He hadn't had breakfast with his mom in some time. And as his mom set a plate before him with a waffle smothered with strawberries and bananas, his favourite, Abby found it comforting. Starting in on the waffle, he listened as his mom asked, "So what are you planning to do today? Do you have to work?"
A shrug and Abby, who was unaware that he had stopped thinking of himself by the name Mark, replied, "Nope. Don't have to go in today. Probably find a friend, as I need to talk to her about something," missing completely he had addressed Edgar using a female pronoun.
"Try and find time to stop in and check in on your grandma and grandpa," his mom told him and as he nodded, he found himself wondering about this, as he was certain his grandparents had died about four years earlier, first his grandmother, then, about eight months later, his grandfather. Curious to know if the magick of the amulet had brought them back, and why, he listened as his mom asked something. Replying automatically, he began to follow her conversation without really paying attention to what was being said, finding that what he needed was to talk to Edgar.
When he had finished breakfast, his mother told, "Just leave your stuff in the sink. I'll wash it after work."
Dishes rinsed, he kissed his mom goodbye and after he'd grabbed his purse, Abby told her, "See you later," before he headed out.
His first stop he knew was his apartment, as he wanted to get into something more normal. Forced to take the bus, he was worried briefly that people who say something about a guy dressed in girl's clothes. But, as he got on and paid the fare, he caught a brief glimpse of his reflection. Disturbed by what he had seen, but figuring it might explain why people around him had not said anything about a dude in drag, he took a seat. Arranging himself so that his legs were clamped firmly together, one leg tucked behind the other, Abby turned and peered out the window as the bus began to move.
Faintly, he could see his reflection and as he kept an eye out for his destination, he studied the ghostly features.
No longer dark blond and short, his hair now had a fuller, longer look to it and was down past his shoulders. In addition, it had a slight wave to it, curled at the tips, and was now closer the light brown shading his mom had. Combined with his how round, feminine, his face had started to look, Abby thought it almost looked like was staring at a flat-chested girl. Feeling conflicted, he found that he looked pretty and was glad that his appearance was starting to change, that it wasn't just his mind and the way people perceived who he was. Yet, at the same time, he found it downright disturbing to see that not only was he dressed in girl's clothes, but that he liked the way he looked at felt, even thought he had never wanted to be a girl.
His stop approaching, Abby figured it was just another thing to talk with Edgar about. Reaching up, he signaled his desire to get off and hoping Edgar's work schedule hadn't changed, so far as he knew the other boy-turned-girl didn't leave for work until around three, and as the bus slowed, then stopped, Abby stood and exited.
Sandals clicked smartly on the cement walk as he headed towards the apartment he shared with Edgar. Thinking about what he'd tell the other as to why he was dressed the way he was, Abby decided to wait and see if his friend would say anything as he started up the stairs to the second floor. In front of the apartment door, he stopped and opening his purse, Abby began looking for his keys, confused as there seemed to be more stuff packed into the thing, including a couple items it took him a moment before it dawned on him it was three tampons, a maxi-pad and a few panties liners.
Embarrassed to be carrying such feminine items around, and that he knew what they were and how they were to be used, Abby hastily dug his keys out, and almost dumped everything out. Getting the keys out, he put the stuff he took out back in, paused when he thought something about his id looked off, but then told himself, "Deal with it later," before slipping it back inside a small pocket inside the purse. Turning his attention to the door, he tried first one key, then the other, frowned and tried again. Finding neither key didn't work, he silently uttered, "What the shit," in a soft, feminine voice and raising a fist, he began to hammer on the door, calling out, "Edgar. Hey, man. I know you're home. Open up. My key doesn't work for some reason."
When it became clear that, for whatever reason, Edgar was not going to answer, Abby huffed in frustration and turned away. Pacing up and down the hall, he thought about what he could do, including seeing if the mean, bat-eyed woman, Ms Shanks, was in and if she would let him. But thinking she probably would, he turned and gave the door a couple hits before turning away. Starting back the way he had come, he stopped at the head of the stairs. Remembering that he had a hide-a-key hidden on his car, he took the stairs as fast as the skirt would let him move his legs. Walking purposefully into the parking lot, he began searching the rows for his car. Immediately alarmed to find the rusted old beater he sometimes drove wasn't parked in one of the three usual spots he left it and didn't appear to be anywhere in the lot. Wondering if Edgar had taken it to work instead of his car, as he sometimes did, Abby searched for, but didn't find his friend's car. Figuring the other boy-turned-girl had taken his car, Abby was left asking himself, "Well, where the hell is my car," as he considered calling the police, but decided against it, as the thing was really a piece of crap that nobody in the right mind, let along their wrong mind, would steal.
Frustrated, he headed back to the bus stop. Thinking about going over to the department store Edgar worked at, Abby found that, even being slowly turned into a girl, he didn't like bothering his friend at work. Brushing a stray hair back, he tried to figure out what to do as he waited for the bus to return.
---
Several hours later, Abby let himself back into his mom's house. Having just gotten back from making sure his grandparents were all right, and discovering that the other key he had went to his grandma and grandpa's condo, he still found it troubling that he no longer had a key to his apartment. Knowing his mom would be at work for several more hours, he headed for the kitchen, where he dropped his purse on the table and set about making himself a sandwich for lunch.
Afterward, he sat at the table and ate his lunch. As he did so, he wondered if his mom would mind him sleeping in the guest bedroom until he got the issue sorted out with his apartment. Having moved out almost a year earlier in September, Abby knew that there was nothing in his old bedroom and figured that his mom was probably using it for storage. Idly opening his purse as he ate and thought about what he should do, he peered at the items inside and after a moment, and still not resolved on what he should do about his apartment and how he was to get a hold of Edgar, he reached in and pulled out his id. Remembering that something had looked off about it, he peered at the driver's licence for a moment before it suddenly came to him that it was no longer what he thought it was.
Instead, it now looked to be a regular id card. "Possibly one issued by the senior high," he thought as he noted that, in addition to his name and the letter for his sex being changed, the plastic card now stated he had brown hair, light grey eyes, and, it took him a moment to process it, but that is said he was fifteen years old.
Alarmed by what he read, Abby slowly shook his head and muttered, "No, no, no, no," over and over before setting the id aside, refusing to acknowledge or believe what he had seen, knowing by what he'd seen in reflecting how he looked, he still was nineteen.
Lunch forgotten, he slowly stood and backed away from the table. Peering around the kitchen, thinking, he slipped his feet out of the tables and moving as quickly as he could, he exited the room and headed upstairs. Heading towards his room, he pushed open the door and stopped. Staring at the room, which was now decorated as if a teenage girl occupied it, Abby open and shut his a couple times before stepping in. Feeling both like an outside and like it was his room, he peered at the bed, then sat down on the soft, quilted comforter. The cotton feeling nice against the part of his legs that were bare, he stared at the room, mouth hanging open.
After a couple seconds he whispered, "No. This isn't what I wanted," and standing, looking wildly about his room, he stated in a hushed voice, "I got to find Edgar. This was not what was supposed to happen," and sitting back down, absently unbutton his skirt, he said himself, "This wasn't what was supposed to happen. I didn't want this. I have to find Edgar. I have to make him undo this."