(This entry is split to increase options.)
Jon watched in horror as her school came into view. "But Mom, aren't I still contagious? And on top of that, I'm in the middle of an out-of-body experience of the most extreme kind! Doesn't that give me at least one day to get used to it?"
Laura sighed. "Well, first of all, you're not that contagious. Very few people actually get the virus from others if they're careful. And besides, most of your classmates have probably had it when they were younger, so they should have some resistance to it. Secondly, about giving you a day to adjust, I'd normally agree with you. But the doctor said that it's best to get you back to your normal routine as soon as possible. The worst thing for you right now is isolation."
Seeing the sphinx's look of apprehension, she reached out and gave her a comforting rub on the shoulder, which inevitably took on more of a petting motion. "Don't worry, Jon. I called ahead to explain your situation. They said they'd accommodate you as much as they can."
"What about books? We left mine at home. And even if I did have them, how would I carry them?"
At this, Laura raised an eyebrow. "Don't you know? Every school has the standard necessary equipment for handling changes from the virus. I'm sure they have something you can use. If not, they'll probably assign someone to help you for now."
Jon sat brooding over this crazy world she found herself in. It still struck her as odd that a disease that caused random bodily transformations would be treated so lightly. Even a flu would mean a few days stuck in bed, not just to recover, but to prevent any chance of infection, or an outright epidemic.
Then again, the virus had been meant to replace colds. People often came to school with the sniffles, and nobody considered it irresponsible. Take away the danger of spreading it through sneezing, coughing, or general oozing, and the whole thing could almost be considered safe. Nonetheless, it was the "almost" that posed the biggest problem. In the end, the young sphinx could only chalk it up as one of the mysterious ways of the wishing rock.
Soon, the car pulled into the school parking lot. Laura pointed out the window. "Oh, looks like they have someone waiting for you after all."
With her somewhat smaller stature, Jon had to crane her neck to peer out the window. Thankfully, her new body had seen fit to gift her with a few extra vertebrae in her neck, mainly allowing her to hold her head upright like a human even with the rest of her body lying flat on her belly. Thus, with the few extra inches, she could clearly make out her designated helper.
