Horrified, Mary stares in shock. It was supposed to be some scam! Why didn't she take it seriously? But who in their right mind would take something like that seriously? But she shouldn't have just drunk it even if it was a scam!
Thoughts fly through Mary's head for a moment, overcoming the pain and trauma of the transformation. The sound of some of her co-workers walking past her closed office door snaps her back to her senses, and she begins digging through her purse. Finally, Mary finds a facemask, and hurriedly slips the loops over her ears. It doesn't quite fit right, her jaw having expanded from the transformation, but at least it hides the monstrous teeth. She then quickly tries to hide any evidence of what occurred, wrapping up what used to be her teeth in a tissue and shoving it in her purse, at a loss for where else to put it. Finally, she cleans up her desk as best she can with the wet wipes she luckily keeps in her drawer. No place to put those except the trash, hopefully everyone would think it was juice and not...well, blood.
Mary knows she has to get home as fast as possible and examine those vials. There has to be something there to stop this, right? However, she can't just run out of work like a mad person, what if someone reports her missing and the police come to her house? Just imagine what might happen if they find those vials! No, she definitely has to tell her boss she is leaving. But what about the mess on her clothes?
Mary grabs a jacket and light scarf she keeps at work for when the office gets chilly, zips the jacket up and wraps the scarf around her throat, helping to hide her unusual anatomy. Grabbing her purse, she heads down the hall and knocks on her boss' door, stepping in when she calls for her to enter.
"Hey, Allie, I'm not feeling too good, I think I got the flu, I'm gonna head home, okay?" Mary says. Or at least she tries to. Thanks to her weird teeth and tongue, it comes out sounding more like, "Hey, Awwie, I'b nob feelid doo goob, I ding I gob da fwoo, I'b gomma ed ob, obay?"
"Wow, you sound terrible. You sure you're gonna be alright?" Allie asks scrunches up her brow, worried. "You know, the deadline on that project is next week--" Allie turns her chair around to grab a file behind her, and just then, her words cut off like someone hit the mute button.
However, that isn't what surprises Mary. Just at that moment, her facemask falls off as though it had come off from her ears. Luckily, Mary grabs it as it comes loose, but as she goes to put it back on, she discovers there's nothing where her ears used to be, just skin and hair. Becoming increasingly flustered, Mary tries to feel for her ears, but fails, and grows worried that Allie will turn around and see her looking like a freak. In desperation, Mary ties the ear loops together behind her head, ensuring the mask remains on. Surprisingly, at that instant--
"--I don't want you making yourself sicker, but if you can get some work done on it at home, I'd appreciate it," Allie continues with her back turned, or appears to, since suddenly Mary could hear again quite clearly. But hear out of what? Mary reaches up again and still finds her ears missing, but her fingers brush against something higher up on her head. Something fluffy. Something that twitches at the touch.
Stupefied, Mary reaches up and feels what are now her ears--fluffy, furry, and slightly rounded protuberances that she could only describe as cat-like. Panicking, Mary quickly grabs the scarf around her neck and wraps it around her head, covering her very strange ears.
"So take care of yourself, we need you," Allie finishes her spiel as she turns back around, only to cock her head as she sees Mary now clutching the scarf she wound around her head.
"I--I think I have a fever. Thanks, Allie, I'll do what I can," ("I ving I hab a bewer. Dangs, Awwie, I'we do wab I cam,") Mary quickly says, then ducks out of the office to head for her car. She has to get home before things get worse!