"I know where we can go next," Tricia said. "The library's just around the corner. There's got to be something in there to give me an idea for your next transformation."
"You're gonna change me again so soon?" Samantha whined.
"Probably not too much at once. I'm enjoying spending time with you like this."
Samantha smiled. She was a little nervous about what the rest of the day had in store for her, but for now she was going to try to make the most of her young body. She felt full of energy, however, and the library didn't seem to her like the best place to expend it.
As it turned out, she got to expend quite a bit of that energy just making it up the mountainous library steps. She didn't realize they would be so much harder to scale as a child.
Once inside, Tricia took Sam to the children's books, located in a corner of the first floor. Sam remembered the spot as a kid. There would be daily story readings from one of the librarians, and she would always sit on a bean bag and listen. Her parents took her here often back then. So many years had passed, but the little children's section seemed to have barely changed. And here she was, the same age as she used to be.
"Go find a book," Tricia suggested. "I'm gonna search for some inspiration. I'll be somewhere on this floor if you need me. I won't go far."
Samantha watched Tricia walk off, and suddenly felt very lonely and vulnerable. Deep inside, she still had the confidence of an eighteen-year-old who was used to being on her own, but this was the first time since she had been regressed that Tricia wasn't by her side. The changing room in the department store didn't count, as Tricia was always a few feet away.
Sam wandered about the children's section for a few minutes, examining the spines of each book, until...