Your brother comes back.

Anja and Sally were sitting on the couch, facing you, deeply absorbed in their phones, asking complicated questions to Facebook friends. You had poked a question, oh, purely theoretical, to your ex-step-mother Judy. She owned a rather successful business selling crystals on the Internet, with a storefront in LA and San Francisco. You'd always had been unconvinced about their "magical properties", but you couldn't deny the beauty of the natural gems. Right now, though, you suddenly found **** motivation in believing in non standard knowledge.

Judy took a bit of convincing, but you were astonished at just how willing people were to give you some credence. You might be a bit rough, but you'd clearly earned a lot of trust from your friends and family. In your predicament, it felt good to rely on them.

After a while, you set up a FaceTime call, and the girls started discussing complex ideas you only understood very fragmental elements of. You were stressed and frightened, and you knew you were very much out of your depth. As you delved on your situation, feeling depressed, Isaac came in. He took in the couch, the girls, and quickly assessed the scene.

"I see. That's pretty wise. Hey, you're more intelligent as a woman, aren't you?"

You knew he was jesting to cheer you up, and he succeeded. You smiled at him.

"OK, now the difficult question... are you holding up? I mean, not mentally, you look a bit wrecked... I mean, can you get your body under control, John?"

"ISAAC!" you yelled in a shrill, offended voice. You surprised yourself, and blushed.

"OK, well I guess this answers the question..."

"I'm sorry. It's just... well, yes, but it's getting painful. If I don't have sex soon, I think I'll explode."

Anja interrupted.

"This is very unnatural, you know? Whoever cast this spell really wanted you to lose control over your actions. This is... dirty. I don't like this at all."

"I concur." added Judy. "I'm afraid not every spell caster respects the basic rules... spells should be balanced, not unnecessarily hurtful, and respectful of nature. This is nothing like it."

"I agree. I know I'm neither a friend, nor family, but I'd be glad to help you, John, if I can." said Sally.

"Thanks. I mean it." you whispered, though everyone heard you.

"Hey, no misty eyes, guys. We're three witches, and that's a sign. We could try a remote-coven to break the spell, but there would be a price..."

"What's the price?" you cautiously asked. You noticed Isaac kept silent, his deep concern obvious.

"I don't know yet. This is sex magic. Anything could be true... you could be stuck as a woman for a year, or everyone in the room could become impossibly attracted to you."

"Uh, I might then want to get out of here?" suggested Isaac.

"Well, we would need a male component who knows the truth to anchor John to his real shape. So, yeah, it would be wise, but we hardly have a choice..."