"Didn't you say you were going over to Thomas's place," a voice asked and dragging my eyes away from my sister and forcing my mind to focus on the speaker, I saw my Aunt Jeannie standing in the doorway.
Nodding, I watched her walk toward the kitchen and looking back at Katherine, my mind torn, I mumbled, "Maybe later," and getting up, I followed our Aunt.
Inside the kitchen, I waited for Aunt Jeannie to finish fixing herself a bowl of cereal before I finally asked, "It wasn't a dream, was it? I'm actually turning into a girl, my mom is now my sister, I used an amulet to save my best mate's life and at one time you really were a dog?" and then added, "As well as my mom?"
Aunt Jeannie took in all what I was saying, listening carefully and then, instead of answering my question, she asked, "What exactly happened in the Hospital? And where is the amulet?"
Sitting down at the table, I looked down, idly tracing the different grains on the table. After a moment, I looked up and then began to explain all that had taken place when I touched the amulet to Thomas and the dress.
"So the amulet crumbled away?" Aunt Jeannie asked and then before I could reply, she inserted, "Interesting."
Unsure, I looked back at the table and the asked, "So what has all changed. Besides the house. Obviously Katherine still is thinking of me as her sister and I am betting my mother thinks of herself as my sister and I as her sister. But what about Thomas. I still call him Thomas, so he must still must male. Right?"
Aunt Jeannie didn't say anything, instead continuing to eat her breakfast. After a moment, I asked, "What happened to all the clothes that I had? The girl's clothes I mean."
A shrug from Aunt Jeannie and then she explained, "Who knows. I think it would be really difficult to fully understand the full power of the amulet and what sway it has over the world when its magick is used."
Looking at her, I asked, "So will people see me as a girl or a boy? And what will happen if I dress in girl's clothes? Will that change anything?"
Another shrug from Aunt Jeannie and after a moment, I figured that this was something I was going to have to figure out on my own. Standing, I announced, "I'm going over to Thomas's, if that's all right," and then, after a simple nod from Aunt Jeannie, I headed for the front door.
Outside, I breathed in the cool summer air, and then paused as I realised that the season had skipped ahead. Shrugging, thinking, "It had something to do with the amulet," I shrugged and made my way towards Thomas's place.
It was shortly after I had rung the bell that I found out how weird things had gotten. When Thomas opened the door, I almost thought it was his sister, but then stopped. Taking in the soft skin and then now long red hair - just a bit shorter than mine, which hung midway down my back - I was unsure on how to breach the subject. And then, Thomas did exactly that by taking my hand and leading me in, he exclaimed, "I have something to tell you."
Nodding, I said, "I think I know what it is and I also have to tell you something."
Looking at me, a curious look on his face, he was about to ask something, but knowing what it was, I immediately told him, "You go first. I can wait."
Nodding, he looked around and then said, "Let's go into the living room. My sister is out somewhere with my mother and I'm not sure I can trust my mind, which is going all weird, with being in my room or even near my sister's room."
Knowing suddenly how he was feeling, I made a gesture that told him to lead the way and then followed after.
Inside the living room, Thomas sat down on the floor, folding his legs and sitting in a posture I knew to be one familiar with how several girls I had seen sitting on the floor, Katherine included, usually sat. Not saying a word, I sat down next to him and after bit, Thomas explained.
"Last night I had a weird dream. Or think it might have been last night. I'm not sure," he started. "See, I think this has to do with that amulet you and I found a bit ago, but I am not sure how..." and then he was explaining how he dreamed of being in the Hospital and how I had come to see him, twice, and how I had taken the amulet and did something with a dress.
"I just don't know what," Thomas said as he finished his explanation. "I just have a feeling it has to do with why I suddenly want to do some incredibly girly things. Like dress-up and play with my sister's dolls and watch the programmes I normally thought as girly, but now find interesting. And there is more than just that."
I held up my hand to stop him and then looking at him, I told him, "Hey. I know what you mean and I know what you're going through," and then, I slowly began to explain at that had happened to me after I found the Amulet of Zulo, leaving out Aunt Jeannie's story as I felt it might be a long stretch to explain that. And then, after I was done, I sat there, waiting for Thomas's reply, hoping he would believe me.