It was Jon's friend Tim Brant. Or at least acquaintance, since Tim wasn't above doing some questionable things.
Tim had half an idea to make a girlfriend, but the disease affects the person who has it, not other people. If he turned Jon into his girlfriend and sent him home other people would get suspicious that he had something to do with it. If he didn't send Jon home, Jon would become a missing person.
But maybe there was a way. If you changed into something with wings, and you didn't weigh too much, you could fly--and you could fly even when the disease was over. If you changed into a robot, you would forever have circuits.
What about shapeshifting? The disease changed people's shape by itself, of course. But being a shapeshifter should be like being a winged creature--there's something about your biology that lets you shapeshift. Tim had no idea what it was, but it had to be something. If he could turn someone into that, they'd be a shapeshifter forever. Not because they still had the disease, but because you just gave them shapeshifter cells, in the same way you'd give them wings.
He ordered Jon to follow him to a deserted area outside the mall, where he began giving suggestions in earnest. This would be long and he'd have to change several things. "You are Jon Madison, you go to Lake Point School, you're age 16, and you're the Jon Madison that me and people at school all know, but sometimes you change into a girl Jonni, who looks like a girl version of Jon but has long hair."
Next step: Set up the memories. "Jonni remembers being Jon and considers herself the same person, but Jonni thinks of herself as a girl, she's grateful to me for making her, and she wants to be my girlfriend. Jon doesn't remember being Jonni. Jon will think he fell asleep, lost track of time, or some other explanation. He may occasionally remember doing the things Jonni did but only if they make sense for Jon--he might remember eating or doing homework, but not that he was on a date when he was eating."
Finally, he needed to set up when the transform happens. "You turn into Jonni when Jonni has plans or sometimes at random. but only when you're alone or around people who know, and when nobody would miss Jon too much." He didn't want Jon turning into a girl at school and missing half a day of classes, after all. "Jonni changes back after a few hours but can choose to do it earlier. If you transform when asleep you can wake up as Jonni, do things, and go back to sleep and you will be as rested as if you really were asleep."
Jon nodded agreement to various sentences and said "I am Jon, I change into Jonni...." Tim hoped he had covered everything.
Now he just needed to finish up the six hours. "You will follow me home, avoiding other people." It was 9:30 and Jon should be done by 3:30 in the afternoon, which was plenty of time.
"I will follow you home, avoiding other people."
Tim walked the mile to his home, Jon right behind him. His parents were out for the day, which was good; he led Jon into his room and gave Jon some orders to fall asleep. The six hours were the longest Tim had ever waited; he had to resort to telling Jon to lie down on the living room couch while he played video games in his room where Jon couldn't hear anything.
When the time was almost up, he saved his game and went over to the living room to wait. "By the way," he suggested to Jon, "you're not suspicious that I did anything unusual to you."
Jon muttered that he wasn't suspicious but sat there staring. Tim kept watch and ten minutes later Jon's eyes began to show intelligence.
"Oh, I had such a headache," said Jon.
"It's okay, Jon. You must have had blank slate disease. I told you you were the Jon everyone remembers and brought you here. You're lucky I found you--what if you had stayed there listening to everything people said?"
"I guess I really lucked out. Thanks, I appreciate it. Wait a minute, what time is it?" Jon got out his cell phone and saw not only the time, but the missed calls on it. Both were from Karyn. He texted her explaining that he apologized but was sick, but he was okay now.
Jon stood up, put on his shoes and jacket, and hurried out, but halfway to the door, he stopped. His figure was shimmering and he grew breasts and long hair, and shortly in front of Tim stood the girl he had asked for....
