• Original air date: December 14, 2002
• Writer: Joe Rassulo
• Director: Stefan Scaini

  Guest Stars:
  Actor's name	Character played
  Lori Hallier	Kelly Trent

  In the basement, the place seems deserted. Coming into the Janitor’s residence, there is a breeze disturbing the papers. A horizontal beam of light begins to run parallel to a bed. The Janitor drops from it. Getting up, he walks slowly off, saying two words:

      In Science class, the class is growing mold in Petri dishes by various foods they put in the dishes. While Professor Zachary is talking, Josie is off on a side conversation about a dream she had. She says she tired to scream but couldn’t and began to panic. Josie believes something bad is about to happen. Professor Zachary catches her, telling her that it is amazing that she can chew gum and talk during class at the same time. He tells her to “spit it out” but Josie removes the gum from her mouth and places it quickly in Lucas’s Petri dish, then asks “Spit what out?” Lucas is disgusted as the bell rings. The students walk out of the classroom and Professor Zachary picks up the leftover food from the desks. Thunder crackles in the stairway leading to the basement and a spark of electricity flows from the gas valve at the desk where Lucas, Josie, Corrine, and Marshall were, to a microscope and then into the Petri dish containing Josie’s gum. The agar in the dish glows and, from the gum, something seems to be spreading into the agar.

  Professor Zachary leaves the science room, closing the door behind him. He fails to notice the growing blob from Lucas’s Petri dish, however.
      Walking out the front of the school, Corrine tells Josie that maybe Josie’s subconscious is trying to tell Josie something, like facing her biggest fear. Josie does not know what she is afraid of, though. The two sit down on some stones near the entrance as a hand touches Josie’s shoulder; Josie does not notice the person approach her. The person startles Josie but it is Josie’s mother. Josie’s mother tells her that she was going upstate for business and decided to stop by to see Josie. (She seems to have been in communication with Josie because she knows Corrine’s name.)
      Josie’s mother is only staying a couple of days. While going through the main hallway, Josie’s mother explains to Corrine, after Corrine asks about what her job, that she does research for some private companies. Josie doesn’t know too much about it, saying it is too complicated for her to explain. Josie’s mother begins telling stories about Josie to Corrine as Principal Durst comes out from her office. Principal Durst reintroduces herself to Miss Trent, reminding her that they met when she registered Josie. From the office, Victor Pearson also emerges. Principal Durst introduces the two and Victor shakes Josie’s mother’s hand, telling her it is good to meet her. Victor excuses himself to go back to his business, followed by Principal Durst who also has things to check up on.

      In the Science room, the blob from Lucas’s Petri dish is growing bigger. There is slime all over the desk, dripping onto the floor. From inside, a hand begins to poke through the blob’s membrane.
      Josie and Corrine lead Miss Trent to their room. Josie’s mother makes a comment about some things never changing, which seems to affect Josie in a negative way. Josie’s mother tells them that she’d better check in at the hotel and tells Josie that she’ll call her later. Corrine says that Josie’s mom is great but Josie sighs, clearly believing something opposite.

      Walking by the Science room, Principal Durst notices that the door is ajar. Peering in, she looks to the desk where Lucas’s Petri dish is. It is covered and surrounded slime. With a face of not knowing what to believe, she walks out, closing the door. Because she didn’t look down, however, she does not manage to see the slime footprints on the floor going out the door to the basement.
      In the recreation room, Lucas and Marshall are playing a game of Foosball as Josie walks in. Marshall makes the comment “In your face, Lucas” to Lucas after Marshall made a goal. Josie observes the game and asks if she can play in a rather cheerful way. Lucas and Marshal are sarcastic about Josie’s request. The previous day, Josie stated that Foosball is a “mindless waste of energy.” Josie, not recalling that she said that, remakes the request. Lucas steps aside and Josie takes his place. Marshall tosses the ball in and the two feverishly twist the handles of the game. Marshall and Lucas are impressed with how well Josie can play. Josie makes the comment “in your face, Lucas” confusing Lucas since he is just watching. Josie repeats Lucas’s name and Lucas, not thinking anything of it, tells points out Marshall’s name and then calls Josie “weird.” Josie beats Marshall in the game.

      Josie curiously repeats her name, as if hearing it for the first time, as Lucas and Marshall argue over who gets to vs. Josie next. The Janitor walks by the doorway, catching Josie’s attention. She walks out, turning left, following him. From the right side, Josie enters the room. Marshall and Lucas ask Josie where she went but Josie sourly replies that she just walked in. Josie doesn’t look very thrilled about anything at the current time. Shrugging it off, Lucas and Marshall try approaching her, as she plops herself on the couch, to try to get her to play another game but Josie shoots down any idea of playing Foosball. They ask her is something is wrong and Josie angrily tells them that her mother is in town. She then gets up and walks out. Lucas and Marshall follow.

      Out in the hallway, with Josie, Lucas and Marshall try to figure out what just happened. Seeing Josie, Corrine comes down the stairs. Corrine hands Josie her Maya Angelou book. Josie does not know why and Corrine reminds Josie that they talked about it earlier. Josie dismisses all of their stories, telling them they are all crazy. Josie fills them in by telling them that she was in her room all day waiting for her mother to call her. Marshall and Lucas look at each other, wondering who it was that they played Foosball with.

      All four of them march into the Science room. Josie tells Professor Zachary that they need his assistance. Professor Zachary is talking to another student, though. The student, turning around, is another Josie. The Josie, who just walked into the room, looks wide eyed at her other self in disbelief; the other Josie looks back at Josie curiously.

  Lucas wonders how they will be able to determine which Josie is the real Josie. A swift insult from the angry Josie leads them to agree that she is the real Josie. Professor Zachary is astonished by the other Josie as he watches her walk around the room. They argue about where the clone came from, since Josie didn’t give any DNA or anything to enable a clone’s creation. Observing the clone Josie, they see her tasting some agar from a Petri dish and Josie figures the DNA came from her chewing gum.

      Corrine tells them that saliva or even cheek tissue could have come from the gum supplying the DNA. They wonder what they’re going to do with Josie2. However, looking around the room, they see she has left the room.

      Going out into the halls, Josie calls for her other self. Principal Durst comes out of her office, asking Josie if she is looking for someone. Josie asks Principal Durst if she saw her a few moments ago. Principal Durst recalls that she has. She looks at Josie as if questioning her presence, replying to Josie that Josie was leaving a few moments ago. Josie bolts out the front door only to discover her clone in a car with her mom as they drive away.

      In the cafeteria, Marshall walks in and sits next to Josie, who is sitting close to a window. They are the only two in the room. Josie is angry that her mom was not able to tell the difference between her and her clone. Josie figures that since her mom and Josie2 can’t talk about her mom’s work or what her mom has been up to, Josie2 and her mom won’t say too much and it will be like Josie was there all along. Before Marshall can really be a part of the "conversation," Josie hears the sound of a car coming up the driveway; Josie and Marshall watch from the window.

      Outside, Josie’s mom tells Josie2 that she had "the best time" with her. After a hug, Josie’s mom drives away. Inside, Josie sits back at the table, depressed.

      That night, Josie walks into her room. She finds Josie2 cleaning up Josie’s side of the room. Josie tells Josie2 to take all the stuff she got from shopping and give it back and to put everything that Josie2 has cleaned up and put it back where she picked it up from. She adds that Josie2 should stay in the room to insure that Principal Durst does not see both of them. Josie2 just watches Josie. She does not appear to understand why Josie is acting the way she is.

      The next morning, Professor Zachary walks into the Science room. Josie is already there. Josie asks how he knew it was her and not her clone. Professor Zachary tells Josie that she is a certain way and her clone is a different way. Josie rambles about how they are the same because they both share the same DNA. Professor Zachary tells her that while cloning creates a physical copy, many of the traits that make an individual a certain way are learned behavior traits - the part of the lesson he didn’t cover the previous day. Professor Zachary gives an example and Josie figures he is talking about her. He tells Josie that she should talk to her mother. Josie believes her mother won’t listen to her but Professor Zachary tells Josie that that does not matter as long as Josie listens to her mother.

      Out in the field, Josie and her mother are talking. Josie asks her mom how she feels about her. Josie’s mom fumbles around saying that she knows how gifted, strong, and independent Josie is but Josie’s mother begins to feel uncomfortable. They both sit down on a bench. Josie’s mom tells Josie that there is a part of her that believes Josie does not like her and maybe even hates her. Josie’s mom adds that she wishes that she could tell Josie about her work but she isn’t allowed to. Josie is relieved to hear her mom say that, telling her mom that she thought her mom didn’t like her and that she too does not like her mom’s work. Josie just wants to know that her mother cares about her. The two share a hug.
      Back at the front of the school, Josie and her mother come out of the building. Her mom tells her that she will try very hard to stay in Josie’s life more. As Josie’s mom drives off, from the cafeteria window, Josie2 watches. The Janitor walks up behind her. Josie2, as if coming to an understanding of things, asks him that she does not belong where she is. The Janitor tells her there is another place she can go and that everyone is waiting for her. Josie2 tells him that she would like to go there.

  At Pearson mansion, Josie’s mother is talking to Victor, saying that she just dropped by for old time's sake. He accuses her of working for another company, which she denies. Victor tells Kelly, as he calls her, that if he reopens Pearadyne, will she want to come back and work for him. She tells him that if he had asked her that yesterday, she would have laughed at him. But now, she tells him that she will think about it under the condition that, whatever her decision is, Josie is not to know anything about it. Victor agrees.

      Outside of the school, Josie reads a letter to Corrine that Josie2 wrote telling them all of her departure. Josie wonders where it was that she went but Corrine is optimistic; saying that she is confident Josie2 will be alright.

      In the Janitor’s residence, the wormhole is active as Josie2 and the Janitor hover over it. She asks the Janitor if she will see him again, to which he nods. Josie2 goes through the wormhole and the floor goes back to normal. Walking off, the Janitor says two words:

Episode notes:

• Stefan Scaini was nominated for a Gemini for directing this episode under the catagory: Best Direction in a Children's or Youth Program or Series.
• "Josie2" is how Josie's clone is refered to by the writers.

Personal thoughts:
Another great, and important, episode! If you read what I thought about "Fate," how it basically answered the questions we were asking when we first saw "Wormhole," this episode introduces the new stuff. We see the Janitor undeniably knows something about what is going on in the school.
The little tunes in this episode were great and it really felt real.
Josie's mother makes her introduction with this episode with a sure sign that we will see her again. I felt kind of bad for the Josie2.
Rating: 9/10