I was roused from a nice deep sleep by a voice announcing impatiently, "Hey sleepyhead, it's time to wake up!"

The voice sounded way too cheerful, and the sunlight pouring in around the curtains had a distinctly 'early morning' feel to it. I rolled over and brushed some long hair out of my face as I squinted at the glowing red digits on the clock next to the bed.

It was only eight-thirty. And it was Saturday. Way too early to be up. I closed my eyes with the plan of going back to sleep, when I suddenly realized something was different.

This wasn't my hotel room.

I opened one eye again to double-check. It was definitely a hotel room, but my room was small with just one bed in it. This room was bigger and there was a second bed on the other side of the bedside table. The other bed had obviously been slept in but was now empty.

My heart started racing as last night slowly came back to me. I opened my other eye and tilted my head up to see who was talking to me.

Standing there at the foot of my bed was Claire. Only she looked different.

She appeared to be the same height as before, she was a tall girl at about five-foot-eight. Her hair was still long, still light brown. Her face was recognizably Claire, but her features were softer now. Her nose was smaller, so was her chin. Her eyebrows were thin and slightly arched. Her lips were fuller. And if that was her voice a few moments ago, then it was now a higher pitch and sounded more feminine.

From what I could see squinting at her as I lay half-asleep in bed, it seemed like all the damage testosterone had done to her had been erased. I always thought she was an attractive girl, but now she was gorgeous.

I realized Claire must have been up for a while. She was already dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans and a white t-shirt. The outfit really showed off her figure. Her narrow waist, wide hips, and the swell of her chest were all on display. She'd had all of that before to some extent, but now she had more.

She was standing with her hands on her hips as she looked at me with an impatient grin and said, "C'mon Clover, it's our last full day up here and you're not wasting it in bed! We're going hiking again, at the 'Scenic Caves' up ontop of the escarpment."

My heart was still racing as I stared wide-eyed at her. It was unbelievable, but the spell we did last night actually worked. And if she was different, that meant I was different too. And I was afraid to look.

She watched me for a few moments then rolled her eyes, "Come on, you can't hide in bed forever. Get up, hop in the shower. It's Saturday, I want to be out exploring some scenic caves in two hours! And we have to get breakfast first."

The thought of breakfast sent a little rumble through my tummy and made me realize I was kind of hungry. I nodded slowly, and nervously pulled the blankets to one side as I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed.

I wound up sitting there for a few moments just staring down at my feet.

They were a lot smaller than before, and didn't reach down to the floor like they used to. My bare legs were smooth and slim and hairless. I was wearing a simple short-sleeved yellow nightie that came down to my knees. I held my hands up in front of myself and stared at them next. They were small, with delicate little fingers.

I finally slipped off the bed and dropped to the floor. I gulped as I looked around the room. It was obvious the two of us were sharing this room. Rather than two singles, it was cheaper to share a double. I took a few tentative steps, intending to go past Claire's bed and around the corner into the washroom. That brought me closer to Claire, and I found myself looking up at her.

Her height hadn't changed, I was sure of that. Yet now she must have stood four or five inches taller than myself. My heart started racing quicker as my eyes widened.

"It's ok Clover," Claire said. Her voice was calm, but she had a smile on her face. "You look absolutely amazing, but if you're starting to freak out just try and relax. Take it one step at a time."

I gulped again and nodded. I took a deep breath and sort of stood up tall, set my shoulders, then walked around the corner into the washroom. I turned on the lights and looked in the mirror.

The first thing I noticed was the hair. Long, straw blonde, with some green along the bottom edges. Then my eyes, which were still blue but seemed a little brighter, there was a sparkle in them now. My face was rounded and cute, and there was an unmistakable resemblance to Claire. My skin was soft and fair and looked perfectly smooth and unblemished.

I was a girl, and I was cute. And my heart was still racing.

Claire had followed me as far as the door. She stood in the doorway and asked, "Clover? Are you ok?"

I nodded slowly, as I continued staring at myself in the mirror. I took a deep breath then asked, "Why am I so young? And how are you staying so calm about all this?"

The girl in the mirror couldn't have been older than sixteen. I looked like Claire's little sister. Even my voice came out soft and cute and high-pitched.

"I've been up since before seven o'clock," Claire replied. "I did all my freaking-out in the shower while you were still asleep."

She added, "As for your age, I don't know. Selene said we'd be our ideal selves though? So I guess your ideal self needed to go back to high-school or something."

My heart skipped a beat at that thought. I wasn't sure yet if I was scared or happy. Or both.

Claire added "She did say you'd have the opportunity to learn new skills, so I guess she was right about that."

That reminded me of the price I agreed to pay, and I tried to think about my career. I remembered working at a company that made something for other businesses, and my job was something important. And I knew that jerk Frank fired me eight days ago. But I couldn't remember what I actually did.

And I could remember going to college. Or maybe it was university? But I couldn't remember which one, or what I'd majored in. I remembered the other parts of that experience, like the parties and the late nights studying.

"Clover? Are you ok?" Claire stepped into the washroom and moved to my side. She looked and sounded worried. "You look a little freaked out now."

I stared at the two of us in the mirror. Anyone seeing us would know immediately we were sisters. Then I turned towards her. I looked up at her and our eyes met.

Suddenly I felt overcome by emotions. I pulled her into a hug and felt her arms around my shoulders. I let my head rest against her shoulder as the tears started to flow. I was feeling a mix of joy, happiness, and relief.

"It's ok hon," Claire said softly as she held me. "I've got you, you're ok. You don't have to carry all the stress and pressure by yourself anymore, ok? You don't have to put your life on hold for me. You can be you, and you can be happy, and I'm going to help you. We're going to look after each other, all right? We're family, we're sisters. We look out for each other."

I nodded slowly as we held each other. It was more than I could have ever dreamed possible.

As her dad I felt I had to do everything, believed I had to look out for her. And I never let her do anything for me, I always insisted it didn't work that way. I put all the pressure on myself and even when she wanted to help carry some of the burden I refused to share it.

Now we were sisters and I no longer had an excuse to keep it all on my shoulders. And as her little sister I couldn't even claim seniority as an excuse to keep trying to carry it all myself. Now Claire and I would help each other, look after each other, we'd share the burden and the stress together.

I don't know how long we stood there holding each other, but eventually I stopped crying.

"Thanks Claire," I sniffed and wiped my eyes.

She gave me a warm smile, "Anytime sis. Are you ok now?"

I smiled up at her and nodded, "Better than ok. I'm perfect."

"Then get your butt in the shower," she grinned. "We're already running late and I bet it takes you forever to get ready."

She was right of course.

The shower was kind of a wild experience, but I quickly got familiar with my new body. Then afterwards I discovered my clothes and things had all changed overnight with the magic, so I had a whole new wardrobe. It took me a while to pick an outfit, but I ended up in a pair of dark green leggings, a yellow skirt, and a floral print pink t-shirt.

I was about to put on a pair of cute shoes I found in the closet but Claire reminded me we were going hiking today so I had to wear my boots instead. And that ruined my whole outfit so I got undressed again and started over. This time it was blue skinny-jeans, but I wound up with the same pink t-shirt with the flowers on it.

The result wasn't as cute as my first choice, but it was better for hiking.

It took me a while to dry my hair then I had to brush it and style it a bit, and of course I needed more time to mess around with make-up. Then I started searching for my wallet, until my sister reminded me that I had a purse now.

Claire put on her purple jacket and I grabbed my blue hoodie and the two of us were finally ready.

It was around eleven o'clock when we got to the hotel lobby to have breakfast, and I was starving. I tried having coffee with my meal but realized I no longer liked the stuff. Or perhaps I hadn't developed a taste for it yet. So I wound up with orange juice instead.

Then rather than just focusing on the meal, I ate slowly while I went through my purse.

I found my ID first. My health card had my new name on it and my new picture. My birthday hadn't changed, it was still August seventh, but the year was sure different. Like I'd guessed, I was only sixteen now. Thirty-three years had vanished overnight.

I was a little dismayed to realize I no longer had a drivers license, just a learners permit. I could still remember how to drive though, so at least I wouldn't need lessons again.

There was a student card for the high-school near our home, the one Claire graduated from a year and a half ago. I was back in grade eleven again. I had a bus pass, maybe to make up for the lack of a drivers license. And I still had a bank card, but my credit cards were gone.

As I continued searching my purse I discovered my phone got an upgrade. Instead of the old grey one I'd been using forever I had a brand-new pink one. It was the latest model with the fancy cameras, ideal for snapshots and selfies. I also found earbuds, a lipstick, a small make-up compact, some sour candies, and other various odds and ends in the purse.

I finally finished my breakfast around the same time as I finished exploring my purse.

Claire had been watching me with an amused grin while we ate, but now that we were both done she asked "Are you finally ready? We're over an hour late."

I frowned as I looked at her. I leaned a little closer and asked, "Claire, did you get everything you wanted out of this? Are you happy with how things turned out?"

She smiled as she answered quietly, "Yeah. I'm happy, for me and for you. I admit I was a little surprised when I woke up and saw you like that. But the more I think of it, the more I realize this was the best possible outcome."

"Yeah..." I nodded slowly. "I think you're right. Though I'll still have to worry about getting another job eventually."

"Not for a while yet," Claire said. She almost sounded like a parent as she added, "You've got another two years of high-school young lady. And after that, I expect you to go to college. Or university."

I felt myself blushing, but I couldn't suppress the wide grin that settled on my face.

Then after a few seconds it faded as I asked, "What about you Claire? If I got enrolled into high-school, did you wind up with a job?"

"Nope," she shook her head. "I'm in college now. I'm taking some arts classes, but my main course is on marketing. So I can learn how better to market myself? I've still got my commissions and stuff on the side, but this will give me some business credentials. And it's a service I could offer other creative folks too."

That actually sounded like a really good fit for her and it brought the smile back to my face. "That's great!"

Claire drained the last of her juice and stood up. "Enough stalling sis, let's get moving! We can talk more later."

"Ok, ok!" I was still grinning as the two of us made our way out to the car together. She was determined to make the most of our last full day up here.

I knew tomorrow the two of us would have to pack up and drive back home. And Monday I'd be back at high-school, working hard to make up for the week I'd been off.

And there was nothing else I'd rather be doing.

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