Trans Witch: College of Secrets Read online

  Cameron grunted. "That made it at least three times more difficult to perfect, but yeah, I guess a disguise that a phone camera could see through wouldn't last long at all."

  "Even though most pictures taken in the school never work out," added Jesse.

  Hannah said, "She'll need to keep the disguise up outside the school sometimes, I think."

  Lily pulled her own phone out of her purse and put her camera in selfie mode. The same image stared back at her in disbelief. "It's amazing. Thank you so much. You have no idea how this would have changed my life when I was your age."

  Aiden giggled. "I think at least I have an idea, Professor S."

  Someone rapped on the classroom door.

  "Come in," shouted Lily, without thinking. Her sudden panic must have shown because Hannah dashed over to her and put an arm around her waist. Lily blushed, not knowing what to do with the sudden familiarity, but as the door opened, she forgot all about Hannah.

  "Hello? Lily?" Ellen peeked in the door.

  Lily froze, unable to speak. What would she do if Ellen knew it was her? What would she do if she didn't?

  Chapter Ten

  Ellen peered in from the doorway at the five people in the room. Lily still couldn't answer, though she tried. Was it nerves, or was it the geas?

  Jesse and Cameron stood, to join the others.

  Next to Lily, Hannah waved. "Hello!"

  "Oh. Looks like she's not in?" said Ellen, letting herself fully into the room. Behind her, Zach peered in over her head. His eyes fixed on Lily.

  "Class let out a little bit ago," said Lily, her voice still sounding strange, and perhaps a little shrill, to her ears.

  Jesse added, "Professor S. isn't herself today."

  Ellen sighed. "Well, that's why I'm here. We collided earlier, and I didn't want her to be upset about it or think I was. Well, I was, but it was as much my fault as hers. Just an accident. I wanted to ask her out to dinner with Zach and me, as a sort of peace offering."

  "It's not your fault, Ellen," blurted Lily before she could stop herself.

  Ellen fixed her gaze on Lily. "You know my name? Did she say something to you about me?"

  Lily floundered. "Well, uh, she wasn't in the best mood, and she was late, and then Dean Wheeler gave her a hard time—"

  "—but she said those muffins were from you, so that made everything better!" said Hannah, nudging Lily.

  Ellen smiled. "That's good to hear. I hope I can catch her for dinner later."

  "I doubt it," said Lily, earning her another nudge from Hannah.

  Aiden said, "she mentioned having to have dinner with the Dean tonight."

  Lily added, "She isn't very happy about that."

  Ellen frowned. "That's a shame. I mean, about not getting along with her new boss, and all."

  "How do you know about that?" asked Cameron.

  Ellen smiled. "I work in the Bursar's office. I know lots of things. Especially if they affect my little sister."

  Lily's insides warmed at that. She loved her sister, and it meant so much to hear her looking out for her, even when she wasn't around. That, and she never tired of Ellen calling her 'sister', especially since it had taken well-meaning Ellen the better part of a year into Lily's transition to start using it without being corrected first.

  "So, if Lily isn't here, what are all of you doing here in her classroom without her?" asked Ellen.

  Zach slipped past Ellen and peered at Lily even more closely. He smiled at her. And then, he winked.

  A chill passed through Lily. What's that all about? Does he know? How could he?

  Lily picked up her purse. "Oh, we're just leaving."

  Hannah took Lily's hand and said, "We're the D20 Club! Lily hosts us here in her room. We're going to play somewhere else since she couldn't stay."

  Lily did her best to hold her poker face. She knew the kids played role-playing games, but she'd never had anything to do with it. She wondered if they all played wizards, or if that was old hat to them.

  Zach grinned. "Hey, I play too! Do you have an empty seat that needs to be filled?"

  Aiden spoke before Lily could reply. "All full up for now! But we'll let Professor S. know if we have an opening. But we gotta go if we're gonna get a room. You understand."

  Ellen nodded and backed out of the room to let the students pass. Lily let Hannah lead her by the hand toward the door, but Zach stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

  "Hey, um, I didn't catch your name," he said, color spreading across his cheeks, eyes cast downward.

  Panicking, Lily searched for a name. Couldn't give her name. What other names were there even to give? "I'm uh—"

  Hannah grinned and finished her stammered reply for her. "—Claudia's her name. And yours is?"

  Zach looked like he wanted to vanish. "Me? Uh, I'm Zach. Lily's nephew."

  The smile disappeared from Hannah's face. "Oh! That Zach? That's cool. I'm sure we'll see you around."

  "Yeah, we will," said Lily, her face coloring as understanding dawned on her. "This is Hannah, my um, girlfriend."

  Zach's face fell, but he met her eyes. "Oh, that's rad. My aunt's got a wife, too. I mean, that is, she did, but—"

  "—Zach, leave the poor girls alone," called Ellen from the hallway. "We'd better get going, too."

  Hannah squeezed her hand and favored her with a wolfish grin. "Come on, sweetheart, let's go."

  Lily needed to be anywhere but here just that moment. She let go of Hannah's hand to lock the classroom door.

  Ellen stood in the hallway, poking at her phone.

  Lily's phone let out a bleep to let her know she had a new message.

  Ellen looked up from her phone and met Lily's eyes for a tense moment, then she said, "Funny. You have the same alert sound my sister does."

  Lily shook a laugh out of her, powered by nerves. "Well, of course. I bought this phone because I liked Professor S's."

  Ellen flashed her a smile. "Of course. Please tell her I'm looking for her if you see her?"

  Lily and Hannah nodded. In unison, they replied, "We will!"

  Ellen wrinkled her nose and smiled. "I hope you don't mind me saying how cute a couple you two are? You make me think of Lily and Penny. Just short of nauseating. In a good way, you know."

  Hannah laughed and said, "Thanks! Bye now!" Then she took Lily's hand again and towed her down the hallway to follow the rest of the Queer Quartet.

  Aiden and Cameron hummed a tune together, then burst out into song once they'd rounded the corner. "Hannah and Lily, sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I—"

  "Stop it," said Lily. "It was all I could think of to keep my nephew from hitting on me."

  Hannah pouted. "Oh, but Professor S! You'll break my heart!"

  "You're wonderful, dear, but I'm easily old enough to be your parent," said Lily.

  Only Jesse remained serious. "Come on. We can't fool around like this. We have to get you in to look around, and I think your sister and nephew are gonna figure something is up."

  Lily nodded. "I mean, you're right. But, how could they? I look nothing like myself."

  Jesse shrugged. "Not nothing. You have the same features, you're the same height and build. You're just twenty years younger, with different eye color, hair, and clothes."

  "Oh honey, I wish I looked like this twenty years ago."

  "Yes, we know. But the spell, as I understand it, just uses what you've got. This is pretty much what you would have looked like twenty years ago if the universe were fairer than it is. Anyway, it's locked to that form now that you've put it on, so no matter who wears it, it'll look like you do right now."

  Lily took a deep, ragged breath, and peered at herself in the glass covering a bulletin board. "Oh. Can I keep this bracelet? I think it might be good therapy for when I'm sad about my late transition."

  Aiden said, "Yeah, I get that. But the effect won't last forever. Maybe just a few days."

 
Cameron spoke in a tone softer than she'd ever heard from them. "We'll recharge it for you, Professor S. I get what it's like, too. As much as I can."

  The other three students turned to stare at Cameron. Hannah exclaimed, "Careful there, Cam, or we might think you have a heart after all!"

  Cameron closed their eyes and let out a weary sigh. "You know what scares me? You are my closest friends, and yet, even you don't get me."

  Lily took a step toward Cameron but stopped short of touching them. "I think I do. Thank you, Cameron."

  Cameron shrugged and avoided eye contact.

  "Okay Claudia," said Hannah, addressing Lily. "First stop is my Enchantments class, which should be starting in a few minutes. We'll keep your lovely cover story, you're my latest girlfriend. But you should know, I'm dating Cam and Jesse already."

  "Both of them?"

  "So am I," said Aiden, with a goofy grin on his face.

  "We're a polycule, kinda," said Jesse. "That is, I'm in QPRs with Hannah and Aiden."

  "QPR?" asked Lily.

  "Queer platonic relationship," explained Cameron. "She's ace."

  "And agender," added Jesse. "But I still use she/her pronouns."

  Lily smiled. "You all make me feel so at home. I'm the sparkly unicorn among the English department since I'm the only trans lesbian. Or trans anything. Thank you for taking me under your collective wing to help me find my Penny."

  "Hey," said Hannah. "Don't forget, she's our Penny too! We'll help however we can."

  The five of them passed into the portal into the SOAM atrium.

  Hannah took Lily's hand once more and addressed the rest of the Quartet. "Cam, you're up next. Meet us at Basilisk to take her to Phantasms, okay?"

  Cameron nodded. "Okay. I'll show her Wyvern Hall while I'm at it. Who's got her next?"

  "I think it'll be close to dinner by then, and I've got a date with Wheeler," said Lily. "And then I've got a late shift at the Library with Bucher."

  "Hmm, we didn't talk about outside relationships yet," teased Hannah. "But I guess that'll be okay. Just watch out for Wheeler, I hear she's all hands. Jesse, could you look in on her there this evening?"

  Jesse shook her head. "I have class around that time. Maybe if you have, like, a really long shift, I could?"

  Aiden added, "I'll get you, Profess—I mean, Claudia. I feel like you'll have fun in Alchemy. And the folks in Drake are chill. They'd go to war for me if anyone gave me any crap about being different."

  "I think you'll want to sit in on Wizard History," said Jesse. "I mean, not everyone loves it like I do, but it was Penny's favorite subject. Bucher just doesn't have the same passion for it as she did. Does. Sorry."

  "It's okay, I keep making that same mistake."

  Hannah squeezed her hand.

  And then, the Queer Quartet did something Lily had seen before but never understood. They all touched their nose and then pointed to the sky.

  "What was that?" she said.

  "It's just a silly ritual," explained Hannah. "Used to be, Cam and I would touch our nose and point at each other as a way of saying, 'I'll be thinking of you', but when two became four, we didn't want anyone to feel left out, so up represents the umbrella covering us all."

  "That's sweet," said Lily, repeating the gesture.

  Jesse smiled. "I thought you were old enough to be our parent?"

  Lily blushed. "Sorry. Just getting to like being a part of your group. I didn't mean—"

  Jesse grinned and touched her nose and pointed at Lily. "It's okay. We like you, too."

  Chapter Eleven

  They said their goodbyes and Hannah led Lily into a blue portal and down a hallway Lily hadn't seen before; everything on the walls and ceiling seemed made of glass or crystal, and the glowing balls of light along the ceiling had their soft light broken and scattered everywhere by the myriad of facets.

  "You don't have to hold my hand," said Lily to Hannah.

  "Hmm? Do you mind?"

  "No, it's a comfort, to be honest, but I don't want to give you the wrong idea."

  Hannah laughed. "What's the wrong idea? Can't friends go around hand in hand? Especially friends who need support?"

  "Yes, but I'm used to you being the student, while I'm the teacher, so it feels weird."

  "It's a totally weird situation! If you want, we can go back to the other way once you have Penny's hand to hold, okay?"

  Lily nodded. "Okay, that's fair."

  "Besides which, we've got your cover to keep up, Claudia!"

  Lily laughed. "Why did you pick Claudia?"

  Hannah looked at Lily with a secret smile upon her lips. "Promise you won't get mad?"

  "Mad? Why would I— Well, okay. I promise."

  Hannah smiled wider. "Have you ever seen this old movie called Interview with the Vampire?"

  "Oh! You mean like Kirsten Dunst's character?"

  Hannah's smile warmed even more. "Yeah, she's a little girl vampire. Only she's a lot older than she seems."

  "Hmph. Gotcha. Thanks. I'll remember that better knowing where you got it."

  "Aw, I don't mean anything by it! It was just the first thing that popped into my head."

  Lily smiled. "It was quick thinking. I might have blurted out something stupid, like 'Toyota' or 'Macaroni' since I was on the spot. You saved me!"

  Hannah laughed loud enough that other students in the hall glanced at the two of them. "That's it. I'm callin' you Professor Toyota from now on!"

  "But I own a Hyundai!"

  "Toyota's funnier."

  "A Toyota's a Toyota," muttered Lily.

  "What? Did you just say—"

  Lily shrugged. "I'm an English teacher. I like palindromes."

  "That's one of the ones I know thanks to—"

  Lily completed the sentence at the same time as Hannah. "—Weird Al!"

  The two women grinned at each other for a long moment, until people pushing past them broke the spell.

  "Okay, so we have something cool in common," said Hannah.

  "Only when I was younger, no one thought Weird Al was cool."

  "Really? Back in the olden days?" said Hannah, her smile producing dimples in her cheeks.

  "Do you want this to be the shortest fake relationship ever?" threatened Lily.

  "Kidding! I'm just kidding! I'm just sad for your generation that His Weirdness wasn't as appreciated in those days."

  "Well, he did hit kind of a slump in the mid-90s, to be fair," said Lily.

  They reached an open door to a classroom, which said Enchantments overhead in what looked like holographic letters floating in mid-air.

  "Welcome to my domain," said Hannah, with a sweeping gesture. "I'm all about this stuff."

  "Isn't a floating glowing sign like that an illusion, not an enchantment?" asked Lily.

  "Maybe, but I think Prof Murdock is sweet on Hartman."

  Lily frowned. "Who's sweet on whom?"

  Hannah giggled. "The Phantasms professor has a thing for the Enchantments professor. I think so anyway," she said with a wink.

  The Enchantments classroom turned out to be 'theater in the round' style, with a podium in the center of concentric circles of chairs. Hannah found seats in the back for Lily and herself.

  "Are there no desks? How do we take notes?" asked Lily in a hushed tone as others seated themselves nearby.

  "Oh, you can hold a notebook in your lap, if you must, but Professor Hartman hands out notes at the beginning of the year as part of the syllabus. He says he doesn't want anyone distracted by taking notes."

  "I suppose I see the logic in that," said Lily, thinking about her own rule of no laptops in class, to minimize distractions. She rarely enforced it, but whenever anyone struggled, she pointed out that dividing your attention made you half as smart in a classroom situation. Too easy to lose focus.

  Clap, clap, clap!

  The clapping came from the doorway, where a lanky, grinnin
g man with a steel-gray combover stood, surveying the room.

  Clap, clap, clap

  The class responded in kind, conversations falling silent.

  The man strode to the center of the room and leaned upon the podium in such a way that Lily feared both of them might topple over. Defying gravity, the man clapped again, and the class responded in kind.

  Lily rubbed her wrist, remembering her session with the man earlier.

  The man's grin widened. "What did I just demonstrate? Anyone?" He spun in a circle, as though dancing with the podium, squinted his eyes and pointed at Hannah. "You! Go!"

  Hannah sat up straight, and projected her voice so the room could hear, "You drew our attention, Professor Hartman!"

  Professor Hartman nodded like a bobblehead on a dashboard. "Yes, yes, very good, Hannah, very good! And attention is essential to enchantments of all sorts. If you want to charm someone, they better notice you, first, or it's going to fizzle! If you want to sway someone's emotions with a charm, you have got to have their attention. You have to be looking them in the eyes!"

  Lily watched, entranced. The man could play Ichabod Crane in a production of Sleepy Hollow, but somehow, he glowed with charisma. Enchanting, indeed!

  To Hannah, she whispered, "He seems more like a game show host than a professor!"

  Hannah shushed her but nodded her agreement.

  "So," he continued, lowering his voice so that the students had to strain to hear. "What am I doing now?"

  A guy in the front row stammered, "Y-ou're whispering so we have to listen closely?"

  Professor Hartman bobbled again. "Yes, yes, that's true! But what's the effect?"

  The student shrugged.

  "It's okay! It only makes my point clearer! Who here noticed my teaching assistant circling the room in a gorilla costume?"

  Lily nearly jumped out of her chair as she noticed the assistant, hunching around behind her like Bigfoot. "How did I miss that?" she exclaimed aloud.

  Professor Hartman clutched both sides of his head with his hands. "You have it exactly! How does that work? Did I cast a spell of invisibility upon poor long-suffering Melissa? Is she just a phantasm I made appear after the fact?"