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.