The Witch’s Ichor

The quiet of the waiting room does little to calm Zoe as she wiggles in her seat. The girl kicks her legs only to feel her shoes hit the floor, and sighs. The walls here are decorated with a variety of posters discussing sexual health and gender expression.

"Wiggling won't make the clock move quicker, Zoe." Zoe's mother comments.

"I-I know that." Zoe murmurs.

Zoe is waiting with her mother for her first appointment. Technically Zoe could just come here alone, but the walk here would have been hours long. Zoe's mother was thankfully willing to give her a ride. The door to the back of the clinic opens, and a woman wearing baby blue scrubs pokes her head out.

"Zoe?" The lady calls out.

"That's me!" Zoe replies as she stands.

The woman gives Zoe a kind smile and pushes the door open for her. Zoe walks over and follows her into the corridor. She gives her mom a little wave as she leaves the waiting room behind.

"We're gonna head over through here, and get your height and weight." She explains.

"Okay!" Zoe chirps.

Zoe steps onto the scale and watches it measure her weight. She frowns slightly as it settles at one hundred and twenty pounds. Zoe would prefer to weigh a little more. The woman writes down Zoe's weight, and asks her to step over to the measuring device against the wall.

Zoe glances at the measurements on the wall as she takes off her shoes, and stands in place. The lady helping her adjusts a metal indicator, and writes her height down.

"You're five feet and eight inches tall, give or take." She tells Zoe.

"Dang. That's so tall..." Zoe sighs.

The lady laughs as she turns to guide Zoe to a different room.

"Oh, don't be so hard on yourself. I've met girls over six feet tall." She remarks lightly.

"Really?" Zoe's eyebrows go up a little.

The woman nods as she leads Zoe into a room with a medical bed and some chairs. There's a counter with a sink against one wall. Posters depicting human anatomy adorn the walls. Zoe is surprised by how similar it resembles an ordinary doctor's office.

"Dr. Green will be here in a few minutes." The lady informs Zoe.

"Okay, Thank you!" Zoe replies with a smile.

Zoe watches the woman shut the door on her way out. Zoe gets comfortable in one of the cushy chairs pushed up against the wall, and takes out her phone. There's a few messages in the group chat for her to read. She opens them.

Jamison: Hey Zoe, are you busy today..?

Derek: bro is wasting no time lol

Zoe: I am, actually!

Zoe: I'm seeing a doctor about HRT :)

Derek: Is that like IBS? lmao

Theo: No, Derek. HRT is hormone replacement therapy.

Derek: What's that

Zoe: It means I'll take medication to turn me into a girl in my original body!

Derek: You're bullshitting me, right?

Zoe: No! pfft.

The sound of the door handle turning catches Zoe's attention. She quickly slips her phone into her pocket as an older lady in a lab coat enters. The lady smiles at Zoe. She grabs a rolling chair with a desk attached and places her laptop upon it.

"So, your name is Zoe?" She inquires.

"Yup!" Zoe replies.

"Great. My name is Dr. Green, and I'll be your endocrinologist." Dr. Green introduces herself.

Dr. Green clicks a few things on her laptop, and flips through a pamphlet briefly. She turns to Zoe with the pamphlet in one hand.

"So, I have to ask this just to be sure. Do you want feminizing hormone therapy?" Dr. Green asks.

"Yes! I want to look more like a girl." Zoe replies with a determined expression.

"Great! First I need you to read through this. Read all of it, and sign the pages you've read." Dr. Green instructs.

Zoe nods softly as she takes the pamphlet. The first page has the words "Effects of Estrogen" at the top, and lists off a bunch of various side effects of undergoing feminizing HRT. Zoe's eyes widen a little at the promise of breast development, skin softening, and decreased muscle mass. Zoe turns the page. She realizes this pamphlet is quite thick.

"I really have to read all of this..?" Zoe murmurs.

"Yes, really. We don't want anyone undergoing treatment without understanding the risks involved." Dr. Green answers her seriously.

Dr. Green's words make sense to Zoe, so she continues without complaint. Dr. Green patiently waits for her to finish digesting the material. It takes several minutes for Zoe to finish reading the whole thing.

"I'm done!" Zoe announces.

Dr. Green takes the pamphlet and checks that she's signed the papers before handing Zoe a second copy. She files away the signed one before turning back to Zoe.

"That ones for you, keep it and refer to it in case you're unsure of something." Dr. Green explains.

Zoe nods and holds her pamphlet on her lap. Dr. Green types out something on her laptop before continuing.

"So, I  want to hear about your experiences. How did you find out you were trans? That sort of thing." Dr. Green asks softly.

The events leading up this appointment flash through Zoe's mind like a slideshow. She purses her lips, and relaxes her shoulders. Zoe decides to start from the very beginning.

"It started on a Wednesday night. It was chilly, and my three friends were with me..." Zoe begins.

~

The rattle of pills in the bottle brings a smile to Zoe's face. She peers through the orange tinted plastic to look at the little blue pills. Her mother watches her with an amused smile. Zoe unscrews the bottle, but her mother gently stops her.

"Not yet. She recommended you take the spiro first, Zoe." Zoe's mother reminds her.

Zoe nods sheepishly as she grabs the bottle of spironolactone and unscrews its cap. The little tablets are an off-white hue, and they smell strange. She carefully places the little pill atop her tongue, and washes it down with a big gulp of water.

After drinking the rest of her glass of water, Zoe turns back to the bottle of estradiol. The medicinal scent of the little blue pills is surprisingly strong. Zoe recalls the instructions given to her by Dr. Green. She places the oval shaped pill beneath her tongue.

"How is it?" Zoe's mother inquires.

Zoe furrows her brow as she squishes the softening pill with the underside of her tongue. The pill is starting to break apart into a thick clumpy powder. Zoe works the powder into the bottom of her mouth with her tongue.

"It feels strange, but not bad." Zoe murmurs.

It takes a little while for Zoe to get the entire pill broken apart. The powder is a stubborn thing, and takes what feels like hours to be absorbed into her mouth. Zoe sighs when it's finally over with. Zoe's mother chuckles.

"You can do something to entertain yourself next time, honey." Zoe's mother suggests.

Zoe pouts a little at her mother's words.

"I'm not a kid, Mom. I can handle waiting!" Zoe argues.

"Really now? To me it looked like you would die from anticipation." Zoe's mother laughs.

Zoe smirks a little as she looks away from her mother. The thought of her masculine body becoming feminine has her practically vibrating with excitement.

"I'm just so ready to grow real boobs!" Zoe exclaims a little too loudly.

The blush that colors Zoe's face elicits a lighthearted chuckle from her mother. The older woman glances down at her own ample bust before sighing.

"Well, if you have my genetics then you'll get more than you bargained for, Zoe." Zoe's mother warns.

"Oh my god, Mom!" Zoe groans.

~

The gentle warmth of sunlight wakes Zoe from her peaceful slumber. She yawns, and stretches her arms over her head. Her eyes flit over to her phone. She sees it's not quite time to get out of bed. She rolls over to enjoy a brief respite.

Zoe feels an eerily familiar aching sensation as her chest squishes her mattress.

Zoe sits up frantically and stares down at the familiar sight of two newly budding breasts. It feels like deja vu. Thursday morning went exactly like this, but now it's happening again? Zoe quickly glances at herself in the mirror. That is definitely her boy body, but it's growing boobs.

"Make me a girl!"

The pop of magic reverses something in Zoe, and she feels her body shrink down. The sight of her small nude body puts a blush on her face. She quickly does a spin to ensure nothing has changed, and opens her mouth again.

"Make me a boy!"

Once again a pop, and Zoe fells her body change. She's back to how she was moments earlier. Her height isn't modified like it was during her first transformation, yet she's growing breasts. Zoe grabs the pamphlet off her nightstand, rifling through it.

It clearly says this should process takes months to begin...
Is the Witch's Ichor speeding it up?

Knock knock knock.

Zoe whips her head over to look at her bedroom door. Her mother doesn't burst in like she expects. After a brief pause, Zoe's mother speaks. Her voice is muffled by the door.

"You awake, honey? Breakfast is ready." Zoe's mother says.

"I'm awake! I'll be right down!" Zoe shouts.

The strangeness of Zoe's situation is pushed to the wayside as she quickly gets dressed in gender neutral clothing. It feels a little less distinctly boyish, and more like Zoe. Zoe opens her door and hurries downstairs.

Pancakes greet Zoe when she takes a seat at the dining table. She takes up her fork and knife, cutting them into little pieces. Zoe's mother hurriedly grabs her keys and walks toward the door. She turns to say goodbye to Zoe.

"I'll see you after work, Zoe! Love you!" She calls out.

"Love you too, Mom!" Zoe replies with a laugh.

Sugary caramel colored syrup pours down over Zoe's pancakes. She eats her pancakes like a vacuum cleaning up dirt. It takes her less than a minute to finish the three pancakes on her plate. She feels her stomach gurgle as if unsatisfied.

What in the world is up with me today?

Zoe grabs another four pancakes and cuts them apart. The buzz of her phone draws her attention, so she skips the syrup and starts eating with one hand. Her free hand picks up her phone. She checks her messages.

Jamison: Hey Zoe, I was wondering if we could talk about something before school?

Zoe: Sure? What's up?

Jamison: I think it's best if I tell you in person.

Zoe: Oh okay! Want me to walk toward ur place?

Jamison: No, I'm already near yours.

Jamison: Just come outside when you're ready.

The last of the pancakes disappear into Zoe's stomach as she blinks in surprise. She glances up toward the front door, and then back down at her phone. She shakes her head in exasperation, taking her dirty dishes to the sink.

It only takes a minute or so for Zoe to clean up her dirty dishes. She quickly slings her backpack over her shoulder, and walks outside. Jamison is waiting for her. He's leaning against the tree in her front yard. He notices her and smiles, waving casually.

"Fancy seeing you here... Come here often?" Zoe jokes sarcastically.

Jamison's cheeks redden slightly as Zoe approaches him. He nervously clears his throat.

"S-Sorry for coming here like this... I just need to get something off my chest." Jamison apologizes.

Zoe smiles one of her heart stopping smiles, and Jamison finds it hard to grasp what he wants to say. The way her brown eyes look up at him is no less adorable now that Zoe is in her original body. She's still the same girl he's come to know.

"It's fine, dummy. Just tell me what it is?" Zoe replies with a giggle.

Jamison straightens his posture as he goes over what he wants to say in his head. He spent hours practicing what to say to Zoe in the mirror, yet he finds himself struggling to put his feelings into words. He swallows the lump in his throat.

"I have feelings for you, Zoe." Jamison finally confesses.

Zoe arches her brow as if curious about his meaning. He hurriedly continues.

"I-I've always been fond of you, but lately I... want to be more than friends." Jamison stammers.

"Really? Is it just my body, then?" Zoe questions with a pointed look.

Jamison blanks for a moment as he processes Zoe's words. He quickly puts his hands up and shakes his head as if appalled by the idea. His cheeks turn red as images of Zoe's exposed body in vulnerable positions come to mind. He quickly suppresses those thoughts.

"No! Not at all! I just felt... different about you. Seeing you come out of your shell and open up like this has been eye opening. You're not hurting anymore, and you're being yourself! You're a lovely girl who's pleasant to be around! You're... You're Zoe." Jamison pours his heart out, tearing up slightly as he runs out of steam.

Zoe is looking up at him with an unreadable expression. Jamison starts to panic.

"S-Sorry-" Jamison tries to apologize.

Zoe cuts him off with a sudden hug. She wraps her arms around him and buries her face in his shoulder. Jamison's larger arms mirror hers as he hugs her back. The two of them stay like this as Zoe cries softly into Jamison's shoulder.