The Incredible Shrinking Wotch

Chapter 1
Issue 3: The Incredible Shrinking Wotch

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Chapter Description: This is chapter 3 of a Wotch AU that's in-progress, but as it is capable of standing on its own and is the only AR or AP-related chapter, I'm only posting it. Check out my DA page (http://lizuka.deviantart.com/) if you're interested in seeing the

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“Oh come on!” Katie shouts as she looks at the calender on her bedroom wall, inspecting when the next full moon will be (she had been turned into a werecat around three months earlier, and found out a month ago and got a cure for her mind from Wolfie, who was also a werewolf but didn’t need the amulet anymore- don’t ask) and noticing it is on the Saturday after a movie she’s been looking forward to is released. “I’ve looked forward to this movie for months, and now I will have to wait until the next Friday to see it! Argh . . . ”

“Well, that’s the life of a were,” Wolfie responds while sitting on the edge of Katie’s bed. “I’ve been dealing with that all my life.”

“Still, there has to be a way I could manage to see it! Maybe I could wear a hoodie or something . . . Nah, that’s wouldn’t work, my face would be seen when I bought tickets and snacks . . . ”

“If I knew anything to do about it, I’d let you know,” Wolfie says. “I guess you’ll just have to wait, or maybe you could get your homework done early sometime next week and go then.”

“I guess . . . ”

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“Wolfie, I figured it out!” Katie announces as she sits down at a table Wolfie is sitting at in a restaurant in town, the next day about an hour after school. She lays an old book down on the table after she sits down.

“Figured out what?”

“How to see that movie, that’s what. I dropped by that magic shop in town and the assistant there, some guy in a weird coat and glasses, gave me this book and said it could make me normal.”

“You sure you shouldn’t just leave this to Cas-,” but Wolfie is interrupted as Katie opens the book and causes a cloud of dust to emerge from within it, sending both as well as the people in the booth next to them into a coughing frenzy.

“Wow, dusty book,” Wolfie mumbles as the dust clears. “So, you say this can cure you, huh? Maybe I should try it out too.”

“Sure, Wolfie,” Katie replies. “Right after I make sure it works, I’ll letcha borrow it. I’m gonna try it out tonight, and I’ll know if it works or not by the time the movie comes out.”

Just then, the door to the restaurant opens up and Cassie happens to walk in. Katie, seeing her, quickly stuffs the book out of view of the Wotch. Cassie sits down next to Katie and across from Wolfie.

“Hey Cassie,” Katie says, followed by Wolfie throwing in the same greeting.

“So, what are you doing here?” the Irish werecat asks, “I don’t see you at restaurants often.”

“I have to watch the brat tonight, and since I don’t feel like cooking, I’m picking up something for us now,” the goth Wotch answers. “So, you two feel like coming over to help?”

“Nah, I’m good,” Katie answers. “I have to do some, uh, homework, yeah. Ming wanted my help with something.”

Says Wolfie, “I’m supposed to meet a few people in a chatroom tonight, and I don’t won’t to let them down.”

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Katie walks through the halls of Tandy Gardens High School the next morning, a Friday, after the best night of sleep she’s had since becoming a werecat, and maybe longer than that. She had cast a spell found within the book said to cure lycanthropy and said it three times just to be sure, then went to bed. The Irish girl walks to her locker and stops to think about the combination for a second before beginning to twist the knob.

“14, 28, 4. . .” she mumbles as she puts in the combination, then tries to open the locker door and fails.

“Wait a second. . . that’s my combination from last year,” Katie says to herself, confused. “Wonder why I put that one in. Probably not important.” Katie begins to twist the knob again, putting in the proper combination and getting out her books just as Wolfie walks into view.

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Katie sits in her first period, having started feeling odd a few minutes into her first class and still feeling that way now. As she looks forward at the chalkboard as Professor Madison writes, the Irish girl squirms uncomfortably in her seat until her arm lifts into the air.

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“This couldn’t be because of that spells, could it?” Katie wonders aloud as she walks through the hallway, having been excused. As she walks ahead, she sees both Cassie and Wolfie standing in front of a locker and heads over to meet them.

“Are you guys feeling strange too?” Katie asks as she stops next to the two.

“Strange?” Wolfie asks, “I’ve gotten two inches shorter!”

“Odd. . .” Katie says. “You look taller.”

“I don’t think we’re getting shorter,” Cassie says, having placed everything together. “I mean, look at us, we’re the heights we were two years ago! We’re getting younger!”

“Younger!?” Katie gasps, not exactly fond of the idea.

“Nothing I cast last night could have done this. I just cast a sleep spell on the kid and an illumination spell so I could read in bed.”

“Um. . . uh. . . Ane! Maybe she cast something that did this!” Katie says. Cassie nods at the idea, while Wolfie rolls her eyes.

“So, what are we going to do?” the werewolf of the group asks.

“Skip school and get help?” suggests the goth, drawing a nod from both of the redheads.

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“And that’s what we know,” Cassie says to Milo in the Magic Touch. “We were going to try the mall since it was closer, but then we saw Scott and Julie and they started getting younger too. And when we walked by a few classrooms we’d been in, we saw that the others inside were growing younger as well.”

“Huh,” Milo responds. “Sounds to me like the Deaughe Virus.”

“Virus?” Wolfie wonders, drawing a nod from Milo.

“Yeah, a magical virus. Originates from a source and infects all who come into contact with it, and those people then pass it onto all who come into contact with them, and so on.”

“Can one of these come from a spell or something?” Katie asks, drawing a shake of the head from Milo which prompts a sigh from the girl.

“No, not at all. More like the dust from a spell book.”

Katie’s eyes widen as she has a...

~Ka-Flashback~

“You sure you shouldn’t just leave this to Cas-,” but Wolfie is interrupted as Katie opens the book and causes a cloud of dust to emerge from within it, sending both as well as the people in the booth next to them into a coughing frenzy.

“Wow, dusty book,” Wolfie mumbles as the dust clears.

“How are we supposed to fix it?” Cassie wonders.

“Simple enough,” Milo replies. “All you need is the blood of somebody immune to magic and a page from the book. I can supply that first one, but one of you will need to run and get the second.”

“I’ll go and get it,” Katie volunteers, trying to keep her involvement in the incident secret.

“All right,” Cassie says, “Me and Wolfie will wait here.”

“Say, Milo,” Wolfie asks just before Katie’s about to open the door to the Magic Touch, “About how old would you say we look right now?”

“About ten, I’d say,” Milo answers.

“That’d make me eleven then,” Katie says. “I’ll be back as soon as I can!”

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“Okay, now I just need to get in, grab the book, and hope my parents aren’t home,” A now nine-year-old Katie says as she unlocks the front door to her house. She walks inside and sees. . .

“Ming? What are you doing here?”

“We were being dismissed early because of everyone being small. Aren’t you remembering?”

“Oh, right,” Katie answers. “I need to hurry and grab something out of my room. . .” Katie rushes up the stairs and into her room. She grabs the book off of the floor and then takes a look in the mirror and gasps.

"Oh gos- err, crap! I’m getting littler, err, YOUNGER even faster now!" Katie, who has suddenly transformed into an eight-year-old remarks. The Irish girl quickly rushes downstairs and out of the house.

Outside she sees a semi-familiar girl her current afe walking by with red hair in a ponytail. The girl has a blonde infant draped over her shoulder.

"Anne?" Katie wonders aloud.

"Hey, Katie. I was just tryin’ to get Lilly asleep. It’s gettin’ hard to hold her."

"I’d figure. Sorry, I gotta run," and Katie, still eight-years-old, turns and begins running through the streets of Tandy back to the Magic Touch. By the time she reaches the store, she’s six years old and immediately stops to catch her breath at the top of the staircase. As she does, however, she sees something that distracts her more childlike mind.

“Candy!” Katie shouts as she runs into Taverner’s, book in hand.

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“Where’s Tatie?” Wolfie asks, having add some speech problems at the age of five.

“I dunno. Maybe I need to go look for her,” Cassie answers.

"You go do that," Milo says. "I’ll go ahead and mix up the rest of the potion here." Cassie turns to walk out the door, but before she does.

"Wait Tassie," Wolfie says. "There’s somethin’ you needa know."

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Katie stumbles into Taverner’s, and inside sees several other children who look like others within town. The ones that immediately leap to mind are a blonde six-year-old boy in a Green Lantern shirt and tan shorts, a six-year-old girl in a yellow shirt and a matching skirt, and a ten-year-old blonde girl. Much like Katie, they’ll all in there for the same reason, gorging themselves on sweets. The redhead rushes over next to James and Irene and joins in.

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"Hmm... if I was Katie, where would I- oh, look at the bunny!" the now four-year-old Cassie laughs as she sees a rabbit go by. She starts to follow it out of childish curiousity, until she sees something else that distracts her attention.

Cassie verbally debates the subject, trying to overcome her childish instincts. "Go get Katie? Or candy? Katie? Candy!" And she runs inside Taverner’s as well.

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Around ten minutes later...

"Mistuh Miwo," Milo hears from behind him as he prepares the potion to finish when Katie and Cassie arrive with the book. He sets down the two beakers that are in his hands and turns to face the tiny three-year-old, who now has pigtails and yellow and white pajamas.

"What’s wrong?" the shopkeeper asks, not knowing much about kids.

"I needa doe potty," the regressed Wolfie whines with her legs quivering.

"Can it wait just a moment? I need to finish this so you can get back to normal."

"I gotsa doe bad!"

"Alright." Milo grabs Wolfie’s hand amd begins to lead her to one of the bathrooms in the store. Just as he reaches to open the door, he feels the already tiny hand in his plam shrink further, then smells something bad in the air.

"Wiww you tange diapee?" asks Wolfie, causing a sign from Milo.

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"Shouldn’t the Wotch have fixed this by now?" 32 asks as her and 29 walk through the streets of Tandy.

"Give her time," 29 replies in his usual calm manner.

"But what if she doesn’t solve it!? I knew we should’ve tried some other magical virus! I’ll bet the Counsel will have us exterminated if we try to bring them back a toddler!"

"Relax. If something goes wrong, we’ll find the book and fix it ourselves."

"Huh, I never thought of that." The two two walk onward until they see a pair of two-year-olds, one of which a boy in a diaper and a Canadian flag-style T-shirt. The other, a girl, wears a dark pink T-shirt and a lighter pink skirt which barely covers a diaper. Both Scott and Julie appear to be struggling to walk.

"Wait a second, 29. I will never forgive myself if I don’t trip her right now!" Just as 32 is about to walk over to do so, Julie falls face-first on her own, and immediately sits up before starting to bawl.

"D-dun cwy... youw make me do it t-t-" but Scott cuts off as he sits down on the sidewalk next to Julie and joins in her wailing.

"Aw come on! I didn’t even get to it yet! Oh well, it’s still funn-" but 32 cuts off as she smells something foul. "29, I think she had another kind of ’accident’. Let’s get out of here before my stupid maternal instincts kick in."

"Maternal instincts? You? That’s a scary thought."

"This is the part where you stop talking."

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Milo runs up the flight of stairs, 2-year-old Wolfie and her dirty diaper in tow. Milo has two reasons for doing so: 1), Cassie is also two by now while Katie is three, and 2), Wolfie had started crying soon after and Milo couldn’t concentrate.

Once up the stairs, Milo immediately takes Wolfie into Taverner’s, deciding to get the quicker but less pleasnt job done first.

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Katie sits on the floor of Taverner’s next to Cassie, who looks like she’s in a bad mood.

"Cassie, wan’ some my candy?" Katie asks of the infant, who shakes her head.

"I pee-pee," Cassie answers just as Milo walks in the door with Wolfie. When he sees Katie and Cassie sitting on the floor with an old leatherbound book in the lap of the older of the two girls, he sighs in relief.

"That was an amazing coincidence," Milo says to himself as he picks up Cassie off the ground and holds her in the other arm and Katie walks alongside him out of the store.

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"Finally back to normal!" Katie exclaims as she, Wolfie, and Cassie walk through Tandy, going door to door and placing all the children that are indoors outside.

"Why are we doing this again?" Wolfie asks.

"We need to set them outside so I can cast a rain spell so everyone can be cured," Cassie answers.

"Speaking of casting spells, Cass, I’ve got a bit of a confession. I’m the reason this happened because I tried to cure myself of being a werecat so I could see a movie on the next full-moon," Katie admits.

"Oh, Wolfie already told me when I came to find you."

"Wolfie!" Katie cries.

"Hey, doing that caused Cassie to be able to find you. If I didn’t, the two of us would have to individuially cure everyone in Tandy."

"Hey, I was just jokin’, Wolfie!" Katie laughs,

"Let’s hurry up and get the town back to normal, huh?" Cassie interrupts, drawing nod from both redheads.

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"I don’t know why I didn’t think of that before!" Katie says the next day as her, Wolfie, and Cassie walk to school.

"Yeah, really," Wolfie adds.

"Well, whatever. So are you up for an invisibility spell or not, Katie?"

"You bet! Too bad I won’t be able to get snacks though."

"I can handle that too," Cassie replies. "Make a bag of popcorn at home and bring it with ya."

"Okay, so what was the point of that exactly?" 32 asks of 29 as the two of them follow behind the three, invisible as usual.

"Sometimes being able to think clearly in a difficult situation is just as important-"

"But she didn’t do anything." 32 interrupts. 29 merely sighs, knowing the chances of convincing 32 of anything are slim to none.

 

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