Awakening to Magic and a Painful Snub

Sinking deeper into the warm bath, I closed my eyes and savored the sensation of being clean after apparently spending six weeks in a hospital bed. My mind was still reeling from the news. Six weeks. Gone. Just like that. But here I was, awake and alive, even if my muscles felt like they belonged to someone else entirely.

I ran my hands over my legs, grimacing at the stubble. Great. Six weeks of unconsciousness and no one had thought to shave my legs. Not that it should matter, but something so mundane made me feel more human again.

"I wish all this body hair would just disappear," I muttered, dragging my fingers along my calf.

A warm tingling sensation spread across my skin, starting where my fingers touched and radiating outward. I watched in shock as the hair on my legs literally vanished before my eyes, leaving nothing but smooth skin behind.

"What the—" I yelped, jerking upright so quickly that water sloshed over the edge of the tub.