Leah gave Zach a disappointed look as they followed his mother quietly up the stairs. He tried his best to avoid eye contact with her glare. What was his mom thinking? If she was going to mess with his life today to teach him some kind of a lesson about girls, why couldn’t she at least have just changed Liam’s memories and turn him into a full-on girl that he could talk to for a few minutes and then be done with it? Instead, she had practically seduced Liam into becoming a girl and actually left him conscious enough of the changes to get suspicious. How was he not supposed to tell his friend at this point? Was this a test?

What could he possibly say? ‘No. Obviously, this is all happening because you pretended to be a girl for a few seconds, so you just started turning into one.’

That sounded ridiculous, but he guessed it didn’t sound any more believable than his mom being able to use crazy magic and deciding to turn him into a chick for some reason. The only difference between the believability of those two answers is that Leah already suspected the correct one. He knew his mom could fix this easily by just messing a little bit more with Leah’s mind, but she wasn’t. Why? Why was she making this process so slow and difficult? It hurt him to continue to keep secrets like this from his friends.

“Alright. Here we are,” Lindsay announced as they arrived at the closed door to Zach’s bedroom.

“My room? What’s so special about my room?” Zach questioned.

His mother smirked, “That’s the trick of it. It’s actually not your room anymore.”

She swung the door open extravagantly. What had once been Zach’s plainly boyish bedroom that the two friends had been hanging out in a few hours ago was now something completely new.

The walls were painted over with a mild baby blue color. Twinkling string lights were strung along the edges of the room where the walls met the ceiling, lighting the room with an ambient glow and assisting the bright sunlight that filtered through the sheer white curtains draped on either side of the window. A small chandelier now hung from the center of the ceiling with small bits of glass that were shaped like jewels adorning its curved arms and shimmering in the rays of sunlight.

What used to be Zach’s desk was now a white vanity with a large mirror. Two plushy chairs sat on either side of it, and on either side of the chairs stood tripod mannequins that each portrayed a woman’s torso. Each mannequin was modeling a unique dress. One was a short black dress, and the other an elegant aqua blue sequined ball gown.

The bed was now a plushy white affair, decorated with blue and black pillows in the shape of flowers. The walls were decorated with different pieces of art. One wall had a large black and white landscape image of the Eiffel tower and the Paris cityscape that surrounded it. Another wall displayed two artistic photos side by side of Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn each blowing a bubble of pink and blue bubblegum respectively. The only thing that remained of Zach’s old room was the small basketball hoop hanging above the door, but even that had been changed. The square on the backboard was now in the shape of a blue heart and the hoop itself now lit up with a neon pink color. The entire room now oozed with an unmistakable feminine chic aesthetic.

Zach’s breath completely left him as his gaze drifted from one unfamiliar thing to the next. He almost couldn’t push himself to walk through the threshold. He felt like he was trespassing into the mystical sanctuary of the fairer sex, but this was his room, or at least it had been.

Leah’s mouth was agape with wonder. The only thing that had escaped her lips since the opening of the door was a small squeak of surprise.

“What happened to my room?!” Zach exclaimed.

His mother chuckled, “As I said. It isn’t your room anymore. For the time being at least.”

“Then who’s is it?!”

“It’s Leah’s of course.”

“Mine?!” Leah peeped. “But I-I don’t even live here.”

“Of course you don’t sweetie. It’s only temporary, but you are going to be staying the night with us and I wanted you to have a comfortable and private place to sleep.”

“I’m staying the night?”

“Yes. I called your parents and told them that you and Zach would be having a sleep over tonight. I thought that would be fun for both of you to have one last little bash before you’re too entrenched in school studies. Is that alright?”

“No that sounds fun but…” Leah barely managed to stutter, still trying to take in all the information.

“Mom,” Zach cut in sternly. “You know better than anyone that Leah is going through… stuff.”

“I am,” Lindsay nodded. “Which is another reason why this is a good idea. Her parents aren’t privy to her recent developments, so while she is going through them, she has her own private place to stay here for the night. Plus you two can continue your conversations.”

Leah shied back, only just now thinking of her parents for the first time since becoming Leah. “I guess you’re right. I couldn’t go home like this. They would be expecting a son, not a daughter.”

“Precisely,” Ms. Lindsay said with a nod.

“Mom, but still. What about my room? Where will I sleep tonight?” Zach asked.

“On the couch, or you could presumably make a cot for yourself. Everyone must make sacrifices at some point in any relationship, and Leah here is making her fair share of sacrifices already,” she said, gesturing to the changing boy’s feminizing form.

Leah looked around the girlified room, still stunned. “But how did…”

“Never mind the trifling details. We came up here for you both to wash off and get a change of clothes, so that is exactly what you’ll do. Go on into the bathroom and take a quick shower. Let me know when you’re done, and I’ll help you get ready.” She shooed Leah off into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Lindsay dusted off her hands, visibly pleased with her work. Zach crossed his arms defiantly. He now finally had his mother alone for the first time since this whole mess started. Their eyes met. His mother didn’t say anything, apparently inviting him to say the first word.

“What are you doing?” he demanded.

Lindsay waited for the sound of the shower before she began speaking. “Oh my dear. Is it not plainly obvious what I’m doing?”

“Besides turning Liam into a girl. We were just hanging out and you had to come and make it awkward. Did you cause this to begin with? Did you put the idea in his head to pretend to be Leah?”

“And what if I did?” she asked, moving to take a seat at the foot of the bed.

“Why are you doing it like this? If you wanted him to be a girl to teach us a lesson, why not just get it over with? Why are you changing him so slowly? Why did you let him remember he was a boy; let him realize he’s - she’s changing?" The questions tumbled out of his mouth in a panicked torrent.

“A mother does what a mother does for many reasons. If you can’t at least figure out one of those reasons, then you still have a good bit of learning to do,” his mother lectured, adjusting her glasses.

“What do you mean? You realize she already suspects something right? How am I not supposed to tell her about magic when she can literally see herself magically becoming more and more female every second that goes by? How else can that be explained?” Zach implored.

“That very much sounds like your problem. You made a promise to me that you would tell nobody of magic. You have upheld that ideal for the past 4,999 days of your life since the day you made your promise. I’m very proud of you for that. However, I would advise you to not falter in your promise to me now. A man should never go back on his word. Promises are binding, and secrets are powerful,” his mother said matter-of-factly.

“Are you threatening me, mom?” Zach asked cautiously.

His mother laughed sweetly, “Heavens no! I’m your mother Zach. I love you. I’m merely cautioning you to stay true to your word.”

“It’s really hard to tell when you’re being loving and when you’re being sociopathic,” he said dryly.

His mother looked genuinely offended, “Sociopathic? Are you talking about what I did with Mattie because her life turned out far…”

“That’s exactly the kind of thing I’m talking about Mom!” Zach exclaimed, feeling his temper flare much to his own surprise. “You’re unpredictable! You have way too much power with your magic and no accountability. Whenever I want to do something normal, you always change something or someone to fit whatever you desire, or whatever lesson you want to teach me instead of just being a normal mom and teach me a normal way!”

His mother stared at him blankly. “A mother does what a mother does for many reasons,” she repeated sharply. “I have never claimed that I was perfect Zach, but I have my own reasons for doing things the way I do them. Now is no exception.”

Zach was conflicted with how he felt, with how he’s always felt about his mother. On one hand, she was a wildcard of a parental figure. She could do whatever she wanted and however, she wanted with nearly no repercussions, often through drastic means. On the other hand, she had never harmed him in any way, and always at least seemed trustworthy and loving when she wasn’t playing her magical mind games.

Lindsay’s ears perked up at the sound of the shower being cut off in the bathroom. “Now I must ask that you go and clean yourself up, and please look semi-presentable. Your clothes are in the trunk in the library, and you can use my shower. Leah and I are going to have a little girl time.”

“What are you planning, mom?” Zach asked again pleadingly, unsure if he should be really be leaving his friend alone with his mother and her powerful feminine influence.

Lindsay smiled, “I am simply giving you and Liam very special gifts, one of which you explicitly asked for earlier today. I advise you heed my words and receive them. Now scoot,” his mother said with a twinkle in her eye as she made a motion of shooing him away. “This is a no boy zone until I say you can come in.”

With a sudden jolt of force, Zach found himself outside of the bedroom with the door closing abruptly in his face. The lock clicked resolutely, barring any entrance.

“I hate magic,” he grumbled to himself.

***

Leah looked apprehensively at her reflection in the steamy mirror. The rest of her body hair had washed away in the shower, leaving her skin smooth and clear which made her surprisingly relieved. Her eyes were drawn down between her legs to the manhood that still remained. It seemed smaller than it… actually she really didn’t remember how big it used to be, but it made her uncomfortable looking at it. It felt wrong. She quickly grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself, making sure to cover her chest.

“Miss Lindsay? Are you there?” she voiced tentatively.

“Yes Leah, I’m right here,” Lindsay responded from the other side of the door.

Leah bit her lip nervously. She was unsure about how close she should be with Ms. Lindsay now that she suspected she was the cause of her changes. Every time she was close to Zach’s mom she felt strange. It felt like the feminine side of her grew whenever she was around. Isn’t that what she wanted though? She felt like a girl now, and she wanted to be a complete girl, but had she always wanted that? She couldn’t remember. Her mind felt all jumbled.

She stood there fidgeting for a while before speaking again, “W-what should I do?”

“You can come on out sweetie. Zach is not in the room anymore. He went to go wash up, so it’s just us girls now. I’ll help you get dressed.”

Butterflies fluttered to life in Leah’s stomach. Just us girls? Something about that sounded so exciting and assuring. She was one of the girls. Leah slowly opened the door and stepped out like a deer trying to cross a street.

Ms. Lindsay smiled warmly at her as she stepped out, and waved her over to where she stood by Zach’s closet door. “No need to be shy Leah. Come on over here. I’ve got a surprise for you.”

Leah stepped over warily, not quite sure what to think about her current situation.

Ms. Lindsay excitedly pulled open the closet door, revealing something Leah wasn’t quite expecting, but after seeing it, she definitely should have been. In place of Zach’s small closet was a large walk-in closet with the same baby blue color scheme as the rest of the bedroom. It was packed to the brim with every article of women’s clothing that could possibly be imagined.

“Ta-da!” Ms. Lindsay proclaimed.

“Woah. That’s- is all of this for me?” Leah stuttered. It was overwhelming, but she couldn’t deny the excitement that was growing within her at the sight.

“Who else would it be for? It may seem like a lot, but you need to find your voice as a young woman, and that means finding your own style. You’ll find that women’s fashion is a whole other world compared to what men are stuck with. Even if you think fashion isn’t your thing, you’ll find that your options are far more varied in expressing yourself,” Lindsay said proudly. “But first, step in real quick and put these on.” She handed Leah a matching set of royal blue bra and panties and nudged her into the closet. “When you’ve got those on, come on out and I’ll do your hair and makeup.”

Alone inside the closet, Leah couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of euphoria. It was such an alien feeling, but it felt good. Ever since the moment she had decided to be Leah, it felt like she had fallen into a dream. She knew that she had been boy only a little earlier today, but for some crazy reason she couldn’t even remember what her name had been. Sam? Lance? Nothing sounded right. The only name she identified with was Leah.

She quickly slipped the bra in place over her breasts and strapped it on, only just then realizing that that was probably the first time she had ever actually put on a bra. It felt like second nature. Next, she slid the panties up her smooth legs. Once they were in place, her stomach grumbled and the bulge between her legs deflated a little, becoming slightly less apparent. She didn’t know exactly why, but she felt satisfied with that occurrence.

With one last glance at the clothes that hung around her, she stepped out of the closet with more confidence.

“Okay, Ms. Lindsay. I think I’m ready.”

“No rush sweat pea,” Zach’s mom said innocently. “Does everything fit okay?”

Leah looked down at herself, “Yes ma’am. It’s fitting better by the second strangely enough.”

Lindsay smirked, “Yes. I noticed. You’ve grown a bit up top. That A-cup looks to fit pretty snug on you.”

Leah pulled at her wet hair shyly, “Y-yeah. It happened when I was drinking the milk with the cookies.”

Ms. Lindsay laughed, “That’s funny. When I was a little girl I was convinced that drinking milk would make me more endowed. It seems it worked like a charm for you.”

Leah stood awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

“No need to be shy about it. There are no boys in the room, so you can talk freely about anything you want when it comes to girl stuff,” she gave Leah a knowing look while motioning for her to take a seat at the vanity.

Leah sat, twiddling her gloss tipped fingers in her lap as she gazed at herself in the mirror. Lindsay stepped up behind her, placing both of her hands on her head. “So what do you want to do with your hair? Any requests?”

“I don’t really know,” Leah said, unsure of herself.

“How about I dry it out while you think about it then? It’s your hair after all sweetie.”

Leah nodded quietly while Ms. Lindsay retrieved some products from on top of the vanity and sprayed them into Leah’s hair. She worked a few of them in with her fingers, combing her scalp gently. It smelled really good, like fresh berries.

“What’s that?” Leah asked warily.

“Oh, this is just some product to detangle your hair and make it fuller. It’s really good for your roots. All-natural products.” Lindsay said with a wink as she finished up and procured a blow dryer that Leah hadn’t even noticed was sitting on the vanity. The air was neither hot nor cold and felt good on Leah’s head as she watched her reflection intently in the mirror. Ms. Lindsay worked her hands through her hair, making sure every part was dry.

As her golden hair dried, it seemed to glimmer in the light of the room. Its texture became wavy and it almost seemed to bounce and ripple when Lindsay let locks of it fall around her shoulders. By the time it was all done, Leah’s hair looked like it was straight out of a shampoo commercial.

“Have you decided on a style?” Ms. Lindsay asked.

“Umm. How about just a ponytail?” Leah wavered. She had never dreamed that she would ever have hair like this in her life, and yet there it sat on her head, and she had no idea what to do with it.

Lindsay shrugged. “Sure thing. It’s nice and simple. Good choice." She pulled back Leah’s hair into a long wavy ponytail and tied it off with a navy blue ribbon. She left a few strands loose on the side to delicately frame her face.

“Beautiful!” Lindsay said cheerily. “Now let’s get your makeup done.”

Before Leah even realized it, Zach’s mom was already leaned next to her with a makeup kit out and was applying a light, skin-toned substance to her face. Almost immediately, Leah’s face began to change. It was so incredibly discreet, most people wouldn’t have noticed it, but Leah was watching intently. In the subtlest way, Leah saw her cheeks become fuller on her face, giving an overall softer appearance to its shape.

“W-wait.” She said, holding up her hand to prevent Ms. Lindsay from doing anything further with the makeup.

“Is something wrong?”

Leah looked at her reflection, then back at Ms. Lindsay. “I know I’m turning into a girl, but I’m still confused as to how. As far as I know, it was never possible for someone to just start changing sex. Something has been happening ever since I decided to pretend to be a girl,” she paused unsure of the response her explicit question would evoke from her friend’s mother. “Are you the one doing this to me?”

There was a still silence after the question escaped her mouth. Ms. Lindsay’s face was still as stone for a few short seconds before her mouth curved into a smile. “Is that what you think?”

“Yes?” Leah confirmed unsteadily.

Lindsay sat back on her heels and leaned against the vanity casually. “That’s a very interesting accusation, but I’m afraid it is one I can neither confirm nor deny. All I can tell you to do is go with your gut. Have you brought this up to Zach?”

“Yes I asked him and he wouldn’t tell me, so now my only choice is to ask you.” Leah’s eyes narrowed.

Lindsay nodded, “Good, good. We’ll see if he can push through his last day.”

“What?”

“Hmm? Oh nothing dear, just musing to myself.” Lindsay waved away the comment passively. “Well when it comes to your changes, I won’t deny that any conclusion that you come to will sound completely preposterous because you are correct of course, one doesn’t simply start changing sex for no reason. What makes you think that it’s me of all the impossible things it could be?”

“Because,” Leah began, trying to find the right words. “Because you are going along with it like it isn’t weird. I don’t know why I didn’t notice it before, but shouldn’t you be freaking out that a boy is turning into a girl in your house?”

“Yes, yes. That is a good point," Lindsay said, placing her finger on her chin thoughtfully. "Anything else?”

“I feel more like a girl when you’re around,” Leah said quietly, taking another look at her feminizing reflection in the mirror.

“And that’s the crux of it,” Ms. Lindsay said pointedly. “Whether it’s me or some other reason, you feel like a girl yes?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Then let me ask you a question. If you had the power to right now, would you want to stop what is happening to you? Would you want to be a boy right now?”

Leah stared wide-eyed at her reflection. She watched as the girl in the mirror reached up and touched her shimmery hair, then brushed against her softening cheeks. She looked down at her bra she now wore that supported her small breasts and the ill-fitting panties that covered up her more unsightly parts. Of course, she was more than curious about how she got like this, about how she was continuing to change, but she couldn’t deny her answer to the question.

“No,” she whispered softly.

“Then let it happen. I fully suspect that whatever this is will come to pass one way or another, but womanhood is a gift that has been given to you. Despite what has given the gift, the fact of the matter is that you’re a girl right now and you should take full advantage of that opportunity.”

Leah looked ashamed, “But I’m not. I’m not really a girl. I’m ugly. And I…”

“Now I’ll have none of that self-deprecation,” Ms. Lindsay scolded. “You’re beautiful. Everyone grows and changes at their own pace, and this is no exception.”

“But I…”

“No buts," Lindsay interrupted again. “The female body is an incredibly complex thing. It can run and jump. It can push and pull, lift, and throw. But the one obvious thing that makes a woman's body different from a man's is the simple and miraculous fact that we can bear new life. Your body is going through a lot of changes if it is to become that of a girl’s, and not all of those changes are on the outside.” Lindsay placed her hands on her own abdomen.

Leah’s already wide eyes went even wider. She knew she was turning into a girl, but she had never stopped to consider how all-encompassing that change actually was. She looked down, palpating her own belly. She suddenly realized what that strange feeling could have been when she had eaten the soup. “That’s happening inside me?”

“All that and more. You are to be a girl inside and out. There are a lot of differences between male and female bodies as I’m sure you’re aware, but you should be proud of those differences.”

Leah felt excitement surge within her. However, along with that excitement came fear. She was actually going to be a girl. The girl that she had become on the inside would manifest physically in every part of her being. No matter what she did she couldn’t stop it, but she didn’t want to stop it, and that thought comforted her in an unsettling way.

Leah bit her lip nervously. “Can you teach me how to do makeup?” She asked, nodding to the makeup kit.

Ms. Lindsay beamed, “Gladly.”