Ruby closed the door behind her as we walked back to the store. “It will take her a few minutes to prepare the spell,” she explained.
“What exactly is she making?” I asked.
“It’s likely going to be a blur.”
“It’s nice that it will be fast, but that doesn’t answer her question,” Ryan commented.
“A blur is a spell,” she clarified. “Think of it as a glamour. Or… have you never heard of that either?”
“I have,” we said in unison.
Ruby smiled. “Imagine that but backwards. It will just alter the way he perceives you.”
“So it will prevent Vera’s father from noticing the changes?”
Ruby nodded at my friend. “Though it’s important to remember that he’ll simply have a harder time noticing things.” She turned to me and continued. “In other words, just keep doing your best to hide the changes from him, and it should be good. His mind will simply fill in any gaps. Don’t make anything too obvious.”
“Got it,” I responded.
“Any other questions that you have while we wait?”
I bit my lip, looking at Ryan. There was something. However, I didn’t like the idea of him listening to it.
“I can step out for a moment, if you want me to,” he said, smiling at me.
“Please.”
Ryan nodded and walked out of the store, leaning on the banister to watch the park below. My eyes lingered on him for a moment.
“You like him, don’t you?”
I turned around to Ruby’s smile. Not a mocking one. She simply pointed it out.
“Yeah,” I replied, briefly glancing at him again.
“Does he?”
I don’t know…
“It’s… complicated.”
“These things tend to be. I’m guessing it doesn’t have anything to do with your question, then?”
“So this magic…” I started, fidgeting with my fingers. “Does it, you know…”
“It doesn’t change your orientation,” she responded before I could finish.
I shook my head. “No. Not that. Like… ugh…” I took a deep breath, though it didn’t help much in calming me down. “I was wondering how far these changes go. Like, will my, uh—”
“Ah,” she interrupted. “I see now. If that’s what your heart desires, yeah, it should happen. Looking at the changes, I’d say that it’s all but guaranteed at this point. Have you not noticed anything?”
I paused for a moment at the question. My face got warmer as I shook my head. “I don’t really look down there…”
“Not even when using a urinal?”
I grimaced at the thought. “I uh… I always sit.”
“Pfft.”
I looked up to see Ruby covering her mouth to muffle the sound. “Girl, how thick was that shell of yours?” she asked between laughs.
I pouted at her. Though, it wasn’t like I could say anything about it. Looking back, I had to agree that there were plenty of signs. I just never stopped to think about them as such.
The door behind Ruby suddenly opened, and the elder emerged from it. She walked to the counter, holding a small box in her hand. “This is it,” she said, placing the box on top of the glass.
I took it and opened it. A single white pill rested in the middle, like a gem.
“Lace your father’s drink with this,” the old lady instructed. “It will dissolve right away.”
“Ugh.” Ruby brought a hand to her face. “Wording, grandma.”
I mean, isn’t it what I’m going to do anyway?
“Is it the blur Ruby told me about?” I asked instead.
“How can I tell what he’ll notice and what he won’t?”
“Depends on the person,” Ruby answered. “Considering that he has been blind to it so far, I’d say your chances are good. Still, don’t push it. If he sees you as you are right now, no magic will be able to stop him from noticing. You do need to make an effort to hide any changes.”
I closed the box and, with some effort, managed to slide it into my pocket. It created an annoying bulge in my pants, not unlike the one my phone and wallet formed.
Maybe I should get a purse…
A chill alerted me of my own thoughts. It was scary how easily the thought came to mind.
“Are you sure magic can’t change someone’s thoughts?”
Both women shook their heads.
“Did you think something strange just now?” Ruby asked.
“I wouldn’t say strange,” I clarified. “Just unusual.”
She looked at her grandmother, who shrugged at it. Looking back at me, she said, “Maybe you just suppressed that kind of thought before.”
I looked down at myself. I certainly had never pictured myself as a girl before. Perhaps she was right. I was taught men don’t use purses, so of course I never thought of it before.
My eyes wandered to my pockets again. I groaned, then paused. I took my backpack off and placed it on the floor before reaching for my belongings, pulling them out and stuffing them in the frontmost compartment of my bag.
Even that was enough to make me feel better. Having stuff in my pants always felt too uncomfortable.
“Do you have any other questions?” Ruby asked as I stood back up.
“Not that I can think of,” I responded as I adjusted the straps around my arms. “Uh, well, do you have a way for me to reach out in case of an emergency?”
Ruby smiled and crouched behind the desk, procuring a small card that she handed over to me. “That’s my number. Send me a text if you need anything.”
I took the card and dug into my pocket. I flinched for a moment before remembering I had just placed my wallet in my backpack. I snorted and rolled my eyes at myself as I stored the piece of paper in the now-empty space.
I looked behind me and noticed that Ryan was still waiting outside. His eyes still focused on whatever he was seeing below.
“I should probably go now—”
“Without paying?” Ruby quickly interrupted.
My heart sank. “Uh… H-how much is it?”
Ruby broke into a laugh. “Don’t worry. It’s on the house. Consider it an apology for shoving the spell on you without consent.”
I breathed a sigh of relief and thanked them both before turning to the door and walking out.
Ryan looked behind him the moment he heard the chime. “Done then?”
I nodded at him and started walking towards the escalator. “Yeah, let’s go home.”
---<>----------<>----------<>---
“You really don’t need to walk me home if you don’t want to,” I told him as I watched the sun set. I could tell he still needed time to think about everything going on.
“I do want to,” Ryan countered. He went silent for a moment and added, “Uh, how do I put this…”
I turned to catch him staring at my chest with a frown.
He quickly looked away and cleared his throat. “What my mom said yesterday… I agree with her. I don’t think it’s safe for you to walk alone this late anymore.”
I glared at him. “It’s not like I’ve changed that much, you know.”
“You have,” he said. “Maybe more than you think.”
“Your face is different,” he continued before I could speak. “Your body is different, your voice is different—”
“My voice is not different!”
He scoffed. “See? More than you think. Even your mannerisms have changed somewhat.”
Have they really?
“I can’t hear any difference in my voice.”
Ryan sighed through his nose and stopped. His hand wandered to his pocket and pulled out his phone. He browsed through it briefly, glanced at me for a moment, and then sighed again before showing the screen to me. He tapped the screen, starting the video.
My face heated up immediately. “Why did you…”
Ryan shushed me.
I frowned but continued watching.
<Just a fEw more!>
I winced at the crack in my voice. I remembered that day. That was two years ago. I had just discovered how fun that game was and had made it my goal to reach the top score.
<NO!>
Ryan’s laughter was cut short as the video ended. He opened another app. An audio recorder.
“Repeat what you said in the video. Anything’s good.”
I looked him in the eye. He wasn’t smiling.
My gaze shifted back to the phone, and he started the recording.
“D-dude, I think this is it…”
I lacked the enthusiasm of my younger self. I could tell there was a difference already.
It has to be the recording, right?
<D-dude, I think this is it…>
My eyes widened upon hearing it. You could tell both were me, but a stranger listening to both would’ve assumed the latter was the younger version.
The voice in the video was Mike’s. The new recording sounded androgynous to me.
It reminded me of my interaction with Hayden earlier. He didn’t question things. He saw a girl and associated the voice he heard with her. To him, nothing seemed out of place.
“Sorry,” Ryan suddenly said.
“For what?”
“Recording you behind your back. I’ll delete it now.”
I blinked at him briefly before smiling. “No, it’s okay. I get it.”
He stared at his phone for a moment before locking it and putting it back in his pocket.
“I couldn’t tell the difference before,” I added.
“You listen to yourself all the time,” Ryan explained. “It makes sense.”
“Still, do I really look that defenceless?”
“Men are stronger than women, Vera. I don’t know if your strength has been affected already, but a random creep won’t stop to think that. To be honest, I don’t think that’s new for you either. Some people already assumed you were a girl even before the spell.”
Ryan had always walked me home when he could. I always thought it was in case a dog showed up. Never did I imagine that he was wary of other people.
A chill ran down my spine at the implications.
We kept walking until my house came into view. Dad’s car was not there, as expected.
I breathed a sigh of relief. He rarely left work early, but it happened. It would’ve made things more difficult for me with my current looks.
“Uh, thanks.” I paused, looking away. “For walking me home.”
“Anytime,” he responded.
“A-anyway, see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah,” Ryan said. “See you tomorrow, Vera.”
I watched him walk away for a while before opening the door and heading inside.
Mom stood in the hallway, hands on her hips. Her expression difficult to read.
“We need to talk.”