Zoe was experiencing a curious mixture of high spirits and nervous jitters when she got home from school that afternoon. She was nearing the magical 72-hour cutoff point, although she hadn't been informed that that figure was only approximate. After this, she'd be immune to the contagion, and would never have to fear for her species, sex, or number of manipulable appendages again. But as she got closer to the end, she felt more worried about the possibility of changing at the last minute. It would be terrible to have that happen with the end in sight; but with luck, she'd get through this unscathed, she hoped.
After she had gotten all her school stuff put away, Zoe went into the kitchen, where her mother and siblings were waiting for her. Afternoon coffee was something of a family-bonding ritual in the Madison household, a way to relax after school or work and talk about things. Zoe poured a cup and sat down between the harpy and the pixie. It was still strange to think of these myth-born creatures as her siblings, but their presence for coffee was a comforting reminder that not everything had changed.
Mikey, naked as was her wont, was struggling with using her talons in place of hands, but she was managing better than she had at first, and the coffee that did spill left no visible stains on her rich brown plumage. Meanwhile, Jon, in clothes as gender-neutral as she could find for pixies, was sipping her coffee out of a decorative miniature teacup that had been co-opted for the purpose; it hadn't taken her long to learn that, when you have only a tiny fraction of your original body mass, a little caffeine goes a long way. Zoe was almost sorry she hadn't been there to see that.
The normal subjects - school, work, life in general - were discussed, but ever since Zoe's return, their conversation had been focused more on the reactions of the outside world. Everyone was very thankful that the government was being as understanding as it was, and the reintegration of the county into the normal world was going fairly smoothly, but there was word that in less open-minded countries, the people who had been exposed to the virus weren't faring so well. Which made the people of Jon's hometown all the more grateful for their comparatively easy ride.
As they were finishing up, Mrs. Madison leaned forward and looked her daughters in the eye. All three knew this meant she had something more serious to say. "Listen, Jon, Mikey," she said. "I know you're both still getting used to your new situation, but...well, I think it's time to face the facts. You're not boys any more, and there's really no point in your having boys' names."
The two former males started to protest, but their mother held up her hand. Zoe watched with interest. "I'm sure it sounds outrageous," Mrs. Madison said, "but if you think about it, I think you'll see that it's just another way to pretend you're still male, and that's not a healthy thing. Now, I'm not going to force you into anything, but I want you to be thinking about this. Okay?"
The two girls nodded, and their mother smiled. "Good," she said. "That's all I want from you, just think about it fairly." Jon flitted out the door and over toward Karyn's house, and Mikey plunked down on the couch with a book.
A little later that afternoon, Zoe was sitting in her room, reading and listening to some music, when she began to feel slightly dizzy. She looked across the room to the mirror on her dresser; nothing seemed out of ordinary, except for...a leaf? How had a leaf gotten on her head? She reached up and tried brush it off, but it only moved a couple inches. She grabbed it and tried to pull it off her head...
She could feel it. Suddenly all the panic from earlier was back in full force.
Zoe tugged on the leaf and the tendril it was attached to, but it was like pulling her own hair, and she quickly gave that up for a general freakout. She watched in horror as the tendril began to grow into a small vine, which was soon joined by others, all sporting many leaves and the occasional flower. Most were growing from her scalp, but a few vines here and there snaked their way under her clothing, twining around her body and covering her objectionable bits in an artful fashion. As she watched, Zoe could see her normally black hair change to a deep green, her sun-tanned skin taking on a slight greenish hue as well. What body hair she had followed suit, becoming a rich green and almost mossy in texture. And then it was over.
Her ear-piercing shriek got the attention of her mother, who came into Zoe's room to find a hysterical plant-girl huddled on the floor, sobbing. "Oh God," she moaned, "oh...oh God, I'm a freak!"
"No you're not," her mother said, sounding as soothing as she possible. "You're some kind of wood nymph, that's all. And you look lovely."
"But I'm n-not even human!" Zoe sobbed. "And now I'm going to turn into some kind of tree-hugging hippie fairy princess!"
Mrs. Madison culdn't help but snicker a bit. "No, dear," she said, rubbing the new nymph's back. "You don't have to let this change who you are. And besides, you don't even know if it's permanent yet. This might just be a strange week or two before you're done with it forever."
"B-but Jon's was p-permanent!" the sobbing nymph stammered. "A-and Mikey's, t-too! They told me the odds, and that's way improbable! What if there's something about our family that makes these things permanent?"
"Well, if that's the case, I think you can handle it," her mother reassured her. "After all, your change is pretty minor, compared to theirs. You're still a girl, and you still have your hands. I know you were worried about your harp, but if you are stuck, you're perfectly able to play. Come on, now, you have to admit, even the worst-case scenario isn't so bad, is it?"
