30. Miracles Abound (Amy)
"Nope," Hailey said as she shook her head. "I don't believe it. I can't believe it."
Tess smiled as she stated, "It's the truth."
I had a slight grin on my face too, but I just shrugged quietly.
It was half past six Wednesday evening. It was the fourth of August, and it was only the fourth day since Tess and I officially became girlfriends. It was also the fourth day since I found out the truth about who I used to be.
Me and Tess were busy trying to find a bigger apartment so we could move in together, but in the meantime I'd already moved some of my clothes and things over to her place since I'd been spending most of my time there anyways.
Yesterday I told Mike I'd be officially moving out by the end of the month, but I offered to pay my share of the rent till the end of September so he had more time to find another roomie. I was a little worried how he'd react but he was his usual positive self. He was happy for me, and supportive as ever. He even told me not to worry about the extra month's rent. I still felt weird about that, but I suspected that was on me rather than him.
And now Tess and I were sitting together on the sofa at my sister's place. We were visiting for the evening, the three of us planned to have dinner together but before that we wanted to tell her the news. She already knew most of it anyways, since we told her pretty much everything we knew when we were here a week and a half ago.
Hailey gave me a skeptical look and asked, "So if my little baby sister's really a goddess, can I see some miracles?"
I rolled my eyes, "I'm not really a goddess, I just have access to her power. Anyways, your furniture's still pink, and you're still blonde. Haven't you seen enough miracles already?"
She countered, "You claimed that was someone else doing stuff for you. I want to see you do some miracles yourself."
"It was me, we just didn't know it," I pointed out. "And it would look exactly the same now, the only difference is I don't have to do that 'I wish' stuff anymore."
My sister kept trying, "Aw come on Amy! You can't claim to have godlike powers then refuse to show off and prove it."
I sighed, then pouted as I grumbled "I should start asking for some sort of tribute or something, if I have to keep showing off with miracles and magic. Or at least give me a cookie when I grant you a miracle."
Mostly I was just joking around, and I got a stifled giggle out of Tess. But Hailey got up from her seat and disappeared into the kitchen. I heard a cupboard door open and close, then she returned and placed a package of cookies on the coffee table in front of us.
"There you go," she said with a smile. "I remember those were your favourites right? Chunky chewy chocolate chocolate chip cookies, the six C's of deliciousness. Show me a miracle and you can have a cookie."
I stared at the package for a moment. She was right, those were my favourites when I was a kid. Mom only got them on special occasions, and I had to fight with the rest of the family to get some.
"You had those hanging around? Just in case you needed to bribe me?"
Hailey grinned, "No dork, I like them too. So is it a deal?"
I glanced at Tess but she just rolled her eyes and smiled, "You should have held out for a whole package, instead of just one cookie."
"Right," I sighed, then I looked back at my sister. "What do you want me to do?"
A sly smile formed on her face and she said, "Same as last time. I'm thinking of something, do your omniscient goddess thing then make it happen."
I wasn't really omniscient or a goddess, but I didn't want to keep debating that with my sister. I didn't want to look at her thoughts either, but she'd obviously made her mind up and she could be as stubborn as dad when she got her mind set on something.
Fortunately if she was thinking about it, it'd be right on the surface so I wouldn't need more than a brief glimpse to know what she wanted. So I braced myself then took a tiny peek inside.
"You've got to be kidding me," I stated a moment later. "You're already a tall girl. Heck you're half a foot taller than me as it is! Why do you want to be two inches taller?"
She blushed, "It's not for you doofus, it's for Alex. I want to be the same height as her. Anyways, so can you do it?"
"Yeah I could, but..." I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, "I mean, people will notice that. How are you going to explain a two-inch overnight growth spurt?"
Tess gave me a bit of a look and asked, "Can you really do that?"
I looked from my sister to my girlfriend and grimaced, "Wait you're not going to start asking for that too are you?"
"Well," she said as her cheeks went pink. "I mean, if you were going to do it anyways for Hailey..."
I groaned and slumped back on the sofa, "Maybe I should just make myself shorter? All you people want to tower over me."
Hailey giggled, "That'd be cute sis and I'd love to see an even-tinier you, but I already told you this isn't about you. I want it for Alex."
"I'm gonna need more cookies," I grumped.
"You can take a half dozen of them home with you after dinner if you do it," she offered.
After a few seconds I sighed "Like I said, you'll have to come up with some explanation or excuse. But you can't go around telling people your little sister's got divine powers, ok? That part's a secret. Don't even tell mom and dad."
She laughed, "Like I'd tell them that. They're both still pissy about the magic demonstrations last week. Dad keeps bitching about the pool even though it's fine, like nothing was broken but he gets all uptight about 'what could have happened'. Meanwhile mom's still moaning about her pictures. Did you know that magic even affected the files on her computer? She tried to replace the stuff on the walls but all the originals were changed too."
I blushed, "Actually that didn't happen at your birthday. I did that Sunday night, I purged my deadname and my old image from everywhere I could think of. Kind of as a test, but it also made me happy knowing I wouldn't have to see them again."
Hailey and Tess both looked surprised, but before either could speak up I said "Anyways..."
After a pause for dramatic effect I changed the subject, "What were the plans for dinner? Are we going out somewhere, or getting something in? Or were you going to cook for us?"
Hailey rolled her eyes to my last option, "As if. There's a cool Asian Fusion place a half block up the street. It's like less than ten minutes walk, if you want to go out? Or if you prefer, we can order in and have it delivered."
Tess and me exchanged a glance, then I shrugged and said "Let's go out? A little walk would be nice I think?"
"Sounds good" my sister agreed. She added, "It's a nice place, and shouldn't be too crowded this early on a Wednesday night."
The three of us got to our feet, Tess and I already had our purses with us and Hailey ducked into her bedroom to grab hers before we set out.
We were all dressed fairly casual as usual, I was in a black sundress, Tess wore tight capris and a cute blouse, and my sister was in shorts and a tight t-shirt again. I had some comfy black sandals on my feet, the other two wore sneakers.
When the doors opened we all stepped into the elevator together and Hailey hit the button for the lobby. Then she looked down at me and stared for a few seconds.
Her eyes widened and she gasped, "You little sneak! When did that happen?!"
"What?" Tess asked in confusion as she looked at Hailey then down at me.
I smirked as my girlfriend did a double-take, and her eyes widened as well.
As the elevator doors opened onto the lobby I replied, "Just before I started asking about dinner."
"Wow," my sister shook her head in wonder, then added, "This way, c'mon."
I almost had to hurry to keep up with them. The difference wasn't that great over-all, and apart from their height nothing else had changed. Most of the growth was in their legs, which resulted in a slightly longer stride so they were walking quicker than usual.
My sister and my girlfriend both had wide smiles on their faces as they towered over me on either side while the three of us made our way along the sidewalk. I was still only five-foot-two, but Hailey was now five-ten and Tess was five-eight.
Soon enough the three of us were seated in a booth, Tess and I sat beside each other on one side and Hailey was across from us on the other.
The place looked nice, sort of cosy and friendly. They ordered drinks but I just got a glass of cola since I was driving later. And we ordered an assortment of dishes so we could all share and sample everything.
Then as we waited, I asked "So Hailey, you said you wanted to be taller for Alex? Are you trying to get serious with her?"
My sister blushed slightly, "Maybe. We've been hanging out a lot more lately, and I know we said there wasn't really much of a romantic thing there before but maybe I'm starting to lean in that direction now? I sometimes wonder if she's feeling that too, or maybe I'm just reading into things."
"Well I hope everything works out for you," I told her. "She seemed pretty nice when we met her last week."
Tess agreed, "I liked her. Maybe if things work out, you and she can set up some double-dates with Amy and I."
The tall blonde grinned, "Oh, that'd be fun. I'm glad you two finally realized you were a couple. It was funny watching you both fluster around that topic a week and a half ago, but that gets awkward fast."
Me and Tess both blushed, and I protested "Hey, we both had a lot going on at first ok? There were bigger issues we needed to address, before we could think about dating."
"Uh-huh," she deadpanned. "So what are you both doing next? Not just in terms of relationships, I mean overall? What are your plans?"
The food arrived so the conversation paused for a few moments while the waitress was with us. Then we all got started, helping ourselves to the different dishes laid out in front of us all. Everything looked and smelled great, and I was hungry and eager to dig in.
Tess responded first, "I've still got my part-time summer job at the moment, then in September I'm back at college for the last year of my program. And in the meantime, Amy and I are looking for a bigger apartment."
She added with a grin, "Not that it's stopping Amy from all but moving in anyways. But we could definitely use a bigger bathroom and more closet space."
"Bigger kitchen and a balcony too," I added.
"Nice," Hailey grinned. Then she asked me, "What are you going to do for money though? Have you found a new job yet?"
I shook my head, "I've decided to go back to school. I don't know what I'm going to take yet, that's at the top of my to-do list right now? I'm looking through what courses and programs are available, I'm sure something will grab my attention."
She swallowed a mouthful of food before responding "Good for you! But how are you paying for it? Are you getting help from mom and dad?"
"Nah," I shook my head. "I haven't talked to them since your birthday. I'll wait and see if they ever try and get in touch with me. And as for money..."
I blushed slightly and whispered, "Having divine power has some advantages, you know? I'm not being greedy about it, but I've figured out a few tricks. Money's not going to be a problem."
My big sister's eyes went wide again, "Holy shit, sis."
Tess and I both smiled as we continued our meal. The food was good, and when we were all done I paid the bill and left a big tip since money really wasn't an issue anymore.
We all went back to Hailey's place and hung out a while more, and I insisted on having my chunky chewy chocolate chocolate chip cookie for dessert. That made my sister giggle, but I didn't actually take half the box. Even just one cookie was a massive sugar and chocolate overload.
It was a fun evening and both of them had a few more drinks as we all talked more, but Tess had work in the morning so around ten we got ready to leave. I reminded my sister about keeping stuff secret, and that she'd have to come up with some excuse to explain the growth spurt.
Tess and Hailey were both a little tipsy, but my sister promised to keep my secrets. Then we all bid each other goodnight, and my girlfriend and I set out for home.
Tess was quiet until we were back in the car and on the road, then she commented "I can't believe you actually made your sister and I taller. Are you going to let me keep the extra height?"
"Sure," I shrugged. "If you want it."
She settled back in her seat with a wide grin as she commented, "The other day I was thinking, there's some advantages to having a girlfriend with divine power at her fingertips. I was right."
I smirked, "Theresa may have a little miracle now and then. As a treat."
Tess giggled and I just smiled as I drove the two of us home.