A Family of Witches

“Sit down and I’ll get Lorrie. I’ll only be gone a second, I promise.”

Vega helped Ares down onto the old red couch and took off. Ares’ breathing was still erratic. He tried to focus on his surroundings to take his mind off of it. A wide TV hung over an artificial fireplace that could be set to either heat or cold. There were two small couches and a wooden coffee table on top of a large rug that detailed the story of the North family through the ages. The walls were covered with both portraits of their ancestors and photos of Ares, his siblings, and their moms.

How was Ares going to explain this to Vega and Lorrie? He’d been so stupid! Using the wish like he did? It wasn’t even his! He had no idea what he was doing. Of course it was going to screw up. Lorrie had always told Ares never to play with magic he didn’t understand.

At the sound of footsteps, Ares flinched and curled up. Vega entered the room again with Lorrie, who looked worried half to death. She sat down next to Ares and ordered, “Tell me what happened.”

Ares took a deep breath and started talking. He explained reading the book, needing reagents for the spell he wanted to do, and asking Vega where to find them. He explained coming across the wish scroll and planning to put it back, but feeling so left out from the family that he was desperate for a solution. Vega and Lorrie exchanged a concerned look at that. Then Ares explained the wish he made and how the spell had changed his body.

“I look like a girl!” he cried. “Everything except…” He squeezed his legs together. “Everything that people can see makes me look like a girl. This isn’t what I wished for.” In the smallest voice possible, he added, “I’m sorry for what I did.”

Lorrie sighed and mumbled, “I was saving that scroll for our twenty-fifth anniversary. You are definitely in trouble for using magic that you didn’t understand and didn’t belong to you. I expect so much better from you, young man. I’m gravely disappointed.”

“You definitely knew better,” Vega added. “If this situation weren’t so serious I’d have half a mind to ground you for a month. But what upsets me most is that you apparently felt so left out of the family that you’d gamble on a wish spell to somehow ‘fix’ that feeling.”

“Why didn’t you just come to us and explain how you felt?” Lorrie asked. “We’re your mothers, and we would do anything to help you.”

She leaned in closer and scooped Ares up in a hug. After a moment, Vega did the same. Ares was shaking. His face contorted as he struggled not to cry.

“I’m sorry,” he stammered.

“It’s okay, sweetie,” Vega said. “I promise you that we’ll do better in the future to make you feel like you belong.”

“And that’s a promise that you can count on,” Lorrie added, letting go of Ares.

“Thank you,” Ares said, sniffling. “Please don’t tell anyone about this. I don’t want my sisters to find out. It would be so embarrassing.”

“Alright, dear,” Lorrie said. “We don’t have to tell them.”

Ares relaxed.

Vega added, “We are going to find a solution to this, I promise. The effects of a wish spell aren’t necessarily permanent and can be undone.  It may take a little bit of time, but we will be able to get you back to normal.”

“That’s right,” Lorrie said softly, running her fingers through Ares’ hair. “You’ll be back to being a normal boy soon enough.”

That was a relief. This wasn’t permanent. It felt like all the weight in the world had just fallen off of his back.

Lorrie took Ares’ hand and stood up, saying, “I’ll take you back to your room.”

Ares was afraid that one of his sisters would show up as they walked up the stairs and through the halls, but they were undisturbed. Once they were outside Ares’ door, Lorrie stopped and let go of his hand. She knelt down to look him in the eye and said, “Things will be okay, I promise.”

“Thank you.”

Ares gave her a hug, the first one in years.

Lorrie continued, “I’ll bring some of Hestia’s old clothes out from the basement tomorrow so you have something comfortable to wear. Try to get a good night’s sleep, alright. Use that alarm clock of yours.”

Ares nodded and opened the door. After a brief goodnight, he closed the door behind him and collapsed onto his bed. His thoughts would keep him up all night if he let them, so he reached over and hit a button on his alarm clock. Soothing music started to play. It overwhelmed his thoughts and before long Ares had fallen asleep in his ill-fitting clothes.

Ares stayed sequestered in his room for all of the next day. When he didn’t show up for breakfast, he heard Eris knock on the door and ask if he was alright. Since his voice had changed to become more feminine, Ares just croaked out that he was feeling sick. She wished him well and departed. Shortly after, Lorrie came to drop off a small plate of food for him. Vega did the same at lunch.

Lorrie made good on her promise to bring a box of Hestia’s old clothes. It was sitting in a far corner of Ares’ long room, collecting even more dust. Right now, Ares was content to just sit on his bed in sweatpants and a large tee shirt. That’s all he really needed. Finding the cure would take a while, but he wasn’t ready to trade in his masculinity by wearing girl clothes. Especially not his sister’s clothes; it’d feel weird.

Dinner came and went, and Lorrie dropped off a plate of food for Ares. He ate it and left the plate outside the door, then waited. He waited until it got dark and late, then finally got up off of his bed. From his closet, Ares pulled out a large cloak and wrapped it around himself. It wasn’t an invisibility cloak, but it would help keep people from seeing his body.

“Oh please don’t let anyone still be up,” he muttered to the moon above before sliding out of his room.

He crept down the stairs, which creaked a little under his weight. Ares clutched the edges of the cloak tightly enough for his hands to turn white. Finally, he reached the ground floor and headed for the front door. Once he was outside, Ares took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his brow.

Ares took off toward the west, hoping that she’d still be up at this time. He could use a friendly face right now and Amaryllis wouldn’t judge him for what happened. A stiff breeze wafted through the trees, and Ares clutched his cloak tighter to keep it from revealing his body.

“Amaryllis?!” he cried out once he’d finally passed under the woven-together trees. “Are you here?”

“Rosebud?” Ares turned around to see the green woman standing there with a look of confusion plastered on her face. “What are you doing here? Why has your appearance changed?”

Ares went into a detailed explanation of everything that had happened that afternoon. Amaryllis stayed silent, but her expression changed several times over the course of the story. When Ares was done, she took him by the arm and the two sat down next to the little rock shrine in the center of the glade.

“So I’m still confused,” Amaryllis said. “You said something about looking like a girl? What does that mean? What’s a girl?”

Ares looked at Amaryllis like she’d just grown two heads. Amaryllis was watching him with a look of concern. She didn’t seem to be playing a joke on him.

“Um… Okay, so… A girl is… My moms are girls,” he tried to explain. “And I’m a boy. That’s why we look a little different. Boys have, like, shorter hair and more muscles and deeper voices and they’re usually taller. It’s hard to explain to someone who doesn’t already understand it, okay?”

Amaryllis nodded slowly.

“And it bothers you to be a girl?” she asked.

“I’m not actually a girl,” Ares said. “I just look like a girl.”

“This sounds really interesting, but also kind of confusing. I’m glad I don’t have to worry about it. But does it bother you? Are you just going to look like a girl now or are you going to change back?”

“Vega and Lorrie are looking for a solution,” Ares said. “But I don’t know how long it will take.”

“Oh, that’s a shame,” Amaryllis said. “I think you look better this way.”

Ares shuffled uncomfortably, and Amaryllis bit her lip.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I can see that what I said upset you.”

“People aren’t supposed to have a body that doesn’t match their gender,” Ares explained. “It makes people feel very uncomfortable. I’ve heard about this before: it’s called gender dysphoria. I’m not a girl, so because I look like one it’s really upsetting, like it’s not really my body.”

“Fascinating. There’s still so much we can learn from you humans.”

Ares managed to smile a little bit.

Amaryllis continued, “I’m sure your parents will find a way to turn you back, then. Obviously you humans already know a lot about gender and how it works. You’ll be back to looking like a boy in no time, I’m sure of it.”

“Thank you,” Ares said softly. “That actually does help.”

“Unfortunately, I have things to do before the night is over,” Amaryllis said. “But since it’s dark, I’ll escort you back home, alright?”

Ares nodded and made to stand up. They got back home without any difficulty and Ares said goodbye to Amaryllis. He thought briefly about giving her a hug, but thought better of it. She was still a nature spirit, after all; no telling how she’d react to such a human gesture.

The next day, Ares found himself messaging his friends. They were getting ready for another call today and he was going to have to bow out. Even though Ares didn’t really use video, his voice had changed enough that they would be able to tell that something was wrong. Eris might have been content with Ares’ excuse that he was sick, but his friends would catch on eventually if he kept using his voice.

Dude, sorry to hear that you’re not well, one message read.

Get better soon, okay Ares? was another.

Don’t strain your voice just for our sake.

Make sure you get some chicken soup. Does wonders.

You’ll be okay by the time me and Mercedes come to visit, right?

Ares hated lying to his friends. It honestly did hurt him to do so. But nobody could know the truth. He would never be able to recover from the embarrassment. And he didn’t know if he’d be back to normal by the time Finley and Mercedes came to visit. That could be a problem.

The sound of the clothes dryer a floor below whirling to life snapped Ares out of his thoughts. This was day three and he still hadn’t given in to wearing Tia’s old clothes. He had plenty of tee shirts to go through still, but these were his only pair of sweatpants and they were getting a little rank. Ares would need to change out of them sooner than later.

A knock at the door caused Ares to take a sharp breath. When Vega started talking, though, he relaxed and got up off the bed. He opened the door and let her and Lorrie in. Lorrie was carrying a small ice cream sundae that she passed to Ares with a warm smile. It seemed like every time Ares saw them, the two were coming up with some way to pamper him.

“How are you doing, sweetie?” Vega said, sitting down on the bed and picking up the rabbit plushie.

“I’m okay,” Ares said, sitting down in his desk chair. “Is there news?”

“Not yet, I’m afraid,” Lorrie said, folding her arms. “We’ve got some books coming in that will be helpful. There’s plenty of knowledge on wish spells and, in particular, how to undo them if they go wrong. And once we have that, it won’t be too long before we have a working solution.”

“How long?” Ares asked.

“Not long, sweetie,” Vega insisted.

“How long?” Ares asked again.

Lorrie and Vega exchanged a glance.

“Only a couple of weeks,” Lorrie said.

Ares nearly dropped the bowl of ice cream.

“Weeks?” he asked. “I can’t stay like this for weeks.”

“Which brings us to the other thing we wanted to talk to you about,” Lorrie said, shuffling uncomfortably. “You can’t hide from your sisters forever. You need to let them know what happened to you.”

Ares stared at her, then turned to look at Vega. She was watching Ares calmly. Ares turned back to Lorrie.

“I’m not doing it,” he said, setting the bowl down on his desk next to his tablet. “I’d die of embarrassment.”

Vega told him, “It won’t be that bad, sweetie. Your sisters love you very much and, even though we all tease each other on occasion, nobody is going to try and make you feel bad about this.”

“It’s not healthy to stay locked up in your room like this,” Lorrie added. “You’ll feel better once you can openly walk around the house again.”

“I can’t do it,” Ares whispered. “I’m not strong enough.”

Lorrie walked over and placed a hand on Ares’ shoulder, insisting, “You’re plenty strong, honey. And you don’t have to do this alone. You have me and Vega, and your sisters will absolutely be there for you to lean on.”

“Trust me, sweetie,” Vega said, standing up and walking over, “everyone in this family loves you very much and wants to be there for you. Everyone keeps asking what you’re sick with and how they can help. Trust your sisters, Ares.”

Ares took a deep breath and nodded, but kept his gaze down in his lap.

He asked, “Can I get some time to change into clean clothes first?”

“Of course,” Lorrie said, taking a step back. “We’ll introduce you to everyone just before dinner. Down in the family room. One of us will come get you when we’re ready.”

They left him alone, and Ares deflated. So this was it. He really hoped that they were right. If his sisters turned on him, Ares didn’t know what he’d do.

He got up and finally opened the box of Hestia’s old clothes sitting in the corner. He found a large shirt and the loosest pair of pants he could find and pulled them on over his boxers. Once he was done, Ares took a rubber band from his desk and pulled his hair into a ponytail. Lastly, he picked up his tablet and turned on the camera to get a good look at himself. He looked like a girl, and that made him nervous.

In a few hours, Vega came to collect Ares and brought him down to the family room. Vega wrapped Ares in a warm blanket and the two sat down on the couch, her hands clutching his. Lorrie had gone to collect the others and bring them downstairs. Once she was gone, Ares whimpered a little bit and leaned up against Vega.

“There, there,” she cooed. “Everything is going to be alright, you’ll see.”

“I’m scared.”

“It’s okay to be scared. The important thing is that you’re facing your fears. And you’re not doing it alone.”

“I look like a girl.”

“You look strong and handsome,” Vega insisted.

Ares tried to smile, but the compliments just weren’t landing for him. Despite the blanket, he was shivering. Vega started rocking him gently and humming.

“You know,” she said, “you look even more like Lorrie, now.”

Ares couldn’t help himself; he grinned a little and could feel his cheeks burning. It faded quickly at the sound of approaching footsteps, though. After another moment, Lorrie entered the room again with Ares’ sisters on her heels.

As soon as they entered, Ares’ sisters stopped to stare at the scene. Eris’ mouth dropped open and she stood frozen stiff. Hestia was watching the whole scene with confusion. Pandora’s eyes were sparkling with excitement.

“Is he wearing my shirt?” Hestia asked, folding her arms.

Ares felt his face burn and he looked down, avoiding eye contact. Vega gave his arm a gentle squeeze. Lorrie sat down next to him as well and opened her mouth to start talking. She was interrupted by Pandora.

“I get another sister?!” she cried. “That is so cool! What’s her new name?”

Ares choked back a sob and buried his head in his hands.

“Pandora North!” Vega snapped. “That was very inappropriate. Your brother is in a very vulnerable place right now and you need to show him proper respect.”

Lorrie added, “Now apologize, young lady.”

After a moment, Ares heard Dora murmur, “I’m sorry. I just thought…”

“I don’t think you did,” Lorrie said sternly.

“What… happened, exactly?” Hestia asked.

Ares stayed silent while Vega and Lorrie explained the whole thing to the rest of them. Once again, Ares had to relive his utter stupidity, but this time in front of his sisters. When his moms finished the story, the whole room fell silent.

Then Eris burst out, “This doesn’t make any sense! He can’t just be a girl now!”

Vega explained, “Even though Ares looks like a girl on the outside, he’s still a boy on the inside. And he’s going to return to looking like a boy once we can reverse the wish spell.”

Ares glanced up to see Eris was pulling at her hair.

“I don’t get this,” she said. “Why would the spell do… this to him?”

“Wish spells are unpredictable if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing,” Lorrie explained. “The important thing is that it’s not permanent.”

Eris nodded slowly, but did not stop pulling at her hair. Beside her, Hestia cleared her throat.

“I don’t have a lot of free time,” she reminded them, “but whatever time I do have to spare, I want to help look for a solution. I think I can be helpful.”

“Me too,” Eris said, finally calming down a little. “Everything else can wait. We need to help get Ares back to normal. Number one priority.”

“Yeah,” Pandora said. “I might not be able to help with the magic and stuff, but I’m going to make sure that Ares stays happy until he can go back to normal.”

Ares glanced between his sisters and his moms on the couch. Then he sniffed and closed his eyes, trying to hold back tears. It didn’t work and he started shaking. In another moment, he was crying openly. Vega and Lorrie wrapped him in a hug.

For the first time in a long time, it actually felt like the family was united again. Everyone was willing to help him. Ares had never felt quite as much like part of the family as he did now. And he was bawling because of it. After a moment, Dora ran up and introduced her own arms to the hug as well. Finally, Ares’ sobs turned into sniffles and everyone let go of him.

“Thank you,” he croaked. “I don’t know what I’d do without all of you.”