Back in her room, wrapped in the hotel's luxuriously thick robe, Mandy studied the room service menu. Her stomach churned with nervous anticipation, but Kieran said explicitly that she needed to eat before taking the potion. She ordered room service - a perfectly grilled ribeye steak, medium rare, with a loaded baked potato and caesar salad. If this turned out to be her last meal before a magical transformation... well, she'd chosen well. Bach and Mozart watched with interest as she hung up the phone, clearly hoping some of her dinner might find its way to their dishes.
"Don't give me those looks," she told them, scratching Bach behind his ears. "You have your own Fancy Feast waiting."
She settled back in her chair, watching the sun paint the mountains in deepening shades of purple and gold. Despiteher nervousness about what lay ahead, she couldn't help but appreciate the perfect tranquility of this moment - her cats contentedly exploring their temporary kingdom, the majestic desert landscape spread before her, and the simple luxury of room service on its way.
Mandy pulled herself from her contemplation of the sunset and checked the time. The cats were giving her meaningful looks - their internal clocks were never wrong when it came to dinner time. She retrieved their food from her carefully packed supplies, the familiar routine helping to settle her nerves.
"Alright, you spoiled creatures," she said, measuring out their portions with practiced precision. Bach and Mozart wound around her ankles, their purrs reaching new levels of intensity as she placed their bowls in the designated feeding area she'd set up in the bathroom.
She watched them eat - such a normal, everyday moment on what could be the most extraordinary night of her life.
When room service arrived with her dinner, the aroma of perfectly cooked steak made her mouth water despite her nervousness. She arranged everything just so on the small table by the window, taking time to appreciate the careful presentation. The meal was every bit as delicious as it had smelled, but even so, she had a hard time forcing herself to eat, given the butterflies doing somersaults in her tummy.
Finishing her dinner, Mandy faced her next decision. What to wear for this magical transformation? Her usual nightgown felt too intimate, considering Kieran would be present while she slept. The thought of the ancient Djinn prince seeing her in her the thin, floating nightgowns she wore made her cheeks flush. Yes, even at her age. She rolled her eyes at herself.
She opened the closet where she'd carefully hung her clothes, fingers trailing over the fabrics until they found the perfect choice - her favorite caftan in shimmering gold and crimsonpatterns. She loved the rich colors, that reminded her of desert sunsets, appropriate for this transformative night in Arizona.
The silky fabric settled around her like water as she slipped it on. The caftan's generous folds would keep her decent while Kieran worked his magic, yet she felt beautiful wearing it - a small comfort as she faced whatever lay ahead.
Mandy settled into bed, propping herself against the pillows she'd carefully arranged. The crystal bottle felt cool against her palm as she studied the shimmering blue liquid one final time. Taking a deep breath, she lifted it to her lips.
The taste surprised her - summer berries and morning dew, just as Kieran had promised, but with subtle notes of honey and something ethereal she couldn't quite identify. Warmth spread through her chest as she swallowed, different from alcohol's burn. This was gentler, more natural, like sunlight seeping into her very bones. She found herself wishing there was more of it, savoring the last drops as they slid down her throat.
The sensation radiated outward, tendrils of pure relaxation flowing through her limbs. Her muscles unwound one by one, tension she hadn't even realized she was carrying melting away. The pendant pulsed softly against her skin, its rhythm matching the waves of warmth flowing through her body.
Bach and Mozart had already claimed their favorite sleeping spots on the bed. Their familiar presence grounded her as she reached for the light switches, leaving only the bedside lamp glowing softly.
Settling back against the pillows, Mandy picked up her Kindle. The familiar comfort of reading before sleep felt important tonight, a normal routine on this most abnormal of evenings. She opened her current book, some light romance she'd started the night before.
A gentle lassitude seeped through her body, making her eyelids heavy. She blinked, trying to focus on the screen. Thependant's steady pulse grew fainter, or maybe she was just less aware of it. Her eyelids felt heavier with each passing moment.
She didn't remember closing her eyes. Didn't notice when the Kindle slipped from her loosening grasp. The last thing she registered was Bach's soft purring against her hip as she drifted into the deepest sleep she'd ever known.
Mandy drifted slowly toward consciousness,aware of insistent nudging against her hands. Bach and Mozart's familiar headbutts demanded attention, their purrs rumbling through the mattress. Her fingers automatically found their sweet spots - Bach's chin, Mozart's ears - as she gradually surfaced from the depths of sleep.
She smiled, eyes still closed as she paid her cats their morning tributes of chin and ear scritches, savoring the peaceful moment.
Something nagged at the edges of her mind. Something important. Her eyes fluttered open, landing on the bedside clock's glowing numbers: 6:15 PM.
PM?
Memory crashed back like a tidal wave. The potion. Kieran. Her first wish.
Mandy shot upright in bed, then froze as reality caught up with her action. She'd just... sat up. Just like that. No careful repositioning, no bracing herself on the mattress and pushing herself using her arms. No shooting pain down her spine or protesting muscles. She'd simply sat up, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Her hand flew to her lower back, pressing gently where the familiar ache had lived for so many years. Nothing. No pain. No stiffness. No burning sensation shooting down her legs.
Bach complained at the sudden movement, relocating himself to her lap with an indignant meow. Mozart simply adjusted his position at her feet, apparently unimpressed by this miracle.
Mandy sat perfectly still, hardly daring to breathe as she took stock of her body. The constant background noise of pain that had been her companion for decades... was silent. The grinding in her knees, the burning in her spine, the deep ache in her hips - all gone.
She'd sat up in bed. She was having a hard time comprehending that. Just... sat up. Like a normal person. Like someone who didn't have to carefully plan and execute every movement. Like someone who didn't need to calculate the cost in pain before attempting any action.
Mandy glanced down at herself, but the hotel's thick duvet covered her from chest to toes. Her hands clutched the edge of the covers, suddenly afraid to throw them back. What if nothing had changed? What if she looked exactly the same as she had last night? Her heart hammered against her ribs as panic threatened to overwhelm her.
She forced herself to take deep breaths, focusing on what she already knew was different. She didn't have any pain, not at all. Nothing. Zip, zilch, nada. In fact, she felt just fine.
That alone was miraculous. If this was all she got from her wish - if she looked exactly the same but had this complete freedom from pain - that would be enough for her. She could be happy with that. It didn't matter what she looked like. The freedom from pain was worth everything.
