POV Narrator:
Tuesday 11 July 2000, Dublin, Ireland
Croix was loving the time she was spending in the company of her new mother, April was being an excellent mother to the girl who ran away from home, 5 months had passed and never before Meridies felt so much comfort in staying in one place as in the Jordan family house, she was awakening her talents and being able to express herself as she wished, besides being respected by all the people around as Croix, it was the more than perfect life she wished for herself, but things were still going to change for the girl, since in parallel, Croix's parents started to follow the steps of where their daughter was and the private detective they paid was able to trace the girl's whole journey and with that going from city to city where she travelled she could register in the local hotels where she slept and build up the whole route, this until she arrived in Dublin, Croix was in the backyard of April's house training magic with Laura McLaren, and having a picture taken, which Croix's parents found out and were already going to make the trip to the door of Jordan's house, to disturb their daughter even more, but they don't wait for what's coming.
POV Croix:
And here we go, just one more screw and this machine to fly with magic is ready, I'm almost done, I even used a hoover, wonderful, now I'm going to test it, I start turning the object on and in a short time the Roomba floats, which I take advantage of to be sort of climbing on top of it and notice that it was a little out of control.
"Woah, easy dere Croix, careful not to 'urt yourself, you barely built dis ding" April said.
"It's pretty spunky here, but I'm managing to control it, stay calm Roomba, yeah!" I say excitedly as I manage to keep it still in the air floating and then my foster mum even claps her hands.
"It looks like de hoover you took to make dis modern broom worked, dat's definitely something genius, although I love de practicality of brooms" Ms Jordan said until the doorbell started ringing.
"Who will it be now? Did Jill come to see me?" I ask my mother.
"dat must be 'er, go and get dat girl, if she wants to stay for a while she's welcome" she said, smiling, I'm really going to go, Jill was one of the nicest people I met at school.
I go flying through the roomba which is floating just to show her my new invention, this I'm sure she'll love, I get to the door and push it open, I love that door at mum's house, it slides open and stays put, but as I do this I see my real parents, which I get scared of them right in front of me, it makes me freeze in fear.
"[Deadname]!" They both say going to hug me and I quickly dodge with the Roomba flying backwards and then jump out of it.
"What are you doing here?" I say with an even changed expression.
"What are you doing here?" said my biological mother when she saw that I ignored her.
"This is my house now, I don't want to see you, leave here" I try to close the door, but the two put up their hands and start to enter.
"[Deadname] What kind of bullshit is this? You can stop this fagging and come soon or else we won't make you come back for good" said my father.
"Mum! Mom! Help!" I shout for my foster mother as I walk backwards in fear of the two.
"I'm in front of you don't need to shout" Said my biological mother who then grabbed me by the collar of my t-shirt.
"What are those clothes? Have you run off to be gay now?" Said my father when he noticed that I was only wearing overalls and a t-shirt, something I normally wear because I was building some things.
April appears, coming down the stairs, she even slips on the banister and this is what made my parents shocked to see her presence there, the two let me go and I walk to Mrs. Jordan's arms who hugs me, my real mother, not these two scroungers, they already stare at my mother with anger and disgust.
"Who are you, so you're the bitch who kidnapped [Deadname]?" Said my dad all menacing.
"I am Croix's mother, and 'er name is Croix, she is my daughter dat I adopted, dis boy you are talking about no longer exists and you cannot take my daughter away from me"April said.
"We are the birth parents of [Deadname], give us back our son, you have no right over this" said my birth mother.
"Or we'll have to call the police" said my father.
"Call, do dat and you will return to Italy empty handed, Croix will not return to your home, it is your fault for doing what you did, legally Croix is in my custody and protection, dere is nothing you can do" Said my foster mother hugging me as I cried with anxiety, I don't want to leave here.
"Come to the house soon [Deadname], this woman is brainwashing you, come back and become a man, we don't want a son drugged by hormones and mutilated just because he feels like a woman, come with us and accept the reality, we will take you to the church where you will discover that you would make a mistake and god will save you" Said my biological mother and I just showed her the middle finger.
"I am recording everything, I 'ave waited for you to come, but don't expect me to be unprepared, I don't want Croix to suffer at the hands of abusive parents dat you have been" Mrs Jordan said.
POV Narrator:
Croix's parents thought they had a winning cause, but when the police arrived at April's house, simply Jordan explained everything regarding Croix's legal situation and simply Meridies parents had to leave the house, but they were not satisfied with that, they went to the law to revoke custody of the blonde who was willing to do anything to continue with their adopted daughter after protecting her from this event.
And that's what happened, two weeks after Croix's parents came, the case went to court, but simply the proof of the biological parents was that they were the biological parents, besides other known people came, like Meridies sister, Giovanna and her family, besides some neighbours, who ended up reporting the abuses that the girl suffered at their hands, besides the several proofs that Jordan brought of how she has been a much better mother, besides keeping her well educated and without causing problems, besides the care full of love and affection, which was a lost cause legally by Croix's parents.
The final custody was passed to April, as well as the Meridies' biological parents would have to pay a pension to the two daughters for the abuse they caused until they were 24 years old, which made them furious and extremely resentful for this situation, so much so that they returned to Italy full of hate and not caring either Croix or Giulia.
Because of that finally Croix can live in peace next to April and it was with this granted freedom that she could express herself better as the girl she is, so much that April took her to Victoria McLaren clinic for gender transition, the most specialized in the witch world, where she would be followed for a period of two years until she was released to start the changes, having a follow up with psychologists, psychiatrists, endocrinologists and also her own mother, since it was the same place where April was treated when she was a teenager.
The year 2000 was passing the second half where Croix was getting to know more about her new family, her mother's friends, being more trained with magic, besides learning more how the world around her was working, having her first birthday next to her adoptive family when she turned 12, being moments that Meridies was loving, mainly when she started hearing about the history of the witches' revolution, where she started getting more interested in the subject.
2001, it was starting another idea in Croix's head as she looked delightedly at an object Laura had, the legendary Claiomh Solais that she told about being the legendary staff that could change the world of magic if they found all seven words, she was already starting to get much more interested in the witches revolution narrative, in beating a so called boss and also changing things by knowing that the world of magic was not the thing she thought it would be, being actually even quite conservative.
The year was marked by Croix finding more of herself, even with her style, which in the beginning she tried her best to appear more feminine to be seen as a girl, she started to care less and take a more tomboy appearance for herself, which was also marked by her way of not acting so exaggeratedly girly as she realized she didn't need that to be the woman she identifies with. Besides the fact that the Meridies moment was getting closer.
2002 starts, Croix was very close to be able to start her hormonal intervention with potions, besides that she was already quite used to the living in Ireland, enchanted with the machines she was making, already showing that she was getting close in the geniality of her own adoptive mother, She also showed to be a talented witch when it came to learning spells when she trained with Laura, but in this time she had to learn in a way that was not focused on self-defense, due to the redhead's pregnancy, until one day when the first McLaren's child was born.
Tuesday 30 April 2002, Edinburgh, Scotland
Diana Cavendish was born, the first daughter of Laura McLaren and Diana Cavendish and on that day Croix was there waiting for the birth, she just didn't expect the presence of a person that would end up marking her life, even if it was for a brief moment of shyness that she ended up seeing the girl, at the moment that little Cavendish was born there goes Croix with April and arriving just in time that the red haired girl was also watching everything.
POV Croix:
Look how cute this is Diana, I'm sure she will have a loving family to take care of her, I'm already a little jealous of her for the wonderful mothers she will have since she was born, but not that much, April is the best mother in the world, they were wonderful years as her daughter.
"Awwwwww, she's born, what a cutie, I'm telling you I'm going to be 'er godmother" Mum April said.
"Mum, Auntie Laura had Diana" said my little sister all cute.
I get all fluffy looking at little Diana in Mrs Cavendish's arms, she is so cute, I even get the desire to be a mother like that, I can't wait to give her all the love and affection for when I am a mother, I will make sure I treat her in a way I have never been treated before.
"Look at dat cute girl, she is de godmother's darling" said the mother spoiling Diana.
"And it was a job fae her tae get out of here, but now I'm fine, heh, finally I'm here with my lassie, next tae the person I also love the most in this world, we're going tae be a very happy family" Diana's tired mother said, she must have done the most work with all this.
"Being a mother must be very painful indeed" I say very curious, after all, it's a baby that size coming out of that hole.
"I dedn't have room in my hips to have one, I 'ad to 'ave a cesarean section, it hardly 'urt at all, and as for you Laura, are you going to 'ave yours too? You look fuller, or you 'ave been eating like a pregnant mum" I love mum's teasing of Mrs. McLaren.
"Fuck you, I'm just fat anyway, but I've always been like dis, soon it will come my turn too" I've never heard so many swear words with my family.
Then more people come in, Agent Morris with her husband and her daughter Phoebe, plus a red-haired girl who arrives kind of panting, she... She is beautiful... I think I saw her arriving in slow motion, those reddish hair, those eyes that look like rubies, I'd better not look at this girl too much or her eyes will come back to me, I can't get that full of myself.
"How cute, Diana is a cutie, congratulations tae both of ye on yer daughter" Rosemary said.
"Diana's born! Yay!" Her voice is cute, she's sweet, she sounds ahhhhh, I better not get out of control, that, I won't fill my head here.
"Come and see 'er Chariot, it looks like you are not the little Chariot anymore" Mrs McLaren said... So that's the cutie's name, I didn't know that name, I'm delighted now, ahhhhhhhh, control Croix, oh no she looked at me and even gave a wink, I have to reassure myself.
The maid of the mansion comes to us with a camera in her hand and we all get together, a photo between us to mark the birth of Diana, I hope I know more about this Chariot, she has a French accent, I think it activated my neuron here, I'm crazy about a French girl.
A while later, Chariot had already left, as he went to the Cavendish mansion for a quick visit, Croixdidn't open his mouth once just admiring Du Nord's beauty, which Laura noticed a lot, so much that
when Croix was in a corridor looking in the windows at the red-haired girl going away, there wasMcLaren watching everything...
"You liked 'er dedn't you?" Said Laura and I immediately blushed as I saw that she saw everything.
"Mrs McLaren! I... Ahhhhhh, she is just pretty, she is nothing like what you are thinking" I answer her blushing and full of embarrassment while Mrs McLaren was laughing.
"I saw enough, 'er name is Chariot Du Nord, she is Diana's third cousin, she is a very nice lettle girl, basically she loved my presence near 'er teaching 'er a few dings about magic, she was one of de first children dat I taught 'er about magic, until today we are great friends, she is 12 years old, and she is already taller dan me, who would say, you all can't stop being taller" Laura said and I giggled.
"You are the one who is too short Mrs. McLaren, and as she is, I mean... Not that I want to know" I keep putting my hand over my face in shame.
"Chariot is from Loperèc, a village in de countryside of France, very quiet place, 'er personality is just like dat, an exroverted girl, she said she wants to be a stage performer, she wants to bring magic to everyone and enchant children just like I 'ad enchanted 'er with magic, So much dat she focuses more on dance classes dan magic lately, she's even been doing gymnastics, it's been a while since Chariot really went deep into studying or training magic, but I don't judge 'er, she wants to make 'er dreams come true and I know she can do it" Mrs. McLaren said and I was even amazed, she is a very sweet person.
"Wow, she is too much, how cute, I mean... I better control myself, I have to control my impulses, I don't even know if she would enjoy so much something that I enjoy" I said to Laura a bit ashamed
"Chariot is bisexual, just like your mother April, she already told me dat she likes both boys and girls, but she never kissed any of dem, who knows you could be de first hahaha" Said Laura teasing me.
"Come on, Mrs McLaren... By the way, don't you have a daughter to take care of?" I'm just telling her so she doesn't tease me so much.
"Ah you got away with it because I'm a mother, but 'ey, anything just talk to me, I can make dis bridge for you and Chariot to get to know each other better" She said teasing more and then walking out of there, while I blushed some more.
This Laura, just adds fuel to the fire, by the way what would I want with a French girl? I came all nerdy and clumsy today, how the fuck am I going to get along with Chariot who came all dressed up, even panting and tired she's pretty, by the nine witches, a beauty of a woman, imagine when we get older, without a doubt I don't have the least chance with Chariot, the best thing to do is jump to another one, or just leave this silly passion aside, it's not like she's going to have anything with me.
POV Narrator:
The moment Chariot and Croix saw each other for the first time was very quick, about 20 minutes between exchanges of quiet glances, since Meridies also barely opened her mouth to Du Nord, who also did not say anything because she felt a little embarrassed, the two were already feeling something for each other, but did not show it to each other because they were afraid of doing something.
The days and months went by and even then Croix kept thinking about the mysterious Chariot Du Nord that she ended up seeing, and she was also getting very anxious to start the so desired hormonisation, since it was already the year of the two years of psychological accompaniment and she was about to get the diagnosis that would prove and validate her transition to such an early age.
Thursday, 1st August 2002, Dublin, Ireland
After so much waiting for Croix, she finally gets her chance, when she arrives at the Victoria McLaren clinic, accompanied byApril and with the exams already done she would receive the authorization to start the hormone treatment, being even one of the youngest to start and receive such authorization since the system started working.
POV Croix:
I am excited, today is going to be my chance to start, I will be able to start my treatment to get the body I want so much, my mother is even with me on this, I don't stop shaking, I can't wait to enter Dr Ulster's office, ahhhhh, I just want to get into it soon, I can't stop thinking about how beautiful I am going to look.
"Croix Meridies, April Jordan" calls the doctor to her office.
We go into the doctor's office and soon the doctor waves to us, all happy, I hardly wait, we delivered the exams we did last week, with all the hormonal levels and from what mum said, I am ready to start, she said that Dr Ulster also helped her and I imagine that yes, it will be my big chance here.
"Your testosterone levels will really need to go down, I think a blocker will have to be used, in that case we can choose the options you want to follow your hormone treatment in the best way" said the doctor.
"And which is the best one? Which one did you make Mum?" I ask curiously.
"You don't seem so scared of needles Croix, that's 'ow I started, take it from me injections are de best treatment" Mum said.
"Your mother knows well about this, but you can't be afraid, besides that you need to learn how to do it properly, because it may be that your mother is not at home when you are going to apply it, it is always good to be very attentive and prepared, but there are other methods, do you want to see?" said the doctor and I nodded my head in agreement.
After a long explanation of how each way of taking hormones works...
It's very diverse and I can choose how to start, but I'm already sure, I won't be afraid to face it, besides it doesn't seem so difficult to use this way, it's just a little scary, but nothing that a little bit of skill I can't manage heh.
"I will do the injection" I say excitedly.
"Oh a very brave girl you Croix, so it's just you picking your options, do you remember the ones I told you you have" The doctor said and I nodded in agreement.
"I want to take Estradiol Enanthate, it seems the best one" I answer the doctor.
"It's the most stable and most balanced choice, besides you will only need to take it every week, well now I will take it here, I will make the first application here in front of you, then you do it yourself as I taught you, April probably doesn't even need it, she already has experience with it" said Doctor Ulster.
I was already sitting on the stretcher lowering my trousers, since the injection would be in the thigh, my mother held my hand and looked at me with the biggest smile on my face, I am very anxious, I saw the doctor preparing everything, she did it very carefully, I hope I can handle the pain, the needle is huge, I even forgot about it, I look at my mother, then I look at the doctor already with the medicine in the syringe.
"Well we will start with a dose of 1ml just to get the levels up to start with, then you will go down to half an ampoule a week, so are you ready?" said the doctor and we nodded our heads in agreement.
I looked at her rubbing alcohol on my leg, then coming with the needle close, she stuck it in at once, I even gave a little cry of pain, but then it was a mosquito bite, it was tense even when she gave an aspiration and it hurt a little and then began to inject the medicine in the thigh, I admit it was a little painful, then she stayed for a while with the needle still in my thigh and took it out at once passing the cotton over it, then she put a bandage over it that has a drawing of a red Venus, I loved it.
"Your first injection my child" April said stroking my hand.
"It hurts a little bit but it's a little pain to look pretty, well now we'll see you in three months, remember to go to the lab before your appointment and pick up the results of your exams at this time, so we can follow the results together, I'll just give you the guide you can use when the time comes, good luck to you both, I was already missing you April, the girl you adopted is really nice" said the doctor while I stood up and put my trousers on.
"Thank you Dr Ulster, you are de hero of de trans world here in Ireland, you save lives with your treatment" said Mum.
"Here are some boxes of hormones and also one with bandaids for this brave girl" said doctor ulster giving us the boxes with the medicines and also the prescription for when we run out we can go to the pharmacy to buy more.
"Now let's go home, but first, it seems dat dis girl 'ere deserves a delicious McDonald's" I even get more excited, I was starving.
We left the office waving to Dr. Ulster, now I am anxious to go home and I finally took my girl juice for the first time, to think that I didn't have any traces of starting a male puberty, I just got a little high, but that's all, I know that taking the medicines I'll be more stable, at least with two meters tall I won't be anymore, that's good, we get in the car and I'm already happy looking at my mother.
"Dis is just de beginning of our journey, soon dere will be more dings to 'appen, you will be the girl who always dreamed of being Croix and today de treatments are much more advanced dan in my time, it will be two years with pharmaceutical hormones, but after it gets interesting, when magic comes dings change, you can even get wide hips, I just dedn't 'ave de same luck because I only started de magical intervention in de surgery and I dedn't gain so much hips for my genetics, but you Croix, we can see dat you 'ave de genetics of someone who is going to 'ave body, you are going to be a very slim woman, I can see dat" said mum and I get all excited.
POV Narrator:
Croix was having the help of April for the applications since she was still a little afraid to do it on herself, but it was something that the adoptive mother did with all the pleasure and mainly was where Meridies was becoming even more radiant, with the company of someone who treats her with so much affection, little by little she was able to gain more characteristics that she wanted, and by the end of the year it was already evident that the treatment worked even a little well, leaving her more confident also to express herself.
2003 has started, another year where there will be more events that will shake things up, Croix was already looking forward to what was going to come next, happy with the results of hormone treatment and when she turned one year old she already saw that her body had changed a lot in relation to what it was before, besides another birth happened that year 6 days after Croix completed one year of hormones, Hellene McLaren, what would yield another visit from Meridies, with right to another moment where Croix and Chariot see each other, but with the same shyness that was in the birth of Diana, which only yielded some good teasing from Laura, this time towards Chariot that looked more at Meridies, seeing that she was already different from before.
Except that not everything would be flowers in 2003, because the year ends in the worst way when Laura is forced to separate from Bernadette and Diana, taking Hellene with her due to the curse that Daryl used, but that she can find out more about a certain boss who gave the authorization for Cavendish to do that with her sister-in-law.
Monday, 15 December 2003, Dublin, Ireland
Laura went back to Ireland, and soon a few days she goes to Jordan's house to explain the situation and with that Croix listened a little bit in the background, she learned about the horrors and that moved her a lot, for having a great friendship and consideration for McLaren for everything she has already helped her to do and for the affectionate way Laura has always treated her.
POV Croix:
I can't believe they ripped Laura away from her daughter and her wife, this Daryl woman is a horrible woman I swear if I was there I would blow her face off until she forcibly ripped the curse off them both, this is so unfair, they didn't deserve to go through this, it's so horrible this whole thing.
"She confessed dat it was at de behest of de one boss, de one we've been trying to catch for years, de one who has already destroyed all our chances of succeeding in changing de world of magic" Ms McLaren said, and that's awful.
"And what do you intend to do now?" my mother asks.
"I'm quitting Claiomh Solais, I don't want to find de words anymore, I'll leave it for de next chosen one and I know you're listening to everything Croix, come 'ere too join us, it's important for you" Laura said and I go to them even half embarrassed.
As I arrive with them talking, I sit down and see that Mrs McLaren is devastated, I have never seen her with this expression, I have always seen her all excited and happy, even when she was frustrated with Saoirse games projects she kept her confidence, but now I see a different person here, an emotionally devastated person.
"Are you really going to give up on Claiomh Solais? You found 5 words, you've come so far already" I tell her who puts her hand on my shoulder.
"Croix, I am already 31 years old, I am a mother of two daughters, I 'ave responsibilities, priorities, I am not so young anymore and I am not motivated to keep going on dis journey of changing de world of magic, but I trust you, in de new generation, I see dis potential in you, look at de machines you made, maybe I am not de witch who will bring de revolution of de witches and Woodward was wrong, after all I only really want to be able to see my daughter, but you... You are smart, you are a prodigy, you are de witch I see for dis role, you are the one I can be sure could be de future witch to hold dis in hand" Said Mrs McLaren who even gives me the staff in hand and I feel the power of it in hand.
"Laura is right about dat, you deserve to be de next chosen by Claiomh Solais, I 'ave never seen a witch as competent as you, we trust you and I trust you even more as your mother" April said with her hand on my shoulder.
"Me? I could be Claiomh Solais' chosen one..." I say delightedly with the staff in hand and then hand it back to Laura.
POV Narrator:
Croix is getting the chance to become the girl she always dreamed of, meeting a girl that will change her life yet, but with the anxiety and the confidence that she was gaining with the certainty that she saw herself in a position that would be the saviour of the world of the witches if she dedicated herself more, so much so that she since that day that Laura told her about abandoning the staff she has been studying hard to become a much better witch.
See you, trans witches...