Born to Beguile

She was also a witch… a real witch. She wasn’t just a regular, run-of-the-mill witch, either. She was a shifter witch. Actress-witch, witch-actress, she changed like a teenager changed moods.

No one in the business knew the truth about Kennedy Taylor. That was a secret known to a select few, Truman being the first, after Kennedy’s mother. She was, of course, the first to learn about her daughter. It was rare that her type of witch ever came to be. Kennedy was born like any other child, but she was so precocious and inquisitive about things of the most absurd nature that her mother decided to have her tested. It was by chance that a geneticist isolated a rare gene in the little girl, a gene so unusual that the doctor was afraid to tell Kennedy’s mother. “Mrs. Taylor, your daughter is special,” he started. “She was born with the ICTII35 gene,” the man explained, trying not to stutter. When Mrs. Taylor put her hand over her mouth in horror, although not knowing anything about the gene, the doctor nearly shouted. “She’s a witch! Your daughter was born with the witch gene!”

Mrs. Taylor went to the floor at the words. When she came to, Kennedy’s bright eyes were the first thing she saw, and her heart melted.

“Raise her like any other child, Mrs. Taylor, but you may need to rein in her wild side from time to time. She cannot change her genes. None of us can at this point. Perhaps in time… oh, the possibilities!” He sighed, and then continued. “She is blessed with a special skill that will make itself known at some point. Good day, Mrs. Taylor, and be well.”

Mrs. Taylor had no time to ask the doctor anything more. He was out of there in a matter of seconds. “But I’ve never heard of a witch gene,” she called after him, with no response from the doctor.

Kennedy’s special skill was clearly acting, as well as getting her way with members of the male population, from boys to men. Those who knew her well were pretty sure that other special skills would evolve in time, so they were always a little on edge.

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