The Witch’s Ichor

There's nothing like getting pizza delivered in the comfort of your own home. Eating a delicious pepperoni pie with your family is a staple of life-at least to Zoe, it is. The gooey cheese and slightly spicy pepperoni makes for a happy girl. Zoe kicks her feet back and forth as she eats. Zoe's father glances over.

"You have a good day, kiddo?" Zoe's father asks.

"Mhm!" Zoe replies with a mouthful of pizza.

Zoe's mother clicks her tongue at her daughter's poor table manners.

"What have I told you about talking with your mouth full, Zoe?" She scolds.

"Sorry, Mom!" Zoe apologizes.

Zoe finishes her fourth slice of the night, and takes a drink of her water. Seeing her mother and father reminds her of something she isn't sure is possible. She clears her throat to get their attention.

"Ahem. I was um... wondering if I could see a doctor about, uh, H-R-T?" Zoe asks stiffly.

Zoe's mother raises her brow. She swallows the food in her mouth, and voices her question.

"Zoe... Why do you need that if you're already in a girl body?" Zoe's mother asks.

"I want to make my boy body look pretty, too." Zoe replies.

The look her parents give her makes Zoe's stomach churn.

"I-I just mean I want to try! I know I'm not pretty as a boy or anything, but I just-" Zoe rambles.

"I'll make an appointment first thing tomorrow, honey." Zoe's mother cuts her off.

The ugly knot in Zoe's stomach gets a little tighter as her parents whisper to one another. Zoe's father finally voices his opinion.

"Zoe I don't want you talking down about yourself like that. It's ok to not like your original body, but it's not okay to... to put yourself down. You can be beautiful without magic." Zoe's father lectures.

That ugly black knot loosens.

~

Zoe's favorite part of her school day is finally here: lunch time. Zoe practically sprints out of 4th period in an effort to have as much girl time as possible. The unisex bathroom serves as Zoe's changing room for the third time this week, and she manages the transformation in less than two minutes.

Ah, sweet girlhood.
Time to find my posse!

Scanning the lunchroom, Zoe spots Jamison's beanstalk self standing near their usual lunch table. She walks over to see both Theo and Derek there as well. The three boys are all talking to each other with serious looks on their faces, but Zoe can't make out what they're saying.

"Hey doofuses!" Zoe greets them.

Jamison stiffens up as Zoe offers him a high five. Theo and Derek simultaneously let out an irritated groan as Jamison accepts Zoe's high five. She gives them an incredulous look.

"What's your guys' problem?" Zoe asks.

"It was just a high five! We need to add a fourth term, Theo." Jamison argues.

"Fourth term? What?" Zoe asks in confusion.

"N-nothing, Zoe. We should grab our food before the line gets too long." Jamison deflects.

Zoe decides not to pry into the boys' 'man talk' and instead queue up for her lunch. The boys follow her into the lunch line. Theo rubs his head as if suffering from a headache, and quietly complains to Derek.

"Dude, we need to all chill the fuck out. I'm so tired of this." Theo grumbles.

Derek cracks his knuckles.

"Honestly I usually want to punch you in the face whenever you talk, but for once I agree with you." Derek replies haughtily.

"Don't know why you gotta be such an ass, Derek." Jamison comments.

"Someone has to be the alpha, of course." Derek replies sarcastically.

Jamison smiles at that. He can't stay mad at Derek despite how much of an ass the guy can be. Somehow he always manages to skirt around being outright awful. Barely.

"Honestly I think we should take a day off." Jamison states.

Zoe pouts as the line moves forward, and thus ends her eavesdropping. The spicy chicken sandwich that gets slapped onto her tray fails to compensate her loss. The three boys follow her out to their usual table, but someone is already sitting there.

"Hi! I thought I saw you over here yesterday, but I wasn't sure." Tracy says with a wave.

"Oh my gosh, hey!" Zoe squeals.

The boys watch Zoe sit down beside Tracy, and awkwardly shuffle into open seats. Derek and Theo both look to Jamison for an explanation, but he doesn't have one. The tall boy tilts his head in Zoe's direction.

"So who are your friends..?" Tracy asks warily.

"Oh these are my best friends! I've known them since we were in kindergarten." Zoe briefly introduces.

Tracy's eyebrows go up. She looks at the three boys with barely disguised suspicion. She scoots closer to Zoe, and gently places her hand on Zoe's head.

"So these guys... They don't do anything weird with you, do they?" Tracy asks quietly.

Zoe makes a face at Tracy, and shakes her head hurriedly.

"No! They're my childhood friends, and like, the most trusted people I know. Well, unless you count Mom and Dad." Zoe explains.

Jamison is watching this exchange with a complicated look. Tracy isn't a bad person or anything, but she's not one of the crew. Theo is distracting himself with math problems. Derek is sweating bullets.

"Isn't she the chick you were ogling last Friday?" Jamison whispers.

"Dude shut the fuck up." Derek growls back.

Zoe's turns and points to Theo with an excited smile on her face. Tracy glances over at Theo suspiciously. She listens intently to Zoe as she introduces each of her childhood friends.

"That's Theo! He's a big nerd, but also really smart and kind of sweet when you get under that icy exterior." Zoe explains.

"Yeah I see the nerd part. Gives me incel vibes, honestly." Tracy remarks.

Zoe doesn't really understand what Tracy means by that. She points to Jamison next.

"Anyways, that's Jamison! He's like the leader of our group, and he's really tall. I think he's probably the nicest and most caring of the group." Zoe gushes.

Tracy quirks her brow, but doesn't interrupt this time. Zoe finally points to a rather nervous looking Derek.

"And that's Derek. He's kind of a jerk, but sometimes he's really... cute." Zoe whispers that last part.

Tracy scrutinizes Derek for this so called 'cuteness', but she can't find it. Her frown deepens when she recognizes Derek from a previous encounter.

"Oh. You're the one who got rejected by Nadia... yikes." Tracy remarks.

Derek's face turns beet red as Tracy calls him out. Zoe blinks in surprise, and turns from Tracy to Derek. She squints at him suspiciously.

"Derek, did that happen? How come you never told us?" Zoe questions.

Jamison stifles a chuckle as Derek is put into a tough spot. Funnily enough both Theo and Jamison heard this story from Derek, but Derek adamantly refused to let Zoe hear about it. This happened roughly two weeks ago.

"I uh... It might have happened. Sorry." Derek stammers.

Tracy rolls her eyes at Derek's response. She gently takes Zoe's small hand, and holds it to get her attention. Zoe turns to look up at her curiously with those adorable doe eyes.

"Zoe, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out at my place after school?" Tracy asks sweetly.

Three pairs of eyes laser in on Tracy like snipers taking aim. Tracy gives the boys the side eye, and smirks cheekily. Zoe excitedly replies to the offer.

"Oh my gosh, yes! I'd love to!" Zoe accepts.

Their conversation is interrupted by the bell. Tracy and Zoe get up together, and dump their trays. The three boys watch Zoe and her girl friend walk out of the cafeteria in a daze. Derek turns to Jamison and grabs him by the shirt.

"Did we just get conned?!" Derek shouts.

Jamison grips Derek's wrists to stop his shaking. Theo puts away his math problems, and pushes his glasses up.

"She completely outmaneuvered us. I'm about ninety percent certain Tracy is stealing our girl." Theo says darkly.

The three boys realize lunch is over. They dump their trays with their tails between their legs and start walking to class. Jamison finally speaks up.

"So are they like, girl friends, or girlfriends?"

He doesn't get an answer.

~

Tracy guides Zoe by the hand to her home. The flower garden out front gives her house a vibrant look. Zoe smiles down at the flowers as Tracy unlocks the front door. Tracy pulls Zoe into the neatly decorated interior. There's pictures of Tracy with her mother and a vaguely familiar looking brother.

"My mom and brother aren't home, so we have the place to ourselves." Tracy says suggestively.

Zoe smiles at the exclusively flower themed decorations. She giggles at the adorable tulip shaped lighting fixtures.

"Cool! I love your house... it's so cute!" Zoe exclaims cluelessly.

Tracy does her best not to get frustrated with Zoe's innocence.

Deep breaths.
Just be patient.

Tracy gently pulls Zoe along by the hand. The two girls make their way upstairs and into Tracy's bedroom. Tracy shuts and locks the door, but Zoe doesn't even notice. Her focus is on the watercolor paintings adorning Tracy's walls.

"I didn't know you painted... Is this a fish?" Zoe comments.

"That is actually supposed to be a submarine." Tracy explains sarcastically.

"Ohhh... It's a good submarine!" Zoe apologizes.

"Pfft... Oh, Zoe..." Tracy starts to laugh.

Zoe turns to look at Tracy.

"What's so funny?" Zoe questions.

Tracy smiles down at Zoe before suddenly pulling Zoe onto her bed. The pair of girls flop backwards onto the soft blue bed with a shrill squeal. Zoe's face is flushed as she pouts up at Tracy.

"T-Tracy?! What was that for?" Zoe stammers.

Tracy gently slides her fingertips along Zoe's cheek. Zoe stares wide eyed as Tracy's finely manicured hand gently grasps her by the chin. They're close enough to touch now. Zoe's brown eyes stare up into Tracy's green eyes.

"You're just so gosh darn cute, Zoe." Tracy whispers.

"I- Uh- Th-Thank you?" Zoe whimpers.

Seeing Zoe get nervous pours cold water over Tracy. She leans back, giving the shorter dark haired girl some space. Zoe looks over at Tracy shyly.

"Honestly I think you're far prettier, Tracy. You even know how to do makeup!" Zoe compliments.

"I could teach you, if you want?" Tracy offers.

"W-Would you really?" Zoe gasps.

"Gladly! I could even give you a makeover." Tracy exclaims.

Zoe's eyes sparkle at the prospect of a makeover. Tracy laughs lightly as she gets up off her bed to get things ready.

Tracy sets up her vanity and beckons Zoe over. Zoe meekly shuffles over and sits down. Tracy starts by brushing out Zoe's lengthy dark hair. The process transforms Zoe's unruly mane into a beautiful river of dark hair.

"You should really brush your hair at least once a day." Tracy lectures.

Zoe nods softly in understanding. Tracy gets out her foundations, and matches a tone to Zoe's pale skin. The cool gel tickles Zoe as Tracy applies and smooths it out across her features. Once Tracy is satisfied with Zoe's foundation she pulls out the blush.

"We're gonna stick to simple stuff for now, mkay?" Tracy warns Zoe.

"Gotcha!" Zoe acknowledges.

Tracy's deft hands apply a touch of blush to each of Zoe's cheeks. She goes back and forth several times before deciding the blush is up to par. Tracy switches over to eyeliner, and Zoe's eyes widen fearfully.

"Relax, Zoe. It won't hurt you." Tracy soothes.

Zoe swallows her anxiety and lets Tracy do her work. The dark eyeliner gradually outlines each of Zoe's eyes. Tracy carefully draws a small wingtip on each eye, and smiles in satisfaction.

"Almost there!" Tracy encourages.

Tracy pulls out the mascara and guides Zoe through applying it. By the time they finish Zoe's eyelashes are both darker and fuller. Tracy finally brings out the lip gloss. The fairly natural reddish pink gloss gives Zoe's lips extra volume and shine.

Zoe goes to stand up, but Tracy gently pushes her down by the shoulder. She lightly shakes a can of setting spray, and aims for Zoe's face.

"Close your eyes until I say to open." Tracy orders.

Zoe shuts her eyes quickly. Tracy double checks Zoe's eyes are closed, and sprays every inch of her face. The setting spray helps Zoe's makeover stick. Tracy spins Zoe around to face the vanity's mirror.

"Okay, open your eyes." Tracy says with a smile.

Zoe opens her eyes to see a beautiful girl adorned in simple yet effective makeup. The way her lips shine and her eyelashes flutter is just ever so slightly enhanced. The small blemishes on her face are nonexistent. The gorgeous eyeliner is the icing on the cake.

"Holy fuck, I look hot!" Zoe exclaims.

Tracy laughs hysterically as Zoe blushes at her own words. Zoe pulls out her phone and takes a picture of her makeover with a shy grin. She sends it off to the group chat with the boys before Tracy joins her for a second selfie.

Having a girl friend is the best!