Navigating the crowded halls before class was already a challenge, but Sarah's weariness made it even tougher. Her mental state did feel like it was stabilizing, but occasionally it still felt like she was fighting through cobwebs. She figured as long as she didn't spend too much time close to any one person the effects should be minimal. She just needed to find out what was going on with these energy lines, maybe then she could fix it! Dodging through the throng of students she stopped at a corner in the hallway, conveniently next to a drinking fountain that nobody ever used, and was able to scan the crowd.
There! Just down the hall, through the slowly thinning crowd, the lines and waves of distorted energy were pointing straight to... Jon. He was at his locker, talking to his friend Pete Roberts. Hm, she thought to herself, that doesn't really tell her who else was getting caught up in this magic. But at least he was still in the loop. She could figure out where the others were leading later; now she had to act. Of all the things Sarah had tried to prepare for today, fractured ley lines weren't one of them.
But she could improvise. She hoped. The mimicry enchantment was linked to some pretty powerful reality-altering magic from the stone. Ordinarily something far beyond Sarah's skill level. But if she could tap into that well just a little bit more maybe she could keep the spell from draining her so much. It might even help conceal her work from any other magic users nearby. She started rifling through her large purse, shoving aside lip glosses and compacts to find a few of the sachets she'd assembled that morning.
The crowd in the hallways was already getting smaller, Sarah knew she had to act before anyone spotted her. She snatched the sachet she'd made for a "reflection" spell, then grabbed a small amethyst crystal with a rune carved into its side. She used the twine of the sachet to bind the crystal to it, then clutched it lightly in her hand as she made a beeline toward Jon.
He was clueless, still distracted by his conversation with Pete, as Sarah approached. She walked quickly but deliberately, guiding the sachet through the lines of energy connecting her and Jon as she moved. With each step the energy was being reflected back on itself, concentrating it in the crystal. Step by step, until finally Sarah picked up her pace to brush right past Jon's shoulder, briefly pressing the crystal into his back. It took every ounce of her cheerleader energy and poise to make the impact look like an accident while staying on target. Finally she spun around, staring daggers straight at Jon, as though he were at fault. He immediately shot the same look back at her when he realized who it was that hit him.
"Watch where you're going, freak!" They both said at the exact same time.
Sarah was a bit taken aback, but didn't break her gaze. It was done. She reached her mind out to the lines, sensing their energy. They were still there, but instead of five lines emanating from her, there was one line leading from her to the amethyst crystal, where it then branched into five much stronger lines. She stealthily stuffed the crystal back into her purse. Jon rolled his eyes at Sarah before he and Pete turned to go to class.
As she watched him walk away her eyes were drawn to the energies shifting around him, concentrating below his waist. His baggy cargo shorts started to both shrink and expand at the same time, growing longer but also tighter, and shifting in color from khaki to blue. In less than a dozen steps, Jon's shorts morphed into a pair of skintight, slightly stretchy, designer jeans. A pair of jeans exactly like the ones Sarah had hastily thrown on that morning. Nobody in the hallway reacted to the change and Sarah made her way to her first class, barely able to contain the satisfied smirk on her face.
