Orchid Bay, California was a picturesque coastal town that had many similarities with San Francisco (minus homicidal shapeshifting friend-turned-enemy.) It was a quaint little pit stop for the Tennysons before they made their way north to San Diego.
The Rust Bucket was parked outside the Orchid Bay park where Tennysons decided to stop for lunch. Ben, Gwen, and Trixie were seated at one of the park's many picnic tables, occupying themselves in their own ways while they waited for Grandpa Max to bring out the food. Ben was flailing his arms around in his seat playing the latest level of Sumo Slammers Smackdown, his tongue sticking out in concentration. Trixie was tapping away furiously on her new laptop, ideas for new patents pouring out of her brain like a waterfall (even though she would just delete ninety-nine percent of them later.) And Gwen was pouring over her magic handbook, trying to get a grasp of her latest spell.
In front of her was a glass of water. After checking and double-checking that she had the pronunciation right, Gwen held her hand out to the glass and chanted, "Aquata Risa Spackwata!" for the first few seconds, nothing happened; Gwen frowned in disappointment. Then, without warning, the water suddenly sprang up like a geyser, spraying everyone at the table. Ben and Trixie yelled, moving their electronics out of the way before they got soaked.
"What the heck, Gwen?!" Ben complained as he ducked away.
"This laptop is very expensive!" cried Trixie, using her body to shield her precious device.
Gwen panicked and covered the glass with her hand, which seemed to stop the gusher. After a few seconds, she raised her hand to check on it…then slapped it back down with a short jet of water sprayed her in the face. Grimacing, Gwen grabbed the bottom of the glass and flipped it over so that the opening was firmly facedown. Astonishingly, the water didn't spill out and it looked like there was a miniature whirlpool inside.
"Way to go, doofus," Ben groaned, shaking his head like a wet dog.
"Hey, magic is very hard!" Gwen argued, crossing her arms indignantly. She accepted the towel Trixie seemingly pulled out of thin air and wiped her face. "It's not like having a space watch that can automatically give you whatever power you want!"
"Though utilizing them properly is another thing entirely," Trixie remarked.
"All right, you three, that's enough," said Max, appearing with four steaming bowls balanced in his arms. "Chow time. I think you're gonna like this."
Trixie was the only one who eager for lunch. Ben and Gwen knew at this point when their grandfather said they would like something, it usually ended up being something weird and disgusting like dung beetle soup or goat's bladder. When Max set a bowl in front of everyone, the Tennyson cousins turned to be (unfortunately) right. Inside the bowl was a steamy brown soup with a strangely thick piece of meat floating in the middle. Trixie and Max ate right away without any issues, but Ben and Gwen share apprehensive looks before facing their grandfather.
"Okay, I give up," said Ben. "What is this stuff?"
"Boiled cow tongue soup," said Max happily, taking a large slurp of the soup. "It's a real delicacy in Spain. You should try it."
"Er…it looks great, grandpa," said Gwen with a shaky smile, poking the meat with her spoon. "But, you know, I'm still pretty full from breakfast, so I think I'll just save this for later…."
"Aw man, that looks really good," a deep, oddly British-sounding voice grumbled in Gwen's year, making her perk up curiously. "So lucky…."
Gwen turned in the direction of the voice…and craned her head back, eyes bulging, at the eight-foot monster standing over her shoulder, drooling. The creature stood on two legs with rough purple skin covered in rocky patches, a tail sweeping behind it, two large fangs poking out of its lips, and a cluster of tiny horns on its head. The monster was staring at Gwen's soup longingly…until he realized that the redheaded girl was looking straight at him. Now the monster's eyes were bulging in disbelief, staring back at the little girl.
"Uh…hi?" he said nervously.
It was a perfectly natural reaction for Gwen to start shrieking, falling backwards out of her seat. The Tennysons and the monster all jumped with a fright; Ben ended up splashing his soup on his face, the cow tongue sticking to his cheek. Gwen, meanwhile, crawled backward away from the monster…but she seemed to be the only one.
"Gwen, what's wrong?" asked Max concerned as he rose from the bench, almost brushing elbows with the monster.
"M-monster!" Gwen cried, pointing at the creature.
"Now that's hurtful," the monster remarked sadly.
"Monster? Where? Asked Ben, searching around…even though the monster was literally five feet away from his face.
"There! Right in front of you!" Gwen shouted desperately. "Can't you see it?"
"I have a name, you know?" the monster pouted.
"I…don't see anything," said Trixie, rising from her seat and walking toward the monster. The creature sidestepped to let Trixie walk by as the green-haired girl scanned the area. "Are you sure there's a monster? You didn't just see things?"
"Yes, I'm seeing things!" Gwen screamed, threatening to tear her hair out. "I'm seeing an eight-foot-tall hideous purple monster that speaks in a weirdly British accent standing literally right in front of you!"
"I know you're upset and all," said the monster, frowning, "but you don't have to be offensive about it. I'm actually quite handsome by some standards."
"It's official: Gwen's cracked," said Ben, ignorant to the beast standing directly to his left.
"I suppose the stress of everything has finally caught up to her," said Trixie.
"I'M NOT CRAZY!" Gwen screeched, pointing at the monster. "IT'S – RIGHT – THERE!"
"All right, settle down, Gwen," said Max calmly, holding his hands up. "Whatever's going on, we'll work through it. For now, it might be a good idea if you rest up in the RV until we leave."
"You're not – gah! Forget it! I'm going for a walk!" Gwen snapped, turning on her heel and stomping away.
The Tennysons made no effort to stop her; some quiet time alone might help clear her head. None of them even noticed the tall purple monster responsible for the incident that stretched his ten-foot forked tongue like a frog and swallowed Gwen's soup in one gulp – bowl and all.
Meanwhile, Gwen walked the path looping around the park, taking deep cleansing breaths as she went.
"Okay, Gwen, breathe," Gwen told herself. "You're not crazy – you know you're not crazy. You definitely saw a giant talking monster…even though no one else did. But that's not the weirdest thing that's happened this summer, right? Compared to clown vampires and alien ghosts, this is pretty normal. But why didn't them see it. I mean, I can understand Ben because he's a dweeb, but Trixie and grandpa would've said something – "
Her musings were derailed when she unknowingly bumped into someone on the trail. She turned to apologize to them when she realized she had bumped into a lime-green dragon creature three times her size…who was also wearing a fedora and carrying a briefcase. The dragon creature turned its long neck towards Gwen, who bit her bottom lip to stop herself from screaming….
Then the dragon tipped his hat to her and said, in a feminine voice, "I'm so sorry, miss. I didn't see you there. Late for work – big hurry – you understand."
"Uh…yeah, sure, no problem," said Gwen, waving her off.
The dragon tipped her hat again and went about her merry way. Once she had a moment to process what just happened, Gwen felt oddly relaxed. Despite her appearance, she seemed quite nice.
Gwen took another around the park and realized that there were all kinds of creatures roaming around the park like it was just another day. A group of monster children were playing on the jungle gym while their twenty-foot mothers squashed themselves on a single bench that looked ready to give way. One short monster with horns was tossing a Frisbee to another monster with a long neck, who ate the Frisbee and got the toy lodged in his throat, to the annoyance of his shorter friend. And there were a bunch of monsters on the grass who appeared to be doing free-style yoga. But the strangest part about this scene was that none of the humans seemed to notice, even when a gremlin creature wandered over to a picnicking couple and stole a sandwich from their basket right in front of them.
"It's like they can't even see them," said Gwen. "Just like Ben, Trixie, and grandpa. But how come I can see them when no one else can? What makes me different? Unless…it's magic!" she gasped in happy realization. "That's it! That's why I'm the only one who notices! I can use magic! And if that's the case, I know just who to talk to…."
Gwen whipped out her phone and pressed speed dial on her contacts, thankful she had the foresight to get their number beforehand. As she held the phone to her ear, waiting for them to pick up, Gwen watched the various monsters roaming through the park. If it wasn't for their obvious differences, she would've thought they were ordinary people – kids enjoying their summer vacation while the adults trudged to another day of corporate slavery.
There was definitely something special about Orchid Bay; Gwen could feel it.
The phone clicked and Gwen heard the voice of her best friend speaking on the other side:
"Hey, Gwen, what's up?" Charmcaster greeted.
"Charmcaster!" said Gwen cheerfully. "Hey, how's it going?"
"Going great, actually," said Charmcaster. "I'm in Australia learning dream magic from Aboriginal shaman. So, did you need something or is this a social call?"
"Yeah, listen," said Gwen. "Have you ever heard of a place where monsters walk around in broad daylight, but nobody can see them?"
"Hmm…sounds like you're in Orchid Bay," Charmcaster hummed.
"You know about it?" asked Gwen, surprised.
"It's pretty famous among our kind," said Charmcaster. "Think of it as the hub of the magical community. All the magic in Legerdomain – also known as the Realm of Magic – pours out of Orchid Bay and spreads to the rest of the world, giving sorcerers like you and me our powers. As such, it's become the home for the majority of the world's magical creatures."
"So why can't people like Ben or Trixie see them?" asked Gwen while she observed a Gorgon wearing sunglasses take a seat at the bus stop next to a group of unaware humans.
"There's a magical barrier surrounding the city called the Vail," Charmcaster explained. "It's what separates the magical world from the mundane one. Only those with magic – people like you and me – can through the other side."
"Yeah, I figured that out after making a fool of myself in front of Ben?" asked Gwen, taking a step back to let a minotaur walk by. She turned around and walked along the path again. "So, do I need to worry about anything or…?"
"Most of the creatures there are friendly," said Charmcaster. "Though, knowing you guys, you'll find trouble anyway. Hey, maybe you'll get lucky and run into the Te Xuan Ze."
"The who?" asked Gwen.
As she walked along, Gwen walked by another girl slightly older than herself, taking her pug on a walk through the park. Gwen did not think anything was different about her, believing her to be an ordinary preteen girl.
But there was nothing "ordinary" about Juniper Lee.
As the current Te Xuan Ze, she was responsible for keeping the balance between the human and the magical world, which, unfortunately, had a tendency to interfere with her school work and social life (And her nonexistent romantic life.) Thankfully, she was in the middle of summer vacation, so she had more time to handle all her responsibilities in a more comfortable manner. Unfortunately, her status as the Te Xuan Xe had an even more annoy downside –
"It's not fair, Monroe," Juniper complained. "Dennis and Ray-Ray get to go on the family vacation to Palm Springs while I'm stuck here pretending to be sick with Ah-Mah."
"I get it, June," said Monroe sympathetically in his Scottish accent. "But as the Te Xuan Ze, you cannot – "
"I can't leave Orchid Bay because it's my duty to maintain balance between the human and magical world," Juniper recited in an annoyed mocking tone. "You told me a hundred times. It's just not fair that they get to go to all these cool places while I'm literally trapped here. Thank goodness I have Jodie and Ophelia to keep me sane."
"I'm still not happy you told them you're the Te Xuan Ze," Monroe scolded her.
"What was I supposed to do?" Juniper retorted. "Jody saw me when I beat the snot out of those two Calabo Ogres. Then she told Ophelia and I just couldn't lie to them anymore."
"Sure you could!" said Monroe. "You do it all the time! If you want my opinion, you should – "
"I'm not wiping their memories, Monroe!" said June, putting her foot down. "They're my best friends and they've been really understanding about all this magical weirdness. And they've been super helpful. Remember that time you got kidnapped by Pirados Demons while Ah-Mah and I were fighting Maret in the underworld. Then those two bravely swooped in a rescued you?"
"Yeah, I guess," Monroe grumbled begrudgingly.
"Jody said she wanted to invite us to go skiing in Washington with her family," said Juniper, frowning. "But, of course, I can't go because of the stupid barrier."
"I'm can understand your frustration, June," said Monroe, "but you have a responsibility here."
"Monroe, I'm eleven years old!" Juniper whined. "The only responsibilities I should have are finishing my summer homework and trying to make Marcus notice me without making a fool out of myself."
"Good luck with that," Monroe snickered.
"Just one day…," Juniper sighed heavily, "if I could just leave Orchid Bay for one day…."
"Perhaps I can be of assistance…."
Juniper felt a cold chill run down her spine; a natural reaction she had developed when she felt dark magic nearby. The Te Xuan Ze pivoted on her heel and raised her fists into a fighter's stance. A wave of red clouds swept across the grass and rose feet away from Juniper, towering over her. And out of the crimson mist came Gwen's archenemy, Hex, once again in possession of the Staff of Ages. The dark sorcerer's yellow eyes gazed upon his…shorter adversary and grimaced. His enemy was another little girl, Hex mentally groaned. Just his luck….
"Hey, Boneface," Juniper insulted the sorcerer. And she had a mouth on her to, Hex anguished. "Halloween isn't for another few months, so why don't you come back then?"
"Be careful, June," Monroe warned uneasily. "I can smell dark magic on him."
"Yeah, the face tattoo kinda gave it away," said Juniper.
"I came in search of the Te Xuan Ze," said Hex, leaning forward to look down on her, emphasizing the height difference. "But I had not expected them to be so…small."
"Well, big things come in small packages," Juniper quipped.
"Oh, I'm well aware," said Hex, reminded of another short nuisance.
"If you know what's good for you, you had best clear off," said Monroe. "If you think you can tussle with the Te Xuan Ze, you have another thing – "
Hex's eyes glowed as he levitated Monroe off the ground and threw him aside into a nearby pond; the talking dog let out a frightened yelp and paddled frantically to the edge.
"Monroe!" cried Juniper, shooting a furious glare at Hex. "You just earned yourself a big ol' plate of butt-kicking!"
"This should be entertaining," Hex remarked.
Juniper lunged forward and stuck her foot out for a flying kick to Hex's face. But the dark sorcerer evaporated in a cloud of red smoke before the blow could make contact. Juniper landed in a crouch as Hex appeared behind her, charging his staff with magic and aiming for her back. Juniper spotted him over her shoulder and jumped forward to avoid the beam of magic that charred the ground where she once stood. She hoped around three more energy beams before leaping into the trees, taking cover behind the foliage.
Juniper peeked around the branch she was hiding behind, then quickly pulled back when Hex shot another magical beam, turning the branch to cinders. The Te Xuan Ze jumped to another tree, and then another, planning to loop around behind Hex and literally kick his butt. But the dark sorcerer caught on to her plan, slamming the butt of his staff against the ground and chanted, "Arbores Pervenire!"
As Juniper flew over to the next tree, the branch suddenly sprang to life and reached out, grabbing her by the ankle. The Te Xuan Ze was thrown down to the grass with a startled yelp. Juniper broke the branch with her foot to set herself free, but another branch grabbed her by the arm and started to pull her back. A quick karate chop snapped the twig in two, only for several more trees to reach out and snatch her off the ground. She broke free by brute forcing her way until several branches started intertwining, reinforcing their hold.
"Hey, what's the big idea, you overgrown bushes!" Juniper yelled. "I went green for you!"
In spite of her struggling, the trees successfully detained her, securing their braches around her limbs, waist, and neck. Hex silently motioned them closer and the trees nearly uprooted themselves carrying the Te Xuan Ze to him.
"Real tough guy, aren't you?" Juniper scowled, giving up her fruitless struggle. "Getting a bunch of plants to do your dirty work."
"Insult me however you wish – " Hex started.
"Oh boy, you got a few hours?" said Juniper jokingly. "Cause I have a list of things I wanna say about you. Let's start with your face – GURK!" Juniper chocked as the branch around her throat tightened."
"In a moment, I will have the power of the Te Xuan Ze," Hex declared. "Combined with my peerless magical knowledge, I will able to crush any who stand in my way!"
"Yeah, good luck with that," Juniper scoffed. "A couple of demon trolls tried that when I was eight and it didn't work then. You can't just 'steal' the power of the Te Xuan Ze – it's a part of me."
"Not for much longer," said Hex cryptically with an evil smirk. His eyes glowed with power once more as he waved his staff in a slow circle, chanting, "Transfera Identica…. Transfera Identica…. Transfera Identica…."
Hex surrounds himself in a transparent golden bubble as he repeats the chant continuously. He raises his staff to Juniper and throws another golden bubble at the Te Xuan Ze. The branches release the preteen girl and Juniper floats towards Hex's own bubble. She tried to pop the bubble by punching it, but the bubble merely bended around her fist. She made two more attempts when she felt strangely exhausted, panting like she had run for miles.
"Oh man…I feel weird…," Juniper groaned.
Hex grinned confidently as Juniper slumped against the bubble, her energy draining fast….
And as luck would have it, Gwen had been walking back along the path towards her family, still on the phone with Charmcaster, when she noticed something glowing in her peripheral. And quick survey of the area showed her Juniper trapped in a magical bubble being pulled closer to another magical bubble…which was occupied by her skull-faced archenemy.
"It's Hex!" Gwen screamed unconsciously.
"My uncle?" said Gwen, surprised. "What's he doing there?"
"I don't know, but he's doing something to that poor girl!" said Gwen. "I'll call you back, Charmcaster!"
"Gwen, wa – "
But Gwen had already cut the call. Unfortunately, she had left her spellbook back at the Rust Bucket and she wasn't confident she could beat Hex without it. She could try to run for Ben and grandpa, but there was no telling what Hex might do to the girl while she was gone. Seeing no other options left, Gwen took off sprint across the grass, running up to Hex from his right side.
"Hey, Hex!" Gwen screamed, leaping into a flying kick. "Incoming!"
Hex swiveled around with a startled gasp. He barely had a moment to comprehend that his adolescent adversary just happened to be in Orchid Bay at the same time as him before his face was introduced to the bottom of Gwen's shoe. The kick forced Hex out of the bubble and knocked him flat on the ground…but now Gwen was trapped instead.
"You fool!" Hex screamed, pushing himself into a sitting position. "What have you done!?"
The redheaded girl tried pushing her way out of the bubble when Juniper's bubble collided with her own, creating an explosion of golden magic that sent a shockwave across the park.
Back at the picnic table, Trixie was happily finishing the last of Ben's boiled cow tongue soup that he was discreetly tipping into Trixie's bowl while Max's back was turned. Max ladled himself another bowl when he took a quick look around.
"Look like Gwen's not back from her walk," said Max worriedly. "I hope she's not getting into trouble."
"That stuck-up goody-two-shoes?" Ben laughed at the idea. "What kind of trouble could she get into?"
As if answering the question, the Tennyson's felt the magical shockwave slam into them from behind, causing Max to throw his bowl of soup squarely into Ben's face. The wielder of the Omnitrix cried in disgust, throwing the bowl on the ground and trying desperately to scrub his tongue clean.
"You had to ask?" Trixie commented.
"That came from the direction Gwen went," said Max seriously. "Come on!"
Ben (still trying to clean his mouth out) and Trixie rose from their seats and followed Max towards the source of the explosion –
Hex snarled in disdain as he lifted himself off the grass and floated over the field. She sneered down at the unconscious forms of Gwen and Juniper lying on opposite sides of the large scorch mark on the ground, particularly at the redhead.
"Why is it that at every turn," Hex growled, "you continue to be a thorn in my side. No matter." He pointed the Staff of Ages at Gwen, gathering the magic into its beak. "I shall remove you for good this time and take the Te Xuan Ze's power for my – GAAAH!"
The master sorcerer felt a sudden sharp pain in his ankle. He glared down his leg and found Monroe digging his canines in Hex's leg. The sorcerer glowered as he kicked the dog off, only for Monroe to land on his paws and stand protectively in front of Gwen and Juniper's body, barking like a mad dog (which he was.)
"What did you do to June, you second-rate circus gypsy?" yelled Monroe.
"I don't have time for this," said Hex impatiently, now turning his staff of Monroe when –
"It's Hex!"
"And he's got Gwendolyn!"
Hex cursed his misfortune. He should've realized that if Lucky Girl was around, the boy with the shapeshifting watch would be close by. As if just so happened, he noticed the boy out of his peripheral escorted by his elderly grandfather and the green-haired girl who was always hiding. He could see Ben activating the Omnitrix and decided not to press his luck with so many 'heroes' around.
"We'll settle this another time," Hex warned them.
Hex his staff around, conjuring a cloud of red mist to conceal himself as the Tennysons arrived. When the crimson haze faded, the skull-faced sorcerer had vanished into thin air.
"What was that about?" Ben questioned curiously. "Why was Hex here?"
"Probably looking for revenge against Gwendolyn," Trixie suggested. "She did humiliate him – twice."
"We can figure out what Hex was doing later," said Max seriously. He walked over and carefully lifted Gwen's unconscious form into his arms. "We need to get Gwen somewhere safe. With Hex around, there's no telling what that madman might do to her."
"What about this other girl?" said Trixie, pointing at the unconscious Juniper Lee, who Monroe was trying to nudge awake with his paw. "We can't just leave her here."
"True," Ben agreed. "But um…who is she?"
Trixie bent down to search Juniper's pockets where she discovered a wallet and checked the contents inside.
"Her student ID says she's Jumpier Lee," said Trixie, flipping the laminated card around. "And we're in luck, it comes with an emergency contact. A miss Jasmine Lee." She pulled out her smartphone and began to dial the number. "I'll give her a call and get directions."
"It'll be okay, June," said Monroe worriedly, resting a paw on his charge's shoulder. "Jasmine'll know what to do."
Luckily, they were able to reach Jasmine Lee, who started screaming in Chinese where she heard what happened to Juniper. After she calmed down, she gave the Tennysons directions her cliffside house overlooking the Orchid Bay beach and pier. They met Jasmine on the porch, looking like she had been pacing back and forth for the last twenty minutes, then let out a relieved sigh when Max walked out of the Rust Bucket with Juniper in his arms, appearing mostly unharmed. She guided Tennysons into the den where she instructed Max to lay her granddaughter on the couch.
"Thank you so much for finding June," said Jasmine gratefully. "She can be a little reckless and always leaps before she looks. Thank the spirits she was found by such kind people."
"Well, if there's one thing I know, it's reckless grandkids," said Max humorously. "Trouble just seems to follow them wherever they go."
"So much for retirement, right?" said Jasmine jokingly, sharing a laugh with Max. Ben, Trixie, and Monroe, who were standing on the sidelines, did seem amused. "But in all seriousness, thank you. Would you like to stay for lunch? I know how to whip up a mean Peking duck, handsome." She added with a wink.
"Ew, gross!" Ben groaned.
"For pity's sake, woman!" Monroe complained.
"I am thoroughly disgusted," said Trixie in a deadpan tone.
"As lovely as that sounds, we should be hitting the road," said Max politely. "I promised the kids we'd spend the day in San Diego."
"Well, you are welcome back any time," said Jasmine, walking the Tennysons out. She waved good-bye to the kids and gave a flirty wink to Max (to Monroe's disgust.) "Have fun in San Diego! And watch out for dolphins! They're evil masterminds!" And then she closed the front door. "Such a nice family."
"Could you be any more desperate?" said Monroe.
"Says the six-hundred-year-old mutt who gets shot down by poodles on a daily basis," Jasmine countered. "Anyway, what happened to June? Was she attacked? Was it those H.A.M. dum-dums or that mummy with the southern accent?"
"Some sorcerer I've never seen before," Monroe explained. "He possessed powerful dark magic the like of which I had never seen before. I think he might be from – " His explanation was cut off when a loud groan was heard coming from the den. "June!"
Jasmine and Monroe ran back into the den just as Juniper was pushing herself up into a sitting position, rubbing her aching head. She shook her head lightly to clear her dazed vision and took a look around the room. It should be familiar to her – Junpier had spent more time in Jasmine's house than her own – but the way she looked, it was like she didn't recognize the place. She was startled when Jasmine ran to her granddaughter's side, resting a hand on her back, and Monroe pawed at her knees. Juniper stared at Monroe with an expression of confusion when –
"June, are you all right?" asked Monroe, concerned, and held up his paw. "How many fingers am I holding up."
Juniper blinked once…then screamed with a frighten before instinctively kicking Monroe, sending the magical pug flying across the room into the bookshelf. Before Jasmine could calm down her granddaughter, Juniper flipped over the couch and struck a martial arts pose.
"Who are you people?" Juniper demanded. "Did you kidnap me? I warn you, I'm a blue belt!"
"June, June, calm down," said Jasmine, holding her hands up. "It's me, your Ah-Mah, remember? Let's all take a deep breath before you give Monroe another concussion."
"I'm all for that," Monroe groaned, holding up his paw in agreement before letting it flop down.
"I don't know who you are," said Juniper, taking a few cautious steps away from the elderly woman. "And I definitely don't know any talking dogs. So you're gonna tell me what – "
She took another few steps back when she noticed something in the corner of her peripheral. To her left was a full standing mirror. But instead of ten-year-old redhead, her reflection showed a dark-haired Asian girl. Stupified, Gwen face the mirror, pausing for a moment, then started making goofy poses and facial expressions while her reflection mimicked her actions. Jasmine and Monroe exchanged sideways glances, not really sure what to make of this. It wasn't until she had finished doing the Russian Hopek that Juniper came to a startling realization.
"That's me!" she gasped, pointing at the mirror.
"Are you okay, Juniper?" asked Jasmine worriedly, cautiously touching her granddaughter's shoulder. "You're acting very weird."
"More than usual," Monroe added.
"My name's not Juniper!" Juniper shouted desperately. "It's Gwen! Gwen Tennyson! And this – this isn't my body!"
"Uh-oh," Jasmine commented lamely.
"Oh, great, another body swapping adventure," M0onroe complained. "Not like we haven't done those like a dozen times."
"How did this happen?" cried Juniper, who were will now call Gwen to avoid confusion, as she stared in the mirrir touching her (Juniper's) face. "One minute I was in the park and I saw Hex – wait a minute! This is the girl I saw Hex fighting in the park! He was casting some kind of spell on her when I kicked Hex out of that weird bubble and got trapped myself. We collided and then – BAM! I'm in her body. Oh, just when I thought this summer couldn't get any weirder…."
"Listen to me, June – I mean, Gwen," said Jasmine seriously, grabbing the misplaced girl by the shoulders. "Obviously, you know a little more about magic than most, which is a good thing for us. We need your help to figure out which spell this Hex creep (stupid name, by the way) cast and return you and Juniper to your original bodies before it becomes permanent."
"O-Ok, yeah, I can do that," said Gwen. "Shouldn't be too hard, right?"
"Hate to rain on your parade, lassies," Monroe interrupted. "But if Gwen is in June's body, then where is June?"
"Ooh, my head," Juniper moaned, rubbing her throbbing temple as she slowly regained consciousness. "Please tell me no one gave me mouth-to-mouth."
The Te Xuan Ze gingerly rose into a sitting position, rubbing her blurry eyes. She stood up and walked into the Rust Bucket's bathroom without realizing that something was wrong. She turned the faucet and splashed her face with water. Juniper blindly reached for a tower and wiped her face before staring ahead into the mirror. And when she saw a red-headed girl's face instead of her own, Juniper's first instinct was to scream and punch the mirror, smashing the glass. This turned out to be a terrible idea because, unlike her own body, Gwen didn't have super strength and was lucky she didn't cut her (Gwen's) hand.
"Ow, ow, ow – stupid, stupid, stupid," Juniper chastised herself, holding her bruised knuckles. She took another look into the cracked mirror, only now realizing that it wasn't a trick. "Is that…me? Did I switch bodies with someone again? Ugh, like we haven't already done this like a dozen times. Who is this girl, anyway?"
"Hey, Gwen, you up yet?" she heard someone, a boy, calling outside. Juniper had to assume that she was Gwen. She stepped out of the bathroom and nearly ran into Ben. "Oh, good, you're up. Grandpa's planned out the whole day, so he wants us to make some sandwiches. Don't worry," he leaned in a whispered conspiratorially, "I stashed away from PB&J and some ham and cheese from our trip to the mall. So no more meal worm sandwiches."
"Ew, gross," Juniper shuddered, then shook her head. "No, forget that. Listen to me, whoever you are. Something is seriously wrong with me – "
"Don't worry, I already know," said Ben, hanging his head solemnly.
"You do?" asked Juniper, surprised.
"Yeah," said Ben, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do to fix your ugly face."
Ben laughed while Juniper punched him in the shoulder, shouting, "That's not funny, you doofus!"
"Well, it sounds like Gwendolyn is all right," said Trixie as she entered the Rust Bucket. "How are those sandwiches coming along? I hope you remember to put extra meal worms in mine."
"That is so disgusting!" Juniper groaned.
"That's what I said," Ben commented.
"Your inferior human taste buds just can't appreciate the refined taste," said Trixie snobbishly.
"No, your alien taste buds are just weird," Ben retorted.
"Can we just focus for a minute!" Juniper yelled, catching Ben and Trixie by surprise. "Look, I don't know what's going, but something really bad has happened. I've – "
"Hey, kids, you ready to go?" Gwen groaned at another interruption, this time being Max entering the RV with a handful of pamphlets. "I've prepared a bunch of activities for the day I know you're all going to enjoy." He opened one of the pamphlets. "First, we can check out the Maritime Museum, then head on over to the San Diego Zoo, then we can stroll down the Mission Beach Boardwalk, and then rent out a boat and have nice relaxing ride on the San Diego Bay."
"Awesome!" Ben cheered.
"Sounds delightful," said Trixie.
"Wait, San Diego Zoo, Mission Beach?" repeated Juniper after a moment's pause. "Those aren't in Orchid Bay."
"Uh, that's because they're in San Diego, dweeb," said Ben mockingly. "It's literally in the name, duh."
"We left Orchid Bay while you were unconscious," Trixie explained. "We wanted to get as far away from that place after Hex attacked you. Unfortunately, he got away before we could capture him, so we should still be on alert."
"So…we're not in Orchid Bay anymore?" Juniper murmured, her eyes widening as the startling realization washed over her.
"Are you okay, Gwen?" asked Max, frowning in concern. "If you're still not feeling well, we can push everything back to another day."
Now, Juniper Lee was a responsible young lady – she had to be when it was up to her to defend the balance of the human and magical world. The right thing to do would have been to explain what happened and that she wasn't actually Gwen and that she should return to Orchid Bay right away to fix this…. But as her gaze fell on the multitude of pamphlets in Max's hands, all labeled with the San Diego name, was she did instead was –
"Nope, all good," said Juniper, putting on her biggest, brightest smile. "I'm fine! Yep, me! Gwen! I'm Gwen! Gwen is who I am! And I am a-ok, ready to hit the day!"
"…Weirdo," Ben remarked.
"Well, that's good to hear," said Max, relieved. Then he looked at his watch and said, "Whoops, we're burning daylight. I guess we'll just grab something to eat at the boardwalk. Let's get moving, kids." He started to exit the Rust Bucket, when he suddenly rounded on the children. "And leave your cellphones in the RV. I don't want any distractions today."
Ben groaned and Trixie grumbled as they reluctantly deposited their phones on the tables, but Juniper was all too happy to leave behind Gwen's cell and happily marched outside. But by a stroke of bad timing, Gwen's smartphone started vibrating just moments after Juniper slammed the door shut behind her, the screen flashing an unknown number –
With an annoyed grimace, Gwen pressed the "End Call" button on Juniper's phone.
"She's not answering her – I mean, my – phone," said Gwen irritably. "You think she's not answering on purpose or – "
"Shush, don't move," Jasmine demanded, waving her burning stack of sage under Gwen's nose, causing the preteen girl to cough. "Magic is very delicate and must be done right. So sit still! And no slouching!"
Gwen sighed exasperatedly and crossed her arms. They had relocated to Jasmine's underground lair (yeah, she has an underground lair!) which looked like something straight out of a witchdoctor's house. Shelves carved into the cavern walls filled with all sorts of potion ingredients and arcane books that Gwen didn't have any hope of reading. Monroe was glossing over a particularly thick volume on the podium (it was the first time Gwen had ever seen a pug with reading glasses) while Gwen was sitting in the middle of the room with Jasmine dancing around, waving her smoking sage and chanting in Chinese.
After a minute of ritualistic dancing, Jasmine paused and hummed.
"Hmm…it's just as I thought," said Jasmine.
"You figured out the how to switch us back?" Gwen asked hopefully.
"No, I realized this sage is useless," said Jasmine, nonchalantly tossing the her over her shoulder. "Should've gone with rosemary. Waste of two dollars."
"Ugh! Can you please take this seriously?" Gwen shouted impatiently, jumping to her feet. "I could be trapped in this body forever and that other girl – June – could be halfway across the country by now!"
"Simmer down, lass," said Monroe, unperturbed. "Do you have any idea how many body switching spells there are. Fifty-seven – I kid you not. If we don't figure out which one caused you and June to swap in the first place, it could get very messy. I'm talking body-merging mutation kind of messy."
"And we know exactly where Juniper is," said Jasmine, calmly pushing Gwen back into her seat. "Your grandfather said they were spending the day in San Diego. That's just an hour's drive north of here. I can drive up there and find Juniper while you and Monroe find the spell. It shouldn't be too hard to find that beat-up jalopy your grandfather drives."
"Hey, you can't leave me here!" said Gwen insistently. "I'm coming, too!"
"You can't, Gwen," said Jasmine.
"But it's my body!" Gwen complained.
"She means you literally can't," said Monroe with a hint of sympathy in his voice. "While you are in June's body, you won't be able to pass through the barrier."
"What do you mean? What barrier?" asked Gwen.
Monroe sighed tiredly, and said, "Okay, what I am about to tell you is a secret that very few outside Orchid Bay know about. Now, this is the story about a mystical warrior called the Te Xuan Ze – "
"You mean the guardian that maintains the balance between the human and magical world?" said Gwen, catching Jasmine and Monroe off-guard.
"You know about that?" asked Jasmine.
"I'm a sorceress," said Gwen proudly. "In training."
"Well, that saves a whole lot of explaining," said Monroe, sounding relieved. "Ok, long story short: The Te Xuan Ze is physically bound to Orchid Bay and cannot leave the city limits until the next Te Xuan Ze takes over."
"What?!" yelled Gwen. "Why would anyone do something like that?"
"A long time ago, there was a Te Xuan Ze who went bad – I mean, really bad – and he neglected his duties," Jasmine explained. "To prevent another like him, the Magical Elders created a barrier so that the Te Xuan Ze would have no choice but to carry out his or her duty."
"But that's not fair," Gwen complained, feeling sympathetic towards Juniper now. "Why do I – I mean, June – have to be punished for something someone else did a long time ago."
"Believe me, I know the feeling," said Jasmine, frowning. "I was Te Xuan Ze for fifty years before Juniper took over; longer than any other Te Xuan Ze before since the mantle skipped a generation."
"So when we switch back, June'll be trapped in this city for decades until someone else is randomly chosen?" said Gwen, unable to imagine what that must be like. "No wonder she hasn't come back yet."
"Yes, her situation stinks and it's understandable that she would want a little freedom," said Jasmine. "But she is still Te Xuan Ze and she has a responsibility to uphold. More than that, she has your body, which she knows does not belong to her. That's why I'm going up to San Diego to give her an earful."
"…And there's nothing you can do to, you know, set her free?" asked Gwen, frowning.
"Believe me, lassie, we've been trying," said Monroe, turning another page in the tome. "But we've had no such luck. Not unless you have a powerful deity on speed dial. Like an eldritch god, or the Grim Reaper, or Chuck Norris."
"Bah, Chuck Norris," Jasmine scoffed, crossing her arms grumpily. "Just a big-headed nincompoop, that one."
"He knocked you flat in one minute," said Monroe smugly.
"My shoes were untied!" Jasmine snapped.
"Wait, did you say the Grim Reaper?" asked Gwen attentively.
"Yes, the Grim Reaper is one of the most powerful deities in the magical and mortal planes," said Monroe, quirking his brow curiously. "Why do you ask?"
Because Gwen knew something that could possibly help – something that just happened to be in her and Ben's shared bedroom drawer on the Rust Bucket. But before she could mention it, Gwen was startled by a rhythmic beeping coming from her wrist. She looked down and realized the amethyst gemstone on her (Juniper's) bracelet was glowing in tune with the beeping.
"My bracelet's buzzing?" said Gwen, dumbfounded. "Why is my bracelet buzzing?"
"That means there's a problem that the Te Xuan Ze needs to take care of," Jasmine explained, grabbing Gwen's wrist and looking at the gemstone. "Hmm…ah, it's just a shark-o-dile. You can handle it no problem."
"What? Me?" Gwen yelped. "Why me?"
"Because whether you like it or not," said Monroe, "until we get you and June back into your proper bodies, you're the Te Xuan Ze now. So when the creatures come, you have to stop them."
"I'd be happy if it wasn't my problem," Gwen muttered.
"Well, too bad, lassie," said Monroe, pointing a paw at Gwen. "Because now you're the one who has to resolve them, you hear me? Has to resolve them! Now go, go, go, go!" Gwen rolled her (Juniper's eyes) and ran out. "You can stop them, girl!"
"You really think so?" asked Jasmine.
"Oh, heavens no," said Monroe. "That's why you need to find Juniper fast! Go, go, go, go!"
"You know…," Gwen hummed, scratching her (Juniper's) head awkwardly. "When I heard I was supposed to fight a shark-o-dile, I knew it was supposed to be a half-crocodile, half-shark thing…. But this is not what I imagined."
Gwen had followed the magic bracelet (which was attached with its own version of a GPS system! Convenient!) back to the park to handle whatever problem reared its ugly head. Despite having run the whole way, Gwen realized that Juniper's body wasn't even remotely tired, and she was ten times faster than Gwen's old body.
Gwen (discreetly) flipped over a few cars, hopped over some spread out rooftops, and accidentally crushed a steel pipe with her hand whole climbing down. She came to a realization that, as the Te Xuan Ze, Juniper (and now Gwen) were essentially superhuman. That gave Gwen a little more confidence when she entered the park and saw scraps of a jungle gym lying scattered everywhere.
Gwen ran to the source of the commotion and raised her fists to fight…when she actually saw the shark-o-dile. When she pictured it in her head, she imagined the beast would be huge an intimidating, something like the head of a shark on the body of a crocodile…. What she wasn't expecting was to see a cartoonish shark man and an equally cartoonish crocodile man joined together like a pair of Siamese twins. It was even less intimidating when the shark head was gnawing on a metal bar like a dog with a stick and the crocodile head was face palming itself like it was questioning its life choices.
"Okay, wow, um…not sure what to do about this," Gwen muttered to herself. "Do I punch it or do I play fetch - ?"
The shark head continued to mindlessly gnaw on the bar until it caught a glimpse out of its peripheral and spotted Gwen (in Juniper's body). It spat out the bar and started blathering to the other head in some undecipherable language. The crocodile head looked up and noticed Gwen (June), as well. Then together, they stood up and snarled angrily, stomping over to the little girl.
"Guess you got a beef with June, huh?" Gwen commented.
Despite its somewhat intimidating appearance (though nowhere close to the level of scary she was accustomed to), Gwen stood her ground and raised her fist. The Shark-o-dile reached the substitute Te Xuan Ze and snapped it's sharkteeth at her, but Gwen easily sidestepped it like they were moving in slow motion. Gwen then threw a left hook at the shark head, smashing most of its teeth in one blow. The shark head whimpered, rubbing its jaw while the crocodile head lunged at Gwen. The substitute Te Xuan Ze jumped and stomped on the crocodile's snout, flatting the pair on the ground while leaving an imprint of her (Juniper's) shoe on the crocodile's nose.
Gwen hopped behind the shark-o-dile while they were still grounded and grabbed the conjoined beast by their twin tails. Gwen pulled and effortlessly lifted the Shark-o-dile as if they were light as a feather, spinning them around in circles through the air. After the twelfth rotation, Gwen released her grip and watched the shark-o-dile soar over the city and disappear somewhere in the middle of the bay.
"That…was…AWESOME!" Gwen cheered, pumping her fists in the air. "No wonder Ben likes to use Rath all the time. Super strength is the best! And I kicked that ugly monster's butt in under a minute! This Te Xuan Ze stuff is easy!"
At that exact moment, the gemstones of Gwen's (Juniper's) bracelet glowed and buzzed. There was a new threat in Orchid Bay.
"Why do I get the feeling I just jinxed myself…," Gwen groaned.
While Gwen ran off to face the next creature crisis, she was unaware of her hooded stalker watching from the rooftops….
The events that followed were a montage of moments shared throughout the day between Gwen, Juniper, and Jasmine Lee –
Juniper (as Gwen) was taking a picture of the mast and flag of the Star of India at the Maritime Museum while Max was reading the brochure, Trixie was looking at a 1/100 scale model of the ship, and Ben (as Arctiguana) was climbing up the side pretending to be a sea monster, scaring the other patrons.
Jasmine had been riding her motorcycle ten minutes out of Orchid Bay when she got caught in the middle of dense traffic on the freeway and started shouting profanities on Chinese over the incessant honking.
Gwen kicked a fire-breathing dragon in the face when he tried to eat an ice cream parlor, then bought him a sundae as an apology when she realized he was just hot from the summer heat and had a pleasant chat for ten minutes before she was called away for another crisis.
Juniper was having a great time at the San Diego zoo and had been allowed to pet many of the animals, who had a strange fondness for her that befuddled Trixie. Meanwhile the background, Ben turned into Rath after his corndog was stolen by a monkey and Max was trying to stop the zookeepers from tranquilizing him.
Jasmine had been pulled over by a cop car after she had punched a man who honked at her. The officer handed her a fine, which Jasmine argued loudly against, then received another fine. Jasmine ripped up the papers in frustration, hopped back on her motorcycle, and took off like a bat out of hell while the officer called for backup.
Gwen was riding on the back of a rhino demons with six legs and a lizard tail through the forest, smacking her face into every branch along the way. When they finally found a clearing, Gwen jumped in front of the beast, grabbing it by the horn, and judo flipped the demon over her shoulder. The Rhino demon found itself hanging from a tree ten feet in the air with its horn buried deep in the trunk.
Juniper, Ben, Max, and Trixie were riding the rollercoaster in Belmont Park on the Mission Beach Boardwalk. Juniper and Ben had their hands thrown up, screaming with excitement, while Max was rubbing a soothing hand on Trixie's back as the green-haired girl puked her lunch over the side (and onto some poor pedestrians.)
A total of twelve cop cars were chasing Jasmine along the freeway, causing every car on the road to swerve off. The former Te Xuan Ze finally managed to elude the police when she drove off the bridge, abandoning her motorcycle and somehow pulling out a paragliding from her backpack, flying the rest of the way to San Diego.
Gwen was ambushed by a dozen orc-like demons in biker jackets, swings chains and pipes threateningly. But when the fighting started, Gwen effortlessly disarmed them and knocked the majority unconscious with a few punches and kicks. The last demon standing tried to run away, but Gwen casually kicked a dropped pipe and watched it fly down the street and bonked the demon on the head.
Gwen dragged her feet down to Jasmine's underground lair with a tired groan, throwing herself face down on the conveniently placed couch.
"Oh, Gwen, welcome back," Monroe greeted casually while looking through a different tome. "So, how was your day?"
"Exhausting," Gwen moaned. "I had to toss a shark-o-dile into the bay, buy ice cream for a Romaculan Dragon, take down a Balugen Rhino Beast, fought a dozen Hardakian Trolls, and had to help an old lady cross the street."
"That last one doesn't sound so bad," said Monroe.
"It was a three-headed viper lady and a molten lava street," Gwen retorted. "And that was just in the last hour. How does June do all this?"
"She's had years of practice and a wise, thoughtful, and handsome guardian to instruct her," said Monroe smugly.
"I think Miss Lee is more 'resplendent' than 'handsome'," Gwen remarked.
"I was talking about me!" snapped Monroe, earning an amused snort from Gwen. "Anyway, I have good news."
"You found the spell to switch our bodies back?" Gwen asked hopefully, sitting up straight.
"No," said Monroe; Gwen visibly deflated. "But I have narrowed the possibilities down from fifty-seven to fifty-one."
"Fifty-one?" Gwen cried. "Monroe!"
"Hey, I eliminated the that required you to lick a Boglin Troll's toenail, so be grateful!" said Monroe. "Magic is a delicate and dangerous art. If you're not careful, it could have devastating consequences. That's why we need to nice and slow."
Gwen groaned and flopped back on the couch. A few seconds later, she perked back up when the doorbell upstairs rang.
"Hey, maybe that's Miss Lee with June," said Gwen hopefully, jumping off the couch and sprint to the stairway.
"That's impossible," said Monroe doubtfully, looking at the conveniently place clock on the wall. "It's only been an hour. She couldn't have found Juniper and returned that quickly."
But Gwen wasn't looking for logic; she just wanted to get her body back. But as she was halfway up the stone steps, the door leading to the living suddenly exploded and Gwen was thrown halfway across the basement, knocking over several strange-looking artifacts. It was fortunate that Juniper Lee's body was extremely durable or she could have broken something.
"Gwen!" Monroe yipped, dashing to her side. "Gwen, are you all right?"
"I'm fine, mostly," said Gwen, standing up and brushing herself off. She looked up at the smoking hole where the door used to be, letting out a surprised gasp when her archenemy floated into the room. "Hex!"
"Hello again, Te Xuan Ze," said Hex smugly. "Or should I say…Lucky Girl."
"Ooh boy…," Monroe whimpered, hiding behind Gwen's legs.
And while Gwen was facing off against her mystic foe, the Tennysons were gently cruising around the San Diego Bay aboard a motor boat that Max had rented off the marina from an old (Plumber) associate. Max steered them close to the Coronado Bridge, Ben and Trixie were sitting at the stern trying to do some fishing while the boat was moving slowly, and Juniper was leaning against the bow, closing her eyes and feeling the pleasant breeze of the ocean brush against her face.
"This has been the best day ever," said Juniper happily. "Thank you for taking us here, Ma – I mean, grandpa."
"It was my pleasure," said Max proudly. "With all the weird things that's been happening all summer, it's nice to finally have a perfectly normal afternoon. No aliens, no bad guys, and now evil sorcerers."
"Uh, yeah, perfectly normal," June laughed sheepishly.
"Hey, Trixie," said Ben while casting his line, "have you noticed that Gwen's been acting kinda weird?"
"You're going to have to be more specific," said Trixie, carefully watching the bobber.
"She's been acting total different all day," said Ben.
"She seemed normal to me," Trixie replied.
"She hasn't made fun of me, or called me doofus, or told me not to go alien all day," said Ben. "And when we were at the zoo and the monkey stole my corndog…she shared with me."
"…Okay, that is strange," said Trixie. She and Ben craned their head over their shoulder to look at the person they thought was Gwen doing a 'queen of the world' pose on the bow. "You don't think Hex might have done something when he attacked her, do you?"
"I don't know," Ben admitted. "There's just something not right with Gwen today. It's like she's a completely different person. Almost as if – "
"Juniper!" An angry, shrill voice screamed across the bay. June and the Tennysons looked around, not seeing any other boats near them. That's when the noticed a shadow zooming across the surface of the water and looked up, spotting Jasmine Lee gliding over their heads. "Juniper Kim Lee, you are in big trouble, young lady!"
"Ah-Mah!" Juniper screamed.
"What'd she call her?" asked Ben, strange at Juniper strangely.
Jasmine unbuckled herself from the paraglider and dropped over fifty feet onto the bow of the Tennyson's ship, landing on her feet without even flinching. The same couldn't be said for Juniper, who back away and tripped over her own two feet, falling on her butt.
"Did that old lady just hang glide onto our boat?" asked Trixie, dumbfounded.
"Hey, watch who you're calling old," said Jasmine, pointing a stern finger at Trixie. "I'll have you know I'm only sixty-nine, thank you very much."
"Only?" Trixie repeated strangely.
"Miss Lee, what are you doing here?" asked Max curiously.
"I've come to take my granddaughter home," said Jasmine, grabbing Juniper's (Gwen's) arm and pulling her up. "Where she is going to be spending a lot of time polishing my ugly moose head collection. With a toothbrush."
"But Ah-Maw!" Juniper whined.
"No buts!" snapped Juniper. "This was very irresponsible of you, June! You should have come home straight away when you switched bodies with poor Gwen. You know she's been doing your job while you were gone? You just better hope nothing happened to her."
"I'm…I'm sorry, Ah-Maw," said Juniper, hanging her head in shame.
"Would someone please explain to me what the heck is going on?" asked Max, bewildered. "Gwen, what's going on? What is she talking about?"
Juniper looked guiltily between the Tennysons and her grandmother (who crossed her arms, waiting for June to explain herself.) So, with a heavy sigh, she said, "Look, I'm sorry I lied to you, but I'm not Gwen. My name is Juniper Lee. Gwen and I accidentally switched bodies when that Hex creep cornered me in the park this morning."
"I knew it!" shouted Ben. "That's why you were acting so weird!"
"Is that really true?" asked Max, surprised. Juniper nodded morosely. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"Well, it's a long story," said Juniper, fiddling with her (Gwen's) fingers. "But the short version of it is…I can't leave Orchid Bay. Like, ever. You see, there's this magical barrier around Orchid Bay that keeps me from leaving the city limits. I'm basically trapped until someone replaces me. So when I woke up and found out that I was in San Diego in Gwen's body – "
"You saw an opportunity to escape your responsibilities," said Trixie.
"I wasn't trying to escape!" said Juniper defensively. "I was planning to tell you when we got back to the RV! But…I don't know, I just…I wanted to get out of Orchid Bay for one day, you know. Just be a normal girl for once without a bunch of demons and warlocks getting in the way."
"Boy, you picked the wrong person to be normal," said Ben jokingly.
"Juniper, I'm sorry about your situation," said Max, resting a kind hand on her shoulder. "And while I'm glad you had a good time today, it was still wrong of you not to tell the truth."
"I know…," Juniper mumbled shamefully.
"Where is Gwen now?" Max asked Jasmine seriously.
She's back at my house with Monroe looking for a spell to switch them back," said Jasmine. Just then, her cellphone started to ring. "Oh, that must be them now." She answered the phone and put it to her ear. "Hello, Monroe. How's the spell search going...? WHAT DO YOU MEAN HEX IS AT THE HOUSE?!"
"Exactly what is sounds like, woman!" Monroe yelled as he took cover under an overturned chair. "Hex found us, and he's mucking up the place!"
As he said this, Gwen was ducking and flipping away from Hex's magical bolts, jumping behind the couch, hopping off the table, and climbing to the top of the bookcase. She jumped to the ceiling and attempted a flying kick to Hex's head, but the master sorcerer banished her away with a magical shockwave, sending Gwen flying into an alcove. Gwen rubbed her (Juniper's) throbbing temple and noticed that she had landed in some kind of armory, filled with all sorts of weapons and talismans. Hex casually floated toward her while Gwen reached for the nearest weapon.
"You think you're so tough!" shouted Gwen defiantly, brandishing an pale-blue knight's sword. "Try this on for size!"
"Gwen, wait, don't use that! It's – " Monroe's warning came too late as the blade of Gwen's dissolved into a myriad of soap bubbles. Hex eyes the bubbles curiously, but blew them away coolly. "That's the Sword of Rubba. It's made to catch Cornish Pixies. Nasty little buggers."
"Well…that's embarrassing," said Gwen meekly. She tossed the sword hilt away and reached for the next item, which was a silver medallion with an emerald in the center. "Well, how 'bout this one!"
"No, Gwen, that's – " Monroe groaned as glowing green chains sprung out of the gemstone…and bound Gwen's arms and legs together, making her fall over. "That's the Medallion of Restriction. It's meant to bind the one who wears it."
"You really need to label these things!" Gwen screamed.
"Enough of this foolishness," said Hex impatiently. He pointed the Staff of Ages at Gwen, fabricating a golden bubble that dissolved the restricting chains while sealing her inside. "Now to finish what I started."
"Ooh, you had best get here soon," Monroe whimpered into the phone. "Before Hex completes the transfer spell."
Jasmine frowned as she hung up her phone and said, "Gwen and Monroe are in trouble. That Hex creep has Gwen and is no doubt planning to perform the transference spell again."
"Then we need to get there fast," said Max seriously.
"How?" asked Juniper. "Orchid Bay is an hour away by car. Even if we go back to the RV now, it'll be too late."
"Then it looks like we have a need for speed," said Ben, looking equally serious now that he knew his cousin was in danger. He activated the Omnitrix and turned the dial until he found a specific alien. "I know we haven't always seen eye-to-eye, but please work just this once."
He slapped down the faceplate and exploded in a flash of green light. To his immense relief, the alien he transformed into was exactly the one he hoped for.
"Aw yeah, now that's what I'm talking about!" Fasttrack cheered.
"…How'd he do that?" asked Jasmine, dumbfounded.
"I'll explain later," said Juniper, patting her Ah-Mah on the shoulder, before jumping into Fasttrack's arms. "To Ah-Mah's house, and step on it!"
"You coming, Trixie?" Fasttrack asked his partner.
"No, thanks," said Trixie, who went back to fishing. "I think I'll stay here on my nice, magic-boat."
"Wimp," Juniper commented.
"Hang on tight," Fasttrack warned Juniper.
Juniper wrapped her arms around Fasttrack's neck, screaming in terror as the Citrakayah took off like a speeding bullet, running across the surface of the water like it was solid ground. The speedy alien dashed to the opposite side of the bay in under two seconds and took off southwards in a blur of blue –
"What a fortuitous day this is," said Hex maniacally, floating across Gwen's bubble prison. "Not only will have the power of the Te Xuan Ze, but I will finally remove a great thorn in my side."
"Yeah, well, I got news for you, pal," said Gwen while valiantly trying to punch and kick her way out. "Being the Te Xuan Ze means you can't leave the city. So if you take June's body, you're trapped here for good. That kind of defeats the purpose of world conquest, doesn't it?"
"Oh, I am well aware of the Te Xuan Ze's curse," said Hex confidently. "But rule only applies to this plane of reality. Once I am the Te Xuan Ze, I will return to Legerdomain to conquer it. And to take revenge on a certain someone who stole the something precious from me. With Legerdomain under my control, I will be more powerful that the Elders of Magic! Then no barrier will be able to stop me. Now…." He pointed the Staff of Ages at Gwen. "No more delays."
His eyes glowed with power once more as he waved his staff in a slow circle, chanting, "Transfera Identica…. Transfera Identica…. Transfera Identica…." A golden bubbles starts to form around him…but pops prematurely when Hex feels a sharp pain in his ankle. The sorcerer grinded his teeth furiously and glared at Monroe, who had dug his tiny, but sharp teeth into Hex's pale flesh.
"She may not be June," said Monroe, "but I am still the mentor of the Te Xuan Ze, and I won't let you lay a finger on her, you smarmy – "
"Enough!" Hex shouted in annoyance. He kicked the pug with his other foot, then silently cast an charm to raise the ground around him, burying Monroe from the neck up.
"Monroe!" cried Gwen.
"No more interruptions!" Hex shouted impatiently. "We are finishing this now!"
"I can't believe I'm saying this," Gwen groaned, "but I wish Ben was here…."
As if just so happened, Fasttrack and Juniper had crossed the border into Orchid Bay after thirty seconds of running. They zipper though the streets, kicking up a sharp gale that alarmed and confused everyone they passed. In no time at all, Jasmine Lee's cliffside house came into view.
"They're in the basement!" Juniper shouted over the rushing winds. "You can get in through the fireplace in the den!"
"One can of speedy butt kicking coming up!" said Fasttrack.
The pair zoomed into Jasmine's house, shooting into the den where they discovered that the fireplace entrance had been broken open in an explosion. Fasttrack waste no time dashing down the stone steps and made a beeline for Hex the second he noticed the tattooed sorcerer. Hex only had a split second to notice their entrance before Fasttrack kicked him in the gut, sending the dark wizard crashing into the opposite wall, where he crumped on the ground. The bubble encasing Gwen popped the moment Hex lost his concentration while Fasttrack came to a grinding halt, setting his passenger down on her feet.
"Ben, you made it!" said Gwen gratefully, running up to her cousin. Then she turned her attention on Juniper (which felt very weird seeing herself.) "And you!"
"I know what you're going to say," said Juniper, raising her (Gwen's) hand in surrender. "And I'm sorry. I should've come back as soon as I realized we switched bodies."
"Yeah, you should've!" Gwen scolded her. "Do you realize what I've been through spending the day as you? I had to fight a six-legged rhino-lizard! With my bare hands!"
"Did you give him mangos?" asked Juniper innocently. "He calms down after eating mangos."
"No, I didn't give him mangos!" yelled Gwen, making Juniper flinch. "What rational person thinks of that?!"
"Uh, lassies," Monroe called, still buried in the dirt. "You may want to save your little tiff after you take down the evil sorcerer!"
As he said that, Hex rose to his feet and, with a frustrated growl, slammed his staff on the ground. Two dozen beasts made of stone emerged from the floor, walls, and ceiling, snarling and crawling towards the heroes.
"I'll take care of these rock heads," Fasttrack told the girls. "You two take down Hex."
The Citrakayah hero zoomed forward, bouncing between one stone beast to another, smashing them their heads in as he went –
"Quick, let's get Hex while Ben has then distracted," Gwen said to Juniper.
"How?" asked Juniper, shrugging cluelessly. "In case you didn't notice, I'm not the Te Xuan Ze anymore. I don't have my powers."
"But you have my powers," said Gwen. "Use my spellbook. Throw some magic at him."
"Spelbooks? Where do I have a – " Juniper started to asks he felt around herself until she realized there was something in her back pocket. She pulled out the object, which turned out to be Gwen's beginning spellbook. "Well, will you look at that. I've been carry this around the whole time and didn't even notice. It's kinda funny when you think about it – "
"No time! Start spellcasting!" shouted Gwen as ran toward Hex.
As Hex watched Fasttrack make quick work of his stone beasts, the dark sorcerer continued to make more and put the pressure on the alien hero. Hex noticed something in her peripheral and leaned back, dodging Gwen's foot by mere inches. Gwen pivoted around once she landed and attempted a spinning kick, only for it to be blocked by Hex's staff. Gwen jumped up and threw a punch at his face, but Hex casually caught her fist and shoved her back. The dark sorcerer shot several bolts of magic from the Staff of Ages and Gwen was forced to backflip away and took cover behind a rock wall.
"I could use a little magic right about now!" Gwen screamed as Hex's bolts came dangerously close to her face.
"I'm working on it!" yelled Juniper, desperately flipping through the pages. "I don't know what any of these mean! Oh, I guess I'll just try one and see what happens." She held out her hand towards Hex and chanted, "Aquata Risa Spackwata!"
The cavern suddenly trembled and Juniper fears she might have cause the whole house to collapse. But then, a pipe burst out of the wall and shot a geyser of water in Hex's face. The dark sorcerer accidentally dropped his staff trying to block the water with his hands, causing his active spells to dissipate.
"Booyah! First try!" Juniper cheered.
"Beginner's luck," Gwen grumbled.
With Hex distracted and the rock beats inert, Fasttrack zipped over to pick up a rug off the floor. He zoomed circles around Hex, cocooning him inside the rug until he couldn't move. Fasttrack stood aside and watch Gwen run up to Hex with a flying leap and gave the tattooed warlock a solid right hook across the face, knocking him out with one blow.
"Show's over, creep," said Gwen, giving her archenemy one more kick for good measure.
"That…was awesome," Juniper complimented the Tennyson cousins, flinching when Ben changed back. " You guys do this all the time?"
"More than we'd like to," said Gwen.
"Man, and I thought my job was tough," said Juniper.
"It is tough," Gwen moaned. "Which is why I'd like to get my body back now."
"Okay, but…," Ben interjected, "how're we gonna switch you two back? Boneface got his lights knocked out."
"You just leave that to me," said Monroe, even though Ben couldn't understand him.
"Monroe, you're okay!" Gwen cheered, picking up and hugging the pug.
"Did you figure out the body switching spell?" asked Juniper hopefully.
"Indeed I did, lassie," said Monroe. "Thanks to Mr. Voodoo Man over there demonstrating for us, I know which spell to use to switch you both back to your proper places. Now, where did I put those sea urchin eggs…?"
It was over two hours (thanks to traffic yet again) until the Rust Bucket parked out in front of Jasmine Lee's house. Max and Jasmine ran out of the RV and up the cobblestone walkway while Trixie followed at a more leisurely pace. As they approached the house, the front door opened and Ben, Gwen, Juniper, and Monroe walked out, looking satisfied.
"Ben, Gwen, thank goodness you're all right!" said Max, hugging his grandchildren in relief. But after remembering what happened, he looked down at Gwen and asked, "Or…is it June? I'm still trying to make sense of this."
"It's me, grandpa," said Gwen, happily back in her own body.
"Is that you, Juniper?" Jasmine asked her granddaughter.
"Yeah, it's me, Ah-Mah," said Juniper.
"Good…," said Jasmine, resting a hand on Juniper's shoulder. "I hope you're ready to clean one hundred and thirty-three moose head! With a toothbrush!"
"But Ah-Mah, we just beat the bad guy!" Juniper whined. "Can't you cut me some slack?"
"Oh, fine…," said Jasmine, sighing. "…You can clean half."
"I'll take what I can get," grumbled Juniper.
"You know, despite all the weirdness of today," said Gwen as she walked up to June, "it was kinda fun getting to walk in your shoes for a while. I especially loved the punching and flipping."
"Yeah, it's pretty great," said Juniper, laughing. "But it was also nice to get away from it for a while. I know it was only for a few hours, but getting to spend the day as a – mostly – normal girl was pretty cool." She sighed miserably. "But the funs over now and I'm back to being the Te Xuan Ze, trapped in the city until I'm old and gray…."
"Oh, Juniper…," Jasmine murmured sympathetically.
"Maybe not," said Gwen with a knowing grin, garnering confused stares from the magical trio. "Wait here for a minute…."
Gwen ran back to the Rust Bucket and disappeared inside. The group exchanged curious glances as they heard Gwen clattering around inside. After a minute, Gwen ran back out carrying something in her hand.
"Here, take this," said Gwen, handing Juniper a familiar skull whistle.
"Hey, isn't that…," Ben started.
"Great McGregors ghost!" shouted Monroe in shock and awe, an expression matched by Jasmine. "That's the Whistle of the Grim Reaper! Whoever blows that can summon death himself! Those are darn near impossible to find!"
"Where did you get it?" Jasmine asked curiously.
"We met Grim a while back," said Gwen proudly. "It just so happens that he owes us a favor. And now, it belongs to you."
"Uh, thanks," said Juniper, raising a brow. "Uh, what do I do with it."
"June, the Grim Reaper is one of the most powerful beings in all the realms," said Monroe quickly. "He has the power to do things that not even the Magical Elders are capable of. And that includes removing the binding curse."
"Wait, are you for real?!" Juniper gasped.
"He's for real, Juniper," said Jasmine, smiling. "This is the answer we've been looking for. We can finally set you free."
Juniper clutched the bone whistle to her chest, biting her lower lip like she was fighting the urge to cry. Instead, she threw her arms around Gwen and pulled her into a backbreaking hug, screaming, "Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
"It's…no problem," Gwen grunted, patting her on the back. "Now…let me go before you break my spine."
"Well, I guess we should get out of here," said Max as Juniper let go of Gwen. "Before anything more weird stuff happens."
"You know, I'm gonna miss June," Ben told his cousin as they walked back to the Rust Bucket. "She was a way better Gwen than you."
"Buzz off, doofus," said Gwen, slapping him upside the head.
But instead of getting mad, Ben laughed and said, "Good to have you back, Gwen."
The Tennysons loaded up into the Rust Bucket and drove away as Juniper waved them off, looking hopefully at the skull whistle that would soon set her free….
Sorry for disappearing for two months. Had to get surgery for my wrist and that made it difficult to write. But now I'm back and bringing you the longest chapter I've written yet.
The idea of giving Juniper Grim's favor comes from Fusion Fall lore where it is implied that Juniper made a deal with Grim to leave Orchid Bay. This will open up the possibility of Juniper appearing later down the line.
Next chapter: Benwolf