Chapter 13: 13. Conversed

I was happy to let Kelly drive again, and Kelsey sat next to her in the passenger seat. I rode in the back, but I didn't mind. Despite her change of attitude I was still nervous around my girlfriend's mom, and hiding in the back seat where she couldn't see me felt safer for now.

Despite being from out of town, Kelsey seemed to know her way around and she picked the restaurant. She even provided directions so Kelly could get us there.

It was around seven o'clock when the three of us slipped into the large, private booth in what looked like a rather fancy upscale restaurant. Kelly and I sat together on one side, and Kelsey sat across from us. I took the inside again, I still felt like I needed to hide. It seemed kind of ironic though, last night Kelly and me dressed up really nice then went to a roadhouse, now we were at a classy place and all three of us were dressed casual.

As we all opened up the menus Kelsey mentioned, "Dinner is on me tonight, girls. So indulge."

"Thanks mom," Kelly smiled. A moment later she corrected herself, "Thanks Kelsey."

By now I had about a hundred questions, but I was still too nervous and felt too fragile to ask. I tried to focus on the menu but when I saw the price of some of these entrees I nearly choked.

I hadn't quite got over that when the waiter showed up to take our drinks orders.

"Why don't we get a bottle of wine?" Kelsey suggested, looking at Kelly and myself.

Kelly nodded in agreement but I shook my head and mumbled, "Just cola for me please."

Kelsey didn't comment, she simply looked to the waiter and ordered a bottle of Chateau de something or other. I don't know what, but it sounded French and expensive. She also made sure he knew I wanted a glass of cola.

After he'd left, Kelsey asked "You don't drink, Tegan?"

I blushed as I replied quietly, "Only at home..." Even though Kelsey was still acting nice, the whole situation reminded me of Keira last night and made me feel awkward again.

Kelly added softly, "She's still getting used to her body, mom. Her alcohol tolerance is a lot lower than before."

"Ah," Kelsey said. She looked at me and asked, "Tegan, would you look at me for a moment please?"

I gulped and looked up at her, "Yes ma'am?"

There was a flash of light in her eyes and I flinched. I knew she'd just done something with magic, and it sent a chill down my spine as I wondered what she did to me. The light in her eyes was brighter than anything I'd seen in Kelly's so I figured it had to be something pretty significant.

Kelly hissed angrily, "Mom! You warn her before you do anything like that!" She slipped an arm around me and said "Don't worry babe. That was just that harmless thing I did with you this morning, bouncing a little magic off you to verify what you are."

Kelsey apologized, "I'm sorry Tegan, that was rude of me. I just wanted to confirm for myself what Kelly told me on the phone."

By now I was completely overwhelmed and starting to come apart again. I leaned back against the seat, then slumped down. I honestly thought about letting myself slump all the way down till I was on the floor under the table. If I curled up down there against the wall at the back of the booth, maybe everyone would forget about me and leave me alone for a while.

Two days ago I was a grown man, twenty-two years old. I knew who I was and what I was doing. My life wasn't very special or important, but it was mine and I was in charge of it. Now I was a timid confused girl, I wasn't even human any more. I had no idea who I was or what I was doing, and I was on the verge of tears and seriously considering hiding under the table at a fancy restaurant. At least down there I could have a good cry without anyone seeing me.

Kelly was obviously keeping an eye on me and she knew what was going on. She turned towards me and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me close up against her. I decided this was slightly better than the floor. Even if people could still see me, at least it was warmer and softer.

As I cuddled closer to Kelly, her mom commented "I see she's having a great deal of trouble adjusting to her true form."

Kelly replied softly, "No, she's having trouble dealing with not being human anymore. She's actually pretty happy about being a girl now."

Her mom seemed surprised by that, and asked quietly "Oh? That's unexpected. Is she trans?"

Kelly sighed, "This isn't the time or place for that discussion, mom. Change the subject."

The two of them continued talking softly for now but I tuned them out. I picked up bits and pieces, enough to know Kelly was giving her mother a recap of the weekend. I think mostly she focused on the spell she used Friday night, and then how things went this morning when she couldn't undo it.

I tuned in again when Kelly started telling her mother the sorts of things I needed help with. Like my ID, dealing with my family, my job, and college next month. As I started paying more attention, I realized our drinks had arrived and the menus were gone.

I straightened up and picked up my glass and had a sip of my soda. There were glasses of red wine in front of both Kelly and Kelsey, and an expensive-looking bottle was on the table between them.

Kelly leaned closer to me and whispered, "I ordered something for you, babe. I didn't want to disturb you, you looked like you needed some time."

"Thanks Kelly," I replied softly. I didn't mind, really. I was that overwhelmed, even the thought of deciding what to eat felt beyond me.

As I took another sip of my drink, Ms. Connolly looked to me and asked, "If you don't mind my asking Tegan, how old are you?"

I set the glass down and replied softly, "Twenty-two. I'm five months older than Kelly and Keira."

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She nodded slightly. I wasn't sure why she was asking, but I figured since she'd brought the subject up it might be safe for me to do the same. "May I ask how old you are, ma'am?"

Kelsey grimaced slightly but nodded. She spoke quietly as she replied "I'm fifty-four. Fae are very long-lived, and age slowly. I'm only half-fae but I inherited some of that. That's the main reason why I live so far away from my daughters. I can pretend to be a cousin, or an older sister, but there's no way I'd be accepted as their mother. And that's why I've asked Kelly to call me by my first name while I'm here."

I thought for a few moments then asked "That's why I look younger now?"

"Yes Tegan. You're going to look young for a very long time." She gave me an apologetic smile and said, "I was getting carded in bars up until I was nearly forty. You'll probably be dealing with that past your hundredth birthday."

I didn't have any response for that. Kelly gave me another hug as I just sat there feeling numb.

"Speaking of, let's take care of your ID right now, shall we?" she smiled. "Do you have it with you?"

I nodded and picked up my purse from where I'd dumped it on the seat next to me. I handed it to her and mumbled, "Help yourself."

Ms. Connolly went through and pulled out everything. My drivers license, health card, bank card, credit card, student ID, every little plastic rectangle I had. She handed the purse back while she held the cards in a little stack in her hand.

She had the drivers license on top, as she looked at that other name and the old photo. I focused on my cola and avoided looking at the cards.

"Tegan," she asked quietly, "Do you intend to keep using the same last name? And have you thought about a new middle name?"

"Same last name," I stated. I thought for a few seconds then shrugged, "No middle name I guess. I never liked the one I had before, I like it even less now."

She was still holding the cards in a stack in her hand, and Ms. Connolly whispered a series of words as she focused. There was a bright flash of light in her eyes and she tapped the stack of cards in her hand three times. Then she handed them back to me.

I hesitated, then looked down at them. My eyes widened. My drivers license now had me in the photo instead of him. And there was my name, all legal and official. Tegan Vale. There was even a little F in the box next to my birth date. It gave me some little flutters again, seeing that. I checked the others, and every single card was updated.

"It's nice to see a smile on your face, Tegan." Kelsey said.

I blushed and started putting all the cards back in my purse, as I said "Thank you ma'am. Thanks very much."

The food arrived shortly and we all dug in. Kelly was having steak and fries again, Kelsey had a filet mignon and salad, and I'd been given a fancy-looking chicken and pasta dish. It was tasty, but as usual I couldn't finish it.

As we ate, Kelsey gave me the good and bad news about the rest of my life. Mostly bad news.

She suggested I forget about my summer job and simply don't bother going back. Same with my apartment, I should just pack up and leave, get a new place under my new name. Ditto for my car, she said I should just buy a new one rather than try and change ownership on the old one.

And same again for my bank account, "I've changed the name on the card but I can't change the records in the bank computers. Best to just visit a bank machine and cash out, then open a new account somewhere else in your new name."

"Walking away from my work, my apartment, and my car sounds great," I lied. None of that sounded good. "But it's also expensive and I'm broke. I need the job, I can't afford to move, I certainly can't afford a new car."

"I understand, Tegan." Kelsey replied. "We'll discuss the details and financial implications later. Moving on..."

I think she would have suggested the same tactic for college but Kelly made it clear I wouldn't walk away from the two years I'd already put into that. Instead, Kelsey said she had a contact who could access the school's computers. It would seem like the old me had transferred away, while new me transferred in. I'd be showing up in September as a 'new student' but I'd have my two years worth of credits and grades, so I wouldn't lose all that.

Family would be the hardest to figure out. Once again I think she would have suggested I just walk away and never see them again, but that wasn't an option.

Ms. Connolly sighed, "The three of us will have to meet them in person. We could try and tell them the truth, but that will be difficult, they may reject you outright, and they may become belligerent. I could use magic of course, to make it easier... Or I could use magic from the start, to just have them believe you'd always been Tegan. There'll be some practical issues, like family photos and old paperwork, but it might be doable."

Kelsey took a deep breath and with her eyes on mine she stated, "You need to be aware of this up front Tegan. Maintaining the relationship with your human parents will probably require me to use magic on them, one way or another. You have to figure out first if that's something you can live with. And you'll need to make that decision before we contact them."

"Crap," I whispered to myself. "Ok... I need to think that over."

After the meal, the two of them both had dessert and all three of us had coffee. When the bill came, Kelsey paid in cash. It was nearly ten o'clock when we finally left the restaurant and piled back into my car. Kelly was still driving and I rode in the back again. It was fine, I had a lot to think about and I didn't mind the relative privacy.

At some point it was agreed that Kelsey would be staying in Kelly's room at the twins' apartment, and Kelly would be staying at my place with me. I think they were worried about leaving me alone at the moment, but I was happy with those arrangements.

We dropped Kelsey off at the condo, Keira met us at the front doors. She handed a bag of clothes and things to Kelly, then took their mom's suitcase out of the trunk and carried it inside.

Then Kelly drove the two of us back to my place. It had been a long, emotionally exhausting day and we both just wound up in bed.

PurpleCatGirl

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