Joanna was an angel-child.
A little girl, with beautiful white wings on her back, and a bright halo on her head. She wore white robes and was the picture of innocence to any who saw her. Incredibly cute, and adorable.. she got her way almost every single time.
She was also caught up in a situation she never really thought could ever happen to her. It was bad enough being... this form. But the kids around her, actually liked her for what she had become.
She was never a person with many friends... in fact, she was always very lonely and had no friends at all. But now, just about every child in the world wanted to be her friend. The stories of how an angel served as their protector was often told by parents, and Joanna was now the burden of those stories. Never having had any friends before, she went along with it..
... and somehow to the children, this meant that she in some way 'owned' the skies of the school.
Of course she didn't really... it was just the way children did things. She had wings, and was the most innocent looking of all the transformed to the senses of humans. It therefore fell to her, to control any and all flying changed that encroached upon her 'domain'. Those that were her 'friends' loved it, and her little 'gang' grew with the passing of time. They would tell her when another child started flying, and it was her job to tell them that only angels flew 'for real'. She would then beat them in a game of flying as high as she could, or as fast... the angel was usually the best at it. There was no way anyone could catch up to her.
Joanna was just so... confused really. She didn't really understand kids, and she didn't understand herself either. She knew she 'liked' having friends though, and would do anything to keep them.
...Joanna had become a bully.
But then, today, she was about to meet her match.
"You gotta beat her!" said her 'friend' Alexi. "She's just 'flyin'' around the classroom, an' she ain't even got wings!"
Joanna looked at the space-child as they all ate lunch in the dinner hall. She flew from person to person. Joanna's gang had suffered a loss of a lot of people, ever since the sun turned back to normal. The angel girl was hoping she too would change back, freeing her from this... situation and to get away from these 'childish' things. She hated being with kids when there were more important things to worry about then 'who got what'.
"Fine," said Joanna. Kids were stupid... and she was one of them.
Getting the space-child alone was easy. The angel girl simply flapped her wings, and it drew the child's attention. That almost always happened.
Etais ariana? Ara Astra! said Astra curiously in her language.
Joanna blinked. She was a foreigner? "Look... if you want to keep flying around, you got to join my gang," she said with those almost perfectly practised lines. This was usually the offer.
Sala isama?" said the space girl not understanding.
"Stop flying! No more flying!"
Cala?
Joanna was getting very annoyed. What was a foreigner even doing here? If she couldn't talk to her... fine, they'll do it the hard way.
Astra looked innocently and curiously at the angel-girl, wondering why she was acting so strange. she lead her outside the school, into the playground. It looked empty. Why did she bring her out here? She wanted to see all the strange people! Unless... was this to start the story?!
The space girl looked excited. She waited to see what the angel-girl would do next, and saw that she took flight along side her. She then pointed upwards.
Es! Astra squealed excitedly. She wanted to see the stars with her!
Joanna frowned a bit but the space-girl seemed to get the idea. Each would fly up as high and as fast as they could, and the first one to chicken out lost. She flew upwards with great speed. Joanna was an angel-girl and a lithe one that granted her exceptionally high acceleration. She quickly left the space-girl in the dust, on the ground.
Astra watched her go up, and waited a few seconds a bit confused. Weren't they suppose to go together? Or was this a game? Her first game?! Oh this was going to be fun! She quickly launched herself upwards to follow the incredibly fast angel girl. It wasn't easy to catch up to her though, but while the angel girl used a form of 'physical' effort to over come gravity...
...Astra did not suffer the effects of gravity in quite the same way.
The space-girl floated up, her face still curious, as Joanna forced herself to her limits.
Joanna blinked, seeing Astra right behind her. This... this was impossible! Most kids couldn't handle being this high up! the space-girl didn't even look to be breaking into a sweat, or showing any physical difficulty. She quickly launched herself even higher.
Astra moved upwards, flying alongside her. She matched the angel girl's velocity perfectly, standing at her side. That was weird. Why was the angel-girl's skin starting to turn red? It didn't stay red for long, it looked to be turning blue too? The space-girl continued to look concerned, not really understanding that Joanna had now approached the physical limitation of her form's basic needs of air and heat...
Joanna was a little blurry eyed now. She had never gone up this far... and... the alien girl was still at her. She couldn't beat her. She...
... Oh...
... which way was up now?
Joanna was either flying, or falling. She couldn't see any more. She just felt the rush of air upon her wings, that had finally given up. Suddenly, she didn't feel so cold. It was warm... so very warm. She knew she wasn't breathing though.
... was she dead? But... she was so young now... that... shouldn't happen. It couldn't happen...
she opened her eyes, in inky blackness... and was suddenly absolutely terrified. Below her... was the Earth. The entire Earth.
Astra was holding her hand, and they were in orbit around the Earth!
The space-girl hoped she brought Joanna where she wanted to be. But she was feeling very tired to keep them up here for long. Even as the angel girl woke, her eyes looked in panic.
Slowly, the two drifted downward, much to the terrified Joanna. Astra didn't mind the speed, but Joanna clung to the space-girl for dear life.
Finally they were on the ground, back to where they started, and Joanna... simply bolted and ran away from Astra.
Astra watched her go, with increasing confusion. Didn't she want to be friends?
Steven couldn't believe it.
It looked like it was over! The sun had changed back to normal! Finally! That meant she could become a male human again. She glanced at Ben who had fallen asleep on the sofa and blushed quite heavily over their antics last night. It was hard to deny she was acting like quite a... a girl.
It.. it was wrong. It was just so wrong to even think about it. Was her body starting to affect her? She had resisted it with everything she had and yet, when things looked bleak, she acted like such a... a girly-girl coward!
is that what you think a girl is?
Steven inwardly winced. No... of course she didn't. It... it was just...
You were terrified that the world was about to end... a friend was with you. Was it really that bad?
"b-but...we... we kissed," She said feeling quite angry at herself for allowing it. It was just... a spur of the moment kiss. It didn't mean she was attracted-
Not even a little?
Steven clenched her hands angrily, as a little powdery scent filled the room. She did not want to think about it. Well... that can be fixed as soon as she goes into the sun.
Ben woke up suddenly, smelling Steven's floral scent change to her more anxious mood. "Hey.. er.. you okay?"
"No- Yes- No! Er- I- I will be," She said quickly not really wanting to even look at her friend right now.
Ben looked sheepishly. He felt awful... he wanted to resist and tried so hard, but there was just something about Steven's scent that made her even more attractive to his sensitive nose. It wasn't an excuse though... it just felt normal and natural to want to comfort the 'girl' all his senses told him she was. To protect her when she got scared...
... she was a delicate flower, right?
Even if she looked like she was about to seriously hurt someone if they dared to call her that right now. "So, the world didn't end huh?" asked Ben getting up, scratching his ears.
"Something else has happened," said Steven as they replayed the news. The sunlight could now cure them!
Ben sprang up quickly, twitching his whiskers. Being a rat was certainly an... 'interesting' experience. But... it was probably not a good thing to be, if he could be human again. It might even help him not be so unable to 'resist' Steven's scent. "I-I think I'm ready to call this form a day," said the rat-boy.
"Me too," said Steven. She had unconsciously 'forgot' to hold up her petal-blouse, so it was in its low cut state.
"Was it really all that bad for you?" asked Ben trailing his eyes over her, as they went across the hallway to the front door.
Steven glanced back. "You heard that news report. I have to think how much my life sucked in order to change. I am picturing all the worst parts of it right... now." Steven filled his mind with all the 'Horrible' things...
... looking like a girl.
... having flowers 'talk' to you.
... smelling 'nice'.
... 'kissing' Ben
... which wasn't actually that 'bad' really... but... damn it! It wasn't her!
Ben looked at Steven who had her eyes clenched shut. "Um... I actually really liked your transformation. Its better then mine. I'm just an animal-changed. You got to be the more fun one."
"You're talking as if this is some contest dude!" Said Steven angrily. "Look, I'm a guy!"
"But... I really do like you," said Ben biting his lip.
"Dude shut up!" said Steven suddenly. "Don't say stuff like that! Look- you got to help me. Just picture how horrible it was for the 'both' of us, and we'll turn back to normal. That's the trick. Its gotta be."
"I- I don't know if it works that way," said Ben suddenly really worried. If steve didn't turn back, she was going to blame him!
Steve cast a wild eyed look. "Please! Just... please, if you are my friend do this for me. I don't want to be a flower girl! This... this 'thing' you see isn't even real. It isn't me! Its- its like a costume. that's all. You have to see the 'real' me underneath it all. You know who I am!"
Ben sighed and closed his eyes. As much as Steven insisted, he knew her really well. He knew how she acted and well... they were close as friends, and even closer as members of the opposite gender. She was so beautiful and wonderful to be around. Her personality was full of fire, as much as she was gentle. She was the perfect flower girl, couldn't Steve see that? "Um- Okay fine... yeah it was all just so 'horrible'."
"Be honest," said Steven adamantly.
"I... eh... I'm trying, but er... maybe you should go into the sunlight first. You know, so that there's no chance what I think could influence you. Just... promise me you wont get angry at me if..."
Steven looked at Ben. Would she really blame her friend if... if she was stuck like this?"Okay. I... I won't get mad at you," she said with a... surprisingly sweet smile. "And... maybe it wasn't all b- Argh! No damn it no!" She was loosing her focus! "Okay sunlight, make me a man again!"
Steven ran outside. This was it... this... this was it.
Jenny was true to her word, leaping from building to building as Magic-Girl Four. Lilly held on for dear life, clutching her around her neck.
Leaping from tree to trees, or huddled upon the arms of an angel, nothing compared to the simple flight of motion from a real magic girl. It was like reality parted from them, allowing the impossible to become possible. Lilly wished she knew what it must be like to be at the center of it. Four was grace and wonder... and her friend. "I'm glad you still get to change into a magic girl, even with the enemy gone."
Jenny gave a little smile. "Me too!" She giggled. "I'm not sure what's even gonna happen now. Do we fight another enemy someday?"
"I dunno," said the young squirrel girl. "But if you do... take me with you?"
Jenny stumbled slightly. "I- uh- L-Lilly..." she said glancing back to her. "You don't have to." The experience has taught her just how dangerous it was to have 'ordinary' friends. As extraordinary as the squirrel girl was... she was still ordinary- doing what an ordinary person, any child could do given the right circumstances and trail of thought. Luck couldn't last forever though...
"Neither do you," said the squirrel girl. "You've done so much... an'... no matter what happens... I... I gotta stay near you. Please Jenny..."
Why? What is it that Lilly felt so needing to be with her like that? What was she hiding? "Uh... alright Lilly." she relented in the end.
"Promise?"
"I promise. I'll... I'll take you with me." Jenny hoped, she would not regret it. She didn't know what magic the squirrel girl was learning, though Becca seemed more informed. But it was certainly not 'battle tested'... or even designed, as she was. "Bruce lives in this house, accordin' to the teachers."
It was a nice looking ordinary house, to the west of the school. There was a small pond with a frog on a Lilly-pad... a croak from it made them pause and smile at it.
The two girls knocked on the door, Jenny changed into her 'normal' clothes with a flash of light.
"Hello?" said an elderly woman. "Oh... you must be from the school? What can I do for you?" Was this Bruce's grandmother?
Lilly glanced behind her. "We... we wanted to see if Bruce was here?" she asked.
"Bruce? Oh... ah... he's a little 'shy'. He doesn't want to turn back to normal you see... and the sunlight... well..."
"W-what was Billy before?" Asked Jenny now a little curious.
The elderly woman looked reluctant. "That's really Bruce's secret... I hope the two of you can understand," she said. "Let me call him." She went inside the house and called the wolf boy.
Bruce showed up, tensing seeing the door open, but relaxing when he saw Lilly and Jenny.
The sight of him made Lilly curl her twin tails a little protectively. "Hi Bruce," she said feeling just a little happy that this time, the shoe was on the other foot. They had surprised him, in his own territory.
Billy looked a bit sheepish for a wolf as he walked towards them, wary of the sunlight. "Sorry I wasn't in school today. Is the teacher mad?"
"Nuh uh," said Jenny. "We was jus' worried cause so many kids turned back human in our class. Lilly an' me, an Artemis, Hannah an even that angel girl is still changed though. I think Hannah and the angel girl are takin' it badly."
Lilly frowned at that. That weird angel girl was 'mad' that she was still a changed? what in the world was she then before? Nothing about her added up... but right now, she focused on Bruce. "Bruce? If you're real happy about bein' a wolf, there ain't no way you're gonna change back!" she said happily.
"You dunno how it works though," said Bruce.
"I... I do," she said. "Please trust me? I know some stuff about magic now, an' you got nothin' to worry about! You wont change."
Bruce looked warily. "I don't want to be what I was be'fore! I... I can't risk... it," he said almost close to tears. "If... If I turn back... I..."
Jenny and Lilly glanced at each other sympathetically. They didn't know what Bruce was before, and they really didn't want to pry.
"What if... I hold your hand?" asked Lilly.
Bruce looked completely taken aback. "R-really?"
"Uh huh," said the squirrel girl. "I'll hold you hand an' I wont let go! You got to go in the sun sooner or later, so you can step in it with us."
Bruce looked at Lilly and found himself blushing. "I... o...okay," he said.
The elderly woman watched them. "Go ahead Bruce... be safe." she said. "I think your friend is right... you get to live this new life. I'm so happy for you. Really."
"Why don't you come out with us in the light too?" Asked Jenny. "Maybe it will make you young?"
The elderly woman shook her head. "Oh... I'm quite content with the life I've already lived, and still living now. Go ahead you kids..."
Bruce suddenly brought out a small toy from the umbrella stand next to the door. Lilly blinked. The wolf boy was so fast! "What's that?"
Bruce grinned. "It's a magic sword! I'm playing that I'm a magic knight today!"
Lilly and Jenny giggled. "can we play too?" they said scarily in sync. Three magical people, fighting the Enemy- all their enemies, in their world of imagination... what more could they want?
The three children ran into the sunlight...
Bruce still held his toy sword, as it glinted in the sunlight. It took Lilly a few moments to look at the pommel as she saw writing on it.
you are invited. Bring one token.
Those familiar words... invited to what though? Somehow Lilly knew, things were not over for them and that maybe... just maybe, another adventure lay in wait for them.
