Earlier that afternoon...
Mikey bounded up the stairs enthusiastically.
The boy was ten years old, and was fairly smart, but not the best performer in school. He was more interested in cartoons, comic books, and other 'cool' things. And in class, he was more interested in Miss Warren, his teacher, than anything she had to teach. Even though he was still in the range of ages where boys thought girls had cooties, he had a major crush on his teacher.
He started working on his homework. If he finished early, he could play video games till bedtime. Sometimes, his big brother Jon would play with him. Although Jon was usually hanging out with his best friend, Karyn.
"Jon, are you all right?" his mom said. "You look pale."
"I'm fine," he croaked, lying.
His mother urged him into a nearby chair. "Do you need me to call a doctor?'
"I'm fine," he insisted, the croaking faded.
Jon didn't know what to do. If his sister and mother were changing...what about him, or Mikey?
He hurried up the stairs, but found Mikey's door open. He hurried back down, and found the front door ajar. He ran out to find his brother.
