Ruby stared at me for a moment, then at the bottle. Her lips quivered. “I want you to promise me something before I give this to you.”
I kept my hand in place. My fingers motioned for her to hand it over.
“I’m being serious!”
“So am I,” I responded.
“Look, I get it. You are angry. You didn’t ask for this,” she ranted. “It was wrong for my grandmother to do what she did. But this…” she lifted the bottle. “This is different.”
“How is it different?”
“Because now you have a choice. All I ask of you is that you wait until you’ve gotten the chance to calm down; to think things through. You have the right to be angry right now, but I fear that you might regret your decision when you’re being this emotional.”
“Just give me that thing,” I growled, gritting my teeth.
“You just triggered the spell, Ruby,” her grandmother commented.
Ruby’s eyes widened, then she looked at me again. “I’m so sorry!”
I took a deep breath and motioned at her with my hand again. “Whatever, just give it to me, please.”
She hesitated.
“I promise that I’ll wait,” I added.
Ruby’s shoulders dropped, and she nodded. “Okay,” she said, placing the cold bottle in my hand.
“Thank you,” I responded. I made a small pause and asked, “Do I need to keep it cold?”
The old lady shook her head. “The medium is plain water. The temperature is not relevant to the spell.”
“Room temperature soda is not exactly tasty,” Ruby explained. “We use them to mask the bitter taste the spells give to the liquid.”
“I see…” I lifted the bottle and examined it. It really was just a typical water bottle. “Thanks for the warning, and uh… yeah, I won’t drink it until I’m alone in my room.”
Ruby gave me a strained smile. “I hope that your decision makes you happy.”
---<>----------<>----------<>---
“There you are,” Mom said as I walked to her. She was waiting by the beauty store. “Are we ready to go?”
“Yeah,” I looked at her hands. “You didn’t buy anything?”
“Well, someone took their time coming back,” she replied with a smirk. “The bag is in the car already.”
I looked at my phone, realising that I had been gone for almost an hour. Mom had also sent me a message asking how much longer I’d be gone.
“Sorry.”
She gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze and guided me to one of the clothing stores. Once there, I made a beeline to the hoodie section.
There must be something I can wear despite the heat.
The one I had on constantly reminded me that it was summer, even with the store’s air conditioner.
After finding a couple that looked thin but baggy enough to hide any curves, I searched for the changing rooms and went inside the first empty booth I saw. Locking the door, I hung up the two hoodies and placed the potion on the seat.
Once both of my hands were free, I removed my outer layer and inhaled sharply as the clothes shifted and brushed against my chest.
Oh no…
The spell mercilessly activated as I looked at my reflection.
Volume.
Not a lot, just enough to be noticeable.
“Stupid hag. Stupid potion,” I cursed under my breath.
I need to see the damage.
Taking a deep breath, I carefully removed my t-shirt and looked at my breasts. Yes, breasts. They were really small, definitely smaller than they seemed through the fabric. Despite that, there was no other name for what I was staring at.
Before this, I thought that the antidote would solve all of my problems. Up until this morning, the changes were subtle enough. So minor that I was half expecting them to disappear over time.
This? This was permanent.
I shook my head and put my t-shirt back on. My hand then darted to one of the new hoodies and slid it past my head, again, being very careful at the front.
I looked at my reflection once more, and I saw a boy. He looked different than he did this morning. A hint of softness to his face. Still, I could recognise him as myself.
Okay, good.
Now, I just need to wear stuff like this for the rest of my life.
Maybe I can remove them with surgery?
I winced at the idea.
The other hoodie was also effective in hiding what was otherwise evident. I gave out a sigh of relief.
Guess I just need to grab as many colours of these as I can.
Stepping out of the changing rooms, I saw Mom was already waiting for me with a decent pile of clothes in her hands. A sight I was already familiar with from countless times she took me clothes shopping with her.
“Getting something for yourself?” I asked.
She laughed in response. “No, silly, these are for you!”
“What?”
She nodded. “Well, you’re looking for a change in style, right? I figured I could help out by picking some options for you to try. I think these will suit you.”
“Uh, I appreciate it, but I think I’m fine with just something like this,” I countered, showing her the two hoodies.
Mom raised an eyebrow. “In the middle of summer?”
“Y-yeah! It’s not really that hot, anyway.”
“I get wanting a layered look, but it doesn’t need to be that thick.” She put her selection on a nearby bench and browsed through the clothes until she retrieved a grey v-neck t-shirt and a thin plaid flannel jacket. “Here, how about this?”
I gave them an honest look. Under normal circumstances, I would’ve said yes. The jacket would probably hide my chest most of the time, but the problem was the few moments where it couldn’t, especially with a t-shirt that thin.
“No?” Mom asked, noticing my expression. She placed the two pieces next to the pile and continued digging through it. “No problem, I made sure to pick a good variety.”
No matter what she showed me, the answer was still no. Despite that, I had to admit that I didn’t hate any of her choices. Then she lifted the final piece of clothing, sending a chill down my spine.
“MOM!?”
A navy blue blouse. Solid colour, round neck and with slightly flared three-quarter sleeves.
Mom appraised the garment up and down, then looked at me. “Too much?”
No playful smile.
No ‘sorry, I grabbed it by mistake.’
Just her, presenting the choice to me.
“W-why would I wear that?” I shouted, pointing at the offending object.
Mom stared at me for a while longer before placing the blouse next to the pile. “My bad.”
Straightening herself, she pointed at the other clothes and asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to try these?”
---<>----------<>----------<>---
We were on the ride home. I looked behind me to see two bags full of clothes. One had nothing but hoodies. The other, that one had mom’s choices.
In the end, I agreed to try them on, and yes, they did fit. Not only that, but I liked them. I didn’t show her, of course. I couldn’t do that without risking exposing myself. We bought everything she picked and then some. Only one piece of clothing was missing.
Mom parked the car on the driveway, and we both exited the vehicle. I grabbed the antidote and then closed the passenger door.
“FUCK!”
“Michael?” Mom called and hurried to my side of the car. “What happened?”
I hissed at the stabbing pain in my chest. Both hands enveloping the affected area.
Seeing this, she was over me in an instant. “Oh my god, Michael! Are you okay? Is it your heart? Talk to me!”
“I’m okay,” I said, gritting my teeth. “I hit myself with the door when I closed it. It uh… It’s the bruise from yesterday.”
Mom quickly locked the car and guided me inside the house. She sat me on the couch and then followed suit.
“Let me see,” she said.
“N-no need!” I shouted. “I’ll just grab some of the Arnica cream from the medicine cabinet.”
“Michael Lindgren, if you keep acting like this, I swear, I’m dragging you to the ER, and then we’ll find out.”
My eyes stung. I tried to hold it back, but the tears forced their way out. A chill shortly followed. “Please, just let me go,” I muttered. “Please…”
“Michael,” she said, placing a hand on my shoulder. “What are you so scared of?”
“It’s nothing important. Really.” I paused for a moment. “I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine!” she snapped.
There was silence. I looked up to see my Mom was crying, too.
“I’m so sorry, Michael,” she said.
“Huh?”
“We’ve been horrible parents to you. We thought we were doing what was right for you. It blinded us from what made you happy. I can’t blame you for not trusting me. I can tell we’ve pushed you away. I pushed you away. But I’m worried! That, just now. That wasn't normal. You didn’t even slam the door, yet you’re in so much pain…”
I looked down at my chest.
Whether I take the antidote or not, I can’t hide what is already there.
My sight shifted to Mom. She kept crying with both hands to her face.
My hands went to the hem of my hoodie and grabbed it, then stopped. I looked at the window; to the empty spot in the driveway. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “Can… Can we do this in my room?”
“Yes,” mom replied. “Yes, of course.”
I stood up and held her hand, guiding her to the second floor and into my room. We both sat on the bed and remained silent for a moment. She didn’t push me, just held my hand.
“What I’m about to show you,” I said, keeping eye contact. “Could you keep it a secret from Dad and Andrew?”
“I can’t make that promise, Michael. You know that. If your health is at risk I—”
In an instant, the t-shirt and hoodie were gone. I threw both pieces of clothing on the bed, behind me. Mom’s eyes focused on my chest. The spell activated.
“Oh…”
Seeing her reaction, I crossed my arms over my chest and looked away. Another wave came with it.
Seriously?
Twice in a row?
“Michael, I need you to be honest with me. Are you secretly on HRT?”
I frowned at her question. “What is HRT?”
“Hormones, Michael,” Mom answered. “Are you taking hormones to become a girl? Are you trans?”
“No!” I shouted, scooting over to the edge of the bed. “No, why would I do that?”
“So this happened on its own?”
I glanced at my chest.
I could tell her that it did.
It’s not my fault that this happened, anyway.
Plus, there was no way she’d believe me if I told her about the magic.
But what if she did?
Am I even allowed to tell her?
“Michael?”
I bit my lip and looked at her. “It’s… I… What I mean is…” I sighed. “You won’t believe me if I tell you.”
“Try me,” Mom said.
I cleared my throat and nodded. “Okay.”
I told her everything. From the moment we went to the store to the present. I told her about the potion. I explained my understanding of it, and how I came to realise it was real. This time, I spared no details. She didn’t interrupt. Not even once. She just listened and nodded.
It was only when I finished, that she spoke, “I don’t know, Michael. I find this so hard to believe.”
“Yeah…”
“And yet,” she continued. “It makes sense. The secrecy, the pain, what I saw this morning… I get why you needed to go check on them earlier.”
“So you believe me?” I asked.
She pinched at her nose and nodded. “Let’s say I do for now. What are you planning to do then? Will you take the antidote?”
My eyes widened at that moment.
“The antidote!” I yelled, getting up and running down the stairs.
I heard Mom call to me, but I couldn’t stop. I opened the front door and sprinted to the passenger side of the car. I scanned the floor around it, but I saw nothing. I crouched and looked under. The bottle was nowhere to be seen.
“Looking for this?” Andrew said, dangling the bottle with two fingers.