Hey, if you enjoy my work and would like to support me I appreciate one-time support and all my members on Buy Me A Coffee, members get access to my private discord as well as early art commissions and chapters (if I don't respond on the site, message me here or discord, I typically only check the site Thursdays but recently I've been particularly busy with work)

I will not be posting next week as I am adjusting to a new work schedule.

“Thank you for the ride, Mrs. Miller. I’ll text you when I’m finished and we can go back to school to meet Erin once classes are done,” Vanessa expressed, stepping out of the car.

“Certainly, Miss Hawthorne. I’ll park nearby and await your message,” the female driver responded in a cheery tone, slowly peeling away from the curb.

Vanessa navigated the arcade of stores, looking at most of the shop fronts with a twinge of disdain. Meander Alley wasn’t her usual haunt, though the more she walked, the more she saw its quaint appeal. Despite that lapse in opinion, the mall was still more convenient with a wider variety of stores making it much more appealing to her. As she walked she sent Ellie a text message letting her know she was almost there, then she looked up to scan the area for their meeting spot.

“Hmm, Felicity’s has a branch here? Maybe it’s not as run-down as I’d assumed? Not that I’d ever start coming here in the future,” Vanessa mused aloud. “Now, where’s Sweet and Savoury?” She looked around before spotting a sign. “Oh, there it is. Wouldn’t catch me dead in a hovel like this… Glad we’re meeting outside.”

“Hey, over here,” a voice beckoned, drawing Vanessa’s attention. Slightly annoyed, she followed the voice between the bakery and the next building, where she found a figure scurrying through a door. Vanessa quickly followed, walking through the door and jumping as it closed behind her.

“Did I just walk into Harry Potter or something?” Vanessa joked, taking in the fantastical interior filled with bubbling concoctions, the crackling of fire and a scent of sage filling her nose.

“Well, I would say it is dumb to even say that… but after the last couple weeks, those books could be real for all I know,” Ellie replied, attending a particular glass apparatus. “Sorry if this seems rude, but I just need to finish something. I’d rather not risk another explosion, I’m kinda running low on equipment from the past few.”

“Uh, sure?” Vanessa replied. Wary of what Ellie had just said, Vanessa took a seat on the antique leather couch. She felt stiff and a little anxious. “Uh, so what is that thing? What are you doing? Should I move further away since you said something about an explosion?”

The blonde alchemist shook her head. “As long as I don’t leave it too long, it won’t explode,” Ellie explained, stepping aside, revealing the apparatus she was using. “This is a Graham condenser; it’s not magic, just chemistry equipment. Put simply, it converts gases into liquids. Once that process is done, I can dissolve different things into it before evaporating the liquid again causing crystals to grow, which I can store more safely for future use.”

Vanessa nodded. “I don’t fully understand, but I think I get the idea,” she remarked. She stretched and yawned, resting her arms across the back of the couch. Taking a deep breath, she suddenly felt an odd sensation, like pins and needles crawling across her entire body.

Wide-eyed, Vanessa realised she couldn’t move and she quickly glanced around the room, her gaze settling on Ellie, who began to look more imposing to the cheerleader, like a mad scientist toiling away at gizmos. Uncertain whether Ellie was the cause of her predicament or if she had unintentionally touched something, Vanessa let out a muted hum of panic, feeling **** and helpless.

Ellie didn’t turn to look at her or even flinch at the sounds the bully made, continuing to monitor the instruments in front of her. The bubbling subsided and Ellie extinguished the flames in front of her before turning towards Vanessa, a predatory smirk on her face.

She began to stalk towards Vanessa, climbing into her lap and straddling her. “Well, it seems my experiment works. I’ll have to make a note that using a vaporiser works in place of boiling.”

Leaning in, Ellie’s voice dripped with a mix of threat and authority as her lips tickled Vanessa’s ear. “I could do anything to you right now, and you’d deserve it. I could take **** for the torment you inflicted on my John… I made a promise to him that I’d play nice though; I just wanted to demonstrate how easily I can strip you of any power you have.”

As Ellie backed away, her demeanour softened and a chill ran up Vanessa’s spine, her helplessness evident, being completely at the mercy of the alchemist. Her face flushed as she felt a light tingle of arousal; Vanessa blamed John’s earlier actions on the excitement.

Ellie cupped Vanessa’s cheek and licked her lips sensually as she leaned in, lightly brushing their noses against each other. Vanessa felt a need to lean forward, to let their lips connect, but she was still frozen in place by whatever Ellie had done to her. She huffed, trying to turn her nose up at the alchemist. ’This is her doing. Whatever she did to me must be clouding my mind and making me… hot…’

Humming, Ellie pulled back, staring at Vanessa’s lips and biting her own. “Your lips are quite lovely. I’d love to find out how they taste, but I shouldn’t play with John’s toys without his permission,” she mused. “I suggest you keep trying to move your fingers and toes, it should speed up your recovery.”

Ellie stood, and as Vanessa regained control of her body, the alchemist extended her hand as a peace offering. Vanessa hesitated before accepting, her legs still shaky. “Is this how you always treat clients?” she asked, her tone accusatory.

Chuckling softly, Ellie said, “No, you’re special.”

“Oh, so you’re just a bitter witch then?” Vanessa shot back, smirking.

“N-” Ellie paused, considering. “Bitter, no. But now that I think about it, I make potions, I work with crystals, incense and smudge. I have several familiars and I did find a witch’s hat the other day, though the book called it a vapour cone… Shit, am I a witch? Definitely not Wiccan… maybe it’s something I need to look into…”

Ellie’s introspective expression brightened into a smile. “Well, never mind that. I should introduce myself properly,” she said, offering a slight bow. “Ellie Turner: alchemist, herbalist, apothecary, explosives novice, chemist, pharmacist, and newly discovered witch. All unlicensed of course, and most importantly John’s beautiful and loving wife, at your service.”

Vanessa rolled her eyes with a loud exasperated sigh. “Vanessa. Charmed, I suppose,” she responded, her tone flat. “Now that’s over, could we please move on to the reason I asked to meet?”

“Sure. You’re interested in John, our relationship, and the things you can buy from me, right?” Ellie replied. “I think it’s best if we start with John. Ask your questions and I’ll ignore that you’re hot and bothered when you think of him… or maybe I won’t. I like knowing other girls want my man and that at the end of the day, it’s me he will be thinking about.”

Vanessa opened her mouth to argue, but Ellie walked away, motioning for her to follow. “Come, we’ll take a walk in my botanical garden, it’s more relaxing. After that, we’ll return to the lab, that way I can show you the things I’ve prepared for you. We can also discuss any custom orders you might have. I think you’ll particularly like a pill I have that lets you say bye-bye to one of the worst parts of being a woman… cramps and periods.”

Vanessa’s eyes widened in surprise and delight. “That sounds amazing. I’ll need a repeat order on those. I do have something more specific I have actually been thinking about and wondered if it was pos-”

“I’ll stop you right there,” Ellie interrupted. “Any questions need to wait until we come back to the lab. I don’t have everything memorised, so it would be best if you asked things when I have my tomes on hand.”

Ellie’s directness caught Vanessa off guard, and she found herself nodding as she followed the alchemist, a twinge of annoyance creeping in. They walked through a greenhouse and passed through a set of double doors into a rolling field of grass. Vanessa felt disoriented; the room they’d exited from wasn’t nearly long enough to pass through the entire building they’d entered and the nearest park was at least a ten-minute walk away.

Vanessa was pulled from her thoughts when Ellie took her hand, leading her down a path. The two walked in silence, and Vanessa’s list of questions began to feel increasingly more difficult to bring up.

“So, is this, like, your magic or something? You just teleport us to where your house is?” Vanessa finally asked, trying to break the ice.

“It is magic, yeah, it’s not teleportation though. I don’t know if I could explain it very well, especially since I’m not entirely sure either. I guess you could say my entire lab including the garden is inside the key. It was a gift from John before I got my own powers,” Ellie replied. Before she could continue, Vanessa interrupted.

“Oh, it makes sense now. John is your magic sugar daddy. He gives you magic shit and you pretend to be the perfect girlfriend. That’s the only reason you’d be with him, right?”

Ellie stopped abruptly, her palm softly thudding against Vanessa’s chest. “No. Let me clear this up right now. This place was a gift as an apology for something that happened which John felt guilty about, and my powers, he didn’t give them to me. I’m not entirely sure what caused them but John wasn’t even around when I got them.”

“I am with John for one reason and one reason only. I love him, with all my heart. Not because of the things he could give me, but because of who he is. I would be with him without my lab, without my magic, without any of the things he gives me,” she explained firmly.

Ellie let her hand fall, then sat on the grass, motioning for Vanessa to join her. The cheerleader hesitated. “You gonna sit, or just stand there? I might as well explain how John and I got together. Maybe then you’ll understand.”

“Fine!” Vanessa huffed, sitting beside Ellie, running her hand through the grass.

Ellie began recounting the story of how John had saved her in the park. Vanessa found herself surprisingly captivated by the tale, resonating with it. She felt a wave of guilt and admiration as she recalled the lightning strike on the cliffs.

“So, from your smile, I take it you understand a little better?” Ellie asked, snapping Vanessa out of her thoughts.

“Huh? No! I was just remembering something that happened with Lili,” Vanessa argued. “So what, he saves you from some creep, and you just fall in unconditional love with him?”

“What? No, did you really not get anything from what I told you? It wasn’t about him becoming my knight in shining armour, though I can’t say having him step in to protect me didn’t do anything for me, but the main thing is that it was just him being himself,” Ellie explained. “Your view of love must be completely skewed or something. Not everything is a transaction or how something can benefit you.”

She paused, clenching her jaw. “It wasn’t ever about him saving me. In fact, the way he treated me afterwards was what got my heart fluttering the most. Despite my jokes and attempts to shrug off what happened, John was really attentive and I don’t think he even noticed it. I was terrified but how he spoke and acted towards me just put me at ease. I just love him. Is that so hard to believe?”

Vanessa hummed. “Kinda, yeah. When you take away the rescue, the magic, and the things he’s given you, all you’re left with is an unremarkable nerd,” she retorted, still not understanding. “I also don’t really believe that John didn’t give you magic.”

Ellie seethed, letting out a frustrated grumble. “And like your boyfriend is any better. From what I hear, it doesn’t even sound like there’s any love between you. John might not seem special to you, but he’s more than special to me, and I believe that even if we met under different circumstances, we’d still end up together. As for how I actually got my powers, I’m pretty sure these guys had more to do with it than John,” she said, then swept her hair back. “Hey guys, you can come out to play if you want.”

A grin spread across Ellie’s face as a dozen tiny lizards skittered from under her hair, down her arms. Startled, Vanessa jumped back, landing on her ass.

The bully felt something tickle her hand, and when she looked, she saw a lightly glowing black and orange lizard, about six centimetres long. If she hadn’t been supporting herself with her arms, Vanessa would have flailed in panic.

“Azula! Really? I wanted to give her a bit of a scare, but are you trying to bully her? She’s a hundred times your size! Or are you trying to make friends? In which case I guess birds of a feather and all that, right?” Ellie scolded, her tone like that of an exasperated mom.

The distraction calmed Vanessa, and she adjusted herself in order to raise her hand to look at the lizard more closely, a smile forming on her lips.

“Aww, it’s actually kinda cute. What is it? Why’s it glowing? Should it be this warm?” Vanessa asked, her sudden interest surprising Ellie.

“Uh, well. They’re a type of small dragon, and I think the light is their magic, same with the temperature. Azula, the one in your hand, glows because she has fire magic, but Tara here has earth magic, so her skin is duller and doesn’t have the same red and orange,” Ellie explained, lifting her hand and wiggling the finger Tara clung to.

“Okay, so what’s it like having magic then? And what can you actually do? How did you feel when you first learned about it? And… how should I be feeling? There’s a lot to take in, and I want to freak because it’s scary,” Vanessa admitted, surprising Ellie with her confession.

Ellie sighed. “I suppose everyone reacts differently. When I learned about magic, I just felt excitement. It opened up the world to so many things, and it’s something John and I can explore together,” she explained, smiling fondly at the thought of John.

“I think it’s natural to feel overwhelmed and scared. If it is any reassurance, if you’re ever in trouble, there is a high chance John will do everything in his power to help you, despite how you treated him in the past,” Ellie said, then pinched the bridge of her nose. “You don’t have magic, though, so there isn’t really anything you need to worry about.

“And for what my magic does. Well, it’s not anything flashy. I’m like a battery and a transformer,” Ellie continued. “I can pull and push magic as well as convert it. I don’t think it’s all that useful outside of alchemy.”

Vanessa still looked confused, which didn’t go unnoticed. “Hmm, let me word it differently. Think of me as a battery: I can get charged and then charge others, including objects and people. Now, as for converting magic… Think of it like colours. Fire is red, earth is brown, water is blue. Each colour has its own uses, and being able to convert between them makes alchemy much easier for me. Does that make sense?”

Vanessa nodded. “Yeah, I think that was simple enough even for me. Seems kinda shitty though, only being useful because of the stuff you could already do… Okay, wait. I think we need to go back, I have like one or two more questions about your relationship I’d like to get answers to before we continue with magic.”

Ellie nodded, watching the wyrmlings playing in the grass. Vanessa took the cue to continue, “So, you’re okay with him sleeping around? Do you get to sleep around too? How many girls is he fucking? Has he been fucking dudes too?”

Ellie laughed. “No, John’s not fucking dudes, and for that matter other than John neither am I, but we are both fucking other girls. As for me being okay with it, I’m the one who pushed for this kind of relationship,” she explained.

“I don’t want John to feel regret for not having other experiences in the future, but I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t want to build a harem of girls too. As for numbers?” she paused and began counting on her hands. “Eight that he’s already slept with, including both of us. He’s dating another but she’s shy so he’s taking things slower.”

Thinking for a second she continued, “There are more girls that are interested. I’m sure he’ll end up with at least three more girlfriends, while the others will probably be flings or friends with benefits. Oh, and he has another wife who’s already pregnant, she’s a dragon faerie queen.”

“Dragon? Like these little guys? And he’s got a girlfriend he’s not fucking yet? Why? If he’s already getting enough sex, what’s the point in the effort?” Vanessa questioned.

Ellie sighed and chuckled in disbelief. “Sex isn’t everything in a relationship. John really likes her and wants her to feel loved, not rushed. In all honesty, even with John taking things slow, I give her until the end of the week, but he’s not pushing her to it. As for Leilani, she’s a beautiful woman, human body with antlers, a tail and gorgeous wings. She’s not the only non-human girl John’s with either. There’s a faerie who’d do anything he said, and I’m helping a ghost girl who wants him too.”

“Dragons? Ghost? Faeries? What?” Vanessa echoed, her head swimming.

“Let me get you a glass of water before we continue,” Ellie offered, standing and walking back towards the lab.

“You’re cuter than you should be,” Vanessa muttered as she continued to sit on the grass, gently tickling the chin of the wyrmling. Without sufficient distraction, she was left to try and fathom everything she’d just been told, watching as Ellie vanished through the greenhouse door.

I'm sure you've either read this before or have tuned it out by now, but I really love hearing from you guys. It's great to see you make comments on the chapter, or give feedback in the Discord channel or even send me DMs either on here or Discord.

If you prefer not to voice your opinion but still would like to show some support seeing LIKES on a chapter helps me see what's more or less well received, it's also a nice little mood booster and I appreciate seeing them.

I'd like to express a heartfelt thanks to all who support me. Your backing is invaluable, and I'm deeply grateful for it. You are all extremely appreciated.

Atreides
Mekkosadx
Demoncet
And the other members that prefer not to be named