The Witch’s Ichor

The nurse's office at Witchburrow High isn't the most impressive place, but for what it lacks in quality it makes up in quantity. It's spacious.

Ryker is quietly lying down on a bed surrounded by curtains. The nurse took one look at him and sent him over without asking any questions. Ryker feels his phone buzz, and opens his messenger app.

Ryker: That was an accident. Zoe is just the name I used when I was pretending to be a girl for a prank, lol

Tracy: Sounds like a crazy prank, how'd it go?

Ryker: Honestly it kind of flopped. He barely reacted when I revealed it was me, not a girl, he was flirting with. :/

Tracy: Dang that sucks! Probably took a lot of effort, too.

Ryker considers the prank, and wonders if he should tell Tracy about the magic potion he drank. She already saw him call himself Zoe, so it hardly matters.

Ryker: It was hard to wear the girl clothes, thought I was gonna get caught at the mall, lol

Ryker: The rest was easy, because the witch's magic made me look like a girl

Tracy: Wait you mean like the witch in the woods? She's real? You gotta be pulling me leg!

Ryker: I can prove it if you want, after school?

Tracy: Sure, but I'm bringing my pepper spray.

The mention of pepper spray is a painful reminder for Ryker that he's a man. The sheer muscle mass and height difference between him and Tracy is significant. She has every right to worry about some creep showing her 'magic' in a secluded space. There that nasty feeling is again.

I'm dangerous, like a monster.

Ryker sits up and puts away his phone. The nurse comes over, and checks up on him. After a quick vitals check Ryker is sent back to class with a peppermint.

~

The final bell rings. Tracy puts away her things, and double checks her pepper spray is attached to her bag. She pulls out her phone, and texts the guy she befriended today.

Ryker: I'll wait out behind the gym

Tracy: gotcha

Tracy stands, and leaves the classroom. She has to weave between the rivers of students making their way to the front of the building. Not many are headed in this direction, and the halls get quieter and quieter.

She reaches the doors leading outside, and pushes through. A couple turns and she'll be face to face with this odd guy. Tracy clutches the straps of her bag to steel herself, heading toward the meeting place.

I hope this isn't a mistake.

It takes a minute to find him. Ryker is sitting by a dumpster with his head in his hands. The sight is pitiful, but Tracy doesn't let her guard down as she approaches him. She crouches, and cups her hands around her mouth.

"Hellooo?" Tracy greets.

Ryker stiffens up, and slowly looks up at her. The look he's giving Tracy reminds her of a kicked puppy, but she doesn't fall for it.

"So are you gonna show me your 'magic' now, or is it all some sick joke?" Tracy asks judgmentally.

The expression on Ryker's face shifts to one of cold fury. He angrily clenches both his fists, and Tracy clutches her pepper spray with one hand. He stands up, and parts his lips. The sound that comes out stuns Tracy.

"Make me a girl."

There's a weird tingling in the air, and the boy standing before her starts to float. He hovers just above the ground while convulsing. She takes a nervous step back. Ryker's body twists like it's ripping apart, and for a second Tracy worries she's about to see someone get torn apart by magic.

Instead, Tracy watches in awe as Ryker changes into a petite dark haired girl with strikingly beautiful features. The girl's dark hair is cascading down to nearly touch the floor. She stands at a meager height of five feet tall. The girl open's her doe eyes, and looks up at Tracy with teary eyes.

Oh my god.
She's fucking adorable!

The small girl's expression falls away to a pout, and then the tears start flowing. Tracy's eyes widen as the girl starts to quiver and sob. Tracy crouches down and wraps her arms around the dark haired girl gently.

"It's okay. Shh, you're okay. I'm here." Tracy tries to comfort the girl.

Warm tears dampen Tracy's top. She hugs the girl tighter. Tracy gently leans her head against the girls shoulder, and the girl does the same to Tracy. They stay like this for several harrowing minutes.

Finally, the girl is calm. Tracy carefully leans back from the girl.

"You good?" Tracy asks.

The girl nods her head.

"So... is your name Zoe?" Tracy continues.

Zoe nods again, but doesn't say anything. Tracy takes a deep breath while trying to process the existence of magic. She'd heard rumors of the witch before, but never anything concrete. This is more than concrete. This is undeniable evidence.

"You're really cute, you know that?" Tracy says with a smile.

Zoe shakes her head immediately.

"You don't agree? Why not?" Tracy presses.

"Because I'm not a real girl, I'm j-just pretend." Zoe gets choked up as she speaks.

Tracy can't help but notice how sweet and soft Zoe's voice is. She gently rubs the girl's back while sitting against the wall beside her.

"You are a real girl if you want to be one, Zoe." Tracy explains patiently.

Zoe doesn't calm down at all. She starts to sob now, and her voice comes out in broken gasps as she offers her retort.

"I-I'm a m-monster." Zoe chokes out.

Tracy's eyes widen a little at Zoe's words. She immediately pulls the smaller girl into a tender embrace, and holds her until the tears stop.

"Listen to me very carefully, Zoe." Tracy says gently.

Zoe looks up at Tracy with red puffy eyes, and a pout on her delicate face.

"You are not a monster. Just because you were born a boy doesn't mean you are one, or that you have to stay one forever. If you want to be a girl then you are one, inside and out." Tracy lectures quietly.

"B-But I was-" Zoe starts.

Tracy immediately hushes her by putting her finger to her lips.

"But what? You were born with boy parts? There's surgery to fix that, and women can be born without all the 'normal' parts" Tracy argues.

Zoe has a perplexed look on her face. She purses her lips before turning to look at Tracy with a determined expression.

"My real v-" Zoe protests.

"Your voice is too deep? How do you think women with naturally deep voices feel? There's a lot of variance in pitch, and if you really want you can train your voice to sound different." Tracy cuts Zoe off.

The irritated look on Zoe's face turns ugly as she loses her cool.

"I'm too tall! Too hairy! I don't even have boobs, you know!" Zoe snaps.

Tracy puts her hand on Zoe's head, and looks into her eyes sternly. Zoe quiets down upon seeing the seriousness of Tracy's expression.

"Tall women exist, and they aren't any less feminine for it. Body hair is perfectly normal for a woman, and you can just shave, wax, or laser it off if you want." Tracy explains coldly.

Zoe squints at Tracy as if waiting for Tracy to finish rebuffing her reasons for not being a 'real' girl.

"You can literally just take hormones to grow boobs, Zoe. That ones easy." Tracy sighs.

Zoe blinks dumbly in response. She frowns softly before glancing at Tracy as if not believing her. She pulls out her phone from her oversized jeans, and searches something. Her astonishment is plain on her face.

"Y-You can do that?!" Zoe gawks.

Tracy giggles at her friend's reaction, and nods.

"You sure can. Still feel like you aren't a real girl?" Tracy replies.

Zoe goes to open her mouth, but Tracy shushes her with her finger. She gently holds Zoe's face by the cheeks, and presses their foreheads together. The proximity is a little overwhelming. Zoe can basically only see Tracy's bright green eyes.

"You are a real girl if you want to be, and nobody can change that." Tracy whispers.

Tracy pulls away slowly with smirk. Zoe huffs softly.

"Fine. I'm a... a real girl." Zoe whispers.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that?" Tracy says.

"I said I'm a real girl." Zoe replies.

"Hm? You're mumbling." Tracy fibs.

"I SAID I'M A GIRL!" Zoe shouts.

The pale girl's face turns beet red after realizing she shouted that so loudly. She gives Tracy the stink eye, but fails to stop herself from smiling. Zoe reaches out and gives Tracy the biggest hug she can manage.

"Thank you." Zoe mumbles.

Tracy hugs her back, and quietly replies.

"It's what friends are for."

~

The bustling streets of downtown Witchburrow are pretty much the place to be. Zoe can hardly contain herself as she walks alongside Tracy. Tracy smiles down at the much shorter girl while Zoe drinks in the sights and sounds.

"Having fun?" Tracy asks.

"Yes, So much fun! I love being a girl!" Zoe replies enthusiastically.

Tracy can't help grinning at that adorable reply. 

Zoe spots a salon, and fumbles for her wallet. She finds it in her bag, and pulls it out to check how much cash she has. Tracy watches her with an eyebrow raised.

"Did you want a haircut?" Tracy asks.

"Yup. I want bangs!" Zoe replies.

"I could pay for it if you don't mind?" Tracy offers.

An odd sense of deja vu overcomes Zoe as she looks at Tracy.

"Is this pretty privilege?" Zoe asks bluntly.

Tracy bursts out laughing at Zoe's question. She takes a few moments to collect herself while Zoe watches in confusion.

"Y-Yes, I guess it is?" Tracy replies.

"Cool. In that case I'll be taking you up on that offer!" Zoe says with a smirk.

She's lucky she's cute.

Tracy takes the smaller girl's hand and guides her to the salon. Zoe follows closely with a big smile on her face. If Zoe wasn't so well endowed it'd feel like Tracy was on an outing with the younger sister she never had. They enter the salon.

The salon's atmosphere is impeccable. Quiet music plays over the speakers while curtains divide the customers from one another. Zoe steps up to the front desk with a confidence she never had as a boy.

"Hello! I was wondering if I could get my hair cut? I want bangs." Zoe explains.

The lady at the desk smiles a little at Zoe's straightforward approach, and checks a sheet of paper on her desk. She nods after a second of reading.

"Yes, we do have an opening right now. Will you be paying with cash or card?" She replies.

Tracy holds up her debit card with a polite smile.

"We'll do card, thank you." Tracy replies.

Zoe tunes out the conversation as she stares up at the pictures adorning the salon walls. They depict women with a variety of hair styles. These example cuts provide both decoration and inspiration for customers. Tracy gently pulls Zoe along.

"Let's go, squirt." Tracy urges.

"Squirt? I'm not a kid!" Zoe protests.

"Yeah everyone can tell, no need to remind me." Tracy replies with an eyeroll.

Zoe furrows her brow in confusion. She only realizes what Tracy meant when she's halfway through getting her bangs cut. She blushes bright red while glancing at herself in the mirror. The haircut doesn't take long.

Afterwards, Zoe keeps turning her head while looking into the mirror. Tracy smiles down at Zoe as she inspects herself.

"Do you like it?" Tracy asks.

"Of course, It's so pretty!" Zoe gushes.

After a few more minutes of admiring herself in the mirror Tracy manages to drag Zoe to the front of the salon. The nice lady at the front desk waves goodbye to the pair of girls.

"Have a nice night, ladies!" She bids goodbye.

Zoe's cheeks pink up a little. She's grinning ear to ear as they step outside. Tracy notices, and can't help feeling Zoe is far too precious for this world.

She looks so happy. Aww.

The pair of girls pass by a popular arcade on their walk through downtown. Tracy normally passes these places without a second thought, so she's surprised to see Zoe slow down outside the arcade. Zoe peers into the arcade with a dreamy look.

Oh? What's got her making goo goo eyes?

Tracy follows Zoe's gaze to see three boys. One boy is wearing glasses, the shortest. Another boy is going ham on the speed bag with a cocky grin on his face. The third boy is leaning against the wall with a slight smile on his face. Tracy can't help but wonder why Zoe is looking at those boys in particular.

Who are they?