Janie pulls her phone out and calls me to avoid waking the neighbours. I accept the call and put it on speaker as I return to my bedroom, placing the phone on the table while I spin around happily in my chair.
'Janie, I can't believe it. I was worried he wouldn’t be interested in me any longer after this date, but then he kissed me and asked me on another date!' I tell her, smiling from ear to ear.
Janie giggles, ‘I told you, Rose, he's been infatuated with you for a while now. And let's not forget that kiss! You two were on fire,’ she says and giggles. ‘You were both still making out, with hands all over each other, well after Xander and I had finished our first kiss.’
I blush, feeling my cheeks heat up. ‘I’m embarrassed you saw that, but it was amazing. I can't wait for our next date,’ I tell Janie, excitedly giddy.
‘Come over tomorrow. I want to practice a new spell or two and hopefully find more information on changing you back into a human,’ she says.
‘All right, I’ll see you tomorrow,’ I reply and end the call.
I strip off my clothes and enter my bathroom, turning the shower on. As I wait for the hot water, I glance over my shoulder in the mirror and notice my big fat fluffy tail protruding above my butt. Unable to resist, I wiggle it around and grin, ‘It does look cute on me,’ I say.
As I lather up with soap and shampoo, my tail becomes weighed down by the water.
The feeling of soap being massaged into the fur behind my ears is so enjoyable that I make little puppy-like sounds of contentment.
Now washed, I dry myself, put on my pink bunny rabbit pyjamas, and jump into bed. As I try to sleep, I’m too excited, I can't stop thinking about Brad and how he made me feel. My phone lights up and beeps. I flip it open to see a message from Brad, ‘Goodnight, beautiful. Can’t wait to see you Monday xx,’ it reads.
I text back, ‘I can’t wait till Monday either. To see you, of course, xx,’ and send it.
As the sun's rays filter through my window, I roll out of bed and find jeans, a plain shirt and an oversized hoodie to put on and tuck my tail under my shirt and pull the hood over my head to hide my ears. As I approach the door, a mischievous thought dawns on me, and I can't resist the temptation.
I reach the balcony doors and launch myself into the air, soaring through the sky with grace and ease. The wind whips through my hair, and I revel in the feeling of freedom. With a sudden burst of energy, I land on all fours with effortless finesse, my heart pounding with exhilaration.
However, my moment of triumph is short-lived as Janie's voice echoes across the courtyard. 'Rose! You can't do that in broad daylight!' she growls from her balcony.
I turn to face her with a wide grin, knowing I've been caught in the act. I race towards her with lightning speed, leaping onto her terrace railing with ease. 'Show off,' Janie mutters with a smile.
I jump into her arms, making us tumble to the ground, giggling and laughing as we playfully roughhouse.
‘All right, you big wolf. You can get off me now,’ Janie grins.
We get off the ground and enter Janie’s bedroom.
Janie sits on her floor rug where she has her spell book open and a glass of water beside it. Meanwhile, Mister Kal perches at the edge of Janie's bed, his piercing stare fixated on me. But every time Janie glances back at him, he purrs and puts on a façade of friendliness, pretending to be harmless.
‘I want to show you something,’ she smiles.
I sit opposite Janie and watch as she pulls the glass of water closer to her, hovers her hands over the glass, and says, ‘Aqua Bedew.’
Blue luminescent sparkles appear in the water, and then the water swirls. As Janie turns her hands, the water rises and forms into a mini tornado spinning and twirling just like a real tornado would.
‘No way!’ I say under my breath.
‘Yes way,’ Janie smiles.
Janie then closes her hand, making the water settle into the glass, and the blue sparkles disappear.
‘That was so cool,’ I tell her.
‘Do you want to see me do another spell?’ she asks.
I nod my head, ‘Of course. I want to see everything you can do,’ I reply.
‘Lifto Levitatious,’ she shouts, her arm extending and pointing to a candle on her desk. The candle floats and hovers towards her hand, and she places it on the ground, moving the water aside. She stares intently at the candle, and with a quick flick of the hand, she says, ‘Inferno Flamo,’ and the candle's wick ignites.
‘You can create fire as well?’ I ask Janie in disbelief.
‘I can control it too, watch,’ she says, using her hands to manipulate the flame.
Janie makes the fire grow larger, and then with a swift motion of her fingers, she shapes the flame into a perfect sphere. The ball of fire hovers in her open palm, casting a warm glow across her face. She tosses the fiery sphere into the air and catches it flawlessly with a quick movement of her other hand. I can't help but smile at her skill and playfulness.
'Who's the show-off now?' I tease, feeling the warmth of the fire on my skin. Janie grins back at me, her eyes alight with the thrill of her own abilities.
Janie bites her bottom lip in delight, pleased with herself.
My phone beeps. ‘Let me guess. It’s Brad?’ Janie says, clasping her hands under her chin and fluttering her eyes at me.
I flip my phone open and smile, ‘Yes, it’s him,’ I tell her, open the message and read it aloud, ‘Good morning, beautiful. I hope you slept well?’
‘Awe, he called you beautiful,’ Janie swoons.
I text a message back, ‘Good morning, Brad. I had a great sleep, thank you. I hope you slept well too?’