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.”
She smiled. “You’re my daughter, and I’m a witch.”
Have you woken from a dream that borders on a nightmare? incredibly vivid, full of color, and filled with out-of-control emotions that harshly twist your reality. And you’re not sure you're awake. But now, you can slowly smile and take a deep breath, knowing you were dreaming.
But not me. I’m still dreaming, bouncing around inside the container of this box truck as it turns, accelerates, and brakes. I'm fighting back the urge to puke and steadying myself by chanting Latin.
I’ve become a girl, not a fourteen-year-old guy. I’m a naked girl wrapped in blankets, shivering, and dripping blood between my legs. I feel gross and confused.
When I fell asleep, I was a ninth-grader at George Peoples High School, playing fall soccer, and was set to be the junior varsity second baseman. I rooted for the Hudson Valley Renegades, a minor league team, and had a signed hat from the last game we attended. Last night, I skipped my shower and hadn’t brushed my teeth because I was winning at Slime Ball Stompers volume 5.
Did I mention that we snuck out the back door in the middle of the night? No Mission Impossible music, nothing cool. Instead, I followed my mom through a dark alley I’d never seen before. I ran barefoot through trash and broken glass as cats appeared 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 in my face, and I kept pushing it behind my ears.
“What’s going on? Please tell me.” I didn’t want to cry. 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.
Mom leaned over and hugged me. That’s all it took, and I started crying, maybe even sobbing into her shoulder. “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 had a crush on Erica Davies!” I kept sobbing.
After a while, I stopped sobbing and got the hiccups. Then I started giggling. ‘Jeez, I really am a girl!’ I panicked and stuck my hand between my legs to find more blood oozing out! “If I were a girl, how’d I have erections? And I masturbated! I mean, all my thoughts were guy thoughts!”
Mom looked me in the eyes and then kissed me. “I know how crazy this must seem. Our Coven cast a very strong spell on you when you were born. The whole coven gathered together. It’s as strong a spell as we could produce.”
She squeezed me tightly as we bounced along. “You know, I live under a cloaking spell too. No one has any idea that a witch lives in this community. However, when you woke up today, you were emitting a huge amount of power, like a spotlight aimed at the sky. You set off all sorts of alarms, and that’s why we’re running for our lives. But we’re safe right now.”
“How come we’re safe in this truck?”
“About eighteen months ago, we bought this box truck at an auction and started preparing for you. We knew you were a ticking time bomb, but we never knew when you’d go off.”
I looked inside the truck, and it looked like every worn-out moving truck that has ever existed. “How’s this truck special?”
“It’s metal, and metal blocks your power from broadcasting. It’s also been fully lined with commercial-grade lead. We had to replace the engine and add some of that stuff so we wouldn’t have to worry about it breaking down during our trip.”
“Where are we going?”
Mom leaned in and whispered, “Chicago.”
“Why’d you whisper it?”
She grinned. “Just for fun.”
I laughed nervously. Oh yeah, by the way, I’d lost my old voice and was trying to get used to the new lilt and pitch every time I spoke. “Mom, can I put on some clothes? I’m cold and feeling terrible. My stomach aches, my back hurts, and I have a headache.”
Mom smiled. “Of course. Sit tight. We have a 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. Not only was I a girl, but I was having my first period. I sighed. This was brain overload. I love action flicks. I kinda like sci-fi. But I’ve never been a fan of horror. And now I’m the star of some crazy horror nightmare.
But it got worse. Mom handed me a cup of water and two pills. After I swallowed, she refilled the cup and handed me a toothbrush, just like camping with the Boy Scouts. I winced. Scratch that. No more camping with the Boy Scouts. She gave me a warm washcloth, and I used a little facial wash and did my best to clean up.
With some encouragement, my mother showed me how to wash between my legs. It was totally humiliating, having your mother describe everything down there. Gross. Yeah, boobs, long hair, and a vagina. Somebody please wake me up!
Then, Mom pointed to a corner, where there was a porta-potty like you’d see in a camper. Peeing was a whole new experience. I sat down and splattered everywhere. I had to wash myself all over again.
I stood up and leaned against a metal wall. Mom opened her backpack. She held up a pair of underwear. As I pulled them over my smooth legs, I remembered Erica letting me touch her panties a few times when we were making out. These felt like hers. 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.
“You’re doing great. And now let's get you some clothes.”
New clothes began with a bra and plenty of guidance on how to get my boobs settled in their cups and comfortable. “Mom, can we just skip the bra?”
She smiled. “No. You have too much to ignore. Remember we are going stealth and you can’t be bouncing around and showing off.”
By the way, I had to touch my own boobs, and well, we can talk about that another time. Then I grabbed a clean T-shirt, a sweatshirt, and a pair of jeans. Okay, time for a discovery. My whole body’s different, and I had to work hard to get everything on and straightened out. All my clothes were 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, and I sobbed. “This is so fucked up.”
She shushed me, and we sat down together. Mom wrapped her arms around me and started rocking me. It felt good, and I was able to stop crying. “Jeez. This is so fuckin’ terrible.”
She patted my hair and hummed as she rocked me. I was fourteen, and my mom was rocking me! Mom whispered in my ear, “Honey, it’s only just beginning. It’s going to get stranger.”
I turned and looked at her. “What?”
“Well. You need to adjust to being female and learn how to control your powers before we head to Chicago.”
“But what if I can’t?”
Mom sighed and kissed me. “You’ll stay inside the van until you do.”
Did I mention how fucked up this was getting?