The Experimentation Begins

The car hummed softly in the parking lot, its engine idling as Brad leaned back against the seat, fingers drumming on the steering wheel. Maisie sat beside him, her phone glowing faintly from its place on the dash. She’d already sent three texts to her mystery guy, but now she glanced at Brad with a smirk, her voice laced with playful challenge.

“You’re still trying to prove it’s real, aren’t you?” she said, her tone light but edged with something like resignation. “I mean, we both know my hair didn’t really turn pink.”

Brad chuckled, shaking his head. “It did. And you hated it. Remember?” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the door, and tilted his head toward her. “But hey—let’s see what else this thing can do. You’re not exactly a walking encyclopedia of magical curses, so I’ve got to test the boundaries.”

Maisie rolled her eyes but didn’t move her phone. “So what? You gonna do some depraved shit? Take the power and run with it?”

“Maybe,” Brad said, grinning. “But let’s start small. What if I made your hair… shorter?” He paused, watching her reaction. “Like, really short. Almost bald.”

Maisie raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. “You’re not even trying to sound serious. This is so ridiculous.” But she didn’t stop texting, just kept typing with one hand while the other rested on her leg.

Brad smirked. “You’re right. It is ridiculous. But let’s do it anyway.” His voice dropped to a mock-serious tone. “Maisie, your hair gets about 7 inches shorter.”

The words left his lips, and Maisie blinked as her dark brown locks stretched slowly upward, sinking back into her head. She stared at herself in the rearview mirror, then turned to Brad with a mix of disbelief and irritation.

“Ugh,” she muttered, running a hand through her now-extra-short hair. “Why would you do that? I look like a dork.”

Brad laughed. “Never, it’s you—just… shorter. You’re not gonna be able to hide it from your friends, though.”

“Shut up,” Maisie said, but her smile betrayed her. She reached for the phone again, only to freeze as Brad leaned closer, his voice dropping. “Wait—what if I made you wear something different? Like… a dress?”

Maisie’s eyes flicked to his face, and for a moment, her usual confidence wavered. “A dress? I don’t even own a dress.”

“Maybe,” Brad said, feigning innocence. “But first, I’m not a complete asshole. Let’s go back to normal. Maisie, you hair goes back to where it was.”

The change happened instantly. Her hair snapped back to its usual length, and she sighed dramatically, tucking a strand behind her ear. “You’re impossible,” she said, though there was no real bite in it.

Brad leaned back, grinning. “You’re too easy.”

Maisie snorted but didn’t argue. Instead, she turned to him, her tone shifting slightly. “Look, Brad—this is fun and all, but I’m still worried about what you’ll do next. You could make me… do things.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Like change my mind or something.”

Brad tilted his head, studying her. For a moment, he didn’t respond. Then he chuckled. “You’re right. I could. But I’m not. Not yet.” His smile softened slightly. “I’ve been trying to figure out if this is real for the last hour, and honestly? It’s kinda… weird. I mean, I expected it to be cooler than this.”

Maisie raised an eyebrow. “You thought it would be cooler?”

“Yeah,” Brad said, shrugging. “I imagined like… a magic wand or something. Or maybe a spellbook. Not just being able to change your hair color and stuff.” He paused, then added, “But I guess this is better than nothing.”

Maisie smirked, her usual bravado returning. “You’re still trying to prove this isn’t a prank?”

“Yeah,” Brad said, grinning. “And I’m not done yet. What if I made your outfit… more formal? Like, a suit or something?”

Maisie groaned. “No. Please don’t.”

“Okay,” Brad said, mock-offended. “Then how about this? Maisie, you are now wearing a long black dress cut to be sexy, but still appropriate.”

“Don’t even think about it,” Maisie said, her voice firm but lacking real authority. “Dammit” she looked down and saw the change had already taken place.

Brad leaned back, watching her carefully. She was clearly trying to act like this wasn’t a big deal, but he could tell she was unsettled. It was subtle—just a flicker of concern in her eyes when she caught herself staring at the car’s mirror again. He’d seen it before. The way her breath hitched before he told her to return to normal after his first test.

He shifted in his seat, his voice softer now. “You’re worried about me using this on you, aren’t you?”

Maisie didn’t answer immediately. Then, after a beat, she said, “Yeah. I mean… I know it’s not like you’d do anything bad with it. But I just… I don’t want to lose control of myself.”

Brad nodded slowly. He could see the truth in her words. The curse wasn’t just about power—it was about trust. And Maisie had trusted him, maybe foolishly. Despite how she’d been lately though, she was still his best friend.

He reached over and tapped her shoulder lightly. “You’re not going to lose control of yourself. I promise.”

Maisie looked at him for a long moment, then gave a small, almost imperceptible smile. “Yeah. I guess you’re right.”

Brad leaned back, watching her as she turned back to her phone, but this time, her fingers hovered over the screen instead of typing. She wasn’t texting anymore.

“Brad?” She said, still trying to show confidence.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you”, she said, “for not immediately taking advantage of me. I know there’s nothing I can do to stop you now, but please, just promise me you won’t alter my mind. I don’t want to end up like my aunt. She’s a totally different person now”.

“I promise” he replied, and he meant it.

He grinned to himself. The experiment was far from over. But for now, it was just… fun.