"This is impossible," Dion whispered and as he watched the magick of the amulet transform the two insects he had caught, he found his mind still rebelled at what he was witnessing was happening.
Hours earlier he'd found out that not only was his sister aware of what had happened to him, but was also the cause of it. Reading the notebook, he found most of it to be trivial nonsense until he found what Holly had written about the necklace in the Ziploc bag. Finding it sounding to ridiculous, he almost put both back, but, at the last moment he instead took them with him as he left Holly's room and headed back to his.
There, he lay back down on his bed and after he'd shoved the bag with the amulet in it under his pillow, Dion had re-read what his sister had written. Searching for any hints that this was some hoax, unsure how it was possible that Holly had turned him into a girl using a necklace, he eventually tossed aside the notebook and leaping off his bed, he began to pace back and forth, thinking.
It didn't seem real and he found his mind couldn't except it, even though he had proof in front of him that his sister had done what she had written about. Picking up the notebook, he quickly re-read Holly's notes on how the amulet worked and still not believing completely, but willing to entertain the possibility, Dion decided that first thing he should do was to get rid of the notebook as he crept across his room, out the door and down to his sister's bedroom. Collecting the plastic she had wrapped the notebook in, he made sure the panelling was back in place and that nothing looked like it had been disturbed before turning and heading downstairs.
At the back door, he slipped on his shoes and practically tore out of the house. Rushing over to the burn pit his parents had been slowly adding to over the past couple weeks, he wrapped the notebook back in the plastic, then buried both deep in the pile of junk to be burned, careful as he did so. After making sure it wouldn't be found, he peered up at the sky, thinking of how daddy planned to light the pile tonight if the weather held. Seeing that it was still relatively clear, Dion turned away from burn pile and headed for the barn.
"I should probably first make sure it does what Holly claims," he thought to himself as he slipped inside the building. Recalling his parents had always told him and Holly to that they were to stay out, that the building should be condemned, and that, soon or later, they wanted to tear it down, Dion wrinkled his nose at the faint, lingering past odours.
Unsure what type of animals had been kept inside, he set about exploring, certain he had seen on previous times going in what looked like an animal harness or two. Finding a busted one in the back of the barn, he stared at it, wondering what type it was and if it would do. Failing to figure that out, he figured that it was would do and taking it with him, he headed back to the house. Storing the amulet and the harness under a loose board in the flooring of his room, hoping they would be safe, Dion turned his mind to the next step.
Still not ready to believe that the necklace did what Holly had written, but thinking that if it did, he was going to get revenge on his sister, Dion considered how he might prove it and, if he found it did work, how he would change himself back. Having no clothing or items belonging to a boy, he toyed with the idea of having to wait until he was in town and using the amulet in a department store. Figuring this was the most likely way, he found he was unhappy with the prospect that he'd have to be a girl a little bit longer and trudging back downstairs, he wondered when his parents where next planning on going into town and what excuse he could use to go with them. Heading back outside, he sat down at the picnic table his dad had built and stared out at the field, thinking.
After a bit Dion found himself returning to how he could prove the necklace worked. Watching a beetle march across the table, he asked himself, "Does it only work on people? Or can it be used for other creatures?" and reaching out, he placed a hand in the insects path.
The bug, undeterred by the thing now in its path, didn't stop and instead began to crawl up and over Dion's hand. Watching it, thinking, Dion carefully stood and heading back inside, he deposited the insect in a mason jar. Taking the jar back outside, he added what he hoped the would make the beetle content for the moment before taking it up to his room. Leaving the jar on his dresser, Dion decided to try and swap to insects.
"If I can find another," he thought as he listened to the sound of a car approaching.
Figuring it was his mom, Dion sighed and decided it would have to wait. Wanting to know what was planned for dinner, he turned and headed downstairs to find out.
Now, after having caught a caterpillar that he'd found inching its way across the kitchen counter some time ago, he watched as the two insects he had carefully dropped on top each other and onto the amulet change species. The caterpillar turned black and developing a hard shell, whilst the beetle lengthened, turned green with white stripes and grew extra legs, Dion found himself both fascinated and repulsed by what he was seeing. Curious to know why the body swap for the two bugs was faster than what he'd undergone, he reached down into the opening of floor and took out the broken harness. Looking back at the insects, guessing their transformation was almost complete, Dion reached for the purple gloves his mom used when washing dishes. Slipping them back on, he reached out and carefully lifted up the necklace and dropped it back in its baggy.
Uncertain what he should do about the insects, he thought for a moment before catching both. Thinking of putting them back in the jars he'd been keeping them in, he instead walked over to his window. Holding both in one hand, noting that neither was trying to crawl away and that the caterpillar-turned-beetle was twitching its legs every so often, Dion carefully opened his window and dumped them out.
Satisfied that the amulet did what Holly claimed, he shut the window. Shucking off the gloves, he dropped them on top of the harness and the Ziploc bag holding the necklace. Noting the time was almost nine fifty, and knowing his mom would be soon up to make sure he was getting ready for bed, Dion trudged over to his dresser. Taking from it a sleeper shirt and pyjama bottom, he thought, "Just a little bit longer and then you can awake from this nightmare," and choosing a pair of undies, he amended, "But before that happens, first Holly needs to pay," before shucking off the denim overalls and the bodysuit he was wearing and putting on his pyjamas and heading for the bathroom to brush his teeth.
Outside in the hall, he ran into his mother, who told him, "Go brush your teeth," to which he said he was and ducking into the bathroom, he set about cleaning his teeth.
His mind on other things, he barely paid attention to what he was doing. And as he finished, he decided that tonight was as good as any night to punish Holly for what she'd done. Knowing he'd have to wait for his sister to go to sleep, he spat his toothpaste in the sink. Hoping he wouldn't have to wait too long, he exited the bathroom and heading back to his room. Making sure everything was still where he'd left it, he clicked off his light and climbed into his bed. Moments later his mom came in to tell him goodnight, followed by his dad, who still smelled of wood smoke from the burn pile. Telling both, "Night," Dion snuggled deeper under his covers, thinking about what was to come, waiting until his parents clicked off the hall light and headed for their room before sitting back up.
A quick glance at the clock and he decided to wait until eleven thirty, twelve o'clock. Slipping out of his bed, listening, making sure he hadn't been heard, he tiptoed across his room and got the flashlight from inside his closet and a book. Climbing back into bed, he burrowed under the covers, clicked on the light and spent the next two hours reading.
When he was sure the house was indeed silent and that everyone but him was asleep, he again slipped from his bed. Creeping across his room, he took a moment to find the Ziploc bag, the gloves and the animal harness. Putting on the gloves, he stole across his room, out the door and down the hall toward Holly's bedroom. Pausing to listen for a moment, he pushed the door open after a bit, but didn't enter. Staring into the other girl's room, a faint light from the moon outside barely lighting the room, Dion took a moment to recall the layout of his sister's bedroom before enter. Slipping quietly toward her bed, his eyes growing accustomed to the dark to the point he could make out dim, shadowy shapes, he stopped and peered down at the sleeping girl.
The thought, "You deserve this," crossed his mind as he watched her sleep and carefully he reached down and touched the Amulet of Zulo and the animal harness to his sister's exposed arm.