Tina took a deep breath and entered her home quietly. Her disguise was merely a precaution in case she was unsuccessful in getting back out without detection. Thankfully, being barefoot helped to dampen any noise she made. In fact, she practically glided through the apartment as silent as air. Could this be an ability that came from being an elf? If so, perhaps Sar could let her try being an elf again sometime, a boy elf, of course. It might be fun.
Putting the matter aside for now, she focused on her present mission. As far as she knew, the most current picture of her male self would be the one taken at her birthday party when she first became a teenager earlier this year. Displayed in a small frame on the desk in her room, it showed Tony posing with some of his buddies at the local bowling alley. He had lost big time against Grronk who, being a young ogre, had no trouble hurling the heavy bowling balls with deadly accuracy. The whole thing had been a blast, though. Once Tina had regained her boyhood, perhaps she could show off her weird elf guest to them. They’d think she was a riot!
Turning into the short hall that led to the bedrooms, Tina approached her own door.
“Sar, I didn’t hear you get back.”
Tina jumped and turned to find her dad standing back the way she came. “Po- um, Mr. Booksmith! W-When did you get home?”
“Just a while ago,” Frederick replied, setting aside a book he had been reading. “I was hoping to catch you when you returned so I could ask a favor.”
“A favor?”
Instead of explaining further, her dad glanced around. “Where’s Tony?”
“Uh, he’s out. We ran into a friend of his, and he went to hang out with him after he dropped me off.”
“Hm, I wish he’d inform me of these things,” Frederic mumbled before shrugging. “Oh well, it works out anyway, since it makes this a bit easier.”
What was he talking about? Tina felt a bit uneasy, all of a sudden. “So, what did you need to ask me?”
Her dad smiled nervously. “Well, you know I’m researching magic for my work.”
Tina nodded. She was well acquainted with how much her dad was away for research purposes.
“My colleagues heard that you were staying with me, and they asked if I could bring you over to show them your magic.”
Taking a step back, Tina scrambled for a suitable excuse. “But…But I just got here! Can’t I go tomorrow instead?”
The man shook his head. “Unfortunately, one of them is only in town today. Don’t worry, it shouldn’t take too long. They just want to take a few measurements, maybe a blood sample. Nothing major.”
Desperately, Tina switched tactics. “Alright, I’ll go, but just let me get something. I, uh, left it in Tony’s room.”
This got a raised eyebrow from Frederic, but he let her go. Entering her room, Tina quickly snatched up the picture and removed it from the frame. Tucking it in her pocket, she went over to her window and swung it open. Despite being on the second story, perhaps she could jump to the ground without hurting herself. This elf body did feel more agile than her normal human one. After that, she could just switch with Sar and tell her about her dad’s request. Let her deal with it.
With a deep breath, Tina put her foot on the sill.
Suddenly, she felt a sting on her neck before strong hands pulled her back into the room. She looked up to see her dad holding her even as her vision grew blurry. “I’m so sorry, Sar,” he said. “I didn’t want to use this. If only I was a better liar.”
Tina slumped in his arms, and he gently lowered her to the ground. Head spinning, she slurred, “W-Why’re you…doing t-this?”
Stroking her hair as if in apology, Frederic sighed. “My colleagues are…very insistent. Don’t worry, though. We won’t hurt you, and you should be back by tomorrow, safe and sound with no memory of any of this. I promise.”
With that, Tina blacked out.
-------------------------
Outside, you paced back and forth, keeping an eye on the door to the apartment. What could be taking so long? At one point, you saw the window open and Tina stick her head out. Then, she ducked back inside. A minute later, the window closed again.
Ten minutes after that, you saw Frederic emerge into the parking lot, rolling a large suitcase behind him. Even from this far, you could see he was troubled by something. Had Tina made an excuse for him to leave in a hurry?
With great care, the man hoisted the suitcase into the back seat of his car and drove off. Once he was safely out of sight, you hurried over to the building, practically running all the way up the stairs and back to the apartment. The door had been locked, so you knocked on it, hoping Tina would let you in. Oddly, there was no response. You knocked again. Nothing. Where did Tina go?
Finally getting impatient, you stretched your powers, selecting your absolute hardest transformation to date. Rapidly, you shrank down into your clothes, vanishing from sight completely. After a while, the tiny form of a field mouse scurried out from the collar. The crack beneath the door proved to be quite a squeeze even for a mouse, but you magically enhanced your natural squeeze-ability until you got through. Once inside, you morphed back into you own shape, your original elf one, and not worrying about being naked, you opened the door briefly to gather your clothes. Tossing the bundle aside, you retrieved your usual brown dress before searching for Tina.
She was nowhere to be found, but oddly, you did come across a printed note from Frederic.
Dear Tony,
I have asked Sar to come with me to my workplace so that my colleagues can meet her. We may be gone overnight so you don’t have to wait up. We’ll be back again tomorrow. Maybe we can all visit the park. Sar might like the natural surroundings there, being used to the forest and all. Meanwhile, supper is in the fridge.
Love you,
Dad
You frowned at the letter, feeling more and more uneasy. Clearly, Tina went with her dad, but why? And why didn’t you see her leave with him? Unless…
Remembering the suitcase, your stomach went cold. Frederic was your friend. Mother trusted him! He wouldn’t do something like that, would he? Not only that, this meant that Tina was in trouble, especially when they found out they had the wrong girl. How much of yourself you had copied onto Tina even you couldn’t say. Would she have any elf magic in her, or was her form merely a physical one? If she did have elf magic now, would that make her situation better or worse?
All at once, you felt absolutely alone. You were trapped in this big city filled with strangers, living with a kidnapper. You wanted to run away, but how would you do that? Public transportation was beyond your experience, and you didn’t exactly have the route back home memorized. What could you do?