"Now that you've figured this out, please take your seat," the old woman said. She got up from her desk and took Wendell by the shoulders. "Do you need to see the nurse?"
He ran from the classroom to the delight of the other girls. He sped down the hallway until he found a bathroom and locked the door behind him. He turned to the mirror to see a girl with long red hair facing him. This can't be happening, he thought. It has to be a nightmare! Any moment I'll wake up.
He closed and then opened his eyes, but in the mirror still found a girl's face looking back at him. As he watched, she shrank, freckles dotting her cheeks. No, this isn't me, he thought. I'm not a girl.
"Poor little Wendy," Samantha's voice said. Wendell spun around, but didn't see anyone. "What's the matter, Wendy, don't you like what you see?"
"What are you doing to me?" Wendell said.
"I'm showing you the truth." In the mirror, the girl's hair wove itself into braids even as the rest of her shrunk another inch. "This is what you truly are." Samantha materialized behind Wendell, only now she loomed over him.
"Stop this," Wendell said. The girl continued to shrink, dimples forming at the corners of her lips. "Change me back!"
"I'm afraid not," Samantha said. She produced a vial of glowing liquid from behind her back. "It's time to put this baby to bed."
"No!" Wendell shouted. He scampered past her on shrinking legs, the jumper hanging now down to his ankles. Outside, in the hallway, he found the class waiting for him.
"No running, young lady," the old woman said. She grabbed Wendell by a braid and started to drag him towards the classroom. He looked behind him to see Samantha approaching with the vial in her hand. "It's time you learn how to behave like a proper little girl."
"I'm not a girl!" he screamed. He tried to fight her grasp, but couldn't free himself. Then his body shrank again, the jumper replaced by a frilly pink dress. Samantha's dress. He reached up to touch a bow in his hair. The old woman lost hold of him as the braid unfurled, allowing him to take off running down the hall, the laughter of the girls echoing in his mind. When he looked behind, the girls had disappeared, but Samantha continued her slow advance, gesturing with the vial.
"Time to die, Wendy," she said. He ran.