“C’mon big brother! Can’t we go to the toy store? I wanna buy that big fluffy bear!”

“For the last time Nina, no! I don’t have the cash for that…can’t we pick something cheaper? See, that one’s going for five!”

“No! I want the big bear! He's fluffier…you’re such a meanie big bro!”

Sighing as his little sister berated him further for not bowing to her childish demands, Nathan continued walking along the busy mall as other shoppers stared at them from the corner of their eyes. Damn it, it was a Saturday morning, he should’ve been home enjoying a game or two on the computer, not babysitting!

He’d been shoved out of the house by his father to take care of his little sister, Nina, for a day. Since his father was a businessman of sorts, that meant he traveled a lot. Nathan stuck with him while Nina stayed back at home with their mother. Occasionally though, the two would visit Nathan and his dad wherever they went.

Nina had arrived alongside her mother on Friday evening, Nathan’s dad, ever eager to please his little angel, had promised her they’d go to the mall on Saturday. And by ‘they’, he meant Nathan accompanying Nina, their parents unable to make it till the afternoon.

So here Nathan was, tromping along the bustling pathways of the mall occasionally being harassed and pulled along by Nina whenever she found something she wanted or thought looked interesting.

Nathan was never a morning person, much less a sociable one. He’d rather spend his mornings either cooped up in bed or playing games. Just walking alongside the massive early morning weekend crowd was giving him the creeps. Although he couldn’t let his guard down and lose sight of Nina either, his parents would kill him for that, and although he didn’t much like her, his little sister going missing was something he didn’t want to have happen.

Shaking off those ill boding thoughts, Nathan refocused his mind on concentrating on his little sister, making sure she was always within arms reach. They still had about an hour or two before their parents arrived at the mall, it would be a cinch, surely.

As the sibling duo continued onto the third floor, Nina’s eyes sparkled as she laid eyes on some mystical shop of sorts. It had no storefront or special label of sorts, just an ornately designed purple wood door inlaid with what looked to be actual authentic gold and jewelry, this looked like some sort of mistake in Nathan’s eyes…and weirdly enough, no one else seemed to pay the door any mind, walking by as if nothing was there.

All of a sudden, Nathan’s arm was tugged along as Nina eagerly approached the door, he’d never seen her so excited before. “C’mon big bro! It’s a fortune teller! One of the magic ladies that knows your future!”. Now where had she gotten that from? All he could see was the purple door, but before he could even open his mouth in protest, Nina had easily dragged him inside, pushing open the doors as a welcoming jingle rang out above them.

The inside of the supposed fortune teller’s shop though, was less than welcoming, at least to Nathan. As he glanced around the dingy old room filled with antique items and dust caked furniture, he held his nose as he explored the vacant shop. Nina, on the other hand, ran from place to place, eyeing the rusted objects with joy. Something was seriously off here.

“H-Hey Nina, we need to leave. You could cut yourself or something, this rustbucket isn’t exactly safe for us to be wondering around in!”

A sudden chill runs down Nathan’s spine as a cold finger runs down the nape of his neck, accompanied by the sounds of a mature woman tutting in disappointment coming from right behind him. Spinning round and clamping a hand around his neck, Nathan freezes as he catches sight of the stunning lady dressed in a gown leaning by the door, bowed slightly, a hand outstretched with glowing pink fingernails stretched out toward him. How had they missed her?

“That’s awfully inconsiderate of you, calling my lovely home a ‘rustbucket’...” Her voice, heavy and seductive, was laced with danger. As Nathan backed away slowly, Nina piped up from behind him. “She’s right, big bro! How could you call all this pretty stuff old!” This was the worst moment for her backtalk!

The woman leaning against the wall slowly stepped forward, her crimson eyes locked on Nina as she looked lovingly at the innocent young girl. “At last, someone who sees my humble abode for what it truly is…are you two actually related?” At her question, she looked incredulously between the two of them.

“Uhh, yeah…she’s my sister..Look i'm sorry we barged in but we really have to get going ma’am.” As Nathan took Nina’s arm and prepared to leave though, the imposing figure stepped in front of Nathan, tapping a finger on his forehead as a sudden chill took hold of him. He couldn’t move! “W-What did you do to big brother?” Hearing Nina’s terrified yelps behind him only made his desperation deepen as he struggled harder to regain control, but the magic binding him was too strong.

Only able to move his eyes, Nathan was left helpless as the witch moved past him, falling to a knee as she stroked Nina’s hair gently, snapping her fingers and summoning forth a hat in a burst of purple cloud. “There, there Nina dear, this is for you, to help realize your full potential! Only you are able to see the splendor of my home but at the rate you’re going…that spark will be lost. This will help turn the tables, to give you the place in life you rightfully deserve!” And with that, the witch gently places the cap over Nina’s head, an eerie silence following as Nina walks by her frozen brother, she had an expression of excitement on her face but her eyes…they were glazed over, what had she done to her? “As for you…you need to be taught a lesson in manners…your parents did a sloppy job!”

With another snap of her finger’s, Nathan began to feel himself lift off the ground as an unbearable pressure mounted across his entire body, even frozen, Nathan could feel himself wincing in pain as his body bent and snapped inwards, limbs shrinking, hair retracting, his adams apple vanishing. Even his clothes began to change, his jacket vanishing as his white shirt dyed itself a pure black, turning into a singlet that fit his now childish body as a backpack that looked fit for a preschooler appeared, clinging neatly to his smaller frame. By the time Nathan landed with a squeak on his new shoes, he was free to look upon himself, he’d become a kid again, maybe even younger than Nina was!

Before he could even mouth a word, Nathan felt an invisible force shove him backwards, flinging him out of the witch’s home with a thud. “Owie! That hurth lady!” With a giggle, the witch stared mockingly at him. “Aww don’t cry sweetie, I'm sure someday you’ll be able to see the glory i’ve bestowed upon the two of you…make sure you’re well behaved around your big sister now you hear?” Dashing forward on his tiny legs and ignoring the tears running down his cheeks, Nathan could barely make it in time before the door slammed shut, the sound of a lock turning as he grasped for the cold handlebars, tip toeing on his sneakers.

“Turn me back! A-And what ditcha do to sis! Hey!” Nathan cringed inwardly as he heard his high pitched squeals, skinny and weak arms banging weakly against the strong wooden doors. What had that witch done to him…and Nina! That’s right, she left before he did. Right as the thought of his little sister crossed his mind though, a warm, gentle hand grabbed ahold of his wrists.

“Woah there, what’s gotten into you kiddo?” Turning to face the owner of that familiar yet husky voice, Nathan gawked as he came face to face with Nina, now looking a few years ahead as she towered over him, her previous toddler like form now looking like she was in middle school and rapidly approaching high school, muscles and curves beginning to form as her body convulsed with change, her rapidly maturing face staring with concern down at Nathan…but her eyes…they were still blank..and what was that? Nina was speaking like some gruff gangster, her mannerisms reminding him of those tomboy’s he’d seen on the streets. “Quit the bangin alright, the fortune teller’s closed for the day! And besides, there's plenty of other stores out here!”

It was that hat, Nathan thought, as he jumped up in an attempt to swipe it off his sister’s head before it did anything else to her, Nina always was a slow thinker so it’d be a cinch even for a kid like him to snag that hat. Weird, he thought, he could have sworn he had more bounce to his head, as if his hair had grown longer.

It wouldn’t be that simple however, Nina jerking backwards and up with sharpened reflexes, out of Nathan’s reach as she rose to her full height, a slight jiggle in the still forming jacket as her now heaving breasts bounced with her momentum , a frown on her face as her once smooth lacey locks of hair began to fan outwards into a wild unkempt mane of navy blue hair as if to signify her anger. With a grunt, she bonked him over the head with a fist, it was strong enough to sting but not enough to leave a mark. To Nathan however, that simple punch hurt…a lot, and a sudden surge of emotion within his chest led to a flow of tears he couldn’t halt, alongside a heavy feeling of guilt that he just couldn’t shrug off as if he’d done something very wrong.

 “Owww, tat hurth big sis~ I-I-I was just tr-try-ng! WAAAA!!” And with that, Nathan began to bawl uncontrollably, his anger towards the witch and the idea of helping his sister replaced with overwhelming sadness after being hit by her, curious onlookers watching as the flustered tomboy looked around in a panic, a hand fiddling with her hat in embarrassment as she knelt back down to console her crying sister, as she rubbed her across where she’d hit her, ruffling her sisters soft brown hair as she looked up at her with big red eyes, sniffling as snot dribbles down her nose.

Scooping her up in her arms with barely any effort at all, Nina carries Nathan out of the mall, still crying and sniffling as further changes occurred across his already child like body; limbs slimming down even further as his hair began to grow longer, magically dyeing themselves a light brown as they tie themselves neatly into a ponytail. Underneath the newly formed black sundress, Nathan’s body undergoes a biological change, turning him forever into a girl as she clung tightly to her sister's body, her mind in a mess as her new child persona began to take root, Nathan’s older self beginning to fade as her memories of recent events begin to fade away.

–

After a few minutes of walking, Nina gently laid her sister down on a bench at the nearby park by the mall, sitting down by her side and staring down gently at her sister as light returned to her eyes. Brand new memories settling into place within her mind as she tried to cheer her little sister up.

“Seriously Nana, how old are you already? You’ve gotta stop throwing tantrums. C’mon, I'm sorry alright…be a good girl? For me?” Looking into her sister’s eyes after hearing her words, ‘Nana’ blinked back tears as she looked down at her small petite body wrapped up in her delicate black silk dress, long locks of light brown hair falling into her blurry vision. Nana? That was impossible! She was a boy wasn’t she? What was her name again? Nick? Nate? No, those weren't it…and didn’t she have black hair? No…it was always brown as far as she could tell, she did take after her mother a lot.

Looking back up at her big sister, Nana couldn’t help but feel extremely worried for her, like someone had done something bad to both of them. It bothered her as she scanned her crimson eyes and rugged yet beautiful facial features. Nina felt off to her, as if the sight of her felt wrong, like she was never this strong, powerful young woman. But as she continued to look over the curvaceous form of her elder sister and the boyish clothes that adorned her body, new memories began to pop into mind as she continued to gaze upon Nina’s new form.

Vague scenes of playing games on a computer were replaced with vivid memories of playing with Nina in the backyard as she gave her piggyback rides across the lawn. Soon, the remaining fragment of Nathan that had remained tucked away in Nana’s mind dwindled out into nothing as she plunged her head into Nina’s warm bosom, embracing her in a hug as Nana’s tiny arms failed to wrap themselves around her sister’s muscular form.

Nana had always been jealous of Nina’s strong yet beautiful body and her outgoing personality. She’d wanted to grow up as fast as possible so she could be just as big and capable as Nina was, able to do anything and everything. She wondered how Nina had gotten so big, Nina’s arms and legs were so hard and soft at the same time. She caught glimpses of her big sister’s naed body before whenever the two bathed together but she never understood why she had a flat soft stomach while Nina’s were hard and lined with cubes among other things…mum had told her those were topic’s she would have to learn when she grew older.

As a fading scene of bickering with another girl came to mind, that made the recent memory of her assault against her big sister more heartbreaking. The two rarely fought so she had no idea why she’d lashed out at her all of a sudden. Sure, she felt jealous of Nina at times but not to this extent. She had to apologize.

Blinking away her tears and rubbing her eyes, Nana looked back up at Nina with her ‘brave face’, just like she’d taught her to do whenever things were bad. She knew she was at fault so she had to take responsibility! “I-Im sorry sis...i caused lottsa trouble for you aga-ohh…” There she was again, Nina always had been kind and accepting almost to a fault, Nana smiled as she enjoyed the feeling of Nina’s large palms rubbing her hair. She had to follow her example.

“That's a good girl! Don’t worry your pretty head about it alright? Let’s go Nana, still a bit of time before Mum and Dad get here so…wanna get some ice cream?” Giggling at her sister's mischievous smile, Nana laughed with joy at her sister’s words as Nina plucked her out of the air and slung her over her shoulders, giving her a piggyback ride as they left towards the mall once more, unaware of anything ever being different in their new lives.

THE END