Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Jon?" her mother called. "It's time for school, dear."
Jon had no idea what to say or do. "Jon?" her mom called again, "are you awake?"
Jon still couldn't come up with anything to say. Then the door opened, and her mother walked in. "Oh my," she said. "Looks like you're sick today. Well, it could have been worse, it's nothing disabling. Come on, dear, I think some of Zoe's old doll clothes will fit you."
Jon hovered there, agape. Had her mother just...was she thinking this was normal? Then again..it was normal, wasn't it? For everyone but her and Karyn...wasn't this transformative virus just a part of regular life? Before she could think about it further, her mother had grabbed her - not grabbed her by the hand, but grasped her whole body gently in one hand - and was dragging her off to the attic.
"M-mom," Jon finally managed to stutter, "Wh-what are you doing? I c-can't go to school like this!"
"Of course you can, dear," her mother smiled. "You're still able to talk and you've retained all the important motor abilities. And there's plenty of help at the school for people who have become size-challenged. You're not skipping school for something as minor as this. We just need to get you dressed. I'm not having you go to school naked, not unless you develop a fur coat and we can't find any clothes that fit you. Ah, here we are!"
She pulled out a dusty box. "Zoe hasn't touched these in years," she said. "Not since she got into that phase of hers. I'm sure she won't mind you using these. Let's see what we can find."
Jon watched as her mom rummaged through a bin full of dolls' clothes. Some of the items pulled out surprised her - she hadn't known dolls came with underwear, and the clothes themselves seemed to be a much higher quality manufacture than she remembered from watching Zoe. Then again, maybe that was because, thanks to the wish, doll clothes might have to double as real clothes in a pinch. Her mom eventually settled on a set of underwear, a blue denim skirt, and a plain white blouse. "There we are," she said, "let's see if these fit you."
Jon blushed madly as her mother's deft fingers strung a bra around her chest. It fit snugly. "You do the rest," her mom said. "That's the only thing you'll need help with. I'll show you how to do it later."
In a daze, Jon slipped on the plain white panties her mother had picked out, then put on the skirt. She tried briefly to put on the blouse, but was hindered by her wings. "Oh," her mom said, "my mistake. Just a minute." She pulled out a pair of scissors and made two slits down the back of the blouse, then slipped it on Jon, gently sliding each slit over Jon's delicate dragonfly wings. "There you are!" she smiled, then looked at the hall clock and frowned. "Oh dear, you've got to get down to the bus stop. Listen - don't forget to drop in and talk to the school nurse. Karyn's mom called and said Karyn changed too, so she'll help you remember. Make sure to ask her how long this is going to last. If it's longer than a month, or if it's permanent, I'll take you shopping this afternoon and get you some new clothes. Also make sure to get a micro-sized backpack and textbooks, okay?" She rushed Jon out the door and gently shoved her in the direction of the bus stop.
As Jon hovered there, wings fluttering, trying to sort out her thoughts, Karyn came bounding down the sidewalk. Literally. She was on all fours, doing a cat-style front-legs-together, back-legs-together run that made her move in large bounds. Coming to a stop, she stood up and looked around. "Phew," she said, "I thought I was going to miss the bus for sure." She turned to look at Jon, then did a double take. "JON!?" she yelped. Jon nodded. Karyn began to snicker.
"It's not funny!" Jon protested.
"Sorry, sorry," Karyn said. "Yeah, I guess it does suck for you, being stuck like that. It's just so funny, you looking like that and being that small."
"I'm not sure about 'stuck' yet," Jon said. "From what my mom said, it sounded like this is temporary. But she said it also might be permanent. And yes, it does suck."
Karyn nodded. "Temporary, huh? That's good, I guess. I personally wouldn't have a problem staying this way, but I suppose you'd disagree. Anyway, we've got the stone to help you if it does turn out to be permanent. We ought to try and alter the wish anyway; I don't want to see a bunch of peoples' lives screwed up because of this."
The bus pulled up, and they both got on. Karyn sat down on a bench, and Jon sat on the back of the seat next to her. After a short ride, they were at school.
