The effects were a bit different than what Elizabeth expected. They would manifest themselves around the world, spreading out from the epicenter and reshaping the world. Beyond Elizabeth, the first people to find out about this was her neighbors one floor down.
As Elizabeth's changes began, Steven Wong was watching hockey on the sofa with his son Alex. Steven was in his late forties, average height, had short cut black hair, handsome for his age if slightly overweight and normally good natured. When he was in High School he had a good run on the school's hockey team, but was never good enough to go pro. Alex was 18 years old, slightly taller than his father and with a black mop. He was an athletic young man on the school basketball team. Both of them had nachos and beer and cheered and cried as their team gained the upper hand.
Both of them were wearing Jerseys for their team and were making a ruckus, which Alice Wong was getting mildly annoyed with as she worked cleaning up the kitchen of Nacho related mess and dinner. Her hands diligently scrubbing away beneath the suds. She was a bit younger than her husband and was unassumingly attractive in a basic skirt and shirt ensemble and neck length black hair. Despite having a decent secretarial job she ended up doing too much of the housework and cooking and sometimes found herself thinking unflattering thoughts about Men, which she contrasted with (among other people) her daughter Jane.
Jane Wong similarly was rolling her eyes at the sounds of hockey cheers from her room as she worked on an assignment for her art class, the drawing of a woman. Woman. She was petite, a year and a half younger than her brother and was by temperament shy, calm, introverted and creative. She wore a shirt, sweatshirt and leggings and her hair was done up in a bun with a prominent red highlight. Like her mother, she found masculinity to often be tiring. She also noticed something odd, a play of light. She dismissed it as probably being a car passing by.
On the TV a fumble by left a shot was intercepted at the last second, sending the puck ricocheting away and to the stick of the star player of Steven and Alex's team. He dodged and weaved past a couple of who moved to intercept him, got into a perfect line, raised his stick and sent it flying past the goalie and into the net with a mighty slapshot. The crowd cheered in the stadium, as did Steve and Alice with the loudest whoop of the night and they moved to make a high five.
Instead of the meaty slap they were expecting they heard a brief plinking sound, similar to what you'd get if tapped a teacup with a spoon. That was enough to snap them away from the game and brought their eyes to their hands. As one they screamed in shock at what they saw, their hands were now as white as snow, smooth, glossy and noticeably narrower and more delicate.
"What the hell!" Alex said as he scooted along the floor.
"Dear God!" Steven said as scooted over the floor on. "Whats happening?"
With that Alice came in from the kitchen. "Steve, what's going on?" She was more annoyed than anything
"Mom!" Steve said. "...your hands."
Alice took in at the changes which her son had undergone of the creeping witness that was now halfway up his elbows. She looked down at her own and saw that hers had changed just as much. She also felt an odd stiffness in her hands and what looked like...seems at her wrist.
Jane was roused by this broken out of her little by the cries from her family. As she reached the door handle she took noticed the changes happening with her hands. They reminded her of something and she got it from her bookshelf before she came out, noticing that her fingers had grown stiff.
As she entered the room her mother came and embraced her. Jane felt the cool smooth had touch on the back of her neck. "JANE!" She said sobbing. "Something's....happening to us. Can I see your hands?" She brought her left hand up to show her and she noticed the seems forming along finger joints. Just like her mothers. "Oh god!"
She looked at her father who was trying to use his phone. She also Alex who was somewhat awkwardly coming to his feet. "Alex...What's with your shirt?"
"What?" Alex said as he looked down and noticed that his hockey jersey was changing. It had begun to change. The team logo and number had begun to fade, it was growing, creeping down his legs and it's shape was changing, coming in at the waist. Similarly, her dad seem to have lost a fair bit of weight. Both their pants seemed to be getting tighter as well.
"Mom..." Jane said quietly and uncertainly. "There's something...that you should see. This hand stuff...thing...reminds me of something."
"What dear?" Her mother said.
Jane did not speak, she just raised her right arm up and showed her mom Sallicia, her ball jointed doll. She clutched it in what was now clearly a pale ball jointed hand.
"Wait, you can't be serious!" Alex said as he walked over awkwardly on shifting feet to take a look at the item, joints popping as he went. "There's no way we're turning into..."
"Dolls?" Jane said.
"That's what it looks like." She said in a rather matter of fact way.
"No. No no no no!" Alex said. "This makes no sense, we're not turning into dolls. There has got to be some logical explanation for this!" He continued on like this for a bit. As he spoke, his voice began to shift, become higher in pitch and softer in tone. He gradually wandered off stiffly.
"Are you sure about this Alice?" Her mom said with pleading in her voice.
Jane was a bit unusual, in times of stress she tended to focus on things rather than letting her mind run like her brother did. "Not sure, but I can't think of anything else. I don't know how it's happening or why its happening, but that's what it looks like."
There was then a cry from behind her. A scream of panic which came from the bathroom. Alice and Jane made their way to it as fast as they could and they opened the door with . On the toilet sat Alex. Around his knees was a what looked halfway between a set of jeans and a pair of victorian leggings with short bloomers around the ball jointed ankles. Tears were rolling down a face that seemed...softer than it was before.
"What happened!" Jane and Alice at once.
Steven said nothing, but lifted the hem of what was increasingly looking like a blue and white dress up and revealed all of his now white legs, his jointed ankles, and his crotch. On it was a rough white bulge along another bulge, something that looked like what you'd get if a guy wore a pair of really tight pants. As they watched, it receded away over the span of five seconds. Soon all that was left was a featureless patch.
"Alex...how are you feeling?" Jane asked.
Alex took a bit of toilet paper and wipped away the tears for a few moments as thoughts were gathered. "Actually...I'm feeling. Fine." The voice that came out of Alex's throat was distinctly feminine and the hair that tumbled from Alice's head was now shoulder length.
Alice looked at Alex with incredulity. "Dear, You...just lost your Dick. And your...fine?" At the same time Jane began inspecting herself in a rather intimate way.
"Yeah." Alex said. "It was a shock to me, almost as much as seeing it go was. But now that it's gone, I don't miss it."
Alice was incredulous "I've known men all my life loosing their peckers this is the last thing they want!"
"Well then...I guess i'm not a man anymore."
"And I guess i'm not a girl anymore." Jane said, pointing at the mirror. "Nor are you a woman, just look in the mirror." As Jane spoke there was a change of voice, it became a bit tinny and static, with part of it seeming to come from the top of her torso."
"What the..." Alice sputtered before looking in the bathroom's mirror, seeing the changes that had happened. Alice's clothes had changed considerably. She now wore something that looked green and white riding outfit with jodpurs and a gold lined green jacket. It was still growing, taking shape. Most notably in the boots which were creeping up her legs, but it was nearly there. As it was, it showed off her figure quite well, a figure which was changing as she watched as the mounts on her chest began to recede away, having gone from a C cup to a B and now to an A. But more than that she fumbled the half formed fly of her new pants and removed them and stared at the blank pale porcelain crotch in the bathroom mirror. Alice stroked it gently, feeling something but something that was pleasant but not quite sexual pleasure. “Oh.”
"Well Alex. I guess their not a woman after all.” Jane said without moving their lips.
“Seems to be.” Said Alex. “Also, I think ‘Lexi’ is a better name.”
Alice rotated their torso around to face Jane and put on an expression of consternation their face and kept it as her voicebox came to life. “Really. I thought we were no longer female or male.”
“We’re not.” Jane explained. “But we are girly. Why not choose a name that better fits.”
“Well maybe we could turn back to normal?” Alice said.
“I doubt it.” Lexi said.
“Alice? Jane? Alex?” A new tinny voice said from behind them. They turned and saw a new figure behind them. They were willowy were clad in a dark green wispy dress with a leafy floral design, green gloves and had a pair of gossamer butterfly wings attached to their back. Their hair was a green pixie cut and outside of their face their skin was white ball jointed porcelain.
“Steven?” Alice replied.
“I guess it’s Stephanie now.” The new Stephanie said. “I tried to call the police and the hospital, but they did hung up on me each time. But I don't see this being stuck with us."
“And I’m Lexi now” They said. “but beyond that, it's not really surprising.”
“What they said,” Jane said. “Being turned into a Living Doll would be a hard sell.” As Jane spoke, their face began to bleach to an alabaster highlighted with crimson lipstick as did crimson shadow around growing eyes and light pink freckles across her nose and cheeks, replacing the old irregular freckles she’d had before. Her hair had become a vivid red with black highlights.
“Speaking of which.” Lexi said as their lips turned navy blue and their eyes ere shadowed in navy and powder blue. “I think we’re nearly done.” They reflected about how calm they felt about this. He’d been in a panic attack a few minutes before when he’d still been Steven. Now it just seemed, natural.
“I guess this is the new us.” Alice said, strangely philosophical about the whole matter. “I just hope that people don’t come after us.”
“If what dad…mom…Stephanie said was true that might not be a problem. Everyone will probably turned into dolls before too long.”
“Oh.” Jane thought putting a smirk on their face that quickly became permanent.
“Anyway, I have an idea.” Stephanie said. “Lets get the whole family…”
“Set.” Jane said.
Somehow that felt right. “Okay, lets get the whole Set around the couch.”
A short while latter they had gathered around the living room couch. As they did so they noticed that things had begun to change around the apartment. The walls had grown higher class paneling, the furniture seemed to have a more 19th century style to it and the mess of Steven and Alex’s last game time snack had vanished. Stephanie found a camera and set it up on a tripod as they took their places, They assumed cute posses, embracing each other and held them in a way that humans would find uncomfortable until the flash went off. Stephanie soon put the image up the screen and showed the Wong Set together. Stephanie as the green haired Pixie doll, Jane as some sort of fantasy little red riding hood, Lexi as a gothic Lolita who’s dominant colours are blue and Alice as the proud patrician quasi-lady.
It was a lovely tableau and an image worth preserving to remember their first night as Dolls. Almost as lovely to them as their set-mates.