Acknowledgements
Firstly, I would like to thank Hikaro and Misaania for all of their help with editing and proofreading for the sorts of weird things I usually forget. Both have been an immense help, and I wouldn't write nearly as well as I do without their assistance and input.
Secondly, I would like to thank myself. I have been invaluable in writing this story, and I couldn't have done it without me. Go me! (seriously guys, self-love is important)
General Information
Jenna's Spellbook is a TG modern fantasy story (emphasis on the TG). It has magic and stuff like that set in modern times. It may or may not have fantasy creatures, and there may or may not be Potters in the story. There certainly aren't Disks. Quit looking at me like that....
But in all seriousness, I'm often disappointed in the lack of queer and trans representation (even on sites like this), and as such, will make an effort to have that sort of thing (without overshadowing the story).
This story updates on Wednesdays, barring technical difficulties.
Warning
This story contains course language, may contain violent sequences, and may have adult situations. It may not be appropriate for all audiences. If you feel that you are not interested in (or shouldn't be reading) those sorts of things, then you probably should choose something else to read.
Chapter One: The Spellbook |
TW: Language |
Chapter Two: Playing Hooky |
TW: Language |
Thanks,
StephAD
For some reason, the back corner of the library is poorly lit. I guess the janitor never replaces the lights back there. But it's also where they keep the old books, and unfortunately for me, the science textbook has been in the school system for at least twenty years. They haven't updated the curriculum in so long that the books just don't get changed. Eventually, they'll run out of spares and have to update, but for now the spares are kept with the old books in the back. I pull my LED flashlight out of my purse, and start hunting for the spare book. I can't believe that I left my science book at home, on a test day no less.
I find the science spare, but right next to it is, for lack of a better phrase, a dusty old tome.I grab it and pull it out of the shelf. I wipe its cover off, and stare at a series of incomprehensible symbols before they rearrange themselves into two words, "Jenna's Spellbook." Huh. What the hell, I open it. After all, it has my name on it.
Instantly, a blast of dark purple light illuminates my body from the book, and I feel things stretching and squishing. My clothes writhe like snakes on my skin, and I feel things shifting and changing inside me. It's...OH, it's not pleasant. My skin feels like it's on fire, and I clench my hands into claws, because I know if I start scratching, I won't stop. My hips pop and crack, and I feel my legs go numb and useless. I can't move or control them, and I fall to the ground. I hit my head on the metal shelf, and black out, my bones cracking and jerking painfully.
I wake up with the taste of vomit in my mouth. "Uhhh..." I groan, and it comes out deep. "What the hell?" Still deep. Oh god. I put my hands to my throat. There is a definite lump there. I slowly reach down my body, refusing to look. It's all flat. Firm, but very flat. I keep going, and find something terrifying. I finally look down to see a bump between my legs where it should be smooth and flat. "No way..." Holy shit is my voice low. And resonant. It's like...It's like having a bass drum in my chest.
I shakily push myself to my feet. Wow, I'm really weak. My legs threaten to buckle under me, and I lean on a shelf to keep from falling. I look down to see my purse has turned into a messenger bag, and the book is open on the floor. I slowly lower myself to the ground, and quickly close the book before shoving it into my bag.
I hurry out of the library, making sure not to make eye contact with anybody. I leave a note with my science teacher telling him that I'm feeling really bad, and won't be able to take the test. That I'll make it up later. Then I head out to my car and check to see what else has changed. My keychain is the same, the stuff in my bag hasn't changed. Just the bag. I hesitantly look down my waistband and yep...that's a...yep. I call Stacy. She's in class, but odds are she's not paying attention, and I know the teacher won't care if she says it's important.
The phone rings for a few seconds before she finally picks up, "Jenna? This had better be important, I had to tell Mr. Dunham that it was my grandma!" She hisses into the phone, and I can hear a slight echo. She's in the hallway.
"Okay...don't fr-"
"Who is this? Why do you have Jenna's phone?"
I hold the phone away from my face and sigh before I bring it back to my ear, "This is Jenna. Something's happened and I need you to come out to the parking lot right now."
"Bullshit. I don't know how you got her phone, but I'm coming down there to get it back." She hangs up.
I sigh. Stacy is amazing, but sometimes not too bright. If somebody had her phone, I would definitely not go where they were alone. I would find her and maybe a few big guys before going to get her phone back. Speaking of big guys, I pull down my visor mirror to look at my reflection.
The first thing I notice is my eyes staring back at me. They haven't changed. Still hazel-brown. My very-slightly auburn hair is the same also, just shorter, and in a more masculine haircut that falls just to the tips of my ears. I notice a dark shadow around my jawline, and rub my hand across it. I hear the scratching more than I feel it. It's kinda like the raspy sound you hear when a cat licks itself. But yep. Definitely stubble. And speaking of my jawline, it's noticeably heavier, and my chin is much different. Broader and more angular is basically what my face boils down to.
I feel my arms and shoulders, and while they aren't huge, they're definitely broad and developed. I unconsciously flex. My shirt is uncomfortably tight around my chest, and I look down to see that it's because my pecs are...oh wow...my pecs are pressing the shirt out, almost like my boobs would, except that they aren't soft and round and perky (perky?), they're hard and flat and wide. And my nipples barely deform the surface of the shirt. It's soft, cotton maybe? I hesitantly reach over to touch one, and I'm surprised. It's really hard. And not sensitive at all. It's almost like poking a rock. But wow is it hard, and I feel something twitch in my pants.
I'm in the middle of reacting to the fact that I'm getting an erection when I hear tapping on my window. I put my keys into the car to start the electric and roll the window down. It's Stacy.
Stacy is about my height - was about my height - now she's well under my height. Uhhh...five foot seven, maybe? Either way, she's not short, as girls go, but from my new vantage point she definitely feels short. She's wearing hot pink shorts and a sheer loose white tank. And I can see the outline of her bra. White. It's just slightly too small, and I find myself thinking that it must be uncomfortable. But no. She has comfortable bras that fit well. And won't be visible through a sheer shirt. She's wearing it deliberately. And it should not be having this effect on me. My...member...I can't call it that yet.
"Give me Jenna's stuff back, and get out of her car. Now."
"Oh my god Stacy," I figure that she's not gonna listen to my reasoning, "did you even think to look for 'Jenna'?" I make air quotes and hope that she can see it's still me. Just...different. I mean, it's the same personality. Right? My member reminds me that my body is very different now.
"No. Because I don't need to look for her to know that you aren't her." She scoffs, and I love her and hate her right now, "Like, hon' you're hot. But not that kind of hot. Like. Tits are required."
I react before I even think about it, "Uh, excuse me? Not 'that kind of' hot? I'll have you know that my tits are better than yours. And I would know. I've seen your ass out of the shower, and let me tell you girl. Not so amazing." I'm out of the car now, and yelling at her over hood of the little VW Bug. I stop when I realize what I just said. But Stacy is staring at me. I look down, and my shirt and upper body have changed. The shirt is halfway between what I put on this morning, and what it turned into earlier. And my chest isn't as broad and is slightly deformed by the small, but definitely there boobs. I didn't even feel it. My voice is different. Not quite back to normal, but not nearly as deep as before.
I bend over and feel tears forming as my body shifts back to male. Holy mother of god it hurts. I am crying now, and I feel my voice crack and return to that low pitch of earlier. The shock has worn off, and I'm terrified. What if I'm stuck like this?
"Jenna?" Stacy whispers, and that sends me well over the edge. I'm bawling now, and I sit against the driver's side of the car with my arms wrapped around my knees. I'm curled in on myself, and I don't see Stacy come over to wrap herself around me. "Jenna. If you really are Jenna, we'll get through this...whatever this is...together."
I sit crying on the warm asphalt of the school parking lot with Stacy wrapped around me for I don't know how long. When I'm mostly cried out, I sniffle and wipe my face with my now-much-rougher hands. Snot gets on them, but I honestly don't care at this point. Snot is far from my biggest problem. I wipe my hands on my pants, and take a deep breath. Okay Jenna.. Calm down...
Stacy hugs harder, then lets me go. "Alright. Do you want to get out of here? Figure this out somewhere else?"
I sniffle, "Yeah. Let's go." I stand and climb into my car, and start the engine. I wait for Stacy to buckle up, then pull out of the parking lot, half expecting somebody to run out and tell us to get back in class. Nobody does, the teachers are pretty cool sometimes. The rules are stupid, but the teachers don't pay attention to them. I have Stacy text my mom to have her excuse me and Stacy from class, making up some excuse for having to leave.
"Hey, I'm still not one hundred percent that you're Jenna, so can you go to our spot?" I glance over at Stacy, and see that she's activated her panic app. It tracks location, so if she isn't in a specific spot by the set time, it'll call 911 and tell them where she is. Our parents made us download the apps onto our phones. I'm the only other person who knows what location she's entered, so I start heading into town.
I sigh, "Yeah Stacy. No problem."
"Sooo...what happened?" She's looking over at me from the passenger seat with a neutral expression on her face.
"You won't believe me, but I opened a book. The next thing I knew, I looked like...well, this. I called you as soon as I was outside." I shrug, "If you want, I took the book. It's in my bag."
She turns to dig through the pile of crap in my back seat, and drags my bag into her lap. She opens it, and pulls out the big, heavy book. "This it?" She starts to open it, but I put my hand over hers.
"Yeah, but don't open it. I don't know what'll happen if you do."
Stacy shuts the book, and sneezes as a cloud of dust ends up in her face. "Whew! That's fucking old."
"Yup." We drive in silence for about five minutes before I pull into the parking lot of an abandoned theater. Stacy's phone beeps, and tells her that the app has disarmed. "We're here."
"Well, I'm still not completely convinced, but if you aren't Jenna, then you've at least talked to her. And she trusts you, or she wouldn't have given you the address to this place."
I shake my head, "Stacy.. For being so impulsive, you're awfully paranoid."
She glares at me, "Let's just head inside, and then we'll see if the book is magic or not."
I grab my bag from where Stacy's dumped it back into the back seat, turn off the car, slide my phone and keys into my pocket, then get out. I nod my head, going down my checklist before I remember the emergency brake. I poke my head back in the car, set it, then lock the doors. The air feels humid and muggy, and I look up to see stormclouds rolling in. I unlock the car, grab an umbrella from the backseat, then lock the car back up.
I turn to Stacy, whose leaning on the white VW bug, watching me with her eyebrow raised. "Yep. You're definitely Jenna."
I glare at her, "Shut up Stacy. Let's just get inside before we get soaked." This time of year, the rainclouds come often, and they don't leave for days. We'll get maybe one or two clear days per week for the next month or so.
Stacy and I head inside through the broken links in the fence with the faded, "No Trespassing" sign. The back door can be jimmied to open if you've got a pry bar, which we do. We head inside, shutting the door behind us. It closes smoothly and quietly; last summer we oiled the hinges. Before that, it squealed like a dying pig when we opened or closed it. Now it barely makes a sound. We set a chunk of wood through the door handle to prevent anybody from coming in after us, then turn around and head into the larger theater, navigating by touch since we can't see anything.
We emerge from under the burnt out "exit" sign beside the stage with ratty, old curtains hanging loosely from the drawstrings that kept them pulled. By now our eyes have adjusted to the extremely dim light in the theater, light let in by the hole in the stage roof. A few rows of level seats lead back away from the stage before they ramp sharply upwards to street level and fade into the gloom of the abandoned theater. The theater was built on the side of a hill, which meant that they didn't have to excavate as much for it. The old ornate balcony is close to the ceiling, and the only useful source of light in the theater, beyond the stage that is, is what we bring with us, so it's absurdly dark in the balcony.
We pull out our phones, and turn the flashlights on, then head to the balcony where we've got a lantern and a stash of stuff. Stacy lets me lead the way, either because she still doesn't trust me, or because she hates going first. Either way, I don't mind. We haven't been here in a while, so I'm excited to see if our most recent attempt at keeping animals out of our food has proved successful.
We go up the rows to the lobby, where there is a short wooden door that leads to the spiral staircase we take to get to the balcony. The only other way to get up to the balcony is through the emergency exit that leads out to a fire escape, and it's visible from the street, so we usually don't go that way. I open the short door, and duck my head to get through the squat doorway to the old wooden staircase. It smells vaguely of dust and popcorn grease, the staircase is tight and uncomfortable. It's enclosed, and I used to be afraid to go in because it's so claustrophobic. Back then, Stacy and I usually hung out on the stage.
We get to the balcony, and sit in the hollow we've created by removing a few of the seats, and light our electric lantern. It flickers for a few seconds, then shines brightly. "We'll need to bring new batteries next time." I observe, then put my phone away. Stacy does the same.
Then I check the plastic cooler we keep our food in. We ended up having to wrap bungee cords around it to keep raccoons out. I unwrap the cooler, and check our food. Yep, it's all there. I pull out a bag of chips for me, and a pack of Oreos for Stacy.
Stacy frowns and looks over my shoulder, "We're running low on food too. Maybe bring some of that next time?"
"Yeah, sounds good to me." Stacy seems to have somewhat accepted that it's me in this weird-ass male body.
"Sooo..." Stacy opens the pack of Oreos, then continues, "Gonna pull that book out?"
"Yeah." I pull the book out of my bag, and a tampon falls out with it. I quickly grab it, and toss it back in, while Stacy coughs to cover up a laugh. I glare at her, and pull my phone back out to look at the cover. It hasn't changed, "Jenna's Spellbook" reads in large, ornate lettering across the cover. There isn't anything else on the entire cover; front, back, or spine.
I open the book, and the binding cracks ominously. The first page just says the same thing as the cover. "Well, apparently it's your spellbook." Stacy observes.
"Thanks for that astute observation, Captain Obvious." I reply.
I turn the page, and see nothing on it. A brilliant violet light envelopes my body, and I feel my body cracking and reforming, then I pass out out from the pain.
When I come to, Stacy is about to slap me, and has her eyes shut tightly, "God damn it, Jenna! This better wake you up, because I'm not dragging your ass out of here!" Before I can get my hands up to stop her, she slaps me, and holy shit that girl has a strong arm.
"OW!" I scream at her, "What the fuck Stacy?!"
She grins sheepishly at me, "Sorry..."
I glare at her, and don't say anything.
"Hey, at least your boobs are back?"
I look down, and sure enough, my boobs are back. I reach down, and...yep...flat as a pancake. I grin at Stacy, and she visibly relaxes. Then I slap her, "Payback," I tell her. I sit up, and regain my bearings.
Stacy rubs her face, frowning at me, "Bitch.. That hurt..." I stick my tongue out, then look around for the book. I find it shoved under a seat, and slide it back into the light.
I look at the spellbook. It's still open to the page I had it on, and now there's writing. I peer at it, and it looks like instructions. Before I can begin to read it, Stacy closes the book in my face, "Okay! That's enough of that! Can we please burn this now that you're back to normal?"
I snatch the book back, and shove it into my bag. "No. But I need ice cream, so we're not gonna screw with it until after I have a giant waffle cone of vanilla. Let's celebrate me getting back to normal."
"Fine." Stacy glares at me, "But I still say we should burn that thing." Then we head back outside to go get ice cream, locking everything up behind us.