Chapter 17: 17. Convinced

"Ow," I pouted at Kelly as I rubbed my upper arm. "Why'd you hit me?"

She glared, "That was for making twelve-year-old Tegan wait ten years while you hid behind a mountain of denial, Miss I-can't-possibly-be-trans."

I sighed, but kept pouting. Her punch actually hurt, I was sure I'd have a bruise later.

My mom was sitting in the desk chair that Kelsey used yesterday. She still looked a little stunned but I actually thought she might be starting to believe me.

She shook her head, "But this is impossible... You can't just turn into a girl. There's no such thing as magic!"

I nodded, "Up till Friday night I would have agreed with you, mom. Since then..." I glanced down at myself. "I'm kind of thinking it might be real."

Kelly said, "My mom's on her way. She might be able to help explain."

I finally got up and headed to the kitchenette. "I think I need a drink. Mom, Kelly? Either of you want a vodka-lemonade?"

"Yes please," Kelly nodded.

Mom was staring at me again as she shook her head, "I'll have some water, please."

I grabbed a couple bottles of the lemonade and one water then returned to the living-room. Mom was still staring at me as I handed her the bottle.

"You're so small," she whispered in amazement.

I blushed as I sat back down, handing a lemonade to Kelly. "Uh, yeah... That's just one of many uh, big changes I've been trying to get used to."

Mom slowly shook her head again. I knew she'd be going back and forth between disbelief and acceptance for a while. I kind of wished I knew some magic, so I could just show her. I didn't want to ask Kelly to do that though, I figured she'd have done it already if she could. Or maybe she was waiting for her mom to get here.

We were all quiet again for a few minutes, sipping our drinks while mom stared at me.

Finally she asked, "So this just happened Friday? You've obviously bought some new clothes, and had your hair dyed. What else have you been up to?"

I blushed again, "Actually this is my natural colour." I gave her a quick recap of the past few days, including the shopping trips, the freak-out on Sunday, the trip to the airport, and dinners out Saturday and Sunday nights.

Mom frowned as she listened, then asked "What about work? Did you call in sick?"

I sighed, "They wouldn't exactly recognize my voice, mom. And obviously I couldn't just show up for work looking like this. So I guess I quit."

Her frown deepened, "I hope you're not planning on quitting college too."

"No mom," I shook my head. "Ms. Connolly is going to get someone to help fix things with the college, so I can continue my classes next month."

Kelly looked a little uncomfortable again. I realized I probably shouldn't say too much about how her family can help and do all this stuff.

I added, "I shouldn't say anything else mom. I've probably said too much as it is. Let's just wait till Kelly's mom gets here."

Still frowning, mom glanced at Kelly then back at me. "What do Kelly and her mother have to do with all of this? Did they do this to you?"

"No mom," I stated emphatically. "My biological parents did this to me. They used magic to turn me into a guy and abandoned me here as a baby. This is the real me, I just didn't know it till Friday."

Right on schedule there was a knock at the door. Kelly set her drink down as she stood up, "I'll get it. That'll be my mom."

I watched as she went to the door and sort of mentally braced myself. I knew my mom wouldn't believe Kelsey was anywhere near old enough to be Kelly's mom. When Kelly returned from the door with her mother, I felt my eyebrows shoot up and my jaw drop open.

Ms. Connolly looked like she'd aged three decades since yesterday. Her red hair had lost its lustre, now it looked dull and there were streaks of grey in it. Her eyes weren't as bright, and today her skin just looked sort of pale rather than fair, and it sagged in places. There were some laugh lines on her face, and her lips looked a little thinner. She was still slim, and was still wearing jeans and a t-shirt. But she looked every bit like a woman in her fifties, much like my own mom.

Kelly did the introductions, "Mrs. Vale, this is my mother, Kelsey Connolly. Mom, this is Tegan's mother, Mrs. Vale."

Mom greeted Ms. Connolly, "Please, call me Laura."

I got up and offered, "Ms. Connolly, why don't you sit on the sofa with Kelly. Can I get you a drink?"

She thanked me and asked for water. I grabbed her a bottle, and dragged one of the uncomfortable little chairs over from the small kitchen table. I handed the water to Kelsey and then sat down next to my mom.

Ms. Connolly had a sip of her water then looked between me and Kelly and asked, "So? What secrets have already been divulged?"

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I blushed again, and Kelly sighed. "Tegan's told her mother that her biological parents are fae, that they disguised her as a human boy using magic, and left her here. And that the disguise spell was broken on Friday and now she's back to her true self."

Ms. Connolly looked at my mom and asked, "And what do you think of all this, Mrs. Vale?"

Mom sighed, "I think it's impossible, there's no such thing as magic, and no such thing as 'Fae'. But... This young woman knew something that my son told me when he was twelve. And since I've been here watching her, I can see a lot of his mannerisms in her. She seems to think you can explain what's actually going on here. And please, call me Laura."

"Very well Laura," Ms. Connolly said. "There are some things I can't discuss, some secrets I must keep. But I can confirm to you, magic is real. I'm currently disguising my true appearance under a glamour, which is why Tegan looked so startled when I arrived. Although I am Kelly and Keira's mother, I don't normally look like this."

I saw the flash of light in her eyes and her appearance seemed to flicker, and then suddenly she was back to looking like a young woman in her late twenties again.

My mom's eyes almost bugged out of her head and her mouth dropped open as she stared. "Oh my god..."

"This is my true appearance. And please, call me Kelsey."

Me and Kelly wound up just sitting quietly, sipping our vodka-lemonades while our moms talked for almost an hour. My mom had all kinds of questions, but Kelsey didn't have too many answers. She said a few things, she explained I could never go back to what I was before, and explained that was just a mask, not the real me. That mask was shattered now, and could never be restored.

I explained to my mom that I was definitely happier and more comfortable like this. And I had to admit that I wouldn't want to go back even if I could. I reminded her again of what I said when I was twelve, and I sighed as I admitted that I'd never really given up on that wish, I just suppressed it. I told her I knew there was obviously a lot of stuff I still had to get used to, but Kelsey said she was going to help me get re-established under my new name.

Kelsey never said anything about her and Kelly being part-fae, though she did say she'd been studying them and their culture for most of her life, which explained why she was in a position to help me.

And finally, she told my mom that all this stuff was secret. Obviously people don't believe in magic and supernatural beings like fae, and she explained if that got out it would be very bad for me and put me in danger.

Mom seemed to understand the need for secrecy, and agreed to keep all this to herself for now.

By now it was getting near dinner time, and she had to head home.

Before she left I suggested, "Don't tell dad yet? I'll come over towards the end of the week and we can all talk with him together. Ok?"

She hesitated then nodded "Ok...Tegan. Stay in touch, please. I'm still not sure how to handle all of this, and I'm worried for you."

My heart skipped a beat when she actually said my name, and I smiled, "Thanks mom. I will."

I stepped closer and gave her a hug, which I think caught her by surprise. It was probably weird for her in a hundred different ways, not the least of which being I was now about four inches shorter than her, and I had boobs. She gave me a tentative hug in return, then she left.

As I returned to the living-room, Kelsey said "Well, that went much better than I would have expected."

I drained the last of my lemonade and nodded "Yeah... I hope it goes as well with my dad but," I sighed. "I kind of doubt it."

"Speaking of fathers," Kelsey stated, "I heard back from mine today. He's going to slip over to Otherworld and do some quiet digging, to see if he can find out who your parents are."

She added, "He said violet-coloured hair is not that common among fae, which might make it easier for him to identify your lineage. That, and knowing when you were born. Still, best not to get your hopes up. Otherworld is a big place and could be a long time before there's any news."

"Oh," I felt a little uncertain at that. "If he does manage to find them, what happens next? Will he bring them here?"

"No," she stated, sounding quite certain. "He'll find out what he can about them, then he'll return to Earth and send me the details. Or he might come visit in person, but either way he'll be discrete. He definitely won't tell your parents about you, should he find them. I'm sure he'll do his best to ensure nobody over there knows what he's up to or what he's looking for."

I frowned, "Is this dangerous? For him, or for you, or for me? I guess, for any of us?"

Kelsey sighed. She pursed her lips and frowned, then finally replied "Dealing with the fae is always dangerous, Tegan. For humans, it's very dangerous. But even for other fae, there are hazards. Right now you're as unprepared as a human but you're potentially at greater risk simply because you may be a more valuable 'target'. If your parents are important or wealthy, or if they hid you for reasons of safety, then you could be at risk from dangers you can't even conceive right now."

She added, "Which is why it's important we start your education as soon as possible. I've begun the process of getting you and Kelly a new place, that should be completed in the next day or two. We'll get you moved by the end of the week, then she can begin your education."

It took a moment or two for all that to sink in. Finally I asked, "Am I putting my parents in danger, if I stay close to them?"

Kelsey nodded slightly, "It's possible, Tegan. Especially until we get you educated."

I took a deep breath then sighed, "Ok... That's one more thing to worry about."

The three of us were quiet for a bit, till Kelly finally asked "Mom? How's Keira doing? I mean, with the news that you're separating us and kicking her out of the condo and stuff?"

"She is handling it quietly and stoically," Ms. Connolly replied. "She knows what the two of you did was wrong, and she's accepting the consequences. If you want to know how she feels, then speak with her yourself."

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