,” Sam said to Jennifer. “And you’re my girlfriend. Besides, I’m a boy. And boys are not supposed to be cute.”

“Baby boys, toddlers, and little boys are cute,” Rebecca said. “Tell me they’re not.”

“I’ll give you that,” Sam said. “But I am not cute.”

“Right now, you’re sexy,” leered Rebecca. “Standing there in only your underwear.”

Suddenly reminded of his state of dress, Sam blushed hotly and quickly got dressed. Jennifer and Rebecca giggled as he did so. It didn’t take long for Sam to finish dressing. When he finished, he looked at his reflection. It didn’t look too bad. The light blue fitted t-shirt was tighter than he wanted. And he wasn’t too happy with the scoop necked collar and the amount of cleavage he was showing in it. The blue shorts, on the other hand, was perfect. They were loose enough not to show any bulges in his crotch, yet tight enough to stay up on his hips. He just wished he didn’t have a girl’s figure.

“How’s the fit,” Jennifer asked. “Do we need to make any adjustments?”

“No,” Sam answered. “The shorts fit perfectly. And you already know about the underwear.”

Jennifer nodded. “Good. Mom was worried that they wouldn’t fit or work the way you buy from someplace else?”

“I’m sure. If I asked someone else to do it, I’d have to explain why I wanted it. And I don’t want to go through that again.”

Both girls grimaced at that. They remembered all the trouble Sam went through when word of his condition got out. Every homophobe came after him, beating him up and threatening to kill him. They still don’t know who leaked it, but Rebecca had her suspicions. She just didn’t have any proof. Once she did have it, there would be hell to pay. Until then she could only dream.

“What are the errands you need to run,” Jennifer asked.

“Um, she wants me to check on Mrs. Coleman,” answered Sam. “She also wants me to pick up a few things at the grocery store. But I can do that on the way home as they’re for tomorrow’s dinner.”

“Is there something wrong with Mrs. Coleman,” asked Jennifer. “My mom could get her something.”

“She was just feeling bad yesterday,” answered Sam. “Mom just wants to make sure she’s alright.”

“If you’re sure,” Jennifer said. Sam nodded. “Alright. That shouldn’t take too long, and you said you can stop by the grocery store on the way home. So, what are we going to do for the rest of the day?”

“Well,” Rebecca began apologetically. “I need to be home by 4. Mom wants me to go with her when we go to Aunt Ruth’s.”

The three teens looked at each other. “So,” Jennifer said as she looked at a clock. “It’s a little after ten. We can check on Mrs. Coleman. Then we go to the Central Shopping Center and get something from the deli there and eta it in Flower Park. After that, we can window shop at Central. Sounds good?”

“Sounds good to me,” Rebecca nodded as Sam frowned. “I can leave you guys when I need to, if we do this.”

“What, exactly, are we going to be window shopping for,” asked Sam.

“Clothes for me and Rebecca,” Jennifer said. “And shoes too. Can’t forget the shoes.” She looked at Sam. “You can use some new ones as well.”

Sam shrugged. “I already have three pairs. That’s plenty.”

Rebecca and Jennifer stared at the boy in horror. Then they turned and looked at each other. “Definitely shoes,” Jennifer said.

“It’ll be the first stop,” agreed Rebecca. “Possibly the second and third stops as well.”

Sam had a sudden feeling that he had made a huge mistake. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s go check on Mrs. Coleman.”

“Let me finish getting dressed,” Rebecca said as Sam walked towards the door.

* *

Two hours later, the three were sitting at a picnic table in Flower Park. On the table was a wicker picnic basket. Surrounding that was a large bowl of fried chicken and a bowl of potato salad. Rebecca winced as Sam took a vicious bite out of a chicken leg. “You’re still upset, aren’t you,” she asked.

“What do you think,” Sam said around a mouthful of chicken. He swallowed. “She thought I was a girl! She’s known me since I was a baby!”

The girls shared a look. This was not what they needed. “Well, to be fair,” Jennifer started. “She didn’t have her glasses on. And she is 86 years old.”

“Don’t forget the fact that she hasn’t seen you since all this started,” put in Rebecca.

Sam growled. “Why are you defending her?”

“Because she apologized,” Rebecca said. “She was embarrassed when she realized what she did. She even gave us the chicken and potato salad we’re eating. She even gave us money to buy our drinks and anything else we may have wanted to go with the food.”

“She also gave you a couple dozen of her chocolate overload cookies,” pouted Jennifer. “You don’t know how lucky you are.” That comment was enough to break through Sam’s anger. He and Rebecca stared at Jennifer. “Have you two not eaten any of those?”

“I knew she bakes cookies on occasion,” Sam answered as Rebecca shook her head. “But I’ve only had her chocolate chip cookies.”

“You don’t know what you’re missing then,” Jennifer said. “Only her death-by-chocolate cookies are better.”

Rebecca was getting more curious. “What are they if they’re so good,” she asked.

“A chocolate cookie with milk, semi-sweet, and dark chocolate chips,” came the answer.

Rebecca blinked. “You are going to share those, right,” she asked Sam.

“Um,” Sam responded.

Jennifer gave Rebecca a smirk. “Don’t give her any,” she said. “If you give me some, I’ll jerk you off.” Both Sam’s and Rebecca’s heads snapped around to stare at the girl. She just sat there, smiling. She hoped Rebecca realized what she was doing.

After a moment, Rebecca pulled herself together. “I’ll give you a blowjob,” she told Sam. “After all, I am your girlfriend.” It was a good thing Sam had swallowed his chicken. Else he would have sprayed that mouthful at Jennifer. As it was, he chocked and coughed in surprise.

Unseen by Sam, Jennifer grinned at Rebecca. “Is that all,” she said. “I’d be willing to let him do my ass.”

Rebecca’s eyes widened in surprise. Nervously, she looked at Sam. He wasn’t there. She and Jennifer heard a strangled sound. The two girls looked down. Lying beneath the bench was Sam. Jennifer’s last comment was too much for the feminine boy. His face was beet red and he was struggling to breath. Neither of the two teenage girls could decide if that was from embarrassment or from chocking.

It was a long moment before Sam was able to get control of himself. He looked up and saw the two girls had went back to their food. “Some help you two are,” he said.

“We thought it best to let you recover on your own,” his girlfriend replied. “We did keep an eye on you.”

“Are you okay,” Jennifer asked.

“I’m fine,” Sam answered as he stood and brushed himself off. He stoically ignored the bouncing of his breasts. “But what were you two doing? Jennifer, you’re a lesbian. As much as I hate to admit it, I do look like a girl. But you know I’m not. So why were you offering to do all that? I know Rebecca wouldn’t mind doing that. She is my girlfriend, after all.”

“Just trying to cheer you up,” Jennifer said. “And I’m glad you realized that I wasn’t serious. I don’t know what I’d do if you thought I was being serious.”

“Probably hide from Rebecca,” Sam stated. “She’d have killed you.”

“Sam is my man,” agreed Rebecca. “I’ll keep him as long as he wants me.”

“It’s a good thing you have a dick then. Or, else I’d have to steal you from her.”

Rebecca leaned against Sam. “It’s not so bad, is it,” she asked. “Having boobs, I mean. Most boys are always trying to get their hands on a pair. And here you are with a pair you can touch any time you want.”

“It would be better if they weren’t attached to me,” muttered Sam.

“Be that is it may,” Rebecca said. She was determined not to let Sam sink into depression. ‘I love you. Not for your body, but for your mind. You’re smart and funny. You pay attention to me. You know my likes and dislikes. What’s not to love?”

“The fact that he has a better figure than the both of us,” put in Jennifer.

“Thanks Jennifer,” growled Rebecca.

“I agree with Jennifer,” Sam said. “I don’t like the fact that I have the better figure. I shouldn’t be able to fit into your clothes so well.”

“The point is,” Rebecca continued. “I love you for you. Not for your body. Not that it isn’t nice. It’s just not what holds my attention.” The three were quiet for a few minutes after that. Sam thought about what Rebecca had said. While Rebecca and Jennifer thought about Sam. They both hoped this would cheer him up. Or, at least, keep him from sinking back into depression.

“So,” Sam suddenly said causing the other two to jump slightly. “What do you think about Mrs. Coleman?”

“Sam! Can’t you just drop it,” Rebecca demanded. “She made a mistake. And she apologized for it.”

“Not that. About her being so tired yesterday.”

“What about it,” Jennifer asked. “Old people sometimes get really tired.”

“Yeah. But when was the last time Mrs. Coleman got that tired,” Sam challenged.

Jennifer opened her mouth. But she didn’t say a word. She closed it, then frowned. “Now that I think about it,” she said. “I can’t think of a time when she ever got tired.” She looked at Rebecca.

“Don’t look at me,” the brunette said. Both girls looked at Sam.

“Later that afternoon,” Sam said. “There was a magical girl fight.”

“Again,” groaned Jennifer. “Can’t those bitches not fight each other? Why do they keep fighting? Aren’t they supposed to keep us safe from shit.”

“Sometimes I think we’d be better off without them,” Rebecca said. “They do more damage that the things they fight. Who was fighting anyway? I didn’t hear anything in the news about it.”

“This one was actually doing her job,” Sam explained. “It’s just that Mrs. Coleman suddenly got better after the fight was over.” He looked at the two girls in expectation. He didn’t have to wait for long.

“Oh. I get it,” Jennifer said as her face brightened in understanding. “You think something happened to Mrs. Coleman. Something that involved whatever those magical girls are fighting, right?”

“Exactly,” Sam said. “When that thing was destroyed, whatever it did to her was undone.”

“What did it do to her,” Jennifer asked.

“Don’t know and I don’t care,” Rebecca said. “I just wish those girls would focus on those things. Instead of fighting each other.”

“Exactly righteeeeeee.” The girls looked on in shock as Sam leapt up from the bench frantically slapping at his leg. Sam rarely acted like this without a reason. “Something touched my leg!”

Rebecca leaned over to see what could have touched her boyfriend’s leg. She blinked as a pair of emerald eyes stared back at her. She smiled at the cat. “It’s a cat,” she said as she straitened up.

“A cat,” a surprised Sam asked. “That was a cat?”

“A calico,” Jennifer said from where she was leaning over. Rebecca leaned back over to look at the cat. After remembering where he was and looking around, Sam joined the two at looking at the cat.

“Where do you think it came from,” Sam asked as he held a hand out to the cat. The cat sniffed his fingers. Now that he knew what touched his leg, he was able to relax.

“She,” Jennifer said.

“What?”

“It’s a she,” Jennifer said.

“How do you know,” Rebecca asked.

“Because she’s facing away from me,” grinned Jennifer. “And I don’t see any balls under that tail.”

Sam blinked. For a moment, he could have sworn that the cat froze when Jennifer said that. And it had to be coincidence when she turned and looked at Jennifer over her shoulder. After all, cats do not understand English, right?

“She’s a cat,” Rebecca said. “They’re naturally sneaky.” She paused for a moment. “Do you think she’s hungry?”

Sam straitened and grabbed a chicken leg and a napkin. “Let’s find out,” he said as he placed the chicken on the napkin in front of the cat.

Jennifer and Rebecca stared at him. “What,” he said in response. “We don’t have any dishes for her. And I refuse to make her eat off the ground.” He watched as the cat first sniffed at the meat, then dug in. The three sat back up.

“So, what were you saying before the cat interrupted,” Jennifer asked with a smile.

“I was talking about the magical girls,” Sam said.

“What about them,” Rebecca asked. “Besides the fact that we need to avoid them.”

“They need to stop fighting each other and start doing their jobs,” Sam said earnestly. Unseen below, the cat’s ears perked up.

“Who’s going to do that,” asked Rebecca. “The cops can’t stop them. Even the national guard can’t keep up with them.”

“Somebody needs to,” Sam insisted. “The city can’t survive like this.”

“Don’t you think we agree,” Jennifer asked. “It may not be bad now, but they’re getting worse. Hardly a week goes by without one group or another fighting now.”

As if her words were a signal, there was a huge boom over the park. The trio looked up in surprise. Overhead, two brightly dressed girls were flying through the air. Exchanging exploding bolts of energy.

“Magical girl fight,” screamed Rebecca. “Run!”

Selene looked around the park. The council had chosen her for this task. She was to find the first of the new group of magical girls. She had been told that this group would be different from the others. This group was being created to keep the other groups from fighting amongst themselves. She only hoped it worked like they wanted it to. As for why they chose her instead of an older guide. This group was completely new. Something that has never been seen before. So, that meant that nobody knew what their path would be. From that viewpoint, why not have a completely new guide?

With a sigh, Selene shook her head. Thinking about the past would not help her complete her task. It was time to get to work. From where she was sitting, she could only see feet and legs. Sometimes it didn’t pay to be a cat. At least most humans didn’t pay attention to her. Too bad those that did were usually looking to cause mischief. Stupid human males. She lost them in the trees and it was there that she found the scent. The scent of the one she was looking for. Now, all she had to do was find the one the scent belonged too. With a cautious look around, Selene left the bushes she was sitting in. None of the nearby humans paid any attention to her. After all, she was just a calico cat. Nothing special about that.

Selene made her way through the park. Tracking down the scent of the one. Occasionally, a human or a child would try to attract her attention. Only the children seemed to care that she didn’t respond to them. She kept alert for any teen boys. Luckily, they all seemed to be elsewhere. Soon, she found herself near the picnic area of the park. It was there she finally found the one she searched for.

The girl was sitting with two others. It looked like they were having a picnic lunch. She couldn’t be sure from this distance, but Selene believed it was the girl with spiky black hair. She looked athletic, which was a good thing. The elders didn’t say, but she believed there would be a lot of running around. The sheer number of magical girls going rogue was appalling.

Selene made her way over to the trio. None of the girls paid any attention to her as she walked under their table. She took a sniff of the other two girls just to make sure she was correct then moved toward the third one. She rubbed her head against the girl’s leg only to receive a scream and a kick. The kick was more of a shove than anything else. But, it did serve to separate her from the girl. Selene groaned to herself as she remembered that humans were touchy about what touched them and where.

Selene stared at the brunette girl as she leaned to look under the table. She watched her smile and straitened back up. It wasn’t long after that the all three of the girls were leaning over to look at her. Her hand even held her hand out to her to sniff. She did of course. Her scent was confirmed. That girl was the one Selene was looking for. She got a rude surprise when the blonde commented on her gender. Selene couldn’t help but freeze at her comment. Thankfully, none of the girls appeared to notice her mistake. But her girl made up for that. She provided a chicken leg on a napkin. At first, she wasn’t going to eat it. But the smell was heavenly, and she hadn’t eaten in a while.

As she ate, Selene listened to the girls’ conversation. She couldn’t help but perk up her ears when she realized they were talking about the magical girls fighting each other. How they needed to be stopped. The girls realized that none of the normal forces could do that. With the way they were talking, Selene’s work was more than half done. Of course, it was then that a magical girl fight broke out and the three scattered. Selene wasted no time. She put the remains of the chicken leg in a dimensional pocket and ran after her target.

* *

Sam leaned against the alley wall as he panted. He really need to start running more he decided as he rubbed his chest. He reluctantly decided that his mother was right. Maybe he should start wearing sports bras. Not that he wanted to wear any bras. “And I thought bras were supposed to help with the bouncing,” he muttered to himself.

“They do,” a young woman’s voice answered him. “It’s just that traditional bras were never meant to stop the bouncing. They just offered support.”

Sam’s eyes darted around the alley. He didn’t see anybody. “Who said that,” he called out cautiously. He quietly got ready to run. He had enough trouble without a would-be-rapist adding to it.

“I did,” the voice called out again. Then a cat jumped onto a stack of boxes. It looked like the same cat that had scared him earlier.

Sam stared at the cat. The cat stared back. Sam blinked then shook his head. “Nope,” he said. “I am not doing this.” He scanned the alley again. “Whoever you are, you can take your joke elsewhere. I’m not putting up with this today.”

“This is no joke,” the voice said again. Sam spun to face it. Only to find himself looking at the cat again.

Sam pointed at the cat. “Cats can’t talk,” he shouted. “Everybody knows that.”

“Oh, but I can talk,” the cat said.

Sam found himself pressed against the wall. Eyes wide in fright. His mouth worked, but nothing came out. He could only watch as the cat calmly stared at him. He started to wonder if this was a dream. But he could still hear the explosions of the distant fight.

Finally, the cat rolled her eyes. “Come now,” she said. “Surely a talking cat isn’t enough to stun you. You do live in a city with magical girls, you know.”

It took a moment for Sam to work up the nerve to speak. “Why would a magical cat be looking for me?”

“I have been sent to find those who can do something about the magical girls here,” the cat stated. She looked at Sam expectantly.

“Well,” Sam said after a moment. “What are you going to do?” Whatever this cat was going to do, Sam hoped it was good. The city needed all the help it could get.

The cat’s jaw dropped open. She then muttered something under her breath before turning back to Sam. “I’m finding more magical girls.”

“No!” The word exploded out of Sam’s mouth. The cat jumped back in surprise. Sam couldn’t believe what he had just heard. There could be no way that those who sent this cat could believe that more magical girls was the answer to this problem. They had too many as it was. They needed something to stop the fights. Not add to them.

“Why not,” the cat asked. “You said they needed to be stopped. And the only way to stop magical girls is with more magical girls. These girls’ job will be to hunt down other magical girls and strip them of their power.”

Sam stared at the cat in shock. He couldn’t believe what she had just said. “Wait. You’re saying that the girls you’re picking job will be to stop the other magical girls.”

The cat nodded. “Exactly. Now, hold out your arm.”

While puzzled, Sam held out his left arm. Immediately a bright light appeared around his wrist. When the light faded, Sam saw a purple and black bracelet circling his wrist. He stared at it in shock. A sneaking suspicion started to form in his mind. He believed that the cat thought he was a girl.

Before he could say anything, the cat continued. “I hereby induct you into the Magical Girl Assassination Squad. May your enemies learn the error of their ways.”

Sam was stunned. He could not believe what just happened. He did not just get inducted into a group of magical girls. Even with the sounds of the fight still going on behind him, he refused to believe it. He wasn’t a girl!

“Well,” the cat asked. “Aren’t you going to power up? You can’t defeat those two unless you do that.”

“What?”

“Power up,” the cat repeated. “You need to stop those two before somebody gets hurt.”

“But I’m not a magical girl,” Sam said.

“Of course, you are,” the cat insisted. “Why else would I talk to you?”

Sam hadn’t thought about it. He had some vague idea about helping the cat find those she was looking for. But that was it. “I don’t’ know,” he finally said. “But I still can’t fight them. I don’t know how to power up. Do you?”

“I was told it was different for every girl,” the cat slowly answered. “You should already know how. You just need to focus on powering up.”

Sam had had enough. While he didn’t think this was some sort of joke, he still didn’t want to dress up as more of a girl than he was already. He knew he was crushing this cat’s hopes, but he could not do this. He opened his mouth to tell the cat, but his words changed as he spoke them.

Sam’s body straightened to attention. His left hand formed a fist and rose to his right breast. “Magical Girl Assassin,” Sam found himself saying. He did not know where these words were coming from. “Hollow Point, reporting for duty.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Same could see dark shadows streaking toward him. They collected in a pool at his feet and started to climb up his legs. Everywhere the shadows touched, he could feel his clothes disintegrate. His shoes and socks puffed into nothing. As did his shorts, underwear and shirt. He could feel other clothing replace what he lost. He only hoped it wasn’t as ridiculous as some of the outfits he’d seen on the magical girls.

Once the shadows dissipated, Sam looked at himself. He did not know whether he should be flattered or enraged. He was wearing a white, button down blouse, a dark purple necktie, a black jacket, a dark purple and black pleated plaid skirt that reached his knees, white knee socks, and dark brown penny loafers. He even had a backpack. It was black with skeletons that had ribbons on their skulls!

He was dressed as a Japanese school girl! The only thing he was missing was the outrageous hair. Her turned his head to look at the cat. It was then that he noticed that his hair had changed. His hair was still black. But now, it was long and thick and in to pig tails that stretched down to his knees. There were even ribbons tied into his hair. One set at his skull, one in the middle, and the last set at the ends. He glared at the cat.

The cat was studying him. “Hmm,” she said. “I was not expecting this.”

“What?”

“This look,” the cat said as she waved a paw at him. “It is not like the other magical girls. Their costumes are much more eye catching.”

Sam refused to be distracted. “Why am I dressed like a Japanese school girl,” he demanded.

“Is that what you’re dressed like,” the cat asked. “No matter. Now that you’re powered up, let’s go and stop the fight.”

“Hold on there,” Sam said as the cat moved to leave. “I’m not going anywhere until you explain some things. Like why am I dressed like this? And how do you think I can stop those two from fighting?”

The cat sighed. “When a girl first transforms, the magic resonates with something inside her. That resonance decides what her costume is going to be. It is also different from girl to girl.”

Sam opened his mouth, but the cat kept speaking. “As for how you can stop them,” she continued. “You are now part of the assassination squad. As such, you have the power to stop the magical girls. No matter who or where they are.” She stopped and gave Sam a look. “Now, are you going to stay here and ask me questions, or, are you going to stop those girls before they do damage to more than the park?”

“But,” Sam started to say. He looked at the cat, then he looked at the continuing fight. As much as he hated to admit it, the cat was right. Somebody had to stop that fight before someone got hurt. He just wished it didn’t have to be him. At least, in this getup, nobody would recognize him.

“Alright cat,” Sam said as he pointed a finger at her. “I’ll do it. But, we’re going to have a talk after this.” He turned toward the distant figures. “Now how do I get up there?”

* *

Officer Sarah Callusy was having a good day. Right up until the magical girl fight began. Now, she was making sure none of the people strayed into the park and into the fight. It helped that the people of this city had a strong survival instinct. As soon as the fight broke out, everybody scattered. She didn’t blame them. The two that were fighting, Card Magister Lily Jade and Magical Warrior Blazing Heart, were two of the most violent magical girls in the city. She just wished she could have gone with them. Instead, she was stationed, definitely not hiding, in the concession stand. By this point, the various crashes, bangs, pops, and sizzles had become normal, almost.

The deafening boom that shook the small building, caught the officer by surprise. After she got control of herself, she risked a peek. Officer Callusy couldn’t believe her eyes. There was a third magical girl floating in the sky. She was facing the other two and was dressed as a Japanese school girl? Beside her floated a calico cat. Things looked like they were about to get worse. Much, much worse. She ducked back inside to call this in o the station.

“Card Magister Lily Jade,” came a booming voice. “Magical Warrior Blazing Heart. You are hereby commanded to cease this useless battle. For too long has the magical girls in this city have contributed to the problem. You are here to stop the enemy, not become them!”

Officer Callusy blinked. Magical girls were here to fight some enemy? This was news to her. Probably the whole city too. Who was this mysterious enemy? And what was their goals?

“Who are you,” demanded Blazing Heart. She was dressed in red and white armor reminiscent of a samurai.

“How dare you judge us,” Lily Jade all but shouted. She was dressed in a flowing robe of green and blue.

“I am Magical Girl Assassin Hollow Point,” answered the school girl. “And I judge you in the name of the Spirit Council. You have failed in your assignment. You spend your time fighting amongst yourselves instead of our enemy.”

The two girls pointed at each other. “She’s with the enemy,” they cried in unison. “No, I’m not! You are!” The two started to fight again.

Officer Callusy saw Hollow Point pull something out of her backpack. She realized it was a hand grenade when she saw Hollow Point pull something from it and toss it at the fighting duo. There was another deafening boom accompanied by a massive fireball. The two girls where thrown apart by the blast.

“Do you never learn,” shouted Hollow Point. “This is why you’re required to relinquish your status as magical girls.”

The two girls froze when they heard this. As one they turned to face Hollow Point. After a moment of staring at her they looked at each other and nodded. With no warning, the two girls each launched an attack toward the third magical girl. Blazing Heart threw two fireballs and Lily Jade used a card to throw a lightning bolt. Both attacks missed as Hollow Point dropped beneath them. Officer Callusy watched in shock as Hollow Point then drew two handguns from her hips and started firing at the two girls. From that point, the three girls went after each other with a will.

At first, Officer Callusy thought that Hollow Point would be at a disadvantage. It was two on one, after all. But, try as they might, the two couldn’t get a clear advantage over the new girl. They kept getting in each other’s way. But, Hollow Point did not have that problem. She could, and did, take advantage of their lack of coordination. As she watched, Officer Callusy realized there was a pattern to Hollow Point’s attacks. She never would fire when she was above her opponents. She would wait until she was level or below them before she would blaze away with her guns. She also never seemed to need to reload her guns. That didn’t surprise the officer. She was a magical girl, after all.

In a sudden move Hollow Point was able to get behind Blazing Heart. She quickly opened fire. Sending several shots into the other girl’s back. With a pained cry, Blazing Heart dropped from the sky and crashed to the ground. There, she started to glow. Brighter and brighter until bolts of light shot from her. When the officer could see again, she saw that Blazing Heart had turned into a normal looking teenage girl.

“What did you do to her,” Lily Jade shouted Point.

Hollow Point appeared behind Lily Jade. One gun pointed at the back of her head. “This,” Hollow Point said. One shot rang out. Lily Jade’s head rocked forward. Then she plummeted to the ground.

Officer Callusy could only stare in shock as Lily Jade transformed into a normal girl. She clapped her hand over her mouth as Hollow Point suddenly appeared by the girl. Hollow Point kneeled next to the transformed Lily Jade and placed one hand along her neck. She nodded then stood up.

“Officer,” Hollow Point called out. “These two girls will live. But they’ll have massive headaches when they wake. They may or may not remember being magical girls. Either way, they shouldn’t be punished for their previous actions. This should be punishment enough.” With that, the new magical girl disappeared. Leaving the officer to think about she was going to report this.

Sam leaned against the wall and shook. What had he been thinking? He just fought two magical girls! By himself! In the air! He didn’t even know he had any weapons when he went up there! He was damn glad the guns appeared when he wanted something to fight with. Now, if he could just stop shaking. Then he could grab a taxi and head home.

“You did good,” a voice suddenly said startling Sam.

Sam spun around. He saw the cat sitting on a trash can. “You,” he said. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because you almost got me killed,” hissed Sam. “I could have died fighting those two!”

“If it looked like you were going to lose,” the cat replied. “I would have provided aid.”

“And just what could you have done,” scoffed Sam. “Clawed their ankles?”

“I would have done more than that,” the cat calmly replied.

“Whatever,” Sam sighed. He then ran his hand through his hair. That motion brought the bracelet into view. ‘How do I get this off?” Sam shook the arm holding the bracelet.

“You don’t,” the cat replied. “It stays on you until your services are no longer needed.”

“What?!” Sam glared at the cat. “You mean I have to wear this thing until the magical girls are all gone?”

“No. Only until they are no longer a problem.” The cat studied Sam. “I don’t see why this is a problem. You did a very good job on your first time out.”

Sam was starting to develop a headache. “Grr! I can’t deal with this right now,” he said. “I’m going home.” Sam started to leave the alley. “Don’t you follow me either!”

As soon as he exited the alley, Sam flagged down a taxi. He got in and told the driver his home address. He tried to relax as the car pulled into the light traffic. This had been a long day and all he wanted to do now was lie in his bed.

* * *

Selene watched as her ward walked away. She may be new at being a guide, but she could tell that this was going to be a difficult one. There was a bright spot. The retired guides did tell her that the best wards were the difficult ones. That should be a good thing. Especially since this is the first time a group like this has been formed.

For now, she should report. She had a lot of questions to ask. Like, what were those weapons her girl used? They didn’t look nor act like anything Selene knew about. Why couldn’t Samantha have used traditional magical girl weapons? With a shake of her head, Selene put the thought aside. Those questions could wait for later. Right now, she needed to report in. Selene jumped down and started walking. She walked into the shadows and disappeared.

She appeared in a glade somewhere outside the city. There was an elderly fox and rabbit waiting there. “You are late,” the fox said as Selene approached the duo.

“I came as soon as I could,” Selene replied. “Humans are not what I thought they’d be.”

“And what did you think they’d be,” the rabbit asked

“Less challenging for one,” sighed Selene. “Even though I made her a magical girl, I don’t believe Samantha trusts me.”

“That could be a good thing,” mused the fox. “Especially considering the situation in Tower City.”

“Yes,” agreed the cat. “With those girls as examples, one would be wise to be cautions of any offering magical abilities.”

“That doesn’t make my job any easier,” Selene complained. “And there’s so much I want her to do!”

The rabbit chuckled. “Give her time. She’ll come around. Now. Was there anything in particular you need help with?”

“Yes, there was.” Selene focused, and an image of Sam as the Magical Girl Assassin Hollow Point appeared. The image was from the battle she had with the two magical girls. “What are those things in her hands?”

Both the rabbit and the fox studied the image. “I don’t know,” the fox said after a moment. “I have never seen anything like those before.”

“Neither have I,” the rabbit said. “What did she use them for?”

“She used them to fight a couple of magical girls,” Selene answered. “So, I think they’re weapons.”

“What was wrong with the traditional weapons,” the rabbit asked.

“That’s what I’d like to know,” Selene said. “I’ll try to work the question in at some point.”

The fox nodded. “Good. For now, just watch and report,” he said. “This is the first time we’ve done anything like this. Hopefully it will work out.”

“On that note,” the cat said. “We should let you go back. There’s no telling what could be happing in that city.” Selene nodded and left the glade. She only hoped that Samantha was calmer when she returned.

* *

“Keep the change,” Sam told the cab driver as he paid him. He got out of the cab and walked up his driveway. He hoped the cab driver was putting away his money and not watching him walk. As he approached the front door, he fished his house key out of his pocket. He was glad he insisted on having shorts with pockets. But he knew it wouldn’t be long before his mother insisted that he start carrying a purse.

Sam sighed as he opened his front door. After the talking cat, seeing the start of a magical girl fight, turning into a magical girl, then getting into a magical girl fight, he just wanted to lay down. The only good thing about this day was the picnic lunch he got to have with Rebecca and Jennifer. He was just glad that his mother didn’t know about the fight.

Sam suddenly froze. He just remembered the food his mother wanted him to pick up. Maybe he could call Rebecca and have her pick them up? If not, he’d just have to admit to seeing the fight in the park. There was no way he was going to tell her that he actually fought those magical girls. He wasn’t crazy. Sam resumed his journey to his bedroom. It would be best if he called Rebecca from there.

“Sam? Is that you?” The call came from the kitchen.

Sam cringed. He did not want to talk to his mother at the moment. “Yeah. It’s me,” he reluctantly answered. “Did you want something?”

“No, I heard there was a magical girl fight at the park,” his mother said as she exited the kitchen. “I knew that Rebecca had planned on taking you to the park after you got your new clothes.”

“She planned that,” a shocked Sam asked. “I thought that was a spur of the moment thing.”

His mother smirked at him. “No, she planned it. But what I want to know is where you two there when the fight was going on?”

Sam sighed. He didn’t like lying to his mother. And, since she asked, he had to tell her the truth. “Yeah. Rebecca, Jennifer and I were all there when the fight started. We did run as soon as we realized what was going on.”

“Oh,” his mother said. She sounded disappointed. “Then you didn’t see the new magical girl?”

“New magical girl,” Sam asked pretending not to know what his mother was talking about. “What new magical girl?”

“Like I said,” his mother began. “There was another magical girl fight at the park. Between Lily Jade and Blazing Heart, I think. But before they could really get, a third magical girl showed up and killed them.”

“She what,” yelped Sam.

“That’s what everybody says she did,” his mother said. “She even called herself an assassin. Assassins kill people.”

Sam stared at his mother in shock. He knew he had left those two alive. What could have happened to them after he left? “Are you sure this new one killed them?”

“I’m just telling you what I heard,” Sam’s mother answered. “She did use guns to shoot the other girls. So, there is a chance that she did kill them. But, I also heard that the police were taking the other two girls to the station.”

“So, they may not be dead,” a relieved Sam asked.

His mother shrugged. “You know how rumors are,” she answered.

“Okay. When you learn more, let me know,” Sam said as he turned away. “I’m going to be in my room. Call me when dinner is ready, please.”

“Samuel.”

Sam froze. His only used his first name when he was in trouble. Or, for something serious. He hoped it was the latter. “Yes, Mom?”

“Turn around please.”

Sam slowly turned to face his mother. She didn’t look angry. Which was a good thing. But he didn’t know why she was studying him so closely. After a minute of her staring at him, Sam started to fidget.

Finally, he couldn’t take any more. He opened his mouth to speak, but his mother beat him. She quickly stepped forward and grabbed his right breast. With a shriek of surprise, Sam jumped back. His arms covering his chest. “Mom!”

His mother only nodded. “Just what I thought,” she said. “That’s all you.”

“What do you mean it’s all me,” Sam angrily asked.

“The last time I saw you in a top that actually fit you were an A-cup,” his mother responded. “And that was a little over a year ago. As the rest of you filled out, I assumed that your breasts did too. If you keep growing like this, you’ll outgrow your poor old mother.”

Sam paled at his mother’s words. “But you’re a D-cup,” he cried. “That’s huge. I don’t want to be that big! These are too big already!”

“Oh,” Mrs. Hathings said. “And what would Rebecca say about you getting bigger?” Sam blushed as his mother laughed at him.

“I’m going to my room,” Sam grumbled.

* * *

Sarah Callusy’s day had gotten worse. Much worse. It was bad enough watching the magical fight. But that third girl made it worse. That was the opinion of the police chief. He didn’t like magical girls fighting in the city when he couldn’t stop them. He definitely doesn’t like it that one showed up to stop them. Which is why her day was much worse than it had started.

Ever since she had returned from the hospital, Sarah had been in this interrogation room. Being debriefed on the fight. But there was only so many ways she could say the same thing. She was starting to get tire of repeating herself. She understood their reasons. But she was a police officer. She had better know what she had seen.

The door opened to her room, but Sarah didn’t look up. Instead, she took a swallow of her coffee then grimaced. It had gone cold. “Another round of questions,” she asked whoever had walked in.

“No,” the person answered. “I believe we’ve asked you the same questions enough by now, don’t you?”

Sarah’s head snapped up when she heard the voice. When she saw who had walked in, she jumped to her feet. “Commissioner Tackly,” she said. “I didn’t know you were here.”

“No one did,” the Commissioner replied. “I was doing a quiet inspection.”

‘That explained the casual clothes,’ thought Sarah. ‘But not why he’s here. He is usually a hands-off leader.

“I had heard about today’s fight,” the Commissioner said as he sat down. He waved her to take her seat. “And I decided to come by. I was a bit surprised at the time spent questioning you. Not once did you change your reply. You may have used different words, but the answer was the same. But, then you are a police officer. You’ve been trained to observe these things. If nothing, it makes the paperwork easier.”

Sarah stared at the man. She was wondering where he was going. “You have read my report,” she asked. “It said the same thing as I did during the questions.”

Commissioner Tackly sighed. “Sorry about that. It’s because one of the girls was Melissa Brightly.” Sarah’s eyes widened. The Brightly family was one of the richest families in the city. “Yeah. Her parents were throwing their weight around trying to discredit your report. It didn’t matter that you weren’t accusing their daughter of being a magical girl. Not that it matters anymore.”

Sarah blinked. “Why not,” she asked.

“The girls aren’t being charged with anything,” Tackly answered. At Sarah’s puzzled look, he continued. “Since they’re not magical girls anymore, and they can’t remember being magical girls, the charges against them are being dropped.”

“She did say that they may not remember being magical girls,” Sarah said. “So, what happens now?”

“Now, the girls should be home nursing massive headaches. As for you, I want to know your impression of this latest magical girl. I know we will be seeing her again.”

“Well,” began Sarah.

Sarah couldn’t be happier. Her shift was finally over. No more questions. No more cold coffee. And no more paperwork! That last one was almost enough to make her dance for joy as she walked to her car. When she got back to her apartment, she was going to take a long hot bath. After that, she might think about her day.

“Hey, Sarah!”

Sarah turned to see who was calling her. She half expected it to be the chief, but it was a woman’s voice she had heard. “Diane,” she said. “Can this wait? I’ve had a really bad day and I just want to go home.”

“I heard you met the new magical girl,” Diane said as she caught up to her friend. She and Lorie had met at the police academy and had become fast friends. While Sarah was a third-generation police officer, Diane Bridges was the first in her family. Sarah had helped her friend explain her motivations to her family. Even with Sarah’s help, Diane wasn’t able to fully explain herself. But her family did accept that she was happy.

“Not you too,” Sarah moaned as she rubbed her forehead. “I’m tired of talking about the new magical girl. I want to go home to my quiet apartment and take a long, hot bath.”

“But you did talk to the magical girl, right,” Diane asked. They started walking toward the parking lot.

“Not really,” Sarah replied. “All she did was tell me that those two girls would wake up with massive headaches. And that they may or may not remember being magical girls. Then she left. I don’t call that a conversation, do you?”

“Oh,” Diane blinked. “Then why did the Commissioner spend so much time with you?”

“Gossip is moving faster than normal today,” quipped Sarah. “Why do you want to know?”

“Because the rumor mill has been working overtime! Come on, spill.”

“He just wanted my impression of Hollow Point,” Sarah said. “Since I am the only one to have met her. He also doesn’t think this is the last of her. We’ll probably see more of her in the future.”

Diane agreed. “Yeah. She stopped two of those magical girls. But that was just two. We got a whole city of them. Do you think she can get the rest of them?”

“I don’t know,” shrugged Sarah. “But I don’t think she’ll have to. It may be possible that not all of those girls are bad. From what she told the other two before she shot them, some of them are doing whatever it is they’re supposed to.” They arrived at Sarah’s car. “Look, I’m tired and I really don’t want to talk about this more right now. If you want to, maybe we can talk later, okay?”

“Alright,” sighed Diane. “I’ll hold you to that. Besides, what you told me will get the rumor mill really going. Oh, you are off this weekend, right?”

“Yes. Unless I get volunteered for overtime.”

“I’ll see you then, and you’d better be ready to talk.”

Sarah just shook her head and climbed into her car. She waved to Diane as she drove off.

* * *

Sam lay on his bed thinking about the day. He still couldn’t get over the fact that he fought and beat two magical girls. Not that he wanted to do that again. He wasn’t crazy. He knew it was luck that let him win. The next time, he might not be so lucky. He let out a sigh, then rolled onto his back. His chest was starting to hurt. “Stupid boobs,” he muttered.

Sam was just dozing off when something landed on his stomach. With a grunt, he knocked it off. “Fur,” he said, puzzled. He opened his eyes and stared. The cat, the one that was in the park, the one that turned him into a magical girl, was staring at him from where it landed on his bed.

“You,” hissed Sam as his eyes narrowed. “What are you doing here?”

“Simple,” the cat replied. “I am your spirit guide. Where you go, I go.”

“Why do I need a guide?”

“Because you’re a magical girl,” the cat said in an irritated voice. “I thought that would be obvious by now.”

Sam shook his head. “Oh no I’m not,” he said. “I can’t be a magical girl. I’m a boy.”

The cat stared at Same for a moment. Then rubbed her face with a paw. “Please don’t let her be crazy,” she muttered. “How can you be a boy? You have breasts. Boys do not have breasts.”

“Sometimes boys do grow breasts,” Sam said darkly. “But that’s beside the point, cat.”

“Selene.”

Sam blinked. “What?”

“My name is Selene,” the cat said. She placed a paw on her neck. “See. I have it on my collar.”

Despite himself, Sam looked. Around the cat’s, Selene’s, neck was a simple leather collar. There was a metal plate attached with her name written on it. For a brief moment, Sam wondered where the cat got it from. “That doesn’t matter,” Sam said with a shake of his head. “What does matter is that I’m a boy.”

“You are a girl,” Selene said. “Boys can’t become magical girls. Since you became a magical girl, you are a girl.”

“I know my body,” Sam said exasperatedly. “And that body is that of a boy’s. I just have a medical condition. One the doctors haven’t diagnosed yet.”

Selene had had enough. This girl was claiming to be a boy when she obviously was not. She was even claiming to have a medical condition. The girl must be crazy. She did not want a crazy human being a magical girl. But that would explain the strange weapons she used earlier. “Young lady,” she sternly said. “Now is not the time for such behavior. You are a teenage girl. And it’s time you start acting like one. You have an important task to do.”

Sam couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Sure, he looked like a girl. As much as he wanted to deny it, he couldn’t. But he knew he was a boy. And didn’t cats rely more on their sense of smell than their sight? Shouldn’t Selene have noticed that he didn’t smell like a girl? “I am a boy,” he said as he stood up. “And I can prove it.” With that, he dropped his shorts and underwear. He didn’t know a cat’s eyes could bulge.

Selene stared in shock. The girl, Samantha, stood up, claiming that she could prove that she was a boy. When she dropped her shorts and underwear, Selene saw something she had not expected. Samantha had a penis and testicles. She couldn’t believe it. But right in front of her face was the evidence.

“Do you believe me now,” she heard Samantha ask.

“That can’t be real,” gasped Selene.

“It’s real,” Samantha said. “I use it every day.”

“B-but how?”

“As I said,” Samantha said as she pulled her shorts up. “Medical condition. The doctors haven’t identified it yet.”

“You turned into a magical girl,” Selene hissed. “You couldn’t have done that if you are a boy, Samantha.”

“Samuel. My name is Samuel.”

Selene’s mind was reeling. Even her name was a boy’s. How could this have happened? The magic led her to this person. So, she, or he, had to be the one. Magic doesn’t make mistakes, right? This boy had to be the one. He did turn into a magical girl and stop those two from fighting. So, something has to be right.

“Now, about this magical girl thing,” Samuel continued. “I don’t think I can do that. I am a boy. And we both know boys can’t be magical girls.”

Before Selene could respond, there was a knock on Sam’s door. “Sam,” a woman’s voice came. “Dinner’s almost ready. Rebecca’s eating here too.”

“Okay, Mom,” Sam answered. “I’ll be there in a few minutes. I just need to wash up.” Sam then turned back to his unexpected visitor. “Look, you can stay here until you get yourself straightened out. But do expect you to be gone by the time I go to bed.”

Sam sighed as he washed his hands. He almost felt sorry for that cat. If it wasn’t for him being turned into a magical girl, he would. But he couldn’t be a magical girl. He was a boy. Never mind the fact that he had been turned into one earlier. That didn’t happen. And he’d tell anybody who asked that too.

He dried his hands and went to go eat. “Hey Rebecca,” Sam said when he saw his girlfriend. He hugged her. “You alright? I couldn’t find you after the fight.”

“I’m fine,” she answered. “The police rounded up everybody they could. They questioned us for hours before they let us go. You’re lucky they didn’t get you. Where’d you go anyway?”

“I ran,” Sam answered as they got to the dining table. “I ended up in an alley somewhere. Once the fight was over, I flagged down a taxi and came home”

“I remember you running,” Rebecca said as she leaned into Sam. “I almost stopped because your butt looked so good.”

Sam blushed and stammered. He was saved from having to make sense by his mother entering the room. She was carrying a baking dish. “Hello Rebecca,” she said when she saw the couple. “Glad you’re here. Maybe I can get some news on the magical girl.”

“Hello, Mrs. Hathings,” Rebecca responded. “I’m happy you invited me over. I don’t know much, but I’ll tell you what I do know.”

“That’s good to hear unlike somebody I know,” Mrs. Hathings said with a significant look at her son.

Rebecca gave her blushing boyfriend a hug. “Don’t blame him. He put his legs to good use. Why don’t I help you get the food on the table? Then I can tell everybody at once.”

“That’s a good idea,” beamed Mrs. Hathings. “I’m glad you’re dating Sam.”

Sam shook his head as his girlfriend and his mother walked into the kitchen. Part of him feared what they would talk about. Rebecca was sneaky, and his mother wanted him to wear better fitting clothes. The two women returned, his mother was carrying another backing dish and a bowl filled with some kind of vegetable while Rebecca was carrying a large bowl of salad. As they place the food on the table, his father and sister entered the room.

“We’re all here,” his mother said. “We can start eating.”

“Sam and Rebecca had a bit of excitement today,” Mrs. Hathings said after everybody had served themselves. “They saw the new magical girl.”

“Did she really kill those girls,” his sister asked.

“Caitlynn,” his mother said sharply.

“What,” Caitlynn asked. “That’s what everybody’s saying.”

“No,” Rebecca answered. “She didn’t kill them. From what I saw, she somehow removed their powers.”

“She can do that,” his father asked. “I didn’t know that was possible.”

“I don’t know if that’s what she actually did,” Rebecca said. “All I know is that when she shot them, they turned back into normal girls. The police should know more. The did take them to a hospital.”

“There may be more on the news,” Sam put in. “You know all the local channels will be all over this.”

“That’s probably true,” Mrs. Hathings said. “Harold, we can check the news later.”

“What did she look like,” Caitlynn asked.

“She was so cute,” Rebecca said. Sam gave his girlfriend a sharp look. “She was dressed as a Japanese school girl. Her skirt was a pleated black and dark purple plaid. She had a dark purple necktie and a white button blouse, and her jacket was black. She was also wearing brown penny loafers and white knee-high socks. Oh, and she had a black backpack that had white skeletons with ribbons on their skulls. She had her hair in two pig-tails that reached down to her knees.”

“Sounds like you got a good look at her,” Caitlynn said.

“She was cute,” Sam aske as he eyed her.

“Not as cute as you,” Rebecca said. “Besides, I don’t even know who that girl is. For all I know, she’s some bimbo.” Sam grumbled a bit but said nothing.

“So why did she attack those other girls,” Harold asked.

“I couldn’t guess,” Mrs. Hathings said. “Do you know Sam, Rebecca?”

Sam shook his head. “I don’t know,” Rebecca answered. “Before they started fighting, the three had, what looked like, an argument.” Rebecca shrugged. “Then they started fighting.”

“So, Sam,” Caitlynn said while her parents thought about Rebecca’s answer. “Why is Rebecca answering all the questions?”

“Because I ran,” was Sam’s simple answer. “As soon as the first two started fighting, I ran. And I didn’t look back.”

“Sam’s got some legs,” Rebecca said with a grin. “And he knows how to use them.”

“That’s my boy,” Harold said. “None of you can fight a magical girl. Running is the only answer when they start fighting.”

“But he left his girlfriend behind,” Caitlynn pointed out. “That’s not very manly.”

“I ran in a different direction,” Rebecca said as Sam glared at his sister. “None of us was facing the same direction when the fight started.” She gave Caitlynn a look. “When the fight started, we just took off in the direction we were facing.”

“Sam, you have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow at 10,” Mrs. Hathings said. She was not going to let her children start fighting over Sam’s condition.

“What,” a puzzled Sam said. “I do? Since when?”

“They called while you were in your room. The doctors believe they may have found out what your condition is.”

“And you didn’t tell me,” Sam yelped. “Mom, that’s important. Did they say what it is?”

“No,” Mrs. Hathings said. “They said only that you need to be in the office. And we should be there with you.”

“Oh,” Sam said as his excitement visibly deflated. “I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”

“Good or bad, we’re here for you. Aren’t we?” Mrs. Hathings’ voice dropped on the last part. She also gave her daughter a look.

Aware of her mother’s look, Caitlynn nodded. “Yes, I’ll be there too,” she said.

Sam nervously sat in the doctor’s office. While this wasn’t the first time he had been called to the doctor’s office, it was the first time without being told why. He hoped they had discovered what was wrong with him and had a treatment plan. But, he was also afraid that the doctor was going to tell him that he couldn’t help him. He didn’t know which frightened him more. Sam couldn’t help but jump when the receptionist called his name. His mother squeezed his hand while his father patted him on the shoulder. It wasn’t much, but it reminded him that he wasn’t alone. Together they stood and entered the back.

Once in the back, Sam and his family followed a nurse to a consultation room. There they were asked to wait on the doctor. Sam hoped the wait wouldn’t be long. He wasn’t sure if his nerves could take a long wait. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer either. He’s lived this long without know what was wrong with him, he could live a little longer not knowing.

“Why do they always make us wait,” his father asked. “It’s not like we’re late and we missed our appointment.”

“Stop your grumbling, Harold,” Mrs. Hathings said. “We’re not the only patients he has. One of his other appointments could have ran over. And if you think you are worried, think of how Sam feels.”

Harold took a quick look at his son. Sam was obviously nervous and failing to hide it. “Sorry, Mary,” he said. “You know I don’t like doctors.”

Sam tried to ignore his parents. He knew he was nervous. Anybody would be in his position. To distract himself, he looked around the room. Unfortunately, nothing was different from the last visit. Still the same pictures on the walls. They were of landscapes and mountain ranges. This particular doctor seemed to care more about his patients’ health than his ego. Maybe that was why his parents chose him.

The door opened, and the doctor walked in. “Sorry I’m late,” he said. “I was collecting some last-minute lab results.” The doctor immediately had their undivided attention.

“Does that mean you know what’s wrong with Sam,” Sam’s mother asked.

“Yes,” the doctor answered. “I do know what Sam has.” He paused for a moment. “What Sam has is a very rare condition. As far as we can tell, less than zero point zero one percent of the people in the world has this.”

Sam blinked. He knew that whatever was wrong with him would be rare. They had gone through all the possible known causes. Like taking hormones or drugs. Even experimental drugs. How he would have gotten those, no one knew. At one time they even thought he had gynecomastia. But that didn’t explain the other things that was wrong with him. He had developed a feminine waist, hips, and butt. His voice rose like a girl’s. He didn’t grow any facial hair.

But now, now that all would change. The doctors knew what was wrong and could fix it. All he needed to do was wait for them to tell him what to do. Then he would go back to looking like a boy. He wouldn’t have to worry about people thinking he and Rebecca were in a lesbian relationship. Not that Rebecca worried about that. She didn’t seem to worry about what people thought about the two of them. As far as she was concerned, it was none of their business what they did together. As long as they loved each other. Sam wished he could be more like that.

The doctor continued. “What Sam has is called Single Site Genetic Mutation. Like I said, it is a very rare condition. All the cases we’ve found were because the victims of this came to us.”

The Hathings were stunned. After all this time, to finally find out what was wrong with Sam was a shock. A good shock. But a shock none the less. Now, all they needed to do was find out just what his condition did and how to treat it. “So, how do we treat this condition, Doctor Sanders,” Harold asked.

The doctor frowned. “That’s the problem,” he said. “There isn’t a treatment. His problem is genetic. From all the earlier tests we ran, Sam is a perfectly normal and healthy boy. He should not look like, nor sound like a girl.”

Sam couldn’t breathe. His heart had stopped when the doctor had told him the name of his condition. As far as he knew, genetic problems had no cure. Sure, some could be treated. But none of them could be cured. He had hope when his father asked how to treat his condition. It was crushed when the doctor told them there was no treatment. Not knowing what else to do, Sam turned his face to his mother’s shoulder and cried.

Doctor Sanders couldn’t conceal his wince when Sam started crying. He hated telling the Hathings that there was no treatment for this. He did not become a doctor to give bad new to good people. With a sigh, he continued delivering the news. “As the previous tests showed, hormone treatments will not help Sam. And if he had cosmetic surgery, the best he could hope for was a very feminine male appearance.”

Sam stopped listening at this point. It hurt too much. Knowing that he’d never really look like a boy.

After spending several minutes of giving the Hathings his recommendations, Doctor Sanders left the distraught family. After this, he knew they’d need time to compose themselves. Besides, he didn’t think they’d want to see him for a while. He knew he wouldn’t if he was in their place. He flagged down a nurse and told him to give the Hathings time.

Selene was not having a good time. After getting over the shock Sam had given her, she had returned to the council. After hearing her report, the council exploded. At first, they didn’t believe her report. How could a girl have a penis? But she knew what she saw. Then they thought she had made a mistake. But she knew the difference between a boy and a girl. Even if they were human. Then they started demanding to know how this had come about. She couldn’t tell them, because she didn’t know it was even possible.

Finally, after hours of arguing, they decided to send her back. She was to get more information. None of them believed that the magic behind choosing magical girls had made of mistake. Somehow, this Samuel was a magical girl. It didn’t matter what he said or the actual physical evidence. The magic said he was a magical girl, so he had to be one. After they had finally finished arguing, they sent Selene back to Samuel. She arrived only to find the boy asleep.

In the morning, Sam was too busy for Selene to talk to. He quickly went through his morning routine. Got dressed and ate breakfast with his family. Then they all left the house. The only thing the cat could get out of it was that Sam had some sort of meeting scheduled. It seemed to be with a physician of some sort. While she didn’t want anything to be wrong with the boy, she did hope it was about his strange condition. Either way, she’d have to wait until they returned. She found a comfortable spot and relaxed.

Selene was startled awake when Sam’s bedroom door suddenly opened. Hopefully now she could talk to Sam. She peaked out from under the bed but changed her mind when she saw the boy’s face. Same looked devastated. His eyes were red and puffy. There were tear tracks down his face. His movements were slow and unsteady. Whatever happened at the meeting, it wasn’t good. She watched as Sam stumbled to his bed and collapsed.

Selene slowly came from under the bed. She wasn’t sure what happened. But she knew she had to ask Sam some questions. But then she saw his wrist. The band she had given him had changed. While it still looked the same to mundane eyes, those with magical site could see the difference. It had bonded with Sam. Now, it didn’t matter what the council wanted. There was no way they could remove it from the boy now. Selene went back under the bed. She had to think of what she’d tell the council.

Sam didn’t know how long he had been laying on his bed before his bedroom door opened. He didn’t move as the person entered his room. He didn’t react as the person slipped into his bed with him. “Your mother told me the news,” the person said. It was only then that he realized the person was Rebecca.

“Do you want to talk about it,” she asked.

Sam didn’t answer. Instead he curled into his girlfriend’s embrace. He did not want to talk about it. It was too painful for him. Tears started to leak from his eyes. He didn’t want to start crying again, but he couldn’t stop it. Tucking his head against his girlfriend’s neck, Sam started crying.

“It hurts,” Sam said sometime later. Rebecca jumped slightly. She had thought Sam had went to sleep. “Knowing that they can’t fix my body.”

Rebecca hugged him and said words of comfort. While Mrs. Hathings had told her Sam had gotten bad news from the doctor, she didn’t tell her what it was. She had only been told to do what she could be give the distraught boy comfort. When she had arrived at the Hathings’ home, Mrs. Hathings had taken her aside and given her a box of condoms. Rebecca stared at the older woman in shock.

“I’m not so old as to think you two haven’t had sex,” Mrs. Hathings told the teen. “And, if sex is what’s needed to make him feel better, then you fuck him blind. Just use the condoms. I’m not ready to be a grandmother yet and he’s not ready to be a father.” Stunned, Rebecca just put the condoms in her bag and went to Sam’s room.

“It’s genetic, you know,” Sam continued. “That’s why they can’t fix my body. I’ll never look like a boy, no matter what I do.”

“What about plastic surgery,” Rebecca quietly asked.

“Minimum affect at best,” Sam answered. “They wouldn’t even know how to treat me. They could cut off my boobs and suck the fat out of my hips and butt, but that wouldn’t make me look masculine. They’ve already found out that hormone treatment won’t work on me.” He sniffed. “So they can’t use that to fix me.”

“Hormones won’t work?!”

“No.”

Rebecca hugged her boyfriend tightly. This was worse than what she had imagined. She needed to do something to cheer him up. Or, at least to break him out of his depression. “You’re not broken,” she whispered fiercely. “You stop thinking that. I don’t care what others think of you. You are the way you are supposed to be.”

“But people think we’re in a lesbian relationship,” Sam said. “You deserve better than that.”

“I don’t care,” Rebecca repeated. “I love you. That includes the way you look. Long ago, I accepted that you’ll look girly. I didn’t let that stop me from loving you. And I won’t let it stop you from loving you.” She took a deep breath. “I’m going to tell you a secret. One that may change the way you feel about me.”

Rebecca felt Sam shift against her. She knew she was taking a big risk telling him this. But she felt it was better to get it out now. After all, she had been holding this secret for over a year. “I, I like that you look like a girl,” she said.

She felt Sam stiffen in her arms and rushed to continue.

“I’m bisexual,” Rebecca said. “I like both boys and girls. To me, you are the best thing that could happen. You have everything I want in a lover.” She ran a hand over his hips. “You have the curves of a beautiful girl.” The same hand cupped his dick. “And the big dick I want in a man.”

She sighed. “I know this makes me selfish,” she said. “But I don’t want you to change. If you do, then I won’t have my perfect lover anymore. I’ll understand if you want me to leave. This is the last thing you want to hear right now.”

It was a long moment before Sam spoke. “D-do you really mean it,” he asked. “You really like me this way?”

“Sam, I love you this way.”

“You promise you’ll stay with me?”

“You’re the only one who could chase me away,” Rebecca promised her love.

Sam didn’t answer. He snuggled closer to Rebecca content in her closeness. Together the two held each other until they fell asleep. Neither had noticed the cat listening to them under the bed. For her part, Selene had decided not to even try to take the bracelet away. It wouldn’t have worked anyway. Instead, she was now going to see if Sam would make a good magical girl.

Even if he wasn’t a girl.

Sam was not happy. He was in the mall shopping for clothes. With his girlfriend and his sister. It wouldn't be so bad if they were shopping for his girlfriend. He'd even accept shopping for his sister. But they were shopping for him. For clothes fit for a girl. The only consolation he had was that they were only shopping for his upper body. So, he did not have to worry about jeans, shorts, or skirts. Especially skirts. Unfortunately, that did not exclude dresses.

"Oooh, this looks nice," Rebecca said as she pulled out a skirt. It was a knee length gray skirt with roses outlined in red on it. Sam had to admit it did look nice. On Rebecca.

"Yeah," Sam said. "It does. You should see if they have it in your size."

"No silly. I meant for you."

"For me!" exclaimed Sam. "Why?"

"Because you have great legs," Rebecca said.

"What," Sam asked as he looked down at his legs. "They're just legs."

"She's right," Caitlynn said. "You do have good legs. But don't you tell anybody I said so. I'll deny it."

"I'm a little jealous," Rebecca said. "I'm the girl in this relationship. I should have the better body."

"If I could, I'd give you my looks," Sam said. "As long as I can get to looking like a boy."

"I know you would," Rebecca said quietly. "And I would gladly accept them, as long as you started looking like a boy." She sighed and hugged her boyfriend. "But I meant what I said last night. I really do love you the way you are. And nothing's going to change that."

"Look, Sam," his sister said. "You're going to have to face facts. And the fact is, you look like an attractive girl. Unless a miracle happens, that's not going to change. Now, you can fight this and possibly drive yourself crazy. Or, you can accept it." Caitlynn looked extremely sad. "I'd rather you accept it. You may be annoying, but you're still my brother."

Sam didn't know what to say. Caitlynn never said anything good about him to his face. She was more likely to add to whatever had him down. That she decided to cheer him up surprised him.

"Now, march in there and try on that skirt," Caitlynn said.

And then she says things like that. "Caitlynn," Sam growled. "I don't care what you and Rebecca say about my legs. I'm not wearing a skirt!"

"Sam," Rebecca said as she sidled up to him. "If you try on the skirt, we can honestly tell your mother that you did. And that you didn't like it. Believe me, I am not lying to your mother."

Sam stared at Rebecca for a moment before giving in. "Alright," he said. "But this better be the only one you have me try on."

"I will be, I promise," Rebecca said bouncing. She handed Sam the skirt and shooed her into the dressing room.

Once alone in the dressing room, Sam was willing to admit that the skirt might look good on him. Not that he was going to tell Rebecca or his sister that. He'd never live it down if he did. And then there was the fact that he did not want to look good in a skirt. There was all ready too many people who thought he wanted to look like a girl. So much so that he was taking illegal hormones. Frankly, he just wished they'd mind their own business. But that wasn't going to happen. They made their decision about him and they weren't going to change it. No matter what proof he offered. Because they 'knew' any proof he offered was just him trying to hide the 'truth.'

"Do you need some help," Rebecca asked. "I can come in there if you need some."

Sam blushed. "I'm good," he answered. He quickly changed out of his jeans and pulled on the skirt. He made sure the fit was good, then exited the changing room.

"That looks good on you," Rebecca said. "What do you think, Caitlynn?"

"I knew it," a voice cried out. "The fagot wants to be a girl!"

The three turned toward the speaker. It was a tall, muscular boy. He would have been considered attractive it if wasn't for the scowl on his face. "What are you doing here, Christopher," Rebecca demanded.

"I was looking for a gift for my sister," the boy answered. "But then I heard a pervert was here, so I rushed over to protect you."

"The only pervert here is you," snapped Caitlynn. She had seen the affects the boy's words had on her brother and she wasn't having it. Not after yesterday. Besides, it's a big sister's prerogative to pick on her brother. And Heaven help those who pre-empt it.

"Call me Chris," Christopher said. "And you don't have to be that way. I know you and Becky here are just looking for a real man." Sam, Rebecca, and Caitlynn all rolled their eyes. They knew that Christopher was arrogant, but this was too much.

"I can't believe you," Rebecca said. "You hit on a man's girlfriend and his sister while you're standing in front of him!"

"Don't look like a man to me," Christopher said.

"More of a guy than you'll ever be," Caitlynn said. "A real man wouldn't hit on women who already have a boyfriend."

"I'm the only man here," Christopher said. "The only others I see here are two girls and a freak. You should be grateful I'm even giving you a chance."

"Just ignore him," Sam said. "He's so convinced of that he's right, that he'll never listen. Besides, we can always call on security to get to remove him." Rebecca and Caitlynn brightened when they heard that. They knew if they went to security, Christopher would be escorted away from them, if not out of the mall entirely.

"Like a pussy like you would have the balls to do anything to me."

"Christopher," Sam said. "You have been riding my ass about my looks for three years now. What makes you think I won't do something like that? You are an asshole and will always be one."

"Why you little. . ."

"Go ahead," taunted Sam. "Take a swing at me in front of the cameras. Give me a reason to have security toss you out of here. Or, better yet, give them a reason to press charges against you."

Christopher ignored Sam's words. All he wanted to do was smash that freak. He raised his fist and started toward the feminine boy. Instead of running like Christopher expected, Sam stood his ground and glared at the larger boy. Christopher was looking forward to pounding Sam into the ground.

"Chris! What do you think you're doing," thundered a man's voice. The group turned a large man walking toward them. It was obvious the man was Christopher's father. Her was built just like him. Both were tall, muscular men. But the older man was a couple of inches taller than Christopher.

"Nothing Dad," Christopher said quickly dropping his arm.

"That's not what it looks like to me," his father said. "Ladies." He nodded to Sam, Caitlynn, and Rebecca. "Now what's going on here? You don't raise your hand to a lady, without reason."

"Well, Mr. Ledgers, it's like this," Caitlynn said. "Your son has been picking on my brother for years. Ever since he started developing breasts."

Mr. Ledgers blinked. "I've heard something about that. Isn't he the boy who's transgendered?" Christopher gave his father a look.

"He's not transgendered," Caitlynn said as Sam glared. "He has a medical condition. It's called Single Site Genetic Mutation. Basically, one spot on his genetic code mutated. So, even though he still has a dick and balls, instead of looking like a boy, he looks like a girl."

"Dad don't tell me you really believe that," Christopher asked.

Mr. Ledgers held up one hand to stop his son from talking. "It's different. I'll give you that. But there are a lot of different and strange things in the world." He gestured for Caitlynn to continue.

"He hates his body," Caitlynn said. "It doesn't help that your son, along with all the other bullies at school, pick on him because of his looks. He'd give anything to look like the boy he is. You can even ask him yourself, if you don't believe me."

The last comment surprised Mr. Ledgers. "He's here," he asked as he looked around.

Caitlynn and Rebecca both pointed at Sam. "He's right there," Caitlynn said. Sam's face turned beet red as he stood there. He really did not want this to be happening. He could already hear the jeers and insults coming from the bullies at school.

Mr. Ledgers looked at the blushing boy. He couldn't believe his eyes. The third girl was actually a boy. Even now that he was looking, he couldn't tell that boy wasn't a wasn't a girl. "Are you sure that's a girl?"

"Hey," Sam said.

"Very sure," Rebecca said with a grin as she snuggled close to Sam.

Even though he was looking at Rebecca and Sam, Mr. Ledgers was very aware of his son's disgust at the display. "I see," was all Mr. Ledgers said. "Well you, young man, have a hard life ahead of you. I wish you the best of luck." He clapped his hand on his son's shoulder. The watching trio could see Christopher wince. "My son and I are going you have a little talk. Have a good day." He walked away, pulling his son with him.

"I didn't expect that," Rebecca said.

Caitlynn slapped the back of Sam's head. "What were you thinking," she hissed. "Christopher would have killed you!"

"I'm tired of his bullying," Sam said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"That's not an excuse to provoke him into beating you up!"

"He doesn't need an excuse," Sam snapped back. "He's always wanting to do that. Him and his buddies! They all go out of their way just to humiliate me."

"That doesn't mean you should provoke him," Rebecca said. "You are better than him. You know who your real friends are. You know your family loves you. And you have me."

Sam didn't say anything. He just looked at his girlfriend then turned away. Rebecca and Caitlynn shared a worried look. They could tell that Sam was depressed but trying to hide it. They could also tell that it was worse than before. That worried them. If he was doing stuff like this now, how would he be later when the shock wore off?

"Look," Caitlynn said. "Why don't you change back into her clothes and we'll go somewhere else. Maybe, get something to eat."

"That sounds good," Rebecca said as Sam shrugged. She waved her hands at Sam. "Hurry and get changed. I want some ice cream." Sam quickly went back into the changing room. He may not have wanted ice cream, but he didn't want to keep trying on clothes. Who knew what those two would talk him into trying on next.

"Are you fucking him," Caitlynn asked Rebecca once Sam was out of hearing rang.

"Yes," Rebecca answered. "But I'm not sure how much longer that will help. He's always been worried about his looks. But he's gotten worse since that last doctor's visit."

Caitlynn sighed. "Mom and Dad were afraid this could happen. Looks like we'll have to find a psychiatrist." At Rebecca's look she continued. "The doctor recommended that Sam see a psychiatrist about this. Preferably one who has worked with transgendered people."

"Do you think Sam would go to one," Rebecca asked.

"I don't think Mom and Dad will give him a choice," Caitlynn answered. "They're really worried about him." Rebecca nodded in agreement. The two teens were quiet until Sam's return.

Ten minutes later, the trio were approaching the food court. "So, what are you in the mood for," Sam asked. "Don't tell me you were serious about ice cream?"

"Why not," Rebecca asked. "Ice cream's good." Caitlynn nodded her head.

Sam scowled. "You need more than ice cream," he said. "It's good, but only after you've eaten a meal or something."

"Ice cream is good at any time," Rebecca said fervently. "It is the ultimate food." Sam just gave his girlfriend a look. "You just don't know the true grandeur of ice cream." She turned to Caitlynn. "You agree with me, right?"

"I'm more of a brownie fan, honestly," Caitlynn answered.

Rebecca stared at Caitlynn in shock while Sam gave a weak chuckle. Both Rebecca and Caitlynn were happy to hear Sam him chuckle. If he could do that, then there was still hope. "What's going on," Sam suddenly asked. "Everybody seems to be heading away from the food court."

The two girls looked. Sam was right. Everybody they could see were moving away from the food court. And they weren't being slow about it. "Can you see what's going on," Rebecca asked Caitlynn.

Caitlynn shook her head. "No, and I don't think whatever is going on is a good thing."

The group tried to get close, but the crowd wouldn't let them. The people in the crowd were determined to get away from the food court. Sam got separated and suddenly found himself with a clear view. Standing in the middle of the food court were two groups of magical girls. From the way they were glaring, Sam knew they were going start a fight. Sam smiled. He was in the mood to shoot somebody.

Stacy Ellington was nervous. She was a magical girl. Valkyrie Stormbreaker was her name. Well, her magical girl name. She was part of a team of magical girls called the Storm Valkyries. All but two of them had storm in their names. She didn’t like her name. It was too war-like for her. Even if their group fought a lot. It was in defense of the innocent and defenseless. That was different.

In the beginning, it was fun. A little scary, but fun. The monster would show up, cause some trouble and they’d swoop in and destroy it. Sometimes, one of their group would get hurt. But it was never anything serious. And they healed when they changed back to normal. After the fight, they’d either return to what they were doing. Or, go someplace to eat and hang out.

Then things began to change.

At first, she didn’t notice. But then she gradually began to notice that the others were becoming more violent toward the monsters. That they were becoming dismissive of them. They even seemed to be enjoying hurting the monsters. Then they started running into other magical girls. What should have been an easy friendship turned into a bitter rivalry. Mary, or, as she preferred to be called, Stormbringer, encouraged the others to compete with the other magical girls. Only Chelsea and another of the group, named Rose, showed any reluctance.

As time went on, they met more and more magical girls. Each time, Mary was more aggressive than the last. Lately, she has started challenging the other magical girls as soon as she saw them. It was getting to be too much for Stacy. She was starting to think about quitting. The only reason she was still doing this was Kyubi, their magical guide. The strange stuffed toy wolf kept encouraging her. Making sure she kept her spirits up. He was spending more time with her than with any of the others. So much in fact, that Kyubi was living in Stacy’s house instead of Mary’s.

Then things changed.

Kyubi had been warning them, the elders sent someone to correct their behavior. Mary didn’t believe him. And she convinced Denise and Bethica to go along with her. Chelsea was on the fence. Mary was pressuring Rose to side with her. It was looking less likely now that Hollow Point appeared. Stacy hoped that the others would start doing what Kyubi wanted them to. She liked being a magical girl and didn’t want to stop.

Now, she and her team had chasing a monster. It was one that had been giving them some problems lately. Every time they got close to killing him, he somehow slipped away. Mary had decided that this time was going to be the last time that monster attacked anybody. And she didn’t seem to care who got in her way.

Stacy normally wouldn’t have a problem with this. But they had chased the monster into the mall and now innocent people were in danger. To make matters worse, they ran into another team of magical girls. Mary immediately accused them of helping the monster. Of course, they denied it. That was all Mary needed to start a fight. Before she could start, things changed.

There was an extremely bright flash of light along with an ear shattering bang. When she could finally see and hear again, Stacy saw Hollow Point. She was standing between the two groups, but off to one side. She was dressed as a Japanese schoolgirl. She was wearing a black jacket over a white button shirt. She had a dark purple tie and her skirt was pleated with a purple and black plaid pattern. On her feet were penny loafers and knee-high white socks. She had a black backpack with skeletons wearing ribbons on it. Her black hair was in two braids that reached her knees. The braids had three ribbons each. One where they met her skull, one in the middle and one on the ends. In her hands were two very large handguns. They were pointing at the two groups.

“You will not fight,” she said with an angry look on her face. Stacy wanted to agree with her. But she knew Mary wouldn’t.

“Psst, Stacy.”

Stacy looked around to see who whispered her name. After a moment’s search, she found Kyubi standing by a large planter. As soon as he saw that she was looking at him, he waved her over. With a quick glance at her teammates, she eased her way over to their guide.

“Kyubi, what are you doing here,” Stacy whispered once she got to him.

“Saving you,” he replied. Stacy blinked in surprise.

“Listen,” Kyubi continued. “No matter what happens, you need to stay here. Hollow Point has arrived to pass judgement on the team. If you want to stay a magical girl, you will do what I say.”

Stacy looked over her shoulder at her teammates. “What about the others?”

“Unfortunately, they’re on their own,” Kyubi sadly answered. “If they make the right decision, they’ll survive this. If not, well, you saw the news about Blazing Heart and Lily Jade.”

Stacy could only nod at that. The story about those two had spread faster than she had believed possible. No one wanted to believe that it was true, but the evidence couldn’t be denied. She didn’t want to imagine suddenly not being a magical girl. The only good thing about it was that they seemed to not remember being one.

Stacy jerked her had up as she suddenly heard quiet footsteps approaching. Two magical girls from the other team was approaching. She tensed. She didn’t know why they were coming to her. She started to relax when she noticed that they were looking nervous. Above them flew a winged cat girl.

“Ah, Subiya,” Kyubi called out. “Are these the only ones?”

“Unfortunately, so,” the cat girl replied. “Do you think they’ll be safe here?”

“They should be,” was Kyubi’s answer. “The council did say she would only attack those we don’t vouch for.”

“Either way,” Subiya said. “Don’t provoke her. Those weapon things she is carrying are bigger than I am.”

“I’m sorry, but what are you two dressed as,” Stacy suddenly blurted. She had been studying the two girls ever since they had arrived. For the life of her, she couldn’t tell what they were dressed as. Both of the teen girls were wearing bikinis under gauzy cloth. One was a light pink while the other was blue. While it covered most of their bodies, the cloth didn’t leave anything to the imagination. Like her, both girls were wearing heeled boots. But theirs were stiletto heels.

Not that Stacy had room to talk. She and the other Valkyries were dressed in tight leather clothes. They showed off the curves of their hips and butts. The lengths of their legs and cleavage as well were displayed. Stacy took a quick peak at her chest. Not so much cleavage for her. She had only Bs, but the shirt did its best.

The teen girls blushed. “It wasn’t our idea to dress like this,” the one in pink said. “Subiya said it was our uniforms.”

By this time Subiya had landed on the planter. “It is the honored uniform of the dream warriors,” she said proudly as she stood as tall as she could. “They have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“They look like strippers,” Stacy said.

The cat girl tilted her head. “What are strippers?”

“Erotic or exotic dancers,” Kyubi answered.

Everybody stared at the plushie wolf.

“What,” Kyubi said. “I have a life between assignments.”

“We know exactly what we look like,” the one in blue said. “We’re happy that we only appear in their dreams. And even then, it’s only when they’re attacked by monsters.”

“But couldn’t your uniforms cover more skin,” Stacy asked. “I’d be embarrassed to be seen dressed like that.”

“There are others who wear less than we do,” the one in pink said defensively. “We’ve seen them. Besides, it’s not like we had a choice.”

Stacy had to admit, they had a point. She knew she didn’t choose what her uniform looked like. If she had, it wouldn’t be showing as much cleavage or clinging so tightly to her butt and legs. “Oh, what are your names? I can’t keep thinking of you by your colors.”

“I’m Dream Warrior Pink Ice and she’s Dream Warrior Blue Fire. We’re supposed to protect people’s dreams. Lately though, it’s been more about fighting other magical girls.”

“I like it better when we first started,” Blue Fire said. “It was fun then. And I felt like we were doing something important.

“Yeah,” Stacy agreed. “I never thought it would get this bad. The elders actually sent somebody to stop us.”

“Only the ones not doing their jobs,” Kyubi said. “The rest of you will be safe.”

“We think,” Subiya said. Kyubi gave her a look. “What? It’s better to be honest about this. The elders have never done anything like this before.”

Before anybody could say anything else, there were six rapid gunshots. Everybody snapped their heads around to look at their respective teams. Six girls were lying on the ground. Bright lights were flowing from them as they transformed back into normal girls. A seventh was standing by herself, trembling in fright.

“That’s Chelsea,” Stacy gasped. “Why is she still standing?”

The group watched in horror as Hollow Point pointed a gun toward the lone standing girl.

Sam studied the trembling girl in front of her. The girl had been standing with one group of magical girls. But she was far enough away that it looked like she didn’t want to be there. That make him curious. It was the only thing that kept him from shooting her. He still might. It all depended on how she satisfied his curiosity. He kept one gun pointed at the girl.

“Why,” he asked. At the girl’s blank look, he continued. “Why were you standing away from them?”

“I, I didn’t like what they were doing,” the girl stammered.

“And why not,” Sam coldly asked.

“W-w shouldn’t be fighting the other magical girls,” came the stammering response. “They’re a-are t-too many m-monsters for us to do that.”

Sam stared at the girl for a long moment. “Remember that,” he said. “I won’t be so forgiving next time.” He then holstered his guns and walked away. He had been hoping to shoot someone else, but he knew he shouldn’t shoot her. Not everybody can stand up to their friends when they’re doing the wrong thing. He ignored the girl as she collapsed where she stood. He also ignored the ones who had been standing separate from the others as they had their guides with them.

He still wanted to shoot something. Shooting those girls didn’t do a thing for him. Maybe, if he was lucky, he’d run into the monsters those magical girls were chasing. He knew it wouldn’t make things better, but it would make him feel better.

“Maybe now they’ll start to listen,” Selene asked.

Sam looked down at the cat. He did not know when she had gotten there. The last time he had seen her, she was under his bed. He frowned as this reminded him of his doctor’s appointment. “Maybe who’ll listen?”

“The magical girls,” Selene replied. “They have been warned several times that they needed to behave appropriately.”

Sam grunted in response. As there was nothing else to do here, he was looking for a place to change back to normal. He didn’t want to stay dressed as he was longer than he needed to be. He also did not want any record of his change. It may not be happening now, but he knew it was only a matter of time before the more violent of the magical girls start hunting him down.

It wasn’t too much longer that he found a place to change back. After making sure there was nobody around and that there were no cameras, he changed. He looked around for a moment then started walking. He did not want to go home right now. And he didn’t want to spend more time with his sister or girlfriend. He just wanted some time alone. To think. He didn’t notice that Selene was following him. Sorrow was in her eyes.

Chelsea fell to her knees as Hollow Point walked away. She didn’t want to believe how close she came to being shot. She had gotten into a lot of battles since becoming a magical girl. But that was the first time she had actually felt threatened. Usually all she felt was the thrill of excitement. This made her think. If Hollow Point was here to stay, then, maybe, it was time to quit being a magical girl.

Chelsea looked up as a group of girls ran up to her. She recognized Of the three, she only recognized Stacy. Of course, she was dressed in her Valkyrie costume. The other two girls looked like strippers. Chelsea didn’t even look twice at them.

“Chelsea,” Stacy cried as ran up to the kneeling girl. “I thought she was going to shoot you!”

“Me too,” Chelsea shakily said. “I’m glad she didn’t.”

“Why didn’t she,” one of the other girls asked.

Chelsea looked at the girl. She was a brunette, standing a little taller than Chelsea would have been. She was dressed in a very skimpy blue bikini and diaphanous cloth. “Who are you?”

“That’s Dream Warrior Blue Fire,” Stacy said. “The one in pink is Dream Warrior Pink Ice. They’re okay.”

“If you say so,” Chelsea said uncertainly. She hoped the costumes they wore were not their choice.

“So, why didn’t she shoot you,” Pink Ice asked when Chelsea didn’t say anything else.

Chelsea shivered as she thought about what just happened. “She didn’t shoot me because I wasn’t standing with the others,” she finally said. “But I could tell that she wanted to. She had that look in her eyes.”

“What look was that,” Blue fire asked.

“That she was just looking for a reason to shoot me,” Chelsea said. She looked at Kyubi. “Are you sure she’s one of the good guys?”

“Yes,” Kyubi said as the others turn to look at him and Subiya. “The elders did choose her. Didn’t any of you notice the cat her feet? I don’t know her name, but she’s obviously a spirit guide.”

The girls looked at each other. “I don’t remember seeing a cat with her,” Stacy finally said.

“Trust me, she was there.”

“You can believe him,” Subiya said. “I saw her as well.”

“But what does that mean,” Stacy asked.

“It means you had better start doing your jobs,” Subiya said. “Or else you’ll face her.”

“How can we do that,” Blue Fire protested. “Neither of us has a full team right now.”

“You’ll rebuild your teams,” Kyubi said. “Replacements will be found. Until then, kill the monster and the ones who send them.”

“And don’t fight the other magical girls,” Subiya added.

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Chelsea said. “I don’t want to face that girl again.

Sam was walking aimlessly. After turning back to normal, he didn’t want to find his sister or girlfriend. He wanted some time alone. He knew that they only wanted to help, but right now, he just needed to be alone. Life was not being very kind to him. Making him look and sound like a girl wasn’t good. If he had been transgendered, he’d be over the moon. He’d only need one surgery to get what he wanted. Of course, that’s the last thing he wanted. In fact, if he knew of some way of making his dig and balls larger, he’d do that. Make sure there was no mistaking what was between his legs. Of course, if he did that, he’d attract more bullies than he already did.

Why couldn’t he be normal? Or, at least, be allowed to live in peace. He’d rather be normal though. Just about all the boys in the world were normal. Why couldn’t he? He didn’t know what he wouldn’t do to be normal. He just knew it was a lot.

“Whatever you’re thinking, don’t.”

Sam almost jumped out of his shoes. He had forgotten that the cat was with him. Just why was she still there, he didn’t know. “Don’t what?”

“Whatever it was you were thinking about,” Selene said. “I’m not telepathic, but I can read your emotions. And they had gone to a dark place.”

“And what would you know,” snarled Sam. “You’re the one who did this to me!”

“I know that if we don’t’ go somewhere private, people will think you’re crazy,” Selene answered back. “You are talking to a cat in public, you know.”

Sam looked around. Sure enough, there were people giving him wary glances. He immediately straightened and resumed walking. He did his best to ignore the blush heating his face. He could feel the eyes of several people following him as he walked. It was something he was, reluctantly, getting used to.

As he continued walking, Sam couldn’t help but stew over his situation. He was a boy who looked so much like a girl that girl’s clothes fit him better than boy’s clothes. For some reason, his girlfriend likes him like this. Why? He didn’t know and he didn’t want to find out. He might not like the answer. The bullies at school refused to believe that he did not want to be this way. They picked on him and told anybody who’d listen that he was sneaking hormones. Fortunately, Rebecca was fighting against that. How, she never said. He only knew that by the end of the school year, several girls were staring at his crotch. When he asked, they never said why. Just blushed and hurried away. Something told him he needed to talk to Rebecca about that. And the cherry on top of this mess was that he was a magical girl!

Sam growled as he remembered that little fact. Just because he looked like a girl a magical cat slapped a magical bracelet on his arm. And now he had to fight the magical girls in the city. That cat didn’t even ask him if he wanted to do this! Sure, it needed to be done. Somebody had to take those girls in hand. It just didn’t have to be him. And speaking of the cat. Sam glared down at the Selene who was walking near his feet.

“If you wait a few more moments, we can talk,” Selene said after glancing up. “We’re almost there.”

“Where,” hissed Sam.

“The park. Where else?”

Startled, Sam looked around. Selene was right. They were near the park. At first, Sam didn’t know why Selene led them here. Then he figured it out. People talk to their pets all the time in the park. One more wouldn’t make a difference. He could wait for a few minutes more. When they arrived at the park, Selene continued to walk until she found a small secluded area.

Once the two were alone, Sam found that he didn’t want to talk. Instead, he sat down against a tree. He knew he was depressed and that he shouldn’t be alone. But being around his friends and family hurt. And he was so tired of hurting. And pretending not to hurt. He just stared at nothing, trying not to think about anything.

“There might be a way to help you,” Selene said. “Possibly make you look like a boy.”

Sam’s head snapped up. He gave Selene a fierce look. “What did you say?”

“That there may be a chance for you to look like a boy,” Selene said. “I’d have to ask the elders about it. Even then, they’d probably have you continue being a magical girl.”

“You’re not just saying that, are you?”

“No,” Selene solemnly said. “This is not something one should make light of. I’ll ask the elders tonight. Now, I can’t guarantee an answer tonight. They’ll mostly likely take their time thinking about this. But they will answer. I just can’t say what the answer will be.”

Sam thought about it. On one hand, he might get cured. But that would mean spending time as a magical girl. He didn’t want that. But as a magical girl, he could work out his frustrations shooting magical girls. He knew those girls would give him plenty of opportunity to shoot them. On the other hand, there was no guarantee that the elders would or even could cure him. The doctors said it was genetic. He didn’t think magic could affect genetics.

“Okay,” Sam said. “Do it. Ask them. The worst they can say is no. And I really have nothing to lose.”

Selene nodded. “Now that that’s settled. Could you go back to your sister and girlfriend? I’m sure they’re frantic over your disappearance. You did go missing during a magical girl attack, you know.”

With a sigh, Sam stood up. “I guess so,” he said. “But I don’t think I want to do any more shopping today.”

Selene watched as Sam walked away. She could only hope she did the right thing.

In the mall, a figure watched from the shadows as the police gathered up the ex-magical girls. The rumors going through the magical community were true. This Hollow Point did have the ability to remove a magical girl’s power. This could be good news.

When the figure was sure nobody was looking, it left. It had plans to make. Plans concerning the magical girl.

Officer Callusy sighed as she rubbed her face. The was the second time that new magical girl was seen in action. This time, there was two different sets of ex-magical girls to pick up. So far, they had been able to keep the press from getting pictures of the girls. Even then, they were only able to do that because they were underage. No pictures allowed without their parent or guardian being present.

Officer Callusy looked around the scene. With this incident being in a mall, she had hoped the security camera would have caught something. But they didn’t. For some reason, all the cameras that had a view of the area stopped working. They didn’t start until after everything was over. She’d be suspicious of someone inside working with this new magical girl if it weren’t for one thing. This happened every time a magical girl got involved. Every camera that could see the fight just stopped working. It didn’t matter what the camera was attached to.

She snagged one of the forensics team as he walked by. “Anything stand out,” she asked.

“It’s just like all the other sites,” the man said. “The only evidence of any of those girls being here are the depowered ones. We know there were more just from eyewitness reports. They’re unsure of the exact number, but they all agree that there were more than these girls here.”

“Why didn’t she shoot all of them then,” Callusy asked herself. “There has to be a reason.” She looked at the forensics technician. “Thank you. Please tell me if you find anything.” The technician nodded and walked away.

Callusy examined the area as she walked around. She could see several security cameras that had a clear view of the scene. Even some of the stores had cameras that had a view. Whoever it was that cleaned up after these girls, they were thorough. And fast. They had stopped everything before the girls were even on camera. All she had left were eyewitness reports. She knew how ‘reliable’ they were.

But they were the best thing she had. And it could have been worse. Thanks to the fact that magical girls had been such a problem for so long, the media was not jumping on this. No, she only had to worry about the family these girls belonged to. And what connections those families had.

She knew this assignment was going to be bad. But she didn’t think it would be this bad.

~ * ~

Rebecca was starting to worry. She and Caitlynn had run away from the brewing magical girl fight. Just like any sane person would. The only problem was that Sam had gone in another direction. And now they did not know where he was. In his current state of mind, that was not a good thing. He’s already tried to commit ‘suicide by bully’ earlier. What would he do now that they weren’t with him?

“We’ll find him,” Caitlynn said. “We’ll get to him before he does anything stupid.”

“Then we need to move faster,” Rebecca said. “This is Sam we’re talking about.”

Caitlynn shot Rebecca a look. “Remember the department store,” Rebecca panted.

Caitlynn’s eyes widened then narrowed. She sped up. She didn’t know what was going through her brother’s head at the time. But she knew it wasn’t good. She was not going to let him do something stupid. “Where do you think he went?”

“There’s too many places he could have gone,” Rebecca said. “Right now, I’m guessing on the park. There are several places there one can go and not be seen.”

“Okay,” Caitlynn said. “So, wouldn’t it be easier if we got a cab or caught the bus?”

Rebecca skidded to a stop. “I hate you right now,” she calmly said.

“What did I do?”

“You’re too calm about this,” Rebecca said as she looked for a cab.

“Just wait until I find my idiot brother,” growled Caitlynn. “Making me worry about him!”

“Don’t kill him.”

“Oh, I won’t kill him,” Caitlynn promised. “I’ll just make him wish he was dead.”

“That’s the problem,” Rebecca said. “I think he already does.”

Caitlynn stared at the other teen. “What,” she said.

“I think Sam wants to die,” Rebecca said. “He hates looking like a girl. That’s why he wears such baggy clothes. They hide his figure. You know this. But now his mother is making him wear clothes that fit. In them, he can’t hide his curves.”

“I thought you liked his curves,” Caitlynn said.

“God, I do,” Rebecca said with a little shiver. “The way he looks when he’s wearing clothes that fit drives me wild. But, as much as I want him to keep wearing them, I can’t make him do it. It’s his body and his choice. I’d be a hypocrite if I did anything else.”

“Couldn’t you just tell him how much you like seeing him in clothes that fit,” Caitlynn asked. “Boys are always falling for things like that.”

“You honestly think Sam would fall for something like that,” Rebecca asked.

“He is a boy,” Caitlynn said. “Wait, he does have the right ‘equipment’, right?”

“I’ll say he does.” Rebecca couldn’t help the grin on her face.

“You have tested it,” Caitlynn asked. “Just to make sure it works, of course.”

“Several times,” Rebecca sighed. Then she caught the look on her boyfriend’s sister’s face. “Ahem. Just to test it. I wanted to know if everything worked.”

Caitlynn stared at her, probable, future sister-in-law. “Just don’t give me any details,” she finally said.

“You asked.”

“I didn’t ask for details,” Caitlynn said. “It’s more than enough to know that my baby brother is having sex. I do not need, nor want, to know more.”

Rebecca grinned. “So, I should tell you how big his dick is?”

Caitlynn gave the teen a look. “Let’s just find him,” she said.

~ * ~

Twenty minutes later, the two teen girls were exiting a taxi at Hartford Park. “Are you sure he’s here,” Caitlynn asked Rebecca.

“Not really,” Rebecca answered. “This is just the nearest park. I don’t think he’d have gone too far. And this has a lot of secluded areas, remember?”

Caitlynn did remember. Hartford Park was also known as Lovers’ Park. There were a lot of places where couples could hide for a little snuggle time. The fact that there were benches and tables in all of them meant that it had been planned that way. “I remember,” she said. “There’s a lot of them. And I don’t want to check all of them either.”

“We shouldn’t have to check all of them,” Rebecca said. “He wouldn’t have chosen any of the nearest ones. I don’t think he would have chosen any of the furthest ones either. So, we just need to check those in the middle.”

“That’s still a lot,” Caitlynn said. “We could be a while doing this.”

“Maybe. But I have an idea of where he could be.” Rebecca started walking. “Follow me,” she said over her shoulder.

Twenty minutes later, the two teen girls were approaching a small grove. While it was near the center of the park, it was also off the beaten path. “He’s most likely here,” Rebecca said.

“I never would have found him,” Caitlynn said. “This place is not easily seen, is it?”

“A lot of people don’t know this is here,” Rebecca agreed. “I wouldn’t have known about it myself if Sam hadn’t shown me.”

The two made their way into the grove. After getting past the trees and low bushes, they came to an open area. Opposite of them was Sam. Lying on the ground, asleep. The girls gasped as a pair of glowing eyes opened in the air above him. It took them a moment to recognize the cat laying on a low hanging branch.

“Selene,” exclaimed Caitlynn. “How did you get here?”

Rebecca eyed the calico cat. “You know,” she said. “There’s something about that cat. Something off. Just what, I don’t know.”

Selene just blinked her eyes.

“It’s a cat,” Caitlynn said. “What else can you expect?” She sighed. “At least Sam’s alright. Let’s wake him and get him home. We’ve had enough excitement for the day.”

They approached the sleeping boy. All the while Selene watched them with unblinking eyes. “Why does she have to stare,” Rebecca asked. “You’d think Sam was her only kitten with the way she’s acting.”

“She’s a cat,” Caitlynn said. “All cats act mysterious at one time or another. It’s like a rule or something.”

Selene started glaring at Caitlynn.

“Rule or not,” Rebecca said as she moved to put Caitlynn between her and Selene. “I wish she’d stop. It’s starting to creep me out.”

“Huh. What,” Sam said as Caitlynn gently shook him awake.

“Look bro,” Caitlynn said. “I know you don’t want to wear girl clothes. But running off like that is not cool. Mom would kill me if we don’t get you some good fitting clothes.”

“And what do you think she’d do to me,” Rebecca asked. “Caitlynn’s her daughter. I’m the dirty bitch who tried to take her son.” She gave a theatrical shudder. “They’d never find my body.”

Sam gave the two girls a flat look. “You know Mom would never do anything like that,” he said.

“Hmph. You don’t know Mom as well as you think you do,” Caitlynn said. “Right now, you have all her instincts going. And heaven help anybody who hurts you.”

Sam gave his sister a disbelieving look.

“It’s true,” Caitlynn said as Rebecca nodded her agreement. “You can ask Dad if you don’t believe me.”

Seeing that Sam still didn’t believe them, Rebecca decided to change the subject. “I know you probably don’t want to answer this question,” she said. “And you don’t have to if you don’t want to. But I want to know: Why did you run?”

Sam looked away as Caitlynn glared at Rebecca.

“You don’t have to answer,” Rebecca reminded her boyfriend.

“I, I wanted to be alone,” Sam finally said. “Suddenly, there was too many people, and I just couldn’t stand being in the crowds. I needed to get away from everybody.”

“Oh,” Rebecca said softly.

“Do you still want to be alone,” Caitlynn softly asked.

Tears started to run down Sam’s face. “I don’t know,” he whispered.

The two teen girls wrapped Sam up in hugs. Neither wanted to think about what he could have done, what he still could do, while they were looking for him. They wanted to give him something to hold on to. Something warm and loving.

“We can stay here for a while,” Caitlynn said a few moments later. “There’s no hurry to get home.”

“Okay,” Sam whispered.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. The views, opinions, and religions described here are not the author’s. They are only here because the author believes they work in this story. This is not meant to insult anybody’s view, opinions, or religion. Be the adults we are.

The Grand Masquerade
By Quadhouse

Somewhere in the aether, beings once known as gods gathered. They were from multiple pantheons.

“Our time comes once again,” Tyr said.

“It’s about time,” roared Zeus. “I can’t wait to get back to the mortal realm.”

“And do what, Zeus,” Ra asked. “Impregnate every attractive mortal female you see? What would Hera say to that?”

“They should be honored I would visit them so,” spat Zeus.

“Peace,” Enki said. “There is no need to fight as we have yet to return.” He scanned the gathered gods. “We seem to be all here. Shall we discuss what our plans will be when the way is opened?”

The gathered gods agreed and settled in. There were some grumbles from the more hot headed of the group, but nothing serious. As they talked, the gods didn’t notice that there were few of the goddesses with them.

* *

Elsewhere in the aether, the goddess gathered.

“The males are already talking like they own the mortal world,” one said.

“That is true, Gaia,” another replied. “They are ignoring the fact that the mortals have changed.”

“Most of the males do not appreciate the ingenuity of the mortals,” Gaia said. “They choose to believe that things haven’t changed since we were in power. But, we know better.” She looked around at the gathered goddesses. She hid a smile when she noticed a few gods as well.

Athena stepped up. “I trust you have a plan,” she said.

Gaia nodded. “I do. We need an emissary,” she said. “Someone to gently re-introduce us to the world. Someone to convince the mortals that we don’t want to take over, like so many of the males want to do.”

“What of Jehovah,” Wadjet, Egyptian goddess of protection asked. “Do you know what his plans are?”

“He is with us,” Gaia said. “But he also said not to count on him. His hands will be full sorting out his followers. He is thinking about going back to the Old Testament way of doing things.”

Most of the attending goddesses winced. Jehovah was very wrathful in those days. Only the war and death goddesses nodded their approval. But, even they did not want a full return to those days.

“It’s about time he did something about his followers,” Pakhet said. “I approve of war. But, even I, a war goddess, believe they have gone too far.”

“Vengeance has its place,” a voice hissed. Out of the nowhere a darkly beautiful female appeared. “But the mortals don’t know when to stop.”

“Nemesis,” Gaia said. “Do you want to join our group?”

Nemesis looked at the others. “I will watch from the shadows,” she said. “Whoever you choose to be the emissary, will need protection. Nothing escapes my sight.” With that, she turned and vanished.

“I do not feel comfortable with her watching our emissary.”

“Do not worry Ma’at. I will be watching over the emissary.

“Perhaps, Kali, we should pick our emissary,” Gaia said. “It would make things easier.”

“There are billions of mortals,” Wadjet said. “How do we pick one?”

One goddess made her presence known. “Cerridwen, do you have a suggestion,” Gaia asked.

“Yes,” Cerridwen said. “I have a possible suggestion. One who has great potential. They only need to be, changed, a little to achieve this potential.”

* * *

Matthew stared listlessly at the television. It was the worst time of the year for him. Halloween. The day his parents died. Eight years ago, they were ran over by a drunk driver while taking him trick-or-treating. He hasn’t celebrated the holiday since. His girlfriend wanted to stay with him, but he told her to go and have fun. He appreciated her concern, but didn’t want to ruin her night. Besides, his aunt and uncle needed somebody to watch the house. Being openly practicing Wiccans was not easy. The neighbors still looked at them funny. And complained to the police constantly. Luckily, the chief of police knew the details and didn’t take the complaints seriously.

A commercial started showing and Matthew stood up. The movie marathon was okay, but he really didn’t see why ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ was supposed to be scary. Maybe, when it first came out it was. But, now, with all the better special effects, it wasn’t. But it was the best he could find. Most of the other channels were showing family friendly movies. He really wasn’t in the mood for those. He went into the kitchen to get himself a snack.

Matthew thought about what his Aunt Carol and Uncle Donald did for him earlier. They held a memorial service for his dead parents. It was held in front of the small stand in the corner of the den. It really helped him looking at the pictures and some of the personal belongings of his parents. But he would never celebrate Halloween again. He didn’t have anything against Halloween. He just couldn’t celebrate on the anniversary of his parents’ death. No matter the manner of the celebration. Which is why he was alone on this night.

Snack and drink in hand, Matthew went back to the television. Maybe the movies got better latter on. Without realizing it, he drifted off to sleep. Once he was sound asleep, his body slowly started to glow.

* *

Carol Bridges relaxed as the rhythm of the ceremony washed over her. She really needed this. This last month has been very stressful. With her family being openly Wiccan, all the so called Christian groups were all over them. Very few of them wanted to understand that Wicca was a spiritual religion. It was not about worshiping demons. And the anniversary of her sister’s death wasn’t helping.

The death of Carol’s sister and her husband weighed heavily on her family. But not more than for her nephew. Unfortunately, he witnessed the drunk driver running over his parents. She didn’t blame him for not wanting to celebrate the season. But it wasn’t healthy for him to not be with his friends. She needed to get with Donald to see how and if they should start to encourage him to spend more time with his friends this year.

The sudden commotion stopped Carol’s thoughts. Instead, she focused on the high priestess. Instead of leading the ritual, she was ramrod straight. Every muscle was tensed to the point where Carol feared she’d tear something. After a moment of shock, those closest to her rushed to her side. No matter what they tried, they could not get her to leave her rigid stance.

“Call an ambulance,” somebody called from the crowd.

“That’s just great,” somebody else said. “No matter what we say, people will think she OD’d on some drugs.”

“Who cares about that,” a third person spat. “As long as Rebecca is okay.”

Carol couldn’t believe what the second speaker said. And she was glad she didn’t recognize the person. Unfortunately, she didn’t know the third speaker either. It didn’t matter any way. Somebody should call for an ambulance. Looking around, she didn’t see anybody on a phone. Carol started to turn to where she left her purse when things changed.

Rebecca suddenly threw off the people who were trying to aid her. Her body then stretched. Growing both taller and wider. Her toned body grew softer. Her curves filling out. Suddenly her eyes snapped open. Revealing softly glowing white orbs. Her right arm raised and pointed a finger at Carol.

“Carol Bridges,” she intoned. Her voice quiet, but carrying to all present. It was Rebecca’s voice, yet, not. Somehow it was deeper, richer. “Wife of Donald Bridges. Stand and attend.”

Carol stiffened as she turned to face the priestess. Somehow, she knew that this wasn’t the woman she knew. Impossible as it seemed, she knew that a god had possessed the woman. She was vaguely aware of everybody moving away from her. She could feel her husband and two children approaching from behind.

“The time has come for magic to return to the world,” the god possessed woman intoned. Excitement flashed through Carol and the watching crowd. “But the world is not yet ready for magic. To prepare the world, an emissary has been chosen. You, Carol Bridges, have been chosen to protect and teach the emissary.”

Carol gasped when she heard this. She had been chosen by the gods! She was going to help change the world. She took several deep breaths to calm herself down. The goddess, she was sure it was a goddess, was still speaking.

“Even now,” the possessed woman continued. “The emissary is being placed in your home. You must not fail in your task. The future of the world rests on how well you teach the emissary. I, Cerridwen, have spoken.” With that, Rebecca’s body returned to its normal size and proportions and started to collapse. Several people rushed up to catch her.

Carol stared at the unconscious woman in shock. She couldn’t believe it. Cerridwen had chosen her. The goddess of prophecy had chosen her. She was going to guide the gods’ emissary in the world. It was an unbelievable honor. She had to. . . Her eyes widened in shock. She had to get home. Now!

Frantically, Carol looked for her husband. “Donald,” she shouted when she saw him. “Grab the kids. We need to get home now!”

“But, Rebecca,” Donald said.

“The others will take care of her,” Carol insisted as she struggled to put her shoes on. She was very thankful that they no longer went sky clad during the ceremonies, only barefoot. “We need to get home right now.”

Seeing that he didn’t understand, Carol stopped and grabbed him by the shoulders. “Cerridwen said that the emissary was our responsibility,” she said. “She also said that the emissary was being placed in our house. We left Matthew at home. Now, I love Matthew like he was my own son. But I know the boy. How do you think he’d react to some strange person just appearing in our house?”

Donald stared at her for a moment. “Kids let’s go,” he said. “Grab your shoes. You can put them on in the car.”

Startled, some of the more self-important members stepped forward to stop the Bridges from leaving. They had heard what the Goddess Cerridwen said and couldn’t let such an opportunity pass them. A weak voice called out them. Stopping them.

“Stop,” Rebecca repeated herself, stronger this time. “Let them go. They have an important job to do.”

“High Priestess, are you all right,” one asked. As if that was a signal, everybody near started asking her questions.

Rebecca raised her hand to stop the flood. “I’m okay,” she said. “Cerridwen is a powerful goddess. She just overwhelmed me when she possessed my body. She didn’t mean me any harm. She just had an important message to give. Now. I want all of you to go home. We all have things we need to do to prepare for the coming events. I don’t know when they’ll happen. Just that they WILL happen. And we need to be prepared for this.”

She took a breath. “We are not the only ones to have gotten this message,” she said. “Not all will be welcoming of magic. Those may target the emissary in order to stop magic from returning to the world. It doesn’t matter if they succeed or not. Magic will be returning. How it’s accepted will be determined by us and others like us. And she will lead the way. Just not how she thinks.”

* *

Matthew slowly woke up. He had a vague memory about the dream he just had. Something about being chosen by a lot of strange people to do something important. It was the first time he had a dream like that. He wasn’t sure if he dreamed that because of his parent’s death or for some other reason. Either way, it couldn’t have been important. He would have remembered it, otherwise.

Putting the dream aside, for the moment, Matthew blinked, clearing his eyes. He realized that he had fallen onto his side in his sleep. And, somehow, there was a massive weight sitting on his chest. He started to sit up, only to freeze as he felt his chest shift. His chest shouldn’t have shifted. He may not be the most fit guy out there, but wasn’t fat. He wasn’t even plump. He looked at his chest to see what was sitting on him.

Matthew found himself gaping at the cleavage of what appeared to be two very large, if not huge, breasts. But they couldn’t be breasts. He was a guy. He shook his head, ignoring how his oddly long hair brushed his shoulders. He raised a hand to poke his chest only freeze, again, at the sight.

That was not his hand. The hand he was staring at was small with long delicate fingers. The rounded, glossy nails were longer than what he let his get. The skin was not skin. Instead, it was small delicate looking bronze colored scales. He followed the hand to the small wrist. Which led to a slim arm. That was lying on a second arm?

He had two right arms. He looked to his left. He had two arms there as well.

Now he knew he what was going on. He was dreaming. It was the only explanation. Why he was dreaming he was an incredibly endowed girl with four arms, he didn’t know. But he did know how to wake himself up. He raised one left arm and one right arm. He then moved that left hand to pinch his right arm.

All four hands slapped over his mouth. They were too late to stop the yelp of pain from escaping. But that wasn’t what occupied his thoughts. He was thinking about the impossible thing that has happened. Somehow, he had been turned into some scaly-skinned girl. His lower hands prodded his chest. With very big, if not enormous, chest. He was not going to call them breasts. Not yet, anyway.

“Think,” he told himself. “Things like this don’t just happen. There had to be some rational explanation.” Try as he might, Matthew couldn’t come up with an explanation. But he did decide that he couldn’t think with his chest pressing down on him. He put his left hands on the back of the couch and his right ones on the cushion. Grimacing at the resulting massive jiggle, he started to raise his upper body.

It was then that he saw the snake. The giant snake. The giant snake that was swallowing his legs.

With a shriek, Matthew pushed away from the snake. Trying to release his legs form its mouth. The snake followed, seemingly not willing to let its prey escape.

Matthew continued to push away from the snake. He didn’t notice as he went over the arm of the couch and crashed to the floor. That didn’t loosen the snake’s grip on his lower body. He started to kick his legs as he pushed away from the snake. This only made the snake more active. He kept going until he hit the wall hard enough to see stars.

As his vision started to clear, Matthew noticed something strange. Through all of this, he never once felt any pain in his legs or hips. He knew he didn’t know much about snakes, but he knew they had some teeth. So, why wasn’t he feeling any pain from the teeth digging in and holding his legs? He opened his eyes and took a good look at the snake.

Matthew couldn’t see the snake’s eyes. Nor, could he see any part of the snake’s head. If fact, it looked as if the snake’s neck merged seamlessly with his body. Shakily, Matthew raised one hand and rubbed where the snake met his body. He couldn’t find a seam.

His screaming didn’t stop until the front door opened and his aunt came roaring in.

To be continued.

Carol burst through the front door of her home. When she heard the screams, she had barely taken the time to unlock the door. Once inside, she frantically looked for her nephew and the one who was screaming. She didn’t see her nephew. But she did find the screamer. And her jaw dropped.

The screamer was a Naga. Or, maybe she was a Lamia. Carol couldn’t tell. The being had the upper body of a woman and her lower body was a snake’s. But she had four arms. None of the myths or legends said they had more than two. She took a quick look around the room, but couldn’t see anything. Since she couldn’t see any threats, Carol decided to try to calm the screamer down. She slowly approached the strange female, all the while making calming noises.

“Calm down,” Carol said when she got within arm’s reach. “You’re alright. There’s nobody here that will hurt you.” Her words seemed to do the trick. Slowly the female calmed down.

Carol looked around as her husband and kids entered the house. “I didn’t see anybody else inside,” she said. “Did you?”

“I didn’t,” Donald answered. He looked around for a moment. “Where’s Matthew?”

“I didn’t see him when I got here,” Carol answered. “Did you see him outside?”

Donald shook his head. “No. Do you think. . .” he couldn’t finish the question.

“A-aunt Carol.”

Both Carol’s and Donald’s heads snapped toward the female. “How do you know my name,” Carol asked.

“She also called you ‘aunt,’” Donald said.

“It’s me, Matthew,” the female said.

The adults shared a look. “You can’t be Matthew,” Donald said. “Matthew is a boy.” Carol didn’t say anything, but she did look thoughtful.

“I swear it’s me,” the girl said. “I’m Matthew.”

“Can you tell us how you got here,” Donald asked. “That way, we can tell if you’re telling the truth.”

“I’m not lying," the female insisted. “I’m really Matthew. I don’t know what happened. I fell asleep on the couch, had some weird dream, then woke up like this.”

Carol attention spiked. She held up her hand to stop her husband from speaking. “Weird dream,” she asked. “What happened in this dream?”

“Just some voices telling me I was chosen for something,” the girl asked. “For what, I didn’t catch. When I woke up, I looked like this.”

Donald stared at his wife for a moment. “Do you believe her,” he finally asked. “That story is a bit hard to swallow.”

“Donald,” Carol said seriously. “Before coming home, we witnessed our high priestess get possessed by our goddess. She told us that Their emissary was being placed in our home. Is Their fault that we thought they meant something different?” She sighed. “Besides, how else can you explain Matthew’s disappearance?”

Donald rubbed the back of his neck. He didn’t know what to say. On one hand, their god spoke to them. Which he had to admit, was pretty convincing. On the other, people just don’t transform like this without offending the gods in some manner. And he couldn’t see how Matthew could have offended them. The situation was beyond him.

“Whatever we do,” Carol said. “We need to get the kids inside. It seems safe enough in here.” As her husband walked off, Carol turned to, what she was beginning to suspect, her nephew, now her niece. She opened her mouth. But froze as her eyes dropped to Matthew’s massive breasts. “Um, do you mind if I cover those up?” The female looked down and blushed as her four hands came up and tried to cover her breasts. Those hands looked very small against the flesh of her chest. She nodded, and Carol turned away to get a blanket.

Carol couldn’t help but compare those with her own. She felt a little self-conscious over the size difference. She reminded herself that nobody would take her seriously if she had breasts that size. She also would never be able to convince people that that Wiccans, or, at least her group of Wiccans, didn’t go sky clad during religious ceremonies. She had enough of a problem with that as it was. It didn’t take her long to find a blanket and return to the young female.

“Here you go, um, Matthew,” Carol said as she handed her the blanket.

“Thank you,” Matthew quietly said. She quickly wrapped the blanket around herself. Her four arms clutching it close to her body. “Do you know what happened to me?”

Carol winced. She was not ready to answer that question. Matthew was not a religious person. Understandable considering what happened to his parents. She did not think that her new niece would appreciate being changed by the gods. She really didn’t think Matthew would want to prepare the world for their return. But she also had never lied to him before. And she wasn’t going to start now. Especially since the changed boy would need to trust as never before.

“Well,” Carol began. “I do know what happened. But, you’re not going to like it.”

Matthew gave her a look. “I already don’t like what happened,” she said. “How can it be any worse?”

“Don’t tempt the gods,” Carol said with a wince. “They can always make it worse.”

Before either of them could say anything else, Donald returned with their children. “I’ll call a Timothy to fix the door,” he said as he entered the room. Their children stared curiously at the snake woman.

“Kids,” Carol began. “You know we left the ceremony early, right?” she waited for their nods. “Well, the reason was because the gods have chosen us for a very special task. We are to guard and help their chosen emissary to prepare the world for their return.”

“Is that who that is,” her son William asked. He was a tall fourteen-year-old. Like his father, he had brown hair and eyes.

“Yes,” Carol answered. “She is the emissary.” Matthew couldn’t help the wince when his aunt called him a she. “She’ll be living with us now.”

“What about Matthew,” her daughter, Briana, asked. She was eight, had white blonde hair and very blue eyes. Carol had high hopes that she would be a powerful magic user when she grew up. “Where’s he going to live?”

“We need to talk about that.” Carol swallowed. This wasn’t going to be easy. She believed that William would understand what happened. She wasn’t so sure about Briana. She glanced at Matthew. “You see, when the gods chose the emissary. They didn’t just make her out of nothing. They chose a living person to become their emissary. They chose Matthew.”

Briana tilted her head to the side. “They can’t have picked Matthew,” she said. “Matthew is a boy. The emississary is a girl.” She pointed at Matthew. “See, she has real big boobies.”

Both Carol and Matthew blushed. “Briana, honey,” Carol said. “While it is true, that’s not a polite thing to say.”

“I’m sorry, Mommy,” Briana said as she looked down.

“I’m not mad. This is just something you need to remember for the future. Some people do not like having their differences pointed out.”

“That’s Matthew,” blurted out William. “How can that be?”

“The gods did it,” answered Carol. “They chose Matthew to be their emissary. Why they chose to change him into this, I don’t know.” She looked at Matthew. She shook her head. “And neither does Matthew. They may tell us in the future, but that’s then. Right now, we need to help Matthew get used to his, um, her new body.” She looked at her husband. “We also need to see who we need to contact about this. No matter what, Matthew still needs an education.”

“Aunt Carol,” Matthew said, surprising her cousins with her soft voice. “Who’d believe this?” She waved two hands at her body. “Who would believe that the gods, changed me?”

“You’d be surprised,” Donald said. He held up his phone. “From what the internet says, if you chose to believe it, this is was a world-wide event. Religious leaders from around the world received visions from their gods.”

“Well,” Carol said. “We should prepare for visitors. Some of them won’t be friendly. They’ll probably be hostile.”

“And that mean’s getting the door fixed,” Donald said.

“Sorry,” blushed Carol. “I heard a scream and just reacted.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Donald said as he gave his wife a hug. “I would have done the same thing.” He looked at their broken door. “I guess I’ll call Steve in the morning.” He turned back to his wife. “He should be able to fix it tomorrow. Especially if I tell him it’s emergency.”

“What’s an emergency,” a voice called from their open front door.

The family turned toward the door to see a tall, blonde man standing there. He was wearing a red flannel shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of old sneakers. “Steve,” Donald said. “What are you doing here at this time of night?”

“Ask the wife,” Steve said. “I was just minding my own business, when, suddenly, she told me to grab my tools and to be here at this time. You know how she gets, sometimes.” His voice grew quiet as he finally saw Matthew.

A sudden slithering sound filled the room. Everybody stared as Matthew’s tail curled protectively around her. Carol had a sinking feeling as she a light appear in her daughter’s eyes.

Donald scratched the back of his head. “Yeah,” he said. “That’s a long story. I’ll you as you work on the door?”

Steve nodded, not taking his eyes off Matthew. “Raven did say I’d find something different here.”

Carol grabbed Briana’s arm as she tried to sneak past. “Alright kids,” she said. “It’s time for bed.”

“Mom,” William said. “It’s not even ten o’clock yet.”

“If you go to bed now,” bargained Carol. “I’ll buy you both three large bags of candy next time I go shopping.” Briana gasped then turned her head to look at her mother. After a moment, she darted off to the bathroom to start getting ready for bed. Carol looked at her son.

“Fine,” he said. “I’m going.” He followed his sister.

“What about me,” Matthew asked as she uncurled her tail from around her body. “Do I need to go to bed now?”

Carol and Donald looked at each other. Donald tilted his head toward Carol. She rolled her eyes in response. “Might as well,” she said. “It’ll probably take time to make a space large enough for you.” Bothe men watched as the two females left the room. It took a minute for the last of Matthew’s tail to vanish from view.

“You had your eyes on her tits, didn’t you,” Donald suddenly asked Steve.

“I couldn’t not look,” Steve said. “They’re so huge! I could still see them even though her back was to us.”

Donald grimaced. He too, couldn’t keep his eyes from returning to her chest. “You know she’s only 16, right?”

Steve hung his head. “I’m going to hell,” he moaned. “Please don’t tell Raven. I’d like to delay my trip to hell for as long as possible.”

Donald winced. “Don’t joke about those things now,” he said as the two turned toward the door. “Haven’t you been watching the tv?”

* *

Carol walked beside her new niece. She tried to keep from looking at her breasts. But they were just so big. It was like there was some force pulling her gaze there. “I’m not doing this to punish you,” Carol said. “I think that the gods didn’t, or couldn’t, tell you everything when they first spoke to you.”

Matthew looked at the older woman. “You think they’ll speak to me when I go back to sleep,” she asked. She shifted her second set of arms in an effort to minimize the jiggling her new breasts were doing.

“It’s possible. But I don’t speak for them. I’d be crazy to say that with the recent evidence.”

Matthew grimaced. She knew that she was the evidence her aunt was talking about. She sighed. She really wished this hadn’t happened to her. “Why me,” she asked. “What did I do to make them choose me?”

Even though she believed it was a rhetorical question, Carol answered it anyway. “I wish I knew, Matthew. Knowing that would make this a whole lot easier.” She winced as she saw Matthew’s shoulders slump. “What I’d like to know,” she said brightly, “is how do you know how to move? A few hours ago, you had legs. Now you have a tail and you’re moving like you were born like that.”

Matthew twisted to look over her shoulder. She studied her tail for a moment. “I don’t know,” she said softly as she twisted back around. “Maybe the gods gave me the ability,” she said bitterly.

Carol didn’t know what to say. While she believed in the gods, she knew Matthew did not. He hadn’t really believed in them since his parents were killed. And she couldn’t blame him. No child should be forced to watch their own parents killed. Whether it was an accident or not. They came upon Matthew’s room before she could think of anything to say. With a relieved sigh, Carol opened the door then froze in shock. Matthew’s room had changed.

No longer was Matthew’s room a mid-sized bedroom. It was now forty feet to a side. The bed, now in the middle of the room, had changed from a full sized to a custom circular one with a ten-foot diameter. In the opposite wall was the window. The curtains were still the same. Next to that, was a huge vanity. In the west wall Carol could see a set of double doors and regular door. She assumed they led to the closet and bathroom, respectively. After staring at the room for a moment, she looked down the hall to the next room. The distance hadn’t changed. She chose to believe that the gods had changed the room and house.

“Well,” Carol said weakly. “I don’t think I need to make room for you. I think the gods already did it.”

Matthew pulled the blanket tighter around herself. “I’m not sure I like this,” she said.

“Sorry, honey,” said Carol. “But there’s nothing I can do about it. If the gods speak to you tonight, you should take it up with them. They may be willing to make some changes to the room. After all, you are their chosen emissary. It would make sense to keep you happy.”

“I’d be happier if I could have kept my original body,” Matthew grumbled.

“That’s between you and the gods,” Carol sighed. “They do things for their own reasons. If we’re lucky, they’ll tell us what they are.” She sighed and studied the bed. The lines were obvious, which she was happy about. She didn’t know where she could get lines for a circular bed. It even had pillows stacked on one side. It looked very comfortable. Even if the person was, mostly, covered in scales.

“I’ll leave you to get ready for bed,” Carol told her niece. “Unless you need me for anything, that is.”

Matthew shook her head and shifted her arms. She grimaced at the movement this caused in her breasts. “I should be okay, she said. “It’s not like I have much to do to get ready, anyway.”

“I really hope the gods talk to you again,” Carol said as she turned to leave. “This is confusing enough as it is.”

Matthew watched her aunt as she left the room. She stared at the older woman as she stood by the door. It took a moment for Matthew to realize that her aunt was waiting for her to pull in the rest of her tail. Sheepishly, Matthew pulled in her tail. The question of how she knew how to move her new body arose. Again, Matthew couldn’t answer it.

Once the door was closed, Matthew stared at the bed. The circular shaped confused her until she looked at her tail. Then she understood the shape. “I guess it’ll be easier to sleep on a bed shaped like that,” she told herself. But she couldn’t figure out why a bed. A circular pad on the floor would have been enough. Especially since she didn’t think she’d be able to stay on the bed while asleep.

With a sigh, Matthew let the blanket drop and moved toward the bed. She found that the bed was waist high. She looked down at her lag of legs and wondered if that matter to her anymore. With her tail, she could easily adjust how high her waist was. Climbing into the bed was easier than she thought it would be. Once she got a loop of her tail up, the rest just flowed onto the bed. She had decided to stay over the covers this time as she didn’t notice any changes in temperature with her tail. She didn’t know if she was coldblooded or not. She made herself comfortable and tried to get some sleep. She doubted the gods would speak to her when she was awake. If they chose to speak with her at all. She did wonder what they would tell her, if they did speak with her. With that last thought, she drifted off to sleep.

Brooklyn Park was a quiet place. It had several jogging paths along with areas for young children to play. It also boasted several sports fields where many a game of football or baseball had been played. It even had a large lake. It was on the south side of the park and was fed by the Forest River. Many couples had picnics on the shores of the lake. Also, grandfathers enjoyed themselves teaching their grandkids how to fish there. But tonight, something else was happening.

The crickets quieted as over the center of the lake, a cloud was forming. The was dark and swirling. Multi colored flashes of light were appearing in its depths. Suddenly, a figure appeared in the cloud. It was hazy, but one thing was obvious. It wasn’t human. The long fish like tail made sure any witnesses knew that. The figure quickly cleared, and the cloud disappeared. With a large splash, the figure dropped into the water and sank beneath the surface.

For several minutes, all was quiet at the lake. The ripples spread out and vanished. Nothing stirred. The crickets started up again. If one had excellent eyesight, a shape could be seen rising out of the water of the lake.

Ardaniahna slowly looked around. She didn’t see anybody on water or the shore. That was good. She did not want any humans witnessing her arrival. She sank back beneath the waves and, once she was deep enough, flipped and dove for the bottom. There, she searched for a suitable place to make a temporary home. While she knew she was close to her target, she did not know how long it would take to find her. She needed a safe place to sleep until then. And, maybe take the emissary to.

After 30 minutes of searching, Ardaniahna found a suitable place. It was a small cave near the bottom of the lake on the shore opposite the river. It was too small for her to fit in, but she could dig it out. She placed the few belongings she had brought with her where she could see them and started digging.

“I don’t see why it had to be me,” Ardaniahna complained to herself as she dug. “Any one of my sisters could have done this. I do have 10 of them after all.” She continued to grumble to herself as she dug. It took her an hour, but she was able to enlarge the cave enough for her to fit comfortably. After scrapping what little mud that stuck to her hands and arms off, she went to her belongings.

Ardaniahna stopped as she saw something moving near her stuff. With a quick flip of her tail, she darted forward and grabbed the object. It was a fish. One she had never seen before. It was grayish black with two long tendrils coming from the sides of its mouth. The mermaid kept a tight grip on the fish as it struggled to be free. It was not one she recognized, but a fish was a fish and she could use a snack anyway. With a quick twist, she separated the head from the body. She let the head drop as she took a bite from the body.

The mermaid’s face screwed up in distaste. This fish did not taste like the ones from home. It had almost none of the salty tang she was used to. Now, she remembered why none of her sisters were chosen. She was the only one that could survive in fresh water. Ardaniahna studied the rest of the fish. She could hear her father: since she killed it, she’d have to eat it. Even if it was bland.

After finishing the fish, Ardaniahna picked up her belongings and went back to the cave. Once there, she picked out a crystal half the size of her fist and placed it on the cave’s floor. She made sure the area around it was clear. Opening her mouth, she started to sing. As she sung, she watched the crystal. Once it began to glow, she stopped. Now all she had to do was wait. She could begin searching for the emissary in the morning, after they sent her some supplies.

* *

Matthew found himself floating in a dark void. He immediately knew he was dreaming. His dreams normally weren’t like this. He quickly looked down, then sighed. Even in a dream he had that freaky female thing’s body. He could see his snake like tail coiled around him with his upper body in a seated position. It was surprisingly comfortable. After a moment, he started looking around. There was nothing to see. He was alone.

“Oh, you’re not alone, Matthew,” a feminine voice came from the darkness.

“Who are you,” Matthew called out. “Are you the one who did this to me?”

“I’m one of the ones responsible for your current appearance,” the voice replied. “As for who I am, let me show you.” In front of Matthew, a tall full-figured woman stepped from the darkness. She came with the scent of dark rich earth and green growing things. Somehow, this woman remined him of his mother.

Matthew stared. For some reason, he felt he should be kneeling. How he was supposed to kneel now, he did not know. He’d curtsey, but he didn’t know how to do that. And he was naked anyway.

“I am Gaia,” the woman said after watching him for a moment.

“That name sounds familiar,” Matthew said.

“It should,” Gaia said. “I’m one of the few Titans the Zeus let live. Even if most of my worshippers were not Greeks.”

“You were a Greek god,” Matthew asked.

“Yes and no,” Gaia answered. “The Greek gods are my children.” She studied the snake-girl for a moment. “I know mortals study the Greeks and other peoples of that time. So, why don’t you know this?”

“I’m not really fond of religion,” Matthew. “Even the ones I wasn’t raised to believe.”

“And that is why you’re the perfect emissary for us,” Gaia said. “You don’t hold with any religion. You won’t favor one over the other.” She paused for a moment. “Now let’s get down to business. Prolonged contact with a god’s mind is not a good thing.

“As I just said, your neutrality toward religions is why you’ve been chosen as our emissary. We need an emissary because we’re coming back to the world. An old foe is returning soon, and we need to prepare. You are essential for that. You need to prepare the world for our return.”

Matthew opened his mouth, but the goddess continued over him.

“Bur it’s not just humans you need to prepare,” Gaia said. “There are several non-human races still living on the planet. And some will return as the level of magic rises. You need to convince these beings that they will be safe. The best way to do that is for you to not have a human appearance. That is why you look the way you do.”

Matthew blinked. He had wondered why his body had changed the way it had. Now he knew. But it didn’t make him feel any better. Now, if he only knew what he was. He opened his mouth to speak. Again, the goddess cut him off.

“We, the gods,” Gaia said, “know that humans are reluctant to accept things that are different or too strange. You have to admit; your body is both different and strange. So, it has been arranged for you to have a guardian. She has been chosen and should be at your home soon.”

The goddess paused as if listening to something. She nodded once sharply. “Okay,” she said. “That’s all the time we have now. We do not want to damage your mind. One of Us will be speaking to again soon. For now, you need to WAKE UP!!”

Matthew startled awake. His body jerking upright. Even though he knew he was in his bedroom, he couldn’t help looking around. Even though his room had changed, he recognized that nothing was wrong with it. He laid back down, grimacing as his massive breasts settled against his body. He though about what the goddess, Gaia, had told him.

It was a relief to know that his body’s changes had a reason. Not so much to find out that it literally was an act of God, or gods. Then there was what they wanted. They wanted him to prepare the world for their return. Both the humans and the non-humans. Then there was that fact that some humans would not accept him because he no longer looked human. He was going to need some body guards. Probably several. And they had better be very good at their job. Or he was toast.

There was a knock on his door. Before he could answer, it swung open to reveal his cousin, Briana, standing there. “Yes,” he said. “Do you need something?”

“Can I sleep with you,” Briana asked.

Matthew blinked. He had not expected that. “You want to sleep with me?”

Briana nodded. “Yes, please,” she said.

“Why?” a puzzled Matthew asked. “I’m not exactly cuddly, you know.” He really wanted to know why Briana wanted to sleep with him. Usually, when she had trouble sleeping, she slept with her parents.

“You have a nice tail,” the girl answered.

Matthew could have groaned. He had forgotten about Briana’s fascination with snakes. “Does Aunt Carol know you’re here?”

Briana just stared at him.

Matthew sighed. “Okay,” he said. “You can sleep with me.” Briana ran excitedly toward him. ‘But, you have to be careful. I’m not sure, but I think this body is very heavy. I could crush you if we’re not careful.”

“I’ll be careful,” Briana said as she climbed into Matthew’s bed. She quickly crawled across the covers and the coils of his tail. Once she was next to his chest, she got under the covers with him and snuggled up to him.

Matthew could barely hold back a gasp as Briana rubbed against his breast. ‘Were breasts supposed to be this sensitive,’ he wondered. “Comfortable,” he asked.

Briana nodded causing Matthew to wince. “Yes,” she said.

“Good,” Matthew replied. “Now go to sleep. I think we’re going to have a busy day tomorrow.” He watched as Briana’s breathing slowed. Soon, she was asleep. Once he was sure Briana wouldn’t wake, Matthew let himself relax. Thanks to Gaia’s visit, he now had information he needed to give his aunt. With that though, he fell asleep.

* *

Ardaniahna looked up as the crystal flashed. They had finally sent her supplies. They had even sent them earlier than expected. Which surprised the mermaid. Even though she lived in the underwater city humans called Atlantis at the West Pole, magic still was rationed. She sighed. Humans had forgotten about the East and West Poles. Even if they recognized their affects. They were the causes of the Dragon’s and Bermuda Triangles. She knew another group of merfolk lived there. Why couldn’t they have been chosen to guard the emissary?

Probably because she had been closer, Ardaniahna answered herself. She didn’t think a mermaid would have been chosen if she hadn’t said anything. She was Chalchiuhtlicue, Aztec goddess. She was a goddess of water. All water. Which meant she had the merfolk’s attention. She was also the protector of women and children. As the emissary was supposed to be a young female, that explains why she was interested in her. She was also a lot meaner and nastier than Poseidon, the god the merfolk followed.

Chalchiuhtlicue just appeared in their temple and demanded they send someone to guard the emissary. She said that some humans and others would either try to control or kill the emissary. She was not going to allow that to happen. And if the merfolk wanted to continue living her ocean, they’d better send someone to guard her. All of the priests could feel her power, and none doubted a word she said. Soon after, Ardaniahna found herself being sent to land. Even if it wasn’t as dry as she feared.

Not that she was going to tell the scary goddess no. She was not an idiot. She was going to do her best to protect the emissary and hope it would be enough. She looked at her surprise. She might as well get started. As much as she wanted to wait until morning, she wasn’t sure if the Chalchiuhtlicue would wait. The Aztec gods were not known for their patience. She started to gather the things she needed to cast a divination spell.

* *

Matthew found herself floating in the void again. She looked around trying to figure out why she was here again so soon. From what Gaia had said last time, she didn’t think she’d be back here so quickly. Especially since the gods had a task for her. Matthew blinked. She just realized she’d been referring to herself as a girl. That was new. She looked down at her body. Of course, it was female, but she’d been born male. It should have taken much longer than this for her to change how she though of herself.

“That would be our fault,” a masculine voice said. There was something off about that voice.

Matthew turned to face the voice and blinked. Before her stood ten men and one woman. The woman was holding a baby. She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off.

“There is no time,” they people said as one. “Your mind has been tasked enough this night. We are Yahweh, Jehovah, God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, The Father, The Son, The Holy Ghost, Jesus Christ, Christ, Mary and her son Jesus. As you may have guessed, we have a bone to pick with the Jews, Catholics, Christians, and everybody else who worships Us.”

Matthew opened her mouth.

“Allah as the Moslems,” they said. “He has a list of atrocities he wants to cover.” Mathew shuddered at the quiet menace in their voice.

“But we don’t have time for that,” they continued. “We are sorry for the death of your parents. If We could have, We would have prevented their deaths. No child should be without their parents. We know Gaia informed you of your body’s changes. You are now a member of and extinct race. The Titanobocca, the ancestors of the Naga and Lamia. In a few years, you will be fertile and able to give birth to young.

“Be wary of those who approach you. Not all will be friendly. Some may even try to kill you. Others may try to control you. Eventually, you will be taught how to tell your friends from your foes using magic. For now, rely on your mother and the guards coming to you.”

Guards? Gaia only mentioned one guard. But then, the other gods may have decided that one wasn’t enough. Matthew began to fell a pain in her head.

“Rest now,” they said. They had noticed her pain. “We will provide healing while you sleep. Again, we are sorry for not protecting you better when you were younger.”

Before Matthew could say anything, she passed into a deep and restful sleep.

* *

A dark figured appeared in the darkened room. Huge, bat like wings flared to help keep the figure upright as it stumbled. The figure snarled as it slowly straightened. It folded its wings as it looked around. There wasn’t anybody in the room and nobody appeared. All was quiet. It settled on the couch to wait. It would meet the emissary in the morning.

Things would get interesting then.

Carol yawned as she walked down the hall. She needed to start a pot of coffee. She and her husband had many things to do today. They needed to contact the high priestess and tell her what happened. They needed to find out what Matthew could and couldn’t eat now. Set up magic lessons. See if he could go to school as he was or if he should be home schooled. And how were they going to keep him safe. She could just imagine all the ‘demon’ hunters that would be coming after him.

“Hello.”

Carol jumped and gasped at the voice. There shouldn’t be anybody else here. Her family was still in bed and her wards hadn’t been breached. She spun to face the couch where the voice had come from. Now she was regretting not studying any offensive spells. “Who are you and how did you get in my house,” she demanded.

A woman stood from the couch and Carol’s breath caught at her beauty. She had long raven black hair that fell in waves to her waist. It perfectly framed her heart shaped face. She had large dark almond shaped eyes over high cheekbones. Her nose was a little large, but it fit her face somehow. Her lips were full and very red. “I mean you no harm,” she said. Carol shivered as the woman’s voice seemed to caress her. “My name is Callingenia and I was sent to protect the emissary.”

Carol shook the effects of Callingenia’s voice off. “Who sent you,” she asked. “Nobody told us you were coming.”

“Of course not,” Callingenia said. “The emissary was only chosen last night. But Nyx sent me.”

Carol blinked. “Nyx sent you,” she confirmed. Callingenia nodded and Carol swallowed. Nyx wasn’t one of the goddesses she worshipped, but she knew of her all the same. According to the Greeks, Nyx is the primordial goddess of the night. She literally was the night. Even Zeus was wary of her.

Carol shook her head. “It’s too early for this,” she muttered. “Especially without my coffee.”

“If you like,” Callingenia said. “I could make breakfast for you and your family. Seeing as I’m going to be here a lot, I should make myself useful. And, after a cup or two of coffee, could you get the rest of your family? There are things I need to tell you. It will be easier to tell you all at the same time.”

Carol didn’t know what to do. There was too much going on for her. With the god’s announcement, Matthew’s transformation, and now this strange woman saying that Nyx sent her, Carol felt her life was in a spin. The only thing she did know was that she was promised coffee. In a daze, Carol followed the other woman into the kitchen. She felt a vague sense of jealousy at Callingenia’s curvy figure, but she brushed that aside. Coffee beckoned.

After she had her second cup of coffee, Carol felt better. The smell of breakfast cooking helped. She watched Callingenia for a moment before deciding to get her husband and the kids. This was too big for her to decide alone. Especially since it involved Matthew in his role as the emissary. She got up and went to get her family.

Matthew suddenly found herself staring at the ceiling. She felt the weight of her gigantic breasts pushing her down into the bed. She brought her arms up and held them. They felt nice. Sure, they could be smaller, but she was enjoying having them. Yesterday, she wouldn’t have believed she would enjoy having breasts. Holding them? Yes, please and thank you!

“When did I start thinking of myself as a girl,” she asked herself.

Before Matthew could answer her question, there was a knock on his bedroom door. “Matthew, honey,” her Aunt Carol called. “Are you awake?”

“I’m up, Aunt Carol” Matthew answered as she pushed herself erect.

Her bedroom door opened, and her aunt walked in. “You need to get dressed,” she said. “We have company. It seems that the gods have sent you a bodyguard. She’s in the kitchen cooking breakfast.”

Matthew blinked. She wasn’t expecting that. But then, with what happened yesterday and last night, it fit. “Okay,” she slowly said. “And you have her cooking breakfast?”

“She offered,” Carol said. “And when she told me who had sent her, I wasn’t in any condition to cook.”

“Oh.” Matthew thought about that. Then she decided not to comment on it. It seemed to be safer. A length of Matthew’s tail suddenly moved. “I’m not doing that,” Matthew said as she stared at her tail. The coil moved more then a child’s hand appeared.

“Briana,” Carol snapped. “What are you doing in there?”

“Morning, Mommy,” Briana sleepily said.

“Don’t you ‘morning’ me, young lady,” Carol said. “What are you doing in here? I know I put you in your room.”

“I wanted to sleep with Matthew,” Briana answered. “She’s pretty.” Matthew could feel her cheeks heat up. “And her tail is really nice.”

Matthew decided that she should put in a few words. “Um, she came into my room after you left, Aunt Carol. I did ask if you knew she was here.”

“And?”

Matthew sighed. “She just looked at me. So, I decided to let her stay. When she went to sleep, she was lying beside me on a pillow. I don’t know how she got down there.”

Carol sighed. “She wiggles around in her sleep,” she said. “She always had. But right now, you both need to get dressed. We need to decide what to do with your bodyguard.” Briana climbed out of Matthew’s bed. Then Matthew slithered out. Briana left with her mother.

As the mother and daughter left the room, Matthew went to her closet. She opened it and looked at the contents. There was only shirts, skirts and dresses in it. She stared at the clothes. The colors overwhelmed here. There was different shades of reds, blues, and greens. There was yellow, copper, and gray. Not knowing which color would look best on her, she grabbed a simply white blouse and a white skirt. Through it all, Matthew used her two lower hands to steady her breasts. Even though she was new at being a girl, she knew that she couldn’t go around holding her breasts still. She needed a bra. Matthew looked around her room. She spied her vanity. Surely her bras would be in there.

Matthew made her way to her vanity. While holding her clothes in one hand, she used the other three to open the shelves. Even then it took her a moment to find them. She picked one out and stared it. She had seen a bra before. She had seen Lisa’s. This bra did not look anything like Lisa’s. It had two straps across the back.

“So it’s different,” Matthew said. “It can’t be to hard to put on.”

Fifteen minutes later, Matthew, somehow, had tied three of her hands behind her back. Her fourth hand was struggling to untie the other three when her bedroom door opened. She looked up and saw her Aunt Carol standing there. “Help,” she said pitifully. Solemnly, her aunt entered the room to help her.

Ten minutes later, a furiously blushing Matthew and her Aunt entered the kitchen. “Now that we’re all here,” Carol said. She started fixing plates of food for the kids. “Can you explain, exactly, why you’re here, Callingenia.”

“As I said before,” Callingenia began. “The Goddess Nyx sent me to protect the emissary.” She turned toward Matthew. “That would be you, obviously.” Matthew nodded. “The reason why you need a bodyguard is that not everybody will be accepting of the gods’ return. Or, that you’re their emissary. Some of these beings, and not all of them will be human, will try to ‘correct’ that matter. Most likely by killing you.”

“What did I do,” Matthew cried as his two cousins gasped.

“Nothing,” Callingenia said. “People like that just believe nobody but those they approve of should be in your position.”

Matthew had to think about what she had just learned. But she didn’t want to do that now. To distract herself, she looked down at the plate her Aunt set before her. It had bacon, eggs, and a couple of pancakes. Her normal breakfast. Then Callingenia place a second plate beside it. This one was piled high with bacon, eggs, sausages, and hash browns. She, along with everybody else in her family, stared at the second plate. “Um, thanks, but I already have a plate.” Matthew even pointed at her fist plate.

“I know. But that won’t be enough. I don’t know what you looked like before, but I’m willing to bet that your body is now larger. That means you need more food. Also, you’re a Titanobocca. Titanobocca were primarily carnivores. While you can get some nutrition from the other food groups, meat is what you’ll crave.”

Donald and Carol looked at each other. If Matthew now ate mostly meat, their grocery bill was going to be horrifying. Carol blinked then looked at all the food in the kitchen. “Callingenia,” she said. “Where did all this meat come from? This is more than what was in the fridge.”

“Oh, that,” Callingenia said. “I knew that wouldn’t be enough to feed the emissary. Nyx told me she was a Titanobocca before she sent me here. So, as I was cooking, I used my magic to get more meat and eggs. Don’t worry. I got them from volunteers.”

“Volunteers,” Donald asked. “What volunteers?”

“From different religious groups from around the world,” came the surprising answer. “Remember, the gods made a world-wide announcement. Several groups have already sent representatives or money or supplies here. They just haven’t arrived yet. I just sped up some of the supply deliveries.”

It was becoming apparent to the family that this was going to be more complicated than they had realized. People from around the world were already sending things to Matthew. They haven’t even met her yet. And what would her detractors say? And then there was those who would want to either control or kill her. The thought prompted Donald.

“You said Nyx sent you to be Matthew’s bodyguard,” Donald said. Callingenia nodded. “How can you protect him, er, her? What qualifies you to be a bodyguard?”

“Simple,” Callingenia answered. Suddenly she transformed. Her eyes became black as her skin paled to a milk whit complexion. Large bat-like wings erupted from her back as small fangs grew from her mouth. “I’m a succubus.”

Ardaniahna looked around as she climbed out of the water. This was the part that she hated, but she couldn’t see any way of avoiding it. She took a deep, calming breath, then let it out. Slowly, she could feel magic begin to gather around her. It wasn’t like home. There, magic was plentiful. Here, magic was thin and almost absent. She couldn’t blame the area. The level of magic had been lowering for far longer than humans realized. Since long before the birth of the one known as Jesus Christ. Now, besides scattered locations around the globe, only the East and West poles have large supplies of magic. Even the ley lines barely have any left to keep them open.

Once she had gathered enough magic, Ardaniahna cast her spell. Her tail began to glow. Her fins began to thicken and shorten, and an indentation formed in the middle of her tail. It lengthened until it stretched from her fins to just shy of her crotch. Then it started to deepen, separating her tail into two. While it wasn’t painful, it was uncomfortable. It wasn’t long before her tail had separated into two segments. Soon after that, the segments were recognizable as legs.

Slowly Ardaniahna stood on her newly formed legs. At first, she was unsteady. But she quickly gained her balance. After a moment to make sure she was steady, the mermaid took her first step. After a couple of minutes of practice, Ardaniahna was walking smoothly. She was even managed to run a few feet. She then walked back to the lake shore where her belongings were hidden.

Ardaniahna looked in puzzlement at the human clothes that had been gathered for her. She recognized the skirt and blouse. She had seen pictures of humans wearing those before. She didn’t know what the foot coverings were called, but she did know they were for her feet. But what was the white cloth with one large hole on one end and two smaller holes on the other end for? She didn’t even want to think about the triangular bowls with all the straps.

After some thought, Ardaniahna decided that the white garment was meant for her legs. She pulled those on then looked at the, maybe, garment with the straps. She quickly decided that she did not know what that was for and she didn’t want to know. It didn’t take her long to finish after that. She reached back into her supplies and brought out a crystal. She closed her eyes and concentrated. After a moment, the crystal began to glow. The glow brightened then dimmed and focused on a spot on the crystal.

The mermaid opened her eyes and studied the changes in the crystal. “I’m ready,” she told herself. “Hopefully I’ll find the emissary before anything happens.” With that, she started walking in the direction the glow was pointing.

* * *

“A succubus,” cried Carol. She jumped up, grabbed her daughter, and immediately ran from the table. Her husband reacted the same as he grabbed their son. The only one who was left at the table with the demon was Matthew. She did not know what a succubus was, but with the way her aunt and uncle reacted, it wasn’t good. Unfortunately, snakes can not move backwards. Matthew found herself raising her upper body as she tried to jump back.

The supposed succubus did nothing. She just watched them all with a weary expression on her face. “Are you done,” she asked. “Honestly, if I was going to do something to you, I would have done it while you were asleep. It would have been much easier then.”

Matthew found he had to agree with that. It would have been easier to kill them in their sleep. She quickly lowered her upper body back to the ground. Two of her hands grabbed her breasts to stop the resulting bounce and jiggle. She now realized why women with large breasts did not like energetic physical activities. She hoped her mother knew where to find some really good bras. Or, at least some really good bra makers since she doubted anybody made bras for a four-armed woman.

“But you’re a succubus,” Matthew’s aunt said.

“And your point is?”

“We’ve been told that succubae are evil,” Carol said.

“By who,” Callingenia asked. Carol blinked. “The Catholic Church, that’s who. The very same people who declared you and yours to be devil worshipers. You are not devil worshipers. I know this. Are you going to let those people tell you who is and who is not evil?”

Callingenia sighed. “The Council of Nicaea was the first effort to organize all the different sects of Christianity from all over the world. It met in 325 AD and, primarily, dealt with the question of Christ the Son and his relationship to God the Father.”

“I’ve heard of that,” Donald said. “The council decided which books would and would not be in the bible?”

“Common misconception,” the succubus said. “The selection of the books had begun well before then. The council only brought the different sects to the same page, so to speak. The Catholic Church had decided that everything they deemed not of God, was evil. And they had a very broad definition of for what they deemed not of God. The Council of Nicaea let the various sects around the world.”

“Then there’s all the information they have stored away in their archives,” Callingenia continued. “That includes not only the public and the not so secret archives. But the really secret one that only certain members of the Church know about. And those, like me, who are old enough to have lived through the things the Church would rather not the public know about.”

Carol and Donald stared at the female. They had not expected a history lesson. Especially one they didn’t need. They knew Christianity marked them as devil worshipers. They knew they weren’t so, they should have, at least, guessed, that they may have been wrong about other things. “So, you’re not going to try to take my husband’s soul,” Carol finally asked.

“Gods, no” Callingenia said. “Souls can only be given, not taken. Besides, all of the gods would be pissed at me if I tried to do anything like that. You don’t want to know how many humans found that out.”

“So those who sacrificed people’s souls,” Carol began.

“Killed those people for nothing,” Callingenia finished. “When they died, the gods punished them for their actions.”

“What about necromancers,” Donald blurted.

“Those killed people to raise power. There is a lot of power released in death. Even with a normal person.”

Matthew couldn’t help herself she asked, “What about Voodoo and their making of zombies?”

“That’s something different,” the demonic looking woman said. “They aren’t taking the souls out of the people’s bodies. Instead, they’re imprisoning them. All of their effects are through that. The dolls and soul jars are just representatives of their traps.”

Callingenia clapped her hands. “Now that’s enough of that. You need to finish your breakfast.” She pointed at Matthew. “Especially you. Your body needs more fuel than you’re used to. The only problem is, you’re primarily a carnivore. Fruits and vegetables won’t do anything but change the flavor and texture of your food.”

Donald frowned when he heard this. Feeding a family of five was not cheap. Especially in today’s market. His job was the best paying one, but it kept the bills paid. Now that Matthew will be eating mostly meat, that will put a strain on the budget. Even with what Carol brings in, it will be tough.

“After you finish eating,” Callingenia continued as the family came back to the table. “I’ll test you to see what magic are capable of.”

“Magic,” Matthew asked.

“I can handle that,” Carol said. “I have been trained.”

“You can teach the magic of the Wiccans,” Callingenia said. “I’ll teach her the other magics she proves capable of.” She studied Matthew for a moment. “I really hope she’s can shape shift. Otherwise, hiding those will be, difficult.”

Matthew blushed and tried to hide her breasts with her arms. “I didn’t ask for these,” she said.”

“The gods will have their amusements,” Callingenia sighed. “But this time, I don’t think that’s what happened. I think most of the goddesses had a hand in making your body. Several of them are sex or fertility goddesses after all. Not to mention the ones who are the goddesses of children.”

This made sense to Matthew. If the goddesses each tried to influence how her body turned out, it was a wonder that she hadn’t turned out worse than she had. “So, do you think I can ask them to alter my body,” she asked. “These will get in the way.”

“I’m sorry, but no. Once they changed your body, they can’t do it again. For one, there’s not enough magic for them to do it. And that’s if they all agreed that your body needed changing in the first place.”

“Oh.”

Carol’s heart went out to her new niece. With what had happened last night, the girl did not need to hear that. She made sure her daughter was sitting and eating her breakfast. Then she went to Matthew. The snake girl looked up as she approached. Carol wrapped her arms around Matthew and looked at Callingenia. “Is there anything we can do,” she asked.

Before the succubus could answer, the doorbell rang. Callingenia suddenly turned back into a beautiful, but normal, woman. They all looked at each other. “Are you expecting anybody this morning,” Callingenia asked.

“Not really,” Donald answered as Carol shook her head. “Steve did say he’d come by to replace the door today.”

Callingenia’s eyes narrowed. “Do you mind if I answer it?” When neither Carol or Donald said anything against her, she started walking toward the door. She got to the door as the doorbell rang again. “How may I help you,” she said as she opened the door.

Standing in the door was a Best Buy delivery man. He was tall and the succubus considered him above average in looks. He was staring dumbly at her. Held loosely in is hand was an electronic clipboard. After a long moment, the man shook himself. “Is this the Bridges residence,” he asked.

“Yes, it is.”

“I have a delivery for a Matthew Stout.”

Making sure she kept her senses on the delivery man, Callingenia looked back toward the kitchen. In the door stood Carol, Donald, and Matthew. All of them shook their heads. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Are you sure this is the right address?”

He looked at the clipboard. He then looked at the address written on the house. “This is the right place,” he said. “I have a refrigerator and a deep freezer for a Matthew to be delivered to the Bridges residence.”

Again, Callingenia looked back. The three shrugged. “I’m sorry,” she said. “But nobody here knows what you’re talking about.”

“Perhaps I can be of service,” an accented cultured voice said. The succubus and the delivery man turned toward the voice.

Standing before them was tall thin man. He was well dressed in khakis, an off-white button shirt, and tan loafers. He had a swarthy complexion and thick, slightly wavy black hair. His facial features suggested that he was from India.

“My name is Hazen Acharya,” he said. “I represent the Kashi Vishwanath in the holy city of Varanasi in India.”

Callingenia blinked. “You flew all the way from India o here? The gods only made their announcement last night.”

“Oh no,” laughed Hazen. “I was nearby. I was visiting my younger brother. He is here studying to be a doctor. I was called by my mother. She told me what the temple was doing and suggested that I make sure you would accept this and other gifts to come.”

“Other gifts,” Mrs. Bridges asked her husband.

“So, it begins,” whispered Callingenia. “I’m not sure we have to floor space for another refrigerator and freezer.”

“That is not a problem. I have made arrangements for a small crew to come here. With your permission, we could add onto the house.”

“We’ll have to think about this. We were not expecting anything like this.”

Hazen smiled. “How could you have expected this? No one can predict what the gods will do. We can only pray for guidance.” Both looked up as delivery van pulled up. They could see two more in the street behind that one. “Perhaps we should pray for more time? After all, the gods should be listening to you.”

* * *

Ardaniahna was tired and miserable. Her new appendages throbbed and ached. Even the things on the ends ached. What was those things called? Feet! That’s it. Her feet ached. She had been walking for hours, following the light on her crystal. Although she did not know how far she had walked, she did know it was the furthest she had ever walked. Before, all she did was walk from the water, up the beach to gather the few items the merfolk could not grow underwater.

The crystal had led her along a strange path. In the park, the path was stone. But it was unlike any stone she had seen before. It was flat and smooth. The segments all exactly the same size. It was almost as if it had been poured. After she left the park, the path changed. It got wider and changed from grey to black. It also got spongy, but yet remained hard. It was also like with the same stone-like material that was in the park. She couldn’t explain it. The elders hadn’t said anything about this. But then, they hardly say anything about the surface world as it was.

Ardaniahna stopped walking and looked around. The buildings had changed. Those near the park were tall. Taller than anything she had seen before. Even taller than what she thought could be built without the support of water. Now the buildings were much smaller. She could see people coming out of and going into some of them. She thought they could have been homes for some of the humans. Even if they didn’t look like any she had seen in pictures. They didn’t have small sections of grass in front of them. Hopefully, she’d get to the emissary’s home soon.

From the position of the sun, it was a little past noon and Ardaniahna was finally getting close to the emissary. At least, that’s what her crystal indicated. The mermaid was happy about that fact. Some of the looks the humans were giving her were making her nervous. She just wanted to get to the emissary. The crystal suddenly flashed. Ardaniahna looked at it then looked around.

The buildings here looked more like the homes she had seen. Small sections of grass in front of the buildings. Some of them had vehicles on more of the stone-like material. A few of them were even separated by fences. Unfortunately, not wooden picket fences. Instead, the fences were made of metal. But only one house had several vehicles in front of it. There were also several big human males there. They looked like they had been doing work of some kind. After studying the scene for a moment, the mermaid checked her crystal. The brightly shining light was pointing directly at the building with all the humans.

Ardaniahna sighed. She did not want to do this with a bunch of humans watching. She wasn’t even sure which human was the emissary. Chalchiuhtlicue did not tell them what the emissary looked like. The only way Ardaniahna could find the emissary was to use magic. With a cautious look around, the mermaid extended her senses toward the building. Inside, she could feel several humans and one that was and was not human. That one felt like the priests and priestess back home. That was most likely the emissary.

Ardaniahna eyes suddenly widened. She felt one that was definitely not human. It was there with the humans. Very close to the emissary. She didn’t know if the humans knew it was there or not. And she couldn’t take the chance. She did not want to get on a god’s bad side. She started walking toward the building. She needed a way to get that non-human away from the emissary. Before she could make a plan, she sensed the non-human move. It was coming for her! The mermaid quickly readied the few battle spells she knew. Hopefully she could at least stun it so the humans could do something to it. And hopefully they’ll wait until she could explain what was going on.

As she prepared herself, Ardaniahna studied the other. Something about that one was starting to feel familiar. If she didn’t know better, she would have said the other was a nymph. But that was impossible. Why would a naiad, a water nymph, be sent here when she had been sent? But it wasn’t a naiad. But it was nymph-like.

That was all Ardaniahna had time for. The nymph-like creature appeared in directly in front of her. She stared at the beautiful female. Her dark, mysterious eyes stared back, then suddenly widened. Like a bolt of lightning, she knew exactly what the female was. Together, they both raised a hand and pointed at each other.

“What is a succubus/mermaid doing here?”

Matthew rubbed her head. She, her aunt, Callingenia, and Ardaniahna were in her room. They were talking about what had happened between Callingenia and Ardaniahna. Mathew thought about giving those two nicknames. Otherwise, she might tie a knot in her tongue. Especially with the mermaid. “Let me get this straight,” she said. “The both of you were sent to be my bodyguard, but, by different gods?”

“Yes,” Callingenia answered. “The Greek goddess Nyx sent me.”

“And Chalchiuhtlicue sent me,” Ardaniahna said. “It wasn’t a request I could refuse.”

“I can understand that,” Callingenia said.

“Indeed,” Carol said. “It’s really hard to say ‘no’ to a goddess of water.”

“Don’t forget children,” the mermaid said. “She’s also the Aztec goddess of children. That was another reason why she wanted one of use to come here.”

“I’m not exactly a child,” Matthew said.

“But you’re not an adult yet either,” Carol said. “In the eyes of the law, you are considered a child. As far as your uncle and I are concerned, you are in transition. We treat you how you act.”

“Oh,” Matthew said. She had not noticed that her aunt and uncle had been treating her like that. But it did explain a lot of things. “Very sneaky.”

Carol shrugged. “It helped you grow up to be a responsible young man, uh, woman,” she said. “I just wished more parents treated their children the same. We’d probably have less stupid adults now.”

“Never underestimate the stupidity of humans,” Callingenia intoned. “Then you will never be surprised at how stupid people can be.”

“I hate to admit it, but you’re right,” Carol sighed.

“Aunt Carol,” Matthew said. “What about them? What are they going to do?”

“Be your bodyguards,” Carol said. “I thought it was obvious. There were sent here by two goddesses. Neither of which I want to cross. Especially since I know they’re coming back.” Both of the non-human women nodded.

Matthew studied the two strange women. She wasn’t sure she needed bodyguards at the moment. Those who wouldn’t believe she had been chosen by the gods would take some time to organize themselves. And, unless the various gods told their followers where she was, they would take time to find her. Then she remembered all the gifts she and her family received today. Some of the gods had told them where she was. “So, how are we going to do this,” she finally asked.

“We can’t really make any plans until we know of your status,” Callingenia said.

“I’m working on that,” Carol said. “The first thing we need to do is establish her identity. I have a friend in the DMV who should be able to help us. She’s only a clerk, but she does know all the correct forms. Or, at least, who we should ask about the correct forms.”

“That’s good,” Callingenia said. “Is she coming here?”

Carol nodded. “Yes. I believe she’ll be easier to convince once she sees Matthew.” She studied Matthew for a moment. “I just hope she doesn’t have a fear of snakes.” Everybody nodded at that. “Ardaniahna, do you have any special needs?”

“No,” the mermaid said with a shake of her head. “I can naturally change my tail into legs.” She held up her legs. “Otherwise, I’d need to submerse myself in water every so often.”

“Okay,” Carol said. “But if you think of anything you need, don’t hesitate to tell us.” She turned to Callingenia.

The succubus was ahead of her. “I have everything I need,” she said. “If something comes up, I’ll tell you. But I should be able to provide for myself. And that includes any ‘meals’ I may need.”

“I didn’t want to bring it up,” Carol said with a grimace. “But since you mentioned it, what do you eat?”

“The same foods as you do,” the succubus answered. “The sex my kind did, all nymphs actually, was to clean a person’s soul of sin before marriage.”

Carol and Mathew blinked.

Callingenia sighed. “You’ve never heard of that before,” she asked. “Of course not. Where do you think the ‘bachelor party’ came from? Or the ‘bachelorette party?’ Before the Church got involved, nymphs were summoned the night before a wedding to cleanse a man’s soul of sin. The same for women. But that was kept a lot quieter than those for men. The Church has kept that fact from public knowledge for centuries.”

“I never thought about it,” Carol said. “Now that I think about it, I know that tradition had to come from somewhere. It never occurred to me to think about it. It was just one of those things that seemed to always be there.”

“Not many people think about it,” Callingenia said with a shrug. “But that’s not what we should be focusing on. We need to focus on Matthew here.” She stopped for a moment. “The first thing she should do is pick a new name.”

Carol shot a worried look at Matthew. While she knew her new niece would need a new name, she wasn’t going to push it. She had been a boy just a few hours ago after all. She had planned on using her friend to get Matthew to start thinking about a new name. One more appropriate to her new body. But his name was the last thing he had from his parents. She did not know how he will react to changing her name.

“Yeah,” Mathew said without looking at anybody. “I was thinking about that. I know I don’t look like I did before. I also know that people will be expecting a girl’s name. So, I thought I’d pick the name my Mom would have used if I had been born a girl.” She turned to her aunt. “Do you think that would be okay?”

“I think that would be wonderful,” Carol said with tears in her eyes. “Mary is a wonderful name for you.”

Matthew, now Mary, started twisting all four of her hands. “I’d also like to take her name for my middle name.”

Carol couldn’t stop herself from crying. “She would be proud for you to do that.”

“So,” Callingenia said once Carol had straitened herself up. “Now that we have a name, what else do we need to take care of?”

“School,” Carol firmly said. “Emissary or not, she is still only 16 years old. She needs to finish her education.”

“While I do agree with you,” the succubus said. “I can’t guard her when she’s in class.” At Carol’s puzzled face, she continued. “Not all things about us, and nymphs in general, are true. But some are. Putting me in a building full of hormonally charged teens is not a good idea.”

“I was hoping that wasn’t true,” Carol admitted. “But we still need a bodyguard for her.” Carol and Callingenia looked at each other for a moment before turning to stare at Ardaniahna. The mermaid did not like how they were looking at her. She suddenly thought she’d be safer swimming with sharks while they were in a feeding frenzy.

“Shouldn’t we make sure I can actually go back to school,” Mary asked. “None of this matters, if I can’t.”

“That is a good point,” Carol said. “No use in making plans if you can’t attend school.”

“I can see the problem,” Callingenia said. “Do you think we can get around it?”

“Maybe,” Carol said. “If nothing else, we can ask the gods to influence their followers.”

“Why would there be a problem,” Ardaniahna asked. “Don’t humans follow their gods?”

“Their gods,” Carol said. “Not other peoples’ gods. As far as most people, um, humans, are concerned, their religion is the only true religion.”

The succubus nodded. “And a lot of them will see Mary as a demon,” she added. “They won’t listen to anything she has to say. Instead, they’ll try to kill her. Just because she’s alive. In fact, if they knew that you are a mermaid and I was a succubus, some would try to kill us.”

Ardaniahna stared in shock. She knew that humans were dangerous, but this? She wanted to think that the succubus was joking, or mistaken. But her face was serious. She turned to the humans and saw that they agreed with Callingenia. She truly did not know the dangers of this when she was told to do this.

“In your case, things may be different,” Carol said. “Government scientist may capture you for study.”

“Is that supposed to be better,” the mermaid asked.

“No,” Callingenia said. “Because they may dissect you. Unless you’re unlucky, then they’ll vivisect you.”

“Vivisection involves cutting the creature open and studying how their body works while they’re still alive,” Mary said with a shudder. “That may happen to me to. But with me, it won’t be the government. It’ll most likely be some religious group bound and determined to prove that I’m not the emissary of the gods.”

The four fell silent. None of them wanted to think of the all too likely possibility of the gods’ announcement. Every few moments, one would open her mouth to say something, but then change her mind. They were saved when the doorbell rang.

“Were you expecting any more deliveries,” the succubus asked Carol.

“I wasn’t expecting any deliveries,” Carol answered. “None of what happened last night and today was expected.”

“Well,” Callingenia said as she stood. “I guess my job starts now. Let me show you a way to check the door without looking through a peephole. Later, I’ll have you extend your wards beyond the house. It’s best to know who’s on your property before they get to your door.” Carol quickly stood and followed the other out the room. Ardaniahna and Mary looked at each other for a moment before following themselves.

“Here’s a spell I found useful over the years,” Callingenia said as they approached the front door. She formed a couple of hand gestures at the door. The door then shimmered then became transparent. Standing on the other side of the door was a sixteen-year old girl. She was wearing jeans, sneakers, and a pull-over shirt. Her long brown hair was in a loose braid.

“One way,” Carol asked.

“Of course,” Callingenia said. “You can’t have the people snaking up on you know that you know they’re there.”

“That’s Meagan,” blurted Mary when she saw the door. “What’s she doing here?”

* * *

Somewhere under the Vatican

A group of priests were gathered together. They were standing in the secret vaults under the Vatican. Not many had access to this section. None of them were among this group. But not a single one would have voiced any complaints about them being here. “Stephano,” one said. “What do you make of this ‘announcement?’ This emissary they say is from God.”

“I do not know, Cardinal Lucca,” answered Stephano. “There is much talk but nothing of substance. All that anybody can say is that the emissary is supposed to be in America.”

“Bah! Americans,” another scoffed. “If this truly is an emissary of God, then he would have been chosen among the faithful!”

“Careful, Emesto,” another warned. “And there are good, Catholic people in America,” another said. “They spread the word of God. It’s not their fault they’re surrounded by pagans and heretics.”

“Arnaldo is correct,” one said. “And the Pope himself accepts this emissary. He said God revealed the emissary to him in a vision.”

“But how can we know that the witches have not tricked us all,” Emesto asked.

“Emesto has a point,” Cardinal Lucca said. “We can not tell if the pagans have fooled us. At least, not without examining the emissary ourselves.” He looked at the others. “I have suggested, and the Pope agrees, that one our priests should meet this emissary. I have taken steps to have one of our order be chosen.” He touched his lapel where a pin of a crimson Fleur-de-lis was.

The others saw his gesture and smiled. They all had the same pin on their lapels. One way or another, they would know the truth of the emissary.

Meagan Stickly stood in front of her boyfriend’s door. Ever since that announcement last night, she wanted to come over and get his take on this. Her mother didn’t say anything, but Meagan suspected she wanted his aunt’s and uncle’s opinions. Meagan knew they weren’t Christian, even if they didn’t advertise that fact. She hoped that whatever god they worshipped wasn’t one that wanted human sacrifices.

Meagan raised her hand to knock again. She knew Matthew and his relatives were inside. She could see their cars in the garage. In fact, the more she looked around, the more it looked like they had done some remodeling. But that was impossible, she had visited just a few days ago. Whatever it was, she decided she’d ask about it later. The thing with the gods comes first.

The door suddenly opened, and Meagan couldn’t help taking a step back. In the now open door stood a stunningly beautiful brunette. The teen was instantly struck with envy. There was plenty to be envious of. The woman had a narrow waist sandwiched between wide hips and large breasts. Her eyes were dark and mysterious, and her hair was full and lustrous. She wasn’t surprised by the envy she felt. It was the small bit of lust that surprised her.

“Yes,” the woman said. “What do you want?”

Meagan felt a shiver go down her back when the woman spoke. “This is the Bridges house, right,” she asked.

“Yes, it is,” the woman confirmed.

Again, Meagan felt that shiver. What was wrong with her? The only time she felt shivers like this was when she was with Matthew. “Are they home?”

“And who’s asking?”

“Meagan Sticky,” Meagan said. “I’m Matthew’s girlfriend. Is he home?”

“You can let her in, Callingenia,” Meagan heard Mrs. Bridges say. “She’ll find out soon enough. And she should hear this from us and not the television.”

Meagan frowned. She had been watching the news last night, so she already knew about the gods’ returning. Maybe it was about who they worshipped. They never denied being Pagans. But they hadn’t claimed to be that either. What if they were something else? Last night she discovered that there were a lot more religions out there than she thought.

“As you mean no harm,” the woman, Callingenia said. “Enter and be welcomed.”

While she thought that was a strange way to invite someone in their house, she still entered. And immediately stopped. Standing in the room were two women and a female, thing. She recognized Carol Bridges, Matthew’s aunt. But she didn’t recognize the other woman. She looked to be about her age, maybe a little older. She had long, dark hair and bright blue eyes. Her face was triangular shape with high cheekbones. She wore a loose-fitting blouse and skirt. A slight frown crossed Meagan’s face as she noticed this woman wasn’t wearing a bra.

But it was third one that drew Meagan’s attention. First, she wasn’t human. From the waist down, she was a snake. A very long snake. Her tail extended from under the skirt she was wearing to about 25 feet. At least, Meagan guessed it was that long. It was hard to tell with it bending like that. Her tail was covered in red scales with silver and gold highlights. While she wasn’t afraid of snakes, she did not want to get wrapped up in that powerful looking tail. And, if her colors were like a snake’s, Meagan did not want to get bitten by her either.

The second thing that drew Meagan’s attention, was her arms. The woman thing had four of them. The second pair were not connected to her body at the shoulder. Instead, they were several inches below the upper pair. Meagan could not imagine why a body would need another pair of arms. She thought that having that many arms would be awkward, but the woman’s movements were smooth and graceful. Those, and the tail, argued against this being an elaborate prank. Not that the Bridges were known for pranks. And who would pull a prank like this on this day anyway.

It was the third thing that really drew Meagan’s attention. This snake woman thing had enormous breasts. So big that even a porn start would blush. They were easily larger than her head. As much as Meagan loved Matthew, she knew he would stare. She was staring. And she didn’t even like girls like that. She quickly squashed a stray thought about how they would look naked. She really needed to make sure this woman stayed away from Matthew. And speaking of.

“Where’s Matthew,” Meagan asked as she looked around. “With the Emissary,” she gave the snake woman thing a cautious look, “around, wouldn’t he be here?”

“About that,” Mrs. Bridges said.

“He’s been in an accident,” Meagan asked. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the emissary cringe.

“No,” Mrs. Bridges firmly said. “He was not involved in any kind of accident. What happened to him is hard to explain.” She took a deep, slow breath then let it out just a slowly. “Okay. By now, you should know that the gods announced their imminent return last night. You also know that they selected an emissary as well.” Meagan took a quick look at the emissary.

“What you don’t know,” Mrs. Bridges continued, drawing Meagan’s attention back to her. “is that she appeared in the house last night.”

Meagan gasped. She had not known how the emissary had arrived. She had only heard that the emissary was somewhere in the States. Exactly where was being argued all over the net. Her mother had told her that religious leaders the world over, had been told by the gods where the emissary was staying. Her mother would definitely like to know that the emissary was here. But that still didn’t explain where Matthew was.

“I guess Matthew was surprised when she appeared,” Meagan said.

“More than you can possible know,” the snake woman thing muttered.

“It was the biggest surprise of his life,” Mrs. Bridges said. “Possibly the biggest surprise he’ll ever receive.”

“Understatement of the millennium,” the snake woman muttered again. Both Mrs. Bridges and Meagan glanced at her.

“Maybe I should introduce the two of you,” Mrs. Bridges said. “Meagan, meet Mary, the emissary of the gods. Mary, meet Meagan.”

Meagan stared at the emissary as she gave a small wave and a sick looking smile. “You’re the emissary,” Meagan gasped.

“I didn’t ask for it,” scowled Mary. “They didn’t even ask me if I wanted the job.”

“The gods rarely ask mortals what they want,” the darkly beautiful woman said. “And when they do, it’s not good.”

Meagan was sure the woman did not know God. But she was not going to say so. She was a guest in this house, and she was going to act like it. Besides, there was so many things she wanted to ask the emissary. Starting with what was the god’s plans for the world. But she wanted to know about Matthew first. They still haven’t told her. “As much as I’d like to hear how you became the emissary, I’d rather find out about Matthew,” Meagan said.

“Just tell her,” the emissary said. “Beating around the bush like this is just a waste of time.”

“Tell me what,” Meagan asked cautiously.

“I wasn’t beating around the bush,” Mrs. Bridges said to the emissary. “I was building up to it.” She turned to Meagan. “Meagan, the reason, you haven’t found Mathew is that he’s the emissary.”

For one moment, Meagan stared at the older woman. She couldn’t believe what she had been told. There was no way Matthew could be the emissary. For one thing, Matthew was a boy. The emissary was female. Obviously so. The emissary was also not human. Meagan did not know what she was, but she knew she wasn’t human. The last time she had checked, Matthew was human. “What,” she finally managed to say. “You’re joking, right?”

“I’m afraid not,” Mrs. Bridges said.

Meagan noticed that the dark-haired woman was looking at her strangely. The emissary, however, looked worried. Of course, she would, if what Mrs. Bridges said was true. “There’s no way that can be Matthew,” Meagan exclaimed. She pointed at the emissary. “I mean look at her! Her boobs are enormous. And she’s part snake. How can you stand there and tell me that’s Matthew?”

“Because it is,” Mrs. Bridges insisted. “How do you think I feel? I rushed home after the Goddess Cerridwen told me the emissary was in my home. I was worried how Matthew would react to her just appearing here. When I got here, I found her and only her. She had to convince me that she was my nephew.”

“But that can’t be,” Meagan said. “People can’t just change like that. It’s impossible.”

“Anything is possible when you’re talking about the gods,” Callingenia said. “You have to remember; the gods rarely ask mortals for permission before assigning them tasks or roles. And didn’t the emissary say she wasn’t asked?”

“That doesn’t prove that she is Matthew,” Meagan pointed out.

“What if we could?”

“Could what?”

“Prove that is Matthew,” Callingenia said.

“If you can do that, then I’ll believe that is Matthew,” Meagan said. “But it has to be something that only he and I know. Everything else you could have found out somehow.”

“Or I could ask Nyx,” Callingenia said. “She’d know.”

“Who’s Nyx?”

“Primordial goddess of the night,” Mrs. Bridges said. “She is part of the Greek pantheon. Not one of the well-known gods and goddesses, of course. She is also the goddess of secrets.”

Meagan blinked. She had never heard of a god that knew secrets. God knew all, but that was because he made everything. Of course, he would know everything. “Okay,” she said with a shake of her head. “Not something I wanted to know. Are you going to ask her?”

“No,” Callingenia said. “That would be cheating. Besides, she’d punish me just for asking. She gathers secrets. She does not hand them out.”

“And we don’t need to ask her,” Mrs. Bridges said. “Mary knows the answer. Before you ask, Mary was the name we would have given Matthew if he had been born a girl.” She turned to the snake woman. “Go ahead, Mary. Tell her something only the two of you know.”

Meagan watched as Mary slithered forward a couple of feet. “Well, the only thing I can think of,” she said, “is about a mole.”

Meagan tensed. “What mole?”

“A small one,” Mary answered. “On your back. Just above. . .”

Meagan found herself pressing against Mary’s giant breast as she held a hand over the snake woman’s mouth. “I told you not to mention that,” she hissed.

Behind Meagan, the young woman, who hadn’t said a word this whole time, leaned over to Callingenia. “I thought Mary was the one who was part snake,” she whispered.

“Human’s are strange creatures,” Callingenia whispered back. “Never assume you know everything they can do.”

“Matthew, is that really you?”

“Yes,” Mary answered. “But it’s Mary now. I don’t my old name fits now.” With two of her arms, she gently pushed Meagan off her chest. “Sorry, but they’re sensitive.”

Part of Meagan didn’t like that she was no longer pressing against Mary’s breasts and wanted to go back. Meagan started to frown as she thought about that. She suddenly gasped as she realized that she now found the snake woman attractive. In fact, she found her very sexy. But that should be impossible. Before, she was straight. Very straight. Sure, she could admit other girls and women were attractive. Even sexy. But she had never felt attracted to one. Until now.

Suddenly a pair of hands grabbed her head. Meagan found her head being turned to face the dark-haired woman. For a long moment, they stared into each others’ eyes. “Oh that’s just great,” the beauty snarled. “Mary isn’t the only one the gods had touched last night.”

“What,” Meagan said. She staggered a little as the woman let her go.

“The gods touched you last night. They made you attracted to women. Specifically, Mary.”

Meagan stared at the woman for a moment. At first, she couldn’t believe it. But she thought about the sudden shift in the way she viewed Mary. Then she didn’t want to believe it. Faced with this, she did the only thing she could think of. She fainted.

Mary looked down at Meagan as one of her hands stroked her hair. She was worried when Meagan collapsed. But everybody told her she had just fainted. Which was understandable. Everything that’s happened since last night is a lot to take in. And then, to be told that the gods had changed her. Well, who wouldn’t have fainted?

Meagan shifted and put more of her weight on Mary’s breasts. Mary grimaced and gently moved her back to her original position. Whatever the gods changed in Meagan, they did a thorough job. She looked at the others in the room. There was her mom, Callingenia, and Ardaniahna. Her cousins had been sent to watch television or play video games. Neither needed to be here for this. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be here for this.

“So,” Mary said. “The gods changed Meagan so that we’d stay together?”

“Yes,” answered Callingenia. “Remember, the gods do not ‘play fair.’ They will do whatever they feel they need to, to get what they want.”

“Surely not all of them,” Mrs. Bridges asked.

“All of the ones that are most interested in humanity,” Callingenia said. “They never deal straight. Remember that.”

“But yet, here you are, guarding the emissary at the behest of a goddess,” Ardaniahna stated.

“Because Nyx is one scary bitch,” the succubus said. “She is a primordial goddess. That means she’s been around since the universe began. Not a lot of gods can say that and mean it.”

“But what does that mean,” the mermaid asked.

“It means that none of the other gods are willing to mess with her,” Callingenia replied. “Not unless it’s very important.”

“That’s why Zeus is afraid of her,” Carol said.

Callingenia nodded. “Yes. Nyx was around when the war against the Great Old Ones . . . oh.”

“’Oh’ what,” Carol asked. “And why does that title sound familiar?”

“Because the author H.P. Lovecraft wrote about them,” Callingenia said with a shudder. “The Time Lost Prophet scared a lot of beings with his writings.”

“What does a human author have to do with anything,” Ardaniahna asked.

“I agree with the mermaid,” Mary said. “He’s been dead for years.”

“No,” Callingenia said firmly. “He’s still alive. He’s the Time Lost Prophet. To him, his death has not occurred.”

“That explains so much,” Carol said. “I always felt a damp chill whenever I was near one of his books. And he did have a closed casket funeral.”

Mary was puzzled. She looked at Ardaniahna and could see that she was as well. “Why would that matter? A lot of people have closed casket funerals. All that means is that how they died did not leave the body in a good condition.”

“You’re right that his body was in no way viewable by those not prepared,” Callingenia said. “That was why he had two burials. One in secret and one for the public. His secret burial was in a non-disclosed location, surrounded by various charms, runes, and sigils. And that’s not counting what was carved into a blessed lead coffin.”

“Why would he have needed to be buried like that,” Ardaniahna asked. “What could a human have done to warrant that?”

“He was, is, the prophet for the Great Old Ones,” Carol quietly said. “In order for that to have happened, he would have come into contact with one of them, or one of their relics. A mortal mind is not capable of experiencing either without going mad. Those that don’t go mad are protected because they’ve invited a piece of a Great Old One to come into them. Insanity is the least of their problems then.”

Both Ardaniahna and Mary had puzzled looks on their faces.

“Their bodies start changing,” the succubus said. “Changing in ways not suitable to sustaining life.”

Both the teens’ faces grew sickly as they realized what they had been told. “Okay, I can see why they had a secret funeral for Lovecraft now,” Mary said. “But why would he do anything like that?”

“Nobody knows,” Carol said. “He started writing books well before he showed any sign of corruption.”

“But what does he have to do with now,” the mermaid asked.

“Simple,” Callingenia said. “I believe the Great Old Ones may be coming back.”

Undisclosed location in Rome

Cardinal Lucca studied the men in front of him. They were good, devout men. Men that would follow the orders of the Church without question. None of them were ranked high in the priesthood, but that was a good thing. With what was happening in the world right now, eyes were on all high ranking members of any organized religion. Everybody wanted to know what they would do regarding the so-called emissary.

“Do you understand what I am asking of you,” he finally said.

“Yes, Cardinal,” their leader said. “You want us to go to America and study this emissary. If it is pure, we come back and tell you. If it is not pure, we are then to purify it.”

“That is correct,” the cardinal smiled. “Please be careful not to let anybody know why you’re there. If it is evil, it will have numerous guards to keep away the faithful. Only the gullible and wicked will be allowed near. It won’t do for you to fail in this task.”

“We will not fail,” the man said. “We will make sure all is as it should be.”

“I know you will,” the cardinal said. “Now, time is short. Go with God.” The men bowed and left the room. Cardinal Lucca sat for a few minutes after the men left. He was sure the matter of this fake emissary would be solved soon. Then the real emissary can reveal himself. When God returned to reclaim the world, He would surely reward the cardinal. For now, he must wait for that glorious time. But he knew how the make the time pass faster.

The door opened and two men wearing dark cloaks entered the room. Between them was a smaller figure. The Cardinal smiled. Yes, he knew how to make the time pass faster.

Helmi woke with a gasp. Panting, she flailed around until she found the light switch. She tuned it on and turned to sit on the edge of her bed. As she calmed herself, she made plans. She had to call the others. She grabbed her cell phone from its charger and called her friend.

“Älä viitsi, Kaarina. Nosta puhelin.” [Come on, Kaarina. Pick up the phone.]

“Moi,” a groggy voice answered. [Hello.]

“Lopuksi,” Helmi said. “Kaarina, ala soittaa muille. Meidän on ehdittävä ensimmäiselle lennolle Amerikkaan.” [Finally. Kaarinna, call the others. We need to catch the first available flight to America.]

“Mikä? Miksi?” [What? Why?]

“Freya on antanut meille tehtävän,” Helmi explained as she started gathering her clothes. “Meidän on suojeltava lähettilästä. Hän uskoo olevansa vaarassa!” [Freya has given us a mission. We must protect the emissary. She believes she is in danger!]

“Todella!” Kaarina exclaimed. Now fully awake. [Truly!]

“En valehtelisi tästä.” Helmi assured her friend. [I would not lie about this.]

“Jumalia ylistetään.” Kaarina cheered. “Alan soittaa muille. Sitten voimme tehdä suunnitelmia.” [The gods be praised. I will start calling the others. Then we can make plans.]

Meagan yawned and snuggled closer to her pillow. It was big and warm. There was a pleasant scent that she couldn’t quite place. And it seemed to be moving? She opened her eyes and stared at her pillow. Only, it wasn’t a pillow. It was a breast. Bigger than her head. She looked up into the owner’s amber oval eyes.

“Could you please stop doing that,” the owner asked. “They’re sensitive.”

With a squeak of surprise, Meagan jumped up. Only to trip. Meagan looked to see what she had tipped over. It was the coils of a gigantic snake. Frantically, she followed the body looking for the head. Hopefully the snake had already eaten and wasn’t hungry for more. She was surprised when the snake’s body turned into a girl’s hips. Those hips lead to a small waist. Which in turn lead to a pair of impossibly huge but incredibly magnificent breasts.

It was the breasts that jogged her memory. They were so big and full. Despite their size, there was little sag. Meagan knew that the larger breasts grew, the more they sagged. At least, that is what her mother told her. And she only told her after Meagan admitted to being jealous of the more developed girls at school. But there was not hint of jealousy within her. There admiration and a huge desire to play with them.

“Could you stop staring at my breasts,” the owner asked again.

Blushing furiously, Meagan jerked her gaze up. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “Wait a minute,” she shouted as she studied the very feminine face in front of her. “Matthew, is that you?”

A faint blush appeared on the girl’s cheeks. “Yes, Meagan,” she answered. “It’s me. My name is Mary now.”

“Oh,” Meagan said. She honestly didn’t know what else to say. She had only came here to find out his and his aunt’s opinion on last night’s announcement. She did not expect to find the emissary. Suddenly realizing that she was still leaning against Mary’s body, Meagan awkwardly pushed herself up. Once she was upright, Meagan didn’t know what to do. And, for some reason, she couldn’t take her eyes off Mary’s lower body. She was finding it strangely sexy.

“Is this something I should get used to,” Mary asked. “People staring at my tail, I mean. I know there will be people staring at my breasts. But my tail as well?”

The words caused Meagan to jerk her head up. What was wrong with her, she wondered. She needed to stop staring at Mary. To distract herself, Meagan started looking around the room. She saw that she was in the Bridges’ sitting room. The two sofas and three chairs were in the same position she remembered. She was sitting in one sofa with Mat-, uh, Mary. Mary’s tail occupying most of the cushions.

A beautiful teen girl was sitting awkwardly in one of the chairs. She was wearing a peasant blouse, skirt, and shoes. Somehow, she looked uncomfortable wearing them. How that could be, she didn’t know. The clothes looked comfortable enough. She did not want to look at the darkly beautiful woman. But she had no other choice. She had looked at everything else in the room. Reluctantly she looked at the last person in the room.

She was a darkly beautiful woman. The type of woman that mothers warn their sons from. And watch their husbands around. The type of woman that you know is bad for you, but you’d still get with her anyway. The type of woman boys went crazy over. The type of woman Meagan wasn’t. She knew her boyfriend would be staring at her. But that was the problem. Her boyfriend was no longer her boyfriend. He was now a she. And not even human. How was she supposed to deal with that.

Meagan looked away from the woman. She looked upon her former boyfriend, the emissary. Again, she felt a swelling in her chest. Even knowing the love she felt was fake didn’t stop her from feeling it. As her gaze passed over Mary’s arms and tail, ideas popped into her mind. Her face turned red and she looked away.

“Are you mad at me,” Mary asked.

“No, I’m not mad at you,” Meagan said. “How can I be mad at you? You didn’t do anything.” She took one of the snake woman’s four hands. She paused when she felt how soft and smooth the skin was. “You’re the most beautiful creature in the world. How can anyone be made at you?”

Mary blushed. “I know it’s the gods making you say that,” she said.

“Doesn’t make it any less true,” Meagan countered.

Mary’s blush darkened. She looked helplessly toward the beautiful woman.

“I know what she meant to say,” the woman said. “My name is Callingenia. And what Mary meant was that you should wait until you’re no longer near her. Then see if you still love her. A relationship founded on false love will not last.”

Meagan wanted to argue. But she knew Callingenia spoke the truth. A relationship full of lies will not work. She sighed. “It doesn’t matter,” she said. “I still love her, even if it’s because of the gods.” She shuddered. “That just feels weird.”

“How is your mom going to take this,” Mary suddenly asked.

Meagan’s eyes widened. She hadn’t thought about that. How was her mom going to take it? She was a very devout woman. Something like this may not go well with her. She didn’t think her mom would abandon her. Especially now.

“Don’t worry,” Mary said. “I can tell her you love me because of the gods. She can’t blame you if the gods change you, right?”

Meagan blushed at Mary’s words. The sudden rush of emotions they caused made her giddy. “Thank you,” she shyly said. “But I should be okay. Mom isn’t like that.”

“Excuse me,” Ardaniahna said. “But why is she worried about what her mother thinks?”

“Human mothers are sometimes strange,” Mary said after a moment. “While most do love their children, some of them put conditions on that love. In this case, we’re afraid that Meagan’s mother may be one of them. That she won’t love Meagan if Meagan is a lover of women.” Mary looked at her tail. “Well, female.”

“Are they mad,” the mermaid asked. “How could they turn their backs on their children for such a petty reason?”

The snake girl and human girl both shrugged their shoulders. They didn’t have an answer for that.

Callingenia cleared her throat. “Humans are fickle and strange,” she said once she had their attention. “They will change their minds for the silliest of reasons. For some parents, they care more for what their child can do than they care for the child itself.”

“That’s horrible! Why doesn’t somebody stop it?”

“We’re trying,” Mary said. “Unfortunately, too many ‘leading’ members of society think like that. And they don’t want anybody interfering with how they raise their children.”

“Not to mention the politicians,” Meagan said.

“Oh, yeah,” Mary said. “Can’t forget about them.”

“Politicians,” the mermaid asked. “Who are they?”

“They’re the people who officially run this country,” Callingenia said. “In reality, they maintain the status quo and line their pockets with money. Changes are made. But they’re cosmetic. Once you get past the surface, nothing’s changed.”

Meagan and Mary stared at the succubus. “Okay,” Mary said. “Meagan and I live here. So, why are you so upset with the politicians?”

“Did you know,” Callingenia began, “that this nation is the only one still using imperial measurements? Every other nation has switched to the metric system. That includes little tin pot dictators! And that’s because the politicians don’t want to change the school systems!”

“That sounds bad,” Ardaniahna said.

“It is,” Mary said. “But change is coming. They are starting to change the school system, slowly.”

“By change, you mean standardizing,” Meagan put in. “And by standardizing, you mean removing the things they don’t like.”

“I’d argue,” Mary said. “But you’re right.”

“What do you mean by that,” Callingenia asked.

“Well,” Mary said. “In history, they didn’t mention the Tuskegee Airmen. The only all black fighter squadron ever. They’re also the most decorated fighter squadron in U.S. history. And they only squadron to not lose a plane they were escorting.”

“Don’t forget the Wind Talkers,” Meagan said. “The Navaho Indians played a key part in World War II. They provided an unbreakable code for our forces in the Pacific. The Japanese could not decipher their native language.”

“Those are just two examples of things the government forgot to teach,” Mary said. “There are others. Some good, and some bad. Either way, we need to remember them.”

Callingenia smiled. “And that’s why you’ll make a great emissary. You’ll do everything in your power to make sure all are treated fairly. Including bringing up past mistakes and triumphs.”

“I thought my job was to get humanity ready for the return of the gods,” Mary said.

“But they’re not the only ones returning,” the succubus said. “Beings like me and Ardaniahna are also returning. Some never left. They just hid from humans. The Catholic Church declared every thinking being that wasn’t human an affront unto God.”

“That can’t be right,” Meagan said. “The Church couldn’t have done that. It represents God. Doesn’t it?”

“No, it doesn’t,” Callingenia said. “While people believe it does, the Church hasn’t represented God’s words for centuries. Too many greedy men have held positions of power in the Church. Don’t get me wrong, the Catholic Church has done many great deeds. But it has done some horrific ones as well.” She studied the teen girl for a moment. “I’ll tell you those later, if you wish it. For now, let us talk of something more pleasant.”

“We’re going to have to do something about your names,” Mary said after a moment.”

The succubus and mermaid looked at each other. Then turned toward Mary. “What about our names,” Ardaniahna asked.

“I’m going to tie my tongue in knots if I keep saying them,” Mary replied.

“Our names are not that hard to say,” Callingenia said flatly. “And I don’t think your tongue is that long. Most human tongues aren’t.”

“Well, I’m not human anymore,” Mary said. “And my tongue is that long. See?” She stuck her tongue out. Eighteen inches of muscle extended from Mary’s mouth. It was flatter than a normal human tongue and the last three inches were split into a fork. Callingenia blinked at the sight. Ardaniahna just looked. Meagan had a more surprising reaction.

Meagan slammed her legs together with a squeak. Her face turned red as she stared at Mary’s tongue. Suddenly she closed her eyes and shuddered. A low moan could be heard. Her eyes snapped open, and she looked at the three females staring at her. Her face became even redder. “Excuse me,” she said. “But I think I’ll be going home now.”

Meagan stood up, keeping her legs together with her hands in front of her crotch. She carefully moved so that she didn’t show her back to any of the three. “I need to tell my mom what I heard,” she said. “I’ll come back when she’s decided what to do.” As soon as she cleared the door, she turned and hurried out the house.

“What got into her,” Mary asked.

“The gods really messed her up,” Callingenia said. “You two need to sit down and talk about this. You really need to discover all that they did to you.”

“Okay,” Mary slowly said. “But why did she rush off?”

The succubus stared at the half snake girl. “You can’t be that naïve,” she said. “If you really don’t know, ask your mother. Better yet, ask Meagan. That should get you two talking.”

~ * ~

The team arrived in America with no problems. Nor were they expecting any. They were from the Church. No one would dare purposely inconvenience them. They gathered their bags and gear, bypassed customs and entered two black SUVs. It was a pity there wasn’t an airport closer to their target. Even so, they expected to be on their way back to Rome in 72 hours.