I was on the hunt. My black fur shone in the moonlight as I crept through the tall grass next to the pond. My ears, nose, and eyes were all fixed on my prey. I got within striking distance, and I froze there a moment.

It was small, brown, furry. A rodent of some kind, though I wasn't sure what exactly. It was crouched among the stalks of grass, next to a glass ball which seemed quite out of place here. The small creature's back was to me, and I was downwind. It had neither heard, smelled, or seen me. I tensed and flexed my hind legs, to make sure my paws had good purchase in the soil beneath me.

My leg muscles were like coiled springs ready to release. I moved my head slightly to verify the distance. Just before I launched myself I flicked my tail and ruffled the tall grass. It was enough of a spoiler to spook the tiny animal, which escaped to safety as my pounce brought me down in the empty spot it had just vacated.

I enjoyed the hunt, but I didn't wish to actually harm anything. I let myself roll over onto my side, and as I stared up at the moon I suddenly found myself awake.

I lay in my bed looking up at the bright light coming in through the little basement window near the ceiling above me. After a few moments I glanced at the clock and immediately sighed. It was only nine-thirty. I'd honestly hoped to sleep away the entire day. Today was the August holiday Monday and there wasn't really anything for me to do.

After laying there for another fifteen or twenty minutes, I knew I wasn't going to get back to sleep. With another sigh I got up and went into the bathroom to shower.

When that was done I looked at myself in the mirror as I towelled myself off. My black hair was still hanging down to my shoulders. After that strange growth spurt in June it just seemed to stop growing.

My scrawny body and skinny face made me look androgynous, and the long hair made me look like a girl. My voice didn't help, it had never really changed. Like I always said, puberty didn't really hit so much as it just sort of grazed me on the way past.

Even the two dozen stupid hairs on my face seemed to have given up at some point. I couldn't remember the last time I'd had to shave them.

I sighed once more to myself. It felt like a lot of unusual things happened to me this summer. And the most unusual of all was getting that job at the magic store.

I knew the shop would be closed today, Selene didn't work on holidays. But I had nothing else to do so I decided I'd go visit the store anyways, just incase. Mostly it was an excuse to leave the house.

It didn't take long to get dressed, I pulled on my beat-up jeans, old sneakers, and a faded t-shirt. I made sure my wallet and phone and keys and stuff were in my bag then I went upstairs to the kitchen.

Between the dishes in the sink and the smell of bacon in the kitchen I knew my folks had a nice breakfast. They'd been taking most of the money I earned at the shop and used it to improve their lives. I asked mom about it after that first payday and she said it was rent. She said since I was working I had to pay rent.

It seemed like a lot of money for just rent, considering I was working full time now. But I didn't have anywhere else to go, so I didn't make a fuss. At least they let me keep some spending money.

I ended up making myself a piece of toast. I spread some peanut butter on it then stood by the sink as I ate. After I was done I called out "Bye," as I slipped out the side-door.

My parents were in the living-room, watching their new big flat-screen TV. Neither of them said anything as I left, and I stopped for a few moments on the driveway and thought about that.

I couldn't remember the last time either of them spoke to me. Maybe it was a month ago, when I talked to my mom about the money. It left me feeling strange. It felt weird that my parents didn't seem to notice me at all anymore.

I was toying with the idea of going back in and trying to talk to them, when I noticed the geeky neighbour kid next door. He was sitting on his front porch, playing a game on his portable console.

Another strange thought hit me. Other than Selene, that boy was the only one who'd actually interacted with me personally in weeks.

I cut across the lawn and stood at the steps to his porch and greeted him, "Hey Alex."

He looked up, he seemed surprised I was talking to him. Usually he was the one who started the conversations between us. "Hello Natalie."

That was another thing that made me feel strange. He kept calling me that, despite me telling him it wasn't my name. I decided to bite the bullet and finally ask.

"Alex, why do you keep calling me Natalie?"

The kid looked surprised, "I thought it was your name? You said it was Nat, isn't that short for Natalie?"

I frowned as I thought about that. He obviously still thought I was a girl, and it seemed like he'd been thinking that since... Of course. Since I started working with Selene. That's when he started calling me Natalie.

Before I tried to correct him yet again, it struck me that I actually liked it better than Nate. It wasn't really me, but being Natalie felt a little better than being Nathan.

I finally said to him, "My name isn't really Natalie, but it'll do for now. At least until I find a better one. Anyways, what are you up to? Don't you usually play games with your friend on the weekends?"

Alex sighed, "His parents made him go to their cottage for the long weekend."

"Aw, that sucks." I felt kind of sorry for the kid being stuck all alone.

He shrugged. "Are you going to work now?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "I don't have anything better to do, and I kind of like it there."

That seemed to surprise him. I guess most people don't actually like their jobs. "Where do you work?"

I smiled, "At the magic store downtown."

Alex shook his head, "There's no such thing as magic."

I thought for a moment, then my smile grew a little wider, "I'll let you in on a secret, Alex. There really is magic, but it's pretty well hidden. My boss though, she knows the real stuff. And someday I'll learn it too."

He looked skeptical, but before he could comment I added "Anyways I better get going."

"Ok," he said, as he looked back down at his game. "Bye Natalie."

I smiled, "See you round, Alex."

The walk downtown went quickly, and soon enough I found myself standing outside the store. It was closed of course, the lights were all off and there was no sign of Selene.

On a whim I gave the door a tug. It was locked but as soon as I pulled on the handle I heard a clunk as it unlocked itself.

I thought about that for a moment, but nothing really surprised me anymore. I wasn't sure if these things ever surprised me in the first place, actually.

I let myself in then locked the door again behind me. I walked through to the back, then knocked on the employees-only door. I wasn't sure if that would actually be audible at Selene's place, but I figured it was polite. I waited a few seconds then opened the door and stepped through into her kitchen.

My boss was sitting at her kitchen table, wearing slippers and a housecoat. She was cradling a cup of tea in her hands, and staring at me with a raised eyebrow.

"It's a holiday today hon, the store's closed. For that matter, how'd you even get in? Did I forget to lock the door last night?"

I shrugged slightly, "It let me in."

Selene didn't question that, she just gestured "Well pull up a seat. Can I get you some tea?"

I moved around to sit across from her and shook my head, "No thanks."

She watched me a few moments, then asked "So what brings you to work on yet another day off?"

I sighed, "I don't have anywhere else to go, nothing else to do. My folks act like I don't exist anymore. I have no friends."

I took a breath then continued, "There's only two people in the world who even bother to talk to me. You and the geeky kid who lives next door. Nobody else even knows I exist."

Selene sipped some of her tea as I spoke. When I was done she gave me a sad look and asked, "Hon, why are you telling me all this? You know I'm your boss, not your therapist right?"

"I'm sorry," I sighed again. "It sounds stupid but it feels like you're the only one who truly seems to listen and understand me? And your shop is the only place I feel like I fit in."

I blushed slightly as I added, "I'd probably just live there, if I could."

Selene sighed. "You don't even know me, hon. I mean, beyond who I am as your employer."

I shrugged slightly. "I know you're magic. I know you're mostly nice, even though you sometimes act tough or scary. And I know your name is Selene."

After another sip of tea she pointed out, "You don't know if that's my first name or last name. Or if it's even my real name at all."

It only took me a moment to think that over. "It's your only name. And it's what you call yourself, so it's your real name."

She raised her eyebrow as she watched me for another minute or so. Finally she asked, "Tell me hon, do you know your real name?"

I shook my head slowly, "Not yet. My parents used to call me Nathan, when they spoke to me at all. And that's the name on my ID and stuff. The kid next door calls me Natalie, because he thinks I'm a girl."

I blushed slightly as I added, "I like that better than Nathan, but it isn't really me either."

My expression shifted to a frown, "And you've never once called me either Nathan or Natalie. You just call me 'hon' or 'dear'."

Selene smiled slightly, "When you tell me your real name, that's what I'll use. Till then, I don't want to call you something you're not."

I was still frowning as I asked, "Selene? Did you do this to me? I mean, did you make me look kind of like a girl? Did you make my parents ignore me?"

She got a serious look on her face as she shook her head "No hon, and that's a promise. I didn't even hire you, remember? You ran into my shop and passed through a locked door, through the gateway into my home. I didn't do any of that. And I'm not the one who changed your appearance, or hid you from your parents."

"Who then?" I asked, confused. "Who's doing all this? And why?"

She gave me a sympathetic look, "It's you, hon. It's always been you."

Selene sighed and added, "The only thing I might take credit for is showing you what was possible. Once I understood what was happening, I let you see things that I'd normally keep hidden. I thought it might help you find your own way."

I continued to frown as I thought through her words, then shook my head. "How could I do this stuff if I don't even know how it works? How could I do it without even knowing what I was doing, or that it was me doing it?"

"Right now hon? It's probably all instinct and latent desires."

That didn't make any sense to me. "Why would I make myself sort of look like a girl?"

She smiled slightly, "Do you want to look like a girl? Do you want to be a girl?"

I felt myself blush brightly at that question. I looked down at the table and shrugged, "I don't know. I kind of think my life would be better if I was a girl, but..."

"Then just be a girl," Selene said.

I frowned at her, "I don't think it's that easy."

There was something like a knowing smile on her face as Selene finished her tea.

"Hon, I have to take care of some chores and things around the house. If you really want, you can go open up the shop for the day. Or just go there and hang out, maybe read some of the books or something if you like?"

She added, "Whatever you decide, why don't you come back here around dinner time? I'll fix us up something nice, and we can continue our talk."

I nodded slowly as I thought it over. "Thanks Selene. I'll go open up the store. I'll see you this evening."

She smiled, "Ok hon. You take it easy, don't work too hard."

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