"I don't know about you but it's just too embarrassing seeing someone we know when we look like this," Erica said, gesturing to her diminutive body. Carolyn simply nodded, she had no desire to see anyone she knew when she looked like she was ready to go back to kindergarten.
"Cmon Erica," she said softly. "We can hide under my desk until Ethan gets back." Erica nodded, the two 5 year olds making their way to Carolyn's desk.
As Erica approached she was astounded by her surroundings. Currently both girls were barely a head taller than Carolyn's desk. Erica was pretty sure at this point that in order to grab anything she would have to stand on tiptoe. As they rounded it, Erica glanced at their proposed hiding spot. Carolyn's long legs meant the woman had ample space underneath it. Still, Erica would hardly believe that the two of them could fit underneath.
That belief was quickly destroyed as the two girls now crawled under the desk. Leaning their backs against the underneath portion of the desk, Erica was astounded that neither one of the girls legs poked out from underneath. Even sitting next to the tiny blond girl, Erica found that while the fit was tight, they could both fit rather comfortably. "I can't believe how small we are!"
"I have a big desk because of my long legs," Carolyn commented. The curly haired blond now glanced at her tiny feet, wiggling her toes sadly as she realized they didn't even extend past the top of the desk. "Well usually."
"Do you think this is permanent," Erica asked fearfully. Carolyn shrugged, to be honest she wasn't sure. "This sucks," Erica grumbled. "I wanted to go back to school but not his fat back."
"I just wanted the body I had back in college," Carolyn sighed. :I didnt even get a chance to check myself out before this happened. I was hoping to get a pedicure and show my legs off."
"Yeah I was thinking the same thing," Erica added. "Now though that seems unlikely. Pretty sure you have to be alot older to get your nails done."
"Erica," Carolyn said. "What happens if this us permanent?" Erica had no answer, she couldn't fathom having to grow up all over again. She needed to distract herself from that thought, instead turning to Carolyn. "I didn't know you had curly hair."
Carolyn reached up, grasping her spiral curls before blushing. "Yeah it didn't straighten out naturally til I got to college," she said meekly. "Everyone always used to gush about how cute my hair was."
"Well it is," Erica said excitedly.
"True but you try combing it,: Carolyn added. "I didn't have detangler spray when I was a kid. My mother used to spend 20 minutes just trying to unknot my hair."
Erica giggled, the picture of a young Carolyn with a comb stuck in her hair, firmly stuck in her imagination. "Well at least you weren't the wallflower," she said. "I was so plain looking and shy that I would just shrink away in social situations."
"I don't know you look like a cutey to me," Carolyn offered, giving Erica a reassuring smile. Erica now thanked her as the two girls leaned back, hopefully Ethan wouldn't take too long finding the others.
The sound of the door opening now made the two girls freeze in terror. Drawing their knees to their chest, the two girls now held their breath in hopes that this stranger would leave.
"Carolyn? Erica? Are you in here?"
Carolyn and Erica looked at one another, breathing a sigh of relief. It appeared Ethan had returned. Slowly the two girls eased themselves out from their hiding spot, standing on tiptoe as they peaked out from behind the desk.
Ethan was now scanning the room, his eyes settling on the two girls. Erica and Carolyn shyly looking at Ethan before looking at his companion and gasping.
"Carlyle!?"
Carl now glanced at Carolyn, his face burning red in embarrassment before a moment of recognition crossed his face. "Carolyn is that you?"
Carolyn now stepped from behind the desk, the young blond looking over the boy in front of her. Carlyle Booth looked around their age. The skinny brown haired child wearing a short sleeved button down shirt that covered him to his knees. The two children now padded towards one another, shyly looking down at their barefeet before blushing.
"So you ended up 5 years old too," Carl asked, to which Carolyn nodded.
"Carlyle can Ethan fix this?"
"He thinks so," Carl replied. "I hope so, I can't run the company like this."
"And I certainly can't work as your lawyer when I look like I haven't even learned the alphabet," she stated.
"Ethan are we still getting younger," Erica asked nervously.
"I'm not sure but I can't be sure," he said softly, the three children shuddering at the prospect of descending further into childhood. "I'll have to run some tests on you and the others."
"Why did this happen," Carl asked.
"I can't be sure but if I were to guess I would say that the serum returned you to a state of preadolescence instead of your adult prime," he said. "I'm hoping this is as far as it goes but I'll need to run some tests."
"How long will that take," Carolyn asked.
Ethan rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, chances were it could take awhile. Not wanting to alarm the children, (which could lead to further chemical imbalances), he tried to be as truthful as possible. "It could take a little bit if time but I should be able to reverse it."
The trio anxiously glanced at one another before craving their necks upwards to look at Ethan. "I think for now," Ethan stated. "It would be best to stay close and not leave the lab. I can come up with a cover to explain your...appearance."
"What," Carolyn asked.
"Exposing Kindergarteners to science," Ethan said meekly. "It should work, hopefully."
The trio sighed, their shoulders slumping as Ethan now hurried them towards the elevator. For now it appeared they would have to .are people believe they were just small children being watched by this scientist who had turned their lives upside down.