Chapter 36: A Gift for a Girlfriend

"We're not done." I said. "I want to change its shape."

"Why?" Olezhka asked. "You can keep the armor and the... not-sweater now. Is that not the best possible result?"

I shook my head and took the hoodie off, laying it on the ground again. "I won't grow as a witch if I don't try," I said. "And besides, it's not for me."

Olezhka cocked his head curiously, but didn't question me further. I prepared, focusing in on what I was about to do and tuning out the other sounds and sensations from around me.

I put my hands on the hoodie. Willing an object to change forms through forbiddance was a stretch, and that made the magic very difficult. I had to hold several ideas in my mind at once, never letting any of them change or drift in any way.

I felt the cloth before me begin to tremble with magic. Threads began to unweave themselves, stitches snapped apart and melted into raw material. Focus, I thought, don't forget why you're doing this.