Both Danielle and Kat knew that when their mother told them to meet her in her room she didn't mean her bedroom. So they bypassed their parent's bedroom and went down to the basement. To anyone but a witch it would look like any ordinary basement. To a witch though it was different. A witch was able to feel the subtle energies of the various portals down there. The portal that was against the far wall was the one that led to their mother's room.
Danielle and Kat stood before that portal and looked at each other. The portals were protected. If anyone tried to go through one or get in through one without their mother's permission they would be redirected someplace else and the portal would close. It took about a year and a half to learn how to create a portal and then another six months to learn to portal to enclosed spaces. They had begun learning to portal the very first day they became witches. Using existing portals was a relatively simple task and they had mastered that within the first month.
"Do you think Mom forgot to give us permission?" Kat asked.
"You remember the communication spell just in case?" Danielle asked.
"Are you kidding?" Kat asked. "I memorized it as soon as I learned that Mom's portals would redirect anyone without her permission."
"Remember the first time we went through one of her portals?" Danielle asked.
"I remember" Kat said. "Mom had gotten tired of us giving each other cold stares so she told us to meet her in her room."
"Only we didn't know that the portal would redirect us someplace else" Danielle said. "I was so scared that I had wished you were with me out loud."
"Me too" Kat said. "You don't think she's doing the same thing this time do you?"
"Only one way to find out" Danielle said. "At least we know the communication spell this time."
They both stepped into the the portal and thought about going through. Instantly the subtle energies of the portal grew and there was a sudden shift and they were in their mother's room. It wasn't a room per say. What they were standing in was a pocket dimension. There was a nice little garden where their mother grew most of the herbs and plants she used in her potions. There was another garden where she grew vegetables and some fruit for food. There was a little log cabin where she mixed her potions. They didn't see their mother outside so she must be in the cabin.
As they entered they saw their parents sitting at the table. "What are you doing here Dad?" Danielle asked.
"I decided that I needed to be here to help explain some things to both of you" their father said.
"But we thought that only a witch could go through a portal" Kat said.
"I told you that so you wouldn't try to take someone through a portal" their mother said. "It's dangerous to take another person through a portal with you. You could both end up being lost in the myriad realities. You're father doesn't have to worry about that though. He has magic of his own."
"You have magic too?" Kat and Danielle asked at the same time.
"Yes I do" their father said. "Though I don't have the level of power you girls do. I can use portals but I can't create them for example. Your mother has given me permission to use her portals."
"Why are you telling us this?" Kat asked.
"Because I'm going to accelerate your portal training" their mother said. "There are rumors that there may be witch hunters coming after witches soon."
"Why would they hunt us?" Danielle asked.
"There's still those who believe all witches are evil" their mother said. "They want the world to be rid of us."
"Why now though?" Kat asked.
"It's not so much that it's happening now" their mother said. "It's been going on for centuries. It's just that now it's getting more serious. You know that there have been some high profile disappearances attributed to witches lately. Of course that guy killing his step-daughters and saying that it was a spell gone wrong didn't help either."
"He should be transformed in the most painful way possible" Kat said.
"Yes he should" their mother said. "Now, like I said, I will be accelerating your portal training. First though I want to tell you something that happened to me when I was nineteen. I had been a witch for a little over a year and I decided to tell my boyfriend at the time that I was one. He didn't believe me so I transformed him a few times. After I transformed him back he looked at me with a combination of fear and hatred. He came at me with a knife he had and tried killing me. I transformed one final time into a pentagram necklace which I still have today. I had hoped that being near me so often would let him see that I wasn't evil. He hasn't and is still the pentagram I wear today."
"You put a condition on his transformation didn't you?" Danielle asked.
"Yes I did" their mother said. "I didn't understand that being trapped like that would have the opposite effect of what I was hoping. For months afterward I would lay on my bed, look at my pentagram, and cried. I was in love with him and he tried to kill me. It wasn't until I met your father in college that I trusted another person with who I was. Fortunately he didn't need any convincing and didn't try to kill me."
"Why did you tell us this?" Kat asked.
"To teach you to be careful who you tell your secrete to" their mother said. "I'm curious about something Danielle. You've been a girl for a few months now. In that time I haven't seen you with a guy. Now I know that you saw Peter naked. How did that make you feel?"
Danielle blushed and asked "Do I have to tell you?"
"You've already told me by your body language" their mother said. "You were aroused by his naked form."
"I... er..." Danielle began to say.
"I thought you said that the idea made you sick" Kat said.
"Well... er..." Danielle began to say again.
"It's alright Danielle" their mother said. "It's perfectly natural for you to get aroused by the sight of a naked boy."
"But I was a boy before" Danielle said. "I shouldn't be getting aroused by the sight of a naked boy."
"Danielle listen to me" their mother said. "Yes, you were a boy before. Now you are a girl. You were straight before being transformed. You are straight now. This means that your body will get aroused by boys. You can fight it but nature is often stronger than you."
"But I can't like boys" Danielle said. "I'm straight."
"You're not really listening to me Danielle" their mother said. "-You- -are- -straight-. Being a girl and straight means that you like boys."
"Don't I get a choice?" Danielle asked.
"You really don't get a choice of what gender you're attracted to" their mother said. "Sexual preferences are hard wired into you. Your body was changed but your sexual preference wasn't."
"It seems that way to me" Danielle said.
"You're confusing sexual preference and gender" their mother said. "Sexual preference is straight, bi, or gay. Gender is male, female, or hermaphrodite. Your gender changed from male to female but your sexual preference remained straight. This naturally means that you are attracted to boys."
"I just can't think like that" Danielle said.
"Give going out with a boy a chance" their mother said. "It isn't wrong."
"I feel like it is" Danielle said.
"Maybe this will help" their mother said. "I've always been straight. When I was sixteen I had a friend who was a witch. One night we were having a sleepover and she decided to tell me her secrete. I didn't know that there was such a thing as witches then so I laughed thinking that she was joking. She told me that she would prove it by transforming herself into a boy. I laughed and said that I would like to see that. She took off her pajamas and took out her wand. She pointed it at herself and muttered a few words. She then changed into a boy. I was astounded that she had done it and I found myself getting aroused even though I knew that she was a girl a few moments before. I lost my virginity that night and I haven't regretted it. We went out for a few months with her being a boy. One night we were together she told me that she missed being a girl and wanted to change back. She loved me and didn't want to hurt me so she said it was my choice. I couldn't let her be miserable so I told her that whatever made her happy was fine by me. She smiled and said she had thought I would say that. She changed back and I lost my attraction to her. We're still friends even to this day."
"So you didn't see a problem with it?" Danielle asked.
"I was a girl and she had turned into a guy" their mother said. "At first I did think that what my body was telling me had to be in error. However as I stared at her I couldn't deny those feelings for very long. After we had sex I realized that it didn't make a difference if she had been a girl a few moments before. She was a boy and that's what mattered."
"I think I understand" Danielle said. "I just don't know if I can be comfortable going out with a boy."
"Give it a shot" their mother said. "I bet that you'll realize that it doesn't matter that you were a boy before. You're a girl now and that's what's important. If it mattered that you were a boy before then you wouldn't have your powers."
"Well I suppose that I could try going out with a boy" Danielle said. "I don't think I'll like it."
"Is there anyone you've had your eye on or had their eye on you?" their mother asked.
"I haven't looked at boys since my transformation" Danielle said.
"I've heard that Hank wants to ask you out" Kat said. "Though he thinks that you're gay."
"Well, it sounds like you may have a boyfriend" their mother said. "Now we need to get started on your accelerated portal training."