I just stared at Dede for a few moments. “You’re kidding me, right? I’ve actually turned in to a ten year old girl? How the hell is that even possible? It was impossible enough to just switch bodies, but that didn’t require anything physical.”

Dede shrugged. “Nobody knows. Count yourself lucky though. Some folks who were old like you, died. They were a lot older, like in their nineties or some shit. Think of the shock of those who were three year old babies to suddenly become a ten year old!”

I frowned at Dede. “It’s a shock to me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to not be so damned old, but to be ten? And a girl? You say everyone is like this?”

“That’s what I’ve been told. I…” Dede was suddenly interrupted.

“Sorry to interrupt,” interrupted the doctor I’d seen earlier. He looked at Dede. “Have you informed her of her situation?” He looked at me. “Are you okay with that?”

I frowned at the doctor. “I’m not okay with the girl part, but I don’t think I need to be restrained, if that’s what you’re asking.”

The doctor smiled nervously. “Sorry about that. Some people had a very bad reaction.” He started to release the restraints. He looked over at Dede again. “Are you her guardian?”

Dede nodded. Grinning, she said, “Since we were siblings, but now we have a twenty or so year age difference, I was allowed to adopt her! I’m her mom now!” When she saw my reaction, she giggled and said, “Oh yeah. I forgot. I’m your mom!”

The doctor smiled at Dede as he handed her several sheets of paper. “Great. Just three things and then you can take her home. For starters, she needs to be dressed. Second, she needs to attend an orientation meeting by DHS here in the hospital auditorium in about…um… half an hour. And third, she can’t leave until she has a bowel movement.”

I sat up on the bed as Dede turned towards me. “I brought some clothes and I’ll have her at the meeting.”

The doctor started to turn to leave. He said, “If she doesn’t show at the meeting, two marines will be dispatched to bring her in.”

Dede laughed. “She’ll be there!”

I scowled at Dede. “If you think I’m going to call you ‘Mom’, you’ve got rocks in your head.”

Dede frowned. “That was the only option I got from the court. I could have just told the judge that I wanted nothing to do with you and you would have been fostered. You at least still get to live in the same house with all your anime crap.” She opened a plastic grocery store bag and removed some clothes and placed them on the bed.

I frowned at Dede again,. “Hey, don’t call my shit crap.” I took a deep breath and sighed heavily. “I guess I should thank you for that. And what the hell is this?” I held up the piece of clothing that was on the top of the small pile.

Dede smirked. “That’s your training bra. You don’t have tits now, but you will, so girl, get used to it.”

I held the bra away from me as if it was radioactive. “How about I just be a tomboy?”

Dede shook her head. “You’re much too pretty for that. Just put it on and get dressed before they send a marine for you. By the way, your name is no longer ‘Harry’.”

Still holding the bra, I frowned at Dede and asked, “Oh good God. What have you named me against my will? Harriet? Blanch?”

Dede chuckled. “I actually considered those. But no, my precious little daughter is much much too pretty.” She leaned over and pinched my cheek. I pushed her hand away. She continued, “I almost named you Zelda since you played that stupid game non-stop when you were a kid.”

Still just holding the bra, I said, “Are you going to tell me or do I have to buy a vowel?”

Grinning at me, Dede said, “Put on your bra first.”

I sighed. “Okay. Can you help me with it?”

Dede smiled. “Sure! This mother/daughter shtick is going to be so much fun. I’m looking forward to brushing and braiding your hair.”

“I’m glad one of us will be enjoying this.” Dede helped me position the bra and got it hooked.

Dede then pulled a pink t-shirt over my head. “For the sake of time, I’m helping you out. But you have to learn to do this all on your own.” She then handed me a pair of pink, cotton panties.

I looked at the panties with the same distaste I gave the bra. “Are you going to tell me my name or not?”

Pointing her finger at me and looking agitated, Dede said, “Put those panties on right now, young lady! If you must know, I named you ‘Chrystal’. And before you ask, that was the name Mom told me she was going to call you if you’d been born a girl.”

I sighed. I sure wish Mom was here now.

Resigning myself to my fate, I slid the panties on. I wanted to cry when I felt nothing between my legs. I guess checking out my new accessories will have to wait until I get back home.

I picked up the next item and shook my head. “A skirt? Are you serious? I’m not wearing a skirt.”

Getting angry, Dede said, “Quit being such a whiny little bitch. You’re going to wear it because that’s all I brought. I sure hope the doc was right when he said your initial sassiness will go away in a few weeks.”

I begrudgingly stepped into the skirt. Next came pink socks and pink tennis shoes.

“What’s with all the pink?” I asked.

Before Dede could answer, a nurse poked her head into the room. She said, “The mandatory meeting is about to start. Do you know where the auditorium is?”

Becoming instantly more pleasant, Dede said, “No, Could you show us?”

The nurse smiled. “Of course. Please follow me.”

Dede smiled. “Come along, dear one.” She took my hand as we followed the nurse down the hall.

Despite there only being twenty girls in the auditorium, it was a total zoo. A guy in a suit was walking back and forth in front of the crowd and periodically waving his arms.

“Girls! Girls! Everyone settle down! The DHS presentation is about to start. Please take a seat everyone!” The man in the suit had to shout to be heard. I had no idea that twenty pre-teen girls could be so loud.

A screen at the front of the room lit up. The man in the suit waved his arms again and shouted, “Girls! Girls! Attention! The presentation is starting. This is going out live all across the country. Watch and learn!”

The room of pre-teen girls quieted down as a DHS logo appeared on the screen. The logo was replaced by an image of a man wearing a white lab coat with a stethoscope around his neck. I had to chuckle at the image. I guess the authorities felt we’d believe them if the speaker looked like a doctor.

“Good afternoon, ladies,” said the smiling man on the screen. It’s obvious they really want to hammer home that we’re all now female. Period. “First let me express our sympathy for you having to endure yet another attack from the Switcher virus. This variant of the virus took all of us by surprise. Fortunately, we had several months to prepare once it became apparent the direction the virus was taking everyone. We tried to make this an easier process and make sure everyone has a place to go. Any questions regarding your placement, please visit your government liaison.”

The man in the suit shouted over the video, “That’s me, ladies.”

The man on the screen continued, “The best minds in medical science have not be able to figure out triggered the virus to force this change. All of you are familiar with how the virus originally functioned in that there was no physical change. But now it seems to have reset all of you to a default human condition. All humans begin in the womb as female and now at ten years of age, you’re right before most people reach puberty. And no one can figure out why.”

The man’s image was replaced with a view from a microscope of well, just squiggly things to me. Droning on, the man said, “The biggest problem is that everyone is scared to death to crack this thing open. Samples we’ve preserved of the original virus, still act as before. One of our research scientists swapped bodies with his assistant while trying to study the virus. The mutated variant doesn’t cause switching and doesn’t appear to react to anyone not previously infected. I wish we knew more.”

The image changed again back to the supposed doctor. “The transformation all of you have experienced was extremely traumatic to your bodies. Sadly, for many individuals aged seventy and above, perished during the transformation as did many of the very young. Both groups consumed bags of cellulose faster than hospitals could supply it. All of you who were expectant mothers suffered a miscarriage as your age regressed to ten years old. All of you who are listening to this presentation are, to our best knowledge, in a stable state. We expect all of you to age normally. Many of you will experience your first menstrual period within six months.” Dede giggled and poked me when periods were mentioned. I rolled my eyes at her.

The man on the screen said, “That’s what we basically have right now. The sample of girls we’ve checked all seem perfectly healthy females around ten years of age. All of you are or soon will be, placed in a loving home. Other than coming in for an annual check up, you are free to live your lives normally. All of us on the Switcher team wish you best of luck.”

The screen went blank and the cacophony of twenty girls trying to talk at once and yelling filled the auditorium.

The government liaison shouted, “Ladies! Bring any issues to me. If you have no questions now and you have had a bowel movement, you are free to leave the hospital with your assigned custodians. None of you are allowed to leave this facility alone.”

Dede ran her fingers through my hair. She smiled at me as she took my hand. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s get some ice cream.”

To be continued…