The viper's eyes flicked open much later in the afternoon. The change had tired her and the cold dampness of the basement had lulled her into a temporary state of rest.
She took stock of herself, noticed with alarm she had begun shrinking in size while she slept. Had she been three feet long before? Almost. Now she was two and a half feet, much smaller, more diminished. Her mind had faded somewhat. She found her intelligence lessened and realized it. The spray the creator had given her wore off after a time. Slowly, but if allowed much more time to progress, she'd be back to a small and dumb animal once more.
She saw somebody moving outside her hiding place. She flicked her tongue. Human. Male. Young. Curiously, the snake uncoiled herself and slithered out from under the desk. She saw her creator's child. Messing around with some glass vials. Completely unaware of her presence.
Food? Or dialog? Vipress was very hungry. Starving in a little cage in a basement was indignity to a top predator such as herself. She decided that like his father, this human could be of use. This took only a second to think about.
She slithered towards another large desk and lifted herself up to the wooden surface using her powerful snake tail. She knew that every second she delayed getting a second dose of the strange chemical, she was lessening. She couldn't allow that. The feel of being strong and intelligent was too much. She didn't want to be a dumb animal.
She spied the bottle by the boy's hand. A clear spray bottle with the pink chemical in it. She turned her head and examined herself, horrified to see her shrinkage was accelerating with her physical exertion. She was now barely two feet long. It was getting harder to think.
"Need... pink." She hissed quietly, as if to remind herself. She had to act fast.