Dear Readers,

A couple of months ago, I uploaded a series of chapters that I titled "Witch." It received a strong response, so I naturally started writing more of the story. Since I'm about halfway done, I wanted to upload it and see if anyone wants me to continue it here.

It will be uploaded to Amazon as an e-book afterward.

Leslie
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Chapter One
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I woke suddenly, wet and cold. Turned, flipped the covers back, and started screaming! There was a lot of blood splashed between my legs. The bed, and my boxers, were stained red. I jumped to the floor to escape the mess and started yelling again, realizing the blood was all mine.

My mouth was dry, my heartbeat was banging, and my eyes itched. I was afraid to rub them because my hands were covered in blood. The sweat on my T-shirt and shorts smelled like fear. And there was so much blood, it made everything red as it turned cold on my thighs.

I stood on shaky legs, weak and dizzy. Why was I bleeding? Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mom peek into my room, stare, frown, then dash off. Not a word! She just disappeared. What’d she know and where’d she go? I was getting more frightened.

Mom reappeared, holding out a quilted silver blanket like the ones that EMTs hand out at accidents. Except this one had a hood, sleeves, and snaps and closed like a very long coat.

She moved quickly, barking orders like a drill sergeant. “Here, drop the shorts and put this on. We’ve got to move.”

I wanted to stop and shout out questions. If Mom knew some answers, I should, too. Instead Grabbing my arm, she moved me along like a balloon bobbing and floating through the air. I wanted to stop, dig in my heels. I wanted answers, but I just floated along, bouncing through the air like it was water.

No face washing, no toothbrushing. Before I could even ask, she led me out the back door. It was still night, but as crazy as it sounds, I could see where we were going.

We crossed our backyard, skirting my soccer net, and ignoring the pile of balls littering the ground. At the end of our property, Mom opened a gate. Gate?

I stared and called out. “Hey, Mom. Where’d that gate come from? Was that always there?”

She turned and whispered, “Shh. No noise. This has got to be stealth.”

Stealth? Thoughts were exploding in my head. Was Mom a spy? Were we escaping? How’d I get injured? Had I been drugged unconscious? Were we headed to the hospital? How come I didn’t hear ambulance sirens or see cop cars flashing their lights! Were we the bad guys? And I was still bleeding down the inside of my thighs!

Mom pulled me down an alley. An alley! Where were we? I’d never seen an alley behind our house. This one was littered with garbage cans and prowling cats. Cats were everywhere! Strange! I could sense the cats’ presence and occasionally catch a glimpse of one swishing out of sight. I was disoriented. I’d never seen the back gate, and never knew there was an alley behind our yard. I always thought it was just woods back there. And where did all these houses come from with their garbage cans out here? Maybe, maybe. This wasn’t real!

There! That was the answer! I was still asleep, tucked in bed, and having this crazy nightmare. This wasn’t real as I looked down at trash, tin cans, and broken glass scattered across the blacktop. Freaking out, I realized that I’d been floating along in bare feet, with my Mom tugging me like a balloon. I had no cuts or felt any pain. Definitely dreaming.

Had to be dreaming. Had to. Please.

As I looked around, everything was different, and I didn’t recognize where we were. It had only been a few minutes since I’d been led out of our house, but I’d never known about a gate, an alley, or any houses behind us. Nothing looked familiar.

I sensed my Mom’s urgency as she kept moving us along. I couldn’t have resisted if I tried, scrambling just to keep up.

When we reached the end of this alley and a cross street, I knew where we were! It couldn’t be, but we were a dozen blocks away from our house, out on the other side of the high school! It made no sense how we’d traveled so far!

I looked at the cross street and saw a small yellow moving van idling at the curb in front of us. This one had all those graphics and Budget written on the side. I looked over and saw a woman standing there watching us. She and Mom exchanged words that I didn’t hear. They both helped me up into the back of the truck. Mom climbed in next to me. The other woman pulled down the big door, and I heard it latch.

It was dark inside the truck. Mom turned on a flashlight, and I watched her scramble around. She collected all the quilts used to wrap furniture, piled them up, and pulled me down onto them. “Sit before you stumble. We’re going to get moving.”

I did as I was told, pulling the aluminum coat tightly around my bare body. A few seconds later, we were on the road.

Mom grabbed a sleeping bag that was piled behind us. She pulled me in and squeezed it around me. My nose was overwhelmed with the stale smell of unwashed blankets, my own sweat, and blood. Blood! As I sat on the blankets, Mom grabbed a big bag from somewhere. She reached in and handed me a washcloth, body wash, and a towel. She opened a thermos and poured hot water into the washcloth. As she handed it to me, she told me to clean myself up.

Scrubbing myself, I started to scream again. As I washed between my legs, trying to wipe up the blood, I got the shock of my life! My genitals were gone! There was nothing between my legs! All I felt was blood!

I was in a nightmare that had everything crashing around me. Seriously, any fourteen-year-old guy will tell you how important those bits are, but discovering that they’d been cut off was too much to handle!

I moaned! “Mom, we need to go to the hospital now. I’m bleeding to death. Someone cut everything off. Mom, do you hear me? I’m dying!”

Mom wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me tightly. “Shh. It’s okay. You’re okay, and there’s nothing wrong. I promise to fill you in. But right now, I’m going to recite some words in Latin, and I need you to repeat them to me. We’re going to say them over and over together.

Omnia bene sunt et mihi quiescere necesse est.

It took me several tries to get it right. But I did what I was told. I kept repeating those words, turned, and asked, “Mom, what am I saying?”

“It’s Latin. It means everything is fine, and I need to relax.”

“But Mom, how can I relax when I’m bleeding, and my junk is gone? Seriously, shouldn’t we be going to the hospital? We should be calling an ambulance and the police.” My voice sounded shrill.

Mom was hugging me as she spoke. “Just keep repeating that phrase while I fill you in. Okay?”

I nodded and kept saying those words. The weirdest thing was that I was getting pretty calm even though I knew I was bleeding to death.

Mom smiled at me and kissed my cheek. She pulled back the hood of my coat and rubbed the top of my head, causing long curly brown hair to fall in my face. “Whoa,” I thought! “Where’d all this hair come from?” My hair was cut short, not long.

Mom kissed my cheek. “Honey. You’re not dying. You’re okay. But this was an emergency. We had to scoop you up and get you away from the danger.”

Right, that’s how you calm a dying kid. You talk about danger.

Mom had a serious look on her face when she started talking. “For fourteen years, there’s been a spell covering the real you. You’ve been hidden away since you were born. We did that because everyone feared you’d be hunted and killed.”

Hidden under a spell! Hunted down and killed? Those were crazy words! Mom was talking gibberish. And that didn’t explain what had happened to me! All the blood, and my missing bits! This was the real world. It wasn’t a fantasy like the Lord of the Rings movies with spells and wizards!

As I started to lose it again, I began repeating my new mantra. Omnia bene sunt et mihi quiescere necesse est.

Mom gripped my hand tightly and chanted along with me. I looked down and realized that this wasn’t my hand she was holding. It looked different. It wasn’t mine. This hand was thin and delicate. The wrist was skinny, and the arm was hairless. It looked like a girl’s hand.

Mom smiled and nodded as if she was reading my mind. She parted my raincoat to show me more. I gasped.

Under my T-shirt, I had boobs pushing out through the material. I felt more of the long hair and realized that I was looking down at an almost naked girl’s body. With all of this craziness rushing straight at my brain, how was I supposed to calm down? I really was trying, and kept repeating those words. But what had happened to me?

Omnia bene sunt et mihi quiescere necesse est. Omnia bene sunt et mihi quiescere necesse est.

Mom kept talking. “The best way to hide a baby girl is to wrap her in a cloaking spell as a baby boy. It took our whole Coven several days to craft the spell that surrounded the two of us. It worked very well until you started your first menstrual cycle and your emerging power shattered everything we’d created. Oh, yeah. By the way. Welcome to womanhood.”

Me, a girl? “Noooooo! Mom, this can’t be happening!”

Omnia bene sunt et mihi quiescere necesse est. Omnia bene sunt et mihi quiescere necesse est. Omnia bene sunt et mihi quiescere necesse est. Omnia bene sunt et mihi quiescere necesse est.

“The cloaking spell worked, but right now, your powers are shining like a beacon in the night all over Albany County, New York.”

This was the strangest nightmare ever. I needed to wake up! “Mom? What’s happening? What am I?”

She smiled and kissed my forehead. “You’re my daughter, and you’re exceptional. I’m a Witch and so are you.”

Omnia bene sunt et mihi quiescere necesse est. Omnia bene sunt et mihi quiescere necesse est. Omnia bene sunt et mihi quiescere necesse est. Omnia bene sunt et mihi quiescere necesse est.
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Chapter Two
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She smiled. “You’re my daughter, and I’m a Witch.”

I stared at her and blinked my eyes, trying to focus. Did I even know the woman who was saying crazy things? I thought it was my Mom, but even in the darkness, she kinda looked different.

Have you ever woken from a dream that borders on a nightmare? Something crazy, that’s incredibly vivid, full of color, and loaded with out-of-control emotions that harshly twist your reality? And even then, you’re not sure you're awake. It takes time to clear your brain of a nightmare. After a few gasps, you look around, trying to reassure yourself that all of this was a dream. Until that moment, when you can smile and take a deep breath, finally relaxing, knowing it was a dream, you are still agitated.

But not me. I wasn’t waking, and this horror kept going. I was still dreaming, bouncing around inside the container of this box truck as it turned, accelerated, and braked. I'm fighting back the urge to puke and steadying myself by chanting Latin.

And, in my nightmare, I’ve become a girl. I’m not the fourteen-year-old guy who went to bed last night. Now, I’m a naked girl wrapped in blankets, shivering, and dripping blood between her legs. I’m confused and feel wet, itchy, and pretty gross.

Last night, when I fell asleep, I was a ninth-grader at George Peoples High School. I got decent grades, loved playing fall soccer, and was going to try out for the junior varsity team as the second baseman in March. Last night, I skipped my shower and hadn’t brushed my teeth because I was winning at Slimeball Stompers, volume 5, on my PlayStation. A great game! You’re on an alien planet, and your job is to protect the settlement and keep alien monsters from killing everyone.

I drove an armored six-wheeler with a forward cannon and two machine guns. I had missile launchers and grenades. It was late in the afternoon, and both their suns were setting. I was out on patrol, heading towards a remote station to refuel and reload.

Slimeballs have knives for fingers and long, sharp teeth. If they get close enough, they eat your tires, your armor, and then you. I saw it happen to Montana Jack before I could fire a rocket down the Slime Ball’s mouth and blow it up.

And when Slimeballs explode, look out. Their insides are toxic, acid-filled pus machines. But running over their eyeball is a hoot. Love the crunching sound.

Did I mention that Mom and I just snuck out the back door in the middle of the night, stealth style? No Mission Impossible soundtrack, nothing extraordinary. Instead, I followed my Mom through a dark alley I’d never seen before. I ran barefoot through trash and broken glass, cats appearing everywhere.

“Mom.”

I watched her turn and look at me. I wondered what I looked like. I knew I had long brown hair because it kept falling into my face, and I had to keep pushing it behind my ears.

“What’s going on? Please tell me.” I didn’t want to cry. But seriously, I was ready to cry. I was mad at myself, but when I folded my arms across my chest, these boobs were in my way. This really wasn’t a dream; it was a nightmare. And my voice. It had changed, too. It didn’t sound right to have a girl’s voice saying the words I was thinking!

Mom leaned over and wrapped me in her arms. And that’s when my brain lost control. I started crying, maybe even sobbing into her shoulder. Moaning between sobs, I cried, “Mom, what’s happening? How come I’ve been a guy for fourteen years, and now I’m a girl? Fourteen years of Little League, CYO soccer, and intramural basketball. Mom, I still have a crush on Erica Davies!”

Erica is gorgeous. She has blonde, curly hair and the most beautiful brown eyes. We’d just gone to the mall together with all our friends. The two of us walked around, and I’d stolen more than one kiss. We both had fun and did it again after school when I walked her home.

But all of that was part of Doug’s history. Was it my history? But wait, the girl sitting here crying doesn’t have a history. Up until this morning, this girl didn’t exist and had been hidden away under a spell! A spell made by witches!

After a while, I stopped sobbing and got the hiccups. Then I started giggling like a girl, all high-pitched and weird. My brain was spinning. I panicked and stuck my hand between my legs to find more blood oozing out! I was embarrassed and whispered, “Mom. If I were a girl, how’d I have erections every day? And I remember masturbating! I mean, all my thoughts were guy thoughts!”

Mom looked me in the eyes, sighed, and then kissed me. “I know how crazy this seems. When you were born, our whole Coven gathered. We recognized your future potential and knew you needed to stay hidden for as long as we could. The Coven leaders decided to cast a powerful spell to protect you. We did it to keep you hidden and alive.”

She squeezed me tightly as we bounced along. “And for all that time, I was under that cloaking spell, too. No one in the community knew that a Witch lived there. It was all going according to plan until this morning, when you woke up. You were emitting a huge amount of power, like a spotlight aimed at the sky. That blast set off all sorts of alarms, and that’s why we’re running for our lives. But I think we’re safe now.”

“How do you know that we’re safe?”

“Our Coven had time to plan. We knew it was only a matter of months before you started your first menstrual cycle and released all of your power. This morning, you became powerful enough to shatter the spell we cast. Eighteen months ago, the Coven bought a box truck and started preparing for the moment when you’d emerge. We all knew that you were a ticking time bomb waiting to go off, but we never knew when it would happen.”

I looked around inside the truck. It looked like every other worn-out moving truck. “How’s this truck special?”

Mom looked around. “Well, it’s all metal, and metal blocks your power from broadcasting. It’s also been fully lined with commercial-grade copper we purchased from a roofing company. We had to replace the engine and add some other stuff so we wouldn’t have to worry about it breaking down during our trip.”

“Why are we going on a trip in the back of a moving truck? Where are we going?”

Mom leaned in and whispered, “Chicago. That’s our home.”

“Why are you whispering?”

She grinned. “Just for fun. Chicago’s where I grew up and I’m excited to get home after all these years.”

I laughed nervously. I was still trying to get used to the lilt and pitch of my voice every time I spoke. “Mom, can I put on some clothes? I’m cold and feel terrible. My stomach aches, my back hurts, and I have a headache.”

Mom smiled. “Of course. Sit tight. We've put together a big Go Bag for you. Just try to relax. I have a water bottle and a couple of Motrin that should help you feel better.”

“Motrin?” Then it hit me why I was having cramps and a headache. Yeah. I’d been hidden away for fourteen years, but having my period blew up my cover. This was a totally paralyzing moment of too much information. Seriously, I love action flicks and kinda like sci-fi. But I’ve never been a fan of horror movies. And now I’m in the middle of some crazy horror nightmare all about me.

Mom handed me a cup of water and two pills. After I swallowed, she refilled the cup and squeezed toothpaste onto a toothbrush. I started remembering doing this last summer, camping with our Boy Scout Troop 326. Well, except scratch that. There’d be no more camping with the boys out in the woods. Boys! Suddenly, I was on the other side. Instead of camping, building fires, and running around with an axe, I’d be selling cookies in front of the grocery store. After brushing, Mom dribbled some water in my hands. I used a little facial wash and a washcloth to clean up.

With some encouragement, my mother showed me how to wash between my legs. This was totally humiliating, having your mother describe everything down there. Gross. Yeah, boobs, long hair, and saying hello to a vagina. My vagina. Not funny! Please, please wake me up!

Then, Mom pointed to a toilet just like you’d see in a camper. I crawled over and climbed on the seat. Sitting down to go was a whole new experience. It came out fast and everywhere. I had to clean myself up again. So gross. I needed hot water, real soap, and a shower. I was still covered with boy sweat, a girl’s period, and urine. Who would want to be me?

When Mom produced a towel, a second washcloth, and another thermos full of hot water, I sighed with relief. I carefully did my best to clear my whole body of all the awful smells. As I washed, I noticed my nose was super sensitive, and I could smell the blankets, the old wooden floor, my Mom’s scent, and the squirt of body wash.

Mom held the large thermos and unscrewed the lid. I salivated seeing steam rise out. She produced several washcloths and a bigger squeeze container of body wash. I began with my face, washing with one cloth and rinsing with another. I was swapping out the old smells for something with a mango-and-strawberry scent. Which seemed ironic, knowing old Doug would rather smell like blood and sweat.

As I washed, I explored this new body. It was just like any other fourteen-year-old girl’s, except it was mine. As I washed, I dried. I touched myself everywhere, standing there in front of my Mom. I used one hand on her shoulder to steady myself as I washed. Naked girl with naked girl parts being washed by a hand that used to belong to Doug.

I stood up, then leaned against the metal wall, wrapping the towel around me. Mom opened a backpack. She held up a pair of underwear, uh-huh, you guessed it, panties! As I pulled them up over my smooth legs, I remembered Erica letting me touch her panties a few times when we were making out. These felt like hers, all soft and cottony. My hands trembled. Mom showed me how to put a pad in there to catch any more blood that was oozing out. Did I say gross? Well, double gross.

Mom did her best to sound encouraging. “You’re doing great, Honey. And now let's get you dressed.”

New clothes began with a bra and plenty of guidance on how to get my boobs settled in and comfortable. “Mom, can we just skip the bra?”

She shook her head. “No, Honey. You have too much to ignore. Remember, we’re going stealth, and you can’t be bouncing around and showing off your girls.”

Oh, yeah, my girls. I’d just finished washing my own boobs along with my neck, my pits, and well, we can talk about that experience another time. I grabbed a clean T-shirt, a sweatshirt, and a pair of jeans. Okay, discovery time. My whole body’s different, and I had to work hard to get everything on and straightened out. All my clothes are thin, soft, and tight. Everything sucked, seriously sucked.

After putting on little socks and a pair of pink-and-white sneakers, I looked at my Mom and started crying again. She swept me up into her arms as I sobbed, “This is so messed up.”

Seriously, there was too much crazy going on, and well, I wasn’t handling it well. How do you adjust to something like this? My whole world was just flipped upside down. We could have moved to China, and I wouldn’t have understood what everyone was saying or what was happening. And the worst part was that I was behaving like an emotional basket case, crying like a baby.

Mom shushed me, then sat me down. She wrapped her arms around me and started rocking us. It felt good, and I stopped crying. But then I thought about what was happening and started blubbering, “It’s too much. I can’t handle all of this.”

She patted my hair and hummed as she rocked me. I was fourteen, and being rocked! Mom whispered in my ear, “Honey, it’s okay, you’re doing fine. I know it’s crazy, but before it gets better, it’s going to get stranger.”

I turned and looked at her. “What? Mom, how could this possibly become weirder? Seriously, a new body, a new sex!”

“Well, and you have a job to do. You need to learn how to control your powers before we get to Chicago.”

“Powers? What kind of powers do I have?”

Mom made a face. “Right now, it’s just an invisible blast of energy coming from your insides and out into the air. Your body is emitting white light, pouring out like a fire hydrant.”

“Why can’t I see it or feel it?”

I heard her sigh and shake her head. “You haven’t started your training yet.”

“You can see this power?”

Mom nodded.

“But what if I can’t control this power?”

Mom sighed and kissed me. “We’ll just stay inside the van until you do.”

Did I mention how fucked up this was getting?

Omnia bene sunt et mihi quiescere necesse est.
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Chapter Three
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It took about two hours to learn how to stop this invisible energy from pouring out of my body. It was weird because I couldn’t see or feel it. But Mom saw it and was obviously concerned.

Controlling my power was pretty simple. The hardest part was just letting all of this crazy stuff go. I had to forget everything that had happened since I woke up. I had to calm down, take deep breaths, and exhale slowly. Mom said I had to feel myself relax, and that turned out to be easy. Relaxing is like lying in bed right before you nod off. And once I could relax, I found that quiet place inside my head.

In sports, that quiet place is important. It means you focus so well that everything clears and helps you concentrate. It’s called the Zone. When you’re up to bat, and the pitcher glares at you, high on the mound, getting ready to throw directly at your head, you have to relax inside your Zone. When you’re in a soccer shootout, and it’s just you facing the goalie, you get in the Zone. Then you see a plan in your head and execute it. The reward is a hit or a goal.

Once I found my place in the Zone, the power stopped pouring out. Mom made me practice, and after an hour, the Zone became my new home. It felt good to have succeeded at something new and magical. Just accomplishing something created a positive feeling. And staying in the Zone, well, I didn’t have much choice.

Let me go on record. I did not like any of this. This was not my party. I wasn’t celebrating. Sure, I imagined there would be cheering back in New York State. Let those witches who created this big spell feel good about their success. But they did it for themselves and Mom. Seriously, I was just a newborn baby and didn’t get a vote.

Mom kissed my cheek. “I knew you could find the quiet space inside your brain. You’re a smart girl.”

That almost sent me back into a crying jag about what Mom just said to me, that I’m a Smart Girl. Oh, my God! Look at me!! I shook my head and moaned, “Jeez, Mom! Remind me again how Doug’s life was fake. I never existed. I was just some hiding spell.” All this started me thinking. “Mom, who are we hiding from?”

She frowned. “Okay, I guess you should know what you're up against. Hopefully, you can handle the truth. Let’s start with the bottom feeders - they call themselves Witch Hunters, families that have hunted Witches for generations. They’ve brainwashed their children, filling them with superstition and conspiracy theories to keep the hate going.”

“And they could see my energy pouring out?”

I watched my Mom nod.

“How?”

She shook her head. “It’s an inherited trait. We don’t know why or how they have it. But when you released all that energy into the air, they rushed into our town, trying to find both of us. Those Witch Hunters believe that Witches are a threat to humanity. These people are a crazed, misogynistic group that burns Witches alive.”

“Do we?”

“Do we what?”

“You know, threaten them?”

Mom got this strange look in her eyes. “Well, yes, we do now. A few generations ago, we decided that if the Witch Hunters came to kill us, we’d hurt them, too. We don’t go out and hunt Witch Hunters, but we believe in an eye for an eye. I know that sounds terrible and we make their demise painful. We always let a few escape as we torture and kill the rest. It’s not easy to kill anything, but we keep reminding ourselves that the Witch Hunters want to burn us alive.”

I pictured hunting Slimeballs and mindlessly killing them. But now, the game seemed wrong. After all, it was the Slimeballs’ planet, and we were the invading aliens. I guess playing that game was brainwashing Doug, thinking that killing and destroying were something to be proud of.

I froze. This was serious stuff. I thought about those Witch Hunters dying. It was not a pretty picture.

Trying to change the topic, I wanted to know more about myself. “Mom, about me. Are all Witches women?”

Mom shook her head. I could see her mind working. “No, Honey. Witches are not women. We are very different from women. A thousand years ago, when witches began appearing among the peasant class and their powers began to surface, they got noticed. Until then, we were just people. But soon after, male and female witches gained powers. When we began to appear, people got frightened.”

“But you look like a woman, right?”

“I do, and long ago, our origins were female. But Witches have powers. We cast spells and read minds. We transform ourselves. We are much more than women.”

“If Witches are so different, how come you got pregnant and I’m having my period?”

Mom laughed. “Our roots are still female. We have female bodies, but we embrace our differences. The control of our power is a vital strength. And I chose to get pregnant, and have you.”

“Are there guy Witches?”

“Oh, yes. They are called Warlocks. And one of the things that makes you special is you are a pure blending of a mighty Warlock and powerful Witch.”

“Is that a big deal?”

“Let’s postpone that discussion for now. The good news is the metal that surrounds us keeps our conversations private.”

“So, you’re telling me secret stuff?”

“Yes. You need to understand that a powerful Witch child is a rare phenomenon. You're exceptional.”

“How come more Witch kids aren’t born?”

“Well, Warlocks are aloof and have little to do with Witches and covens. They make sure there’s enough Witches, but they like to cull the herd, too.”

“Huh?”

“Warlocks occasionally kill Witches. That’s the second group that’s a danger to you and me.”

“Am I going to meet my father?”

My Mom started laughing. She squeezed me tightly. “Don’t make wishes like that. A Warlock would just as soon eat you as hug you.”

“Seriously?”

“Not really. They’re just full of self-importance.”

“How’d the two of you hook up?”

Mom looked at me and smiled. “He desired me, and that was it. Warlocks have a powerful presence and get what they want. He wanted sex and a one-night stand. And I got you.”

I looked at my Mom for the first time since all the veils had been lifted. She’d always been my Mom, but now I saw just how beautiful she really was. My Mom was truly a MILF.

“Don’t say that.”

“What? I didn’t say anything.”

“You just called me a MILF. Mothers, I’d like to –!”

“But I just thought it!”

Mom kissed me and whispered, “Same thing, sweetie.”

“You said you were shielded, too. You look different now, right?”

Mom twirled around. “Uh-huh. My shell made me look like the usual PTA mom. We didn’t want anyone looking twice at me, either.”

I grinned. “So, do I look like you?”

Mom smiled and waved her hand until a full-length, lighted mirror appeared in front of me. I took one look and started laughing. I looked like my Mom, well, a lot younger, and I thought, better.

Mom was smiling. “Don’t get too carried away, kiddo. But you do have it.”

Staring at the mirror, I touched my hair and casually fluffed it up. Stupid as it sounds, I did look adorable. “Uh, this new me is too pretty.” I laughed and realized just how lame that sounded. I turned to my mother. “Hey, do I have a name?”

Mom smiled. “You would be named after my mother; her name is Pollyanna. So you could be Pollyanna. We can call you Polly, like my mother.”

“You mean like Polly the parrot?” I made a face and shook my head. I felt my long hair brush against my face and neck. “Well, how about just Anna?”

Mom smiled and kissed my forehead. “Hello, Anna. Welcome to your world.”

I’d been so busy staring at myself, I didn’t notice that we’d stopped moving. I looked up at Mom.

She smiled and made the mirror disappear. “We’ve stopped for gas. C’mon. Let’s test out your newfound control and use the restaurant's bathroom. I’m sure that you’re ready to get something to eat, too. Are you hungry?”

I nodded. “Breakfast sounds good.” I looked at my wristwatch, which I didn’t remember putting on. “Dinner sounds even better.”

Mom was being encouraging. “Good idea. Let’s see how you do. Remember, it’s all about control. Oh, and you’re going to need one of these. Put it in your pocket.”

Mom handed me another sanitary pad. It was like being hit on the head with my new reality. Suddenly, I remembered that this wasn’t all fun and games. I recited my Latin phrase and stayed in the Zone.

The other woman opened the big gate at the back of the truck. I hopped down and turned to help my Mom. In the daylight, my Mom looked like a movie star, with long, curly blonde hair, blue eyes, and a face that could stop traffic.

The other woman looked at my Mom and laughed. “Vivian, you’re too full of yourself. You need to mask all that beauty. C’mon, babes.”

Mom looked at the other woman and made a face. “Judith, it’s been so long. I was just tired of being drab.”

Judith shook her head. “Stealth, baby, stealth.” Then she took Mom in her arms and gave her a pretty intense kiss. Before they covered themselves in stealth mode, it was incredibly hot to see two young, gorgeous women kissing. I cleared my throat. “Uh, I’m standing here.”

Judith looked over at me. “Oh, honey. Forget all of those society standards that you’ve been brainwashed with. We’re part of a different community and do what we want. Now, truth time. Don’t you want to kiss the two of us?”

I was flummoxed. “Uh, yeah. But isn’t that my boy brain thinking?”

Judith moved over and kissed me softly on the lips. “No, Honey. You’ve only been given one brain. And now that you’ve been released, you’re using so much more of your brain than Doug ever did. We aren’t part of the society of men and women. We are so different.” She laughed. “Ask your mom how old she is.”

I turned to look and saw Mom blush.

She smiled and gave me a motherly hug. “Remember how I told you that you’re named after my mother?”

I nodded.

“Well, that’s who we’re going to stay with in Chicago. She’s about a hundred and ninety years old.”

Shocked, I fumbled. “Oh, wow. Do we live forever?”

Judith wrapped her arm around me and pulled me in closely so she could whisper. “We can last a very long time. Our magic controls the aging process.”

Just at that moment, a big black Cadillac SUV pulled up next to our old box truck. After it stopped, two women hopped out. They greeted us, and I was introduced. Mom whispered, “This is all about you. These women are here to help us out.”

I smiled and thanked them.

Mom kept explaining. “Judith made arrangements to swap vehicles. And now that you can control your powers, we can ditch the truck. The women opened the hatch of the shiny SUV, and we transferred all our stuff to the back of the big vehicle.

As I watched our yellow moving truck drive away. I kept repeating Omnia bene sunt et mihi quiescere necesse est.

I opened the back door of our SUV. Sitting on the seat was a beautiful, long-haired silver cat. It was looking at me.

As I stared, a sweet voice entered my mind. ‘Hi, Anna. Please order me a fish fillet to go.’ It seemed like the voice was smiling. ‘No, better make that two.’ As I stared, I realized that this cat was talking to me.

I turned and looked around. “Mom, whose cat is this?”

“Yours, Honey. And I think she’s hungry.”

“Mom, the cat is talking inside my head. Now it wants me to see if they have any grilled fish to go.”

“She’s your Familiar. She’s been waiting to meet you for fourteen years.”

I shook my head. I’d never heard of a Familiar. Mom saw the confusion on my face.

“Familiars are ancient spirits, thousands of years old. She’s excited about finally meeting you. Oh, but be nice. She’s a powerful Demon.”

I looked at her, and it almost looked like she was smiling. ‘Thank you, Anna. While you’re in the restaurant, I’m going to stretch my paws.’ I watched her transform into a wisp of smoke, then glide through the seats and the doors, out into the sunshine.

This was getting weirder and weirder.

Omnia bene sunt et mihi quiescere necesse est.
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Chapter Four
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A Cat? I’d been talking to a Demon cat who wanted me to get her takeout. I looked in the direction where she had disappeared. ‘Are we talking any fresh fish, Demon?’

‘Sure. Thanks, Anna. Broiled with butter and a bit of parsley, please. But I’m happy with any flesh - chicken, beef, pork, or fish. Oh, and Anna, don’t get confused. I’m not a Demon cat, and yes, I can read your mind. My feline shell is just a mask for the human world. Everyone agrees that a cute, fluffy cat goes well with a pretty young lady. It’s like your Mom says, stealth. Most humans would drop dead of a heart attack if they saw my real form.’

I thought about that and wondered when I was going to see my Demon’s real image. I went to ask Mom, but the Familiar spoke.

‘Anna, after a few weeks of tutoring, you’ll be ready to see my true form. But now, it’s time for you to name me. I need a cat name.’

I winced when my own Demon called me a pretty young lady. Damn, I really liked being a Doug. I missed that guy already. Back then, my life was simple, and all I had to think about were sports, friends, video games, and maybe a special girlfriend. I paused for a minute, wondering what happened to all the people who sat next to me in class. Did the other kids on my soccer team forget me instantly? It seemed just so strange. Did any of them wonder where Doug went?

I pushed those thoughts away and borrowed Mom’s phone. Doug’s phone had disappeared when Doug did. I Googled “best girl cat names,” read through the list, and looked toward where the Demon cat disappeared. ’How about if I call you Polly?’

I heard the Demon chuckle in my head. ‘Nope, never! Your grandmother would see that as an insult since that’s her name. And she’s the last Witch I’d want to upset.’

I thought about her long silver fur and the black points on her ears. ‘How about Luna? You know, like a bright shining moon?’

‘Thank you, Anna. That’s beautiful. And don’t forget my dinner.’

‘Luna, do you hunt for yourself?’

‘Of course, every night.’

“What do you eat?’

‘Anything with a pulse, but I don’t consume humans unless they plan to do you harm.’

‘Can you eat humans?’

‘I simply absorb them, and they’re gone.’

‘To Hell?’

‘Well, we do have a special place for Witch killers.’

I had to keep reminding myself that this was real. It was like a tiny bit of the Disney Channel meets Night of the Living Dead. Up to some point, this had all been G-rated until Mom started talking about staking out Witches and burning them. I winced when I realized that I was now included in that category.

As Mom, Judith, and I crossed the parking lot, I was starting to feel anxious. If I couldn’t stay calm, I knew I’d begin to release power into the air. “Mom, suddenly, I’m really worried. What if something were to happen and I lose my cool?”

I noticed that my voice, my walk, my gestures—everything had changed. What did I know about anything? How do I walk? What do I say? Seriously, Doug was a guy and didn’t know much about women. Today I touched my own girl parts while getting dressed. These were things that Doug used to dream about. Now I was Anna, a sweet fourteen-year-old young lady who had just been born. Boom!

Mom squeezed my hand. “Don’t worry. Just do your best. Judith and I are here for you. If something happens, we’ll put a lid on your power long enough for you to regain control. Your real training begins when we get to Chicago, and you’ll start school.”

“Witch School? I thought I’d have tutors. Are there enough Witches to fill a school?”

Mom grinned. “No, honey, you’re going to attend the local public school. I think you’d make the perfect junior varsity cheerleader who’d want to date the quarterback.”

I stumbled and froze right in the middle of the parking lot. “Public school? As a girl?” I swung my head around and freaked. But I remembered to stay in the Zone. “No, that’s not right! I can’t handle it. I have trouble with girls my own age. I get all choked up over that kind of stuff. And I’m supposed to talk to guys like girls do? And behave as girls do?”

Mom smiled and laughed. “Looking like you do, you’ll get whatever you want. You won’t have to impress anyone. Just tell everyone that you’re transferring from upper New York state.”

“From where?”

“Anywhere. Choose a big city like Albany. You call it. Just keep your lies easy to support. There’s no one out looking for you. Just remember to be a little hazy about the details. Your grandmother is putting together all your transcripts and those details for you. I’ll tell her you went to school in Albany.”

I was still freaking out over the thought of some guy trying to kiss me or even touch me. “Why public school? Can’t I be homeschooled?”

Mom hugged me again as we entered the restaurant. “You’ll see. Everything will work out.”

Judith went to get us a table while Mom and I went into the restroom. I stumbled back at the door marked "Ladies". It’s easy to forget that I’m not fourteen-year-old Doug. When I went to bed last night, I was a guy. For all those years, I’d been a guy until I came face-to-face with a full-length mirror right inside the bathroom door and took a deep breath. ‘Me? That’s me?’

Mom hugged me.

All I could do was stare. In the bright bathroom lighting, I had wavy, light brown hair. Big eyes, freckles, full lips, white teeth, and all the things that make a girl attractive. I’m Mom’s height and well, kinda curvy for fourteen.

I stared. If Doug were looking at me, he would have tried to close his mouth and stop drooling. I looked like the prettiest girl I ever remember from high school. It was crazy how I was way too attractive to date myself. Poor Doug.

Mom took my arm and led me to a stall. “Enough looking at yourself for now. Get in there. I’m going to help you with your pad.” She reached into her pocketbook, pulled out a pack of sanitary wipes. I watched her wipe everything down. “I’m giving you a break here. You haven’t practiced squatting over a public toilet yet, so I’m sanitizing this one. Your days of Doug standing up to pee are over.”

I started to tear up. Mom said it. Doug’s life was officially over. Right now, everything was upsetting me, and I couldn’t stop weeping. I sat down, then wiped my eyes. This was very un-Doug. This was all Anna. After relieving myself, I cleaned myself. Then I stood with my jeans and underwear down to my knees while Mom showed me how to properly seat a new pad. It was gross doing all that in the bright fluorescent lights!

I pulled myself together by straightening my clothes and fixing everything while looking in the mirror. Then I washed my hands carefully and checked my face. I looked exhausted which was no surprise. I’d woken up in the middle of the night with this crazy transformation. I watched Mom wave her hand, and suddenly my hair was brushed, and my face was made up! Now, I was looking at the pretty girl again. Shocked, I asked, “How’d that happen?”

Mom whispered, “Do you like it?”

I must have nodded.

Then she twirled her finger, and my hair was magically pulled back into a long braid. She left those twisty parts loose in the front, framing my face. I kept turning and staring. Weird. I was looking beautiful.

Mom turned and grabbed my arm. She pulled me close. “How are you making out, Anna?”

I gulped and nodded. It was true. Everything was touched by magic, and I was a Witch. Omnia bene sunt et mihi quiescere necesse est

Judith smiled when we arrived at the table. “Anna, you look very nice. Maybe too pretty.” She looked at Mom. “What do you think?”

Mom shrugged. “Let her enjoy her glory. She’s going to earn it.”

My head swiveled. “Earn it?”

“Uh-huh. Once we sharpen your skills, you'll be able to contribute. You’ll see.”

I looked at the wall clock. It was six-thirty. “Mom, what time will we get to Grandma's house?"

Judith smiled. “Nine-thirty tonight. Plenty of time. Tomorrow you’ll get your first tutoring lessons, we’ll buy you clothes, and we’ll enroll you in school on Monday.”

Mom looked me over and grinned. “We’re going shopping on Saturday!”

This was way past getting creepy. I wondered if I would be able to eat or if I’d gag. I‘d named my new self. I gave my Demon cat a cool name, and oh yeah, I needed to bring her broiled fish with lemon and parsley. Mom used magic to do my hair and face. We were headed to Chicago, where I’d be enrolled in the ninth grade as a girl. Oh, and in my free time, I’d get tutored in magic.

Omnia bene sunt et mihi quiescere necesse est

As I followed Mom out of the bathroom, suddenly everything changed. Instead of walking through the bathroom door and into the restaurant, I was in a completely different place.

I was alone. I looked around, and it was nighttime. I was standing in a different doorway made of large grey stones. The air smelled fresh and clean, as if we were in the mountains. I looked down to see I was wearing a long, green dress that felt thick and rich. Luna was at my feet, and I sensed her presence. I spoke with her in my head. ‘Where are we?’

Luna stood and stretched. ‘This is your Zone.’

I stared at her and then looked around. ‘How did we get here?’

Luna stared. ‘You brought us here. I was out hunting, and suddenly you pulled me here.’

‘Have you ever been here?’

‘No. It’s very nice. A bit too much of the ancient castle in the forest look to me. But it seems to be very quiet.’

‘This is all very strange to me. Seriously, Luna. How’d we get here?’

My Familiar shrugged and seemed to smile. ‘We’re inside your brain, Anna. You are making this happen.’
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Chapter Five
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Then I was back in the restaurant. I figured that my trip to the Zone happened in a brief second, even though it seemed longer. I called out to my Familiar. ‘Did we just travel together?’

‘You took us inside and out again. And don’t forget my dinner.’

Shaking my head, I realized I was standing in the restaurant. It was nice, with thick carpet, soft lighting, and large menus. It reminded me of every upscale chain Mom and I had ever been in. I wondered why a fancy restaurant was here in the middle of a refueling center until I realized we were near Chicago. I leaned over and whispered, “Mom, I’m hungry. What do girls eat?”

I thought Mom was going to laugh so hard she would fall over. "You really don’t need to ask me how to behave, Anna. Anything that makes sense is okay. I’m guessing that you want a double cheeseburger, fries, and onion rings, right? Oh, and a double chocolate milkshake. Isn’t that what you’d usually order?”

I didn’t want to correct her and say, That’s what Doug would order. I nodded sheepishly. “Uh-huh. But I need to stay in character. Do girls eat like that?”

Mom was grinning as she shook her head. “Your true self is more aware now, but you haven’t eaten today either. Order what you want. And stop worrying about being clocked. You are very female, all the way down to your bones. This magic is not just skin deep. Your main concern should be that you don’t want anyone to discover that you’re a Witch.”

I kept looking at the menu and realized my brain was tired. It had been a long day. I checked the time on my wristwatch. Yes, I was now wearing a girl’s Apple Watch with a silver band. My nails were shaped and painted a light pink satin. And I wore the appropriate amount of makeup that a good girl would wear. I wondered how all this magic worked. I was a completely different person, except my brain could still remember everything Doug had done in his past life.

I leaned over to my Mom and whispered, “This is confusing. I still have all of Doug’s memories.”

Mom smiled. “And you always will. You might have been hidden away in his shell, but you still have the same brain. I know it’s tough to understand, but it just had to be that way. We’ve kept you safe from danger for fourteen years. But now, you’re a fully conscious person. And try to remember that you are not the first child we have hidden over the years.”

“Uh, Mom. This is going to add to the crazy, but as we were coming out of the bathroom, I was transported to a different place.”

Mom looked surprised. “Tell me about it.”

“It was night, and Luna was with me. The air smelled fresh, and there were fireflies everywhere I looked.” It felt as if I’d traveled back in time.”

Mom squeezed my hand. “What did Luna say?”

“She said that I took us inside the Zone that I made.”

Mom grew pale. “Did you see anything, anyone? Hear anything?”

I shook my head.

I watched her take a deep breath. “Okay. We can talk about it later. Just let me know when it happens again.”

I shuddered. Mom had said when it happens again.

It was strange, and I wondered if someone possessed me and took me there, or whether my mind had taken control. Luna and I had gone somewhere just long enough to look around and take it all in. And how did we travel? I know I didn’t fall through a wormhole or feel as if I were moving. It was just suddenly, I was there. Weird.

“I’m not sure how I traveled to this strange night place that Luna said was my Zone. Can Witches teleport or drop through wormholes?”

“That’s a long story, and we’ll save it for another day.”

I knew that’s all I was going to hear about it. When Mom says, "That’s for another day," the discussion is closed. “What’s going on back in New York? Are they searching for us because I released power?”

“Oh, yes. When your powers lit up the sky, the Witch Hunters' alarms went off. They scrambled for their guns and ropes, then filled their trucks with cans of gasoline and long poles. Then they mapped out a route and headed for our old town. But when they get there, it’s going to be a dead end. They won’t find any trace of you or me and will have trouble finding our house because, well, it never existed. All the witches in our Coven will be carefully shielded.”

“Wait, what did you just say about our house never existing? Is that why everything was confusing about the gate and the alley?”

Mom nodded. “It was part of the big shield that surrounded us. But now, the Coven is prepared and waiting. They’re looking forward to handling the Witch Hunters. I’m guessing that there’ll be several SUVs full of drunken yahoos looking forward to a big showdown. I’m sure they’re all salivating over the idea of maiming and killing innocents they’ve never met before. But this particular group of Witch Hunters won’t be a problem anymore. The Coven will be waiting.”

“What happens when the Witch Hunters appear?”

“The Coven’s Familiars will consume them.”

“No slow death, no gruesome dismemberment, no fire?”

“Nope. It’s going to be simple. And after the Familiars make them disappear, some of the witches will drive those vehicles 100 miles away to throw off any police search. It’s all been planned and practiced. And everyone knows that there will be one less group of Witch Hunters around. Our Coven will be applauded.”

I tried to picture the ambush. “What does it look like when a Familiar consumes someone?”

Mom whispered, “When Familiars consume something, nothing is left except bits of metal and plastic. It’s a silent surprise where the whole person just disappears. It’s very strange. It’s not very satisfying to disappear someone who beats and tortures you, as was done to me.”

I looked at my Mom. This was a different person from the one I had known for fourteen years. The woman who raised me looked different, and she was just a milk-and-cookies, kiss-you-goodnight, tuck-you-in Mom. And now she was telling me about things I had never known existed. This Mom seemed more determined and strong. Her soft nature had a powerful outer layer. My Mom was beautiful but was also very dangerous.

She was talking to me, but looked up as if she was remembering just how it happened. “I was caught by three Witch Hunters coming home from school. I was a little older than you. They grabbed me and dragged me into an empty warehouse. They tied me up and tore all my clothes off. I was beaten and brutally raped by two of them. It was bad. When they spit and punch you in the face, screaming obscenities at you, it can be pretty traumatic.”

“Oh.” I was dumbfounded, trying to picture it all taking place. “How did you escape?”

“My Familiar went to get my Mom because I told her not to kill them. When Mom showed up, she immediately took control of the scene. The best news was that they were doing all of this in a quiet part of the town. Mom tied them all up and helped me recover physically with magic. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever gotten over the mental trauma.

“Then what happened?”

“Mom told me to remember an eye for an eye. I was angry and not kind. I pulled off their less important body parts and let them scream in pain. Mom slowed the bleeding to the missing limbs so they wouldn’t die. I used my own power to rip off what they felt was so important. I used their own mouths and rectums as a place to stuff their genitals, especially the two who had raped me.”

I stared. This was my mom talking.

“I built a fire and set up three tall poles. I hung each on a pole so they could see the others as they burned. But I refused to let them succumb to their wounds. I let them feel the heat and the pain, but did not let them die.”

My mouth was wide open as I listened to my Mom.

“My mother contacted the head of this group of Witch Hunters and gave them the location where the three had set up shop. When the Hunters arrived, they were shocked to find their three compatriots all dying. After removing their balls from their mouths, the dying men told their friends what had happened. It was a confession that I’d told them to say if they wanted the pain to stop.”

I stared at my Mom and then off into space. I’d never witnessed any violence in my fourteen years.

Before I could ask another question, a server came over and placed a basket of rolls on the table. She smiled and took our order. At first, just the thought of my Mom’s story sickened me, and I tried to find my Zone and forget about all the violence. Then I looked at the fresh-baked rolls and the softened butter. Instead of throwing myself into the bread, I tried to pace myself, knowing I could eat all the bread but didn’t want to carb out and fall asleep with my head on the table. Not a good look. I remembered to order two fish dinners to go for Luna, making sure she had extra parsley and butter.

I kept thinking about what Mom had just described. It was tough to remember that it was real. I shivered. I was being introduced to a new world I never knew existed, a world full of danger and death. I’d named a demon, Luna, who consumed people without a thought. And listened to my Mom describe how she was raped and tortured, but then, turned around and pulled limbs off of those men, then set them on fire.

I guess the Witch Hunters who came looking for us back i New York were getting off lucky to just be consumed by demons. If the Coven wanted to, they could have tortured those men and made them suffer.

I listened to Judith and Mom make small talk until my Familiar spoke in my head. ‘Hey, Anna. Do you need anything?’

I shrugged inwardly. ‘I’m good. Did you feed?’

‘I did. There are a lot fewer rodents prowling the dumpsters out there now.’

‘Rats?’

‘Rats.’

‘What do you do with the bones and fur?’

‘There’s just a little ash when I finish. I absorb their life source. Now, I’m curled up and sleeping in the backseat, waiting for my dinner.’

I smiled, thinking that I had a powerful thousand-year-old demon who was happy to be my friend.

“Mom, do you have a Familiar?”

Mom smiled and planted a vision in my mind. I glimpsed two more cats sleeping on the back carpet of the SUV. One was a tabby, and the other was huge and had short black fur. I realized three demons had been riding with us.

Then our dinner was served. The burger was good, but I ate too much. When I opened the SUV’s door, Luna stood and stretched. I opened her takeout and watched her slowly eat both filets. I think I fell asleep.

By the time we stopped, Judith pulled the SUV into an open garage of a very large house. I was ready to meet my grandmother. All I knew was that my Familiar was intimidated by her. Seriously, who scares a demon?

I grabbed my Go Bag and followed Mom up the steps from the garage, through a door, into a vast living room. I looked around and saw a young woman approaching me with her arms outstretched.

“Anna, it’s good to finally meet my granddaughter. I’ve been waiting for years to see you revealed. The last glimpse I had of you was when you were a newborn.

My grandmother looked like she’d be carded to buy liquor. I was trying to recall her age when my Mom spoke in my head. ‘190’

I stared at my gran until she burst out laughing.

“Oh, Anna. Your Mom is correct. I’ve lived on this Earth for 190 years, and loved every moment of it. We all face choices, and I’ve really enjoyed being an ingenue. Even when women lacked power, everyone would stop to please a young femme fatale, especially one whose morals were often questioned. Many men and women tried to please me in every way, without my needing to use my true powers. But I did. Flexing my magic kept me sharp. But no one ever suspected me of being a witch.”

My mouth was probably open because all three women were laughing at my dazed look.

“You see, dear. At my age, you possess all the power and wisdom you need, so why not enjoy your life instead of resigning to your age and fate? My beauty opened doors that might have remained closed if I weren’t young and attractive. So why not just keep myself young! Our neighbors think that I’m my own great-granddaughter.”

I looked at her, admiring her skin, her eyes, her shape, and shook my head. “And you can do all of this through magic?”

“Oh, no, honey. This is not simply magic. Sure, it might have been at first, but after twenty years, I’d honed my power to control and reverse the aging in my body to keep me at twenty-two forever.”

“You must have a lot of power.”

Polly smiled and touched my shoulder. “I’m going to tell you a truth. Power runs through the family. We’re all sure that you have inherited it, too.”

“Does my mom have this power, too?”

“Of course. She’s my daughter.”

Polly took my hand and led me into the kitchen, where she sat me down on a stool. I was still struggling to find my words. This was the home of a very old Witch. “My dear Anna, you and I will start our lessons tomorrow. And soon enough, we’re going to hide you safely away in public school.”

Her voice hypnotized me. It felt so worldly, yet young and energetic. “I sense you don’t feel comfortable being a junior varsity cheerleader and charming all the jocks who want to get into your panties. What would you like to do?”

I swallowed hard to clear my throat while I found the nerve to speak. I realized that my grandmother could easily read my mind. So there was no point in lying. “I just want to play sports. Will this school have a soccer team?”

Pollyanna smiled. “Of course. I'm sure they do. And I know how Doug loved playing soccer, too. Just remember that your body is different now. You have to realize that Doug had more physical strength than you do, so you're going to have to compensate with your brains and your agility. By the way, are you going to want a boyfriend or hang around the girls in the locker room?”

I thought carefully before answering. “Doug’s brain was hardwired for girls. Is that a bad thing?”

My grandmother smiled. “There is no bad thing. Everything you do will be fine. But it would be best if you played the innocent. After all, you are a ninth grader and fourteen years old. A lot of girls your age will still be innocent. But a girl your age can’t have too many girlfriends and guy friends, but it’s better if there isn’t a lot of kissing.”

As Polly led me back into the living room, she turned to everyone and asked, “Now, how about a cocktail and some nibbles?”
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Chapter Six
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I learned a great deal that night, listening to three Witches sitting around and getting drunk together. I never knew that all the Witches in North America were distantly related and that their collective memories only went back about four hundred years. Apparently, someone who slept with a king in England demonstrated special powers. Before that, nobody in England seemed to notice women with magical powers. After all, they were just women. Very smart women who kept their magic skills hidden.

However, when the royals’ mistresses began having children with exceptional talents, even the government grew concerned. Their solution was to round up all those they could find and deport them all to the Americas. Just to make it fun, along with these gifted young people, a crowd of haters was also thrown on board the ship just to control the Witch population. But the haters and the Witches had to fight to survive the harsh conditions in the new world, and everyone begrudingly became responsible citizens of the New York Colony. And while the haters slowed their raping and murdering, whenever a Witch was burned, ten Witch Hunters would die. It made a statement and left an indelible lesson in the murderers’ minds.

I learned that Covens worldwide have a much longer history. In these Covens, women learned the real meaning of Stealth. Covens were underground and no one protected them. So they had to use their powers wisely. Although these witches from all these various countries spoke different languages, all Witches could communicate with each other telepathically.

Mom had put a filter on my telepathic abilities. She said that after training with my grandmother, I’d earn them back. So I wasn’t able to read minds, which was a drag. When Mom spoke in my mind, I could respond.

My Grandmother, Polly, said that Witches survive more easily in society than Warlocks. Everyone loves an attractive female, but extremely handsome, powerful men make crowds nervous, and other men feel threatened, especially when these superior men were screwing everyone they could.

That night, Mom had to wake me up to go to bed. I was so tired that I slept in my clothes. In the morning, I woke up feeling better, but when I looked in the bathroom mirror in daylight, I saw that Anna was still there. She wasn’t just a bad dream.

Behind the locked bathroom door, I stripped and stared at myself. Doug’s mind enjoyed staring at Anna’s body. The whole experience felt unreal. After getting too heated up, I stepped into the shower, used body wash, hot water, and ten fingers to explore until I was out of breath and energy. Still wet, I collapsed under the covers and slept soundly for hours. Mom gently shook me awake.

I smiled sheepishly, looking up at her face. Of course, Mom knew what I’d been doing, but she greeted me with a loving kiss on the lips.

“Good morning, honey. A hearty breakfast, fresh new clothes, and a brush will get you up and ready for your day. How are you doing?

I shook my head. “I’m stiff and feeling achy.”

Mom hugged me. “Your conscious mind and physical body are still adjusting to the lifting of the charm. It will take a few days for you to grow into your transition. But now, let’s get you dressed. Polly is taking you shopping this afternoon. And if you do what you’re told and don’t be a smart ass, everything should be fine. Understand that Pollyanna can snap her fingers and turn you into a gerbil if she doesn’t think you’re behaving. Oh, and moisturize,” she pointed to a bottle.

My jaw dropped. “But she wouldn’t, right? Right? Mom?” I was trying to get dressed, but the process wasn’t as simple as dressing Doug. Boy clothes are baggy, and Doug liked looking as if he'd just slept in what he wore for the past week. But Anna's clothes were body-hugging and revealing. After pulling and pushing, my outfit seemed determined to show off my hips, boobs, and butt. I felt like I was plastered up on a billboard for the world to see. I wasn’t stealthy.

I whispered, “Mom, everyone’s going to be looking at me. I’m going to stick out, not hide!”

Mom chuckled and twirled her fingers, giving me a neatly brushed high ponytail and long bangs. I raised my hand to signal her to stop. “Stop. And no makeup, please.”

“Why, baby?” She said as she did my makeup.

“It’s that girly thing. I feel like I have a sign around my neck that says Look At Me.”

Mom smiled. “It’s just a touch of mascara and lip stain. I’ve barely given you a scent. Baby, that’s the way girls blend in. And maybe we need to give you a few accessories as well.”

Mom waved her hand, and suddenly I had a necklace, bracelets, and pierced ears. I touched and felt many holes. I ran to the mirror and checked. They looked fine.
“I heard you tell Polly you wanted to play soccer.”

I sighed, feeling multiple earrings and bracelets brush against my skin. “Uh-huh. I know how to fit in on the playing field. And maybe I can make some friends, too. I’m comfortable talking sports.”

Mom nodded. “Good thinking. But don’t try to hide your beauty. Be a soccer fashionista, not a wanna-be boy.”

I looked in the mirror and frowned. Looking back at me was a stunning girl, almost like a princess. Her hair, skin, face, and body were flawless. I smiled, showing pearl-white teeth. All I could think was that I was maybe a little too perfect. I was a doll, an AI creation. I needed some flaws—perhaps a broken nose or a black eye.

Yeah, a black eye. People wouldn’t look at me; they’d just see a bruised and swollen eye, maybe blackened, dark blue, or purple, with a blood-red eye.

Suddenly, a voice drilled through my head. ’No! My granddaughter will not be making her debut with a black eye. That’s a terrible idea!’

Uh-oh. I forgot that Polly was listening to everything I thought. I blanched for a moment when I realized she knew I’d been fooling around and stimulating myself earlier. No secrets! I briefly wondered if I could eavesdrop on my family, just as they had on me.

But a voice came through my brain loud and clear. ’No, Anna. I’ve suspended your powers until we begin our lessons and have a chance to talk about what’s proper for a young Witch. You’ll regain control soon enough.’XXX

I sighed. I’d lost everything—friends, soccer buddies, and even video games. Over the past twenty-four hours, I’d spent the day riding in the back of a box truck, eaten one meal at a restaurant, and slept in a new bed. Now, I was the girl with a perfect face and body. Knowing everyone could hear my thoughts, I thought that I’d be better off if I weren’t so beautiful, so perfect.

This afternoon, my grandmother was taking me shopping. Mom had told me to behave, or this woman would turn me into a gerbil. I smiled. Maybe a gerbil’s life would be okay.

‘Stop it, Anna. Your pity-me attitude is boring. Lighten up, girl. Try to see the positive side of what's happening. You’re lovely, young, and about to discover enough powers to rock the world. You are very special.’

I shook my head and looked at my Grandmother. “Okay if I talk freely?”

“Yes, dear. I wasn’t planning on transmogrifying you today. “

“I don’t see the upside of what’s happening to me.”

“Oh, you'll see the upside very soon. But one thing you’ve already figured out is your body’s sexual response and pleasure, right? Did you enjoy fooling around in the shower?”

I turned crimson.

“See. You’ve already realized that Anna can enjoy pleasure. Next time, try taking a hot bath with bubbles and scented oils to truly relax. And practice just makes it better.

I was shaking my head. “Uh, should we be having this conversation, Grandma?”

“Sure, Anna. And you need to call me Polly. I don’t look like anyone’s grandma. Now, what else?”

“I’m scared that I can’t fool anyone into thinking I’m female. My Doug brain is going to screw this up, and won’t that all come back on you?”

“No, Anna. You’ll be just fine. When you register on Monday, a student will take you to your first class. You’re going to give your teachers a copy of your schedule. Your student will serve as your guide throughout the day. Her name is Becky Davis, and she’ll be very helpful. She’ll be able to talk to you in your head and steer you through the hard parts.”

“Wait. Is Becky a Witch?” I watch Polly nod. “Are there a lot of Witches in Chicago?”

Polly smiled. “Enough to keep you safe and help you adjust. But you will have your Familiar at your side at all times.”

“My cat is coming to school?”

“No, silly. Your Familiar can stay invisible whenever it wants. And that’s a good name you gave your cat. I like Luna.”

“I don’t understand. Why did I have to be hidden? Did Becky have to be hidden just like me?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because Becky was born right here in Chicago, not in some backwater town in upstate New York. We were able to protect her from birth. Plus, your birth was between two very powerful families and your powers will be greater than you can imagine.”

Imagine? Every second of these past days has been one wake-up call after another. A week ago, Doug could not have been thinking any of these thoughts.

I heard a chuckle in my ear and realized that my Familiar had a sense of humor.

I turned to a space where I imagined Luna was occupying. “How old is my Familiar?”

Polly smiled. “Familiars are thousands of years old. They’ve been around before the birth of humanity. Remember, there are as many good demons as bad.”

I shook my head. Before today, all of this was just fiction, pure fantasy—none of it was real. “Are Vampires real?”

Polly smiled. “Of course. You have to ask your mom.” She raised an eyebrow to emphasize her point.

Polly had a driver, and we were immediately taken through a dozen stores while Polly pointed out items and I tried them on. The worst part was the bra fitting and the sizing. Seriously, I was almost naked and measured like a dog at the vet’s office. Luckily, this only had to be done once. After that, all the clothes fit perfectly and were very attractive. The best part was that Polly picked out plenty of jeans and regular tops to try on. Luckily, she knew what girls wear. I only had to pick out a few dresses for going out to restaurants.

We went directly from shopping to a French restaurant for dinner. Polly’s driver made sure that all our packages were sent to the house. When we walked in, Mom and Judith were sitting there waiting for us. They had drinks and small snacks in front of them. I immediately grabbed Mom’s hand and headed toward the Ladies’ Room.

I had to use the bathroom. This time, I did the squat and ignored the possibility that some critter might jump on me and go inside. It was a gross thought, but it helped me leave space between me and the seat. I wiped, found a new pad, and then washed my hands thoroughly. “Mom, do you have a vampire boyfriend?”

Mom nodded. “We are very good friends, very good.”

That was it. I turned around and went back into the stall to throw up everything that was in my stomach. My mom was sleeping with the undead.
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Chapter Seven
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Picturing some ghoul French kissing with my mom was what tipped me over the edge. Rising from the grave, drinking blood from an innocent person’s veins, and turning into a bat was pretty fanciful. But that creature was sleeping with Mom!

You can discover all kinds of truths when you’re puking your guts out. My Witch body still managed to blow out my cookies like a pro, but regardless, some went up my nose, too. And all those background noises I’d been hearing in my head, the thousands of whispering voices, all stop when you’re gagging into a public toilet. And this was a fancy restaurant toilet bowl. It was clean. And when you are on your hands and knees, it’s good that the floor doesn’t smell like urine, either. See, I was doing better with my manners. Doug would have said piss.

I was puking because I found out that my saint-like mother was having sex with a vampire. And while I had never seen her go on a date in Doug’s fourteen years, she managed to keep her love affair a secret. The hows and whys would need to be discussed later.

I was feeling sick because I had preconceived notions. For example, when I think of the word Witches, I imagine images similar to Disney’s Witches from Sleeping Beauty—cartoonish, round dresses, chubby faces, full cheeks, sweet personalities, flying around with the wind, big, kind smiles, and giggles everywhere. And Doug’s Mom and her friends were kind, caring people who meant no harm. Mom was a PTA parent who baked cupcakes.

Evil in Disney movies was often perpetrated by the stepmother, who, though sometimes portrayed as a Witch, was usually a lonely, mad person who was always punished before the movie ended. An evil Witch was the last image that came to mind. Maybe they really did stir the pot in Shakespeare, but I’m sure some poor Witches were often misunderstood and got a bad reputation. And all the evil Witches are gone before the movie ends. None of my Witches ever suffered blind rages like Godzilla stomping through the village, stepping on people, and swinging his tail. Once in a while, some Disney bad and evil villain would grow and get really threatening and angry. But they always died.

But when I think of Vampires, I picture something entirely different. I’ve never seen a happy-go-lucky Vampire singing and dancing. The Vampires sleep in dirt and are one step above rot. All I could picture was my Mom clinging to a corpse that had been dead for years, with rotting flesh that smells like halitosis, stale blood, and evil permeating their souls. They’re all killers, driven to murder and drink the blood of poor souls. They personify senseless, shameful behavior to selfishly fulfill their mindless urges. Vampires lack humanity and grace. They often wear centuries-old Victorian clothing and have no sense of style. Just look at their manicures!

And my wonderful, loving Mom is boning the undead? Seriously? The thought of this happening just turned me upside down.

I returned to the sink and did my best to wash the bile out of my mouth and nose. While images of Frankenstein and Bela Lugosi appeared in my mind, like scenes from black-and-white horror movies spinning around, all I could picture was some beast humping my mom like a dog in heat…

‘Stop it, Anna!’ Mom’s voice cut through the images. My racing thoughts came to a halt as my mom yanked me back to reality. But her reality was different. She was having sex with the undead!

And now, the voices are back. The images keep crashing into my face. Uncut nails, dead skin, drool, and a boner you’d see on a German Shepherd—all pink and raw.

‘Anna! I said cut the shit!’

Suddenly, I realized that everything I was thinking or had thought was being broadcast. My powers were surging. I was losing control. Well, then I actually lost control and let the entire contents of my stomach pour out.

As I was vomiting again, I really wanted to raise my voice and shout back to her. Suddenly, she was standing in the bathroom with me. I watched her wave her hand and lock the door. Turning to face her, I shouted, “Mom, does he drink your blood? Is that part of the turn-on to have sex with a cadaver? You’re not mad at me, you’re disgusted by your own behavior. Seriously, how can you have any self-respect?”

I felt the hard blow strike the side of my head, rattling my teeth. Well, no, not really. Maybe it was a metaphorical wack, but strong enough to stop my raving. I started crying and sobbing until Mom wrapped her arms around me. I was a mess.

This is terrible. Everything’s crazy. Nothing’s what it seems. Doug had been turned into a pretty teen girl, and we spent Saturday afternoon shopping for Capris, tight jeans, and cute tops from expensive boutiques. I got thongs and better-fitting bras. Everything was expensive and matched. Polly made sure I had enough sports bras and workout spandex for soccer practice. But who are we kidding? The new Doug is Anna, the Witch. I’ve shrunk a few inches, developed boobs, and hips that bump into everything. Mom even complimented my legs, saying they’re shapely and beautiful. My best friend is Luna, a silver cat who’s not really a cat but a thousand-year-old demon who prefers her broiled fish with parsley. This demon is my bodyguard, who swallows threats whole.

Things aren’t always what they seem, and I’m some kind of creature with powers. Don’t mess with me, or I’ll turn you into a gerbil, kidding. I can’t do any tricks yet.

After taking too many deep breaths, I close my eyes and search for my inner Zone, trying not to picture my Mom fighting all the Zombies from the graveyard in some sort of group sexual frenzy. But then, I realize that I’m a monster, too. I’m my mother’s child.

I sit on a bench, trying to gather myself and understand how all this is happening. I’ve gone from Doug, the innocent little troublemaker, to a semi-powerful, supernatural being who can turn people into house pets. Finally, when I finish crying, I stand up and let Mom fix my hair and makeup. When looking at my reflection, I seemed fine.

We walk out to our table as if nothing happened. As I glance at Judith and Polly, I see a man sitting in my seat. I stop and stare at the most handsome man I’ve ever seen. He stands and pulls out a chair for me to sit down.

Smiling, he looks at me. “Hello, Anna. I’m Derrick, the vampire who’s in love with your mom.” He grins, revealing his pearly white teeth with no trace of fangs.

I hear Mom’s voice. “I asked Derrick to join us instead of letting all of this craziness get out of control. Your perceptions have been shaped by what humans have invented about us over the centuries. Your wild cartoon-watching mind was spiraling you out of control. That’s why you need to meet the Vampire I love.”

I stare at the creature as he holds out my chair. Big and strong enough to play football, handsome enough to be a movie star, and with manners you’d expect from royalty. The guy was perfect. I impulsively reach out and touch his wrist. As I look at him, I didn’t feel the chill of a cold body.

He smiled and put his hand over mine. “When we touch, I can absorb the warmth from your body without chilling you out. So while my natural state is cool, it’s not permanent. I warm up whenever I want.”

I studied him closely. After shopping with Polly that afternoon, I was learning about fabrics. I could tell his clothes were all custom-made and expensive.

I still hesitated to sit, envisioning that once I was off guard, he’d grab me by my hair and rip my head from my neck. I pictured the blood from my body would blow out everywhere. I pictured him burying his face into my arteries, inhaling my bodily fluid as he gulped it all down. I wondered if virgin blood tastes different?

Derrick turned and smiled. He leaned in and whispered, “I can’t answer that. Pretty much, all blood tastes good.”

I stare directly into his eyes. “Then you weren’t kidding. You really are a vampire, and you’re my mom’s lover.”

Derrick smiled. “I am. We’ve been pretty serious for about five years, but we had to watch ourselves recently because we were waiting for you to bust out. There were a lot of unknowns, and we didn’t want our love to interfere with your coming-out party.”

Holy shit. This guy was cool and calm. I noticed that he had tattoos peeking out of his cuffs. In an instant, I realized that Derrick was the real deal, his body covered in black swirls and markings that could have belonged to the pharaohs of Egypt. But instead of grabbing my wrist and opening up my vein, he took a sip of a chilled Chardonnay. It wasn’t even blood red. He dipped a toast point into bits of egg and caviar, and slowly chewed.

“You eat food. You drink wine. And you’re out during the day. It’s all wrong!”

He smiled. “Yes, Anna, I can eat, drink, or go out in the sun. Those fantasies were someone else’s dreams. Nineteenth-century authors had to sell fantastic tales, and Vampires make good copy. Writers have had a blast writing about Vampires, always making them the monster. Yes, I am very old and very powerful. I am not an evil bloodsucking animal susceptible to garlic, crosses, and holy water. I don’t die if a wooden spear is plunged into my heart. I’m not allergic to silver. I don’t have an unquenchable thirst for blood. Your Familiar, Luna, digests life sources. My needs are similar but under control. And we can discuss your Mother and my relationship soon.”

“Is my Mom in danger around you? Will you eventually lose your cool and drain her corpse?”

Derek shook his head. “No, never. I would sooner perish than hurt your mother. I love her.”

The man spoke like a poet or a professor. He was quite something. “Okay. What could kill you?”

“I could die from a broken heart if your mom told me she didn’t love me anymore.”

I heard Polly and Judith sigh. I looked over, and both of their faces were all moony-eyed, gazing at this being. I felt like screaming, can’t you see it? He’s controlling your minds! He’s going to kill us all!

But instead, I just stared at my mom, wondering who the real monster was.
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Chapter Eight
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Mom sent me a mental message. ‘Settle down. We are not being played. Derek is not controlling our minds. Your Aunt Judith and your grandmother both have lovers, too. Our society is much more advanced, get on board.’

I shook my head. My mind was spinning, and I really wanted to say more. But luckily, my hamburger arrived before I could ask any more questions about the kind of demons they befriended. Where do you meet Vampires? A dating app?

It also reminded me that I’d only heard about Witch Hunters. Mom called them bottom feeders, and after hearing her story about being raped as a teen, I can see how her opinion might be less forgiving. And well, I did hear a brief mention of the Government and a secret agency that ran an investigation into supernatural beings.

But sitting in front of me, besides a half-pound juicy burger, they brought a frosty glass of chocolate milkshake. The fries and onion rings were steaming hot, and I kind of lost track of everything while I ate. After a few minutes of deep gulps, I looked around at everyone else politely eating their meals. “I do have a question.”

I waited until everyone looked up. “I understand the whole stealth idea, but I don’t see why I need to go to school. Wouldn’t being trained as a Witch cover everything? If the three of you can control your aging, can’t we make me eighteen, and update some ID for me?”

Polly smiled. “Good question. And the best answer I can give you is that we try to appear to be rule-following, good citizens with careers. We pay our taxes. Our family business has been around for a long time and continues to serve Chicago with a smile. When your Mom appeared on the scene, she brought you. And at fourteen, you need to be enrolled in school. We try not to upset anyone’s perception of the perfect family image.”

I looked around and asked the straightforward question, “What is the family business?”

Mom smiles. “We are morticians.”

I looked at Derrick. “Is that where you get your blood and bodies?”

Derrick grinned as he ate steak tartare, finely sliced raw tenderloin that I saw him dip into horseradish and other condiments that looked like fancy ketchup.

“Anna, vampires don’t eat flesh; they just drink blood. And this is just a fun dinner. Cadaver blood has no energy or nutritional value for me. But let’s move away from topics that aren’t dinner-worthy.”

He was staring at me as I wiped the juices running down my chin. The burger was on the rare side. “Derrick, do you have trouble controlling your thirst?”

My Mom stared at me. “Anna, that’s rude!”

My first impulse was to sigh and pout at being scolded. I knew that’s what a fourteen-year-old girl would do, and hated that my body and mind were behaving this way. I really wanted to protest that I could still behave like Doug. It didn’t make any sense how everything could change overnight.

And it had been overnight. I went to bed and woke up a different person. I woke up a Witch with powers, and Mom’s boyfriend was a Vampire, but really not the Vampire I thought of when I thought of the V-word.

The worst thing was that every part of my body was attracted to him. Seriously, turned on. Just being in his presence got me jiggly inside. His voice, eyes, face, posture, and strength were steaming me up. I was totally ga-ga over the man sitting next to me.

These were not Doug's feelings. They were girls’ feelings! Teeny-bopper excitement! And damp. This whole new thing was going on between my legs. My genitalia were not doing very well. I was getting all swollen and secreting. I wanted to touch myself and smell my fingers. I’m sure that this Vampire knew what was happening to me. I’d bet he knew I was getting excited just being near him.

I thought of Mom. Was this how she felt being around him? Is this how my Mom felt, all wet and excited? Gross!

I could only eat half my burger before I never wanted to eat again. The meat, fat, and grease all made me uneasy. I looked at my Mom. ‘I can’t handle this,’ and pointed to Derrick. ‘Does he have this effect on everyone?’

Mom chuckled. ‘It’s powerful. Usually, he holds himself in check, but I guess some leaked out in your direction when we got together tonight. I’m sorry.’

I stared at my plate. ‘Does he know what it’s doing to me?’

Mom growled. ‘He does now.’

‘Make him stop.’

‘I wish I could. He’s much more powerful than I am. He claims to love me, but you’re part of me. He’s just that way.’

So, because I was Mom’s daughter, Derek’s magic was enveloping me, too. And, well, this power that he was oozing out was spinning my mind and body. It was definitely like getting really, really stoned. And yes, Doug had smoked weed. But I hadn’t smoked, but I was definitely high on Derek.

Suddenly, a new, deeper voice entered our discussion. ‘I love you, Vivian, with all my heart. And I apologize, Anna. But sometimes the demon in me slips out and forgets that it can’t have everything in its path. I promise it will never happen again.’

Mom squeezed my hand. ‘No mistakes, Derrick. I love you, too. But no slip-ups. My daughter is mine, not yours to share. Doug was fourteen, but Anna was only one day old. What you are doing is not accepted by me. I don’t like what is happening. Maybe you need to leave now.’

Derrick stood and thanked everyone. He did not look at me when he turned and left. I watched him walk away and wanted to chase after him. I really wanted to be in his arms and pictured myself getting naked. I sat there wondering what had just happened.

I stroked Luna on the ride home and closed my eyes. Saturday had worn me out.

The next day, I started my lessons. While Sunday might be someone’s day of rest, my day resembled a fighting program from the Matrix. Polly had me juggling, doing acrobatics, and throwing knives. Except it was all in my mind. I could have been strapped down in bed. Instead, I was out in a lounge chair on Polly’s rooftop deck drinking fruit juice, as my brain was being overworked.

After a while, Polly gave me a break. “You’re doing great, kid. I’m impressed. You’ve got vast amounts of inner strength, which means it looks like you inherited all the goods from our family bloodline. And it looks like that shit of your Warlock father gave you a big boost, too, with his family’s powers. I know how powerful his side of the family is, too. I’m saying after one afternoon of exercising the power of your brain, you have the potential to be more powerful than both your mom and me.”

I was grinning. If my grandmother gave me her blessings, I would feel good. Of course, my biggest fear was heading out to public school on Monday. I was lost in thought when Polly asked me a question.

“Your mom tells me that you found yourself transported into your Zone in a restaurant coming into Chicago. Tell me about it.”

I told her everything I could remember, describing it all.

Then Polly surprised me. “I’m going to enter your mind and look around a little. Just try to relax, this is not going to hurt.”

Suddenly, I was sharing the inside of my head with another person. It was very odd. It did not feel like we were in a confined space, like an elevator, but more like a big room. I watched a semi-transparent Polly walking around.

“Now, Anna. I’m making this vision three-dimensional because it’s your first time. We’re not taking up any space at all. But this has a more calming effect.”

“Can I talk to you?”

“Of course. I’m looking around for a physical entrance into your Zone. You learned to control your power by entering a quiet, relaxed space. And you named your place the Zone. But I want to explore it with you, too. Okay?”

I shrugged. “Sure,” I watched as Polly poked around this imaginary space. I had to remind myself that none of this was really happening.

Suddenly, Polly stopped and waved me over. “Okay. So here we are. Come look!”

I shifted to stand behind her and to see what she was pointing at. It was a wall. Okay, I had to keep reminding myself that this was all a vision. The wall Polly was pointing to looked old, as if it were from a museum or a really old library. The wall was covered with aged wood paneling. Polly was touching the wall everywhere, and suddenly she turned and smiled. She pointed to a brass knob that could have pulled open a door or a drawer.

I watched as she moved her hand around it, and it began to glow. But nothing happened.

“Okay, kiddo. My power would only make the handle glow. I can budge it. So…” She turned to me and gestured for me to pull on it. I did, and a door slid back towards us, revealing an outside path.

Polly indicated that I should go first. “I couldn’t touch the pull or open the door. You have to want to take me there. Is that okay with you?”

I nodded, held her hand, and we walked through the door together. Suddenly, we were outside, and when I looked behind me, we had come through a stone archway that looked just like the one in my dream. Or was it a dream? “Is this real?”

Polly smiled and hugged me. “Well, we know that it’s all inside your head. But I suspect that your Zone touches other arches and gateways, too. This Zone is yours, but I can feel that there’s a lot of power here that’s not coming from you.”

I looked around. The Zone seemed more stable, more permanent. I didn’t feel like it would disappear and take us back to Polly’s outside deck. I touched the stones and looked around. It all felt very real.

But the weirdest thing was that the stone were warm like they were inside a house even though we were outside where I could feel the clean, night air. I turned back to Polly. “Do you have a Zone like this?”

Polly shook her head. “No, Anna. This is the first one I’ve ever seen. I’mm guessing because your power is so strong, your Zone is linked.”

“Linked? What is it connected to?”

Polly smiled and I shrugged my shoulders. “I am so over my head. A couple days ago, I was a guy and didn’t have any connection to you. So you can say anything and it will help me to understand. But my big question is whether all of this is dangerous.”

I watched her shrug. “Honestly, Anna. In all my years, I have never seen or heard about anything like this. I’m a visitor here, a guest. I’m here because you brought me with you.”

“Does it feel alien or strange?”

“Yes. I can tell that it’s very old and is probably a source of power that witches have drawn upon for a long time. But I’m going to have to read up on it because until you came along, it was hidden from me.” She squeezed my arm. “You, my little doll, are going to teach us all a lot. And I can’t wait.”

I was trying to understand all of this, but it was clearly more than I could comprehend. “Is this dangerous?”

“No. But it’s your Zone. Without you, I could never have entered.”

I pointed to the tiny gold lights hovering around. “What do you think about these things that look like fireflies? Where do they come from?”

“I’m not sure. I’m thinking they could be other witches, or spirits, or even demons. We’ll have to research through ancient books to see if we can find references to all of this.”

“Honestly. You never knew that this existed? This has always been hidden? I thought you were the most powerful Witch in Chicago.”

Then we both took a deep breath because we heard a deep rumbling, like the sound of an avalanche or an earthquake. As we stood there frozen, the deep sound turned into laughter.

Polly shook her head. “No. You’re taking me to a place that I’ve never been before. I’m amazed. You’re so young and untrained. And you are very powerful.”

But suddenly, we were back on the roof deck in the sunshine. It seemed like nothing happened. I looked around and wondered how long we’d been in my head. I took a deep breath and tried to digest what Polly was telling me. As I smiled, I looked up towards the blue sky filled with white clouds.

The sun was shining brightly in my eyes. I raised my hand to block the sun and discovered that, if I concentrated, I could move a cloud and create some shade for me.

Polly cleared her throat. “Anna, did I see you move a cloud to give you shade?”

I panicked, wondering what rules or laws I had just broken. “I’m sorry, Polly. It was impulsive, and I wasn’t thinking.”

She smiled and waved her hand as if it were not important. Then she looked around at a large statue sitting in the middle of the green grass and garden out in front of the house. The marble statue was a larger-than-life Greek goddess, standing in the middle of a shallow pool. She held a bowl in her hand.

Polly pointed a finger and said, “Pick it up gently and move it.”

I looked at the statue and the pool. I blinked. “Uh, Polly. The statue and the pool are embedded in several feet of solid concrete.”

Polly nodded and waved her hand as if I should just get it done. So I mentally bore down below the grass and lifted the statue and the pool about three feet. I picked it up and gently moved it. I turned to her. “Should I put it back?”

Polly shrugged, then sighed. “Yes, please. Your training has to be kept quiet.”

Then she pointed to the fire pit beside our elbow. “Light it, please.”

I realized that the fire pit had been cleaned out and was empty. So instead of gathering wood and lighting a fire, I simply created fire from a puff of air and let it hang suspended over the pit. It looked okay.

Polly stood up and inspected my effort. She stared at me. Then she came up and hugged me tightly. “It’s rare to find someone who can control air, fire, and earth.”

I heard her and thought about it. “Water. I need to do something with water.” I looked down at the water in my plastic cup. I stared at it as it began to bubble. Suddenly, water burst from the cup and into the air. As it rose, I evaporated the water, forming a low cloud.

I could hear the change in her voice, “Anna, you are amazing. It won't take much training to bring you up to full speed. It might be my fault for underestimating you, but I was judging you on what your Mom and I can do. In one afternoon, you’re demonstrating skills that surpass anyone’s talents in this household.”

I shook my head. “I’m not thinking about any of this. I just do it.”

“Are you tired? Did all that exhaust you?”

“No. I feel fine.”

Polly sat and thought for a minute. It seemed like she was looking out over the yard. I think she was talking privately with another witch.

Then she turned back to me. “We need to keep your talents under wraps. I need time to think about this. I need to do some research.”

I nodded. “When does a witch usually come into their full power?”

“It generally takes years. Generally, when they turn eighteen..”

“Is that a coincidence?”

“No, it’s not. Usually, it’s done step by step. I would start your lessons by teaching you everything I know, and then your mother gets her turn, too. But I just received a message from your father. He said that he will spend some time with you.”

“What’s that mean?”

Sitting up in the lounger, I saw Polly shrug her shoulders. “Beats me. I’ve never been in this situation before. I’ve never known a Warlock to send me a message so decisive. He used the phrase "spend some time with you," which is very open-ended and nebulous. Maybe he has a curriculum and teachers standing by to hone your skills. Or he might school you himself. Or he just wants to talk to you, maybe get to know you. How about that? Kinda wild?”

“Am I safe?”

“Yes. He would not send this kind of message if he wanted to euthanize you. I want all of this to be a positive experience for you. We don’t want to have to cloak you again to keep you from your Warlock father.”

“What? You would do that?”

“No. Just an expression. We’ll handle all of this together.”

I was getting nervous. Mom and Polly knew about my potential, and now my father wanted in on this, too. I wondered how much he had observed before he talked to Polly. It was scary because I was starting to feel like an object. I decided to change the subject. “Polly, can I ask you a personal question?” I watched her shrug a if to say, go ahead.

“Uh, do you really turn people into toads and hamsters?”

Polly laughed. “What do you think?”

I felt sheepish asking. “Well, you certainly have created a fearsome image.”

Polly smiled. “I did do that on purpose. I planted those rumors and got people thinking that’s what I did. But I knew what I was doing and never hurt anyone.”

“But those people are all witches, and they believed that you’d do that? Isn’t that mean?”

“Okay. So when a little kid doesn’t behave, Mom tells them all about kidnappers and molesters that are out there to hurt them. Lots of cultures invent monsters that take bad children away who don’t behave or listen to their parents. I’m old enough to see the benefit of intimidation, and well, I guess I did a word-of-mouth thing myself.”

“So you’ve never turned anyone into a hamster?”

Polly smiled and looked at Anna. “Well, actually, I have. I’ve done it several times, always in front of a crowd. But it’s been planned out, and I immediately removed the curse as soon as that person could get out of sight. And they are well paid for their efforts and their silence.”

I looked at Polly and thought about her. She certainly was a force to be reckoned with. I smiled and thought of another question. “Okay, tell the truth. Mom inferred that my father, a Warlock, is headstrong and misogynistic. I think those two traits are dangerous. When she told me about her experience, it sounded like she had no say in what happened that night. It sounded like he took control, raped her, and left.”

But suddenly Mom’s voice cut right into our conversation. Her voice sounded angry. ‘Yes, Anna. I did say that, but I didn’t go into great detail.’ Mom’s voice cut right to the chase about how it happened. ‘I never used the word rape. First, your father introduced himself. He spent quite a while saying that he’d remembered me from another time and praising my beauty. And yes, Anna, I did respond positively; if anything, I encouraged him to pursue me.’

My head began thumping gently as she spoke about her tryst.

‘And yes, we spent the rest of the evening and night talking about our lives and our expectations. After so many hours of talking, I wanted to make a child with him at sunrise. We both understood that this was a one-night stand. I knew that he wouldn’t stay. After our time spent talking together, we both knew that you would be my child to raise.’

I figured this would be a good time to get personal with my mother. ‘Can I ask you a sex question?’

She hugged me. ‘Yep, I know exactly who and what you want to talk about. Well, maybe we should have him to join us. It’s crazy how he fills your mind and leaves memories in your head. Derrick has that effect. That’s the real him, and unless he’s keeping up his shields, every woman wants to sleep with him.’

I smiled. ‘Sleep?’

She chuckled. ’Oh, no! Baby. Not you! You’re too young to have sex with a five-hundred-year-old Vamp. He’ll spoil you for the rest of your very long life.’

‘How’d you know I was going to ask you about him?’

‘There are no secrets among Witches, Anna dear. You still have a way to go before you can control your own body shields. Right now, you’re broadcasting your own pheromones. Have you ever seen how a male dog behaves around a female dog in heat?’

I sighed. ‘Is that me? You’re saying that I’m a dog in heat? Please! But I just finished my period, and now you’re telling me that I’m still sending out pheromones?’

‘Yep. Welcome to your body. We can work on controls and shields after you’ve rested.’

‘Is this something I have to worry about around other people, too?’

‘Oh, yes, dear. And the first day of school is tomorrow.’
.
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Chapter Nine
.
“Okay. But I want to talk about Derek and maybe Vampires in general. Okay?”

Mom sighed and was suddenly standing there with Polly and me out in the sun. “Okay. Vampires are not what you think they are. They are not undead, blood sucking monsters.”

“What are they?”

Polly jumped right into the conversation. “They are a different species from humans. They can be conceived from bringing back the recent dead, and for a while, those people do drink blood to sustain their life source. But those aren’t the original Vamps like Derek.”

“He’s not undead?”

“Technically he was. But his system has evolved. He doesn’t need blood to sustain his life force. And when you touched him, you realized that was alive, just cooler than you and me. He is very powerful but evolved that power over a long period of time.”

“So he’s not undead, doesn’t need to drink blood, and can walk in the daylight. And he is powerful. Just that brief meeting left a big impression on me.”

“Right. That’s his normal nature. But he dropped his shields after you made such a fuss over what he could do to me. When you accussed me of having sex with a rotting corpse, you did piss him off. All those things you said hurt him. So, in return, he opened his shields and gave you a quick taste of what he really is.”

“I lost all control of myself and was ready to throw myself at him. I’d only been female for a day and was ready to strip naked and climb in his lap. He did that to me and he’s been haunting me ever since.”

Mom hugged me. “You’ll eventually own your body and your mind. But until then, you’re going to find yourself wanting to do some crazy things. I feel responsible and will be there for you.”

“Great. So I can be controlled by others but have no self control over myself. That sucks.”

Polly and Mom started laughing. Polly shook her head and kissed me gently. “Welcome to adulthood.”

Later after things had settled down, I did a quick Google search. I read that my new school, David Lane Technical High School, was known for its academics and sports. Their girls’ soccer team compete in a Class A division. After reading and examining photos on the school’s website, I felt a little better. This school was twice as big as my old high school, but it didn’t feel overwhelming.

I was extremely nervous on Sunday. I’ve been a girl since Friday. And still genuinely afraid of losing control of my powers and starting to broadcast again, just like I did on Friday morning. My imagination was overpowering my common sense and scaring me.

Suddenly, a voice cut through. Mom came in at full force. ’Stop! You’re going to be fine. Polly’s already arranged for another ninth grader to help you navigate your way around the new school. And your Familiar will be by your side, protecting you and helping you stay calm. And you know that Polly and I will be ready, too.’

‘Okay. I just hope that you’re right, Mom. I don’t want this to be a disaster.’

Monday arrived. I woke early, shower, and started getting ready. Mom helped me pick out an outfit: dark blue leggings, a white long-sleeved top, a blue fleece, and blue sneakers. I have a medium-sized North Face backpack with pens, a spiral notebook, and an Apple tablet. I’ve even got a new iPhone decorated in bling.

Mom drives, and we park. We walk up the steps and through the front doors. Walking into the lobby, I pass glass cases filled with plaques, trophies, and merch for Lane Tech. I slow down, looking at my own reflection, a hazy ghost of Anna. Mom used magic for my makeup and hair. I look good and preen over my reflection.

Even though I’m by myself and nobody is around me, I feel a strong presence next to me. Strong wasn’t an exaggeration. The force I’m feeling is huge. Suddenly, a new mind speaks inside my head. It’s deep and sounds powerful. ’Hello, Anna. I want to introduce myself to you. I’m your father, Richard Lawson.’

I looked and saw nothing in the glass reflection or anyone standing in the hall. I was already nervous about registering for the first day of school, and now this happens. My tone might not have been respectful or polite, I was a little off. But who is the guy who shows up and acts like I should drop everything and talk to him?

Of course, in my mind, I’m hearing that famous Darth Vader line, “Luke, I am your father.” I want to be serious, but I was already freaking out about starting this new school, so I guess I was behaving like a wise-ass.

’Hello, voice. Well, maybe you are Richard Lawson, my father as you claim. But how do I really know that? I’ve spent fourteen years hiding from danger, and you secretly show up and start talking. It’s disarming to hear an invisible talking aura introducing itself as my father. Should I be cautious and look for help, as in Never Talk To Strangers?’

I heard him chuckle. ’Well, I wanted to wish you good luck on your first day of school. I promise we will meet very soon. I’ve been watching you since you emerged. You were hidden from me for fourteen years.’

I tried to imagine my father’s point of view. ‘Okay, fair enough. What would you like me to call you?’

‘Richard is fine.’

‘Richard, may I ask you a question?’

I heard a chuckle.

‘You can ask.’

‘Why here? Why now? You’re limiting your range just to my head when my Mom is just a few feet away.”

‘I wanted our conversation to be private.’

‘I don’t know, Richard. That sounds menacing and creepy that you wanted to message me covertly. I’m not feeling safe.’

I heard him laugh. ‘Well, the way you phrase it does make my efforts seem inappropriate. I am sorry to make our first meeting disarming. Next time, I will be right in front of you in a public place. And I will see you soon. Say hi to Vivian, too.’

I smiled. ‘Thank you, Richard. I’m looking forward to meeting.’

And with that, the connection was lost, and the presence vanished. After a deep breath to settle my nerves, I caught up to Mom. It was time to get enrolled.

I walked into the high school office, and looked around. The first thing I thought about was my underwear. Mom had suggested that I try out a thong because my leggings hugged my butt, and we didn’t want any panty lines. So I had this string running up my crack. I should have tried one on before this morning. It’s already making me uncomfortable. I look good but understated. My makeup is simple and my hair is in a single braid down my back.

I watched Mom hand over IDs and a thick file of transcripts to the secretary. I saw a photo of Anna Bradford on the inside, taken at the beginning of each school year going back to when she was in first grade.

Psst: A week ago, my name was Douglas Greenwood, and I was a fourteen-year-old boy. Anna Bradford didn’t exist and was only unwrapped four days ago. All those folders were counterfeit.

Omnia bene sunt et mihi quiescere necesse est

I watched the secretary carefully go through the documents and photocopy the ones she needed. I saw tiny pictures of little Anna, with some of the worst haircuts! Of course, we all know that my Grandmother Polly created all of these files on Sunday afternoon using magic.

I idly wondered what happened to Douglas’s school file folders. Did they magically fade and disappear as I did?

By the time the secretary was done, I was almost convinced that Anna did attend Green Valley Elementary and Middle School in Albany, New York. Dizzy, huh?

As we walked out of the school office, a very attractive girl was waiting for us. She smiled at me. “Hi, Anna. My name is Becky Rodgers, and I’ve been asked to accompany you through your first day.”

I shook her hand and squeezed it. “You already know that I’m Anna Bradford and just moved here from Albany, New York. Thank you for offering to be my escort and guide through my first day. You are too kind.”

Becky Rogers was a beautiful, smiling redhead who reminded me of my old girlfriend, Erica. And she was escorting me to my classes.

I hugged my Mom and told her that I’d talk to her later. She kissed my cheek and whispered, “I know you’ve got this. Just do your best to keep your lid on. Remember that Luna is right here to help.”

After Mom left, Becky started in my head immediately. Her voice zoomed through my brain as I realized that she was a witch. So good!

‘Bitch, welcome to the most laid-back, easy-to-deal-with challenge you’ve ever faced in your life.’

I was still shaking from this whole morning experience. ‘Huh? You’re kidding. I’m scared to death.’

Still vibrating inside as we walked along the empty hall. I had completely forgotten that my father had contacted me and realized I needed to tell my Mom.

Becky grinned, wrapped her arm around my waist, and drew me in close. She talked into my ear. “Seriously, your grandmother gave me strict orders to take care of you.” She squeezed my arm, and I felt her warmth and smelled her scent. Doug’s brain was on fire being this close to a pretty girl. He didn’t know any girls this attractive who would have hugged him. But then it struck me. Anna’s brain is Doug’s brain. So I can’t blame Doug’s brain for getting excited. It was my brain, whether you call me Anna or Doug. And it wasn’t too long ago that I was getting all excited over Mom’s boyfriend, Derek.

“Oh, Anna. Don’t worry. This is going to be a snap. No one’s going to bother you, and if anyone tries, I’m here to step in.” She glanced over my shoulder. “Of course, it doesn’t hurt having your Familiar right here. It’s nice to know that Luna can protect you, too. My Mom makes me leave Pumpkin's home. Oh, yeah. And I love your outfit!”

Becky was very pretty. Her hair was on her shoulders. She had on gold hoop earrings, more makeup than I wore, and a man’s white dress shirt, a pleated skirt, and tights. Her skin tone, hair color, and makeup complemented her outfit. I was all excited just being with her. “I’m guessing that Pumpkin is a big orange tabby.” I looked out the window. “Is this place safe? I’m worried about the government and the Witch Hunters coming to get me.”

“The school is safe. But ya gotta remember that it’s Chi-town, and out on those streets, anything goes. Crazies trying to call out the evil, devil-worshipping non-believers, Witch Hunters still searching out Witches to burn, and now I heard a rumor that a Witch works for the government as an assassin. But you’re lucky. Your Luna will consume anything she perceives as a threat. And that’s why Pumpkin has to stay home.”

I stopped and turned. “Did Pumpkin eat a kid?”

“Well, not really ate him. Pumpkin just swallowed him whole and alive. She regurgitated him over by the river, dropping him in the shallow, muddy part. He never knew what hit him!”

“How did that happen?”

“Well, this dork had been bothering me all week cause I didn’t want to hang out with him and his friends. When I told him no, he decided to pick on me. You know, like bumping into me and pushing me when I walked through the hall. He’d hit my stuff, making me have to pick everything up. Just rude behavior that had gone on for a couple of days. I did my best to ignore him, and I kept telling Pumpkin not to do anything. So, it was lunchtime on Friday. I was sitting in the cafeteria with friends when this idiot started walking in the doors. Evidently, he spotted me and said something loud enough to his posse for me to hear. If I remember correctly, it was, “Hey, like watch me punk this bitch.””

“Pumpkin must have read his mind. One second, he’s standing there, and then there’s a flash of light. The buttwipe disappears! I never saw it, just heard about it later. Evidently, Pumpking swallowed him whole. The school had trouble dealing with his sudden disappearance and decided he really wasn't in school, but it was a reflection off the window when he was outside, getting ready to cut classes. The dork got detention.”

I was entranced. “What happened with Pumpkin?”

Becky shook her head. “Well, Mom was upset. I defended my Familiar, saying that she did what she thought was right. And the punk kid was okay, just a little shaken. It was crazy! The whole experience left him scared, and he never bothered me again. But Mom decided that Pumpkin needed to stay home. I think she was afraid that my Familiar might do something worse the next time.”

I shook my head and looked towards where I thought Luna was.’

Becky was grinning. “I thought it was great and doubled up Pumpkin’s dinners for a week to reward her.”

I hopped that Luna was smart enough not to turn any of the students into ash and comsume their life source.

When we arrived at the first class, it had already started. I handed my schedule to the teacher, an older guy, and he indicated that Becky and I could have the empty seats up front. The front! The worst place to have to sit. Everyone in the whole room was watching me. Creepy.
.
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Chapter Ten
.

Thirty minutes later, Mr. Crosby called me up to the front as the class was headed out. He smiled, welcomed me to World History, and pointed to the school website written on a sign on the wall. “We’re all online. The class curriculum and the assignments are all there.”

After that, Becky and I walked down the hall to another classroom, Mrs. Peabody’s math class. By lunch, I’d gotten lots of looks from everyone I saw. I didn’t know what to do, so I just smiled. I’m sure they all thought I was a moron, grinning like a fool.

We finally headed to lunch. Becky was really being a good friend and happily steered me to the lunch line. I got a slice of pizza and a container of apple juice. It tasted the same as my last school lunch: cold cardboard covered in tomato sauce, and sweetened apple-flavored water.

While we were sitting there by ourselves, a couple of guys walked over and sat down. They looked like twins. Real big husky juniors, good looking, brown hair, and all smiles. I was freaked out at their size just sitting across from me. My new ninth grade Anna body was kinda petite compared to these men.

Becky immediately started talking in my head teasing me. ‘Hey, look what you’ve attracted, two Junior class football players. Cool, huh? How about if Luna eats them both?’

I wanted to start laughing at her joke but had to play it totally innocent while Becky cracked jokes.

The guy on the right looked at Becky, then turned towards me. “Hey, Becky. Introduce us to your new friend.”

Becky smiled, then said, “Greg, John. Meet Anna. She just transferred in today.”

I smiled, reached over, and shook hands. I said it was a pleasure meeting them.

John nodded and asked the two of us if we wanted to get a burger and see a movie on Friday night over at the Blue Ridge Mall.

Becky looked at me, and I shrugged. She held out her hand. “Okay, guys. Give me your phones, and we can exchange numbers. Text me about your Friday night plans, but it’s gotta include burgers, fries, and a good movie.”

After they walked away, Becky laughed. “You’re too easy, saying yes to those guys. You should have played hard to get.”

I shook my head. “Well, they asked, and it seemed like we could control them pretty easily. And why not get a movie and a burger out of the deal?”

We walked into my next class with everyone else. I could feel people turn and stare as I sat down next to Becky.

‘Everyone’s staring. Do I have spinach in my teeth or toilet paper stuck on my heel?’ I heard her chuckle at my joke.

‘Yeah, you suffer from being too gorgeous, Anna. All the guys are drooling. They’re having a field day staring at your butt.’

I freaked. ’Tell me it’s all too much! I knew that my jeans were too tight. I wish I had dressed down.’

‘No, actually, you fit right in with the power crowd - big, hunky, handsome athletes and rich high style chicks. Those clothes you're wearing are all designer fashions.’

I shrugged. ‘Polly took me shopping. We went to a bunch of stores. She had her driver follow us around inside each store to carry the bags to the car.’

‘Jesus! I keep forgetting how rich and powerful your family is! The good news is that you’re so nice.’

‘Becky, in my other life, I was never rich or even handsome. I was just a soccer player who wanted to try out for our baseball team.’

I was still worried about being overdressed. ‘I worried how I’d look and purposely toned down my makeup and put small gold hoops in my ears. I used clear polish. I have my hair back in a braid. I was trying to be invisible.’

Becky smiled. ‘Uh-huh. Anna, you know that you’re incredibly good-looking, right?’

I shook my head. ’This was the best I could come up with. I was hoping that I just looked kinda dull.’

My new best friend laughed in my head. ‘Well, the boys are excited, and in a couple of days, every masc and fem lesbian in the whole school will be talking about whether they want to cuddle you or just push you up against the wall and hump you. But everyone who sees you is already getting turned on.’ She leaned over so our bodies touched, ‘Including me.’

I turned beet red. ’Yeah, I know all about getting turned on. I got way too excited meeting Mom’s Vamp boyfriend last night. He’s so perfect, and I kept picturing myself sitting in his lap. Mom says he gives off very strong pheromones. I had no control over myself. But hanging out with you is getting me all excited, again. I’m getting all marshmallowy soft and sticky over being with you.’

Becky grabbed my arm and pulled me close. “We’re having fun, right?”

‘Becky, I don’t know how to handle all of this attraction stuff. I mean, you’re beautiful, and I just wish I could kiss you right now. It’s very weird to be female and still mooning over cute girls like you. I’m not getting anything from the guys in this school. Inside, Doug’s brain is doing the lusting.’

Becky purred in my ear. ‘Doug’s brain is Anna’s brain.’

I nodded my head. ‘Except for Mom’s boyfriend, guys are just not doing it for me. But I keep dreaming about the Vamp. And I’m not supposed to know that he’s been in Mom’s bedroom every night since we got to Chicago. And every night, they’ve been going at it all hot and heavy!’

Becky was seeing my thoughts. She shrugged. ’My mom’s got a Vamp, too. She says the sex is great, and he’s totally devoted to her. Plus, all Vamps are millionaires, and he buys her whatever she wants.’

‘Yeah. Well, I messed up when I met Derrick. I lost it. After throwing a fit over my mother having a Vampire lover, his pheronomes got to me. I honestly hoped that he would pick me up in his arms and take me away with him.’

‘Yeah, that’s easy to understand. Vamps are beautiful, and you’re still getting a handle on being Anna. Back when you were a boy, you probably dealt with hard-ons all the time. But be warned. All Vamps are dogs. For you, it’s all about keeping control and your shields up and tight. If a Vamp senses weakness, well, they can absorb your life force while they spin your head sexually. They don’t care about self-control. Vamps live to romp through life.’

‘That’s funny. You said that they live to romp through life. There’re undead, right?’

‘Uh, not really. Vamps aren’t undead corpses. They are another creature that exists on this plane. They are alive.’

I was listening, and trying to understand that all this Vampire stuff from the movies and novels was just made up. But I was still imagining what it would be like with Derek. I wasn’t thinking about sex like what he and Mom do every night. This was more about making out, foreplay. Since my awakening, I’d pleasured myself but wondered what it would be like with him.

I turned to Becky. ‘Wait. Are you seeing what I’m thinking?”

Becky smiled. ‘In high definition color. Your mind makes things pretty vivid.’

‘Polly was working with me this weekend. She said I have lots of potential and power.’

“It’s good you’ve got your shields under control before coming to school. You’re so beautiful. If you were to drop your shields and broadcast those fantasies, your look could singlehandedly cause a sexual frenzy in our high school. Never let your power loose. Remember that all the guys in this school are jocks. They live to exercise and screw. One whiff of you could destroy everyone, guys and girls alike!”

I looked at her. ‘Truth now. Have you ever wanted to just open your shields and create a sexual frenzy?’

‘Sure. But I know I’d be creating a tsunami that I couldn’t control. Human beings are helpless against us.’

As we were talking privately, I was getting an education. Then I remembered my father trying to contact me and I immediately concentrated on calling my Mom. ‘Hey, Mom. While we were walking in the hall to the office, I stopped to check myself out in the trophy case glass. While I stood there, a nebulous form tried to speak to me. He said he wanted to introduce himself as Richard Lawson. Is that really his name?’

I felt Mom inhale. She grimaced. ‘Yep, that’s Richard. Just appeared, invisible, cloaked? What did he say?’

‘He said that he wanted to introduce himself since, after fourteen years, he could finally locate me. Was I hidden from witches and warlocks, too?’

‘Not purposely. But I guess that’s what happened.’

‘Oh.’

‘Then what happened?’

‘Well, I might not have received him well. Kinda telling him I couldn't accept his invisible appearance. He vanished and said he’d see me soon.’

Mom sighed. ‘I guess you’ll hear from him again. Showing up unannounced didn’t get him what he wanted, so he’ll reappear in the flesh. He’s not a bad guy. I don’t really know whether he’s got much parenting in him. Okay? How’s school?’

‘Yeah, fine so far. I have a new friend who’s helping me through the day. Kinda like my escort. A wonderful witch named Becky.’

By the end of the school day, I was drained. All I wanted to do was go home and curl up in bed. But Becky reminded me of Soccer practice. “And you get to try out in front of the coach. You bring stuff?”

I nodded and changed into spandex liners, socks, shorts, a sports bra, a tee, shin guards, and cleats.

The coach was a very tall woman with a short haircut. She gave me a big smile. “Hello, Anna. Welcome to Lane Tech Soccer. I’m Coach Howard.” She turned to Becky. “Okay, Becky. Take your new friend out and let’s do twenty.”

I was happy that Doug stayed in shape. Five miles used to be easy, but that all changed when running in Anna’s body. When we were finished, I was soaked. My boobs, ass, and hips had been bouncing the whole time. It was all very unsettling. I needed firmer liners.

When we finished, the coach checked her clipboard. “Okay, Anna. Welcome to the team. What position do you want?”

“Striker, Forward.”

She grinned. “Good. Grab a red jersey and let’s see how you do.”

It didn’t take me long to fit in with our practice squad. I thought I handled myself very well. Becky’s blue squad’s defense shut us down, but we had a few breakaways. I had a few shots on goal and passed a bunch of times, too.

Then we did field drills and scrimmaged again. My squad was more cohesive this time. We synced out on the field. It was exciting. I passed a dozen times and finally scored. It felt good.

As we were towel-drying, the coach placed her hand on my shoulder. “Good job, rookie. We have a game at the end of the week, and you’ll be playing. See you tomorrow for practice.”

I smiled, feeling like I might fit into their soccer system. But I looked at Becky and sighed. “I’m beat, wanna go home, and soak.”

“Oh, no, girl. We need to hit some high spots on the Trail.”

“Trail?”

“Sure, the Witchy Trail. You need to meet and greet some of the other Witches in Chicago. Gotta do the tour.”

“Let’s save it for tomorrow. Just keep me company on the way home.” I reached out and impulsively squeezed her hand.

As we got on the L and found a seat, I broached the subject of dating. “Do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend?”

Becky nuzzled my neck softly. “I like you, Anna. And would gladly hang out with you anywhere. But my mom is very strict and told me that until I turn fifteen, there will be no public displays of affection. And honestly, I’m not taking any chances with crossing your mom. Your whole family is a bit scary. Your grandmother is the most powerful Witch in Chicago, and I don’t want to piss her off.”

I grinned and shook my head. “The gerbil story?”

Becky laughed. “Seriously, we’ve all heard how your gran turns people into toads and slugs, then walks away. Yeah. She’s got a serious reputation for destroyingShe’s not into teaching any lessons. I heard that she punishes someone forever.”

“Do you think those stories are true?”

Becky shrugged. “Don’t know and don’t want to find out. You could ask her.”

I laughed. “Heck, even my Familiar is intimidated by Polly.”

As we rode along, Becky turned and kissed me softly on the lips. “I can’t imagine being a boy for fourteen years and then being transformed in the snap of a finger.”

“Yeah. Puberty broke the spell. I came into my power.”

Becky shook her head and smiled. “Not quite a Disney story.”

“So you don’t think that Hallmark is ready to do the boy who turned into a teen witch story? It might have appeal?”

Becky looked at me and grinned. “As a comedy!”

“You know, I am that comedy! So here’s something crazy. While we were traveling to Chicago, I was suddenly pulled out of the restaurant and appeared near an ancient stone doorway. Luna was with me, and there were fireflies everywhere. Ever had that happen?”

Becky shook her head. “No. Did you ask Luna what happened?”

“I did and she said we’d traveled to my Zone.”

“What’s the Zone?”

“That’s the quiet spot where I can control my power and think.”

“You need a place to control your power?”

I nodded. “Yeah. If not, my power shoots high into the sky and sets off all sorts of alarms that attract Witch Hunters.”

Becky’s mouth opened. “Oh. Maybe it’s ‘cause you’re freshly made. I grew up with my powers, but I never had trouble controlling them. I don’t have a Zone to escape to. Maybe it’s not something that I need. Sounds like you have an awful lot of power to control.”

I shook my head. “I worked with Polly and she was impressed with what I could do. But immediately told me not to reveal what I could do.”

Becky smiled and nuzzled my ear. “What can you do?”

Looking at her, I whispered in Becky’s ear. “I can make your clothes disappear and transport you to my bedroom.”

Becky looked shocked, then realized that I was kidding. “You’re a tease, Anna Bradford. Like I’d wish you could do that. Move us under big, fluffy covers on a feather bed, rolling around. Just thinking about kissing you gets me going.”

That night, I lay in bed thinking about my first day at a new school. Comparing Anna’s and Doug’s experiences showed just how different they were. Doug definitely had the advantage. He would have known everyone, and his spot on the soccer field was already secured. Anna stepped into a completely different world, one that she wasn’t ready for. Luckily, I had Becky to help me get through the day. The classes were academically okay, but there were five hundred new faces to remember. A lot of people were wide-eyed and staring at me. It was unnerving. Doug was pretty invisible at my old school, but now I felt like I was under a microscope. It had to do with Anna's beauty. I did my best to smile without flaunting or flirting.

Doug would have made the first day easier. It would be just another day at school, and the prize would be on the soccer field, running around and competing.

I was still struggling to figure it all out. And now there was the Zone and its mystery.