Alice looked at Josie and knew that she couldn't just leave her. She already had five kids and she would be taking care of Kathy. One more girl wouldn't hurt. Alice had to wonder if this job would pay enough to take care of the additional kids she would be taking care of.
Alice suddenly thought of something. "Where's your mother?" she asked.
"She died five years ago" Josie said. "Since then it was just me and my father."
"I'm so sorry" Alice said.
"Thank you" Josie said.
"Let's go see Dr. Mezzner and see about me taking care of you" Alice said.
"She's the one that came and got me" Josie said.
"I know" Alice said.
As she left the play area she picked up Kathy and all three of them went to Hanna's office. They met Hanna in the hall just outside her office.
"I have everything set up for you Alice" Hanna said. She then noticed that Josie was with them. "Hello Joseph. It's good to see you."
"I decided that you can call me Josephine" Josie said.
"I'm curious" Hanna said. "Why do you want to be called that now?"
"Miss Punnit told me her story" Josie said. "She's been able to live her life as a girl since then and I guess I'll have to learn to too."
"That's good to hear" Hanna said. "Now, could you tell me what amulet your father used to transform you?"
"He said he had made it himself after seeing the Medallion of Zulo" Josie said. "I was his test subject."
"Were you able to give her an exam?" Alice asked fear etched into her face.
"She hasn't let me" Hanna said. "I can understand why and I didn't want to force her."
Alice knelt down and said "Josie, please allow Dr. Mezzner to examine you."
"But I would have to get naked" Josie said.
"I know" Alice said. "Please do it. There may have been some problems with the transformation."
"What problems?" Josie asked.
"There may be some organs that haven't changed right" Hanna said. "We just want to make sure that you're healthy and the transformation didn't leave any surprises."
"Dr. Mezzner told me about a girl who turned into a puddle of goo" Alice said.
"Yes" Hanna said. "The doctors in that case were able to save her though she had to restart life from conception."
"Is she ok now?" Josie asked.
"Last I heard she was a healthy thirteen year old girl" Hanna said.
"Josie, this is important" Alice said. "Your body may not have changed right since your father used you as a test subject for an amulet he made. Please Josie, I couldn't stand it if something happened to you that could have been caught with this exam."
"Will you stay with me during it?" Josie asked.
"Of course I will" Alice said. "My transformed children also had exams done and I was there for them. Kathy had her exam done today and I was here for her too."
"Ok I'll do it for you Miss Punnit" Josie said hugging Alice.
"Ok Josie, I need you to come into the exam room and take off your clothes" Hanna said.
"Only Miss Punnit can call me Josie" Josie said.
Hanna giggled and said "Alright Josephine, after you take your clothes off I need you to hop on the table and lay back for a few minutes."
"Ok" Josie said.
They had gone into an exam room and Josie did as Hanna said. After a few minutes Josie was told that she could put her clothes back on.
As Josie was getting dressed Alice asked "Are there any problems?"
"There is one problem" Hanna said. "Let me say that Josephine is healthy physically. Everything is as it should be for a five year old girl with one exception."
"What's that?" Alice asked in a frightened voice.
Hanna got a worried look on her face and said "She's emitting energy similar to the Medallion of Zulo."
"Well shouldn't she be?" Alice asked with a quizzical look on her face. "I mean my kids emitted the energy from the medallions."
"She shouldn't be emitting that energy" Hanna said. "She should have only a residual trace of that energy."
"I don't understand" Alice said.
"Your children had residual traces of the energy that transformed them on them" Hanna said. "They weren't emitting that energy. The medallions on the other hand do emit the energy."
"Ok, I think I understand that" Alice said. "So what does it mean that Josie is emitting the energy?"
"In essence it means that she is the amulet now" Hanna said. "She'll be able to transform people."
"That could become a problem" Alice said.
"It could be a bigger problem than you think" Hanna said. "I don't know how that amulet her father made worked since she hasn't told me exactly how she was transformed."
"How do you know that she can't be transformed again then?" Alice asked.
"Well the exam confirmed it" Hanna said. "Her father had told the police that she wouldn't transforming again."
"Well I think we need to find out" Alice said. "Josie, how did your father transform you?"
Josie had finished getting dressed by this time and said "He used an amulet he had made himself on me."
"This is important Josie" Alice said. "We need to know how that amulet worked."
"I don't know how it worked" Josie said. "All I know is that he had me wear it around my neck and then he touched a pair of panties to it. There was a red spark and my body started tingling. The next thing I knew was that I was changing into a five year old girl."
"It sounds like what happens with the Medallion of Zulo" Alice said. "Except of course for the red spark. With the medallion you get a blue spark."
"Yes it does sound like it" Hanna said. "Josephine, did your father tell you if there were any restrictions on the amulet he made?"
"Like what?" Josie asked.
"Well with the Medallion of Zulo there are a couple of restrictions" Alice said. "One is that it can't be used to transform the same person again until twelve hours have passed. The second is that it can not transform a female who is experiencing her period or who is pregnant."
"He didn't tell me anything like that" Josie said. "The only thing that he said was that the amulet wouldn't change me again. I don't know if it could only be used once on a person."
"We'll need to find out about that" Hanna said. "One of the officers at the jail where he's being held is a member of the brotherhood. He should be able to find out what the amulet's limits were. Until then I strongly caution you to be careful Josephine. You could change someone and then they wouldn't be able to be changed again."
"I'll be careful" Josie promised.
"Ok" Hanna said. "I hate to ask this of you Alice seeing as you already have five children and you're taking care of Kathy on top of that. Would you mind taking in Josephine as your daughter? I think that you're the only one that would be a suitable parent for her."
"That's why we were coming to see you" Alice said. "Josie wants me to be her mother and I want to be her mother."
"Ok" Hanna said.
"Miss Punnit" Kathy said. "Don't take this the wrong way but I don't want to be your daughter. I like you but I want both a mom and a dad."
"I understand" Alice said. "I'm sure that Dr. Mezzner will be able to find you a good home."
"I'll do my best to find you a good home Kathy" Hanna promised. "Now Josephine. I can't make Alice your mother yet. I can make her your guardian for now and then your adopted mother later on."
"Why can't she be my mother now?" Josie asked.
"If I made her your mother now then your father would escape his punishment for what he did to you" Hanna said. She got a real ugly look on her face at this point and said "I don't want that to happen."
"Ok" Josie said taking a step back.
"I'm sorry Josephine" Hanna said. "I didn't mean to frighten you. I just can't stand people like your father. He doesn't even deserve that title."
"It's ok" Josie said.
"Ok" Hanna said. "Let's get the paperwork done so you can go home with Alice."
"There is one thing I'm curious about" Alice said. "The wand that Frank ran over me and Dana. I thought you said that clothes interfered with the readings."
"They do" Hanna said.
"So how could he tell if we were ok or not?" Alice asked.
"I don't know about that" Hanna said. "He might have had you scanned while time was stopped."
"I guess we'd have to ask him" Alice said.
"We can't ask him" Hanna said. "He died five years ago."
"Then I guess we'll never know" Alice said.
Hanna filled out the paperwork to make Alice Josie's guardian and a member of the center. After she was finished she said "I'd like you to start tomorrow Alice. I know that you have a part time job for a little extra money. I can make it so you put in your notice to quit two weeks ago."
"I'll need money to take care of the kids that come my way" Alice said.
"That won't be a problem" Hanna said. "We'll be paying you quite a bit more than you're making at yous current job. Plus you'll be working here at least two days a week. You can work more than that if you want. All you have to do is come in and clock in."
"Wouldn't that lead to chaos?" Alice asked.
"Not at all" Hanna said. "Each member has a schedule. They can come in on their days off if they want the time. The ones that are scheduled full time don't take advantage of that as much as the part time people. When they do come in on their days off or come in early or stay late they always find things to do. As you have noticed this is a pretty big place and we have many transformed people here. The extra help is always welcomed. Though I will stress that you do not have to come in any more than two days a week. It will be your decision."
"What will I be doing?" Alice asked.
"Well on one day you'll be assisting me" Hanna said. "On the other you'll be monitoring the play area. If you come in at any other time then you can choose what you want to be doing. We do have a nursery and a school I forgot to show you. You could help there or in any other part of the clinic that you choose."
"There has to be a catch" Alice said.
"There is one catch" Hanna said. "You can't tell anybody about the devices you'll more than likely see here. Especially the ones you see when you're assisting me."
"I can do that" Alice said.
"I know" Hanna said. "I wouldn't have offered if I had even the slightest inkling that you would tell someone. I also know that your children can keep a secret. Now I need to know if you want to keep your current job."
Alice didn't need to think about that. She hated her current job. When she worked every one treated her like dirt. She had the feeling that no one wanted her there. Her boss certainly didn't. He was pleasant when she first started but quickly became cold when she had turned him down when he had asked her out. Since then he had been giving her extra duties that no one else was required to perform. It was like he was trying to make her quite. Well he would get his wish.
"I don't want to keep that piece of garbage job" she said.
"I had a feeling you'd say that" Hanna said. "I'll go ahead and make it so you gave your notice two weeks ago."
"I just thought of something" Alice said. "Can my girls come here with me when I come in?"
"Of course they can" Hanna said. "It would do the children good to see a happy family that has had members transformed. Most of them have accepted their transformed states but they don't think they can be in a happy family. Most of them here were adults before and they don't know if they want to be back with their original families or try a new family. Until they make up their mind they don't exist and have never existed. That makes it harder for us to find a home for
them. They seem to like the idea that they don't exist to the world. There's no pressure on them. We're hoping that by placing them with someone temporarily that it will help them make up their mind."
"I see" Alice said.
"Also Denise and Karen could help out" Hanna said. "I'd like them to be my assistants too but it's up to them."
"I'll ask them" Alice said.
"Please do" Hanna said. "Now before you go you can pick something out Josephine."
Josie went over to a drawer that Hanna had opened and picked out a butterfly hair clip.