Chapter Four; The Truth is Revealed

On the drive back home Peter pointed up at the sky at Stacey's broomstick while she soared down out of it towards her house. "Look Jeannie, Stacey's back!" he exclaimed as Jeannie quickly slammed on the brakes. "Can we go see her? Pretty please with a strawberry on top?" he asked her eagerly as his sister just simply looked at her.

"A strawberry?" she questioned him with uncertainty.

"What else could I say?" he questioned her back. "I'm like Jeannie. I can't stand cherries." He growled.

"Alright, let's go see what she's up to." Jeannie said before she turned the car around and Sarah glared at him before folding her arms and shaking her head.

"What?" Peter asked her before she stuck a hand right out in front of her and whispered inside his ear.

"You just want to talk to her because you're hoping that she'll agree to help you with your homework." She said.

"So? What if I am? You can't stop me, you're not my mother. You're not even an adult." He whispered back before Jeannie pulled inside Stacey's driveway and parked the car. That's when suddenly Stacey landed in front of them and gave a rather quick and astonished gasp when she caught sight of them and gaped her mouth wide open at them.

"It's alright Stacey, it's only us." Peter told her before she snapped her fingers (with her free hand that wasn't busy holding her broomstick) and changed her outfit into a bright red dress that was the same color as her robes had been.

"I know. But I don't want to take any more chances of anyone else finding out that I'm a witch." She told him before she turned around and started walking away.

"What's so bad at being a witch anyway?" Sarah asked her.

"Yeah, I think it's cool. I would do anything if I could have magical powers like you and Jeannie." He told her as Sarah widened her eyes while dropping her jaw down wide open at him.

"Peter!" she cried with great horror and disbelief.

"Oops." Peter began biting his lip while Stacey eyed her friend suspiciously.

"Jeannie, what does he mean by that? Are you a witch too?" she asked her.

"No." Jeannie replied quietly while glancing down at the ground.

"Well then how can you have magical powers? And I want the truth." Stacey told her as Jeannie gulped while feeling her heart starting to speed up against her chest.

"Well the truth is that I'm a genie." She responded.

"Oh. Well why didn't you just tell me?" Stacey asked her.

"You know that witches and genies are supposed to hate each other." Jeannie told her.

"Yes and we're supposed to be old evil and ugly too. I mean, at least witches are." She said.

"But you're not like that. You're a beautiful witch and you're also a very nice lady." Sarah began. "Besides, not all witches are supposed to be mean. Glinda from the Wizard of Oz wasn't and she was also one of the prettiest witches that I've ever seen." She said.

"I know, and that's exactly my point. If I told the whole entire world my secret then they would probably turn on me. But Jeannie I know that you're different than that and so regardless of what the rules say, you're probably one of the best if not the best friend I've ever had." Stacey told her. "But now that your husband's away I would think that you would be sleeping in a lamp or something. When I went over your house for a sleepover last week you slept on the ground next to me." She said.

"Oh well that's because genies generally lose their powers during their second trimester of pregnancy." Jeannie told her.

"Oh really?" Stacey questioned her while raising her eyebrows at her with interest. "I can't imagine being able to function without magic. Well I can but that was before I turned four years old. Witches don't lose their powers but they usually develop them somewhere between kindergarten and second grade." She said before she turned around and started walking towards the door.

"Hey Stacey wait. I want to ask you something." Peter began before she stopped and then turned around to look at him.

"Sure, what is it Peter?" she wondered.

"Well, my teacher gave me an assignment to come up with an invention that will save the world and I was wondering if you could brew up a potion or something like that to help me with it." He told her.

"Gee, I dunno Peter. Are you sure that it's alright with your parents?" she asked him.

"Of course it is! Do you think that I would be standing here asking you if it wasn't?" he questioned her back. "If Jeannie still had her powers, she would be the one helping me but since she doesn't, I was wondering if you could instead." He said.

"Well, as much as I think that it would be unfair to the other children,.. as long as your parents say that it's alright then I'll help you." She told him as a wide grin stretched across his face.

"Really? Thanks Stacey you're the best." He told her before he turned around and walked away.