=:= Nicole =:=

"The idea actually came from Zoe! I mean, I was stuck, and she had this idea and she showed me. The stuff from the Goddess, that was interesting but it really wasn't practical, like it wasn't anything us mere mortals could really use. Zoe's idea though, that was brilliant! It's basically using the attacking magic to power the defence, like in kung-fu, using the attacker's strength against them! So really the challenge was applying that idea to magic..."

Nikki just nodded, sipping her coffee, while Cindy continued talking excitedly. The small witch had barely touched her juice or her pancakes, she'd been too busy explaining the breakthrough she'd had last night.

"... just a question of figuring out the magical paradigms to turn that into an effective spell. That's what took so much time, that was the real tricky stuff." Cindy barely paused for breath, "But from there it wasn't so hard to figure out how to make that into a permanent enchantment, that could be put onto an amulet or talisman. Making it into wards that we can put on a structure will be the next step but me and Zoe both think it's important to get the amulets done first. Then we can go back and work out new wards later."

Jessica asked, "Will you need any help doing the amulets?"

Zoe spoke up before Cindy could answer, giving her girlfriend a look. "Eat, Cindy. Stop talking and eat."

Then she replied to Jessica, "I think we'll manage Jess. Me and Cindy will pop out to the arts and crafts place and pick up a bunch of copper blanks, then the two of us will get to work doing the enchantments."

Samantha asked, "How quickly do you expect to have them ready?"

Cindy was about to answer but Zoe glared at her. She sighed and finally started eating her breakfast.

"Hopefully we'll have some done by the end of the day today." Zoe answered Sam. "We'll get enough supplies to make a couple dozen, and then just get to it. Hopefully by tomorrow we'll have enough done that everyone will have one."

"Do I get one?" Ciara asked. She was sitting at the far end of the table and seemed to be really enjoying the pancakes and syrup, at least based on how much syrup she'd managed to spill on herself. "And what are we talking about?"

"Yeth." Cindy said, speaking around a mouthful of pancakes. "Everyone geth one."

Nikki smiled at them both, "This is great news Cindy. Good work. And Zoe too, you've both done really well."

She was a little surprised to find out that Zoe had learned how to do enchantments and create the runes that they used in their book and their wards. She quickly realized though that with the catgirl and Cindy being so close, it was obvious the small blonde would be teaching her girlfriend all her tricks. In retrospect it shouldn't have been a surprise at all, that Zoe would be able to help create the amulets.

Samantha nodded in agreement, "Good job Cindy and Zoe."

After swallowing her food, Cindy added, "Once the amulets are ready, I'd like to deliver the ones to Tanya and Becky in person. I want to put the original protective wards on both their apartments, just in case."

Nicole thought that over then nodded, "Ok. We probably should have thought to do that already anyways."

After another sip of coffee, Nikki's thoughts turned to the other ongoing project. "Jess, Kara, how's the scanning coming?"

"We'll finish the scanning today I think." Jess replied. "The old book, as well as what we've got done on our new book. I've been doing the scans and Kara's been doing the image processing and putting it together into an e-book format. The file-sizes are going to be pretty huge though."

Kara suggested, "While we do want to preserve it and keep copies, we don't want this stuff to wind up being widely distributed. I don't think it should be available online at all. I suggest we use USB thumb-drives to distribute it among the coven, and make sure everyone knows not to upload it anywhere."

Nikki nodded, "Good thinking Kara, I agree. And that's good news. If you two can wrap that little project up today or tomorrow, then we can start handing out the electronic copies along with the amulets."

"Me and Cindy can pick up a few dozen USB drives when we're getting the amulet supplies." Zoe offered.

Ciara asked, "Can I help?"

Samantha replied, "You can help me with the dishes after everyone's finished eating."

The raven-haired girl pouted, "That's no fun."

Cindy told her, "After you're done helping Samantha I'll give you a notebook, and you can write down all the spells your brother learned."

"Ok Cindy." Ciara nodded. "I can do that!"

Eventually they all finished eating, and everyone thanked her for making breakfast. Nikki had to go over to the winery today, while Jess and Kara headed into the home office to continue their scanning. Cindy and Zoe went up to their bedroom, and Ciara started helping Sam clear the table.

=:= Benjamin =:=

Ben paced back and forth in the hall, waiting for Amanda. He'd had to walk to school this morning because apparently his car didn't fucking exist any more, and Brittany didn't have one.

He was wearing the same skinny-jeans as yesterday, and he'd been forced to put a bra on this morning to keep his boobs from bouncing around. Figuring that out so it was comfortable had taken longer than he cared to admit. He had a plain black t-shirt on overtop of that, and pink and white sneakers on his feet.

He hadn't showered this morning, he couldn't bring himself to do that. It was hard enough just using the toilet without freaking out too much. He hoped the deodorant and the perfume he'd found would get him through the day without too much embarrassment. Though it was a toss-up in his mind whether it was worse to smell of perspiration or flowers.

His hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, held in place with a hair-tie. He'd skipped the make-up, he had no idea how to do it anyways. He'd discovered his ears were pierced last night, when he found a pair of small gold studs with sparkling faux-diamonds in them.

Finally, he had his phone awkwardly shoved into the back pocket of his jeans. It barely fit, but it was either that or start carrying a purse. He had some cash and his ID in his front pocket.

That was another kick in the teeth. At least Brittany had her drivers license, even if she didn't have a car. Seeing it this morning had sent him for another loop. It was the same last name, same birthday, same address of course. But seeing the new face, new first name, and that little 'F' on his official ID somehow made it all feel even more real.

Right now he was putting all his hope on the idea that he could apologize to Amanda and get her to change him back.

He'd already run into a few people he knew this morning, and each time he had a minor panic-attack. Everyone seemed to know him as Brittany. It's like the whole world thought he was this Brittany chick, and he's the only one who knew the truth.

Finally he spotted Amanda through the crowded hall. There was only about five minutes till the first bell. He moved to intercept her. As he got closer, he realized she was now slightly taller than him. Fuck that was weird. And his boobs were definitely a little bigger than hers.

She saw him coming and sighed. "Hi Brittany."

Through gritted teeth Ben said "I have to talk with you! In private, please!"

Amanda just nodded, looking like she expected that. "Ok. C'mon."

He followed, and a half minute later they were in the washroom. The girls' washroom, of course. Ben suppressed a shudder.

"So what's up, Britt?" Amanda asked.

Ben felt another wave of fear. What if Amanda didn't remember him either? Was that even possible? Could she have cursed him then forgot it happened?

He glanced around then whispered nervously "Amanda, it's me! Ben!"

Amanda just shrugged, "Yeah, I know. So what?"

Ben gaped at her. Her casual attitude made him momentarily forget he was planning to apologize.

"So what?! So fucking change me back! Amanda you can't fucking leave me like this!"

Amanda frowned at him. "Seriously, Britt? You threatened my family!" She lowered her voice as she continued, "You broke your promise to me, and you threatened to expose us! What kind of an idiot threatens a bunch of witches?"

"Please Amanda," he was begging now. "I'm sorry. I know it was dumb, and I know I was wrong. I got carried away... But I'm sorry and I never meant it."

She just sighed and shook her head. "Except you obviously did, Brittany. I found out last night how the curse would work. You tried to tell people about us. That's what triggered it."

Amanda looked him over, and commented "Judging by how much has changed, you tried a few times. What else is different?"

Ben sighed. "My bedroom, all my clothes... Even my fucking car is gone, I had to walk this morning. My ID is all different... And my parents and everyone else think I'm this 'Brittany' person... No-one seems to know 'Ben' ever even existed..."

Listing off everything he knew had changed, he could feel tears forming again. His cheeks warmed up and his stomach twisted. "I'm sorry Amanda... Like I said, I was dumb and I was angry and I was wrong... Please, you can't leave me like this!"

She just sighed. "I can't do anything about it. I didn't do this, Britt. It's way beyond me."

"So what do I do? I'm lost, Amanda... I have no idea how to be this Brittany person..." Ben could feel the tears starting to pool in his eyes now.

Amanda sighed again. "Try to get through the day. I can ask later... Maybe there's a way to reverse it." She added "Like there was a trigger to set it off, maybe there's a different trigger to make it undo."

Ben frowned and wiped his eyes. "Wait, 'maybe'? You mean you don't know if I can be changed back?!"

Amanda shrugged, "Yeah. Maybe it can't be reversed, I don't know. I'm sorry Britt but you brought all this on yourself."

His stomach twisted again, and he felt tears rolling down his cheeks now. Amanda fished a tissue out of her purse and offered it to him. "Here. I have to go to my locker then get to class."

Ben took the tissue and wiped his eyes as Amanda left.

He just stood there quietly, alone in the girls washroom, as more tears ran down his face.

A few seconds later the first bell rang. Ben didn't even know what Brittany's first class was this morning.

He wound up spending the whole first period hiding in the washroom. He cried on and off, but when a few other girls came in after first period, Ben felt too awkward to stay. He fled to the library instead, and found himself an empty study cubical and spent second period hiding there.

He had to pull his phone out of his pocket before he sat down, and wound up spending the period alternating between more quiet crying, and trying to learn about Brittany's life from her social media, her emails, and the other apps he found on her phone.

Unfortunately there wasn't much to learn. Her social media posts were fairly bland, apart from the selfies. Her email didn't have much going on. The only thing he actually learned was her class schedule.

Brittany wasn't taking any science classes, no computer classes, and only the one compulsory math course. Clearly she wasn't interested in science or engineering. Instead, she was taking two different art courses, a history class, and one drama class. He realized Brittany's schedule wasn't that different from Amanda's or Sadie's.

When lunchtime came, he finally emerged from the library. He waited ten minutes or so, then he headed for the cafeteria. Sure enough he spotted the three of them sitting together. Amanda was sitting across from Sadie and Ashley. Jenny and Beth were at a different table with their other friends.

Ben made his way over to them. They saw him coming, or Sadie did at least. She was frowning a bit as she watched him approach. He stood next to the table and asked "Amanda? Can I sit with you?"

All three of them were staring at him now.

Sadie raised an eyebrow, "You just don't give up, do you Britt? How many times does she have to tell you she's straight?"

Ben frowned at the brunette. It took a moment to realize what she meant, then it hit him. Fuck. Sadie thought he was a lesbian, and he was trying to hit on Amanda... He felt his cheeks go red but he just looked at the blonde and asked again "Can I sit with you, please?"

Amanda sighed, "Fine Brittany, pull up a seat."

He sighed a little, "Thanks Amanda." He put his phone down on the table as he sat down next to her.

Ashley raised an eyebrow, "Where's your purse?"

Ben felt his cheeks warming up again. He whispered to Amanda, "Do they know?"

She glanced at her sister and Ashley, then nodded. "They know."

Sadie and Ashley both grinned slightly, and Ben felt himself blushing even brighter as the two girls stared at him.

Amanda added in a hard voice, "Jenny and Beth don't know, and if you try saying something infront of either of them, you'll be in worse trouble than you are now."

Sadie asked "Not eating lunch today, Brittany?"

"I'm not hungry." Ben mumbled. He actually knew he should eat something. He'd barely touched dinner last night, and skipped breakfast this morning. He just didn't feel hungry. He kept feeling nauseous any time he had to think too hard about this new body, and having his whole life turned upside-down left him feeling lost. Food was the last thing on his mind.

Sadie sighed a little, glancing at her sister.

"You should eat something, Britt." Amanda said. "When was the last time you ate?"

Ben shrugged, staring at the table. He whispered "I don't know the last time 'Britt' ate. I had breakfast yesterday..."

The three girls were quiet for a bit. Ben looked up and noticed they were sort of looking at each other. Sadie actually looked a little concerned.

Finally Amanda sighed and said quietly, "After we talked this morning, I texted...someone. To find out if there was anything you could do, to fix things."

Ben felt a little spark of hope. "And? What do I have to do?"

Amanda hesitated.

"Please Amanda, you have to tell me!" he begged. "I'll do whatever it takes. Please!"

Sadie leaned towards him a little, and whispered, "Try posting about us being witches again. Or try texting someone about it. Even just try telling someone."

"Wait," Ben frowned. "How would that help? That's what caused all this in the first place."

Amanda sighed. "I'm sorry Britt. It's a one-way ticket. She said if you do it a few more times, it'll help your mind catch up with your body. There's no changing you back, all that's left is to make you comfortable and accept it."

It was like the noise and sounds of the cafeteria slowly faded away to silence. The other tables dimmed as darkness enveloped them. The rest of the world grew distant. There was just Ben, Amanda, Sadie, and Ashley.

The three girls were all looking at him, staring at him. Amanda's expression looked a little apologetic. Sadie's and Ashley's expressions showed him pity. His breathing was coming in short, shallow gasps.

One-way ticket. No changing back. The words kept replaying in his mind.

He felt a hand on his arm and blinked. Sadie was sitting next to him. He hadn't even realized she'd moved around the table.

"Hey Britt," she said softly. "You look like you're going to faint. You need to drink something, and you probably need some food."

He shook his head, "Not hungry...I feel sick."

Sadie nodded slightly, "I know. You're probably feeling really dysphoric. And maybe depressed. You feel like you're in the wrong body and everything's alien and your mind can't cope with it."

Ben shrugged slightly, "What do you care?"

"I don't like to see people suffering, ok?" Sadie replied. She was still talking softly, and still had her hand gently touching his arm. "And I don't want to see you make yourself sick or anything."

He could feel tears forming again, and he sighed. He glanced at his phone on the table, and whispered "If I do what you said... Will I forget too? I mean... forget about being me? Like everyone else has?"

"It might depend on how many more times you try," Amanda whispered. "They said it was cumulative."

Sadie added quietly, "Other people who've been changed haven't forgotten their old life. Some say the old memories feel unreal though. Like a dream? Others say they still remember everything clearly. It's probably different for everyone."

Ben frowned. "How many people have you done this to?"

Amanda replied quietly, "We haven't done it to anyone. It's the coven who has this kind of power. We know it's happened a few times. That's all we can say, Brittany."

He was staring at his phone now, with tears pooling in his eyes again. His emotions were a mix of fear and despair. He was terrified of what might happen next if he tried posting to social media again. But he knew Sadie was right. He was going to make himself sick. Or worse, he might end up hurting himself if he kept feeling like this...

The girls were quiet now, just watching him. Ben felt some tears running down his cheeks again, as he continued staring at his phone.

Amanda fished another tissue out of her purse and handed it to him. Then she leaned closer and whispered, "I'm going to tell you a little bit of a cheat, ok?"

Ben took the tissue and wiped his eyes, then nodded "Ok..." as he watched her, listening.

Still leaning close, she whispered "Magic can sometimes fix stuff too. Like for instance your car's gone? Maybe you can get it back again. Try and text or post something like Sadie said, but like, focus on your car. Think about getting it back, or mention it in the post, or think about how you got it in the first place. Like, I'm not promising anything, but if you're going to trigger the curse again, put some thought into it, focus on it. You might be able to influence the direction it takes."

He frowned, wiping his eyes again. "Really? You think that'll work?"

Amanda shrugged, "Like I said, no promises. It might work though. If you're going to do this anyways, you may as well try it."

Ben was still frowning, staring at his phone. He slowly reached out and picked it up, and opened the social media app. He hesitated a few moments, then started tapping out a new post. It took him a minute or two, as he wrote that Amanda and her twin were both witches, that he'd been cursed, and ontop of everything else that changed, his car had vanished too. He added that he was sorry he broke his promise to Amanda, that he wished he hadn't done that. His finger hovered over the Submit button.

He gulped, then finally tapped Submit. After a moment, the error message popped up. This time it was a network error, but either way the message didn't post.

Amanda was watching, and finally asked, "Well? What happened?"

After waiting a few more seconds, Brittany sighed. "Nothing happened." She could feel more tears starting to well up in her eyes.

Sadie asked "Are you sure? What's your name?"

"It's still Brittany," she shrugged.

Amanda asked, "What colour's your car?"

"They call it Seafoam," Brittany replied, picturing her Civic out in the parking-lot. "Sort of on the green side of cyan, but not too bright, like a greyish blueish green." Her eyes widened, "Holy crap!"

She dug her hand into her jeans pocket and fished out the key-fob. "I don't believe it!" She looked at Amanda with a grin. "You were right!"

"Good." Amanda smiled. "You look a little happier, too."

Brittany smiled back, "Of course I'm happier, I got my car back!"

Sadie got up and moved back around the table, returning to her original seat next to Ashley.

As Sadie sat back down next to her girlfriend, Ashley asked, "Didn't your car used to be red?"

"Huh." Britt frowned. "Yeah that's a bit weird. It used to be a warm red, sort of an orangey red. I guess it's not the same car as before." She then shrugged and smiled, "Doesn't matter, at least I won't have to walk home after school."

Brittany looked at her phone again and bit her lip. Since the car thing worked, she wanted to try it again.

She picked up her phone and started writing up another post. Once more she started off with how Amanda and Sadie were witches and had cursed her and stuff, but this time she explained how it was all her fault for being a jerk, and she was sorry. She wrote that she regretted her actions, and she hoped Amanda could maybe forgive her and even though she didn't deserve it, maybe Amanda would give her a second chance.

This time she didn't hesitate, as soon as she'd finished she hit the Submit button.

There was a moment where she thought it was actually going to get posted. The phone looked like it was trying, and usually the error would have happened by now. Brittany frowned slightly, starting to feel anxious.

Then the network error finally popped up again and she sighed in relief.

"Well?" Sadie asked, "What's different now?"

Brittany hesitated. She couldn't feel anything different. What she realized though was how much of a jerk she'd been, and how she'd put her own selfish desires ahead of Amanda's safety, and how she'd ignored Amanda's boundaries and broken her promise.

She shrugged as she replied, "I don't know. It doesn't matter, I guess."

She took a deep breath, then turned to look at Amanda. "Look, I'm really sorry for everything I said and what I did, Amanda. I was a selfish jerk, and I deserved what I got." With a sigh she added, "I know I don't deserve a second chance, but if you like, maybe I can try to start making it up to you... Maybe I could take you out to dinner this Saturday night?"

Sadie rolled her eyes, "Amanda's straight, remember?"

Brittany ignored her, and continued to watch the blonde sitting next to her.

Amanda was looking thoughtful. After a few moments she replied softly, "We can't really do a 'second-chance' thing, Britt. I mean, you're not really the same as the person I used to date. I mean, I liked you, and I used to enjoy spending time with you. Before you started acting like an entitled jerk, that is..."

Britt nodded, "Ok Amanda. I understand." She sighed quietly, looking down at the table.

After a few moments of silence Amanda added slowly, "You don't seem to be acting like that any more though. So... Maybe instead of calling it a second chance, how about we say, starting over? I'll ask Maria if it's ok to go out to dinner with you on Saturday."

"Thanks Amanda," Brittany was smiling now. "I really appreciate it."

Across the table, Sadie and Ashley were both frowning.

"Wait." Sadie stated, staring across the table at Brittany. "Did you just make my sister gay?"

"I'm not gay!" Amanda protested.

Sadie pointed out, "You just agreed to go on a date with Brittany."

"That's different." Amanda explained, blushing. "I still like her, she's nice."

Sadie raised an eyebrow, "So other girls aren't nice?"

"I don't know?" Amanda was starting to look flustered now, "I guess I haven't really thought about it before..."

Ashley suggested, "Maybe Amanda got pulled into the curse too? I mean, Maria said she might still be in trouble for telling Brittany about the coven and stuff..."

"Yeah," Sadie nodded slowly. "Maybe."

Britt was looking back and forth between the three of them, feeling confused and a little anxious. All she did was ask Amanda to give her a second chance. Surely that wouldn't have done anything to Amanda, would it?