The insistent ringing of the alarm awoke her. Reaching over, she brought her hand down onto the snooze button, only to be met with a loud crunching sound as the clock was smashed like an egg beneath her palm. Jon's sleep-muddled brain barely registered the phenomenon, but she soon found herself feeling more alert.
Usually, not being much of a morning person, she was a veritable zombie until she had taken her morning coffee. Now, however, she felt an odd energy coursing through her. Opening her eyes, she sat up on her bed and threw off her covers.
For a moment, she stared at her new body in shock. Then, she screamed.
At least, she tried to scream. For some reason, her face did not seem to listen to her mental commands. Her mouth remained shut and her throat produced no sound. Inside, though, she was anything but still.
Leaping from the bed, she stumbled to her mirror. To her horror, there stood a girl, a girl made of stone. Even more disturbing, her eyes seemed to have been replaced by glowing orbs that lit up her eye sockets like twin furnaces. Leaning closer, she realized that she was actually made of some sort of dark ceramic, and while she could move her body as easily as before without the aid of visible joints, her face was a frozen mask, caught in an expression of calm, cold impassiveness. It reminded her of Greek statues or those Chinese terracotta warriors. The sunlight from her window glinted off her, revealing a tasteful pattern of lines etched into every surface. Despite her dread, she had to admit she looked very pretty, a true work of art. But what kind of thing was she?
A knock on her door startled her. "Jon? Are you awake yet? I heard your alarm ring."
Jon tried to reply to her mom with no success.
"Jon?" Her mother called again. "I'm coming in. You'd better be awake, young man."
Linda Madison opened the door and stepped inside. She automatically looked to the bed, but found it empty. A movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. Glancing over, she gasped at the sight of a strange looking girl in her son's clothing. "Jon?"
After a moment, Jon nodded.
Her mother rushed over to her. "Oh Jon! You've been infected! It must've been from Karyn. Her mother called to tell me about her transformation yesterday. I always knew it was only a matter of time before you came down with the disease. Are you alright?"
Linda peered into her former son's face, but saw no hint of a reaction. Bringing up her hand to touch the sculpted cheek, she felt only hard stone. The girl reached up her own hand and rapped gently on her cheekbone, eliciting a sound like the striking of pottery. Then, she pointed at her lips and shook her head.
"You can't talk?"
The girl nodded.
Her mother sighed. "I've heard of this sort of thing before. You've become an inorganic of some kind."
Jon tilted her head in the universal gesture of puzzlement.
"Remember? People don't always become organic creatures. It's the same way that some people become magical creatures. Natural laws just go out the window. I know it's not common, but this happens. I'm just glad you're not a fire elemental or something. Every house in our neighborhood is supposed to be flame resistant for such cases, but I'd rather not test it." Linda put her hand over her child's shoulders. "To be honest, I really don't know if this sort of thing's permanent. But even if it is, I want you to know I love you just the same. We'll make the best of this together, alright?"
Jon slumped to the floor, the enormity of the situation finally catching up to her. She wanted to cry, to yell, to do anything verbal to express her grief at losing her identity. Instead, she could only kneel on the floor, covering her face in her hands.
Linda knelt beside her new daughter. While many of the usual indicators of emotion were now unusable, the girl's anguish was clear. "I know, sweetie. I know. It's no fun being sick, but you'll be fine. Everyone goes through this, so you're not alone."
At this point, Zoe peeked in the door. "Hey, Jon. You take your shower yet? Can I have the bathr-"
She stopped, and her eyes went wide. "What happened?"
"Jon caught the virus at school. He well, she's become an inorganic."
"She? Inorganic? Can I see?" Without waiting for an answer, Zoe walked over and stared. "Whoa, that's freaky."
"Mind your words, young lady," her mother admonished.
Zoe snorted. "What? Did I say it was a bad thing? Freaky's freaky, that's all."
Linda narrowed her eyes. "We'll talk about this later. For now, go get ready for school, or you'll be late."
When Zoe had left, Linda turned back to Jon. "You have to get ready for school, too, Jon."
Jon's head jerked up in dismayed shock.
"That's right, Jon. You're still going to school. Despite the dramatic symptoms, the virus isn't considered a serious illness, just something everyone's probably gotten at some time or other. I'm actually surprised you didn't come down with this sooner. Now go gather your clothes. I'll get you some underwear. I guess you can borrow some of Zoe's. You look about her size."
With that, she left. Jon slowly got up and walked towards her closet. Suddenly, she remembered the stone. Rushing over to her bed, she brought out the box where she stored her grandfather's gift. Taking out the stone, she froze. It hit her. How could she make wishes if she could not speak? Desperately, she tried wishing mentally. Nothing. She would have to take the stone to school and have Karyn make the wish for her. Placing the stone on her nightstand, she went to root through her closet.
