I Live With A Witch (Chapter 11)

"Eva, I'm begging you...don't do this!" I pleaded. Eva wasn't listening. She was rummaging through her closet for a coat so that she could take me to the local elementary school.  "I really didn't mean to offend you...please don't send me to school looking like this!" Eva turned and stared at me.
"Fine...I won't send you to school looking like that." Eva agreed. I sighed with relief. Eva snapped her fingers loudly in response.

*snap*

My clothes suddenly shifted and remolded. My hoodie and jeans changed shape and changed their fabric...they even changed color. With in seconds I found myself wearing an ungodly frilly pink dress and my tennis shoes suddenly changed into dainty Mary Jane style shoes with lacy white socks. I looked down at my clothes and let out a shriek.
"EVA!" I cried in embarrassment. I quickly threw my hands over my dress, trying to hold the skirt down. I knew I was blushing furiously. Eva was just grinning.
"What?" She asked. "You look adorable."
"What's the point here, Eva?!" I screamed. "How will this make me learn a lesson?" Eva finally pulled a coat out of the closet and was buttoning it on when she turned and gave me a serious look. I couldn't help but notice a great change in her behavior. The last time that she turned me into Alice, she was happy and enjoying my predicament...however, this time she was much more stern and cold...this wasn't just a fun little prank...she truly intended to punish me for what I had said about her father.

"You don't understand what it means to live a life of secrecy...pretending to be someone that you aren't. So for the whole day you are going to live as Alice...in a classroom full of 8 year old children. You get to know what it's like to be different from everyone...to walk among people who may look like you, but can't know who you really are. How does that sound, little Alice?" Each of her words sounded sweet, but there was a layer of frustration behind her smile. I could feel it...and deep down I knew that this couldn't end well.
"Eva...I'm really sorry!" I cried, grabbing the end of her coat desperately. "I shouldn't have said those things about your dad. But please, this is so embarrassing and...humiliating." I lightly tugged on the dress I was wearing and winced as I did. "I'll go to school...I'll even go as an 8 year old, but please...don't send me like this. Couldn't you send me as a boy?" Eva thought about it and then shook her head.
"Sorry, can't do that." She then took me by my hand and pulled me towards the door. "This way is so much more enjoyable." I groaned, struggling to resist agains her grip, but it was useless. Eva was far stronger than me now...and I couldn't fight her grip. She dragged me outside and then stopped. "Hold my hand tight, and don't let go." I instinctively clutched her hand as hard as I could. I even grabbed it with both of my little hands.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because if you don't you won't make it to where we're going...Lord knows what might happen to you." At these words, I held her hand so tight, I think I was cutting off her circulation.

*POW*

I felt a powerful yank and my vision blurred. I tried to focus, but the world looked like it had gone on fast forward. Everything flew by so fast that I couldn't make out shapes or items...simply colors and lights. However, the sensation ended quickly when Eva and I suddenly found ourselves standing in a parking lot. I felt amazingly dizzy and couldn't stand up straight. I stumbled and nearly fell over, but Eva held me upright with her hand.
"Steady there, Alice...it's just teleportation sickness...it'll pass." Eva explained. I steadied myself and looked around. Dozens of families were there, walking their own children into the building in front of us. It was a large building with lots of windows, doors, and a large flag pole out in front of it. The double doors in front were being held open by a pair of older looking women. Boys and girls of similar age were all being lead in by adults, and others that looked older were running in themselves. A long line of cars was driving up the door to let out more of the children.
"Where are we?" I asked.
"You're at school, Alice...and now we have to go and get you signed in." As we were walking towards the school, I turned and noticed a few mothers smiling and waving at me...commenting to each other about how cute I looked. I felt my face reddening in humiliation. I realized that the frilly pink dress that I was wearing, coupled with the bows that Eva had put in my hair, made me look incredibly girly...in fact, I looked cuter than any of the other girls walking towards the school. It was too much for me. I stopped in my tracks, refusing to budge...standing in place and not willing to lift a foot towards those doors. Eva stopped and faced me, irritation on her face.
"Eva...I can't do this." I said flatly. "I'll admit that what I said was uncalled for...but you have no right to do this to me." Eva sighed and knelt down next to me.
"Let me put it to you this way, Alice." She said calmly. "My dad may be away on business for the next year...but all I have to do is give him one call and he can come by and sort things out right away." She reached up and ran her fingers through my hair. "My father will not only kick you out of the cottage, but he will erase any memory that you have of me...hell, he may even keep you as Alice and make you forget you were Christian." I felt my heart stop in my chest...the very horror of this idea was too much to bare.
"Eva, don't do that! I don't think I could handle that! I swear, I'll be good!" I cried. Suddenly Eva beamed at me.
"Wow, you really thought I would do that to you!?" Eva burst out laughing. "Oh ye of little faith...I wouldn't let him do that to you." She then grabbed my hand again and pulled me along behind her. "Although, you do have to do this Alice...because if you don't I won't change you back." I groaned and hung my head...I was beat, and she knew it.
"Okay." I whimpered. "I'll go along with it." I suddenly felt Eva's hand rub my head.
"Yes you will, young lady. Now come along...don't want to be late for your first day of school." My eyes widened and I turned quickly to look at her.
"FIRST?!" I screamed. Eva burst out laughing at me.
"Yeah, who knows...if you have fun, we may do this again sometime." She then walked to through the front doors, with me right behind her. She practically dragged me over to a large office, where three ladies were sitting behind desks, talking on phones and typing away at computers. One of them looked up from her work and noticed Eva and I.

"Can I help you?" She asked nicely. Eva smiled.
"Hi, I'm looking for a school to enroll my little sister in...and I wanted to try this one for Alice." The lady looked over her desk at me and waved with a big smile on her face.
"Hello, Alice." She said kindly.
"Hi." I answered meekly. The woman sat back down and began asking questions.
"How old is she?"
"Eight years old, she'll be 9 in December."
"You're her older sister?"
"I am. My dad is away on business and mom is...well, I don't know where she is right now." I suddenly felt Eva's hand on mine tighten uncomfortably...it must have had something to do with her mom. I had never heard Eva talk about her mom before...I'd have to ask her about it later.
"I'll need you to fill out some paperwork." She said, handing a few packets of paper to Eva. Eva took them and sat down in a chair by the door. She groaned and began filling them out. I couldn't help but grin.
"Is teaching me a lesson really worth all that?" I asked. She glanced up at me and snorted.
"Just seeing you in that dress and looking at that blush on your face is all the payment I need." She laughed. She then got to work filling out the packets. I knew that there was no reasoning with her....her mind was made up. I was going to school for the day as Alice, whether I liked it or not.
It took Eva 10 minutes to finish all the paper work. I couldn't help but wonder if she had used magic to get it done so quickly. I sat quietly in the chair next to her, fiddling with my dress and wondering when this day would end.
"I think we're all set." Eva finally announced, handing the paper work to the lady behind the desk. She grinned and took the files, stashing them away in her desk.
"Very well." She then turned to me. "Your teacher will be Ms. Maddie. She's one of our best 3rd grade teachers. Are you excited." I shot a glance up at Eva who nodded at me. I looked the lady in the eyes and nodded back with a small smile.
"Yes ma'am." I said happily.
"Your little sister has such excellent manners." She stated. Eva nodded.
"That's Alice for ya...so well behaved and sensitive towards others." I felt a sharp twinge of guilt at that...she had intended me to feel it too. She knew that I would understand what she meant.
"Would you like to escort her to the classroom?" The lady asked. Eva nodded.
"I'd be delighted." Eva took my hand and walked me out into the hallway towards the classrooms. The school was enormous! The front hall was gigantic with kids and parents walking  around and to different places. There was a large room to the side that I knew was a library. There were 4 halls that led off in different directions. One set had the walls painted purple, the other was red, the other blue, and the last green. Behind us the lady from the front desk was showing us the way.

"Each of the hallways is painted a different color. The purple hallway is for all kindergarden through 1st grade classes. The green hall is for 4th through 5th grade classes, the blue hallway is for the cafeteria, art, gym, and music classes, and finally the red hallway is for 2nd through 3rd grade classes. That's where you'll be going Alice."
"Joy." I muttered to myself. She walked us down the red hallway, Eva was walking next to me, not once letting go of my hand.
"I think you'll enjoy your classes, Alice." Eva said with a smirk on her face.
"I sure hope so." I answered, trying hard to play the role I was given. I suddenly realized what Eva was talking about! This was so strange. I knew that I was far too old and mature to be acting this way...but being around all these people and looking the way I did forced me to behave myself in a way that I knew wasn't like me at all...I had to pretend to be an 8 year old girl. I couldn't risk showing my true self in any way shape or form for risk of exposing my true identity. That was when I remembered what Eva had said to me earlier:
"You don't understand what it means to live a life of secrecy...pretending to be someone that you aren't." She was right...I had no idea what that was like...but now I was starting to understand.

"We're here." The front desk lady said proudly. I gulped down my dread as I looked at the door before me.
"Come on Alice...let's go meet your classmates." Eva said happily.
"....sure..." I whimpered, as the door opened.