Shifters Chapter 2

After encountering real-life wizards, Circe was sure nothing could surprise her anymore. But she certainly did not expect to be tackled to the ground by a girl around her age pressing a whole garlic into her right cheek. Circe recognized at once the glow of platinum blonde hair and the shine of emerald-green from the wide, crazed eyes glaring back at her. Her attacker was Morgan Kyle, one of the mean girls from school who always insulted and teased her at every given opportunity.

Circe forcefully turned her face and pushed the garlic away. "Get off of me!" she shrieked.

Morgan shrieked back, "No! Not until you tell me what you did to Roger and how to fix him!"

"Who?"

"Don't play dumb!" Morgan snarled. "You know exactly who Roger is! Now turn him back to normal! Or eat garlic and die!"

This chick is insane! Circe thought, as once more she got garlic pressed up on her face. She always considered Morgan a piece of work, but she never downright crazy until now.

"The power of garlic compels you!" Morgan screamed. "The power of garlic compels you!"

Deciding she's had enough, Circe started with a soft growl. "Will you . . . " The volume of her voice went up a bit. " . . . get . . . " And then she yelled. " . . . OFF!?"

Along with her flared temper, a surge of power was unleashed, kicking up a strong gust of wind that pushed Morgan away. The garlic-wielding maniac stumbled back and then fell, landing butt-first before rolling flat on her back on the frosted pavement.

While Morgan laid stunned, Circe seized her chance to spring up and then used the power of her mind to lift her attacker and held several feet above the ground, another trick she learned while training under that evil wizard, Donald Putts. Morgan looked like a free-floating balloon, unable to move while Circe 's gaze was locked on her. Following a sharp turn from Circe, the girl in pink winter wear flew deeper into the alley where she remained until Circe allowed otherwise. 

Both girls, panting heavily, glared at each other. Except for the sounds of their overlapping breathing and the distant roar of cars passing by, silence hung over them. Morgan was the first to speak.

"I knew it," she spat scathingly. "I knew you were a witch."

"Yeah, I'm a witch," Circe admitted. It was pointless to deny something that was pretty much true now. "So what?"

"So, undo whatever witchy thing you did to my boyfriend and turn him back to normal!"

"I have never, ever done any witchy thing on anyone," Circe said. "I didn't even know you had a boyfriend."

"HAVE!" Morgan corrected her. "He's still my boyfriend. And don't lie, witch. Not only are you the only witch in town, you're also the only witch with motive to do what you did to my Roger!"

"For the last time, I didn't do anything to your Roger! I don't even know any Roger!"

"Now THAT," said Morgan, "is the biggest lie of all. How can you not know who Roger Nettles is?"

Circe threw her hands up and shrugged.

"He's our high school's basketball team's star player!"

"I don't watch basketball," said Circe.

"Oh, right. You're a nerd."

Circe rolled her eyes and was tempted to drop Morgan again. But she resisted and instead, gently lowered her until she was firmly standing on solid ground again.

"Look," Circe started firmly, "I know you and I have bad blood-" (which you totally started with all that bullying, she thought but kept to herself) "-but I have zero interest in doing anything to you, much less go after some guy that barely has anything to do with the thing between us."

Morgan had a deep scowl on her face as she looked Circe up and down. It was clear to Circe that Morgan was full of suspicion and Circe understood why. 

At least she has some self-awareness about being a bully, Circe thought. Honestly, I don't know why it never crossed my mind to dish out some payback. Maybe not as extreme as what the Gathering had planned for their own bullies, but at least something.

Finally, Morgan came to a conclusion. She thought that there would be no point for Circe to keep denying her crimes even after her witchy nature got exposed, so maybe she's innocent after all. And the fact Circe didn't try anything when she had the chance led Morgan to believe the witch really didn't have the guts to try something anyway. But Morgan still couldn't dismiss Circe as a suspect entirely, so she said, "Fine. It looks like it really wasn't you. You're off the hook. For now."

That was fine with Circe who never expected to have a complete understanding with Morgan anyway. But she could not help but wonder what this was all about. She was both curious about what happened to this Roger Nettles guy and worried that something not entirely normal was afoot again. So, despite knowing she will probably regret this, Circe asked, "So what's going on? What happened with your boyfriend?"

Morgan was suspicious again and asked, "What's it to you?"

"You attacked me with garlic over this thing, whatever it is," Circe pointed out. "I figured I'd have a right to know why. But if you don't want to tell me, that's fine. No skin off my nose."

Circe turned to leave and go home. Her right foot stepped out of the alley when Morgan stopped her. "Wait!"

Circe turned and waited. She saw inner conflict flashed across Morgan's face for a brief moment, before being replaced by a look of resolve. Circe would find out why, immediately.

"I don't trust you . . ." Morgan said.

Eyes rolling, Circe thought sarcastically, Shocker.

" . . . but you are the only witch I know, so you're probably the only one I know who can help Roger. Please help him. If not for me, at least for him."

Circe was taken aback by this sincere plea from one of her high school tormentors. It was unexpected. So, before she could stop herself, she nodded. "Tell me what happened."

A strong wind blew by and both girls burst into sneezes. They shrank and shiver as winter chill seeped into their bones. The drop in temperature had become too much even for the winter-loving Circe who suggested, "L-let's g-go someplace warm f-f-first," Circe suggested.

"S-sure!"

Quickly, the girls scurried into the nearest diner. As far as diners went, the one they chose was a dismal, small place, lit by sparse white light, minimally cleaned white-tile flooring, and furnished with plain steel tables and chairs. It was a cold looking place, but it was better than being out in the actual cold. But Circe quickly found that she was not the only one to have that opinion.

Towering over the diner's patrons from the back corner beside the blue door to the restrooms was a mountain of black fur. Just beneath its round peak touching the ceiling was a pair of glistening, glassy black disks, staring out unblinking. Circe might have considered the creature cute if not for blackened gums and broken, rotten teeth exposed by a permanent banana-shaped smile, spread from side to side.

Circe gave the monster a quick glance and led Morgan to a table, the furthest available away from the mountain of fur with big saucer eyes. The girls sat at opposite sides of the plain square table next to the frosted window which gave them a clear view of the snowy world outside. 

In some ways, it was the strangest experience in Circe's life. Stranger, even, than finding out magic powers were real. This girl, Morgan Kyle, as mentioned before, was one of several mean girls who belittled Circe every chance they got. Morgan was actually the leader of those mean girls and constantly at the forefront of the bullying that Circe endured since childhood. Frankly, Circe hated her and would rather stay away from her if she could help it. And yet, here she was, together with the girl who was essentially her enemy, in a diner and sitting at the same table, about to listen to said enemy's problems.

Not long after the girls got seated, a waitress walked up to them holding a notepad in one hand and a pen in the other. Both her short, spiky hair and her fingernails were colored a deeper, darker shade of blue than the thin lines of her otherwise white blouse. 

The waitress took one look at Morgan and the head of garlic lying next to her elbow and then quickly turned her gaze to the notepad. "Can I take your order?"

The girls both chose regular coffee with cream. It was the only warm drink on the menu. To Circe's dismay, when the waitress left, the mountain of fur hobbled over and took her place, sitting down in the middle of the floor and breathing rather heavily. Circe was thankful its breath had no smell. A third eye opened above the creature's original pair and swiveled down on her. 

It totally knew that she could see it and had taken an interest in her. That was Circe's first thought, but then it fixed its gaze, all three eyes, on Morgan.

Morgan followed Circe's gaze towards the edge of the table, but she saw nothing amiss. She saw nothing at all.

Unable to contain her curiosity, she asked, "What is it? What do you see? Is there a ghost or something?"

Circe was tempted to tell her bully exactly what she saw: three long arms stretching out of the mountain of fur, completely lacking skin so that the normally hidden red muscles were exposed. Its long fingers flexed and twitched as it waved its hands around Morgan's head. Circe had no idea why the creature was doing that, but it was definitely funny to watch. It'd be even funnier if Morgan knew what was going on. Circe was sure she'd freak out. Even just some uncomfortable squirming would be amusing.

But a glance at the round, analogue clock that hung on the wall ticking away the seconds above the cashier's head told Circe that now was not the time. She needed to get down to business quickly if she wanted to get home in time for curfew.

So, after swallowing down the urge to laugh, she leaned over, hands clasped together on the table where they rested and asked, "So, tell me what's going on."

Morgan opened her mouth to speak, but then the waitress returned with two steaming mugs of whitish brown coffee. The mountain of fur politely stepped aside for her as she set the mugs down. Once the waitress was gone, Morgan finally got around to telling her story. She remained blissfully unaware of the monster standing beside her doing something weird.

Side note: The mountain of fur liked to hang out at the nearby beauty salon and watch the beauticians work. It developed a habit for mimicking them, and especially liked the movements that they made when giving their clients shampoo treatments. But with the salon closed for the day, the monster decided to loiter in the diner where it was warmest, that was when it noticed Morgan and took interest in her.

<== Chapter 1                                                                                                               Chapter 3 ==>

Special Eyes Book 2: Shifters Chapter 1

Snow was falling on this winter morning, but not enough to form a blanket atop the pavement tread on by two teenagers on their way to school. They took slow and cautious steps, careful not to slip on the glistening wet sidewalk. Their winter jackets and pants, one blue and the other black, made them look like puffed up, colored marshmallows. Or at least, to Jackie Li, the boy in blue, stuffed in one.

It was a struggle for him to move in his winter clothes, which were one of the reasons he disliked winter. He much preferred to wear looser fitting clothes. But he had no choice but to endure the feeling of being squeezed out like toothpaste or deal with the other reason he disliked winter: it's damn cold.

On the other hand, Circe Tsing, the girl in black, liked winter. It was not that she found snow particularly pretty or fun to play with, not even as a child. She liked winter because it meant that she didn't have to deal with a lot of . . . "them".

Who is "them", you might ask? Well . . .

"Brr! It's cold!" Jackie complained for the umpteenth time. He glanced over his shoulder and asked, "You doing okay, Boney?"

Lumbering behind the two young Chinese-Americans was a living skeleton, more than ten feet tall with comically swollen hands and feet. Its eye sockets were occupied by balls of red light. It flashed an "OK" sign with its right hand, answering Jackie's question.

The "them" mentioned earlier are monsters called Egregors. Egregors, according to experts, are born goo-like and transform as they grow up from absorbing the thoughts of the people around them. Because of that, the looks of countless Egregors make no sense. And lots look positively horrifying. Boney, also an Egregor, is one of the tamer-looking ones. 

Circe frowned disapprovingly at Jackie.

"Will you quit that?" she snapped.

Jackie flashed a dismayed frown in return. "What? I'm only talking to Boney."

"That's the problem," said Circe, losing count how many times she's had this discussion before. "You know we're the only ones who can see him. To anyone else, you're a clinically insane person talking to empty air."

To most people, Egregors don't exist. That is because they cannot see or hear the monsters. And because of that, in return, the monsters act like people don't exist too. Jackie and Circe are the exception.

Unlike most people, Circe and Jackie had the power to see Egregors. But unlike Circe who had this power her whole life (however much she wished she hadn't), Jackie only got this ability a few months ago.

Back then, Circe had come across a group of people called the Gathering, who had the same ability she had. It was her first time finding people who could see the monsters like she could, so, extremely, excited, she took the invitation to one of their meetings. But it wasn't all it was cracked up to be. In fact, it was extremely bad.

The Gathering was created and headed by an evil wizard. Yes, an evil wizard, like in a fairy tale. And like in a fairy tale, the evil wizard was planning to do something terrible. The wizard, whose real name was Donald Putts, planned to cast a magic spell, the sort of magic spell that would have caused a lot of death and destruction. And he brainwashed the members of the Gathering to help him cast it.

To stop him, Circe decided to become a member of the Gathering and worked her way to the top, learning as much of the wizard's tricks as she could. But in order to do all that, she ran away from home and disappeared without a word. That did not sit well with Jackie, who was Circe's childhood friend, and he was determined to find her. And find her, he did.

At the time, Jackie had no special magic vision like Circe did. Nor did he have any kind of superpower. But his eyes were no less special. He was observant to a scary degree, and he had smarts that could put the seasoned detectives of his stepfather's police station to shame. No matter what tricks the wizard pulled to hide his operation, Jackie saw through them and eventually found Circe and the Gathering.

Circe's plan to stop the Gathering from casting the spell ended in disaster. She had been found out and captured. But then Jackie showed up and convinced the Gathering not to follow the wizard's plan when he willingly took the wizard's potion to prove he cared about them all. That potion, used as eyedrops, was what gave Jackie the power to see Egregors now. And it was very painful.

Unable to get his followers back on his side, Donald Putts' plan was foiled. He was rendered powerless by another wizard and got arrested for kidnapping. 

Months have passed since then and life for the two friends returned to the way it used to be. Well, mostly. There were quite a few things different now. Now Jackie could see the monsters too and he was even friends with some, Boney being one of them. Boney stuck with Jackie like a loyal dog after he saved it from the wrath of a brutal wizard. 

Out of the corner of her eye, Circe caught Jackie waving to something in a nearby alley. At first glance, it looked like there was just a big, black trash bag sandwiched between two smaller trash bags. But then one of the small trash bags rose in the air and shook like a hand waving back. That's because it was a hand waving back. A pair of eyes on pink stalks popped out of the top of the big one. 

This was a new monster to Circe. Before that, Jackie had said hello to a gray-skinned, eye-less man in raggedy clothes. And before that was another skeleton monster like Boney, except that one wore black robes and carried around a huge scythe. Those were just a few monsters that Circe knew of right now. She didn't want to think about how many more Jackie may have befriended out of her sight. 

Not that I'm one to talk, she thought to herself. Using what she learned from Donald Putts, she could now control dozens of monsters of all shapes and sizes whenever it suited her needs.

But those fantastical things weren't the only things that made life different for Circe and Jackie. Nor were they the more fantastical ones. 

Circe's thoughts were cut short when she felt her hand grabbed. She met Jackie's gaze, feeling her cheeks turn warm against the biting winter air.

Indeed, the single most fantastical change to their lives happened after that whole ordeal with the evil wizard: Circe and Jackie were now boyfriend and girlfriend.

The school day went like all other school days did for Circe and Jackie: they listened to the teachers' lectures, did schoolwork, hung out in the library secretly playing games on their phones during break time, ate lunch together at the cafeteria and then left school together as soon as the teacher dismissed the students for the day. After walking together for a bit, they parted ways at an intersection crosswalk. Jackie had part-time work at a supermarket. 

He was reluctant to leave Circe to go home alone and like many times before, suggested Boney keep her company. And like many times before, Circe declined. 

She understood that Jackie was worried about her. The ordeal with the wizard had put a newfound sense of fear in him that something could happen to her outside his watch. 

But Circe felt the same way about Jackie. She still had nightmares of watching helplessly as he writhed in agony from the potion burning his eyes and when a huge stage light fell on top of him. He was lucky to escape with just a bruised-up leg. Although she had mixed feelings about Boney (having her childhood ruined by his species created a permanent bias against them), she believed wholeheartedly that it was better to have the skeleton monster watch over Jackie and keep him safe than have Jackie running around without any protection at all.

So, after giving her boyfriend reassurance that she will be fine, Circe went one way while said boyfriend went the other. All was quiet except for brief howls from cars passing by and the footsteps and chatter of other people around her. She took a straight route to Chinatown where she lived with her Great-Aunt April who was otherwise known as the infamous Granny Tsing, the undisputed matriarch of the district, taking her time to again enjoy the lack of monsters out on the streets. 

Like any other living creature on the planet, most Egregors would rather stay sheltered someplace warm than deal with the winter cold. This meant no mean fairies to pull at Circe's hair, no ugly zombies to jump-scare her, and no beasts to chase her around. Not that the monsters could do any of that now that she knew ways to keep them from bothering her. But it was nice to be left alone and not deal with them at all. 

Peace was the best. As soon as that thought passed Circe's mind - 

"DIE, WITCH!"

She was tackled to the ground by something pink, with a head of garlic shoved against her face.

<== Book 1                                                                                                                  Chapter 2 ==>

Shifters Chapter 3

 Morgan's story began a few nights ago. 

She and Roger Nettles, her incredible boyfriend and incredible star player in their school's basketball team, and more importantly, her INCREDIBLE boyfriend, had gone to see a movie about a band of pirates in conflict with an army of undead. It was late into the night when the movie ended, and snow began to drift down from the black sky as they left the theater. They lingered out on the sidewalk, made bright despite the late hour by the fluorescent lights of the theater's entryway, enjoying the sight of pretty, yet fragile snowflakes descending to the earth for a couple of minutes before a chilling wind signaled the time to retreat to the warmth of the car's interior. 

"Oh! Did I ever mention that Roger has a car?" Morgan said to Circe, who took careful sips from her hot coffee. "Yes, he has one. A big, red sedan, last year's model with all the latest tech built in. And it's eco-friendly."

Circe was not impressed. And she didn't understand why Morgan was bragging about the car when it wasn't even hers.

Anyway, after getting into the car, the couple drove off to the outskirts of town, following a long, winding road that coiled up a tall, mountainous hill like a constricting snake. The car's interior was silent with its male driver diligently focused on what's ahead while its female rider savored the view of the serious face the driver made while concentrating. 

They stopped at the hill's highest point, famous for having the most breathtaking view of the city at night. There, they sat to enjoy the sight of city lights shining from below like stars across a canvas of black parallel to the actual night sky and its actual scarce stars. There, they sat, also, to enjoy each other's company as any boyfriend-girlfriend pair would. 

A good solid ten minutes later, Morgan decided that she had seen enough of the scenery and thought that it was high time to do some real boyfriend-girlfriend stuff. What kind of boyfriend-girlfriend stuff? Morgan would not say. She thought it would be too much for someone immature and oh-so childishly innocent like Circe.  

As Morgan turned her gaze over to Roger, the clouds above slowly parted ways like the curtains of a stage for the main actor, a big full moon. While still partially shrouded, the moon's light beamed down onto the base of the hill and slowly traveled up to its peak. Morgan saw the light spill onto the hood of the car and spread over its surface. 

This was perfect, she thought. Pretty soon, the entire car would be covered in a thin film of shining silver. It was as if the heavens granted Morgan and Roger their own personal spotlight. The hill's viewpoint was the stage, and the city lights below was the audience.

She waited for the veil of light to begin illuminating Roger before she started to lean closer to him. With the light halfway up Roger's torso, Morgan could see that he was tense. A smile played on her face, thinking how cute Roger was for being so nervous despite dating her for a length of two years already before she resumed to move closer to her boyfriend's face. But then she stopped and frowned when her ears picked up on some strange squeaking sounds coming from very close by. In fact, it sounded like those squeaks were coming straight from Roger's mouth.

Pretty soon, Morgan saw that it was indeed Roger making those squeaking noises. The pale light of the moon finally reached his face and revealed he was still staring ahead. But instead of serenely enjoying the scenery like Morgan thought, he was wide-eyed in agony while his mouth hung open in silent screaming, silent save for the bursts of faint squeaks that escaped his windpipe.

"Roger! What's wrong? What's happening? What do I do? What do I do? What to I do?" Morgan panicked, which was understandable. It looked to her like her boyfriend was having a bad health episode. But that was impossible. Roger was the healthiest boy in the entire planet. He's a basketball star, for heaven's sake! 

And then an idea hit her. "Oh! I know! Call nine-one-one! That's what I gotta do!"

She frantically reached into her pocket, cursing the tightness of her jeans as she struggled to pull out her phone which kept slipping out of the grasp of her thumb and pointer finger, the only fingers that could fit inside. After a few frustrating tries, she managed to pull the device out. After punching in the six-digit PIN to unlock it, she hit the call app and began to dial the emergency number. But before she could hit on the green button to initiate the call, she was startled by a loud honk from the car's horn. Roger had slammed his hands on the center of the steering wheel.

The noise made her jump and drop her phone, which disappeared into the darkness below that also hid her feet.

Dismayed, Morgan cried out, "No!" And she reached down to retrieve her only means of getting help when a cry from Roger made her stop and turn to look.

He was gripping the sides of the steering wheel while burying his face in the center. His forehead pressed down just over the horn pad, so the car made no noise except for the wheel being strained beneath his weight. "Mmmmmh! MMMMMMMMMH!"

Roger was screaming while his lips were sealed shut and his teeth clenched. And then he threw himself back hard against his seat, causing the whole car to rock. What came out of his mouth next as he faced the ceiling could not be called a scream. Instead, what came out of his mouth was a bestial roar, deep and utterly terrifying.

In the blink of an eye, his nose and mouth stretched out. His teeth fell out and were replaced by pointed and curved fangs. His ears became pointed and every single bit of his skin was covered by a carpet of gray hair. No, not hair. FUR!

Morgan stared, watching the transformation in dumbfounded, jaw-dropped silence. There was heavy guttural breathing from Roger as he continued to look up. And then, when he turned and looked at her, Morgan did not see the face of her boyfriend. She saw the face of a wolf, bigger than any wolf she had seen before and wearing the clothes of her beloved Roger.

Terror rose up within Morgan and she screamed, shrinking away. She pressed her back against the passenger door, too scared to think straight and realize to open the door to escape. As she curled to a fetal position, she could she her cowering form reflected almost clearly on the wolf's back, watery eyes

The wolf's teeth were bared, but he was more puzzled than anything. He looked like he wondered what had the girl so scared and reached out his hand. But that just made her jolt and press further against the passenger door in fright. Seeing her more afraid, the wolf stopped. That was when his own hand, covered in fur with long, overgrown nails curved into a point like the claws of a beast.

The wolf stared in disbelief at his hand and then felt his face. He yelped in surprise upon feeling his snout and then whirled to take a look at his reflection on the rearview mirror. In a panic, he grabbed both sides of the mirror and snapped it off the stand that connected it to the ceiling. He didn't mean to, but also didn't care. Seeing his reflection left him frozen in disbelief. 

Cries escaped his throat that sounded almost like words but resembled more the barking of a wild canine which startled Morgan to frightened cries of her own. Her cries brought the wolf's attention back on her.

Again, he watched Morgan cower from him. It didn't take long for the wolf to realize that he was what caused the girl to be afraid. As he watched Morgan's fearful shivering, he let out a pained moan. It was a heart wrenchingly sad one. One that resonated in Morgan's heart and got her to calm down.

Her heart still beat fast, but she eased tension slightly, eyes locked on the creature that was once her boyfriend. No, that still is her boyfriend, she realized. But it was a realization too late.

"Roger."

Just as Morgan uttered the wolf's name, the wolf kicked open the driver's seat door, sending it flying all the way across the viewpoint and against a tree, and tumbled out.

"Roger, wait!"

Morgan gave chase. But Roger, as he was now, was far too fast. By the time she climbed out of the car, Roger had disappeared into the nearby woods and never came back.

Alone, Morgan sank to the ground, on her knees. She stared, dumbfounded by the impossible, crazy event that just happened in front of her. How was she supposed to react to her boyfriend clearly transforming into a werewolf like in a CG-heavy horror movie? What was she supposed to do now? More importantly, where had Roger gone?

Sometime of sitting on the ground later, the night chill sank into her bones and made her sneeze. That cleared her head enough to take action. First, she dragged the dented door back over to the car. Next, she called the police. 

She didn't give them a full account of what happened. Only that her boyfriend had gone into the woods for some unknown reason and never came back. And as far as the police were concerned, the car was already in bad condition which was why both the driver's seat door and the rearview mirror fell off.

Some officers were a bit skeptical about that last bit, but they could find no other possible explanation for the door falling off. It wasn't like either the missing guy or the girl before them had the superhuman strength to rip the door off its hinges. That'd be ridiculous.

Morgan was surprised at her own calmness while subjected to the police's questions. She had braced herself for a rather nervous interview but managed to smoothly answer all of the law man's inquiries with more half-truths than complete ones. That said, she was glad the questioning was brief and gratefully accepted the offer to be driven home. She called her parents ahead of time to let them know and prevent them from being startled by the sight of their daughter with a police escort. When they asked what happened, Morgan gave her mom and dad the same answers she gave the police.

After arriving home, she went to her room where she stayed alone. She laid in bed, but remained wide awake all night, unable to stop thinking about the events of the hill's viewpoint. The memory of the wolf's sorrowful moan and the pain in his eyes was especially vivid for Morgan. And it was this memory that made her decide she had to act.

But how? Morgan wondered as she sat up, cross-legged on the bedsheets. She bent down, elbow on her thigh, chin on the back of her hand. Well, first thing's first is to find Roger. That will be daunting enough but what comes next seemed almost impossible to deal with: finding and administering a cure for Roger and his "werewolf syndrome". Morgan doubted it'd be as easy as a quick online search. But just as she was about to try anyway, her phone chimed to let her know she had received a direct message from someone on her chat app.

"Hey, I know it's pretty late," said the message, "but I just found an interesting rumor online that I had to share right away. You know that girl? What's her name? Circe? She's Granny Tsing's grandkid or something. Anyway, I saw a rumor online that claims that she is actually a witch. I don't mean that like an insult. I mean, like, she's an actual, like, witch-witch. Like from Harry Potter with, like, magic powers and, like, everything. Like."

The use of the word "like" was more than a bit excessive for Morgan. It was as if the writer was someone out of touch with today's youth. But that timely message was exactly what Morgan needed. Now she knew whose fault it was. It could only be Circe, that girl said to be able to see invisible monsters. It would not be strange for someone like that to have magic powers too. And Circe had ample reason to do something like curse her boyfriend with a monster transformation (leaving aside the fact that Morgan had given Circe that ample reason in the first place).

So, with fiery resolve, Morgan got out of bed and set off for the kitchen to prepare for her confrontation with the heinous witch and save her boyfriend.

<== Chapter 2                                                                             Chapter 3 ==>