"Mika?!" Katie exclaimed. "Your a wizard now?"
Mika smiled at Katie before giving her a firm hug. "Well kind of," she said with a smile. "I'm more of an apprentice right now. We made a deal with Merlin in order to help you. The ring is affecting you."
Katie gave a puzzled look at Mika before answering. "What do you?" She asked.
Mika sighed. "Katie we know you did something with the ring that you shouldn't have," she said. "Your trying to be more adult than you should be."
Katie blushed slightly but remained defiant. "Why shouldn't I want to try and be more adult," she answered. "I have a magic ring that controls anyone's age. Who says I shouldn't be an adult. Besides I've always been very responsible when it comes to this magic. I think I've more than earned the right to make my own decisions."
"Oh really," Mika said. "Care to tell me where the ring is right now?" Katie went slack jawed and lowered her head slightly. "Well I have it," she said quietly. "I know you do," Mika said sternly. "So why don't you show me your latest piercing."
Katie winced as she slowly raised her shirt exposing her newest accessory. "I can't believe you did that," Mary said sadly. "What would possess you to do something so foolhardy."
Katie steamed silently and was about to lash out before Mika spoke out. "There's a simple answer," Mika said. "With all the age changing that's been going on Katie has absorbed a lot of adult qualities from us. The more she uses it the more comfortable she becomes with her adulthood. It also explains why we've become more comfortable being kids. In essence we gave Katie our adulthood and she gave us her childhood."
"Hey," Katie protested. "I've made these decisions myself. The rings not affecting me I'm just trying something new. No law against that."
"Katie," Mary said with concern. "The girl I met over the summer would not of run off without telling anyone and she certainly wouldn't of gotten a belly button piercing."
Katie thought thIs over for a moment. Mary and Mika had a point, she had been so obsessed with proving her adulthood she was doing things completely out of character. She knew she wasn't old enough to be making these types of decisions. She usually had a good head on her shoulders, now she was acting like a petulant teenager. "Okay maybe you have a point," she conceded. "So how do we fix it?"
"Well that's why you have us as friends," Mika said. "We can help you and offer advise. Growing up is never easy but at least you can count on us to help steer you in the right direction. Right now though let's fix the other problem."
"I guess that's me," Sofia said. "Hi by the way I'm Sofia. Really nice to meet you, I've never met a wizard before let alone two. Out of curiosity what did you mean helping Katie grow up, she looks pretty grown up to me. Did she use the ring on herself? Did she used to be younger than this? I thought she was in college?"
Mika looked punch drunk as Sofia peppered her with questions. The woman's energy was extraordinary and a bit overwhelming. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts she placed her hands on Sofias shoulders. "Okay slow down," she exclaimed. "I can't keep up. First why don't you tell me how old you are?"
Sofia smiled sheepishly before answering. "Sorry, I talk a lot sometimes. To answer your question I was 88, now I'm 26." Sofia shivered again. "Well 25 now," she giggled.
"Ok," Mika stated. "Basically from what I can understand whatever that woman did made the ring go haywire. If what Merlin says is true I should be able to stop it."
"Wait," Katie exclaimed. "Every time someone messes with the ring something bad happens. First Tricia and then that woman Lisa. What if something goes wrong again?"
"Don't worry," Mika said. "Merlin figured it out. Tricia tried to steal the ring that's why she was affected. As far as that woman Lisa goes, Merlin thinks she tried to forcibly shut down the ring. Think of it like trying to shut the power off in a house by overloading the circuit breaker. It might shut it down or it could cause a power surge."
"So how is what your doing different?" Katie asked.
"The spell I'm going to cast is more surgical. The spell I cast is more like turning of a light switch rather than turning off all the power. I just need your not trust me."
Katie looked at Mika apprehensively. She wasn't too sure about this. What if by shutting off the ring made her younger too? "No," Katie thought. "I need to trust Mika. She wouldn't want to hurt me and besides if I don't do something soon Sofia is going to end up back in diapers."
"Okay," Katie said. "Lets do this." Mika smiled as she took Katie's hands. "Ok now hold still this will only take a second." Mika took Katie's hands in hers and closed her eyes. Katie could vaguely hear Mika hum befor she opened them again. "Okay that should do it I hope," she said.
"Are you sure?" Katie asked. "I don't feel any different. How can you tell?" Mika surveyed the area before looking at Sofia and Mary. "Only one way to find out," she said. "Mary, I want you to take the necklace off that Merlin gave you. If the ring is active you should feel a tingle right away. Sofia, let us know if you feel any more tingles."
Mary apprehensively looked at Mika before removing a necklace from around her neck and placing it on the roof of the car, "Anything?" Mika asked. Mary looked herself over with a critical eye before smiling. "Nope nothing."
"What about you Sofia?" She asked. Sofia looked herself over befor sadly looking at Mika. "Nope no more tingles," she said sadly. "I guess I'm going to be 25. That kind of stinks I was hoping I could get a little bit younger. Not that I don't appreciate being a young woman again but I was beginning to get excited about being a child again. Really wanted to see what would happen if I ended up in elementary school again."
Mika turned to Katie with a smile as Sofia continued to talk. "See I told you I could do it," she said with a smile. Katie responded in turn with a smile. "Thanks Mika I owe you."
Katie and Mika hugged as Mary embraced the two of them. "Well that was interesting, " she said. "So what are we going to do now?"