Eventually, Teresa arrived at her house. Heading into her garage, Teresa placed Jen's head back on the bike as said, "I need my backpack." Jen felt her body reform into the earlier object, and winced at the textbook pushing her body outwards. Though definitely nowhere near the pain she experienced while being a bike, it was still pretty bad. Teresa carried Jen upstairs, then started taking stuff out. Jen sighs with relief as the textbooks are taken out. Without warning, Teresa stops and looks around, "Hello? Anyone there?" Jen immediately starts yelling for help and Teresa screams and jumps off her bed. "Oh my god, oh my god, it talks, it talks, oh my god, it must have been that...." Jen, meanwhile, was finding it hard to talk with the flap open most of the way, "Peas coe a ap a it." she says. Teresa, to her credit, actually listens, "What?" she asks, cautiously edging back towards the bed. "cose a fap!!" Jen says. Teresa slowly zips Jen's mouth all the way closed, only to hear mumbling, "mmmhmmm, mmm hhhm!" Opening Jen's mouth slightly, Teresa asks, "Is that better?" "Yea thanks," says Jen, "I'm just glad you realized what's happened a bit." Teresa cocks her head slightly and says, "I don't quite get what happened, but I think I have a guess, it was the transform or dare curse wasn't it?" "Yea!" Jen said, "how'd you know?" Shaking her head, Teresa sits down, "I was cursed by to stay a kid forever, and to have no one remember me 3 years ago. It's really the only thing that I know of that could do this." "Wait," Jen says, "If you were cursed to be a kid, and to have no one remember you, how are you living like this, and you're a teen, not a kid!" Teresa smiles, "Loopholes. Little known fact about the curse, it has a nice side. From what I can tell, the curse checks the personality of each person and then tries to either make the curse worse, if it doesn't like you, or better, if it does. For example, I was super popular and I got harassed by someone who thought they were better than me, and was bitter because they weren't. My friends struck out at her, I wasn't particularly sympathetic, she cursed me." Jen smiles internally and replies, "That's almost exactly what happened to me!" Teresa smiles sadly and continues, "Yea, some people never consider that people might be popular because they're nice to everyone unless antagonized. Anyway, for the first three days I was stuck as an 8 year old on the streets, no one remembered me. Then the curse shifted itself. I woke up on the third day holding a key and knowing where a house was. When I arrived, it was empty and stocked with food. As the days went on, everything I wanted appeared, eventually I noticed I was getting older. No one remembered me, and at some point, I just stopped getting older. At that point i woke up knowing I had an identity at school. The loophole that was used, as far as I can tell, is essentially that the curse was used to change people's memories, so while it was unable to change them back, it could modify them a bit to help me. The age is probably because while not what was intended, a teen is still technically a kid by the US's laws. Anyway, what's your story, how long have you been like this, I'm guessing this is the first time someone heard you?" "I've been like this for only today actually," Jen starts, "I got curse in pretty much the same situation as you, someone decided that being popular meant I was a jerk, attacked me verbally, my friends pantsed him, he cursed me. The curse has two parts really. The first is that whenever someone sees me, they'll see me as whatever object they need at the moment, and my body will react as if it is actually that object almost. Thought you see a regular backpack, what I see currently is myself shrunken a bit with my mouth as the primary pocket and my, umm, groin area as the smaller one. My hands are linked to my feet to make the strap." Teresa winces, then says, "wait one sec, I'm going to see if I can see you as you really are, that should also have the benefit of untying you probably." Teresa stares at Jen for a minute, before Jen says, "Umm, maybe you could say 'I need a regular person' I think the curse adapted to let you actively decide the form I take." "Sounds reasonable," she responds, "I need a regular person." Jen returns to normal and Teresa sucks in a breath, "I know you, or, I kind of do. I think the curse wiped everyone's mind of you, but is somehow letting me remember. I have all the information, but it feels like it didn't actually happen if that makes sense." Stretching a bit, Jen says, "Yea, kind of." Teresa get's up and heads to her dresser, "Here let's get you some clothes." she says as she throws a shirt at Jen. "Ooof" Jen says falling over as the shirt hits her. "What's wrong?" Asks Teresa, looking concerned. "It's the other part of the curse." Jen replies, "I literally have exactly enough strength to move my own body, not enough for anything else, including clothes." "Hmm," Teresa says, pacing, "We'll have to wait and see if the curse get's around that somehow." "Yea," Jen replies, "Umm, can I get a little help?" Teresa rushes over, "Oh, yea sorry... While we're on the topic, any other loopholes so far?" Getting up, Jen starts listing them on her fingers, "Umm, I don't think I feel cold, that was solved just before I met you for the first time, I don't feel pain anymore unless it would be damaging the type of object I am," at this, Teresa winces, "Sorry..." "You didn't know," Jen responds, "Umm, I don't think I need to express bodily needs like hunger or thirst of the bathroom of any sort as an object. Right now I probably would though. I think that's all."
"Alright," Teresa responds, "Well I don't see much else to do right now, I'm going to go do homework if you want to join me." As she says this, Teresa get's up and heads towards the door downstairs. "Alright," Jen says.
When they reach the living room, Teresa pulls out the paper and scavenges around for a pencil. She's distracted by a small shriek by Jen. Terresa turns to see Jen shrink down to the size of a pencil. Her legs melt into her body and her head pointing upwards, her mouth opening into a circular opening with her tongue emerging from the top, large and pure white. A small piece of black emerges from her groin. Turning her into a mechanical pencil. "Whoa, I'm so sorry Jen!" Teresa says, "I didn't even say anything." To her surprise, even though her mouth can't move, Teresa hears Jen's response, "It's fine, not your fault." "I just heard you in my head!" Teresa shouts. "I guess I can do that too then, I was just trying to talk..." Jen says. Teresa steps closer and picks up Jen, "Well, I think I can see you as you actually are, it looks uncomfortable." "Not really," Jen projects, "Actually, if you want to use me, you can." Teresa sits there for a moment, "But, wouldn't that hurt you?" "I've only ever been hurt when I was "broken" or being damaged, like the textbooks stretching inside of me. I don't think this will." Wincing again, Teresa replies, "Sorry again about that, anyway, I guess I'll try." Teresa begins to use Jen to do her homework. Somehow, the eraser and lead on Jen never seems to decrease throughout the work. "How does it feel?" Teresa asks Jen, "The writing itself is a bit... stimulating..." Jen mumbles to Teresa, "But don't stop." Pulling herself together while Teresa stretches her fingers, Jen asks, "So, I have a weird question. I have the feeling I'd be really bored staying here all day. I can't read, can't play games, and can't change the channel on TV assuming you leave it on for me, would you mind taking me to school and, well using me?" Teresa doesn't answer for a bit, then says, "Alright, I was originally a little scared that you'd get seen, but I realized that the curse is really good at covering up it's own existence. That and the fact that I can override any changes anyone makes should make it ok." Jen smiles to herself as they finish Teresa's work.