Damona stood up, shaking her head in confusion. “Ugh, what happened?” Looking down, she frowned at her lithe feminine body with its lovely curves and perky bust now displayed by her green tank top. Something felt off, but she found it difficult to ascertain why even as she brushed off the short black skirt that showed off her long smooth legs so nicely. Nope, all seemed in place, and she looked quite presentable, if she could say so herself. Still, a fair amount of confusion remained. “What’s going on?”
Taking her cue, the landlady spoke up. “Why, you’re here to pay your first month’s rent and move into your new flat, of course. You needed a place to stay because you had lost your previous home and all your belongings in a fire. Right now, we just accepted you as a tenant.”
“Really?” Damona smiled, her fuzzy mind accepting every detail as truth. This state of suggestibility would only last for another minute or so, more than enough time for her to be molded into a perfect fit for this little community. “Oh, thank you so much! You have no idea how much this means to me. I didn’t know where else to turn.”
“Think nothing of it, my dear,” the landlady responded. “I’m always happy to help a sister witch in need. In this inhospitable world, we must stick together.”
A few minutes later, Damona headed down the hall towards her new flat. Thankfully, the landlady had given her the first month to come up with the rent, and her son had provided her with her key. Thinking back on that odd young man, she giggled. Top hat and money sack? Someone had been reading too many Charles Dickens novels.
As she neared the correct door, she heard a chime coming from the neighboring flat. Moments later, a copy of Whispers and Wands Weekly dropped out of thin air onto the fuzzy welcome mat. Then, the door opened, and a groggy and strangely familiar girl wearing a short tiger-striped bathrobe emerged. Wincing in pain, she gingerly bent down and picked up her paper before rising back up, her messy black hair now blocking most of her vision. Suddenly, she seemed to become aware of present company and gave a half-hearted wave.
Damona waved back. “Um, hi. I’m Damona, and I just moved in next door. This is going to sound odd, but is your name Monica?”
The girl blinked. “Do I…know you?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.” Damona shrugged.
“Hm, Damona. That name sounds…” Monica tilted her head only to cringe at the sensation. “Look, I don’t mean to be rude, but I really need to get some rest. We can figure this out later, ‘kay?”
“Certainly,” Damona said, and the other girl gratefully vanished back into her room before closing the door as softly as possible.
Intrigued by this mystery, the redhead continued to her flat and entered. Glancing about the place, a pleasant setup complete with furniture and even a small cauldron, she breathed a sigh of relief. It felt good to be under a roof again surrounded by girls just like her. Now, she only needed to find work.