Mary thought about just changing back into her normal self, but then decided against it. After all, people were probably wondering what happened to her, and if she showed up out of the blue, there were bound to be questions. However, if she tried to sneak into the apartment as a completely different person, that would probably cause problems as well, since she had no ID, and everyone in the apartment building was probably now on edge.
Considering the clothes laid out before her, Mary's eyes finally alit on some that appeared to belong to a teenage girl, probably around 14 or 15. She found a t-shirt, jacket, jeans, even socks and sneakers to complete the outfit. The more she thought about it, the better of an idea it seemed.
"After all," she mused, "people are less likely to suspect a teenage girl of anything, so they probably won't think I'm a burglar or something. Plus if I get caught, I can just say I'm Mary's niece or cousin or something. Kids don't always carry ID anyway."
Nodding as she made her mind up, Mary first grabbed the box of vials and followed her trail back towards the dog park. When she was certain she could find her way back to the apartment, Mary sat down and carefully opened the box of vials, taking her time as her paws made even the simplest of tasks fiddly. Breathing a sigh of relief at seeing the "Human" vial finally full again, Mary used a combination of her paws and her muzzle to extricate the "Human" vial from the box and, with a lot of patience, managed to uncork it. Afraid that she might spill the contents again, Mary put her long tongue on the end of the vial and tipped a little bit of potion on her tongue. Then, righting the vial, she swallowed the tiny amount of potion. She repeated the process about a dozen times, then waited to see the effects.
Gratified, Mary grinned as her muzzle began to shorten slightly and her paws started to lengthen. Although they were not yet hands and feet - the amount of potion she had taken was far too small for that - Mary was relieved to find she could curl her stubby fingers enough to grip an object, and that her thumbs were returning to their normal position. Finally assured that she could hold the vial comfortably, Mary grasped the vial in her hand, leaned slightly back, then poured the entire remainder of the "Human" vial down her throat.
As she had taken an entire vial, the changes proceeded fairly quickly. Mary watched in wonder as her black fur slowly receded and was replaced by smooth skin. Her arms and legs tingled as they gradually reconstructed themselves, but the oddest sensations came from her face and ears. After about two hours, she was able to look in a nearby puddle to see a reflection of a normal, but naked, Mary. Relieved to be herself again, Mary was a little reluctant to take another vial, but reassuring herself that she was staying in human form, and that she had established that she could definitely reverse the changes, she pulled out a vial that had "Age" written on it, as well as an arrow pointing downwards.
Mary wasn't sure how much to take, but having learned from her prior experiences, knew to proceed slowly. Figuring that being age 15 would remove about two-fifths of her current age, Mary swallowed about a quarter of the vial, deciding she could make minute changes from that point forward. Feeling the now-familiar tingle, Mary studied herself in the puddle as her body gradually changed.
While the changes were not major, as she had only taken a quarter of the vial, Mary could feel some differences in her body. It seemed more wiry, with no fine lines or wrinkles whatsoever. Her hair seemed more lively and vibrant, and after about half an hour, Mary assumed she was about age 18 or 19. Eager to complete the changes, Mary took another swig of the vial, leaving a little more than half the vial intact. Returning it to the box, Mary continued examining her appearance.
This time the changes were slightly more drastic, as Mary slowly began to shrink, losing fat on her body, and even her chest reducing in size. By the time another half hour had passed, Mary had definitely lost a few inches. Far from the mature 25-year-old she had started out as, she now had the appearance of a teenager who had just experienced puberty, and was still growing into her womanly form. Although a little weirded out at seeing her teenage self, Mary stuck out her tongue at her 15-year-old reflection and proceeded to dress herself in the clothes she had laid out. Completing her outfit with a few accessories from the bag, Mary could now pass for an average high-schooler. Luckily, the bag had even contained a backpack, which she quickly used to hold the box of vials.
Trotting out of the woods, Mary elicited no stares from any passerbys, and seemed to fit in completely. Confident in her disguise, Mary headed straight for the apartment building and easily entered, making her way up in the elevator to the floor her apartment was on. Walking past her doorway nonchalantly, Mary was a bit surprised to see her doorway covered in yellow "Caution - Do Not Cross" tape, with a paper stating that no one was allowed to enter by order of the police. Although worried that having the poilce involved might complicate matters, Mary decided the first order of business had not changed: she needed her money, phone, and ID. Mary walked down to the end of the hallway and casually looked around, carefully ensuring no one would see her, then turned around, walked back, and slipped through the tape into her apartment. Quickly gathering her purse and personal items from the closet, Mary was too engrossed in her task to hear the footsteps in the hallway.
"What are you doing in here?" a voice boomed out from behind Mary, and she whirled around to face the speaker.