Zack hated summer school.

The whole point of summer vacation was to give kids a two-to-three month break from school, wasn't it? So why even have summer school? That just totally defeated the purpose. But Zack's parents insisted that he needed it, so here he was, sitting in the classroom while listening to Mrs. Swanson drone on and on about math.

Of course, it wasn't all bad. Zack's best friend Miles was in summer school too, and he had the same class as Zack. Both Zack and Miles were in the same grade, and they went to the same high school, so it made sense that they'd be grouped together. But, unlike Zack, Miles didn't have overbearing parents that were making him do this. He lived in a foster home, since his parents had died a long time ago. And Miles went to summer school because he wanted to get better credit for his college application.

Towards the end of class, Mrs. Swanson gave the students some time to get a head start on tonight's homework. Zack only made it through four out of the fifteen math problems before he gave up. "I hate this," he grumbled. "I hate math."

Mrs. Swanson made a tsk-tsk noise. "You know hating isn't allowed in my classroom, Mr. Wright," she said.

"Well, then, I really, really, REALLY don't like math," said Zack.

"Want me to help you?" Miles asked.

"Sure," said Zack.

Miles, who was way better at math than Zack was, looked over what Zack had done so far and then started to help him with the remaining math problems. Unfortunately, they only made it halfway through the worksheet before the bell rang. "We'll finish it later," Zack said, stuffing his worksheet into his backpack.

"I'll ask Mr. Al if you can come over to the foster home," said Miles.

"You know he's gonna say yes anyway," said Zack.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Zack and Miles left Mrs. Swanson's classroom and went down the hall. Since school was over for the day, that meant all the kids could go home and have some real summer vacation time. Well, except for the homework that the summer school provided. But it was a lot less homework than they had during the regular school year.

As they were going down the hall, Zack faltered by the bathrooms. "Hang on a minute," he said. "I've gotta go to the bathroom."

"Alright," said Miles. "I'll watch your backpack."

Zack gave his backpack to Miles and reached for the boys' bathroom door handle. But, to his surprise, it was locked. "What the heck?" he asked. He tried the door several more times, but to no avail.

"Uh-oh," said Miles. "I think the janitor left it locked again."

"That stupid janitor," Zack grumbled. He looked around, trying to figure out what to do next, and his eyes fell upon the girls' bathroom. "Wait a minute..."

"What?" Miles asked. But he followed Zack's gaze and saw the girls' bathroom, then said "Oh, no. No, no, no, man."

"I know," said Zack, "But I don't know if I can hold it all the way to my house."

"So? You can't go into the girls' bathroom!"

"I think I'm gonna have to," said Zack. "Just keep watch out here." Before Miles could argue, Zack tried the girls' bathroom door and found that it was unlocked. He dashed into the girls' bathroom and came face-to-face with a row of four stalls. He peeked under the stalls and saw no feet. Good, he thought. As long as Miles kept watch outside, and as long as he made it quick, he'd be okay.

Zack locked himself inside one of the bathroom stalls, pulled his pants down, and sat on the toilet seat. He let out a sigh of relief as his poop fell into the toilet bowl. But as he was doing his business, he felt a strange, warm feeling in his butt. Zack looked down and was surprised to see his legs lengthening and smoothing out, with their hair retracting into the skin. Zack looked at his hands, and he saw that they were shrinking, and his fingernails smoothing out. His eyebrows, nose, and lips tickled, but before he could register the feeling, his red hair grew out and fell in front of his face. "What's going on?" Zack asked. But as his words left his mouth, he realized his voice was higher now. "Wait. Was that...my voice?" As he said it, he felt a swelling occurring on his chest. Sweeping his hair out of his vision, he looked down and saw...could it be? Were those...boobs growing inside his shirt? Zack grabbed at his right breast and gasped at how sensitive it was. It was real! But there was still the final change left. Zack felt a pulling sensation from his groin, almost as if his penis and balls were folding in on themselves. Zack wasn't sure if he wanted to see what was going on down there, but his curiosity got the better of him. He craned over to see past his boobs and saw nothing between his legs-just a smooth vagina covered in curly red pubic hair.

"Oh no," Zack gasped. "I...I just turned into a girl!" All of a sudden, he, or now she, started to pee. "What?" she screamed, shocked. "I'm peeing as a girl, too?" It felt so weird not having to aim or anything with a penis. Just...sitting down and letting the pee out. But when Zack was done peeing, she wasn't sure what to do next. "Now what?" she cried. "I can't go out like this. I can't..." She trailed off. She was seeing yet another weird sight before her eyes. Her boxer shorts were shrinking down and morphing into a pair of thin white panties. Her shorts shortened slightly and turned into a smooth skirt. Her shirt's sleeves disappeared, allowing it to turn into a tank top while a bra formed underneath it. Zack's socks and shoes also shifted to accommodate her new feminine feet.

Zack stood up, pulled her pants back up, and went out to wash her hands. Seeing her new female face in the mirror was surreal. She looked so different, and yet also kind of...pretty. She looked like the kind of girl she would've masturbated to as a boy.

Once her hands were squeaky clean, Zack nervously walked out of the bathroom door to where Miles was waiting. Mile's eyes widened when he saw Zack leave the bathroom. "What the...who are you..."

"Hi Miles," Zack said awkwardly.

"Wait a minute." Miles squinted at Zack's new face, as if he was trying to make out minute details. "There wasn't anyone else in that bathroom, was there?"

"No."

"Oh no," Miles asked. "This is bad. This is very bad..."

"What is?"

"You're Zack, aren't you? That bathroom-it turned you into a girl somehow!"

There was no point hiding it. "Yeah," said Zack. "I don't know how, but it did."

Miles hemmed and hawed. "We should go talk to somebody," he said, "Figure out what to do next."

"But what about my parents?" Zack asked. "What are they gonna say?"

"I don't know," said Miles. "Just go home and tell them what happened."

"They won't believe me!"

"Well, you have to try. But in the meantime, I think I know who to talk to about this."

To be continued...

It was a fifteen minute walk from the school to Zack's house. All the way there, Zack contemplated how she'd break the news to her parents. Would she text them before she got home to tell them what happened? Would she knock on the door and say hi before telling them the whole story? Hundreds of different scenarios played out in her mind, each even worse than the last.

Eventually, Zack reached her house's front driveway. Okay, she told herself. Don't overthink it. Just go up and tell Mom and Dad what happened. Zack went up to the front door, pulled out her house key, and inserted it into the lock. Her heart beating rapidly, Zack entered her front doorway and looked around. "Hello?" she called. "Is anyone home?"

"What?" Zack's mom came around the corner and was surprised to see a young, 16-year-old redheaded girl in her entry hall. "Who are you?"

Zack forced a friendly smile. "This is going to sound really weird," she said, "But I'm your son Zack."

Zack's mom crinkled her nose in disbelief. "Don't be absurd," she said. "You're not my son. And I know I don't have a daughter either."

"Well, you do now. I went into the girls' bathroom at school, and it turned me into a girl."

"How is that even possible?"

"Er..." Zack hadn't thought of that. Why did that bathroom turn him into a her? Was there some kind of magic spell placed on it? Had he wished to be a girl at some point and forgotten about it, only to have said wish come true? But if it was the former, then could the boys' bathroom turn her normal? So many questions, but now was not the time to address them. "I don't know. But it did."

Zack's mom shook her head. "Enough games, young lady," she said. "Leave my house and go back to your real home."

"But this is my real home!"

"No, it isn't."

"Mom, I swear-"

"I am not your mom!" Zack's mom said with a slightly raised voice. "Now go!"

Zack hung her head. There was no way of making her mom believe her. She turned and left, shutting her front door behind her. All hope was lost. Her own mother did not recognize her, and therefore kicked her out. It was like Zack had turned 18 a couple years early. But Zack had no idea where to go. She didn't have any family that lived in the area, and she didn't have...well, there was Miles' foster home, but getting a bed there would be easier said than done. There was probably a lot of paperwork to fill out to verify that she didn't have parents that would take care of her. And if Zack's mom wouldn't believe her story about being turned into a girl, then who was to say that the police and social security workers would?

Zack sat on the curb and started to cry. She'd never been so quick to cry when upset before. It must've been the new female hormones affecting how she handled stressful situations like this. But Zack was so upset, she didn't care. She had lost everything, all because she'd used the wrong bathroom at school. What had she been thinking? She should've tried to find another bathroom at the school, or tried to hold it until she got home. Then none of this would've happened. But it had happened, and now there was nothing she could do.

After a few minutes of crying, Zack realized she should get away from her parents' house. If her mom or dad looked out the window and saw that she was still there, then things would get even uglier. So she stood up and started walking down the street. She wasn't sure where her destination was, exactly. Maybe she could go to Miles' orphanage to try and sort something out with the management staff there? Or could she talk to someone else from school?

Fortunately, she didn't need to do any of that. After she'd gone for a couple blocks, a white car pulled up beside her. "Excuse me, miss!" the driver called. "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere," said Zack.

"Nowhere, you say?" The driver got out of the car, and Zack realized with a jolt that it was Miles' foster home manager Mr. Al. Mr. Al was a man in his early forties with warm brown skin, a clean shaven face, and a sharp-looking black suit. His demeanor conveyed seriousness, but everyone who knew Mr. Al could attest that he was actually a really nice guy.

"Well...I don't know where I'm going," Zack admitted. "My parents just kicked me out of the house, so now I'm trying to figure out what to do next."

"I figured as much," said Mr. Al. "I've been taking in kids off the streets for years. I've learned to tell when a young man or lady like you has been disowned by their family."

"I'll bet," said Zack. She didn't want to give off the impression that she recognized Mr. Al, since that would lead to tricky questions about her gender predicament.

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"And what's your name?"

Zack almost said Zack, but she caught herself. She couldn't go by a boy's name! But when she frantically scrolled down her list of girl names, she couldn't think of anything close to Zack. "Zoe," she blurted out.

"Zoe?"

"Uh...yes."

"Nice to meet you, Zoe. My name is Albert Chase, but you can call me Mr. Al. I'm the manager of the local foster home that specializes in taking in homeless kids like you. And if you'd like a place to live, then I'd be more than happy to oblige."

"Yes, please," said Zack. Or...could she call herself Zack anymore? She'd just adopted the moniker of Zoe, so...was that her name now?

"Very well. Then get into my car."

***

Zack/Zoe rode with Mr. Al to the foster home where Miles lived at. It was located downtown, and it consisted of a large, three-story building that took up a quarter of a city block by itself. Zack/Zoe had been there quite a few times over the years to visit Miles. She knew it was a really good foster home, and the kids and staff there formed a rather pleasant community.

"Now, I'm going to have to go through some paperwork to officially 'adopt' you as part of my foster home," said Mr. Al, "But for right now, I'm gonna show you to your new room."

"Okay," said Zack/Zoe. When the car parked, she got out and followed Mr. Al into the building. He led her up to the second floor, where there were about twenty dorm rooms all lined up with one another.

"You're gonna have three other roommates here," said Mr. Al. "And they're all gonna be girls, if that's okay."

"I guess so," said Zack/Zoe.

"Alright then," said Mr. Al. He went up to Dorm #105 and knocked three times.

"Come in!" said a voice from inside.

Mr. Al opened the door to the dorm. "Good afternoon, young ladies," he said. "Welcome your new roommate, Zoe!"

"Hey guys," said Zoe. Screw it, that's what she was gonna call herself. She'd chosen that name, might as well live with it.

"So Zoe, this is gonna be your bunkmate Avery," Mr. Al said, indicating the girl who'd said they could come in. She looked to be a year older than Zoe, with bushy brown hair and freckles covering her face.

"I am?" Avery asked, surprised. "I mean, yeah, I am," she said. "It's nice to meet you, Zoe."

"It's nice to meet you too," said Zoe.

"And these are Geraldine and Roxy," said Mr. Al.

"Hi, uh...everyone," said Zoe. The girls seemed nice, but everything felt kind of overwhelming. In just one afternoon, Zoe had been yanked out of her life and dropped into a new one. The change may not have been all bad, but it was still very drastic. Zoe wasn't sure if she liked it.

"Now, is there anything else you need to get situated here?" Mr. Al asked.

"Uh...I don't...I think I might need more clothes?" said Zoe.

"Ah, yes," said Mr. Al. "Perhaps I could have one of my employees take you clothes shopping?"

"I guess so," said Zoe.

"Want me to go, too?" Avery asked curiously. "I could help."

"Sure, whatever," said Zoe.

***

Mr. Al got one of his employees, a woman named Mrs. Winnaker, to take Zoe and Avery to the mall to get some new clothes for Zoe. Fortunately, the magic (?) bathroom had given Zoe a pair of panties, a bra, a tank top, a skirt, and a pair of girls' shoes, all of which she still had with her. So it was easy to look at the sizes on the clothes' tags and determine which would fit Zoe the best.

Zoe suffered through it all-sifting through racks of shirts, feeling the tight jeans, and-erp!-doing the bra fitting. Twenty-four hours ago, she would never have dreamed she'd be clothes shopping as a girl, but here she was now. Strangest of all, Zoe couldn't help noticing that Avery was looking at her funny. Every time Zoe fumbled on a piece of girls' clothing that she wasn't sure how to wear, Avery would watch her with great scrutiny. Why was she so intrigued? Was this why she'd volunteered to join Zoe-to watch her try and get used to being girly? Except Avery couldn't have known the truth about Zoe...could she?

All was revealed when Zoe and Avery were taken back to their dorm room at Mr. Al's foster home. "Well, thanks for the help, Avery," Zoe said, trying to be as polite as possible.

"No problem," said Avery. "It's always a pleasure to help a new roommate."

"Did you get a bunch of clothes?" Geraldine asked.

"Yeah," said Zoe. "I don't think I've ever had this many different types of clothes in my life."

"Actually, speaking of which," said Avery, "There's something I wanted to ask you about."

"What is it?"

"Zoe, ever since you got here, you've been acting...not so feminine, considering you're a girl."

Zoe felt her stomach jump. Avery was on to her. "So?"

"So, it's weird. You're sixteen, right?"

"Right."

"Then why was it so hard for you to try on all those bras? If you're sixteen, then you should be used to it by now."

"Uh..."

"You used to be a boy, didn't you."

Zoe's jaw dropped. "How did you know?"

"Because we were, too," said Roxy.

She might as well have hit Zoe with a sledgehammer. "Shut up!"

"No, it's true!" said Avery. "Well, they were, anyway. I was always a girl. But Geraldine and Roxy-they were born as boys, but then they got turned into girls. Lucky Mr. Al took them in, or else who knows what would've happened."

"You've got to be kidding me," said Zoe. "So this whole foster home is full of boys-turned-girls?"

"Not everyone had their gender changed before coming here," said Geraldine. "But yes, a good amount of the girls here used to be boys."

"What about the boys? Were any of them girls before?"

"What-no, there aren't any changed girls. Everyone here is either a biological boy, a biological girl, or a boy who was turned into a girl."

"But why? How did this happen?"

Avery, Geraldine, and Roxy exchanged glances. "It's kind of complicated," said Avery. "You should probably ask Mr. Al."

"Mr. Al?"

"Yes. He's the one who took us in after we got transformed."

"Really?"

"Come on," said Avery. "I'll take you downstairs so you can ask him yourself."

To be continued...

Avery led Zoe downstairs to Mr. Al's office. She knocked on the door, and Mr. Al said "Enter" from inside.

Zoe opened the door and entered the office to see Mr. Al sitting at his desk. "Hi Mr. Al," she said.

"Hey Zoe," said Mr. Al. "Did you need something?"

"You could say that," said Zoe. "I hear Geraldine and Roxy used to be boys, too. Just like me."

Mr. Al stared at Zoe. "You figured that out unusually quickly," he said.

"She didn't figure it out," said Avery. "I did. I noticed Zoe was acting a little less than feminine, and I told her the truth about our roommates."

"And she said to come ask you about it," said Zoe. "So what's going on? Do you know why I turned into a girl?"

"Unfortunately, yes," said Mr. Al. "It was the work of a witch."

"A witch?"

"Yes. Incidents like these are becoming more and more common in the modern day. Witches of all ages will turn boys or men into women. Sometimes they want to punish boys for perving out on them, sometimes they feel like there's too many males in this world, and sometimes they just do it for the fun of it. But it's almost never fun for the witches' victims. Suddenly losing your old life and having to live a new one is a lot. Some men-turned-women can't even handle it, and they end up killing themselves. Fortunately, there are those of us who move against these witches. Witch hunters have developed technology that can detect traces of magic used by the witches, and can help us identify witches that are secretly waging war on the male gender."

"So...are you a witch hunter?" Zoe asked.

"I am indeed," said Mr. Al. "I've managed to exterminate about a dozen witches in my career as a witch hunter. But I don't just hunt witches. When I was given the role of foster home manager to this foster home, I decided to expand my scope. I began looking for young victims of witches that had been turned into girls and taking them into my foster home. Sadly, there is no known way to reverse the witches' magic, so the best my employees and I can do is help kids like you adjust to their new lives."

"Oh," said Zoe. "Well...thank you for taking me in, I guess?"

"This is not something I take lightly," said Mr. Al. "I lost my own son because of a witch."

"You what?"

"A young witch snuck a potion into my son's water bottle at school, and it turned him into a girl," said Mr. Al. "He couldn't handle being a 'she,' so he tied a noose and hung himself."

Zoe gasped. "Oh my god," she said. "I'm so sorry."

"It was awful," said Mr. Al. "I went after that little witch and stormed her house. My men and I managed to kill her mother, but the young witch escaped. And we're still looking for her to this day."

"That's...that's horrible..."

"It is," Avery agreed. "But everyone at this foster home is in on Mr. Al's secret. Whenever we see or hear something that's a possible clue, we report it to Mr. Al."

"I'm kind of curious," said Zoe, "How did you find me? Did you know I'd been a boy before?"

"Let's just say I got...tipped off," Mr. Al answered.

"Tipped off? By who?"

The answer came with the creak of the door opening behind Zoe and Avery. Zoe turned to see Miles entering the room. "Hey Zack," said Miles.

Zoe's jaw dropped. Now it all made sense. Right after the seemingly magic bathroom had turned Zack into Zoe, Miles had said he was going to talk to someone who could help with the situation. And Mr. Al had found Zoe when she'd gotten just a few blocks from her house. Mr. Al must've been the help Miles was referring to.

"Yes, that's right," said Mr. Al. "Your friend Miles came running home to tell me about that bathroom incident-and I went out to find you."

"Yeah...it was my fault," Zoe admitted. "I shouldn't have gone into that girls' bathroom."

"No, it wasn't your fault," said Mr. Al. "It was the work of a witch, no doubt. One of their tricks is enchanting a bathroom or locker room to turn any male who enters into a female."

"I take it your parents didn't react well to seeing you as a girl?" Miles asked.

"My mom didn't even believe me," Zoe answered. "She threw me out."

"As is common in situations like this," said Mr. Al. "Of course, I met a young lady named Saige whose mother was much more accepting of her change."

"You don't think you could talk to my parents, could you?" Zoe asked.

"Me?" said Mr. Al.

"Yes, please. You know all about witches-if anyone can talk some sense into them, it's you."

"Well..."

"You haven't already done all the paperwork to 'adopt' me, have you?"

"I was only just starting," said Mr. Al. "But I suppose we can go to your house and speak with your parents."

"Yes, please," said Zoe.

"Do you still have your backpack and stuff from school?" Miles asked. "If you have your old binders and school ID and stuff, then that might help prove that it's you."

"Oh." Zoe felt really stupid for not thinking of that in the first place. "Yeah, I'll go get it."

***

Once Zoe had gotten her stuff, Mr. Al took her, along with Miles, in his car back to Zoe's house. The three of them gathered on the doorstep and knocked on the door.

After a minute of waiting, the door was answered by Zoe's mom. "Mr. Al?" she asked. Then her eyes fell on Zoe, and she scowled. "You again!"

"Calm down, Mrs. Fletcher," said Mr. Al. "We're just here to reunite you with your son."

"Oh, great, now you're in on this joke, too?" Zoe's mom asked.

"Be reasonable," said Mr. Al. "Why on Earth would I try to mess with you about something like this?"

"Well, our son Zack has been missing since this afternoon," Zoe's mom admitted, "But we did have this young lady come here and try to-"

"Mom, it's me!" Zoe exclaimed. "I'm Zack! Well, Zoe now, but I was Zack!"

"Do you really expect me to believe that?"

"Yes!" Zoe reached into her backpack and pulled out her school ID with the name "Zack Fletcher" and a picture of her old male self. "If it wasn't me, then how would I have this? Or my backpack? Or all my notebooks and binders?" She opened her backpack to show her mom all the stuff inside.

Zoe's mom recognized everything in the backpack as stuff that her son had owned. "Even if I believe that it's you," she said, "How did it happen? How did you..." She thought for a moment. "Turn female?"

"It was a magic bathroom," said Miles.

"I think you'd better come inside," said Zoe's mom.

Zoe, Miles, and Mr. Al came in and sat down on the living room sofa. Zoe's mom got Zoe's dad and had him come in to talk, too. Zoe's parents both listened as Zoe and Miles told them about the bathroom mistake at school, and how Mr. Al had taken in Zoe and revealed himself to be a witch hunter. The Fletchers gaped in amazement as they listened.

"I don't believe it," Zoe's dad said, looking at his new daughter with awe. "Zack, you...you've changed."

"I know," Zoe said shamefully. "I'm sorry, Dad."

"It wasn't her fault," said Mr. Al. "That bathroom was cursed by the young witch in Interstellar High School."

"There's a witch at Interstellar High?"

"That's the only explanation. Whoever this witch is must have put a curse on the bathroom to turn boys into girls. And Zoe's not the first victim of this witch, whoever she is."

"And are you looking for her?"

"Oh yes. My associates and I are hard at work, looking for leads or clues."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Zoe asked. "Me and Miles?"

"I don't know," Mr. Al answered. "But if I need anything from you, I'll tell you."

"So where are you gonna stay now?" Miles asked. "Back at my foster home, or here with your parents?"

"Well, it seems like my parents are a lot more accepting of me now, so..."

"Yes, we'll let you stay with us," Zoe's dad said.

"I'm sorry I kicked you out earlier," her mom added.

"It's okay," Zoe replied. She got up and hugged both her mother and her father.

"Welcome to being a girl, princess."

To be continued...

Zoe took all her girl clothes back into her old bedroom, which was where she slept for the night. When she woke up the next morning, her dad had already left for work, but her mom was still home. "Hi Zoe," her mom said.

"Hi Mom," said Zoe.

"How does it feel? Waking up as a girl?"

"It's...kind of weird," Zoe admitted. "I was hoping yesterday would turn out to just be a bad dream, but it wasn't."

"Don't worry," said Zoe's mom, "Being female isn't all bad."

"I know," said Zoe. "It's a lot easier to go to the bathroom now."

Zoe's mom laughed. "I'll bet."

"So...what about school?"

"What?"

"Summer school. What are we gonna tell everyone?"

"Dad and I were talking about that last night after you went to bed," said Zoe's mom. "We decided that the cover story would be that Zack ran away to live with his uncle in Canada, and you're our daughter that we decided to adopt. You're gonna start at your new school Interstellar High in just a few weeks."

"Oh." Zoe wasn't sure if that explanation would wash, but it wasn't like she had a better idea. "So...no more summer school?"

"Nope. In fact, I think you and I should go shopping."

"Shopping? But I already got a bunch of girl clothes yesterday."

"Yes, but I can help get you some other stuff," her mom said. "And maybe we could get some lunch while we're out."

"Alright."

***

Zoe and her mom went to Walmart for some more girly stuff for Zoe. The first thing they scouted out was the purses.

"You need a purse to carry your things in," Zoe's mom said.

"Why? I've already got my pockets."

"Yes, but purses are more...feminine."

Zoe sighed. "I guess I'll go with that one," she said, pointing to a small white purse with enough space for a Chihuahua to curl up inside.

"Great," her mom said. "Now, for makeup..."

"Uh-oh."

"Relax, it's fun," Zoe's mom said, leading her to the makeup aisle. "And it makes you look even prettier."

Zoe looked at the lines of lipstick, mascara, and other makeup kits. As a boy, Zack had always ignored the aisles of makeup at the store, since he knew that that stuff wasn't for him. But now that Zoe actually had to pick out makeup for herself...it felt so overwhelming. There were just so many different brands, and colors, and variations.

"I guess I can get that thing of lipstick?" Zoe said, pointing at the first pack of lipstick she saw. "And that concealer stuff?"

"Sure," Zoe's mom said, taking the makeup tubes Zoe had pointed at. "It's always best to start with the basics."

"Anything else I need?"

"Probably some hair ties and barrettes for your hair."

Those turned out to be really easy to get. The barrettes and hair ties came in packs, and they all looked pretty much the same. So there was no need to fuss-Zoe could just grab a pack of each and be done with it. "Okay," she said to her mom. "Anything else?"

Zoe's mom thought for a minute. "Tampons," she said. "That's bound to start sooner or later."

Zoe gulped. "Okay."

Once Zoe and her mom had picked out some feminine hygiene products, they went down to the cash register. They had to wait a while while the mom and kids in front of them had their cartload of groceries rang up by the cashier. But when it came their turn, Zoe looked at the cashier and gasped. She knew that guy! It was Nate Frederickson. He'd gone to Interstellar High with Zack, though he'd graduated a year ago. But now he was here working at a Walmart cash register.

"What?" Nate asked.

"Oh." Zoe had to remind herself that nobody she knew-except Miles-would recognize her. "Nothing. I-I thought I recognized you."

Nate looked Zoe up and down, but then he noticed her mom. "Hey, are you Mrs. Fletcher?"

"Yes, I am. And you're Nate Frederickson?"

"Yes, that's me," said Nate. "How's Zack doing?"

"He ran away," Zoe's mom said sadly.

"What?"

"Yeah. He left a note saying that he was tired of suburban life, so he was gonna go up to Canada to live with his uncle. I haven't heard from him since, but I hope he's doing okay."

"That sucks," said Nate. "Zack's a good guy."

"He was. Hopefully we'll see him again soon."

The irony of all this made Zoe feel sad. Zack WAS here, she thought. He'd just been turned into Zoe by that stupid magic bathroom. Zoe didn't know how close Mr. Al was to finding that witch who'd put a curse on the bathroom, but she hoped he'd find it soon. And, better yet, there'd turn out to be a cure for her predicament.

After they'd paid for everything, Zoe and her mom left Walmart and went to Subway for lunch. They both ordered their sandwiches and found a table to sit at. "So did you recognize Nate?" Zoe's mom asked.

"Yes," Zoe said miserably. "I wish he knew it was me."

"I'll bet," her mom said. "Dad and I actually talked about telling everyone you came out as transgender, but we realized that if there really was a witch out there, then that might paint you as a target for her."

"Why would she be out to get me?" Zoe asked. "She wasn't targeting me with that bathroom...was she?"

"Probably better not to take any chances," her mom answered.

Just then, the door jingled as someone else entered the store. When Zoe saw who it was, her heart leapt. It was Brittany Meier and a couple of her friends. Brittany was in Zack/Zoe's grade at Interstellar High, and Zack had had a crush on her from the moment he first laid eyes on her. He just loved her smooth skin, beautiful brown eyes, and wavy brown hair that she sometimes dyed black, or blue, or some other color. Zack would've thought that, now that she was Zoe, she'd have different hormones and therefore wouldn't be attracted to Brittany anymore, but she found that that wasn't true. She still felt the same elation at the sight of Brittany, the same-

"Zoe?"

"Oh-nothing," Zoe said defensively.

Zoe's mom followed her gaze and saw Brittany. "Oh," she said. "You see Brittany Meier?"

"Yeah."

"You don't...still like her, do you?"

"Well...I don't know how to say this, but...I kind of do!"

"Really?"

"Yeah. I know it's weird, but..."

"I guess your sexual orientation didn't change. Did it?"

"Well, I was attracted to girls when I was a guy," said Zoe, "But I haven't seen any guys that I feel attracted to yet, so..."

"Maybe you somehow kept your feelings for Brittany when you transformed?"

"Probably. I don't know how it works." Zoe watched Brittany and her friends get their sandwiches and find a table to sit at. "But I'm pretty sure Brittany is straight, so..."

"That doesn't mean you can't be friends with her," Zoe's mom said. "And since you're a girl now, it'll probably be easier to talk to her."

"Maybe. I don't know." Zoe took another bite of her sandwich before saying "But it's not just Brittany. Everyone at school that I knew won't 'know' me. They'll think I'm a new girl that just came to the school."

"At least you still have Miles."

"Yeah, but he's just one guy."

"Well, if you already know a lot of people at Interstellar High, then I don't imagine it'll be that hard to interact with them. And if they find you easy to talk to, then you'll probably make even more new friends."

"Let's hope so."

***

School was coming. Zoe's parents had to go through a lot of paperwork to get her signed up for her "first" year at Interstellar High, but they got it all done. Zoe got her schedule in the mail, and to her delight, she had three classes with Miles-and one with that girl Avery from the foster home.

But the most important update came just a week before school started. Zoe had just gotten out of the shower when Miles called her and said Mr. Al wanted her to come to the foster home. Apparently there was something he wanted to talk with her about. So Zoe had her mom give her a ride to the foster home and meet up with Miles there.

"Hey Zack-I mean, Zoe," said Miles. "Jeez, it's gonna take me forever to get used to calling you that."

"I know," said Zoe. "What does Mr. Al want?"

"He found a lead on the witch responsible for..." He gestured at Zoe. "This."

Zoe's heart leapt. "Really?"

"Yes. But he wanted to explain it to you himself."

Miles led Zoe into the foster home where Mr. Al's office was located. When they entered they were greeted by Mr. Al. "Hello, Zoe," he said. "How's the female life?"

"It's...different," said Zoe. "Different clothes, different personal hygiene...different everything."

"She says she's getting used to it okay," said Miles.

"Good," said Mr. Al.

"I hear you wanted to tell me something," said Zoe. "About that witch."

"I do indeed," said Mr. Al. "I don't know if I mentioned this to you before, but there are people working for me all over the city. I've got accomplices working in social security, the school board, the post office, and even the police force. Everyone who's secretly affiliated with me keeps an eye out for any signs of witch activity and reports them to me."

"And someone's given you a report," Zoe guessed.

"Yes," said Mr. Al. "One of my social security associates has looked into the genealogy records of a woman we know was a witch and traced her family tree to the family whose daughter worked her magic on my son."

"The one you staked out. The one whose daughter escaped."

"Right. The witch had actually had two daughters, but one of them was placed for adoption when she was very young. The second daughter was the one that the witch kept-and the one that escaped when my men and I stormed the witch's house. We didn't know what the daughter's name was or where she ended up-until now."

Mr. Al opened up a window on his computer and turned it around to show Zoe and Miles. "We think this is the girl who escaped," he said. "Her name is Skylar Gregson."

Zoe and Miles both gasped. "No way!" Zoe exclaimed.

"Do you know her?" Mr. Al asked.

"Know her? She's only, like, the most popular girl at Interstellar High!"

"Interesting," said Mr. Al.

"But we don't, like, know her-know her," Zoe clarified. "We know who she is, but I don't think she knows us."

"Well, all the evidence we have points to her being the witch we're looking for," said Mr. Al. "Miles, you might remember Tammy-she actually saw the witch who turned her into a girl, and she said she had blonde hair and pale skin-just like Skylar does. And Skylar's 'parents' adopted her right around the time we stormed her real mother's house."

Miles glared at the picture of Skylar Gregson. "I always knew there was something I didn't like about that bitch," he said.

"So why are you telling us this?" Zoe asked.

"Because I need your help," said Mr. Al. "Zoe, you're gonna be a 'new girl' this school year at Interstellar High, so that gives you an advantage. I need you to try and ascend in the social ranks and get closer to Skylar. If you can find any concrete evidence of her being a witch-any at all-then that's all we need to know she's the one we're looking for. Then we can capture her and put an end to her crime spree."

Zoe gulped. Mr. Al was asking a lot of her. Trying to get close to a potential witch could be very dangerous. But if Zoe helped bring Skylar to justice, then there'd be fewer people in the same situation as her. "Alright," said Zoe. "I'll try to prove Skylar."

"Excellent," said Mr. Al. "And if you need help from Miles, or Avery, or anyone from my foster home, just ask."

"I will," Zoe promised.

To be continued...

Before Zoe knew it, the first day of school came. And when that day came, she knew that the time had come to carry out the mission Mr. Al had given her and Miles. She didn't know if she'd have any classes with Skylar, but she was going to keep an eye out.

"Okay, Zoe," Zoe's dad said when he dropped her off at the front of the school. "Be careful with that girl Skylar. Don't let her know you're on to her."

"I'll try not to," said Zoe. She hugged her dad before getting out of the car and going up to the school's front gate. Almost at once she ran into Miles. "Hey Miles," she said. "Ready to go witch hunting?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Miles answered.

Zoe and Miles both went to their First Period class, which was English. They watched as the rest of their classmates filed in and took their seats. But Skylar wasn't among them. "No Skylar," Zoe said to Miles in an undertone.

"Just be patient," said Miles. "We're bound to run into her sooner or later."

After the period was over, Zoe and Miles had to part ways, as they had different classes for Third Period. To their disappointment, neither of them had a class with Skylar in Third Period. But when they reunited for the Lunch period, they were in for a little more luck.

"Is that club rush?" Miles asked, noticing a line of tables set up in the school's courtyard.

"I think so," Zoe answered.

"We should check it out," said Miles. "If Skylar's part of any of those clubs, then that might be our ticket to getting in with her."

So Zoe and Miles went to the club rush area and started looking around. Zoe didn't recognize anyone at the first few tables, but then she noticed Alan Chase at a table. "Hey Miles," Alan said when he saw Miles.

"Hi Alan," said Miles. "How'd your summer go?"

"It was alright," Alan answered. "Where's Zack?"

"Oh...he went to live with his uncle in Canada," Miles answered.

"That's too bad," said Alan. He looked at Zoe and said "And who are you?"

"I'm Zoe," said Zoe. "Zack's parents adopted me over the summer, and now Miles is helping me adjust to this new school."

Alan nodded. "Nice to meet you Zoe," he said. "If you ever see Zack, tell him I said hi."

Zoe nodded, a little sadly. As Zack, he'd known Alan Chase. He was the class president at Interstellar High, and Zack had gotten somewhat close with him over the years. But now that Zack was "gone," Zoe had essentially lost her history with Alan. Somewhere in her mind, she hoped that they could come out with the truth about how Zack had turned into Zoe and she could pick up where she left off with everyone. Of course, doing that would end up blowing her cover with this whole Skylar operation.

"Anyway," Alan went on, "I'm hosting a breast cancer awareness club this year. Miles, you know my mom died of breast cancer earlier this year-I'm hoping we can get a memorial built for her in the park."

"That's great," said Miles.

"Want to join?"

"Well..."

"Excuse me," said a new voice. Zoe and Miles turned and saw that, to their surprise, Skylar Gregson was approaching Alan's table. As usual, she was flanked by four or five other girls. "Hi Alan," said Skylar. "I hear this is where you're holding signups for the breast cancer awareness club?"

"It is all right," Alan replied. "Want to join?"

"Of course!" Skylar answered. She grabbed a pen and wrote her name on the signup sheet. "My mom's a breast cancer survivor."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. And we all know about what happened to your mom."

Alan nodded. "Well, thanks Skylar," he said. "Our first meeting's gonna be after school on Thursday."

Zoe and Miles exchanged glances. Both of their looks were clear: We're signing up. Once Skylar and her cronies were gone, Zoe grabbed the pen and wrote her name on the paper. Miles did the same when she was done.

"Thanks, guys," said Alan. "Look forward to seeing you on Thursday."

***

After lunch came Fifth Period. Zoe's class for the period was Pre-Calculus. At first, she didn't really recognize anyone else in the class, but her heart leapt when she saw Brittany Meier come in. What made Zoe even more excited was when Brittany saw that there weren't any seats left and sat at the table with Zoe. "Hi," said Brittany. "You look kind of familiar. Do I...know you?"

"No," Zoe lied. "I'm new here."

Brittany nodded. "My name's Brittany," she said. "What's yours?"

"I'm Zoe."

"Nice to meet you. Where are you from?"

"I'm from, uh...around here. The Fletcher family adopted me over the summer."

"Fletcher...as in Zack Fletcher?"

"Yeah, those Fletchers."

"I remember Zack," said Brittany. "How do you like him?"

Oh my, Zoe thought. Brittany remembered him! "He's cool," said Zoe. "But he went to go live with his-or I guess our-uncle in Canada."

"Ah," said Brittany. "That's too bad. He seemed like a good guy."

"He was," said Zoe. "I just wish he didn't leave." She wanted all too badly to tell Brittany the truth, that she was really Zack, and she'd had a crush on Brittany for ages, and she still retained that crush despite being female now, but that was out of the question.

"But you seem cool too," said Brittany.

"Same with you."

"You're kind of pretty," said Brittany. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No. Do you?"

"Yes. His name's Tim. I met him over the summer."

"Oh." Zoe's excitement at Brittany remembering her as Zack, and thinking she was pretty, was starting to fade. "He doesn't...go to this school, does he?"

"Yes, he does," Brittany answered. "He's a Senior."

"And you're a Junior, right?"

"Right."

Zoe nodded. "Well, hopefully I'll find someone soon," she said.

"Yeah," said Brittany. "Good luck."

***

The next day, Zoe had Second, Fourth, and Sixth Period. She had Second and Fourth Periods with Miles, but not Sixth Period. That one was P. E, and it was the last period that day. But when Zoe was lining up on the blacktop outside the gym, she noticed Skylar lining up with the rest of the kids in her class. That meant she had the same P. E. class as Skylar!

Zoe's heart hammered as the P. E. teacher took role and then sent them into the locker room to change into their P. E. clothes. She'd already gotten into a club that Skylar also signed up for, but having a class with her-that would give her an extra edge! Zoe thought about going after Skylar in the locker room to try and connect with her, but she thought better of it. Right now, it was probably better to just play it cool for now.

Zoe found a bench between the lockers and started to change her clothes. All around her, the rest of the girls were taking off their shirts, pants, and skirts to reveal their bras and panties. Some of them were even taking off their regular bras to swap them out with sports bras. If Zoe were still Zack, she would've been in Heaven. Now? She felt...some titillation, but not as much as before. Zoe supposed that made sense-since she was a girl now, she'd be more naturally attracted to boys. Even though she still felt a crush on Brittany? Probably better not to question it.

"Hey," someone asked. Zoe looked around and saw that girl Avery from Mr. Al's orphanage. "Hey Zoe."

"Hey Avery," said Zoe. "I didn't notice you here."

"Well, I noticed you," said Avery. "And you know who else I noticed? Skylar."

"What-did Mr. Al tell you about-"

"No, Miles did," said Avery. "He told me Mr. Al gave you a mission, and that I could help too."

Zoe nodded. "Well, me and Miles already signed up to be in the breast cancer awareness club," she said, "Which Skylar also signed up for."

"Good," said Avery. "And you and I both have P. E. with Skylar, so..."

"That's a start," said Zoe. "Hopefully it'll amount to something."

To be continued...

For the rest of the week, Zoe tried her best to keep an eye on Skylar. Since P. E. was the only class she had with her, there wasn't much opportunity to interact with her and try to get closer to her. Of course, there was the first meeting of the breast cancer awareness club, but it ended up getting delayed to Friday at the last minute. So Zoe had to wait a little longer for that opportunity.

When Friday did come, Zoe ran into a little more drama before the meeting. Zoe woke up that morning feeling more lightheaded than she usually did. She groggily got out of bed, went into the bathroom, and locked the door behind her. She sat down on the toilet and started peeing like she did every morning. But while she was doing her business, she looked down and saw a patch of blood in her panties. The sight was so surprising, Zoe wasn't able to stop herself from screaming.

Almost at once, Zoe heard her mom outside the door. "Zoe?" her mom asked. "What's wrong, honey?"

"I..."

"Wait," Zoe's mom said, and from the way she said it, she seemed to realize what was going on. "Is it..."

"Yes! It's...you know...a girl thing!"

Zoe's mom gasped. "Don't worry, Zoe, it's okay," she said. "I put the pads in the bottom drawer."

"Got it," said Zoe. She reached over, opened the bottom drawer below the sink, and got out one of the sanitary pads she and her mom had bought at the store. It took some figuring out to get it inside her panties, but she managed. When she did, she pulled up her pants and went to wash her hands.

Zoe's mom was waiting outside the bathroom when she came out. "How does it feel?" she asked.

"It's...kind of weird," Zoe admitted. "Having a pad in my underwear like a diaper."

Her mom laughed. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

"But I've got school today," said Zoe. "And I have P. E."

"Don't worry. No one will notice if you don't call attention to yourself. And you can switch out your pad with a tampon before you do P. E."

"I guess..."

"Hey, at least you didn't turn into a giant red panda."

Zoe looked at her mom quizzically. "What?"

"You know, like in Turning Red. That Pixar movie that came out in March."

"Oh yeah. But the girl in the movie didn't turn into a panda because she got her period. It was because of the curse her family had."

"Well...you know what I mean," Zoe's mom said.

"Yeah," Zoe agreed.

***

Even though Zoe knew perfectly well nobody could tell she was on her period, she still felt self-conscious. She tried to be friendly with Miles, and Alan, and especially Brittany, but she couldn't stop thinking about the pad in her underwear and how it was soaking up the blood from her vagina. She ended up taking several extra trips to the bathroom just to check herself.

P. E. was the worst, because getting changed meant taking off clothing. Zoe went to a private corner of the locker room to change, with the intent of staying under the radar. But right as she was putting her P. E. shirt on, Avery came up to her. "Hey Zoe," she said. "I heard the breast cancer awareness club meeting was delayed to today?"

"Yeah," said Zoe. "Me and Miles are gonna go to it."

"Can I come, too?" Avery asked.

Zoe shrugged. "I guess."

Just then, Zoe heard a banging noise from nearby, like someone had just hit their locker. "What was that?" she asked.

Avery frowned. "What?" she asked.

"I thought I heard something," said Zoe. She looked around, but she didn't see any other girls in the vicinity. "It was like someone hit their locker or something."

"Maybe it came from inside a locker?" Avery suggested.

The thought shook Zoe. "You mean someone's hiding in a locker somewhere?"

"I don't know."

Zoe closed her own locker, locked it up, and started knocking on the doors of the other lockers. "Who's in there?" she asked. She went to the lockers one by one and knocked on them, hoping to catch whoever was hiding, but there was no answer.

"You think a boy snuck in here?" Avery asked.

"Yes," Zoe answered. "I...I've heard stories..." When she'd been Zack, he and Miles had sometimes fantasized about sneaking into the girls' locker room to check out the hot girls, but she wasn't about to tell Avery this.

"Well, if Skylar's cursed this locker room, then they're in for a surprise," said Avery.

Zoe laughed. "Hell yeah," she said. "But that is what we're trying to stop..."

"True," said Avery. "But we should go. We can't miss the warm-up."

"Yeah, you're right," Zoe sighed. She and Avery left the locker room and went out to start the class' warm-up session. As Zoe did her girl push-ups (which were way easier than regular push-ups), she ended up putting the locker room thing out of her mind. She might've just imagined that noise. It couldn't have been that big a deal...could it?

***

After P. E. was over, it was time for the breast cancer awareness club meeting. Zoe and Avery both met up with Miles and went to Mrs. Fury's classroom where the meeting was being held. There they found Alan and Skylar waiting, along with some of the other kids who'd signed up for the club.

"Good afternoon, everyone," Alan said when everyone had assembled. "My name's Austin Chase. I'm going to be your club president."

"And I'm Skylar Gregson," said Skylar. "I'll be the vice president."

"This club is meant to promote awareness of breast cancer," said Alan. "I'm sure a lot of you knew my mom, Mrs. Delaney Chase, because she was a teacher at this school. She was diagnosed with breast cancer a year and a half ago, and she eventually died this year."

"We know that there are many other victims and survivors," said Skylar. "That is why we are hosting this club-to spread awareness of breast cancer and its effects."

"We'll start by wearing shirts and bracelets," said Alan. "But our ultimate goal is to fund the construction of a Delaney Chase memorial in the local park. The state officials have given us permission to do it, but we're going to have to raise the funds for it on our own."

"How are we gonna raise the funds?" Miles asked.

"I'm glad you asked," said Alan. "We've ordered T-shirts to sell to our classmates, and they should ship two weeks from now. But next week, we're gonna have a meeting where we make pink bows and ribbons to sell to people."

"The way it works," Skylar explained, "Is that we'll give you all order forms to give to people. They'll pay you for a T-shirt, or a bow, or whatever, and put their name on the order form, and then you'll give them whatever they ordered when it's ready. Alan and I decided that I'd be the one in charge of collecting sales, so I'll have you report to me for the order forms."

Zoe looked at Miles. "This is gonna be easier than we thought," she mouthed. Miles nodded. Since Skylar was the one in charge of the order forms, winning her over would be really easy. If they sold lots and lots of shirts, bows, and ribbons, then Skylar would be impressed and more likely to consider Zoe a "friend."

"But we're gonna have to sell a lot of stuff," Avery said, sensing what Zoe and Miles were thinking.

"Then we'd better get started," said Zoe.

To be continued...

That evening, at the dinner table, Zoe told her parents about the breast cancer awareness club's fundraiser, and her and Miles' plan to get in Skylar's good graces by selling a lot of shirts and other items.

"That sounds like a good plan," Zoe's dad said when she'd finished explaining.

"Yeah," said Zoe. "Will you guys buy anything?"

"Sure, we can get a couple of bows," her mom answered.

"Great," said Zoe. She pulled out her order form and wrote her parents' names on it, along with the number of bows they'd be getting. "Is there anyone else I should try selling to?"

"Maybe Grandma Nancy," her mom answered. "Or Aunt Lacey and Uncle Wilbur."

"That's a good idea," said Zoe.

"Or you could try going door-to-door," her dad suggested.

Zoe frowned. As Zack, he'd gone door-to-door selling stuff for Boy Scout fundraisers, and it hadn't been much fun. But now, under these circumstances, there didn't seem to be much choice. "I guess so," she said.

***

Outside of a few phone calls with her relatives to get them to buy bows, ribbons, and T-shirts, Zoe's weekend was pretty uneventful. But things changed when she went to school on Monday, and saw Brittany in Fifth Period once again.

"Hi Zoe," Brittany said when she walked into class. She was wearing a tank top and short shorts today, and her hair was dyed completely blue.

"Hey Brittany," said Zoe. "Your hair looks...different."

"Oh yeah," Brittany said, tossing a strand of hair over her shoulder. "I dye it every once in a while."

"Cool," said Zoe. She'd observed it over the last year while crushing on Brittany, but Brittany wasn't to know this.

"You're in the breast cancer awareness club, right?"

"Right."

"I heard you guys are selling T-shirts."

"Yeah, we are. Want to buy one?"

"I already bought one from Skylar Gregson," said Brittany.

"Oh." Zoe silently cursed Skylar's name. "Well...thanks for supporting our club." She pulled out her phone and saw that she had a text from Miles. The text read "Zoe, bad news! Someone got a video of you in the locker room and put it on TikTok!"

Zoe's heart missed several beats. "Oh no," she gasped.

"What?" Brittany asked.

Zoe ignored Brittany. She opened up the TikTok app on her phone and looked at the trending videos. To her horror, the topmost video was of her changing her clothes in the P. E. locker room last Friday. Whoever had taken the video zoomed right in on her body, trying to get in her boobs, her waist, and her ass.

"No, no, no!" said Zoe. "Someone snuck into the locker room last Friday and got a video of me and put it online!"

"What?" Brittany pulled out her own phone and looked on TikTok. When she saw the video, her face flushed red with anger. "No," she said.

"I knew it!" Zoe groaned. "I knew I heard someone hiding in one of the lockers!"

"You heard someone?"

"I thought I did. I thought I'd just imagined it, but I guess not!"

"Something's gotta be done," said Brittany. "That asshole who took that video has to pay for what he did."

"He?"

"It was probably a boy," said Brittany. "Who else would be zooming in on your sexy body like that?"

"Yeah," Zoe agreed. But then she put her phone down and sighed. "But I don't even know who it was."

"You think it was that guy Miles Raxton that you're always hanging around?" Brittany asked.

Zoe choked. "Miles would never do something like this!" she said.

"You sure?"

"Of course!"

"Well, if you say so," Brittany said with a shrug.

***

Zoe thought she'd been paranoid last Friday when she was on her period, but it was nothing compared to this. Now that she knew there was a stalker snooping around the girls' locker room, she couldn't shake the feeling that he might get a video of her in her underwear again. "Hey Avery," Zoe said as the girls all went into the locker room, "Did you see-"

"Yes, I saw the video," said Avery. "Sorry that that happened."

"Do you think whoever got that video will strike again?"

"I hope not."

Zoe looked around. "Well, if Skylar knows-"

"Skylar's not here today," said Avery.

"Wait, what?"

"She's home sick. I overheard some of her friends talking about it."

"Oh."

"But they were talking about you and that video," said Avery. "It sounded like they felt sorry for you."

"They did?"

"Yeah."

"That's...weird." Although Skylar had been pretty nice with Zoe and Miles thus far, Zoe had long assumed it was just a front for the heartless witch she really was. But if Skylar and her cronies were sharing pity for Zoe...well, clearly Skylar didn't realize Zoe was one of her victims!

Suddenly, Zoe heard it again-the banging from inside one of the lockers. "Oh, I don't think so!" Zoe said through clenched teeth. She started going down the line of lockers and throwing them open, determined to find the boy who'd taken the video of her changing and posted it online. After a dozen tries, Zoe finally opened a locker to find a sophomore boy hunched inside the locker.

"You!" Zoe growled. She recognized the boy, too-he was Ralph Samson. Zoe had, as Zack, shared an art class with him last year. Zoe grabbed Ralph by the collar and pulled him out to face her. "Who do you think you are, sneaking into the locker room to take videos of us changing?"

Ralph was so shocked at having been discovered, he could hardly speak. "I...I wanted to get views!" he said. "People like seeing naked girls, so-"

Zoe slapped Ralph across the face. "Well, girls don't like people seeing them naked," she said.

"Look, I'm sorry!" Ralph protested. "My friends suggested-" All of a sudden, his voice cracked. "What the-"

Zoe's eyes widened. Had Ralph's voice...just gotten more feminine?

Zoe and Avery watched as Ralph lost several inches in height, and his hair started to grow out. His face rounded, his nose shrank, and his faint Adam's Apple disappeared. A pair of B cup boobs formed on his chest, and his waist pinched inward. His butt cheeks swelled like a pair of balloons, and the lump in his crotch faded to nothing.

"Oh my gosh," Avery gasped. "He's turning into a girl!"

"What?" girl Ralph asked. She was staring down in amazement at her new feminine body. "But-but how did this happen?" She watched as her clothes adjusted themselves and became more feminine.

"Yeah, what's going on?" another girl asked. The rest of the girls had gathered to watch what was going on, and they were staring in amazement at Ralph having turned into a girl.

"Is that Ralph Samson?"

"More like Ruby Samson," another girl said.

"What-no!" said Ralph (or Ruby?). "I can't be a girl! I can't..." Before she knew it, she was starting to cry. She turned and ran out of the locker room with everyone else watching.

"What just happened?" another girl asked.

"I think I know," Zoe said to herself.

***

"So Mr. Ralph Samson is now Miss Ruby Samson," said Mr. Al.

"Yes, he-or she-is," said Zoe. After the fiasco in the locker room at school, the Interstellar High staff had freaked out. They'd called the police and sent Ralph/Ruby to the hospital, where she was declared 100% female. The media was freaking out over this apparently magic gender change, but Zoe wasn't gonna have a part of it just yet. She and Avery had gotten together with Miles and went straight back to the foster home to fill Mr. Al in on what happened.

"It was Skylar," said Miles. "There's no other explanation."

"I think you might be right," Mr. Al said grimly.

"But it doesn't make sense," said Zoe. "Avery said Skylar was out sick today, so-"

"The video Ralph posted started going viral yesterday, didn't it?" said Mr. Al. "And according to your story, Skylar and her friends saw the video and felt pity for you."

"Well...I wasn't there to see it, but yes," said Zoe.

"This is the textbook case of what witches do," said Mr. Al. "When a boy sneaks into a girls' bathroom or locker room for less than honorable reasons, the witches put a curse on that room to magically change any male who enters into a female. That seems to have been the case here."

"Then our mission is accomplished!" said Zoe. "We needed proof that Skylar was a witch, and this proves it."

"Not necessarily," said Mr. Al. "There are a lot of other girls at Interstellar High."

"But the witch we're looking for-you said you'd killed her parents, and she'd gotten away, so the girl responsible for all this has to be adopted-"

"-which she does," said Mr. Al. "But we must be absolutely sure it was Skylar before we go in for the kill."

"How is this incident not proof?" Zoe asked. "We know Skylar saw the video and got mad, so she went into the locker room and put a curse on it."

"Suspecting and knowing are not the same thing," said Mr. Al. "What we need is indisputable evidence that Skylar cursed your school's bathroom and locker room."

At this point, Zoe was getting annoyed. "So what do you want us to do? Get Skylar to trust us enough to just tell us she's a witch?"

"That is easier said than done," said Mr. Al. "But if you catch her in the act of transforming a boy, or putting a curse on a place, then that's all we need. For now, you must concentrate on getting on Skylar's good side."

"Oh yeah, about that," said Miles. "Did you hear that the breast cancer awareness club started its fundraiser?"

"Yes, I did hear," said Mr. Al. "It sounds like you're selling T-shirts and ribbons?"

"Yep. Want to buy some?"

Mr. Al grinned. "Thought you'd never ask," he said.

To be continued...

For the rest of the week, all anyone at school could talk about was Ralph being turned into Ruby. Everyone-the boys, the girls, and even the teachers-were scratching their heads over what had caused the transformation. The generally accepted theory was magic, though that raised more questions than answers. What kind of magic was it? Was it a curse? A forgotten wish? A potion that had been slipped into Ralph's food earlier that day?

Of course, Zoe had a pretty good idea. It had to have been Skylar. She must have gotten mad when the video of Zoe in her underwear went viral and put a curse on the locker room in case the culprit decided to come back. The fact that Skylar was supposedly out sick for the entire week didn't deter Zoe, either. It seemed like the perfect way to throw people like Mr. Al off the scent.

It wasn't until the next Monday that Skylar reappeared at school. Zoe met up with Miles in the morning like she did every day, but they were both surprised when they entered the school hallway and ran into Skylar chumming it up with her friends.

"Skylar?" Zoe asked.

"Hi Zoe! Hi Miles!" said Skylar. "I heard about what happened with Ralph."

"Yeah." It was all Zoe could do not to look at Skylar accusingly. "It was pretty scary."

"I'll bet it was even worse for Ralph-or Ruby," said Skylar. "I heard her parents are trying to get in touch with a therapist who works with trans girls that are transitioning."

"She's not even gonna try to change back?" Miles asked.

"It was a magic transformation, wasn't it?" said Skylar. "How could any doctor reverse that?"

"I guess she wouldn't have much of a choice but to learn to be a girl," said Zoe. "Unless she decided to be, like, a trans boy or something."

Skylar shrugged. "I don't know," she said. Changing the subject, she asked "What about the club fundraiser? How have you guys been doing with it?"

"We're doing great, actually," said Miles. "My foster home's manager bought fifty T-shirts for the kids at the foster home. And he said he might get more later."

Skylar's jaw dropped. "Fifty T-shirts?" she said. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

"Nope. Not kidding."

"I've got the order form," Zoe said, reaching into her backpack. She got out her order form and showed it to Skylar.

"Holy shit," Skylar said when she read over Zoe's order form. "We might run out of T-shirts to sell!"

"How many shirts do we have?"

"A couple hundred."

"A couple hundred? How much money do we need for the Delaney Chase memorial again?"

"$50,000. Alan set up a GoFundMe page to help raise money for it."

"Well, next month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month," said Zoe. "Maybe you'll be able to draw more attention to the GoFundMe page then."

"Most likely, yeah," said Skylar.

Miles looked at his watch. "Well, we should probably get to class," he said.

"Oh, okay," said Skylar. But as Zoe and Miles were leaving, she said "Wait a minute! There was something else I wanted to ask you."

Zoe started to panic. "What is it?"

"I don't know if you know, but my birthday is on Thursday," said Skylar, "And I'm having a party at my house. Do you guys want to come?"

Wow. This was not what Zoe was expecting. "Us? Why?"

"Well, I've already invited all of my friends, so I figured I might as well invite some people from the breast cancer awareness club. I invited Alan, and Michael, and Isaac, and Katrina, too. If you guys want to come, you're welcome to."

"Uh...I guess so," said Miles.

"Sure," said Zoe.

"Great," said Skylar. "I'll see you then!"

Once they were out of earshot of Skylar, Zoe said to Miles "Is this really such a good idea? What if this is a trap?"

"I mean, maybe," said Miles, "But Skylar said she'd already invited other people from the breast cancer awareness club, so..."

"How about we talk to someone?" said Zoe. "See if Skylar was telling the truth about inviting them?"

"Good idea," said Miles. He pulled out his phone and texted Alan asking if Skylar had invited him to her birthday party. Within seconds, Alan texted back with Yes, she did. I don't know if I can make it, but I'll try.

"Well?"

"Alan says yes," said Miles. "I think it's legit."

"I hope you're right about this," said Zoe.

***

Skylar's birthday party was held at 5:00 PM on Thursday, September 15, 2022. Zoe's mom gave her and Miles a ride to Skylar's house, which was just a few blocks away from the school. "Now be careful in there," Zoe's mom said when she pulled into the driveway. "Don't let Skylar turn you into mice."

"We'll try not to," said Miles.

"I hope you're right about this," Zoe muttered as she and Miles approached the front door.

Miles had barely even knocked when Skylar answered the door. "Hi guys!" she said. "Come on in!"

Zoe and Miles went into Skylar's living room, where everything was decked out for a birthday party. A table was set up full of pizza, chips, popcorn, and cookies. Balloons and streamers were hung up on the walls. Several of Skylar's girl friends were already there, hanging out on the couches and eating food while they gossiped with each other.

"Wow," Zoe said in spite of herself. "Nice party."

"Thanks," said Skylar.

"Is this everyone who's gonna come?" Miles asked.

"No," Skylar answered. "You guys were kind of early. I'm still waiting on Naomi, and Hailey, and Katrina. But I hope Michael Collins comes."

"Why?" Zoe asked.

"Well...I kind of like him," said Skylar. "I'm hoping I can get him to ask me out sometime."

"Huh," said Zoe. "Well, good luck with that."

After getting a plate of food, Zoe went and sat down with the other girls at the party. To her surprise, it was pretty easy to get in on the conversation and talk to them. They talked about school, and about their families, and about life in general. Zoe had had plenty of conversations like these with Miles and other guys she knew in the past, but having "girl talk" felt different. Sure, when you got down to it, it was still her talking about life, but there was a different, more feminine feel to it. Apparently Zoe fit in with other girls better than she thought.

Eventually, Zoe left to get some more chips. But when she went up to the food table, she was surprised to run into Brittany Meier. "What the-Brittany?"

"Hey Zoe," said Brittany.

"What are you doing here?"

"My boyfriend invited me to tag along with him."

A cold fist closed around Zoe's heart. "Your boyfriend?"

"Yeah. He says he's in the breast cancer awareness club with you."

Zoe looked behind Brittany and realized Isaac Schmidt was right behind her. "Hey Zoe," he said.

"You...you're Brittany's boyfriend?"

"Yeah. We just started dating last week."

No way, Zoe thought. Brittany was hers. She didn't care if they were the same gender now. She wanted to be the one in a relationship with her, not Isaac Schmidt. Zoe wished she could punch Isaac and let him know how she felt about going in on Brittany. But she knew now was not the time. Getting in a fight would just make her look bad in front of Brittany. "Well, congratulations," Zoe forced out.

"Thanks," said Brittany.

"No problem." Forgetting about getting more chips, Zoe went over to where Miles was sitting with his own plate of food.

"Was that Brittany Meier?"

"Yes," Zoe said acidly. "And she's got a boyfriend now."

"Ouch," said Miles. "So you still like her."

"Yeah. I don't know why I still kept my romantic attraction toward her when I turned into a girl, but I did."

"Well, hopefully she breaks up with him," said Miles. "Or he breaks up with her."

***

A little while later, Skylar's mom brought out the three-tiered birthday cake. Every sang "Happy Birthday" to Skylar and watched as she blew out the 17 candles on her cake. Then Skylar's mom started cutting pieces of cake for everyone to eat.

Zoe had to wait a minute before she got her piece of cake. When she did, she stood against a wall while eating it. After Zoe had eaten about half her piece of cake, someone came up to her. "Hey," the person said. "You're Zoe Fletcher, right?"

Zoe looked up at the speaker and realized it was Michael Collins. Like many of her other classmates, Zoe recognized Michael as one of her friends when she was Zack. Of course, despite being in the breast cancer awareness club together, their past relationship was obsolete now.

"Yeah, that's me," said Zoe.

"You know, I don't think we've had a chance to talk properly," said Michael. "You're new here, right?"

"Yeah," said Zoe. "My parents-my new ones-adopted me just a few months ago."

"Ah," said Michael. "Is it scary, going to a new bigger school like this?"

"Not really. I've been to schools like Interstellar High before."

Michael nodded. "Do you have any friends here?"

"Oh yeah."

"You have a boyfriend yet?"

"Nope."

Michael's face lit up. "Well, you are pretty hot," he said. "Want to go out sometime?"

Zoe's heart stopped. Michael Collins had just asked her out! Her first instinct was to say yes, since dating boys was part of being a girl, and Brittany was already taken anyway. But then she remembered what Skylar said. Dating a guy Skylar wanted would most definitely not help her relationship with Skylar.

"No, I don't think so," said Zoe.

"What? But don't you want a boyfriend?"

"Not yet. I don't think I'm ready for that kind of relationship yet."

"Aw, man," said Michael. "But if you ever change your mind..."

Zoe bit her lip. "I have to pee," she said. She didn't really, but she figured that was as good an excuse as any to end the conversation.

When she went into the other room, Zoe ran smack into Skylar. "Did you just turn down Michael Collins?" she asked.

"What the-you were listening?"

"Sort of. I overheard you talking."

"Oh. Well...yes, I did. Earlier you said you liked him, and I didn't want to ruin your birthday, so..."

"Thanks, Zoe," Skylar said. She unexpectedly wrapped her arms around Zoe and gave her a hug. "You're the best."

Once she got over her initial surprise, Zoe smiled and hugged Skylar back. "Thanks," she said. "You're pretty cool, too."

To be continued...

That weekend, Zoe went door-to-door selling bows, T-shirts, and ribbons to her neighbors. She generated a surprisingly high amount of sales, raking in orders for a dozen T-shirts and about thirty bows. Gareth Dodgson, who lived three houses down from Zoe, bought a whole bunch of bows because he thought they might be good to decorate his Christmas tree with. Since it was still September, it seemed like Gareth was getting a little far ahead of himself, but Zoe didn't care. As long as she could contribute to the breast cancer awareness club's fundraiser, that was all she needed.

As P. E. was wrapping up on Tuesday, Zoe went up to Skylar as she was leaving the locker room. "I've got some more order forms," Zoe said to Skylar.

"Oh, you do?" Skylar took the order forms from Zoe and gasped when she saw the numbers. "Holy shit," she said. "How did you sell so many bows?"

Zoe shrugged. "I just talked to the right people, I guess," she said.

"Or you're lucky," Skylar said with a smile. Between Zoe's performance with the fundraiser, and the incident with Michael at Skylar's birthday party, it seemed Skylar was really warming up to Zoe. Any other girl would've been thrilled to be on good terms with a popular girl like Skylar. Zoe, on the other hand...well, she appreciated Skylar being nice to her, but she kept having to remind herself the real reason why she was trying to win her over. Skylar was a witch, and Zoe would need to get closer to her to find incriminating evidence.

***

A couple nights later, Zoe and her mother were starting to dig in to their chicken noodle soup when Zoe's father came home. "Hi guys," Zoe's dad said.

"Hi Dad!" said Zoe.

"I just swung by the post office," her dad said, "And it looks like we've got a lot of mail." He dumped a pile of letters and packages onto the kitchen table.

"Oh, good!" Zoe's mom said when she saw one of the packages. "That must be the set of headphones I ordered!"

Zoe swept a stack of letters off of another package and did a double take when she saw the package's label. "Wait," she said. "Is that Skylar Gregson?"

"What?"

"Look," said Zoe. "This package is addressed to Skylar Gregson."

"Oh my gosh," her mom gasped. "That's the girl you and Miles are trying to stalk and find out if she's really a witch!"

"It must have been put in our post office box by mistake," Zoe's dad said.

Zoe looked at the return address and gasped herself. "It's from Witches' Workshop!" she said.

"Witches' Workshop?"

Zoe shook the package, but all she heard was a bunch of thudding. Not much to go off of for what might be inside. "It must be something Skylar needed for her witchcraft."

"You should take that to Mr. Al," Zoe's dad said. "That could be the evidence you need to incriminate Skylar."

"Yeah, probably," said Zoe. She got up and took the package up to her bedroom. She got out her phone and called Miles' number.

After a minute, Miles answered the phone. "Hey Zoe," he said. "I can't believe I still have you as Zack in my contacts."

"Yeah, that is weird," Zoe laughed. "But Miles, there's something I need to tell you."

"What?"

"My dad just got home from our post office box, and a package for Skylar got delivered to us by mistake."

"You're joking!"

"No, I'm not! And you'll never believe who the package was from. It came from a place called The Witches' Workshop."

"The Witches' Workshop?"

"Yeah."

Miles started to stutter with excitement. "Mr. Al's gonna be happier than a kid on Christmas morning!" he said. "If we give him that package-"

"Wait a minute," said Zoe. "If Skylar doesn't get her package, then she might get suspicious that someone's on to her."

"So? We should tell Mr. Al about this!"

"Yes, we should, but..."

"What?"

"Would he really believe it?"

"What are you talking about? Of course he'd believe it!"

"Just like how he believed us about Skylar cursing the locker room at school?"

"He did believe us, remember?"

"But he said that wasn't good enough evidence."

"Well, if this package isn't good enough evidence, I don't know what is," said Miles.

Zoe bit her lip. "How about you go tell Mr. Al?" she said. "I'll go take the package to Skylar's house."

"What?"

"It's the only way. If we do that, then we'll have proof, but Skylar won't get suspicious at all."

Miles sighed. "Alright," he said. "I hope you're right about this."

***

"You got my package?" Skylar asked.

"Yes," Zoe answered. She was standing on Skylar's doorstep with the package that had accidentally been sent to her house. "It was sent to my house by mistake."

"Oh, thank you, Zoe," Skylar said, taking the package and hugging Zoe. "You're the best."

"Thank you," Zoe said. She thought about asking Skylar what the Witches' Workshop was, but that would've been suicide. "I just wanted to do the right thing."

"Thank you so much," said Skylar. "I'll see you at school tomorrow!"

"You too."

After Skylar went back inside and closed her front door, Zoe turned and left. Before she was even out of Skylar's driveway, she heard her phone buzzing. She looked at it and saw that it was Miles. Zoe answered her phone, but before she could say anything, Miles started talking. "Where are you? Is it too late?"

"Uh...I just gave the package back to Skylar..."

"Dammit!" Miles cursed. "Mr. Al said he needed us to give him the package! Without actual, physical proof, he can't mount a warrant on Skylar!"

"Ugh," Zoe grumbled. "Well, I can't go and ask for the package back..."

"I know! This might've been our only chance, and we blew it!"

"We're gonna have to find some other evidence." Zoe looked back at Skylar's house and had another idea fall upon her. "If we could sneak into Skylar's house and start poking around..."

"Oh no," said Miles. "That's an even worse idea!"

"I know, but we don't have a choice," said Zoe. "We'll have to go tomorrow after school, while Skylar's at the breast cancer awareness club meeting and her parents are at work."

Miles sighed. "I guess so," he said. "The sooner we can prove Skylar's a witch, the better."

***

The next day was Friday. The whole day, Zoe felt anxiety building up inside her. The heist she and Miles were planning was a huge risk. They would need a lot of luck to get into Skylar's house, find the evidence they needed, and get out before Skylar and her parents got home. But if they got what they needed, it would be worth it.

As Skylar was heading to P. E, she noticed Avery and had another idea pop into her mind. "Hey Avery," said Zoe.

"Yeah?"

Zoe looked around to make sure nobody was listening, then said "Me and Miles are gonna break into Skylar's house today after school."

"You're what?"

"It's the only way we'll get evidence against her," said Zoe. "Look, you're going to the breast cancer awareness club meeting today, right?"

"Right."

"Could you cover for me and Miles? Just tell Alan and Skylar we couldn't make it today. Tell them we've got a lot of homework, or my parents are taking us out somewhere-I don't care what you say. Just come up with a good excuse."

Avery nodded reluctantly. "Okay," she said. "And I'll try to stall Skylar after the meeting, too. Just in case."

"Great. Thank you so much."

***

The moment the final bell rang, Zoe ran off to meet Miles at their rendezvous point (which was at the school's front gate). She arrived to find Miles waiting there for her. "You ready?" Miles asked.

"Gonna have to be," Zoe answered.

"Then let's go."

Zoe and Miles left and started heading for Skylar's house. After about ten minutes of jogging, they reached the Gregson family residence. "Okay," Zoe panted. "We're here now."

"You have those ski masks?"

"Of course." Zoe reached into her backpack and pulled out two ski masks she'd brought from home. Her parents had gotten them when they'd gone to the Sierra Mountains for their second honeymoon last December. Once she and Miles had put the ski masks back on, they looked at Skylar's house. "So how are we gonna get it?"

"What-you don't know?"

"Well..."

"Oh, come on, Zoe," Miles grumbled. "You've gotta have some kind of plan! Breaking into Skylar's house was your idea in the first place!"

"There's gotta be a way." Zoe went up to the front door and tried opening it. To neither her nor Miles' surprise, it was locked.

"So the front door's locked," said Miles.

"There must be a key somewhere," said Zoe. She looked down and said "Maybe under the doormat-"

"Under the mat?" Miles scoffed. "Nobody does that anymore."

His statement was proved wrong when Zoe lifted the doormat and found a shiny silver key lying there. "Nobody except the Gregsons, apparently."

"Wow," said Miles. "So we've got the key. Now what?"

"You should probably keep watch," said Zoe. "Skylar might have some kind of gender-changing curse placed on her bedroom, so it might be safer if you stayed out here."

"What about you?"

"Well, I've already been affected by a curse like that," said Zoe. "So it probably wouldn't affect me."

"I hope you're right," said Miles. "What do you want me to do if someone comes?"

"Knock on a window or something," Zoe answered. She inserted the key into the lock and opened the door. When she entered the house, she saw that it looked just like it had for Skylar's birthday party-except without the balloons or streamers. Even though she knew nobody was home, Zoe still felt compelled to be as quiet as possible. She closed and locked the front door behind her and tiptoed through the house.

Zoe crept down the hall until she found Skylar's bedroom. She opened the door, half expecting to see racks of spellbooks and potion-making ingredients. But Skylar's room looked like one that belong to any other girl her age. There was a neatly made bed, a white bookcase, a pink dresser, and a closet full of shirts, dresses, blouses, and boxes stacked up on the floor.

Boxes...that might be a good place to start.

Zoe went up to the closet and opened up the topmost box. In it, she found a bunch of printed-out pictures. It took a second to realize that these were some of Skylar's old mementoes. There were pictures of six-year-old Skylar learning to ride a bike, and swimming at the local swimming pool with her adoptive parents, and blowing out the candles on her birthday cake. Under the family pictures were some of Skylar's old book reports from elementary school. Zoe looked through the rest of the boxes, but nothing looked witch-y at all. The boxes held shoes, boots, and old dolls that Skylar probably hadn't played with since her age was in the single digits.

"Okay," Zoe muttered when she'd closed the last box and put it back in the closet. "Nothing in there." She looked around the room, but the only thing she saw was Skylar's dresser. Zoe went up and opened the bottom drawer to find piles of panties, bras, and socks. She rifled through the clothing, hoping to find something suspicious, but she found nothing.

Zoe was just closing Skylar's underwear drawer when she heard a knocking on the bedroom window. She looked up and saw Miles standing there, waving crazily to get her attention. He raised his ski mask slightly and mouthed "Hide!"

Zoe froze with fear. Someone was home? Already? Had they already been at Skylar's house for that long? But she didn't get much chance to ponder it. Because right at that moment, she heard a key turning in the front door's lock.

Skylar had come home.

To be continued...

The hopes for escape looked grim. The only way out of Skylar's bedroom was the door, which led straight into the hallway, which in turn led to the entry room that Skylar had just entered. What choice did Zoe have? Could she duck into the hall bathroom? No, that wasn't possible. She'd have to run out into the hall, which would completely expose herself. But Skylar was already heading down the hall. Zoe would have to think of something.

Zoe dove into Skylar's closet and hid behind the dress Skylar had worn to prom in May. She shut the closet door right as Skylar came into her room. Skylar hummed as she put her backpack down on the floor and sat on her bed. "Wow," she said. "I did it! I actually did it!"

Did what? Zoe wondered.

Skylar pulled out her phone and called one of her friends. "Hi Debby!" Skylar said to her friend. "Guess who I just got to agree to go out with me?"

"Who?" said a voice from the other end of Skylar's phone call.

"Michael Collins."

"What? No way!"

"Yeah, I know, it's crazy," said Skylar. "But I managed to talk him into it! We're gonna meet at the mall tomorrow and get lunch and go shopping together!"

"Wow," said Debby. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you. I'll bet-" She broke off when she heard a knock at the door.

"What?"

"Nothing," said Skylar. "I thought I heard-"

There was another knock at the door, this time a much longer series of knocks.

Skylar cursed. "I'll talk to you later," she said. "There's someone at the door." She hung up her phone and left the room.

For a second, Zoe wondered who could be coming to see Skylar at this time. But then she realized it was probably Miles causing a distraction. That distraction could be the key to Zoe figuring out her escape! Once she heard Skylar close the door behind her, Zoe opened the closet door and got out from behind the prom dress. She looked around the room, wondering what to do, until her eyes fell upon the window.

Zoe went up and unlocked the window, but faltered when she heard Skylar's voice. "No one there," Skylar grumbled to herself. "Probably just a prank."

Oh no. Skylar was coming back! Zoe darted back over to the bedroom door and locked it shut. Not two seconds later, Skylar tried the door and found it locked. "What the fuck?" she asked. "Did I lock the door?"

Zoe's heart hammered against her sternum. Clearly Skylar didn't suspect her, but she'd probably only bought herself a minute or two at most. She climbed onto Skylar's bed, opened the window, and swung her legs over the windowsill. Zoe dropped down outside the window right as Skylar jimmied the lock and came into her room.

"What? How's the window open?" Skylar wondered. Zoe flattened herself against the wall below the window, not even daring to breathe. Up above her, Skylar poked her head out of the window and looked around. But since Zoe was out of the line of Skylar's peripheral vision, the other girl did not see her. "I must be losing my marbles," Skylar muttered. She stuck her head back inside and closed the window.

Miles furtively ran up to Zoe. "Are you okay?" he asked in an undertone.

"Yeah, I think so," Zoe answered. "Let's get out of here."

Zoe and Miles left through the side gate and fled the property. As they ran, they didn't have a specific destination in mind-only away from Skylar's house. They didn't stop until they were three blocks away.

"That was too close," Zoe panted.

"I know," said Miles. "Did you at least find anything in there?"

"No," Zoe answered. "I looked through the boxes in her closet-and her underwear drawer-but I didn't find anything out of the ordinary."

Miles sighed. "I told you this was a bad idea," he said.

"I know," said Zoe.

"We should've had Mr. Al handle it. He and his men could've done a much better search of Skylar's house."

"I mean, yeah," said Zoe. Another thought had occurred to her. "But if there wasn't any witchy stuff in there..."

"What are you talking about?"

"What if we're wrong? What if Skylar's not a witch?"

"What do you mean? Of course she's a witch!"

"Well, if we didn't find anything..."

"Zoe, you didn't even get to search her house fully. For all we know, Skylar might have a secret bunker underneath her house."

"I mean, maybe?"

"We should've just given that package to Mr. Al," said Miles. "He wouldn't have even needed to open it. He could've just used one of his X-ray machines to see what was in the package."

"I guess," said Zoe. "Especially because it was from someplace called the Witches' Workshop."

"I actually Googled it earlier," said Miles. "I found nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nope. No official website."

"Why not?"

"They probably don't have an official website to prevent people like us from tracking them down."

"Or maybe 'Witches' Workshop' is just a codename? Or they're just really low budget? I don't know."

"Well, hopefully we'll find out soon," said Miles.

"Seriously, though," said Zoe. "What if it turns out we're wrong? What if Skylar really isn't the witch we're looking for?"

"Well, if it's not Skylar, then who is it?"

Zoe threw up her hands. "I don't know," she said. "I guess we'll just have to keep looking for evidence."

"Should we tell Mr. Al about our failed investigation on Skylar's house?"

"No," said Zoe. "No, no, no. We've got enough going on already."

Miles nodded. "But we're still gonna keep an eye on Skylar, right?"

"I guess so," said Zoe. But internally, she wasn't so sure. For weeks, she'd been convinced Skylar was the one guilty of cursing that bathroom and turning Zack into Zoe. But thus far, the only evidence of Skylar being the guilty one was shaky at best-and they'd just uncovered potential evidence to the contrary. The fact that Skylar had been so nice with Zoe didn't help matters, either. If Skylar was a witch, and it was her spell that had affected Zoe, then would she be able to sense it? Could witches even do that? Zoe had no idea. Then again, nobody else at school had been acting suspicious around Zoe, either. It was as if Brittany, and Alan, and Michael, and everyone else not in the know believed the cover story of Zack moving away and Zoe getting adopted by the Fletchers.

No, Zoe thought. They were nowhere near close to solving this mystery.

To be continued...

Zoe didn't see or talk to Miles until Monday morning at school. She was just coming into the entry hall when she ran into Miles. "Hey," she said. "How's it going?"

"Pretty good," said Miles. "I didn't tell Mr. Al about...you know. And I told Avery not to tell him, either."

"Good," said Zoe. "Just as long as there weren't any curses placed on Skylar's property-"

"Well, I didn't wake up with boobs and a vagina on Saturday," said Miles. "So I think we're fine."

Alan came up to them. "Miles! Zoe!" he said. "Where were you on Friday?"

"Uh..."

"We couldn't make it," Miles said quickly. "We had a lot of homework we needed to work on."

Alan nodded. "That's what Avery said," he said. "But it was kind of an important meeting that you missed."

"How so?" Miles asked.

"Well, me and Skylar made a big announcement," said Alan. "We finally reached our $50,000 goal for funding the Delany Chase memorial in the park!"

"We did?" Zoe said. "That's great!"

"Yeah," Alan agreed. "With the GoFundMe page, and the sales from our fundraiser, we were able to get the $50,000 we needed. But Zoe, I was kind of hoping you'd be there."

"Why?"

"Because you sold the most items out of everyone else in the club, so me and Skylar wanted to acknowledge you."

Wow. Zoe had sold the most items? She'd had no idea how many shirts and bows she'd been selling in comparison to her fellow breast cancer awareness club members, but the revelation that she came out on top...should she be proud? Probably.

"Sorry we missed it," said Zoe.

"That's okay," said Alan. "I'm gonna host a party at my house to celebrate."

"Cool," said Zoe. "We'll try not to miss that."

"We're hoping to have everyone come," said Alan. "I'm gonna be there, and Mrs. Fury's gonna be there. We've invited Isaac and Brittany-"

"Brittany?"

"Yeah. Brittany Meier. She decided to join the club too."

"Nice," said Zoe. Even though she knew Brittany was dating Isaac, she still felt excited at the idea of getting to spend more time with her. "We'll definitely go to your party, too."

"What about Skylar?" Miles asked. "She's going too, right?"

"Most likely," Alan answered.

"Right," said Miles. Unlike Zoe, he was still subscribed to the idea of Skylar being a witch. "We'll be there for sure."

"I'll look forward to it," said Alan.

***

Later that day, in Fifth Period, Zoe went in and sat down at her table with Brittany. "Hey Brittany," said Zoe. "I heard you decided to join the breast cancer awareness club."

"Yeah, I did," said Brittany. "Isaac invited me to come, so I decided to do it."

"Nice," said Zoe. "Sorry I missed the meeting on Friday."

"Oh yeah," said Brittany. "Alan and Skylar were pretty disappointed that you didn't show up. They wanted to give you some kind of award for selling so many shirts and bows."

"Wait, what?"

"I don't know what the prize was," said Brittany, "But they did announce a party at Alan's house next week, so maybe they'll give it to you then."

Zoe nodded. "That sounds good," she said. "So...what else is new?"

"Not much," Brittany grumbled, "Other than my grade in this fucking class."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. I'm at a 65%. And if I fail the test this Thursday, then I'll get bumped down to an F."

"Yeesh," said Zoe.

"What about you? What grade do you have?"

"I've got an 84%."

"Wow," said Brittany. "How are you doing so well?"

Zoe shrugged. "I just have an easier time with math, I guess," she said.

"Any chance you could help tutor me?" Brittany asked. "Get me ready for the test on Thursday?"

"Sure," Zoe said without hesitation. "Where do you want to meet for tutoring?"

"You could come to my house tomorrow after school," said Brittany. "Or Wednesday, if that works better for you."

"Both of those work," said Zoe.

"Great," said Brittany. "Thank you so much for being willing to help."

"No problem!"

***

The next day after school, Zoe's mom drove her over to Brittany's house. "Well done, Zoe," Zoe's mom said as she drove. "You actually got Brittany to let you come over and visit her!"

"I know," said Zoe. She could barely contain her excitement. Taken though Brittany might have been, being on good terms with her was the first step to dating her. Maybe if she could somehow trick Brittany into dumping Isaac, and realizing that she liked girls just as well as guys...no. She was getting too far ahead of herself. She was here to tutor Brittany, not flirt with her.

"Good luck," Zoe's mom said. "Want me to come get you when you're done?"

"Probably not," Zoe answered. "I can walk home."

"Okay. Have fun!"

Zoe went up to Brittany's front door and knocked. A minute later, Brittany answered the door. To Zoe's surprise, Brittany's hair was now pink. "Whoa," she said. "Did you dye your hair again?"

"Yep," Brittany said proudly. "Ready to study?"

"Of course."

Zoe went inside Brittany's house. It wasn't much bigger than her own house, but the furnishings looked cheap. It reminded Zoe of a rental house she and her parents had stayed in one summer. All the cabinets, chairs, and tables were plain and dull, as if whoever was in charge of decorating the place took a minimalistic approach. Evidently Brittany's parents weren't the richest people out there.

"Are your parents home?" Zoe asked.

"No," Brittany answered. "But they said it was okay to have you over."

"Nice."

"I'm not allowed to have boys over when they're gone," said Brittany, "But girls are fine."

"Right." Zoe took off her backpack full of textbooks, binders, and notebooks. "Let's get this started."

Zoe helped walk Brittany through the subject matter of the upcoming test, which was graphs and related equations. At first, Brittany had a hard time understanding it, but with Zoe's help, she started to get a handle on it. After a couple hours of practicing problems, Brittany was able to find the solutions to the math problems without Zoe's help.

"Nice going," Zoe said when they were getting to a stopping point.

"Thanks," said Brittany. "You think I can pass the test the day after tomorrow?"

"Maybe. But we should probably meet again tomorrow to look over the study guide."

"Thanks," Brittany said with a smile. She hugged Zoe and said "I'll look forward to it."

"You too," said Zoe. She packed up her stuff and left Brittany's house. She felt so elated, she could've floated all the way home.

***

Zoe did go to Brittany's house the next day to help her with the study guide. By the time Wednesday's study session was over, Brittany had gained a lot more self-confidence with her Pre-Calculus abilities. And come Fifth Period on Thursday, Brittany got the test and powered right on through. When she was done, she gave it to the teacher Ms. Cameron and watched as she graded it. When Ms. Cameron had finished grading the test, she smiled and gave it back to Brittany. "Well, well, well," Ms. Cameron said, "I don't know how you managed to improve so much, but you've got yourself a 91% score on the test!"

"What?" Brittany gasped. She took the graded test from Ms. Cameron and gaped at the red 91% written on the paper. "No way!"

"Yes way," said Ms. Cameron. "I think things might be turning around for you in this class."

Brittany frolicked back to her table where Zoe was waiting. "How'd it go?" Zoe asked.

In response, Brittany handed Zoe her graded test. "I got a low A," she said.

"Oh wow!" said Zoe. "Congratulations!"

"I couldn't have done it without you," said Brittany. "Thank you so much."

"No problem," said Zoe. Then, without thinking, she added "We should hang out!"

Brittany pondered this for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah," she said. "That sounds fun!"

"When do you want to get together?"

"Well, I'm busy on Saturday," said Brittany, "And I'm going off with Isaac on Sunday. But maybe next week."

"Sweet!" said Zoe. "We'll try and make something work out!"

"Sure thing!"

For the rest of the day, Zoe felt so ecstatic, she could barely even contain herself. She was setting herself up with the girl she'd been crushing on for all these months. If she could maintain a friendly relationship with Brittany, then she just might be able to convince her to go on a date with her! Zoe felt so incredibly happy right now-too happy to even wonder about Skylar.

To be continued...

The following Wednesday was the party at Alan's house. Zoe, Miles, and Avery all carpooled to Alan's house together. When they got there, they were greeted by Alan at the front door. "Hello, friends," said Alan. "We're gonna be in the backyard for the party."

"Okay," said Miles. "This should be fun."

Alan and the other breast cancer awareness club members really did it up with the party. Alan's father was operating the barbeque and grilling burgers and hot dogs for everybody. Brittany was overseeing the tables with chips, cupcakes, cookies, grapes, and cups of water and lemonade. Pink streamers were adorning the backyard fences, and a large picture of Alan's late mother Delany Chase was propped up on display at the center of it all. About a dozen other kids were there too, eating food and playing volleyball on Alan's back lawn.

"Welcome," Mrs. Fury said when she saw Zoe, Miles, and Avery come into the backyard. "Thank you so much for coming."

"It's our pleasure," said Zoe. She looked about the other kids at the party and said "Looks like everyone else is here, too."

"Except Michael and Skylar," said Mrs. Fury.

"What?"

"They're going out this afternoon," Mrs. Fury explained.

"Oh, that's right," said Zoe. "Skylar finally got Michael to agree to start dating her!"

Mrs. Fury raised her eyebrows.

"Oh-I heard about it at school," Zoe lied.

"As has almost everybody else," said Alan. "But at least Skylar's having fun with her new boyfriend."

"Why don't you dig in?" Mrs. Fury offered. "We've got lots of food here."

"Sure," said Zoe. She, Miles, and Avery all got plates of burgers, chips, and cupcakes.

As they were getting their fill, Brittany waved to Zoe. "Hi!" she said.

"Hey Brittany," said Zoe. "Sorry I couldn't hang out with you this week."

"That's okay," Brittany replied. "I'm free tomorrow."

"Great!" said Zoe. "Me too!"

Zoe, Miles, and Avery all ate their food and took some time to play volleyball with the other kids. But after half an hour, Mrs. Fury called everyone to attention. "Okay, everyone," she said. "Alan and I have some announcements to make."

Everyone gathered around the picture of Delany Chase where Alan and Mrs. Fury were standing. "As the counselor for the breast cancer awareness club, I have been thrilled to see you all come together and help spread awareness about breast cancer," said Mrs. Fury. "Each of you have gone to great lengths to sell our merchandise and promote our club on social media. But most of all, we would like to acknowledge Zoe Fletcher."

All eyes turned to Zoe, who took the chance to step forward. "Like Alan said at our meeting a week and a half ago, Zoe has sold the most items out of all of you. Thanks to the sales she generated, we were able to meet our $50,000 goal sooner than we expected. So thank you, Zoe! Thank you for your wonderful contributions!"

Zoe smiled. "Just doing my job," she said. But what she thought was My job for Mr. Al.

"I'll bet my mom would've been proud of you," said Alan. "I know I am."

"But, even with all your contributions, the people who deserve our honor the most are Alan and Skylar," said Mrs. Fury. "They were the ones at the head of this all. They organized the club, and they oversaw the actions of the rest of the club members. Therefore, I will be presenting the president's award to Alan." She pulled out a bronze plaque with Alan Chase's name engraved on it and handed it to Alan.

"Thank you, Mrs. Fury," said Alan. "But what about Skylar?"

"Yes, Skylar wasn't able to make it today," said Mrs. Fury. "But we'll have someone take her award to her house after the party's over."

"And, on that note, thank you everyone," said Alan. "I don't know how long it'll take to build the memorial in the park, but when it's finished, we'll hold an opening party for it. Until then...thanks again, for everything."

***

After Alan's and Mrs. Fury's speech, everyone kept partying for a little bit longer. Miles started another round of volleyball with Isaac while Zoe went to get herself a hot dog. But while she was getting a hot dog from the table, she saw Michael Collins coming up. "Michael?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Thought I'd come join the party," Michael answered.

"But I thought you went off with Skylar?" said Brittany.

"Oh yeah, about that," Michael replied, "I ended up dumping her."

"You WHAT?"

"I didn't even want to be dating her anyway," said Michael. "I only went on that first date with her on Saturday because she pressured me into it. And when I did go...I just didn't feel it. So today I just told her we were gonna call it off, then left her."

Zoe and Brittany stared at Michael incredulously. "You son of a bitch," said Brittany. "You agreed to be Skylar's boyfriend, and then you dumped her?"

"Again, I didn't even want Skylar anyway," said Michael.

"What's going on here?" Alan asked. "Michael? I thought you were-"

"He abandoned Skylar to come here," said Zoe.

Michael smiled awkwardly. "Sorry if I'm a little late," he said. He grabbed a cookie and popped it into his mouth.

Alan's face contorted in fury. "You get the hell out of here," he said.

"But I-"

"Just go!"

"Fine," Michael grumbled. He turned and left the food table and headed for the gate.

"What's he thinking?" Zoe asked. "Why did he-"

She broke off when she saw Michael freeze in his tracks. He doubled over with pain as if he was having period cramps (something Zoe now knew firsthand would feel like). To the astonishment of everyone watching, Michael's body started to change. His hair grew out, his body fat melted away, and he shrank in height. A pair of C-cup boobs swelled into existence on his chest, and his ass inflated like a pair of balloons. Last but not least, the lump in Michael's crotch flattened itself out.

"What the blazes is this?" Mrs. Fury asked.

"No way!" said one of the girls. "It's Ralph-slash-Ruby all over again!"

"I-what the fuck-" Michael stuttered in a higher-pitched voice. He-or now she-was feeling her new feminine body and her newly feminized clothing.

"Did you just turn into a girl?" Alan asked.

"But that's impossible!" said Brittany. "How could you have transformed like that?"

Miles looked at Zoe. He didn't say anything, but from the look on his face, Zoe knew what he was thinking: Skylar did it.

"Okay, calm down," said Mrs. Fury. "Michael-or I guess Michelle-please remain calm."

"But I just turned into a girl somehow!" Michelle wailed. She was so overwhelmed with shock and embarrassment, she was starting to cry. "I don't know what to do, or what to-"

"We'll get in touch with your parents," said Mrs. Fury. "Sorry, everyone, but I think the party's over."

In that moment, Zoe knew she had to act. Despite her doubts, this whole witch situation had gotten much too serious. Zoe didn't know how Skylar could've cursed Michael if she wasn't even there with him. Could she have put some kind of delayed-action spell on him when he gave her the breakup talk for maximum embarrassment when he went bragging to everybody about what he did? The motivations were certainly there. If Brittany had agreed to start going out with Zoe, only to kick her to the curb, Zoe would be pretty mad, too. But would this incident make or break Mr. Al's theory that Skylar was the witch at Interstellar High? There was only one way to find out.

"Wait, Alan!" said Zoe.

"Yeah?"

"Can I take Skylar her award?"

"Of course." Alan handed Zoe the bronze plaque that was supposed to be for Skylar.

"Thank you," said Zoe.

As Zoe was leaving, Miles stopped her. "Wait a minute," he said. "You're not actually gonna-"

"Yes, I'm delivering Skylar her award," said Zoe. "And I'm gonna ask a few questions, too."

To be continued...

After twenty minutes of walking, Zoe reached Skylar's house. She knocked three times on the door and waited. For a minute, there was no answer. Zoe knocked again, but there was still no response. Zoe was starting to wonder if she should check the mat to see if the Gregsons still kept a house key under there when the door was finally answered by Skylar. "Zoe?" said Skylar. Her blonde hair was all messed up, and her eyes were tinged with red like she'd been crying.

"Hey Skylar," said Zoe. "Alan wanted me to bring you this award." She handed Skylar the bronze plaque Mrs. Fury and Alan had given to her.

"Thank you," said Skylar. "I take it the party's over?"

"Well, about that..."

"Come inside," said Skylar.

Zoe hesitated. Was Skylar on to her? But then she remembered what Mr. Al had said. "Okay," she said. She followed Skylar in and sat down on the couch with her.

"Was everyone else there at the party?" Skylar asked. "Alan, and Isaac, and Brittany, and-"

"Yes, they all were," said Zoe. "But Michael came too."

"He did?"

"Yeah. He wanted to brag to the rest of us that he'd decided to ditch you and your date."

Skylar's eyes started to well up again. "Yes. He did. I finally got him to agree to start dating me, and now he just..." She couldn't take it anymore. She started to cry again.

"Actually, something happened to Michael," said Zoe. "He got turned into a girl."

Skylar was so surprised, she stopped crying. "He what?"

"Right after Alan told him to get out of there, he just suddenly turned into a she."

"Oh no," said Skylar. "First Ralph, now Michael."

"I know, it's crazy," said Zoe. "I don't know how it keeps happening, but-"

"Actually, I think I do," said Skylar.

This is it, Zoe thought. This is when she's gonna tell me she's a witch.

"You know I'm adopted, right?"

"Right."

"My parents placed me for adoption when I was, like, four or five. They wanted to get rid of me because...well..."

"Well what?"

"Do you believe in witches?"

"Yes."

"Well, my mom was a witch. She'd been hoping that I'd inherit her magic, but I actually didn't. I was a Muggle. Or I guess a Squib..."

"What...you mean you weren't born with magic powers?"

"No. I'm completely normal."

It was as if a curtain fell on a lit stage inside Zoe's mind. She, Miles, and Mr. Al had been wrong. Skylar wasn't the witch they were looking for after all. In hindsight, Skylar being innocent made sense. Since Michael had just ditched Skylar and went to the club party-which Skylar hadn't followed him to-then she couldn't possibly have put a curse on him, or on Alan's backyard. And, of course, Zoe had found absolutely nothing when she broke into Skylar's house in search of evidence. "Oh..." Zoe said, not doing a very good job of hiding her disappointment.

"But I think it was a witch responsible for what happened to Ralph, and now Michael," Skylar went on. "A lot of witches like turning boys into girls-especially against their will. But they do it in secret to prevent the authorities from throwing them in prison."

Suddenly, Zoe remembered what Mr. Al had told her about the witch family he'd staked out. "Did you have a little sister?"

"Yeah, I did. She was born around the time my parents threw me out. I don't know how old she'd be by now, because sometimes witches can speed up or slow down their aging."

"Ugh," Zoe groaned. "Things just got so much harder."

"Harder?"

Zoe took a deep breath. "Skylar, can I tell you a secret?"

"I mean, I just told you a secret, so I guess so."

"Do you remember Zack Fletcher?"

"Yeah."

"I'm actually him. A witch's curse turned me into a girl."

Skylar's jaw dropped. "No way!"

"Yes way," said Zoe. She told Skylar about her little bathroom error, and the revelation that Mr. Al was secretly a witch hunter who harbored unfortunates who'd been affected by witches' curses like Zack/Zoe had. And she begrudgingly told Skylar about how Mr. Al had had her and Miles try and scope out Skylar as a suspect.

"You mean," Skylar said when Zoe was done talking, "All this time, you and Miles have been stalking me because you think I'm the one to blame for all this?"

"Yes," Zoe admitted. "Skylar, I'm so sorry. We had a hunch that it was you, and it felt like there was a lot of evidence-especially that package that got sent to my house by mistake."

"How was that package evidence?"

"Well, I noticed that the return address was for The Witches' Workshop-"

"Oh, that," Skylar laughed. "It's not a secret witches' society. It's just a company that makes makeup and perfume and things like that."

"Really?"

"Yes. Hold on a minute." Skylar left and came back a minute later with a magazine. She flipped to a page near the back of it and showed it to Zoe. "Here's the ad that I saw."

Zoe stared at the ad with disbelief. "But...if it's a real company...Miles said he looked it up online and didn't find anything about it."

"That's because the company's so new, it hasn't set up a full website yet," said Skylar. "I had to order that lipstick and perfume via mail order."

"Oh," said Zoe. "I didn't know people still ordered by mail anymore."

"Well, I didn't know people stalked people they thought were witches anymore, either."

Zoe hung her head. "Skylar, I'm so, so sorry," she said. To her surprise, she was starting to tear up herself. "Ever since I turned into a girl, it's been so hard. I've had to do my hair, and figure out how to wear girl clothes, and I have to worry about whether Brittany would still like me now that I'm female, and I have to deal with periods every month...I didn't ask for any of this. I just wanted to know who was responsible so I could get some...some kind of...I don't know, justice?"

Skylar saw how distraught Zoe was, and her expression softened. "I know," she said. "It's not always easy being a girl."

"I wish I was still a boy."

"I guess I understand how you feel," said Skylar. "If someone turned me into a boy without my consent, I'd be pretty mad, too. I'd probably want to find out who it was and see them get their comeuppance."

"So...you forgive me?"

"I guess so. You have done a lot for me. You've helped out with the breast cancer awareness club, and you turned down Michael when he tried to hit on you so I could have a chance with him."

"Even if that turned out to be pointless."

"You're still a nice girl, Zoe," said Skylar. "And I remember when you were Zack-I don't think we talked that much, but I did hear from my friends that you were a pretty cool guy. I'm glad we were able to get to know each other better."

Zoe smiled. "Thanks, Skylar," she said. She opened up her arms to hug Skylar. Skylar happily obliged, sharing a loving, sisterly hug with Zoe. Their hug was so passionate, it was almost painful when they broke apart.

"Just know this, Zoe," said Skylar. "If you need anything, I'll be here."

"You too," said Zoe.

***

Later on, Zoe went back to Miles' foster home to tell him and Mr. Al what she'd found out. Both Miles and Mr. Al listened intently as Zoe recounted every detail of her conversation with Skylar.

Miles didn't even try hiding his disappointment at the revelation that Skylar wasn't the witch after all. "I don't believe it," he said. "I was so sure that it was Skylar, I just..."

"Zoe, you said Skylar told you her little sister was born around the time her parents kicked her out?" Mr. Al asked.

"Yes."

"Then we weren't too far off. Skylar's sister could still be at Interstellar High."

"Not 'could,'" said Miles. "She has to be. That bathroom Zack went into, and the locker room that Ralph snuck into, and the breast cancer awareness club party where Michael turned into Michelle-those all revolve around Interstellar High."

"Yes, but we're still no closer to finding out just who this witch is," said Mr. Al.

"So now what do we do?" Zoe asked. "Do you still want us to do our 'witch hunt?'"

Mr. Al shook his head slowly. "I don't know," he said. "Without a prime suspect, I don't know if there's much you can do."

"Well, we can wait for something like this to happen again," said Miles. "See if there's any connections with the incidents with Ralph or Michael. Or even Zack."

"Perhaps," said Mr. Al. "And my associates and I will continue sifting through government records to try and find any possible clue. But until we find something..."

"I guess it's back to normal," Zoe said miserably. "Or as normal as it can be, with me being a girl."

To be continued...

Now that the truth had been revealed, sort of, Zoe didn't feel as much motivation to keep going about her school activities. She did still support the breast cancer awareness club, and she still socialized with Miles and Alan and all her other friends. But since she now knew Skylar was innocent, there didn't seem to be much of a purpose for navigating the social hierarchy at school. Sure, there was still a witch out there, but there were virtually no leads on who it could be.

Fortunately, Zoe did find a purpose at school-the Homecoming dance. The dance would be held on Saturday the 15 in the school's gym, and it would be a pretty big event. People were already starting to ask each other out and make plans with friends to go to the dance.

A week after the disastrous party at Alan's house, Zoe and Miles were sitting at their lunch table and talking about the Homecoming dance. "I know you didn't go to last year's dance," Miles was saying, "But I think you should give it a try this year."

"I mean, maybe?" said Zoe. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"You mean like a date?"

"Uh..."

"I'm actually thinking about asking Avery out to the dance," said Miles. "But you can tag along as a friend if you like."

"Well, I know who I'd like to ask out," said Zoe.

Miles nodded slowly. "Brittany Meier."

"Yes, but she's already dating Isaac Schmidt."

"I guess you could see if you could tag along with them as a friend," said Miles. "If they're already taking a bunch of other friends with them, then it probably won't be too awkward."

"That sounds-"

Zoe broke off when Skylar came up and sat down at their table. "Hey guys," said Skylar. "How's the witch-hunting going?"

"No luck," Zoe answered. "We don't have any evidence, since we don't even know what to look for."

"That sucks," said Skylar. Letting her in on the secret of their witch-hunting had actually been pretty successful. Skylar being as popular as she was, she knew the dirt on almost every girl in the school, so she'd provided Zoe and Miles with hints as to who she thought might be a witch in disguise. But, sadly, none of her pointers had gotten them anywhere.

"Do you know how Michelle's doing?" Miles asked.

"She's not doing well at all," said Skylar. "She came back to me and said she was very sorry for dumping me like she-or he-did."

"And? Are you still mad at her?"

"I guess I'm still a little mad," Skylar admitted, "But I should've learned a long time ago that a boy who cheats isn't the right boy for me."

"Most definitely," said Zoe.

"Speaking of boys," said Skylar, "Are you gonna go with Miles to the Homecoming dance?"

"No, he's going with Avery," said Zoe. "Or, at least, he wants to."

"Is there anyone else you might want to ask out?"

"I wish I could ask out Brittany Meier," said Zoe, "But she's taken."

"Brittany Meier?"

"Yeah. I had a crush on her when I was Zack, and I still do now."

"I was actually talking to her a little while ago," said Skylar. "She was upset because Isaac Schmidt can't go to the Homecoming dance with her. Apparently he has a family obligation that's preventing him from going."

Zoe could practically feel the lightbulb go on over her head. "You mean...she doesn't have a date? I can try asking her out?"

"If you feel comfortable with it, sure," said Skylar.

"I don't know," said Miles. "If Brittany's into guys, then she probably won't go on a date with a girl-"

"It doesn't have to be romantic just yet," said Zoe. "We can just go as friends, you know?"

"That sounds great," said Skylar. "You have Fifth Period with Brittany, right?"

"Right."

"Then try asking her then. See how it goes."

"Alright," said Zoe. "I will."

***

For the next little while, Zoe screwed up her courage to talk to Brittany about the Homecoming dance. By the time Fifth Period rolled around, she was ready. "Hey Brittany," Zoe said when she sat down at their table. "How are you doing?"

"Not great," Brittany seethed. "Isaac Schmidt just bailed on me for the Homecoming dance."

"Oh...he did?"

"Yeah. He said he has a family obligation, so he can't go. And now I have a dress but no date."

Zoe hesitated. She knew she couldn't just come on abruptly to ask Brittany out to the dance. She had to pause for a minute as if she was considering what to do. "Well...I could go with you," she said.

"What?"

"Just as a friend," Zoe elaborated. "We can go to the dance, have fun, maybe dance with some other guys. What do you think?"

Brittany thought for a moment, then said "Sure. That could be good."

It was all Zoe could do not to jump into the air and whoop. "Great," she said. "I'll see if I can find my own dress."

***

Zoe's parents were thrilled when they heard about Zoe asking Brittany out to the Homecoming dance. Zoe was going to ask about getting a dress to wear to the dance, but before she was even done talking, her mom went into the closet and dug around until she found her old high school prom dress. She had Zoe try it on, and to her surprise, it fit her great. So Zoe decided to make that the dress she'd wear to Homecoming.

When the night of the dance came, Zoe's mom drove her over to Brittany's house to pick her up. Zoe went up to the door and knocked on it. When Brittany answered the door, Zoe was shocked by how stunning Brittany looked. Her hair was dyed black as midnight, and she wore a smooth, sexy, strapless black dress. The sight of Brittany looking so hot was almost too much for Zoe. She wanted nothing more than to hug her, and kiss her, and maybe even get into bed with her and-

"Hi Zoe," said Brittany. "You look great."

"As do you," Zoe replied. "Ready for Homecoming?"

"Of course!"

After Zoe's and Brittany's moms took pictures of the girls together on Brittany's doorstep, Zoe and Brittany got into the back of Zoe's mom's car to ride to the dance. When they got to the school's gym, they entered to find it all decked out for the dance. The DJ's sound speakers were blasting music all throughout the room, and a multicolored disco ball cast lights all over the ceiling and walls. Many of the kids there were just awkwardly standing around, but some were dancing to the music and having a total blast doing so.

"Hey guys!" said Miles. Zoe turned and saw Miles in the center of the dance floor, rocking it out with Avery.

"Hi Miles! Hi Avery!" said Zoe.

"So is Miles dating Avery now?" Brittany asked.

"Oh no," Zoe answered. "I'm pretty sure they're just friends."

"I see," said Brittany. "Shall we join them?"

"Of course!"

Zoe and Brittany joined Miles and Avery in dancing. Skylar and Alan came and got in on the act, too. The friends rocked it out, shaking their arms, legs, and bodies to the loud beats reverberating throughout the gym. Dancing with her friends was already fun as it was, but having Brittany there made it even better for Zoe. She'd dreamed of a scenario like this for ages-Brittany being there at her side not just as a girlfriend, but also as a part of a "group of friends" with people like Miles and Avery. Having another person somehow made their friendships' dynamic even better. Zoe was really starting to understand the phrase "the more the merrier."

Eventually, the DJ put on a slow song, and Miles took the chance to slow-dance with Avery. Zoe looked at Brittany and said "Well...do you want to dance?"

"Sure," said Brittany. She put her left hand on Zoe's shoulder and took Zoe's left hand in her right hand, while Zoe put her own right hand on Brittany's waist. The duo slow-danced to the song, reveling in the smooth, peaceful rhythm.

"Are you having fun?" Zoe asked.

"Yes," Brittany answered. "Thank you so much for taking me to the dance."

"And thank you for coming with me." Zoe truly meant what she said. This was exactly what she'd wanted for all this time-the chance to slow-dance with Brittany, to bond with her, to become close in a way nothing else could induce. It might've been the best moment of her life.

So naturally, that meant something had to come fuck it up.

Towards the end of the song, Brittany looked over Zoe's shoulder and faltered when she saw something. "Wait," she said. "Is that..."

"What?"

Brittany let go of Zoe and went to investigate what she'd seen. Zoe turned around and saw what had gotten Brittany's attention, and she couldn't believe what she saw.

Isaac Schmidt had just walked in holding hands with Tara Turner.

"Isaac?" Brittany asked incredulously.

"What-Brittany?" Isaac gasped. From the look on his face, he probably wasn't expecting Brittany to be there, either.

"What are you doing here?" Brittany asked. "You said you had a family obligation!"

"I-well, about that, I...um..."

"You lied to me! You just wanted to come to the dance with Tara Turner!"

"Brittany, please! I can explain-Tara had nobody to go with, and I felt bad for her, so-"

"Then why didn't you just tell me? Why'd you have to make up some bullshit about a family obligation just so you could sneak behind my back and date another girl?"

"Well..."

"We're done!" Brittany cried. By this point, she was starting to well up with tears. "If you're gonna act like that, then we're through! Just-just go! Get the hell out of here now!"

Isaac hung his head. He turned, left Tara, and exited the gym.

When Brittany turned back to Zoe, she was starting to cry. "Brittany...I'm so sorry," said Zoe.

"It's not your fault," Brittany sobbed. "Isaac, he...he..."

Zoe hugged Brittany. "Yes, that was a very bad thing he did," she said.

"Why did I even bother dating him at all?" said Brittany.

"Uh..." Zoe didn't have an answer for that. But she willingly hugged and comforted Brittany for the rest of the dance.

***

A couple hours later, the dance was over, and it was time for Zoe to take Brittany home. Zoe's mom picked them both up and drove them back to Brittany's house. Brittany had stopped crying by the time they got there, but she was still depressed after what happened with Isaac.

Naturally, the wisest thing was for Zoe to escort Brittany back up to her front door. "Sorry again," said Zoe. "About...you know."

"That's okay," said Brittany. "It was still fun, getting to hang out with you and Miles and Avery. Skylar and Alan, too."

"Yeah, it was," said Zoe. "Thanks for coming with me."

Brittany hugged Zoe deeply. "Thanks again for inviting me," she said. "I'm glad someone still cares about me."

"I'll see you again on Monday," said Zoe.

"You too. Goodnight."

To be continued...

When Zoe got to school the following Monday, she was surprised to run into Brittany at the front gates. "Hey Brittany," she said.

"Hi Zoe," said Brittany. "How are you?"

"I'm alright," Zoe answered. "Are you doing okay?"

"Yeah."

"I'm guessing you're through with Isaac?"

"Of course I am. And when I find him, I'm gonna give him the real breakup talk."

"Hell yeah," Zoe said with a hint of malice. "Give him what he deserves."

"I'll let you know how it goes," said Brittany.

***

A little while later, Zoe was leaving First Period when she ran into Alan. "Hey Zoe," said Alan. "Did you see that they started building the memorial for my mom in the park?"

"No, I did not see that," Zoe answered.

"You should go check it out," said Alan. "Me and Skylar are planning on hosting an opening ceremony for it when it gets finished. We'll invite everyone from the club-well, except maybe Isaac and Brittany."

"Oh, yeah," Zoe said sadly. She'd totally forgotten that Brittany was in the breast cancer awareness club because of her relationship with Isaac. "Brittany said she was gonna give him the real breakup talk today."

"She already did."

"What?"

"I saw it happen," said Alan. "They're both in the same First Period class as me. Brittany told Isaac that they're through, but she gave him a little box as a parting gift."

"Parting gift?"

"I know, it's weird," said Alan. "But she told him to open it in private, behind the gym where no one would see him."

A disgruntled girlfriend giving her ex-boyfriend a box and telling him to open it in private? What could that mean? Unfortunately, an idea was forming in Zoe's mind. And it was not a good one. "Did he already go behind the gym?" Zoe asked.

"I don't know. Maybe?" Alan replied.

"I've gotta go," said Zoe. She turned and ran down the hall towards the gym. When she was nearing the gym, she burst through the door and went out to the area behind it. This was a spot kids at Interstellar High went to all the time when they wanted to do something private-making out, smoking cigarettes, holding secret meetings. In fact, rumor had it that Gary Larson and Hailey Henderson had had sex out here two and a half years ago. Of course, Gary and Hailey had been real tight-lipped about the matter, and nobody was able to prove it. But that was besides the point.

Zoe rounded the corner and saw Isaac standing there, holding a small black box that was six inches across in every direction. "What the-Zoe?" Isaac asked.

"What is that?" Zoe asked.

"Oh...it's a little box," said Isaac. "You know my girlfriend-well, ex-girlfriend now-Brittany Meier?"

"Of course I do!"

"She was pretty mad about the Homecoming dance, but she gave me this and told me to open it in private. It sounded pretty suspicious, but I'm kind of curious-"

"No, Isaac, don't!" said Zoe.

Too late. Isaac had already popped off the box's lid. When the lid came off, there was a flash of blue light that blinded both him and Zoe. After some blinking, they could see again-but what they saw was not a pretty sight. Isaac's build was starting to shrink, and his hair was starting to grow out.

"What the fuck?" Isaac asked. He looked down and saw a pair of boobs growing on his chest. "Am I growing tits?"

"Yeah, you are," Zoe answered. She watched as Isaac's ass flared out and became more feminine.

"Holy shit," Isaac said in a higher voice. By the count of twelve, he had become a she. She was several inches shorter, her clothes had shifted to a blouse and tight jeans, her blonde hair went past her shoulders, and her breasts and ass were shapely enough to get a guy's attention. Isaac had turned into...Iris? Wow. There really weren't a lot of girl names that started with "i," were there?

"Oh no," said Zoe. But before she could think further, she felt a wave of magical energy wash over her body. Magic sparkles danced before her eyes, and all of a sudden she felt different. Her body felt larger, her hair wasn't brushing against her shoulders and back anymore, and in her pants, she felt...wait...could it be...

Zoe looked down and felt herself all over. She'd turned back into a guy! "What the heck?"

"You changed, too," said Iris. "Wait..." She squinted at Zoe's face. "You look like Zack Fletcher..."

Zoe pulled out her, or now his, phone and looked at his reflection in its turned-off screen. No way. She'd reverted back to her guy form before she was turned into a girl! Zoe was now Zack again!

"But-but that doesn't make any sense," said Zack. "I'm a girl, and-" He'd barely even spoken when he felt the magic energy coursing through him again. And, just like that, Zack turned back into a girl.

"Whoa," said Iris. "You just...changed gender!"

"I did?" Zack looked down at her now-female body, trying to make sense of it all. Just seconds ago, she'd been a guy again, but now-

The thought had barely even formed in her head when she magically shifted into a guy again-body, clothes, and all. "How is this possible?" Zack asked.

"I don't know." Iris closed her eyes and concentrated, but nothing happened. "But I don't think I can change," she said miserably.

"Maybe because I was already changed before," said Zack. "That cursed bathroom magically changed me into a girl. That magic box was supposed to change people's genders, but since I was already changed, it must've messed up the magic on me and somehow gave me the ability to change gender at will."

"What? You were turned into a girl before?" Iris asked.

Zack ignored her. He was starting to realize just how bad the situation really was. The source of all this trouble was that magic black box Isaac had opened. And he'd gotten the box from...

"I've gotta go," said Zack. He turned into Zoe and added "It's an emergency!"

Iris watched with puzzlement as Zoe turned and ran away. "What the hell is going on?" she asked.

***

Zoe caught Miles just as he was getting to his Third Period class. "Miles, this is important," she said.

Miles read the look of panic on Zoe's face and immediately believed her. "What is it?"

"It's Brittany. She's the one. She's the witch!"

"Brittany? Brittany Meier?"

"Yes." Zoe gave Miles a rundown of what had happened with Isaac and the black box. When she was finished, she shifted back into Zack to prove that her story was true.

"What the-Zoe?" Miles asked in shock. "Or...Zack?"

"I know, it's weird," said Zack. "But-"

"So Brittany's the one we've been looking for. She's the one who cursed that bathroom and turned you into a girl."

"Yeah, I know. And it fits everywhere else, too. Right after Ralph posted that video of me online, Brittany was like 'That asshole has to pay for what he did.' Next thing we know, the locker room's cursed to turn peeping Toms into girls. And Michael-"

"Brittany was there at the party," said Miles. "She was operating the food table Michael ate that cookie from."

Zack nodded. "And what Mr. Al said about how that guy Tommy was turned into Tammy by a girl with blonde hair-Brittany dyes her hair all the time. She could easily have been blonde at one point."

"Then this is it," said Miles. "We've got to tell Mr. Al about this."

"You're right," said Zack. "We'll have to go to him after school to-"

"No, I'll text him right now," said Miles. "This is way too urgent to wait!"

"Alright," said Zack. "You do that." He turned back into Zoe and went to go to his Third Period class. But it wasn't until halfway through the class period that she realized what was really happening. He'd been crushing on Brittany for months before that bathroom incident over the summer. Now, after tutoring her in math and taking her to the Homecoming dance, she'd scored more points with her than she could ever have hoped for. If Mr. Al went after her and killed her, then Zack/Zoe would lose the relationship she'd built up with Brittany. Could she really go back to Square One in this girl-dating game?

Zack, don't be stupid, said a voice in the back of Zoe's mind. It was Brittany's curse that turned you into a girl and caused this whole mess. But looking back now, that whole bathroom mistake was Zack's fault. HE had gone into the girls' bathroom against his better judgement. Brittany had probably meant that curse for some other cheating boyfriend or peeping Tom. Sure, there was Ralph/Ruby and Michael/Michelle and Isaac/Iris, but they'd kind of deserved what they got. Right? Right? Now that Zoe was thinking rationally, she wished she hadn't told Miles what she'd found out, and that they hadn't agreed to tell Mr. Al. But now there was no going back.

What could Zack/Zoe do now?

To be concluded...

Right when Third Period ended, Miles went out to find a private spot. He pulled out his phone and called Mr. Al. "Hey Mr. Al," said Miles. "Is this a bad time?"

"Not at all," Mr. Al answered. "Did you and Zoe find something?"

"Zoe did," said Miles. "Alan Chase told her he'd seen Brittany Meier give Isaac Schmidt a little black box. And when Zoe followed Isaac out behind the gym, Isaac opened the box, and it turned him into a girl."

"Oh, it did?"

"Yeah, but here's the weird part: the box messed with the spell on Zoe. Now she can turn back into Zack and then back into Zoe at will."

"How absurd," said Mr. Al. "I've never heard of anything like this before."

"I know, it's crazy," said Miles. "But that's not what's important. What is important is that Brittany Meier is the witch. She's the one we've been looking for."

Mr. Al was silent for a count of ten. "Brittany Meier," he repeated.

"Yeah, her. You know who she is, right?"

"Isn't she the young lady Zack had a crush on before he was turned into Zoe?"

"Yes, unfortunately."

Mr. Al sighed. "Well, it seems like Zack's going to have to sacrifice his love for the greater good," he said.

"Wait a minute. Are you gonna...kill her?"

"I'm going to have to," said Mr. Al. "Brittany's done enough damage already. We can't let her keep running amok and throwing curses around."

"Can't you just arrest her and have her locked up?"

"She's a witch. Chances are she'd just magic her way out."

Miles sighed. "You're right," he admitted. "I'll talk to Zoe, or Zack, or whoever he wants to be. I'll try to talk some sense into him."

***

Zoe had already gotten to her lunch table and started telling Skylar and Avery about the day's revelation when Miles came running into the cafeteria. "Zoe!" said Miles.

"Miles?"

"Zoe, you have to listen to me," said Miles. "I just called Mr. Al, and he and his men are going to mount a search for Brittany."

Zoe gasped. "You did what?"

"I told Mr. Al Brittany is the witch," said Miles.

"Oh no," said Zoe.

"Look, Zoe, I know you're in love with Brittany," said Miles, "But you have to let it go. Brittany's a witch. She's a bad guy."

"No she's not."

"Yes, she is. She turned Ralph, Michael, and Isaac into girls against their will. And it's because of her that you got turned into a girl too and had your life turned upside down."

"Yeah, well, it can go back to normal now," said Zoe. To prove her point, she willed herself to shift back into Zack.

"Look, can you please just not try anything stupid?" said Miles.

"Like what?"

"Like trying to stop Mr. Al from killing Brittany."

Zack felt uneasy. He'd been thinking of doing just that before he came to lunch and started telling Skylar and Avery about everything. "But Brittany's the closest thing I've ever had to a girlfriend!" he said. "I've worked hard to get in good with her and sow the seeds of a relationship with her!"

"Yeah, well, those seeds have to be dug out now," said Miles.

"Hate to break it to you, but he's right," said Avery. "You have to get over it. Brittany's not the person you thought she was."

"Yes, she is," Zack insisted. "If you'd been tutoring her or dancing with her at Homecoming-"

"Zack, open your ears!" said Miles. "Brittany. Is. A. Witch. She curses people just for fun!"

"All those guys she cursed deserved it." Of course, Zack knew that this implied he'd deserved to be genderbent too, but he wasn't going to draw attention to it. "Besides, Brittany's a human being. Just like you, and me, and Mr. Al."

Avery rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, that makes EVERYTHING okay," she scoffed.

"Yeah," said Miles. "Remember that police officer who killed George Floyd? He was a human being, too. And Christopher Columbus was a human being. Hitler was a human being."

Zack sputtered. "Oh, now you're comparing Brittany to Hitler?" He shot up to his feet with his fists clenched and glared at Miles.

Miles was so startled, he stepped back in alarm. "What-I didn't mean-"

"I'm not gonna give up what I've got with Brittany," said Zack. And with that, he turned and left.

Miles stared after him. "Oh no," he groaned. "What did I do?"

"Don't worry," said Skylar. "He'll come to his senses." But she didn't sound so sure.

***

Zack turned back into Zoe and started looking for Brittany, but she was nowhere to be found. Even in Fifth Period, Brittany was a no-show. Zoe tried calling Brittany's phone, but she got no answer. So she knew she'd have to go right to Brittany's house after school to try and warn her what was happening.

The second the final bell rang, Zoe was ready. She took off and sprinted out of the school. She ran the several blocks away to where she knew Brittany's house was. She knocked on the door and prayed it wasn't too late.

To Zoe's relief, Brittany answered the door. "Zoe?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Brittany, you have to listen to me," said Zoe. "There's people coming for you, and they want to kill you."

Brittany's eyes widened. "What?"

"We should go inside," said Zoe. "I can explain everything."

Brittany took Zoe inside and sat her down at the kitchen table. "Who is it that's after me?" Brittany asked.

"It's these...people," said Zoe. She feared telling Brittany she'd been the one who'd relayed Mr. Al the information that Brittany was a witch would be suicide, but she couldn't seem to think of a good enough excuse. "They've been after you for a long time now."

"What are you talking about? Why do they want to kill me?"

Zoe hesitated. "I saw that you gave Isaac that box this morning," she said. "And I saw...you know..."

"You saw..." Brittany looked at Zoe indignantly, like she'd just found out Zoe had been sniffing her underwear. "You saw him turn into a her?"

Zoe nodded.

"But how can you still be a girl?"

"I think I know," said Zoe. She turned herself back into Zack, much to Brittany's shock.

"What the-Zack Fletcher?"

"Yes, that's me," said Zack.

"But how..."

"That cursed bathroom? I was a victim. That's how Zoe Fletcher was born."

"What...but how did you figure out that I was a-"

Brittany broke off when someone started pounding on the front door. "Open up!" said a gruff voice.

Zack's heart missed several beats. "That must be them!" he said. He shifted back to Zoe and went to answer the door. There she found Mr. Al standing there, wearing special black armor and holding a heavy blaster rifle. Five more similarly dressed and armed men were already starting to spread around the house.

"What the-Zoe?" Mr. Al asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Mr. Al, please," said Zoe. "We can try to work something out with Brittany!"

"Zoe, step aside. My men and I must deal with Brittany."

"No, please!"

"Stop being ridiculous. This is what you and Miles have been working toward for weeks and weeks!"

"Wait a minute," said Brittany. She was looking between Zoe and Mr. Al and putting two and two together. "You're with them?"

"Well...."

"Yes, she is," said Mr. Al. "I don't know what she's doing here, but she is working for us."

Brittany's face contorted in rage. "You sold me out to these witch hunters?"

"I didn't know it was you at first!" Zoe defended. "We suspected Skylar. But then-"

"You betrayed me!" Brittany roared. She summoned a magic ball of energy and hurled it at Zoe. When the ball hit Zoe's chest, her whole body shook like she'd been electrocuted. Zoe fell onto the floor, twitching uncontrollably.

"Stay down," Mr. Al commanded. He pointed his gun at Brittany and opened fire. Brittany summoned a magical shield to protect herself, but she forgot about Mr. Al's other men. Two of them crashed through the side door into the kitchen with their guns brandished. Brittany rounded on them and swept her hand at them. All of a sudden, the men dropped their guns and fell onto the floor screaming in pain. Burns had formed all over their bodies.

Fortunately, when Brittany had gotten distracted, her magic shield disappeared. Mr. Al took the chance to reload his gun and aim it at Brittany once more. Right about that time, Zoe recovered from getting hit with Brittany's spell and looked up. "Brittany..." she croaked. "Brittany..."

Mr. Al didn't even acknowledge her. He fired a round of bullets at Brittany and plugged her six times in the chest. Brittany's shirt started to stain with blood as she glared at Mr. Al. "You...you couldn't..." She didn't even finish her sentence. The light drained from her eyes, and she fell right off her feet. She did not get up.

Zoe got back up and looked down at Brittany's dead body. "You...you killed her," she said.

"Yes, I did," said Mr. Al. "Now her regime has come to an end."

"She...she attacked me..."

"I know," said Mr. Al.

"She found out I sold her out, and she just..."

"Yes, it's awful," Mr. Al said solemnly. "To have your love suddenly turn on you like that. Many relationships have been ruined by such turns of events."

Zoe started to cry. "What have I done?" she said. "All this-all of this-it's turned out horrible. I thought I was winning over Brittany, but then she turned out to be a witch, and then she attacked me."

"I'm sorry, Zoe," said Mr. Al. "I'm sorry that this might not have turned out the way you wanted it."

***

To say things went back to normal wouldn't be quite accurate. The full story of Zack's transformation to Zoe, and the subsequent witch hunt she and Miles had embarked upon, was released to the public, which drew in a lot of media attention. A morning talk show even invited Zack/Zoe on to share some insights about the experience. Everyone-Zack's classmates, teachers, neighbors, and other friends-were shocked beyond belief to hear that the Zack they knew hadn't gone away at all-he'd been Zoe the whole time. But there were certain people (read: the parents of Ralph/Ruby, Michael/Michelle, and Isaac/Iris) that were grateful Zack and Miles had stopped Brittany from causing any more trouble.

Of course, now that Zack/Zoe could change gender at will, that brought up a lot of questions about gender identification. Zack ultimately decided he'd legally be male, but he could turn female whenever he was feeling feminine. And the convenient thing was that whenever he changed, the clothes he was wearing would change with him, which made things much easier than they could've been.

A week and a half after Brittany's defeat, the Delaney Chase memorial in the park was completed. Alan and Skylar hosted an opening ceremony in the park, and everyone from the breast cancer awareness club was invited. Zack went and listened to Alan's speech about how happy he was about his mother being memorialized, and how proud he was of the club's members for coming together and making this happen. But Zack was still so depressed about the loss of Brittany, he couldn't enjoy himself. He just sort of sat there and listened to Alan talk.

After the speech and additional comments from Mrs. Fury, the opening ceremony was essentially over. But Zack stayed behind to get a better look at the Delaney Chase memorial. He admired the large smooth stone and bronze plaque with Delaney Chase's name, and a message thanking her for everything she did for the community.

"Hey," said a female voice. Zack turned to see Skylar standing there, with Miles not far behind her.

"Hey Skylar," said Zack. "Hey Miles."

"You like the Delaney Chase memorial?" Skylar asked.

"Yeah," said Zack. "It's probably the only good thing that came out of all this."

Skylar nodded. "I'm sorry about what happened with Brittany," she said.

"And I'm sorry for...for the things I said about her," said Miles.

"It's not just that," said Zack. "When I went to Brittany's house to try and stop Mr. Al from assassinating her, she realized I was the one who sold her out and attacked me."

"She attacked you?"

"Yes. I was so shocked that she did that. After all those good times we had, she just suddenly turned on me. It was like none of that even happened."

"I'm so sorry," said Miles.

"I just...it's all my fault. I should never have meddled in any of this. I shouldn't have-"

"Zack, you shouldn't blame yourself," said Skylar. "What Brittany did-that was on her."

"But she..."

"Zack, after Michael dumped me, my mom told me something," said Skylar. "She said that when your loved one reveals themselves as a cheater, or an abuser, or anything like that, then that's what you should remember them as. Clinging to those sweet memories of their false self just hurts you."

Zack sighed. "I guess you're right," he said. "But I finally felt like I might get a girlfriend. And now I'm even farther away from getting one than before."

"I get it," said Miles. "I really do."

"But, I guess there's a lot more girls out there," said Zack. "I guess I'll just...start looking again."

Skylar nodded. "And you know, I'm always here for you."

"What?"

"If you ever want to go out sometime, I'd be down."

"You mean...like a date?"

"Yeah, of course!" Skylar said with a smile. "If you'd be willing."

Whoa. This was a huge turn of events. Sweet as Skylar was, Zack had never gotten the vibe that Skylar felt romantic attraction towards him. But now she was implying that maybe she did like him that way. Zack may not have felt particularly attracted to her before, but now...maybe it would work out. Skylar was a really nice girl, and she was pretty, too.

"Sure," said Zack. "I'll go out with you."

"Sweet," Skylar said, sliding her hand into Zack's hand. "I'm free tomorrow."

"Me too. Should we go get lunch somewhere?"

"Of course."

"Then let's do it."

The End....

***

And that's the end of this serialized story. Sorry that there were some significant gaps in chapter uploads, but at least I got to finish it. I've enjoyed reading the comments on the chapters as they were being uploaded, so thank you for sharing your thoughts. Now that the story's finished, please feel free to tell me what you think about the story as a whole. I always enjoy hearing what you think of my works.