=:= Brittany =:=

"Sorry I had to cancel our dinner plans," Amanda sighed. "I'm glad you could come over though."

Brittany shrugged, "It's fine. I'm glad we can hang out, doesn't matter if it's here, my place, or a restaurant."

It was Saturday afternoon and the date they'd planned for tonight had been cancelled. Amanda didn't said why she couldn't make it when she called last night, but she sounded upset on the phone.

Then Amanda texted her this morning, inviting her over for the afternoon. Now they were in her bedroom, sitting on Amanda's bed and just talking and chilling.

Amanda smiled at her, "Thanks Britt. I'm glad you understand. You're welcome to stay for dinner if you like? We'll be ordering in Chinese food, and we'll make sure to get some vegetarian dishes."

"Thanks Amanda," she smiled as well. "That sounds great."

Amanda's smile faded to a slight frown. She looked like she had something on her mind, something bothering her.

After a few moments she asked, "Brittany, will you tell me why you broke your word on Tuesday? When I told you all that stuff two weeks ago, I thought you understood how important it was to keep it secret? And I mean... This is almost exactly what I said could happen if you kept talking about that stuff."

Britt felt her cheeks go red and she sighed, "I'm sorry Amanda. When I found out on Monday that Ashley moved in with you guys, I started thinking it's like you've got some kind of witchcraft school going on here. It made me think again how unfair it was, that Ashley was learning magic and you were all hanging out together and stuff, while I was being shut out. And it kinda bugged me, like after everything we'd been through together that I was being ignored."

She shook her head slightly and added, "So I thought if I started talking about it infront of the others, you'd have to bring me into it. Like, if they knew that I knew then there wouldn't be any more reason for all of you to keep me shut out. I didn't know Jenny and Beth weren't in on it. I thought all five of you were doing the coven stuff together. And when you still said no, I got mad. When you dumped me, I got more mad, and I said and did some really stupid things..."

Amanda sighed too, "I'm sorry Britt. I can explain some more, if you swear to keep this to yourself?"

Brittany nodded "I swear, Amanda." She quickly added "I mean it, I won't tell a soul. I'm not going to make that mistake again."

"Ok," Amanda said. "When I told you about the coven, I said there was a threat against us, right? Well, just over a week ago they tried to kill someone in the coven. Luckily she got away, but it got everyone really uptight. And then they started going after people's families. That's the reason Ashley had to move in with us. They got to her parents, turned them against her."

"Damn," Brittany shook her head slowly. "I just thought she was hanging out here because you all were doing like, witch college here or something."

"There's one more thing, Britt." Amanda was speaking softly now, "The reason I had to cancel our plans for tonight. Those guys went after someone else yesterday and... They did it. They killed one of us."

"Holy shit," Brittany whispered. "Oh my god, Amanda I'm so sorry!" She leaned forward and gave her friend a hug.

Amanda accepted the hug, wrapping an arm around Brittany as well.

Brittany sighed, "You weren't kidding when you said this was life and death stuff. Amanda I'm sorry I almost got you all in trouble. I never would have said anything if I'd realized how serious this stuff was."

"I know Britt." She finally pulled back, looking at her. "I'm sorry I told you that stuff in the first place. It put us both in danger, and now we're both paying the price."

Brittany blushed again as she nodded. She still had a lot of things she was trying to get used to. Her new life was completely different, and she had almost no idea how to deal with it.

Amanda asked, "You're still struggling with stuff, huh?"

"Yeah." Britt sighed. "I mean, after lunch on Wednesday, it got a little easier? It's weird though, like the way stuff happened without me even noticing. You know, even after Sadie asked my name, I still didn't clue in that it'd changed. It wasn't till fourth period, I was bored and doodling in class, when I realized I'd been writing 'Brittany' on things. And I only really saw that, because I noticed my handwriting was different."

She blushed a little deeper and added, "I also realized around the same time, I'd been thinking of myself as a girl and stuff? Like, I guess my actual gender changed at lunch at the same time as my name? Makes me wonder what else changed that I still haven't noticed yet." She shook her head, "Fuck this stuff is weird to think about, you know?"

Amanda gave her a sympathetic smile, "Yeah, I know. I'm still trying to sort stuff out myself, the way things have changed for me."

Brittany asked, "Do you want to tell me about it?"

Amanda shrugged slightly. Her cheeks started to colour as she said, "It's pretty much what Sadie said at lunch that day. I got cursed or whatever too, and..." Her cheeks were fully red now, as she admitted "Yeah. So I guess I'm into girls now."

"Wow," Britt frowned.

After a few moments, she asked. "What's that like? I mean, having your mind or whatever changed like that?"

"It's like..." Amanda looked thoughtful, though she was still blushing. "It's like, I remember how I used to think and feel about things, and I still expect to think and feel that way, but instead my reactions are all opposite and different."

She tried to explain, "Like stuff I used to think was cute on guys, now I look at that stuff and it's either 'meh whatever' or 'ew no thanks'. And the opposite with girls. I'm noticing stuff I never even thought about before, and..."

She blushed brighter, then sighed. "It's just weird and I guess it'll take a while to get used to."

"I'm sorry Amanda." Brittany frowned.

"It's not your fault, Britt." Amanda said. "Anyways I'm sure it's even weirder for you. I mean, I can't imagine what you're going through. Like, do you miss being a guy? Do you miss your old body?"

Brittany shook her head. "Like I said, since lunch on Wednesday I'm ok with being a girl. I'm not used to it yet, but I'm ok with it. Same with my name? I actually kind of like it now. But like, I'm still surprised by stuff sometimes. Wake up in the morning and discover oh yeah I've got boobs now." She rolled her eyes. "Anyways, I'm sure it's just a matter of time. I'll get used to it all eventually."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Amanda nodded. With a slight smile she added, "I guess we both sort of got what we wanted, in a twisted way? Like, you wanted a second chance with me, and I wanted you back so we could still be together."

Britt bit her lip, hesitating. After a moment, she asked "Does that mean we're still girlfriends?"

Amanda grimaced. "I don't know about 'still'. This all feels really new and different, but I'm willing to give it a try. It'll probably take me a while to get used to even saying that though. 'Girlfriends'..." She shook her head slightly, "Even the word feels weird, you know?"

Britt smiled, then giggled. "I mean, everything feels weird right now, Amanda! Like, ok I'm fine with my name and I'm getting used to my body? But beyond that I have no idea what I'm doing!" She rolled her eyes again, "My mom's been bugging me because I've been 'too lazy to do my make-up lately', and she wants to know why I 'stopped dressing up nicely'. How do I tell her I don't know how to do make-up? And I don't want to wear skirts or dresses? She thinks all that stuff's normal for me."

Amanda grinned, "Ok, well we can take care of some of that right now! I can teach you a bit about make-up. And help you with your hair, too."

"What's wrong with my hair?" Brittany frowned. "I was just going to get it cut short this week, so it's easier to deal with."

Amanda's eyes went wide and she pouted, "Aw, no! Please don't!"

She frowned, "Why not?"

"It looks beautiful on you," Amanda blushed. "Uh... It's just really pretty, ok?"

Brittany blushed as well, "Oh... Well... I guess I could leave it. If you like it like this."

After a short, awkward silence, Amanda cleared her throat. "Ok. Since you didn't get like, all the 'Brittany' memories, there's probably some other things I'll have to help you with. Like beyond make-up and stuff. Some important girl-stuff."

"Like what?" Brittany asked, feeling nervous and awkward again.

Amanda smiled slightly, "There's stuff your mom would have talked with you about Britt, like a couple years ago."

She could feel herself blushing again. "I've already had 'the talk' if that's what you mean, with dad. And we've all had health class and stuff at school..."

"Yeah," Amanda grinned. "I'm pretty sure 'the talk' is different on this side of the fence. Like, I've already gone through this once with -" She suddenly stopped talking. "Fuck! Never mind. I didn't say that."

Brittany was staring now, then narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "With who? I know you've said there's a few other people who've been changed. Who is it? Do I know them? Is it someone at school?"

Amanda shook her head. "Seriously, I'm not saying another word. You and I both know what can happen when we blab secrets."

"Right." Brittany paled slightly. "Ok, so what stuff do I have to learn?"

Amanda replied, "Well, like birth control is important obviously. And you're going to be learning all about menstruation some time in the next couple weeks."

Brittany felt her eyes go wide as she paled even more. "Oh fuck. Fuck fuck fuck."

"Sorry babe." Amanda gave her a sympathetic smile.

Brittany just sighed and shook her head, then mumbled "Fuck," once more.

Amanda took a deep breath then said, "You know, you could still trigger the curse again. From what you described, and what I was told Wednesday morning... When you did it a few times on Tuesday night, that changed your body and made everyone else think you've always been Britt. Then the two times you did it at lunch on Wednesday did the name and gender stuff, made you more comfortable. If you do it once or twice more, that'll complete the process. Then you'd have all the 'Brittany' memories. So you'd already know all this stuff, and it'd all be normal for you."

Britt shook her head. "I don't want to do that. I'm afraid of what else I might lose. Like, even though my name's different and I'm a girl now, I still feel like me? Like, inside, my personality or whatever. I'm not willing to risk losing that, just to magically learn how to do make-up and stuff. I'd rather let everyone think I'm a bit awkward or weird, if it means I still feel like me inside."

She hesitated, then added, "I mean, I've already lost some things. Like, I was going to be an engineer, you know? I've been working towards that for a couple years, and now it's gone. Instead of the math and science credits I used to have, now I've got credits in art and history."

Brittany sighed again as she admitted, "I'm not even sure I'm still capable of doing it, even if I did have the right classes on my transcript. There's stuff that I'm sure I used to know, but now I can't remember any more. And other stuff I'm positive I never thought about before, that I seem to know about now."

Amanda frowned, "Like what? What stuff can't you remember? And what stuff seems new?"

"Like, I'm positive I took at least one course in computers or programming or something? But I can't remember for sure. I don't know how to program, and I can't remember actually taking a class for it, but I'm sure I did. On the other hand, I can't stop thinking about colour now? Like colour theory, what colours go with each other, what compliments, what clashes. I look at a colour and like, analyze it in my mind, what's gone into it. Like if I wanted to reproduce it on the computer, or by mixing ink or paint or whatever."

Amanda looked thoughtful for a few moments. She finally said, "Honestly, I can't remember you ever talking about or taking a computer course. But that doesn't mean it didn't happen."

"And the colour thing?" she asked.

This time Amanda smiled. "That I can explain. I remember you absolutely aced that stuff in art class last year."

Britt sighed. "So like I said. I've already lost stuff, and I probably don't have the skills to become an engineer any more."

She frowned and added, "It's like I've got Brittany's name and body, and I've taken over her life, but I'm not really her. I don't remember all the stuff she was doing, and I'm not into everything she was into. But I'm not exactly him anymore either now. I'm somewhere in between."

"I'm sorry Britt," Amanda sighed. "Is that something you still want to do? Be an engineer?"

She started to reply, then stopped and frowned. Over the past few days she'd been so busy figuring out why she couldn't do it, she hadn't really thought about whether or not she still wanted to.

Finally she sighed, "I don't know."

"Ok Britt. Never-mind about the curse stuff." Amanda said. "I'll help you out, and you just be yourself. We'll figure out who you are, together."

Britt smiled, "Thanks Amanda."

"C'mon," Amanda said as she got up up off the bed. She gestured to the chair by her desk, "Have a seat here, and we can start working on some make-up ideas for you."

There were a few nervous butterflies in her stomach, but Brittany moved from the bed to the chair.

Britt watched as Amanda set up a desk mirror so she could see her reflection in it, then pulled open the top drawer, revealing her cache of make-up.

As they got started, Amanda commented "I'll show you what I know, and of course there's lots of tutorials online too. Though if you want to get into the fancy stuff, you could ask Sadie and Ashley to help too. They're both way more into this stuff than me."

"Uh, no thanks." Brittany grimaced. "Some basic tips would be fine. I just want to learn enough to get my mom off my back about it."

Amanda grinned, "That's pretty much how I feel about it too."

=:= Maria =:=

Maria settled into the leather chair. She had a sip of her coffee, then said "You understand my concern. The girls want to go to school tomorrow, but after what happened to Becky I'm worried about letting them out of the house."

"Of course we understand," Samantha replied. She and Nikki were sitting together on the sofa. "None of us expected them to go after Becky."

"I've kept all five of them at home all weekend." Maria sighed. "It's worse for Jenny and Beth, they have no idea what's going on. At least the other three understand why we're staying home."

Nicole said, "In the end it's going to be your decision Maria. We can only make suggestions and give you advice. My thoughts though, are that it should be safe."

She paused for a sip of her coffee then explained, "The school is a public place. And it's crowded. There's other students of course, and there's faculty. The three times we've been attacked have all been in isolation. Cindy and Zoe were attacked in secluded woods. Their attempt on me was on a lonely stretch of road. They did get to Becky at university, but she was alone, and out of sight in a washroom."

Samantha suggested, "Make sure the girls stick together. They can all drive to and from school in the minivan, and if they stay together at school, they should be safe."

"They all have the protective amulets too," Nikki pointed out. "And we know they work. You've seen yourself Maria that the physical protection works. And Friday afternoon when I encountered Liam at the spiritual retreat, we confirmed the magic protection works too."

Maria nodded slowly. She was still anxious, and she still felt nervous about letting any of the girls out of her sight. However, she knew she couldn't keep them out of school indefinitely. They'd already missed too many days this semester.

"Thanks Sam, Nikki," she said. "I'm sure you're right. It's just going to be a nerve-wracking time for me while they're out."

"They all have their phones," Samantha said. "Make sure you keep yours nearby, and let them know to call or text you if they see anything strange or dangerous."

Nikki added, "We've emailed you the information we have for the known Brotherhood people here. Make sure Amanda, Sadie, and Ashley see that. If they spot any of those people, they can contact you, or us."

Maria sighed again, "Of course. I hate to think of the girls having to live in fear for their lives. They're just kids. They should be out having fun and enjoying themselves, not looking over their shoulders."

"I know Maria," Samantha sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Do we have any sort of strategy or plan?" Maria asked. "I mean, beyond hiding, keeping a low profile, and hoping they don't attack us again?"

Nicole replied, "We're working on that now. The first step was getting the new protective amulets done. With those out of the way, Cindy is going to start working on adapting that magic to wards we can add to our homes. And we're going to try and figure out a long-term solution to the problem."

Sam added, "Unfortunately we don't have the luxury of being able to put all our resources into this full-time, though perhaps we should. This is a very busy time for Nikki with the winery. It's quieter for me at the retreat now. Jess and Kara have their hands full with QSAW, and you've been busy with your girls. Cindy's been working nonstop on the magical defences."

"Do you think we might be able to come up with some sort of truce with the Brotherhood?" Maria asked.

Nikki sighed, "Based on what we know at the moment, I don't think so. These people seem to be committed to the idea of keeping magic to themselves, and keeping Gods and Goddesses dormant or gone. The two that She captured were both firm believers in their cause, and as far as they knew, the Brotherhood has been doing this for at least a couple centuries."

Maria's heart sank at that news. "So what's the long-term goal then? Are we... You're not thinking about trying to destroy them all, are you? Or even transform them all? I have a lot of concerns about what's already happened, to the two men here, and the two Cindy and Zoe encountered in Wales." She couldn't condone killing, but she wasn't sure the sorts of transformations that had been done to the men was any better.

"I know, Maria." Samantha said. "I feel the same way. I don't want to see any of us become callous and vicious, the way the Brotherhood seems to be."

Nicole pointed out, "On the other hand, we're not going to just roll over and die. We have a right to exist, to live our lives. We haven't hurt anyone, apart from defending ourselves when we've had to."

Maria frowned, her thoughts going back to Bethany and the way the Goddess treated her. And thinking further back, she remembered how unstable Cindy was when she first met the young teen. She never found out what Cindy's crime had been, but she knew the girl had been cursed, she'd been told some of the details, and after some digging on her own she had a pretty good idea who Cindy had been in her previous life.

She finally sighed, "I'm not sure I fully agree with that sentiment. That we haven't hurt anyone outside of self-defence."

Sam and Nikki exchanged another glance, then Sam asked, "What do you mean, Maria?"

"Well, Cindy for instance. Back before you invited me to join the coven, when you had me working with her. She was unstable, erratic. I don't even know all the details of what was done to her, but I could tell it was significant. And that wasn't self-defence, that was retaliation or vengeance."

Maria continued, "I just feel that some of the things the Goddess has done, is more than just a simple punishment. It seems like at least sometimes the way She does things, it prolongs the suffering. Rather than a one-time thing and then it's over, the punishment goes on."

The two coven leaders looked at each other again, and Maria could tell they were thinking about something specific. They both looked uncomfortable, but neither responded so Maria continued.

"And now with Bethany, I know what Liz did was wrong. What she did to her girls, how she responded when she learned the full situation. And I know she shot you Nikki, and she tried to kill me too. I accept that something had to be done about her. She's not Liz any more. Beth is a child now, but she's still suffering."

Sam looked troubled, as she asked, "How so?"

"The Goddess took away all of Liz's memories, but she didn't replace them with anything else. Bethany's effectively got amnesia, she doesn't know who she is, or who she was. For instance, she can't remember her parents, but she assumes they're both dead because why else would she be living with me instead of her own family? That's how her whole life feels to her."

Sam and Nikki both seemed bothered by this information. It looked like neither were aware of these details.

Maria sighed again. "I'm not asking to reverse anything or change anything. I'm just...concerned I suppose. That the Goddess is either a little more malicious than we'd all like to think, or that She simply doesn't realize the ongoing harm Her judgements can cause people."

She added, "It was also very hard for me to deal with Amanda's situation. She's just a child who made a mistake. So is Brittany, for that matter. They're both just children who made mistakes. Surely it would have been possible to keep Britt from exposing us, without changing her entire life around?"

Nicole sighed as well, "I'm sorry Maria." She hesitated a moment as if distracted, then added "Brittany's punishment was chosen because apparently that's what Amanda warned her friend might happen, if she kept talking about it."

Maria sighed yet again, shaking her head.

Finally she said, "As Amanda's aunt, her caregiver, and her soon-to-be adoptive mother, it was painful to see her cursed as she was. And despite what warnings Amanda may have given her friend, it was still the Goddess who decided what was done. I can't help feeling that Her response was excessive."

"Ok Maria," Nikki said. "We'll try and speak with Her, and mention your concerns. I know it's rough, with what happened to Amanda. I think the Goddess would have been a lot more forgiving, if we weren't already on edge with this threat hanging over all of us. You know Amanda's friend couldn't have picked a worse time to do this."

Sam asked, "How is Amanda handling things? Is she ok?"

Maria replied, "She's coping. Amanda and Brittany are trying to help each other adjust."

"I'm glad she still has her friend," Samantha said. "How are the other girls managing, through all of this?"

Maria replied slowly, "Beth is quiet and doesn't seem to be bothered, but that seems to be typical for her so it's really hard to say. Jenny is questioning a lot of things. I don't know how much longer we can keep her in the dark about her older sisters being in the coven, and about the threats that we're all dealing with. Ashley is homesick and worried. And Sadie is putting on a brave face and doing her best to act like everything is fine. I'm sure she's upset and anxious, though she's trying to hide it."

Nicole said, "It sounds like you're all coping as well as can be, all things considered." She asked, "Are you all still planning to go ahead with the adoption process?"

"Yes," Maria nodded. "All five of us are still looking forward to that."

Nikki smiled, "I know you said you didn't want to make it too obviously quick, so no overnight magical paperwork. But the Goddess is happy to help. Maybe in a couple weeks? How about the beginning of December? Get it done before the winter holidays."

Maria smiled as well. "I think that would be perfect. Thanks Nikki."

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