(Subplot) The Missed Flight

"Shit, shit, shit!" Melanie cursed as she reappeared not far outside the Las Vegas airport her flight to London would by now have left from. The other glitches would have been on it, no doubt, but she had been teleported away to yet another MDA job as they were arriving. What was she supposed to do now?

More than any of the other glitches, Melanie still felt uncomfortable being the only one naked in a crowded area where everyone else was clothed. Already she was attracting plenty of unwanted attention - how was she supposed to get all the way to London like this? Or even back to the ranch in Lovelock? Aside from the intense embarrassment she was feeling from her nudity, there were all sorts of practical issues for Mel to deal with here. For a start she didn't have a phone - since being signed up to MDA it had been impossible for her to keep hold of hers. Sophie had it for the time being, since Lexie wasn't currently in a position to operate one either. Similarly, her passport and wallet were gone. Her friends would have had her back no doubt, but she needed a way to contact them. There were no internet cafes anymore, since who in this day and age didn't have access to a fucking smartphone? Mel swallowed hard. This was going to involve approaching a stranger while naked, hardly her favourite passtime.

"Um, excuse me!"

Melanie wandered up to a young woman who seemed to fit the profile of the least bad option to approach - female, alone and liberal looking. The woman did a double take as she saw Mel, but smiled politely and pretended not to be shocked. It was as good a start as she could have realistically hoped for.

"I'm very sorry, but I got robbed and they took everything from me. Literally everything, as you can see"

"Oh my goodness, you poor thing!" the woman replied in horror "Shall I call the cops for you? Here, take my jacket to cover yourself with!"

"No, it's fine" Mel answered quickly. She knew how weird that refusal looked, but neither getting the police involved or making the strangers jacket disappear were going to help her right now "I just need to check my email, so I can contact my friend"

"Oh, well, sure if that is all you need" the woman replied with a visible dash of confusion. If this was an attempted phone theft it was the most bizarre one ever. If nothing else, Melanie's nakedness made her appear completely harmless.

Mel gratefully received the phone and logged into her account. There were a few new messages for her, but only two needed to be checked now - one was from Cassie, the other from Rebecca. Mel couldn't stomach opening the witches message first so began with her friends.

Hey Mel, so sorry you got zapped before the flight, but it's not like we weren't expecting it, right? And we've got you covered. Just go to the help desk and mention Barbie's name. They have your passport and wallet as well as her credit card details and will book you onto the next flight to London. Once you arrive at Heathrow, just jump into any cab and Barbs will cover the cost when you get to the mansion. We are all fine and waiting to board the flight - no more transformations (yet!) Speaking of which, Lexie is safe and sound with Barbie. In fact those two are becoming pretty inseparable when you aren't around. Who would have thought it? Take care gorgeous, I'll see you soon. I love you. We all do! Cxxx

Mel almost felt like tearing up as she read her friend's message. The last thing she wanted to do now was see whatever it was Rebecca had to say to her, but she knew she had to brave it. She tentatively clicked on the message.

Hey Mel! Oh God, I feel awful, I made you miss your flight, didn't I? What a pain! Now you don't get to slip through quietly into London as part of Lucy's entourage, you'll have to get there all by your naked self! Don't worry though, I'm not sending you on any more jobs until you are back in the UK so you can travel with complete peace of mind. But since you are continuing to ignore everything I say and coming back to England to try and find me, I've taken the liberty of laying on a bit of a treat for you - I hope you don't mind! I've sent the details of MDA to all of your Facebook friends as well as everyone you ever went to school. University or work with and I've offered them all a 90% discount to hire you. Aren't I generous? So you should get the chance to catch up with some familiar faces soon!

Oh, and one more piece of good news. It turns out your wife is super susceptible to magic, so it looks like she is going to be a harmless little frog for ages! Actually, maybe longer than ages. Since being slimy pond life suits Lexie so well, I have begun working on a spell to make her transformation permanent - that's unless you back off. But don't worry, just keep ignoring all my threats, and coming after me. It has worked out so well for you and your buddies so far. Happy travels!

Mel's heart sank as she **** a grateful smile to hand the phone back to the helpful stranger. This situation was getting worse and worse. But there was nothing she could do about it naked and alone. As awkward as it might be, she had a flight to catch.