Love and Choices

 

A Tabitha And Kevin Story

By Circe

 

Copyright © 2006 All rights reserved.

 

Author’s note:  This story is set in the same universe as the other Tabitha and Kevin tales, but with some new main characters.  You should not need to read the other tales to follow this one.

 

 

Trouble found Melissa Brookwell and Lyle Mansford at a mall coffee shop one fine spring morning in Bardstown, Kentucky, just a few months before their wedding.  Melissa had been happily shopping for bridesmaid gifts and the bulging bags at her feet were evidence of her quest.  Although, she admitted to herself guiltily as she toyed with the end of her braid, more than a few of the items were for her.

 

Lyle tilted his head at her and set down his coffee.  “A penny for them,” he proposed.

 

“Hmmm?”

 

“Your thoughts.  Whenever you mess with your braid you’re thinking about something.”

 

Melissa dropped the heavy braid of glossy midnight hair and rolled her dark green eyes.  “Just a penny?  Well that might be all they’re worth.  I was just thinking about –“

 

“—the wedding,” he finished for her.  She stuck her tongue out at him and he grinned.  “Don’t worry, I think it’s cute how obsessed you are.  I’ve learned way more about wedding gowns and invitations and table settings than I ever wanted to know.”

 

“Obsessed?  You ain’t seen nothin’ yet, buddy.  Wait until we have a baby.”

 

Lyle gave her a mock look of despair.  “Wait a minute, who said anything about a baby!  Can’t we, like, get a dog instead?  They never talk back and you don’t have to pay for college.”

 

Melissa’s eyes narrowed.  “Hey, you’re the one who said he wants a big family, as I recall.”

 

“Just kidding, honey, put your claws away,” he said with a laugh.

 

“Hmph.  Maybe I should talk to your sister and ask her for some real claws.”  She swept her fingernails through the air at him.

 

His smile only got bigger.  “Careful what you ask for.  You know how Tabitha likes to show off her transfiguration skills – you might get a tail as well.”

 

“Meow,” she said turning up her nose in a fine display of feline airs.

 

“Very funny.  But yes I do want a big family.  It was fun always having someone around to play with or better yet, to annoy.”

 

Melissa shook her head.  “I can’t imagine it.  I always wanted a brother or even better a sister but four of them?  I don’t know if I can do as good a job as your parents did.”  She raised an eyebrow.  “Wasn’t it kind of tough since, well you know.”

 

“What, the fact that they were all witches and warlocks and I wasn’t?”

 

Melissa looked around and shook her finger at him.  “Keep your voice down; mundanes are everywhere you know.”

 

He rolled his eyes at her.  She hated when he did that even if he did have adorable grey-blue eyes.  “No one’s listening.  Besides, these are my people.”

 

“You are not a mundane.  Just because your only power is scrying doesn’t make you one of them.”

 

“Really?  What do your parents say about that?” 

 

“Lyle!”  Melissa desperately wanted to change the topic.  His expression was too serious though and she knew he would accept nothing but the truth.  “They think it’s because your father is a mundane.  They’re worried that our kids might turn out the same.”

 

Lyle nodded slowly.  “They might be right.”  He paused and looked into her eyes.  “And what about you?”

 

Melissa reached across the table and held his hand.  “As long as they have an even number of arms and legs I’ll be happy.”

 

Lyle laughed.  “I think you need to raise your standards just a little.  Well, if the first one comes out wrong we’ll just keep having them until we get one that your father will approve of.”   

 

Melissa’s narrowed her eyes at him but could not help but giggle.  Finally she got control of herself.  “Did I tell you what he father said last time we talked about grandkids?”

 

Lyle groaned.  “No…?”

“He told me, ‘Daughter, what is this nonsense about having so many babies?  I tell you, the apple does not fall far from the tree.  This is his father’s influence.’”

 

Despite himself, Lyle laughed as Melissa managed to lower her voice to a fair imitation of her father’s.  “Well you can say this for him: he’s consistent.  I hope he and Dad will eventually get along.  I have my doubts.”

 

“Honey, he’s still shocked that a witch from an old family like your mother would marry a mundane.  The fact that Tabitha is dating a mortal just adds fuel to the fire.  I think we’ll be old ourselves before he gets over it.”

 

Lyle nodded and sighed.  “They are at least being cordial.  I guess we’ll have to work on friendly later.”  Lyle decided it was time to get their fathers out of their minds.  His expression turned sly as he said.  “Your father will come around when we have some kids and he sees how well they turn out. – much better than only kids.  They’re always so selfish and arrogant.”

 

“Hey!  You take that back!”  She punched him in the arm, hard.

 

“Ow!  You’re stronger than you look, you know,” said Lyle, rubbing his arm.

 

“Hmph.  That remark is going to cost you more than a bruised arm.”

 

“Oh?” he said cautiously.  “Does it involve eye of newt?”

 

“So cliché.  No, I’m thinking dinner.  At La Jardien – and I want flowers.”

 

Lyle looked aghast.  “Do you know how much that place costs?”

 

Melissa smirked.  “So you’ll have to inspect a few more houses.  You should have thought of that before saying mean things about your poor, helpless, little fiancée.”

 

“Helpless?  You’re about as helpless as—“  Lyle saw the look in her eyes and went with the better part of valor.  “La Jardien, huh?”

 

“And flowers.”

 

“Right, flowers,” he said morosely.

 

Melissa giggled at his expression.  Unlike many of their magical kin, Lyle preferred to make what his father would call an honest living.  He had started a home inspection business and he was doing quite well at it.  She also liked how working outside had given him a healthy tan and that nice lean build.  He could be quite a penny-pincher, especially lately, but even that was endearing to her.  She reached across the table and took his hand in hers.  Lyle gave her a quizzical smile and almost simultaneously they leaned across the table to share a kiss.  The young lovers were completely oblivious to the smiles and glances from the customers and waitresses in the café.  All who saw them turned to thoughts of loves they had known or hopes of love to come – all that, is, but one.

 

A woman paused at the café’s entrance, a sneer twisting her lips as her dark eyes took in the scene and lingered over the two lovers for a long moment before their owner turned with a swirl of dark red hair and strode towards the table shared by Melissa and Lyle.  The newcomer’s clothing was all black, a long-sleeved black blouse matched with a flowing skirt, sleek hose, and gleaming black heels.  The only other color to her was the ivory of her skin, the brilliant red of her lipstick and the gleam of silver jewelry at her ears, throat, wrists, and every finger.

 

Melissa was facing the door and her eyes widened at the sight of the midnight-clad woman.  “What the hell is she supposed to be?” she muttered.

 

Lyle looked over his shoulder and groaned.  His grip on Melissa’s hand tightened as the woman stopped before their table.  “Hello, Amy,” he said with a forced smile on his face.

 

Melissa raised an eyebrow as the woman in black gave Lyle a venomous look.  There was something about her that had the hair on the back of her neck rising.  “I told you my name is not Amy anymore, it is Amanda.”  She spared a bit of her poisonous gaze for Melissa.  “So, who’s the bimbo?”

 

“What did you call me?” said a shocked Melissa.

 

“I see you haven’t learned any manners, Amy,” replied Lyle.  “I think you should leave now.”

 

Amanda’s eyes narrowed but she ignored his taunt.  “Oh but why?  We’re all having such fun.”  Her eyes shifted once more to Melissa.  “Aren’t you having fun sweetie?”

 

Melissa blinked as a realization struck her.  “Um, Lyle—“

 

“It’s ok, Melissa.  This is the girl I told you about.  I thought she had finally accepted that it was over, but—“

 

“Oh it’s over, alright, at least all but the reckoning,” interrupted Amy, her gaze still on Melissa.  “So he told you about me, Marissa?  Did he tell you why he dumped me?”

 

“Her name is Melissa.  I ended it because you need help.  You’re obsessed with…”  This time he interrupted himself as he realized that their argument was being watched by everyone in the café.

 

Amanda looked at Lyle with a smirk on her face.  “Go ahead, say it.  Magic.  You’re right, you know, I am obsessed with it.  And I finally found someone with the real thing, didn’t I Lyle?  But you wouldn’t teach me, and then you left.”

 

“Lyle?  I think--” tried Melissa again.

 

“Hang on honey,” he said, his attention still on Amanda.  “I told you, I can’t teach you to have something you don’t have.  It would be like teaching you to flap wings.  All the lessons in the world won’t make you fly.”

 

“So you said.  What about this one?  Did you teach her?”  Amanda’s dark gaze returned to Melissa.

 

Lyle sighed.  “Melissa did not need any teaching from me.  I really think you should leave now.”

 

“So, she’s a witch too?  Just as I thought – you left me for someone with the power.  Too bad she’s smarter than you.”  Surprisingly, she grinned as she spoke.  It was a mirthless, feral smile that did not reach her eyes.  “You’ve figured it out, haven’t you Melinda dear?”

 

“Melissa,” she corrected.  “Lyle, there’s something you need to know.  I don’t know what she was like before but now she’s--”

 

“Excuse me,” said a stern voice.  “What seems to be the problem here?”  All three turned to look at a stout, balding man wearing an apron emblazoned with the café’s logo.

 

Amanda turned his grin on her.  “Shut up,” she said, and raised her hand in an odd gesture.  The man’s mouth suddenly slammed shut. 

 

“—a witch,” finished Melissa.

 

The store manager glared silently at Amanda and started towards her.  “Stand still,” she said and his feet stuck to the tile as though with glue.  One of the waitresses screamed at this display and other customers began to stand.  “All of you be still!” she commanded, and everyone in the café fell silent with the exception of Melissa and Lyle.

 

Lyle gaped at this demonstration of power.  “How?  That’s not possible!”

 

“Oh but it is,” said a gleeful Amanda.  “Melanie over here may be a bimbo but she knows a witch when she sees one.  And I’m stronger than her, too, stronger than any witch alive.  And now I’m going to teach you a lesson, you bastard!”  She raised a hand towards a shocked Lyle, a hand that began to glow with a deep red light.  Not for the first time Lyle found himself wishing his magical powers were more useful in a fight.

 

“My name is Melissa,” said his fiancée with a loud growl that startled Amanda.  She quickly said several words that Lyle could not follow and made a motion with her hands that looked as though she were wrapping her fingers around a ball.  The red glow abruptly faded from Amanda’s hand.  “And you may be strong, but you don’t know a damn thing about magic.” 

 

Amanda’s eyes grew wild.  “What did you do?  You bitch!  What did you do?”  She made wild swirling motions in the air as though trying to find something.

 

“I cut you off.  No magic until I release you.  Now I think we’ll take you to see the coven where they can decide what to do with you.”

 

For the first time, Amanda’s eyes showed fear.  “No!” she screamed and fumbled at one of the bracelets on her right wrist.  Her form wavered as though seen through heat waves and then vanished.

 

Melissa sighed.  “Damn.  I should have guessed she would have made some charms.”

 

“What the hell just happened here, Melissa?  She wasn’t a witch before!”

 

“I don’t know, honey, but I think we need to make our own exit.”  Melissa nodded at the others in the store who were beginning to stir from their enchanted paralysis.  Lyle left a few dollars on the table and the two quickly headed for their car.

 

 

Melissa’s apartment was just a few blocks from the mall on the outskirts of Bardstown, so the couple returned there to decide what to do and to take advantage of the protective spells Melissa had cast there.  Melissa had called her mother as they drove, and Lorinda told them to stay put until she could contact the rest of the Coven.

 

“Interesting day,” said Lyle as he sprawled on the couch.

 

“You have a gift for understatement,” Melissa told him as she perched near him.  “Now, I think it’s time you tell me a little more about Amanda.”

 

“You mean Amy?  That is her real name, you know.  She wants to be called Amanda because she thinks it sounds more elegant, more like a witch’s name.”  He paused.  “I’ve told you a lot already.  She was the daughter of a contractor that I met when I was doing some work in a new housing development.  She was a little weird and a bit of a Goth but she also had a wicked sense of humor.  We went on a few dates, caught a concert, and then she found out that I could do magic.”

 

“What?  Showing off to get girls?” said Melissa with a smirk.

 

“No, of course not.  I was trying to figure out why a house’s foundation was cracked and didn’t feel like crawling around underneath the house.  I was using my mirror to scry when she walked up behind me.  I know you wouldn’t believe it from today’s little performance but she can be quiet as a shadow when she wants to be.”  Melissa looked skeptical.  Lyle shrugged and went on.  “Anyway, when she saw the house’s crawlspace in the mirror she spazzed.  She begged and pleaded with me to show her how to do it.  I tried to explain that it wasn’t possible but she kept after me for weeks.  I finally couldn’t stand it anymore and ended things.”

 

Melissa sat back and sighed, shaking her head.  One hand idly toyed with her long braid.  “You’re absolutely sure she had no powers?”

 

“None, nothing, nada.  She certainly wanted them though.”

 

“And you had not heard from her again?”

 

“Not recently.  There were a few calls and emails but I basically ignored them and she stopped soon enough.”

 

Melissa raised an eyebrow.  “You ignored her?  Big mistake, honey, not to mention rude.”

 

“Hey, you didn’t have to deal with her.  She was obsessed!  I tried to get her to talk to a counselor but she wouldn’t have it.”

 

Melissa leaned against him and snuggled happily as he put an arm around her shoulder.  “I’m trying to be jealous but I just feel sorry for her – and worried about what she might do.”

 

“How long will your spell last?”

 

“It’s hard to say.  I put everything I had into it so it ought to be good for a few hours at least, maybe more.  Long enough for the cavalry to arrive.”  She wrinkled her nose.  “She is so strong though – how in the world did she get so strong?”

 

Lyle stroked her cheek with one finger.  “Don’t worry.  The coven knows about her and I’m sure they’ll track her down soon enough.  No matter how strong she is she can’t stand up to all them when they work together.”

 

Melissa nodded and smiled.  “And here I am, safe in your arms.”

 

Lyle snorted.  “Other way around, I think.  You’re the powerful one here.”

 

Melissa laughed and gave him a kiss.  “Oh stop, you know what I meant, you foolish man you.”  She kissed him again to take the sting out of her words.

 

Lyle loved kissing Melissa.  Her smaller form fit so well in his arms and her soft lips and teasing tongue could drive him to distraction.  Sometimes it frustrated him that she seemed content to do nothing but kiss and cuddle, but after the strange encounter with Amy he was happy to just be with her.

 

All that ended when a shudder traveled the length of her body, and she squirmed in his arms.  “Let me up, please,” she said with a quiet desperation that startled him.  He released her and she quickly sat up.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“I don’t know.  I just suddenly felt…weird.”

 

There was a wild look in Melissa’s eyes that chilled Lyle.  “Amy’s up to something isn’t she?”

 

“She can’t be.  As strong as she is there’s no way she could break my ward on her that fast.”

 

“Then what’s going on?  Do you feel sick or something?”

 

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye.  “Not sick, at least not exactly.”

 

He reached up to rub gently between her shoulder blades.  She stiffened at his touch.  “Melissa?”

 

“I’m sorry, I just…I need to get some tea or something.  Want some?”  She suddenly bounced up from the couch and headed for her apartment’s small kitchen.

 

“Uh, sure.”  Lyle’s brow furrowed as she watched her retreating back.  What a day it had been, he thought.  First an old flame had appeared wielding powers she should not have and now his fiancé was acting downright twitchy.  Surely the two were connected, somehow, despite what Melissa had said about her apartment’s protection spells.  “I’m going to try and scry for Amy.”

 

“That sounds like a good idea,” said Melissa distantly.

 

Lyle raised an eyebrow at her tone but decided to give her some space.  He reached in a pocket and drew out his trusty hand mirror.  A friend of his had made the frame for it, engraving certain runes in the dark wood that amplified Lyle’s abilities.  He may not be a warlock but he could see further, whether through distance or time, than anyone else he knew.  He set the mirror on the coffee table and began to concentrate on Amy, seeking her in the depths of the glass.  He frowned as the reflection in the mirror turned to a murky grey mist.

 

“Should have known,” he muttered.  Amy had been smart enough to prepare the charm that had let her escape Melissa, she must have made a charm to ward against him as well.  Still, he stayed over the mirror, brow furrowed in concentration until a knock on the door interrupted him.  Melissa was still busy in the kitchen so he walked over to the door and checked the peephole.  Smiling at what he saw he quickly opened the door to reveal two women, one middle aged and the other in her mid twenties.

 

“Hello, Lyle how are you?  And Melissa?” asked the older lady.  She was a well dressed in a light grey business suit-dress and with a pale pink blouse.  Carefully selected jewelry and makeup gave her a very polished appearance.

 

“Hi, Lorinda.  We’re both fine, I think.”  He cast his gaze towards the kitchen, then turned his attention to the younger woman.  She was nearly as tall as he was and while her eyes were a deep blue that was nearly purple and her hair a golden blonde their features were clearly similar.  “Hi Tabitha, it’s been a while.”

 

She smirked up at him.  “Hi, little brother.  I hear you had a bimbo eruption this morning.”

 

He rolled his eyes.  “Cute.”  He looked at his future mother-in-law with a long suffering expression.  “Do you see what I had to put up with as a little boy?”

Lorinda smiled.  “I’m sure she made things interesting.”

 

Lyle rolled his eyes.  “You have no idea.  The year she gained her powers was pretty rough on the rest of us.  I don’t know how her boyfriend – what’s his name, Kyle? – puts up with her.”

 

“Hey!” protested Tabitha.  “I’m standing right here, you know.  And it’s not as though you were a little angel you know, Mr. I-can-see-through-walls.  Oh, and his name is Kevin thank you very much.”

 

Lyle raised an eyebrow.  “Do I have to bring up the cow incident?”

 

Tabitha suddenly blushed brightly.  Lorinda decided it was time to get past the siblings’ bantering.  “The rest of the coven is gathering at the hall.  We’ve been sent to make sure you’re alright and to take you there.”

 

Lyle nodded slowly.  “I suppose that makes sense.  I’m not making much headway trying to find—“ Lyle’s words were cut off  by a sudden crash of breaking glass.  He looked over his shoulder to find Melissa standing in the entryway to the kitchen, a broken tea-cup at her feet.  Her face was frozen in a strange mix of emotions as she stared, not at him but at Tabitha.

 

“No, no, it can’t be…” she muttered as she sagged against the wall.  “Please, no.”

“Melissa?” asked Lyle as he hurried to her side, but she pushed him away.  Tabitha was there too, but Melissa cringed when she sought to put an arm around her shoulders.  She instead stumbled into the arms of her startled mother and began to cry.

 

The siblings exchanged worried glances.  Lyle inclined his head towards the kitchen and Tabitha nodded.  The two busied themselves with cleaning up the broken cup and wiping up the tea as Lorinda held her daughter and whispered soothing things in her ear.

 

Finally Melissa’s sobs trailed off.  Her mother held her at arm’s length and looked into her eyes.  “Now, can you tell us what’s wrong, honey?”

 

Melissa nodded, biting her lip.  Her gaze flicked to Lyle and Tabitha for a moment then quickly back to her mother.  “That bitch has done something to me.  Something—oh God!”  She looked as though she would cry again but managed to control it.  “Lyle and I, we were, you know kissing a little while ago when I suddenly felt…repulsed.”  She paused and looked at Lyle with look of distress.  “Lyle, you have to know I love you, I will always love you.”  She ducked her head.  “It’s just that it feels wrong to kiss you or to be touched by you.”

 

“Wrong?” wondered Lyle.  “What could be wrong about that?”

 

Melissa shuddered.  “I didn’t know myself.  Until I saw Tabitha.”  She raised her eyes again and looked at Lyle’s sister.  “Do you know how pretty you are?” she asked the tall blonde.  “I never did, not really, not until just now.”  Her voice rasped in her throat.

 

Realization struck the three others nearly simultaneously.  Lyle was thunderstruck, his mouth dropping open and his look now mirroring Melissa’s distress.  Tabitha looked worried and intrigued all at once.  Her eyes shone with curiosity.  Lorinda was furious but controlled, like a panther that has set its eyes on its prey.  She placed a finger under her daughter’s chin and forced her to meet her gaze.

 

“Melissa, are you telling me that you feel…attracted to Tabitha, but not Lyle?”

 

Melissa nodded, tears rolling down her cheeks.  “I tried to deny it when Lyle kissed me but when I saw Tabitha I knew.  Mom, that bitch turned me into a lesbian!”

 

Lyle staggered, bumping into Tabitha.  He was torn, wanting to go to his fiancé but knowing that his touch would not be welcome. 

 

Lorinda looked at him sternly but not unkindly.  “Pull yourself together, young man.”

 

Lyle bit his lip and nodded.  “But how could she do this?  She was cut off from her magic.  Even if she used a charm, Melissa has all kinds of protections set up on this apartment.  If she had somehow broken through them Melissa would have known.”

 

Lorinda nodded.  “You’re right.”  She took a slow look around the room, as did Tabitha and Melissa.  “Melissa, your wards are all in place.  No spell could have gotten through here.”

 

“Maybe she cast something on you at the mall?” wondered Tabitha.  “Something that took a while to take effect?”

Lyle shook his head as Lorinda began to examine Melissa, running her hands through the air around her daughter.  “I don’t think so.  She didn’t have time to do anything before Melissa shut her down.”

 

Lorinda frowned.  She patted her daughter on the cheek and walked over to Lyle, where she repeated her examination.  “Neither of you have any active spells on you, or any traces of recent magic other than the spells Melissa cast earlier today.”

 

Tabitha was mirrored her frown.  “So how could she do it without magic?  Maybe she slipped something into your drink.”

 

Melissa blinked away her tears and shook her head.  “No, she never got that close to the table.  Besides we didn’t drink anything else after she arrived.”

The four of them debated for several more minutes while getting no closer to a solution.  Finally Lorinda held up her hand.  “We need to all get back to the hall so that the coven can discuss this.  Lyle, bring whatever scrying tools you have available.  I believe we’ll have need of them.”

 

 

The coven’s meeting place was a bit unconventional for magical gatherings.  Faced with a need to have a place where they could conduct their meetings without raising suspicions from their fellow residents of Bardstown, the witches and warlocks had pooled their funds and purchased a small old church on the outskirts of town.  They called it Heritage Hall and rented the place for weddings, bar mitzvahs, and so on.  They even catered some of the events which basically paid for the building’s maintenance and other expenses.  In times of trouble, any planned events were cancelled and the hall was put to its real purpose.

 

As the four arrived, there were over a dozen witches and warlocks bustling about.  Wards were being refreshed by the women while the men were removing floor panels from the center of the main hall to reveal a flat expanse of a smooth black material emblazoned with a silver pentagram.  The central figure was surrounded by a circular border that was heavily engraved with various runes.

 

Jennifer Mansford smiled with relief as she saw her son.  Unlike Lorinda, Jennifer was not adverse to using a little magic to enhance her appearance.  She looked like a slightly more mature version of Tabitha despite being older than Lorinda.  She finished reweaving a ward around the hall’s rear entrance and a moment later was at his side.  As Lorinda called for everyone’s attention, she said, “I’m so glad you’re here and safe.  Is it true what they said about Amy?  She’s a witch somehow?”

 

Lyle nodded.  He was about to say more but Lorinda had begun to speak.  She informed the gathered magic users about Lyle’s previous relationship with the mortal girl, her appearance at the café, and her improbable new powers.  She paused and glanced at Melissa, who ducked her head as Lorinda gingerly informed them of the change in her daughter’s orientation.

 

“That’s impossible,” said one older lady.  “None of it makes any sense.  A mortal who can do magic and a witch’s mind altered without magic?  You said she had a bunch of jewelry, and at least one piece was a charm that let her escape.  What if she didn’t really have any power of her own?  Melissa, honey, I have to ask this.  Are you sure you didn’t just…you know, change on your own?”

 

Lorinda looked as though she might slap the other woman, but Melissa placed her hand on her mother’s.  “It’s ok, Mom.  Someone was bound to ask.”  She took a breath and regarded the other woman.  “I can understand your skepticism.  I have heard of people who realize they’re gay, even people older than me.  But not in mid-kiss, not between one heartbeat and the next.  It was like someone threw a switch – one moment I was enjoying Lyle’s, um, attention and the next I wasn’t.”

 

“And yet no sign of a spell, no trace of magic at all is on you.”

 

Melissa simply nodded.  Her mother gripped her hand and said, “That’s why the next step has to be tracking this Amanda person.  We need to know what she’s been up to and where she is.  Lyle has tried but she must have erected wards to protect against his vision.  I propose that we lend our strength to him.  No single witch should be able to defeat our combined strength!”

 

The others nodded in agreement, even the skeptical ones.  There was little further discussion.  Something strange had happened to one of their number and they needed to know what it was.  The coven members assembled in small groups at each point of the pentagram.  Lyle moved to the center and looked around a bit nervously.  He had seen this sort of thing a few times but had never been the focal point of the coven’s power.

 

“Relax,” said his mother from the point to his left.  “Just start scrying as you normally would.  We will lend our power to yours.”

 

Lyle nodded and knelt down, his mirror before him.  He stared intently into its depths and concentrated on Amanda.  After a moment he shook his head.  “Nothing, not even a trace.  I think her powers must be active again.”

 

“Try earlier in the day,” suggested Lorinda.

 

Lyle nodded.  After a moment, a misty image formed in the mirror.  Lyle made a lifting motion with his hands and the image was projected in the air above him so that everyone could see.  “I have something but she’s definitely trying to block it.”

 

“Alright, everyone, let’s do this,” said Jennifer.  Each of the five groups joined hands.  Some bowed their heads, others looked heavenward.  A pale glow surrounded the points of the pentagram, a glow that brightened as it traced the silver-engraved symbol until Lyle was surrounded by radiance.

 

The young man shuddered as the combined power of the coven poured into him, then through him, into the scrying spell he had crafted.  It was exhilarating but also frightening.  Rather than controlling the flow of power he felt like he was riding its wild currents like a raft on a river.  He gathered himself and focused on the spell, seeking to break through. 

 

At long last the misty image floating above him began to clarify until they could all see...

 

In the vision, Amanda sat on a chair before a window. A tripod stood before her and atop the tripod was a large pair of binoculars.  “Ha!  There you are, you son of a bitch,” she said, her voice a bit tinny but recognizable.

 

Her triumphant expression faded quickly.  “Look at them, making out like teenagers.   That’s disgusting,” she muttered.  She watched a little longer, growing more and more vexed.  Finally she sat back from the binoculars and began to pace.  As she did, the vision revealed more and more of the room.  It appeared to be a typical hotel room, with a plain bed and an air condition/heating unit below the window she had been peering through.

 

“Binoculars,” muttered Melissa, standing by her mother.  “All my protective spells and wards defeated by freaking binoculars.”  Her mother hushed her as Amy began talking to herself in the vision.

 

“That bitch.  When I figure out what she did I’ll teach her to steal what’s mine.”  She sat up and concentrated, her fingers reaching out around her like a blind woman seeking her way.  “Damn it!  What did she do?”

 

Amanda’s eyes flew open.  “Of course,” she said.  “What was I thinking?”  She crossed the room to open a dresser and rummaged deep in its top drawer.  Her fingers reached up to retrieve a ring taped to the underside of the dresser’s top.  She stripped off the piece of tape and jammed the ring on her finger, rubbing the large ruby that was its only decoration quite insistently.

 

“Yes mistress, how may I help you?” wondered a calm masculine voice behind her.  The vision’s view widened to reveal a swarthy but otherwise nondescript man wearing a short white tunic trimmed with purple.

 

“There you are, you worthless Genie.”

 

“Djinn,” corrected the man with a tired look on his face.

 

“Whatever.  You told me I would be the strongest witch alive, you liar!”

 

“Impossible!” sputtered Lorinda.  Now it was Melissa’s turn to hush her mother as the vision continued.

 

The djinn did not flinch at the rising screech in her voice.  “I have told no lie, mistress.  I did precisely as you wished.  You have more magical power than any other witch alive in the world today.”

 

“Oh yeah?  Then how could she do this to me?”  Amanda waved her impotent hands in the air.

 

“Perhaps it would help if you enlightened me.  Who did what, Mistress?”

 

“That slut that Lyle is seeing.  She’s a witch, too.  She did something and now I can’t even feel the magic anymore.  If it weren’t for the charms I made I’d probably be dead right now.”

 

“Ah,” said the djinn.  His eyes glinted as he looked more closely at her.  After a moment he nodded thoughtfully.  “She has cast a spell that blocks you from accessing your new abilities, mistress.  It is excellent work, quite well done.”

 

“I’m so glad you approve,” she growled.  “But it proves my point – you lied, she must be stronger than me.”

 

“She is not stronger, mistress.  She is, however, more experienced and certainly well trained.  You did not have any protective measures in place to stop such an attack, something she must have realized.”

 

Amanda glared at the djinn.  “Oh, I see.  So you played with words – you made me strong but didn’t give me the knowledge I need to use my strength.”

 

“Mistress, please, do not be angry.  I did do as you asked.  I cannot embellish wishes; I am bound to grant them as they are worded.”

 

“Fine, whatever.  At least tell me how I undo this.”

 

“You do not, at least not by yourself.”

 

“What?”

 

“You have no access to magic, and you have not made a charm that would serve to undo this spell.  You will simply have to wait for it to wear off.”

 

The new witch looked relieved.  “It will wear off then?  When?”

 

The djinn spread his hands.  “I am not a warlock, just a humble djinn.  I can only venture to say that it should be gone within an hour.”

 

Amanda sighed and ran a hand through her thick red hair.  “Can’t you get rid of it?”

 

“Of course mistress, if you wish me to.”

 

“Oh no, I’m not going to waste a wish if this is going to take care of itself.”  She paused.  “Damn it, though, I have to be ready.  I’m sure that little bitch Melanie or whatever her name is has contacted her coven.  I can’t fight off anyone like this.”  She looked back at the djinn.  “How long until they find me?”

 

“I am not a –“

 

“Yeah, yeah.  Whatever.  Guess!”

The djinn bowed.  “Mistress, you have crafted a charm against your former lover’s scrying abilities,” he said, nodding at the necklace she wore.  “It will not protect you forever but should last at least for a few hours.”

 

“Perfect.  So by the time they find me I’ll have my powers back and I don’t need to use a wish on that.  Fine, now I know what I want for my second wish.”

 

“Yes, Mistress?”

 

“I want you to give me what you should have with my first wish.  I wish I had all the knowledge and experience necessary to use my powers!”

 

“Granted,” said the djinn. 

 

For a moment, a pearlescent glow surrounded the black-clad witch.  She blinked and then laughed.  “Wonderful!” she said.  “Oh I cannot wait till that wench’s spell goes away.  The things I can do…”  She paused and frowned.  “Damn it.  No!”

 

“Mistress, is something amiss?”

 

“Yes, damn it.  I know what I can do now, which means I know what that bimbo and her coven can do.  Shit!  I can’t possibly fight their combined powers.  It will be all I can do to hide from them.  I’ll have to start running as soon as I get my powers back and even then they might catch me.”

 

“You do have a final wish, Mistress.  Perhaps I could help you escape?”

 

She glared at him.  “No thanks, so far your wishes haven’t exactly been a roaring success.”  She turned her spiteful gaze at the binoculars by the window.  “Damn it, all I wanted was a little revenge.  I wanted him to suffer like I have.  Is that so much to ask?”  After a moment she smiled. “Hmm.  One wish left, right?”    The djinn acknowledged her with a slight bow.  “I may not be able to use my own powers, Lyle, but I think I will make you go through the kind of rejection I have.  Genie, I wish Marissa did not love him anymore.”

 

The djinn managed to look even wearier as he bowed once more.  “Mistress, I must remind you that I cannot interfere in certain things.  True love is one of those matters where my powers are quite useless.”  He paused reflectively..  “And I believe that Marissa is not her name.”

 

Amanda waved off the last remark and grimaced.  “True love?  Those two?  Hmph.  What good are you then?  I want her to reject him, to make him feel like I felt.”  A sudden thought occurred to her.  “Can you change someone’s sexual orientation?”

 

“Yes mistress.  Lust and love are two entirely different things, something your race seems to forget.”

 

“Perfect,” she said.  “That’s absolutely perfect.  I know exactly what I want to wish for.  I wish that Melanie – Marissa – damn it, whoever it is that he’s kissing would permanently become a complete and total man-hating lesbian!”

 

“Granted, mistress, and farewell.”  With those words, the djinn and the ruby ring on Amanda’s finger vanished.  She blinked in surprise but then eagerly peered through the binoculars.  After a few moments she laughed wickedly. “Perfect!  If I can’t have him, neither can you, you lesbo!” She stepped back and looked around the room. “Now I’d better run!”

 

The image faded and Lyle sat back on his heels, exhausted.  The pale glow that had surrounded him was gone as well.  Most of the coven members looked as tired as he did, and several of them took a seat also.

 

“That stupid little bitch,” he muttered.  With sudden strength his rose to his feet.  “That stupid little bitch,” he repeated more loudly.  “I’m gonna kill her!” he shouted, before collapsing back to the floor.  Melissa was quickly at his side.  She put a tentative arm around his shoulder.  Lyle groaned at the stiff way she held him, like a sister rather than a lover.

 

“Be calm,” advised Lorinda as she, Jennifer and Tabitha joined them.  “I understand why you’re angry but it does not do us any good.  Jennifer, did we really see a djinn?”

 

“I believe we did.  I never thought they were real, but it certainly explains an awful lot.”

 

“I don’t understand,” said Melissa.  “OK, so genies exist.  Why would their magic be able to do this to me without leaving a trace or breaking my wards?”

“Because they don’t use magic, dear,” said her mother.  “They actually change the nature of reality.”

 

“Wait a minute,” said Lyle.  “Isn’t that what magic is?”

 

“No, no.  Magic is imposing one’s will on reality through the power of your mind, spells, potions, or items like your mirror.  Thus we can perform feats like flying or healing or viewing things far away.  A djinn is more elemental than that.  They can actually twist the fabric of reality; change the nature of it to match their master’s desires.”

 

“So magic cannot help us?” wondered Melissa.

 

“I did not say that.  Their powers, though, are not magical and so your wards could not prevent her wish.”

 

“Fine, fine.  So how do we undo it?”

 

The two mothers looked at each other and then back at their children.  “You don’t,” said Lorinda.  “Only another wish can undo a wish.  And we don’t have the ring.”

 

“OK, I’ll scry for it,” said Lyle.  “I got a good look at it—what?” 

 

His mother was shaking her head.  “You cannot find a djinn, according to the legends.  It finds you.”

 

“So what do we do?” demanded Lyle.  “We have to do something.  Damn it we’re supposed to be married, right here, in two months!”

 

Everyone fell silent at Lyle’s outburst, everyone but Melissa who began to cry, long despairing sobs echoing in the depths of the Coven’s hall.

 

 

Lyle loved his mother but hated the fact that she was seldom wrong.  He sighed in frustration and sat back on his couch.  On the coffee table before him were a variety of implements that included his trusty mirror, a cracked crystal ball, several books (some of them in languages he only partly understood), and crumpled papers with drawings of the djinn’s ring.

 

None of it had helped.  He had been at it for over a week and so far managed to trace the ring back to when Amy found it.  She had been shopping at one of those cheap kiosks in the mall, adding more junk to her jewelry collection, when she spied the ring in a bin marked as “Three For $5”.  The gleam of real gold among the cheap fakes was clear to her, so without a second thought she scooped it up along with two random fake ones, paid off the clerk, and skipped gleefully away.

 

He had scrolled backwards in time, watching the bin as clerks filled it and customers plucked rings from it.  He could never spot the ring until the moment that Amy found it.  His mother must be right.  The ring and its magical cargo appeared in the bin specifically when and where Amy would find it.

 

Why?  What cosmic agency would give Amy magical powers, and allow her to screw up his life so thoroughly?

 

The phone rang, a light melody that told him it was Melissa calling.  He groaned.  She had been on an emotional roller coaster lately and he wondered which side of the hill she would be on this day.  He picked up the phone and pressed Talk.  “Hi honey, how are you?”

 

“Lyle, are you coming over today?”  She sounded teary but otherwise alright.

 

“Um, sure, of course.”

 

“You forgot didn’t you?  We have to talk to the caterer.”

 

“I didn’t forget but that’s tomorrow –” he glanced at his watch.  “Oh.  It’s today.”

 

Melissa sighed in his ear.  “Have you slept at all?”

 

“Some.  I think.”

 

“Honey, I’m glad you’re trying so hard to fix this.  You’re going to burn yourself out though. Take a break and get over here -- by two.”

 

“OK, OK.  I’ll take a shower and be on my way.”

 

“I love you, Lyle,” she said softly.

 

“I love you too,” he said and pressed the End button on his phone.  He pressed the receiver against his head and moaned, then got himself moving and into the shower.

 

 

 

The meeting with the caterer was vexing for Melissa.  She sat next to Lyle on the couch and pretended to listen as the matronly woman went over her plans for the reception dinner.  Melissa was glad her mother was sitting in on the meeting as well because she simply could not concentrate on menus and seating charts. Lyle’s presence would not allow it.

 

Normally being distracted by him would be a sweet kind of torture.  She remembered how she loved to press against him, feeling the firm muscles of his hips and thigh against her curves.  The warmth of his body, the musky male scent of him, even the rumbly sound of his voice so near could instill thoughts in her that would make her mother blush.  She would return the favor by wiggling against him slightly or brushing his hand with hers, seeing if she could distract him as thoroughly as he did her.  It was a wonderful little game that often led to very passionate encounters.

 

Not today.  Today they sat several inches apart, their posture as stiff as a soldier standing at attention, seldom even glancing at each other.  She yearned to show him that she still loved him, but she could not bring herself to touch him.  She looked sideways at him.  His body seemed too large, imposing, and definitely too hairy.

 

She sighed, too loudly.  The caterer and her mother were both staring at her.

 

“I take it you don’t like Chicken Marsala?” asked the caterer.

 

“No.  I mean yes, that’s fine.  In fact, the menu is perfect.”  She stood and extended her hand to the startled woman.  “Thank you so much for coming.”

 

The caterer rose hesitantly and took Melissa’s hand.  “Well, you’re, welcome.”  She looked over to Lorinda. “I’ll call you?”

 

Lorinda matched Melissa’s bright smile with one of her own and stood as well.  Lyle followed suit uncertainly.  “Yes, that will be fine.  I’m sure we can take care of the remaining details on the phone.”

 

After the flustered caterer had taken her leave, Lorinda turned to her daughter.  “Care to explain that?”

 

Melissa blushed and blinked away sudden tears. “I’m sorry Mother I just can’t stand this.  I’m trying to carry on but it’s so hard.”

 

Lyle put his arm around her.  “Melissa, don’t worry.  You know my mom and the rest of the coven are working on this.”

 

She wanted so badly to melt into his arms as she normally would.  His comforting arm was a forceful reminder of the problem, though, and she could not stand it.  She stiffened in his gentle hold.

 

Lyle felt her tension and dropped his arm to his side.  He stepped away from the two women, looking out the window and watching the caterer drive away.  “This is insane,” he announced to no one in particular.

 

“Lyle?” wondered Melissa.

 

He turned back to them, and they both gasped at the sight of tears on his cheeks.  “I can’t do this.  I thought I could but I can’t.  Melissa, I love you more than anything.  I want to spend the rest of my life with you.  How can I do that though, if you can’t even stand my touch?  If I’m repulsive to you?”

 

“Lyle, of course you’re not repulsive.  When you’re near me though, all I can think about is that I should be attracted to you.  I’m just not though and that gets me confused.”  She crossed the room and took his hand in hers.  “I love you, Lyle.  We just have to hold on and wait for a cure.”

 

He looked down at their joined hands and then into her eyes.  “Maybe…maybe we should postpone the wedding.  Not forever, just until they find a cure.”

 

“No!” yelped Melissa.  “Damn it, no!  I am going to marry you, Lyle Mansford.  That bitch took her best shot but she’s not going to win.  We. Are. Getting. Married.”

 

Lyle looked to Lorinda for help but she just spread her hands.  “Sorry, Lyle, I know that look in her eyes all too well.”

 

Lyle gave a sad smile.  “She is kind of cute when she gets this way, isn’t she?”

 

“Hey!” protested Melissa.

 

“He’s right, dear,” said her mother.

 

“It’s not fair – now you’re teaming up on me.”

 

Lyle hugged her very briefly and lightly.  “Just teasing, sweetheart.  Keep being stubborn – I think we’re going to need it.”

 

 

Weeks slowly passed as preparations continued for the wedding.  There was a constant undertone of tension, though, as the coven sought to find a cure for Melissa.  Jennifer and several of the older witches and warlocks spent long days and nights poring over old tomes and questioning anyone and everyone they could think of who might know of a cure.  Melissa and Lyle were smart enough to leave them alone, but after another fruitless day Jennifer knew it was time to have a talk with her son.

 

She corralled her husband as soon as he got home from work and the two soon arrived at Lyle’s apartment complex.  Nick was quiet and not for the first time Jennifer found herself wondering what was going on behind those blue-gray eyes.  Lyle had inherited those eyes and much more.  The two were so very similar, something she knew they would both deny.  Their other sons were like Nick as well, but Lyle was definitely a chip off the old block.  She sighed and her husband wordlessly put an arm around her.  Too soon the elevator ride was over and they were at Lyle’s door.  Nick knocked and they heard a vague “Come in” from inside.

 

Lyle was hunched over his coffee table.  Several new implements had appeared on the table.  A silver pentagram inlaid in a block of ebony lay under his mirror.  At one end of the table a stack of books leaned precariously against the crystal ball, which was now not just cracked but seemed to have partly melted.  A pack of Tarot cards had partially spilled off of the other end of the table, and there was a small pile of what she suspected were chicken bones atop the remaining stack.

 

“Lyle?” prompted Nick.

 

He looked blearily up at her, dark circles under his eyes.  “Oh, hi Mom, Dad.”

 

Jennifer shook her head.  “Hi yourself.  When is the last time you slept?”

 

Lyle chuckled and looked at his father.  “She always did get right to the point.”

 

“When?” insisted Jennifer.

 

“I don’t know…I think some this morning.”

 

She sat next to her son.  “Lyle, you need to stop this.  It’s pretty clear that you are not going to be able to find that djinn.  Even one with your gifted sight cannot track him.”

 

“I know,” he said quietly.  “I gave up on that days ago.”

 

“Then what are you trying to do?”

 

“Well I tried just finding any djinn.  That didn’t work any better.  Then I remembered that there was a kind of…I don’t know, ripple of some kind when he granted Amy’s wishes.  I tried looking for that.”

 

Nick sat in a chair near the table.  “Son, I may not know much about magic but I thought you needed something specific to look for.  That sounds kind of vague.”

 

Lyle nodded.  “Don’t sell yourself short; you’re absolutely right.  It’s like looking for what caused a wave on a lake when the ship is already out of view.”  He shrugged.  “So what brings you guys here?”

 

Jennifer sighed and looked at her husband, then back to her son.  “Lyle, we have not had much better luck.  We have learned a lot in the last week, though.

 

“Djinn are not truly of our world.  Like angels and demons, they exist primarily on another plane of existence.  The old stories about them being trapped in oil lamps or jewels or rings are just that, stories.  Those items are really summoning devices that call the djinn to our plane.”

 

“If it’s just a summoning device, then why must they grant wishes?”

 

Jennifer spread her fingers.  “There are several theories.  One is that it some great wizard bound the djinn to serve humanity ages and ages ago.  I’m kind of skeptical about that one – it doesn’t seem likely that one man could bind a whole race.  Another theory is that this is a form or punishment or perhaps a rite of passage for them.  Like Hercules they must perform some number of tasks to be freed from servitude.  I like that one because it explains some their behavior in different stories.” 

 

Jennifer paused, her look growing pensive.  “There are more disturbing notions as well.  There are those who believe that the djinn serve Chaos, sewing confusion and discord in the orderly flow of the universe.  That would explain their seemingly random appearances and their reputation for misinterpreting wishes.  A similar theory holds that they actually serve Order and that the things their masters wish for are necessary to right old wrongs or prevent future ones.”

 

Lyle sighed.  “Ok, their motivation isn’t all that important.  How do we undo Amy’s wish?”

 

Jennifer took her son’s hand and said gently, “It is as we feared.  You can only undo it with another wish.  Our magic would either not work or further complicate the situation.  I’m sorry son, but there’s nothing we can do.”

 

Lyle stared numbly at his mother.  “You’re giving up?” he finally mumbled.

 

“Of course not, dear.  We have just…changed directions you might say.  We’re turning our attention to books with stories of the djinn, as well as looking for people who may have encountered one.  We’re hoping that we can find something that will lead us to one, even if it is not the one that Amy had.”

 

“That’s awfully thin, Mom,” he said, withdrawing his hand from hers.

 

Nick bristled at the edge in Lyle’s voice.  “Lyle, I know you’re unhappy but you should show some gratitude.  Your mother and the others have been working just as hard as you.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Lyle said. 

 

Nick acknowledged the apology with a nod.  “There is something else that needs to be said.”  Jennifer started to speak.  Nick held up his hand and surprisingly she quieted herself.  “No one else seems willing to say it so I guess it is up to me.  Son, you’re both young.  I know you love each other but you have to admit that there’s a good chance that you can never be together as man and wife.”

 

“Lots of fish in the sea, right?” snapped Lyle.  “I knew this speech was coming, Dad.”

 

Surprisingly his father chuckled.  “I know; I’m about as subtle as a heart attack.”  His smile faded.  “Can you tell me there’s no truth in that speech though?  The fact of the matter is that there are other women in the world that you could have a normal life with.  There’s something else to think about too.  Is it fair to Melissa to trap her in a relationship where she cannot be intimate with her partner?  She deserves a chance to share her life with someone who is compatible, doesn’t she?”

 

Lyle stared at his feet for a long moment.  “I’m your son, Dad.  I’ve been thinking the same thing.”  He looked up and met his father’s gaze.  “I just keep thinking about how rare it is to find two people who truly love each other.  You and Mom are so very lucky.  I don’t want to give that up on the off chance that I might find someone like her again.”  He shrugged.  “Besides, she would kill me.  I tried to get her to at least delay for a while, give Mom and the others a chance to find a cure.  She wouldn’t hear of it.  There is just no reasoning with her.”

 

Nick shook his head.  The two men looked at each other and smirked.  “Women,” they said in unison.

 

Jennifer glared at both of her men but bit her tongue.  At least they were smiling, she told herself.

 

 

Long after his parents had left, Lyle sat on his couch staring off into space.  Occasionally he would tinker with the various paraphernalia scattered across his coffee table but without any real purpose.

 

He knew he had to do something to make the situation right.  He could not imagine a wedding night with him and Melissa in separate beds.  He also knew that it would break her heart if he demanded that they postpone, or even worse, cancel the wedding.

 

It was past midnight when the idea first occurred to him.  He snorted at what he was thinking and told himself that he definitely needed sleep if his mind was going to offer up such an insane solution. 

 

Lyle stood, stretched, and headed to the bathroom to get ready for bed.  He stared at his reflection as he brushed his teeth, the damnable idea still churning in his head.  He spat and rinsed.  “Get to bed,” he told his reflection.  “You’re driving yourself crazy.”

 

 

 

Sleep helped his mood and definitely his appearance.  He had a full day of inspections lined up which he thought was a good thing.  Some hard work and sunshine would help his mood and get his mind off of things for a while.

 

It worked, mostly.  Climbing around on roofs and nosing into dark corners took concentration that kept him busy all morning long, as did writing his reports and talking to customers and real estate agents.  He had a long debate about the condition of a home’s roof with one selling agent that would normally have frustrated him but today he enjoyed the argument with relish.  The agent finally agreed that the thirty year old roof might possibly be in some need of repair.  Lyle was vaguely disappointed that he had capitulated so easily.

 

Like any job, though, his had times where he was not busy and whenever he was idle his thoughts would return to Melissa, Amy, and the upcoming wedding.  Lunch was the worst of all.  Normally it was a favorite part of his day.  He would park his truck somewhere in the shade, break out his lunch, and listen to an old CD or two.  It was the only time he really had for music anymore so he seldom skipped his little ritual.

 

Today he had parked at one of his regular spots, a strip mall parking lot on a hill with a great view of one the Bardstown parks below.  He rolled down the windows and turned on the stereo.  He had some blues loaded into the truck’s player, a compilation of some of his favorites.  He leaned back as Robert Johnson began to sing:

 

I got a kindhearted woman
do anything in this world for me

I got a kindhearted woman

do anything in this world for me

 

But these evil-hearted women

man, they will not let me be

 

 

Lyle shook his head.  “Maybe this was a mistake.”  The bluesman sang on:

 

I love my baby
my baby don't love me

I love my baby, ooh

my baby don't love me

 

But I really love that woman

can't stand to leave her be[i]

 

Lyle groaned and switched the stereo off.  “Definitely a mistake.  What the hell was I thinking?”

 

Lyle stared at the park’s trees in the sudden silence and tried to eat his sandwich.  He knew there was a nice little pond in the park and he amused himself trying to catch glimpses of the water through the trees. 

 

That occupied him for all of about a minute before he turned the stereo back on, this time tuning the radio to one of the local talk stations.  He was hoping that listening to some conversation might distract him but he found it very difficult to pay attention today.

 

Finally he could not take it anymore and wolfed down the rest of his lunch.  Lyle fired up the truck’s engine and headed out early to his next inspection assignment, a new home in a subdivision that was still mostly under construction.  As he drove in he was glad to see that the site foreman, a formidable blonde that everyone called ‘JJ’, was in early as well.  She was standing near her trailer talking to a couple that looked to him like prospective home owners. 

 

He waved and she interrupted her conversation long enough to yell, “Hi Lyle, the place is unlocked.  You can go ahead and get started.”  He nodded and drove on, getting only a little lost in the curving roads and courts that were so popular in new subdivisions before he found the place.  It was a large two-story affair much like the others that were being built all around it.  The landscaping was not yet done but otherwise the place looked ready for people to move in. 

 

He parked in the house’s newly poured driveway and stepped out, spending long moments looking at the place with a vague smile on his face.  Finally he told himself, “Come on Lyle, time to get busy.  Lots to do today.”

 

He comforted himself with the knowledge that the new home was empty of furniture, and therefore would be easy to get around. He also knew that JJ’s crew did good work, which meant the write-up would be pretty short.  He grabbed his ladder off the back of his truck and was soon clambering over the high roof, finally able to get his mind off of things again.

 

He was done with his inspection and was back in his truck working on the report when JJ’s golf cart pulled up and the tall blonde stepped out.  She was dressed, as always, in typical work clothes: a thick flannel shirt over a pale pink t-shirt; jeans; and heavy boots.  “Hey, Lyle.  Sorry about that, those people just couldn’t seem to wrap their head around the fact that we couldn’t build them something by the end of the month.”

 

“No problem, JJ.  I’m pretty much wrapped up here.”

 

“How’d we do?” she wondered.

 

“Just fine.  I found a few minor things.”

 

“Huh.  You always do.”

 

Lyle laughed.  “It’s not so bad.  There’s some loose roofing on the south side near the peak, just needs some nails.  The drainage out back is a little questionable.  Oh, here is one you won’t like.  The specs called for leaded glass above the front door.”

 

JJ looked over her shoulder at the clear glass transom above the entryway and growled.  “Damn it, I am going to fire those idiots, I swear I am.  I’ll look at my work order but I guarantee it will say leaded glass on it.”

 

Lyle had to smile at her tirade.  “Sub-contractors?”

 

“Yeah, this is a big job so my guys are mostly handling the primary construction.  The finish work is mainly going to sub-contractors.  We try to keep an eye on them but…”  She sighed and ran her hand through her bobbed blonde hair.  “Alright, we’ll get it taken care of.”  She quickly recovered her usual grin and asked, “So, think she’ll like it?”

 

Lyle looked up at the house with a small smile.  “I hope so.  It’s a big surprise – she’s expecting to move into my apartment.”

 

“Oh really?  So you think she may be disappointed because she didn’t have a say in it?”

 

Lyle nodded.  “That’s why I bought on a contract that I can get out of if I need to.  If she really hates it we can do something else.”

 

JJ looked mock-offended.  “How could she hate it?  This is a great house…well, other than the screwed up window.”  They both laughed.  “Don’t sweat it, Lyle, I think she’ll love it.”

 

“I hope so.  Thanks for all your work on this -- you guys are the best.”

 

JJ smiled.  “Thanks, Lyle.  I’ve worked hard to get a good reputation around here.”

 

“No problem,” he said, and then hesitated.  “Is it…harder for you than it would be for a man to do that?”

 

She cocked her head at him and for a moment Lyle thought he had really offended her this time.  She finally nodded and said, “Yes, it is.  Oh I don’t think it’s as bad as it was years ago, but I still deal with men who doubt me or think they can pull a fast one on me just because I’m female.  I had to work a long time to get the trust of the company president but fortunately he’s a good guy.  I think I would have had to work just as hard if I were a man, that’s just the way he is.”  She laughed.  “Want to know a secret?”

 

Lyle raised an eyebrow.  “Um, sure…?”

 

“It’s not a big secret.  Anyone who went to school with me knows.  I didn’t always go by JJ; I started doing that when I took up carpentry.”  She paused then blushed slightly, something Lyle had never seen her do.  “My name is really Jasmine Joy – can you believe it? You cannot imagine the teasing I put up with when I started working in construction…so I switched to JJ.”

 

“Oh my,” said Lyle with a small laugh.  JJ raised an eyebrow at him.  “It’s a very pretty name,” he said quickly.  “I’m sorry you had to take some grief over it.”

 

“Hmph, don’t try to flatter me.  I know it sounds like a stripper’s name.  You can see why I went with JJ though.  And I definitely like my job so I do what I have to do, you know?”

 

Lyle nodded.  “Speaking of work…” He handed her the report for her signature.  They said their goodbyes and Lyle watched as she pulled away in her cart, already on her cell phone to chew out her sub-contractors. 

 

Lyle watched long after she was gone.  Finally he got into the truck and headed back to his apartment.  It was time to take matters into his own hands.

 

 

Tabitha, I need you, thought Lyle.  Tabitha?  He sighed when she did not respond immediately and debated about calling her cell phone.  Technology might not be as fun or convenient as magic but it was generally more reliable.  Finally he felt a familiar feminine presence touch his thoughts.

 

Lyle?  What’s wrong?  You sound very—

 

Can you come here please?  I have a favor to ask, interrupted Lyle.

 

Tabitha did not answer directly.  Instead the space in the middle of Lyle’s living room suddenly darkened, and with a pop of displaced air his sister appeared.  “What’s up, little brother?” she wondered.  “Do you have a lead on Amanda?”

 

Lyle waved a hand at his couch.  “Sit, sit. No, I have no leads.  I don’t think we’re ever going to find her.”

 

Tabitha sat, then raised an eyebrow at her brother.  “So what is the favor you mentioned?”

 

Lyle sat next to her.  He paused, biting his lip, then very firmly said, “I want you to transform me into a girl.”  He looked at his sister expectantly.  To his surprise she simply nodded.

 

“I wondered when you would come up with that.  Have you talked to Melissa?”

 

“You’re not surprised?  I just asked you to change my gender!”

 

Tabitha smirked.  “Well, it’s not like I haven’t done that before, is it?”  To her delight, Lyle blushed.  “Besides it is one of the few solutions to your problem.  Your fiancée is a lesbian so obviously the simplest way for you to be with her is to be female.  Have you talked to her about it?”

 

“Well, not exactly.  But it is the only thing that makes sense.  We cannot reverse the wish, but we want to live our lives together.  Is there really a choice here?”

 

“Of course there is…but I’ll bet Dad has already given you the ‘plenty of fish in the sea’ speech right?”  Lyle laughed and nodded.  “And you and she are both too stubborn to listen to that.”  He nodded again.  “So you arrive at the perfectly logical conclusion that you want to change one of the most important aspects of your person in order to be with her – but you haven’t talked to her about it at all, have you?”

 

Lyle glared at her. “OK, so I haven’t talked to her about it.  She’ll tell me not to, that we will be fine, that we should just wait for the coven to fix everything.  But we won’t be, damn it!”  Lyle took a deep breath and looked down.  “I’m losing her, Tabitha.  Day by day, every time we cannot touch, every lost kiss, I’m losing her.  Eventually one of us will decide we cannot go on with it and I’ll lose her completely.  Tell me I’m wrong!”

 

Tabitha reached out and took her brother’s hand.  “I’m sorry, Lyle, I wish I could,” she said in a small voice.

 

“As I see it I have three choices.  I could tell her it’s over now.  That’s what the parents on both sides want.  Melissa would be devastated but maybe we could be ‘just friends’ some day.  Or I could go ahead with a doomed marriage, knowing all the while that eventually we’ll split up – but only after years of suffering in each other’s presence.”  Lyle drew a shuddering breath.  “Neither of those is happening, ok?  I love her too much to be just friends or even worse to cause her to suffer.  The only solution that gives us any chance at happiness is for me to be a woman too.”

 

Tabitha took a deep breath.  “Lyle, you’re my brother.  I’ll do anything you want me to, you know that.  But I won’t do this.”

 

Lyle’s eyes narrowed.  “Why the hell not?”

 

Tabitha sighed and looked at her brother’s big, masculine hand in hers, noting the hard calluses created by his work.  It would be so simple for her to change it, make it slim and soft and feminine.  She could sense how much he wanted the change despite his trepidation.  That strong desire meant she would have to do little more than suggest to his body that it obey his desires.  In mere seconds he would be totally female, and very pretty if she had anything to say about it.  She licked her lips but finally sighed.  “I won’t do it,” she said firmly.  “Not unless Melissa asks me to.”

 

Lyle stood up and threw his hands in the air.  “Come on, Tabitha.  That’s not going to happen – you know how stubborn she is!”

 

“Yes, she is.  She’ll fit into our family perfectly.”  Lyle rolled his eyes at her.  “Well it’s true.  The bottom line is that this is too big a step for you to take without her knowing.  What do you think will happen if you go to see her as a girl?  You need to think this through, Lyle.”  Lyle stared at her silently.  Finally she demanded, “What?”

 

“Who are you,” he asked.  “And what did you do with my sister? ‘Think it through’ – this from the sister that once changed me into a girl as I was getting onto the bus to summer camp?  I spent two weeks as a teeny-bopper just because you were jealous that I got to go to camp!”

 

Tabitha giggled.  “You were so cute -- especially the expression on your face when you looked out the bus window!”

 

“Uh huh.  And I know you like to play games with your boyfriends, sis.  How many times has Kevin been a girl?  Or other things?”

 

Tabitha blushed slightly.  “That’s none of your business.  Besides, there is a big difference between changing someone temporarily and making a permanent alteration to your life.  You and she have to agree to this or you stand a good chance of doing more damage to your relationship.”

Lyle slumped back in the couch.  “I was hoping that if I came to her as a girl, if I could show her how it could be, that maybe…”  Lyle’s words trailed off as he stared at the ceiling.  “She’ll never agree to it.  We’re sunk.”

 

Tabitha tilted her head at him.  “Oh I don’t know.  There’s always room for compromise.”

 

 

Later that evening Melissa was trying hard to focus on final plans for the wedding.  Most of the big items on her list had been done for weeks.  It would be a somewhat small wedding with only witches in attendance.  Mundane friends had originally been on the list but given the circumstances they had decided to keep the ceremony with the family.  One of the coven elders was an ordained minister and would handle the ceremony.  The bridesmaid’s dresses were on order, and she thought she had done a pretty good job picking out dresses that were pretty without being goofy.  Green and ivory were the colors of the day, so the dresses were a shimmering emerald with ivory lace at the neckline and hems.  Other than worrying about whether the shoes would arrive in time she was satisfied.

 

The men were her current problem.  The tuxedo shop she had lined up had lost the order and now claimed they could not provide what they needed.  Catalogs from the only other men’s stores in town were spread across her coffee table.  She was equally displeased with both catalogs.  The tuxedoes all looked exactly alike.  The only real differences were the cut of the legs and the general materials.  Wide collars were also back in, something that she absolutely despised.

 

One of the catalogs did have some items that seemed aimed at the younger crowd, with pastel colors that almost jumped off the page.  She giggled as she tried to imagine Lyle or her father wearing such a thing.

 

She turned to a third catalog.  It was from a local store that did both men and women’s clothing.  They at least had some more options in style, she saw as she opened to a page with a full wedding party.

 

Melissa paused over the picture.  She decided she liked the tuxedos and the way the cummerbunds used both of the wedding colors.  She also liked the girls’ outfits.  She looked more closely at the maid of honor’s dress, which was a bit more formal than the rest of the bridal party.  She liked it, she decided, although it was daringly cut.  Melissa’s gaze was drawn to the maid of honor’s décolletage, which revealed a smooth expanse of curving flesh.  Melissa’s eyes traced the daring curves and she idly wondered what it would be like to run her fingers over that soft flesh, to slide the gown off of the lovely redhead, and—

 

“Oh god!” Melissa said and sat back on her couch.  “What am I going to do?”  The change in her orientation hit her at the oddest moments.  She felt completely normal most of the time and went through her days just as she had before Amy’s wish.  Every once in a while, though, she would see a pretty girl on television or walking the mall and it would take her breath away, just like seeing a handsome man had before, and yet not.  Before she had wanted to tease, to be caught and held in strong arms and surrender herself to masculine strength.  Now her feelings seemed more complex.  She wanted to hold and be held, to tease and be teased, to intertwine herself with her lover until she could no longer tell where she left off and the other began.

 

And now she was getting excited over pictures in a catalog like some horny teenaged boy.  She closed the catalog with a sigh.  “I think that’s enough of that for now,” she said and had just stood to look for the television remote control when her doorbell rang.

 

Melissa smiled with a bit of trepidation when the door opened to reveal Lyle. “Hi, sweetie!” she said as he stepped in.  He had an odd look on his face and she was suddenly, irrationally certain that he would know what she had just been thinking and she felt the heat of a blush rising on her cheeks.  “Um, I wasn’t expecting you.  Is everything ok?”

 

Lyle smiled a bit absently.  “I’m fine.  I’m here to try something – sort of an experiment you might say.”

Melissa tilted her head.  “OK…”

 

“It’s something Tabitha and I worked on.  Not exactly a permanent solution or anything but…well it might at least get us through the wedding.”  Lyle looked at the magazines spread across her coffee table and Melissa’s blush went up a notch.  She forced herself to concentrate on his words.  “Of course we’ll need to think about what to do long term but I think this could work for us –“

 

“Lyle, honey, you’re babbling.”  Melissa’s eyes narrowed.  “What did that sister of yours cook up?  She isn’t going to change you into a girl is she?”

 

Lyle’s eyes widened.  “No, she was expecting me to ask that too.  She wouldn’t, not without your approval.”

 

“I take back all the blonde jokes I ever made.   That was very smart of her.”

 

“Am I the only one who took a while to come up with that as a solution?”

 

“You were very busy trying to find Amanda, Lyle.  I, on the other hand, have had all sorts of time to think about this situation.”  She moved closer to him, looking up earnestly into his eyes.  “You are very sweet for even considering such a thing.  Most men I know would never go through such a major change!  But Lyle, I don’t want you to change so drastically just to be with me.  At least, not yet.”

 

“Not yet?”

 

She dropped her gaze.  “I have to admit that the idea is…tempting.  To have the love of my life able to touch me again, to be with me…how could I not want that?  But I don’t know if I’m ready to be an openly gay woman.”  Her eyes took on a familiar stubborn gleam.  “And besides, I am going to be the only bride at my wedding.  I don’t need competition from my husband.”

 

Lyle laughed.  “Exactly.  We knew you would feel that way.  To be honest, I’m not sure I can imagine wearing a bridal gown, either.”  Melissa smirked.  “Seriously, though, something has to change.  You know it and I know it.”

 

She wanted to deny it, to tell him that they could handle it, but her mouth would not give voice to the lie.  She began to cry.  “I can’t stand this Lyle!  I want to wrap my arms around you and hold you and…”

 

Lyle placed a finger under her chin, and raised it till she was once more looking into his eyes, tears streaming down her face.  Suddenly it occurred to her that she should be shrinking from his touch, but for the first time it days she felt no revulsion.  Her eyes widened in wonder as he suddenly leaned down and kissed her quite firmly.  Melissa was dazed but returned the kiss.

 

Lyle broke the kiss and smiled. “How was that?” he wondered.

 

“It was…nice,” said a bewildered Melissa.

 

“Just nice?”

 

Melissa nodded.  “It was nice, I enjoyed it but...um…how can I say this?  It was kind of like kissing a relative.  I didn’t feel revolted but I didn’t feel, well, you know.”

 

Lyle smiled a bit sadly.  “I suppose that makes sense.  Still, I was hoping for something more.”

 

Melissa stood back and crossed her arms.  “OK, Mister, give!  What did your sister do?”

 

“It’s what she calls a compromise.  Since she wouldn’t change me into a woman, we agreed on a partial change.  I’m kind of in between.”

 

“In between?  What exactly does that mean?” she demanded.

It was now Lyle’s turn to blush.  “She changed me but not completely…I’m mostly myself still.”

 

Melissa stared at her fiancée.  “What. Did. She. Do. To. You?”  she said, enunciating each word sharply.

 

Lyle jumped and said in a rush, “I’m female, but only where it counts. The rest of me is my normal self. Well, except apparently in how my body handles hormones.  Otherwise I would start growing breasts and acting more feminine and stuff so Tabitha had to—“

 

“Wait!” snapped Melissa, holding up one hand.  “Do you mean to tell me you’re a girl, just a very male looking one?”  Lyle nodded silently.  As he – or apparently, she -- did, Melissa noted that the skin of her feminized fiancee’s face looked smoother than normal, the eyes just a touch larger, the cheekbones ever so slightly higher.  The differences were subtle but definitely there.  “Call her right now, tell her to undo this.  And here I thought she was being smart—“

 

 “No, I won’t.”  Melissa began to protest but Lyle silenced her with a long kiss.  Her arms wrapped around Melissa, and after a pause Melissa returned the hug and the kiss.  For a few magical moments it was almost like it was before Amanda and her wish.  Finally the kiss ended but the lovers’ arms stayed firmly around each other.

 

“Listen to me, Melissa.  Just holding you makes it all worth it to me.  I’ll do anything to just have you in my arms.”

 

Melissa caught her breath.  “This is crazy!” she protested weakly.  “How is this different from letting her make you into a complete woman?”

 

“Like I said, it’s a compromise.  It lets us be together, and more importantly it lets you have the wedding you’ve always dreamed of.  After all, how were you planning to handle our first kiss at the altar?”

 

Melissa ducked her head.  “I was trying not to think about that.”

 

“Uh huh.  Somehow I don’ think it would look good to have the bride throw up when the groom tries to kiss her.”

 

Melissa rolled her eyes.  “This is dangerous, not to mention dirty pool.  You and your sister are just trying to get me used to the idea of you being a girl, hoping I’ll give in.”

 

Lyle smirked and kissed her again, quickly.  “Is it working?”

 

Melissa tilted her head at him, her chin thrust stubbornly forward. “Fine.  I think it’s time we found out,” she said, and took Lyle’s hand firmly in hers as she headed for the bedroom.

 

“Um…what?” wondered Lyle as she was pulled along by her determined future wife.

 

“First, we’re going to get a look at what Tabitha did to you.  Next I’m going to decide if I like it or not.  If I do, we’re both going to find out what being a lesbian is all about…if you’re lucky.”

 

Lyle’s eyes widened.  “But…um…”  Melissa gave Lyle a look over her shoulder that completely silenced the transformed man. “Shouldn’t I get flowers or something?  It is my first time.”  Melissa laughed and pulled Lyle into the comfortable darkness of her room.

 

 

Hours later, as they snuggled together gathering their breath and their wits, Melissa trailed her fingers over Lyle’s mostly masculine chest.  Lyle’s nipples were larger and thicker than they had been, and to Melissa’s amused delight were wonderfully sensitive as well.

 

Lyle moaned as her feminized nipples stiffened under Melissa’s touch.  “Again?” she wondered.

 

“I told you this was dangerous,” giggled Melissa.  “After careful consideration of your strategy,” she said in a mock serious tone as she tweaked a nipple.  She grinned at Lyle’s yelp and moved her hand down Lyle’s taut abs.  “And evaluating its risks and benefits…”  Melissa’s teasing hand wandered further down, fingertips tracing the outline of the overtly feminine mound nestled between Lyle’s firmly muscled thighs.  “I’ve decided further exploration is necessary.”  A slim finger parted Lyle’s new nether lips and dutifully matched her words, exploring the warm depths as Lyle gasped and shuddered in delight.

 

“I’ve created a monster,” moaned Lyle, though she did not seem at all displeased with her creation.

 

 

That same night, in a tiny hotel room in Tokyo, a short middle-aged Japanese man sat before a mirror mounted above the room’s dresser.  He quietly contemplated a small package wrapped in brown paper resting on the cheap dresser’s cheap laminated top.  He was conservatively dressed in a dark grey business suit and black leather shoes.  His salt-and-pepper hair was cropped short, his scalp clearly visible except at the very top.  He had a poor complexion, pock-marked from childhood acne.  His deep brown eyes looked up and silently regarded his reflection for several long moments before quite unexpectedly sticking out his tongue at his mirrored self.

 

“I’ve had enough of you,” declared the man, in English and with a slight Kentucky drawl.  With that, the grey suddenly fled from his hair as it turned deep red and burst from his scalp to swirl about a body that was expanding slightly at shoulder and hips and narrowing at the waist.  His clothes crawled across his body, darkening as they became a simple black dress whose neckline was rapidly stretching across full twin mounds as his skin became lighter and smoother.  Then it was done, and Amy sat looking at herself in the mirror.  “That’s much better,” sighed the witch.

 

Her reflection looked pale and drawn.  The last few weeks had been the hardest, scariest, and most exhilarating time of her life.   Her new magical senses had constantly felt the probing of Lyle’s scrying and the coven’s magic.  To her it was like hearing the roar of some beast on her heels.  Distance from her pursuers had helped quiet the roar, and she also found that being among other people helped disguise her own presence.  Here in Tokyo, thousands of miles away and surrounded by the teeming masses of the city, the coven’s pursuit was reduced to a distant rumble.

 

She had also found that transforming herself confused Lyle’s far sight, and so she had been nearly every race she could think of, not to mention older, younger, skinny, voluptuous – even male like tonight.  It had been fun at first but she was getting tired of seeing strangers in the mirror.

 

For the first time in over week she felt comfortable enough to take on her normal shape and relax for a few moments.  She knew it could not last.  The Bardstown coven had friends in surprising places, and it would not be long before someone in Japan began looking for her.

 

Amy returned her attention to the small package before her.  She undid the twine to reveal a statuette of a snake coiled over and over itself.  The snake was entirely made of black onyx with the exception of tiny rubies for its eyes.  The detail was exquisite, each scale painstakingly carved with such precision that she found herself watching for the ribs of the coiled body to breathe in and out. 

 

Under the statue was a sheet of paper.  At the top was a series of Japanese characters that meant nothing at all to Amy.  Below was a translation in blocky Western characters.  Certain words were not translated, such as ‘yokai’ and ‘hebi.’

 

The paper and the statue were her other reasons