Avery led Zoe downstairs to Mr. Al's office. She knocked on the door, and Mr. Al said "Enter" from inside.

Zoe opened the door and entered the office to see Mr. Al sitting at his desk. "Hi Mr. Al," she said.

"Hey Zoe," said Mr. Al. "Did you need something?"

"You could say that," said Zoe. "I hear Geraldine and Roxy used to be boys, too. Just like me."

Mr. Al stared at Zoe. "You figured that out unusually quickly," he said.

"She didn't figure it out," said Avery. "I did. I noticed Zoe was acting a little less than feminine, and I told her the truth about our roommates."

"And she said to come ask you about it," said Zoe. "So what's going on? Do you know why I turned into a girl?"

"Unfortunately, yes," said Mr. Al. "It was the work of a witch."

"A witch?"

"Yes. Incidents like these are becoming more and more common in the modern day. Witches of all ages will turn boys or men into women. Sometimes they want to punish boys for perving out on them, sometimes they feel like there's too many males in this world, and sometimes they just do it for the fun of it. But it's almost never fun for the witches' victims. Suddenly losing your old life and having to live a new one is a lot. Some men-turned-women can't even handle it, and they end up killing themselves. Fortunately, there are those of us who move against these witches. Witch hunters have developed technology that can detect traces of magic used by the witches, and can help us identify witches that are secretly waging war on the male gender."

"So...are you a witch hunter?" Zoe asked.

"I am indeed," said Mr. Al. "I've managed to exterminate about a dozen witches in my career as a witch hunter. But I don't just hunt witches. When I was given the role of foster home manager to this foster home, I decided to expand my scope. I began looking for young victims of witches that had been turned into girls and taking them into my foster home. Sadly, there is no known way to reverse the witches' magic, so the best my employees and I can do is help kids like you adjust to their new lives."

"Oh," said Zoe. "Well...thank you for taking me in, I guess?"

"This is not something I take lightly," said Mr. Al. "I lost my own son because of a witch."

"You what?"

"A young witch snuck a potion into my son's water bottle at school, and it turned him into a girl," said Mr. Al. "He couldn't handle being a 'she,' so he tied a noose and hung himself."

Zoe gasped. "Oh my god," she said. "I'm so sorry."

"It was awful," said Mr. Al. "I went after that little witch and stormed her house. My men and I managed to kill her mother, but the young witch escaped. And we're still looking for her to this day."

"That's...that's horrible..."

"It is," Avery agreed. "But everyone at this foster home is in on Mr. Al's secret. Whenever we see or hear something that's a possible clue, we report it to Mr. Al."

"I'm kind of curious," said Zoe, "How did you find me? Did you know I'd been a boy before?"

"Let's just say I got...tipped off," Mr. Al answered.

"Tipped off? By who?"

The answer came with the creak of the door opening behind Zoe and Avery. Zoe turned to see Miles entering the room. "Hey Zack," said Miles.

Zoe's jaw dropped. Now it all made sense. Right after the seemingly magic bathroom had turned Zack into Zoe, Miles had said he was going to talk to someone who could help with the situation. And Mr. Al had found Zoe when she'd gotten just a few blocks from her house. Mr. Al must've been the help Miles was referring to.

"Yes, that's right," said Mr. Al. "Your friend Miles came running home to tell me about that bathroom incident-and I went out to find you."

"Yeah...it was my fault," Zoe admitted. "I shouldn't have gone into that girls' bathroom."

"No, it wasn't your fault," said Mr. Al. "It was the work of a witch, no doubt. One of their tricks is enchanting a bathroom or locker room to turn any male who enters into a female."

"I take it your parents didn't react well to seeing you as a girl?" Miles asked.

"My mom didn't even believe me," Zoe answered. "She threw me out."

"As is common in situations like this," said Mr. Al. "Of course, I met a young lady named Saige whose mother was much more accepting of her change."

"You don't think you could talk to my parents, could you?" Zoe asked.

"Me?" said Mr. Al.

"Yes, please. You know all about witches-if anyone can talk some sense into them, it's you."

"Well..."

"You haven't already done all the paperwork to 'adopt' me, have you?"

"I was only just starting," said Mr. Al. "But I suppose we can go to your house and speak with your parents."

"Yes, please," said Zoe.

"Do you still have your backpack and stuff from school?" Miles asked. "If you have your old binders and school ID and stuff, then that might help prove that it's you."

"Oh." Zoe felt really stupid for not thinking of that in the first place. "Yeah, I'll go get it."

***

Once Zoe had gotten her stuff, Mr. Al took her, along with Miles, in his car back to Zoe's house. The three of them gathered on the doorstep and knocked on the door.

After a minute of waiting, the door was answered by Zoe's mom. "Mr. Al?" she asked. Then her eyes fell on Zoe, and she scowled. "You again!"

"Calm down, Mrs. Fletcher," said Mr. Al. "We're just here to reunite you with your son."

"Oh, great, now you're in on this joke, too?" Zoe's mom asked.

"Be reasonable," said Mr. Al. "Why on Earth would I try to mess with you about something like this?"

"Well, our son Zack has been missing since this afternoon," Zoe's mom admitted, "But we did have this young lady come here and try to-"

"Mom, it's me!" Zoe exclaimed. "I'm Zack! Well, Zoe now, but I was Zack!"

"Do you really expect me to believe that?"

"Yes!" Zoe reached into her backpack and pulled out her school ID with the name "Zack Fletcher" and a picture of her old male self. "If it wasn't me, then how would I have this? Or my backpack? Or all my notebooks and binders?" She opened her backpack to show her mom all the stuff inside.

Zoe's mom recognized everything in the backpack as stuff that her son had owned. "Even if I believe that it's you," she said, "How did it happen? How did you..." She thought for a moment. "Turn female?"

"It was a magic bathroom," said Miles.

"I think you'd better come inside," said Zoe's mom.

Zoe, Miles, and Mr. Al came in and sat down on the living room sofa. Zoe's mom got Zoe's dad and had him come in to talk, too. Zoe's parents both listened as Zoe and Miles told them about the bathroom mistake at school, and how Mr. Al had taken in Zoe and revealed himself to be a witch hunter. The Fletchers gaped in amazement as they listened.

"I don't believe it," Zoe's dad said, looking at his new daughter with awe. "Zack, you...you've changed."

"I know," Zoe said shamefully. "I'm sorry, Dad."

"It wasn't her fault," said Mr. Al. "That bathroom was cursed by the young witch in Interstellar High School."

"There's a witch at Interstellar High?"

"That's the only explanation. Whoever this witch is must have put a curse on the bathroom to turn boys into girls. And Zoe's not the first victim of this witch, whoever she is."

"And are you looking for her?"

"Oh yes. My associates and I are hard at work, looking for leads or clues."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Zoe asked. "Me and Miles?"

"I don't know," Mr. Al answered. "But if I need anything from you, I'll tell you."

"So where are you gonna stay now?" Miles asked. "Back at my foster home, or here with your parents?"

"Well, it seems like my parents are a lot more accepting of me now, so..."

"Yes, we'll let you stay with us," Zoe's dad said.

"I'm sorry I kicked you out earlier," her mom added.

"It's okay," Zoe replied. She got up and hugged both her mother and her father.

"Welcome to being a girl, princess."

To be continued...