There was a knock on the office door, startling Xavier from his paperwork. After quickly checking the time, he realized that his appointment with his client was nigh.
"Come in," Xavier replied in a calm, yet clearly audible tone. While simultaneously pressing the button underneath his desk to grant entry.
The door was made of an opaque, black glass with no handle. The way it opened was rather bizarre, indeed. It did not swing open, nor did it slide downwards like a car-door window from the old days. It simply... minimized. That is to say, the entire thing shrank, evenly, hovering in midair and getting smaller until it was completely gone.
Once the door had disappeared, a woman who appeared to be in her late fifties walked into the office.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," the woman huffed, "it's crazy how fast technology changes."
Xavier merely chuckled in reply, gesturing to the seat in front of his desk. Technophobic old people never changed. The woman took her seat, and began to look mildly uncomfortable. What she was about to go through with made the strange door look like an invention as old as the wheel.
"So... Ms. Sydney Simmons, was it?" Xavier questioned.
"Yes sir," Sydney replied.
"Alrighty. Well, we reviewed your application, and it's looking like you'll be approved as early as today," Xavier said.
Sydney breathed a sigh of relief. The Re-do program was highly popular, and expensive. It was a miracle something like this even existed, surely proving just how fast technology can exponentially grow.
The advertisements and commercials made it seem to be a dream come true. The Re-do program gave older folks a second chance at their life's mistakes, by sending their memories (and, to a lesser extent, their consciousness,) back in time to a moment of their choosing.
"...Thank you so much," Sydney replied, almost in a whisper.
Xavier smiled again. This business model was extraordinarily lucrative. Many people have their regrets, and some will pay quite the hefty sum to correct them.
"Don't thank me, Ms. Simmons, thank science for allowing this to even exist. I can't imagine how many people died in the past with grief in their hearts from their mistakes," Xavier answered.
"But we need to get some things cleared up, just to make sure you really understand what this entails," Xavier stated.
Sydney nodded, trying not to tear up.
"First, and I'm just making sure you know this, but you do know you'll technically be brain dead in this timeline after this, right?" Xavier questioned.
"...Yes," Sydney replied. It was a very frightening thought, honestly.
From what she'd learned, they were going to send her current knowledge and subconsciousness back in time to her former self. She would then be able to relive her life, although it would technically be her younger self in charge with a sudden burst of future foresight. The older Ms. Simmons wouldn't be able to speak or take any actions of her own, but she would experience it all again through the body of her younger self. This prevented the subjects from developing two personalities in the past, their young and older self. So really, her memories and feelings were the only thing she had to steer her younger self in a better direction. It was all very complicated, and paradoxes aside, it really worked. Was it worth it? No one knew. Their minds would enter the past, and their influence would change the world's timeline slightly, branching off on its own.
Re-do was a legal suicide, the past would be their afterlife.
Xavier checked something off his list on one of the papers on his desk.
"Would you like your body in this timeline buried or cremated?" Xavier asked, as if nothing in the world was strange about it.
"Cremated," Sydney answered.
Another checkmark on the paper.
"Have you made peace with your relatives about this?" Xavier continued.
"The few ones that matter, anyways," Syndey replied.
Checkmark.
"Okay, now it's time for the hard part, Ms. Simmons," Xavier began, "as you can probably imagine, this is a golden opportunity for law enforcement to finally close long-open cases of crimes committed in the past. As it stands, I'm obligated to ask you if you're doing this because of the guilt of some serious crime."
At first, Sydney didn't reply. She seemed very hesitant.
"The murder of... Vince Bradford," Sydney managed to squeak out.
Xavier's mouth dropped, unprofessionally.
"You mean the one-inch tall boy who disappeared in 2018? That was all over the news for years as an unsolvable crime! He was born tiny, and never grew past the size of an adult's thumb. Due to the nature of his stature, searching for his corpse would have been a madman's task," Xavier spoke in shock.
Sydeny stayed silent, and put her face in her hands. This was Re-do's other job. Solving crimes from guilty old people who wanted to make things right.
"Ms. Simmons... in order to progress, I need your testimony to hand over to the police so they can close the case, or at least get a new lead. What exactly happened?
***
It was a warm summer day. School had just let out, and after finishing my business in the bathroom, I washed my hands. I glanced at the mirror on the wall before leaving to check my appearance to make sure it's acceptable, just like many girls often do. I smirk at my dark brown hair, and its natural luster. It was still done up in a bun so it wouldn't get in my vision during classwork. And, of course, I admired my eyes briefly, too. I always thought they were one of my more attractive facial features-- a deep cerulean blue. But, being a typical girl, I still had my own self-consciousness issues.
First, I thought I was too pale. I was white like a bar of Ivory soap. My body was decent enough, though if I had to come up with some complaints, it was that I was rather petite. I always thought boys wouldn't like a girl who didn't carry a full figure. My breasts were the very definition of B-cup, and my butt... well, it could use some shaping up, but it wasn't bad, I guess. Occasionally both guys and girls would tease me for some of these things, but I did my best to ignore it. Surely there's worse traits I could have had.
I hadn't been at this school for far too long, yet, as this was my third day. I had made some friends rather quickly, and they were pretty freaking popular. I thought I was doing the right thing by hanging out with them-- surely a guy would hook up with me, I mean, I was seventeen and I had never even dated yet. That's the way my mind was operating.
"Be cool," I told myself in the mirror.
I heard some giggling outside the bathroom window, so I peeked out to see what was going on, but couldn't make it out quite clearly. My three friends were there, was all I was able to make out. So, I decided to go have a look for myself on what exactly they were up to.
It wasn't a very long trip. Maybe half a minute, and I was already outside. Desirea was the first to notice me. She was the de facto leader of the bunch, from what I could tell. Kayla and Ophelia waved and smiled, their cheeks still red from laughter.
"Hey! Syd! Get over here! You haven't seen the pipsqueak yet, have you? We finally caught him all alone," Desirea called to me.
My curiosity was piqued, so I headed over.
"Fuck this. Fuck all of this. My life, my height, me... Everything!" I yelled as Desirea twisted my arm. I would have said anything to make her quit. The woman was a damned demon.
"What? I couldn't hear you from down there, Pipsqueak," Desirea taunted as she tortured Vince in her hands.
I was trying to go home the most covert way I knew how to, but it had seemed my luck ran out. These three bitches always made my life at school a living Hell, and no one ever stepped in to help me. Every time I'd tell on them, or hope a faculty member would notice them in the act, nothing would end up being done. Sometimes I felt like I wasn't even considered human. Desirea was the main issue, the others just normally followed their leader's commands. And, recently, I heard they'd gotten the new girl involved with their clique. I just hope she realizes her mistake before they corrupt her.
I yelled in agony as Desirea twisted my arm, though she finally stopped after something else caught her attention. And while this shit hurt, it certainly wasn't the worst thing she'd ever done to me. There was also that one time at lunch where she dropped my in her mouth and drank a carton of milk, while I struggled not to drown or get pulled into her throat. Or that other time where she threw me in the girl's toilet in the bathroom, and had Kayla take a goddamned shit on top of me since she randomly needed to use the restroom. I was knocked out by one of the blonde bimbo's turds since they came out in hard nuggets. She probably needs to drink more fucking water. They obviously rescued me while I was unconscious, but that doesn't mean they're good people. Not by a long shot.
"Hey! Syd! Get over here! You haven't seen the pipsqueak yet, have you?" Desirea called out to someone who was likely a short ways off. Syd? Oh. Sydney. I haven't gotten a good look at her yet, I'd only heard rumors here and there that she was their newest member.
Desirea held me up like some type of animal, and Sydney's jaw dropped. Mine did, too. Since she was really freaking cute.
I couldn't believe my eyes. I mean, I had heard the rumors of a tiny boy at the school, but up until now, I'd not seen him yet. He was a grade below me, and we didn't share any classes together.
"T-that's the boy I've heard about, isn't it?" I asked. Vince Bradford was his name, or so I'd heard around school. I was skeptical that it was all some sort of running joke, but no. There he is. And... he looks like he's in pain?
"Yep! See for yourself!" Desirea said.
What happened next shocked me, honestly. Desirea tossed him to me like a ragdoll. At the same time, he screamed in terror as I also yelped in surprise. I can't believe she'd do that!
Luckily, I caught him.
"What the Hell, Des?" I shot a quick glare at her, but she didn't seem to care. I turned my attention back to the boy in my hands.
He looked... terrified of me.
There was a short silence as I stared at him, and him back at me. This was still hard to take in. Tiny people shouldn't exist according to science, and yet, here he was. Even worse, he seemed to be a victim of bullying, at the hands of my own friends, no less. Honestly, I was a bit conflicted on the inside about it.
Ophelia whispered in Desirea's ear.
"Ophey! You always have the best pranks," Desirea suddenly announced, breaking my trance.
"Prank?" I asked.
"Yep! We've figured out your official ceremony to really be one of us, Syd," Desirea replied.
I mean, I thought I was one of them already. But, whatever.
"And... that would be...?" I replied, not liking where this was going.
"Have you ever heard of the goldfish trick?" Desirea questioned me. Vince must have known something I didn't, because he started to throw a fit in my palms.
"No! N-not that!" Vince screamed, fidgeting violently. I didn't want to drop him, so I just kind of tightened my grip on him a bit. To secure him. I hope it wasn't rude, or that it didn't hurt. I looked down at him, and he was already crying.
"W-what are you, um... getting at, Des?" I stammered. I didn't like this, and I didn't like how Vince was reacting. But I was stupid at that point in time. I became a victim of peer pressure.
I tried to escape Sydney's hands, but she quickly secured me, despite my best struggles. I knew what the fucking goldfish trick was. It's when someone swallows a fish, and gags it back up, usually only because someone dares them to with some cash as a reward.
"Sydney, we want you to swallow Vince," Kayla chimed in. It wouldn't have surprised me if she hadn't done something like that in the past, on some sort of dare.
My captor reeled back in shock at those words, giving me a sense of relief. Maybe she had a decent head on her shoulders.
"B-but he'd die in my stomach!" Sydney countered, obviously against this. "How is that even a prank!?"
"Because you'll gag yourself until you throw him up. If it helps, I've got a bottle of water in my backpack," Desirea added.
Sydney looked at me, with worry.
Surely. Surely to God she wasn't considering it?
I looked down at Vince in my hand. It was a very cruel prank... but, I mean... he would be fine if I got him out quickly enough, right? Or, at least, that was my reasoning at the time. I desperately wanted to impress these girls. I wouldn't jump off a cliff for them, and I sure as heck didn't want to kill anyone. But this, in theory was something I could likely do. I would just have to make it up to Vince in private later.
And, then, going against everything in my mind and body that told me not to do it, I said the word that I wish I hadn't.
"Okay," I replied, not being able to bear the shame I would feel from looking at the bullied boy in my hands, who, at this point, was struggling for all he was worth.
The girls looked stunned, as if they didn't expect me to agree. But soon, Desirea had a huge smile erupt across her face.
"See! I told you she's crazy enough to hang with us!" Desirea rejoiced, "Go ahead, we're watching!"
I hesitated.
"He'll be fine if you throw him up, Syd," Ophelia encouraged.
Vince was yelling at me to spare his life, but I did my best to tune him out, against my natural instincts. He didn't seem to think this would work. And, even if it did... I couldn't blame him for not wanting to go through with it in the first place. A dark thought overtook me. I was glad I wasn't him. I was glad I wasn't tiny.
"I... I'm sorry, Vince," I finally stated, so lowly, I'm not even sure if he heard me.
I was screaming at her. Anything to get through to her. This was a terrible idea.
"Sydney! Don't do this! They're just using you for their own entertainment! I will die if you can't get me back out!" I yelled.
But, her words chilled me to the core, and grasped my heart with the icy terror of my own mortality at what was about to happen.
"I... I'm sorry, Vince," Sydney whispered to me.
She didn't even look at me after that. I felt my world move, as I was being lifted into the air even higher.
"Hooooly shit," Kayla cooed from behind me in the near-distance.
I shut my eyes, sweat was pouring down my face now.
But I wasn't strong enough. A whole two seconds later, I reopened my eyes, only to see that Sydney had me positioned a short distance away, hanging above her now gaping maw, complete with a single strand of saliva that quickly severed itself. Below that, I saw her tongue, her clean teeth, her uvula hanging down in the distance. All in all, it was the prime example of a healthy female mouth. But, I'm not a fucking dentist. And I wasn't here to clean her teeth. I was about to be dehumanized. Swallowed by one of the prettiest girls I'd ever seen, only so she can impress her friends that probably don't even care about her as much as she thinks they do. I thought she would be more reasonable than to agree to this... this... stupid shit.
Somehow, I managed to not scream as she lowered me inside. Ha. Bonus points for being cool in the face of death, huh? But I don't think she would even notice, she's fucking about to eat me for crying out loud. Why would I think I can impress her at a time like this? Why the hell am I even considering that? Fuck this girl! Keeping my cool didn't last long. She left me lying on her tongue, facing forward to the dark cavern of her throat which instantly imprinted itself as a scarring memory in my mind. I snapped my head around just in time to watch her lips shut, closing out all of the light from the outside world, possibly the last time I'd ever see daylight.
I was paralyzed. This was worse than the time with the milk. At least that time, Desirea was kind of holding back to give me a fighting chance. This new girl's prime directive was explicitly to swallow me whole.
With the air flow from outside her mouth gone, things got hot and stuffy real quick. I was wondering why she had so much saliva accumulating in her mouth, until a dark thought hit me.
She was soaking me, to make me easier to swallow.
I was past the point of screaming. I just laid there, and cried onto her tongue as she had her way with me.
Words can't describe how I felt at that moment. I didn't feel good. I didn't feel powerful. I felt pity. I felt hesitation. I could feel the poor guy trembling on my tongue, for Pete's sake. And it was all my fault.
I kept telling myself I'd get him out. I hadn't eaten in awhile, so my stomach might not be full of acid right just now. And Desirea said she had water, which I was counting on to help me get him back out.
I hated to do it, but I rolled him around in my mouth, trying to lube him up with my spit. I wanted this to go as smoothly as possible. I wanted to be done with this. Part of me wished I wasn't even doing this at all. I could blame peer pressure, sure. But is that really all it takes for me to do something this horrible to a tiny stranger? From what I could tell earlier, he was even a bit cute, too. Which made me regret it all even more.
He resisted, half-heartedly from what I could discern. But I carefully centered him near the back of my tongue. I raised my head slightly, making eye contact with the girls, who looked more eager than I'd ever seen them.
And swallowed.
***
Xavier stood there, scribbling down everything on his notepad as hastily as he could.
"That's... um," Xavier tried to speak, but found himself at a loss for words. Sydney didn't look at him.
"Is... there anything else I need to answer?" Sydney asked.
"Um..." Xavier checked his list, and sighed, "Nope. That's about it. Your payment will be drafted, and your family notified of the cremation. Please, follow me."
And with that, the two headed down the hallway to the last room. The door was located directly in the center.
Xavier stopped before opening it.
"Ms. Simmons, there's something else I forgot to ask you before you enter the machine," Xavier piped up.
"Y-yes...?" Sydney replied, curiously.
"Why didn't the water work?" Xavier finally asked.
"... There wasn't any," Sydney replied, dejectedly. "Desirea lied to me."
***
"You... you actually fucking did it!"
"No... WAY! Oh, my God!"
"... Nice!"
The girls were bragging and throwing a celebration, but I wasn't in the mood to join in. I thought it was in bad taste, making fun of the poor boy I'd just one-sidedly ingested like that. Honestly, I didn't know why they hated him so much. I was going to be his friend as soon as I was able to retrieve him.
"W...Water, please!" I stammered in a panic. I was overcome with regret. I felt horrible. I felt like shit.
Desirea stopped laughing, and soon enough, the girls did too.
"I.. um, don't actually.. have--" Desirea began, before I sprinted away.
That... fucking whore.
But there was a problem. I didn't know the layout of the school too well. Where were all the water fountains supposed to be, anyways?
I'd reached the entrance of the school building again, but it was already locked up. We'd been out here a little longer than I thought, I suppose. I wanted to go to the bathroom and drink water from the faucet, but my hopes were dashed when I felt the door stand firm. Why'd they close the school already? Shouldn't there be extra curricular activities? Teachers grading stuff?
I didn't have time to find out. I tried dry-heaving.
***
"...And?" Xavier asked, enthralled.
Sydney looked down. And shrugged.
"I... couldn't. It was hard to gag, like my gag reflex was turned off. And the few times it worked... nothing happened. I kept at it for awhile, crying almost the whole time. I did it until my throat hurt. He wasn't coming out. I just kind of gave up after an hour. I wasn't thinking straight. I didn't ask for help, like a dumbass," Sydney replied.
"And your... erm, friends?" Xavier pushed further.
"They didn't care! They... kept referring to him as a bug, saying stupid stuff like how it was just natural selection. So I bitched at them, and that was that. All that trouble to impress them, and it was all for nothing. They also bullied me until I graduated and then I never saw them again. Of course, people asked around about Vince... but I was too scared to come out about it," Sydney whimpered.
"...Until now, that is," Xavier concluded.
Syndey nodded, then they entered the next room.
Xavier sighed as he input the calculations on the machine.
"Alright. I think we've got it down to the time near where all of this happened, Ms. Simmons," Xavier announced as Sydney entered the machine.
As the door sealed her inside, Xavier spoke up one last time on the intercom.
"Ms. Simmons? I'm glad you're going back to make all of this right again. Really. I am. But seeing as these are the last words you're going to hear in this timeline, I want to remind you of something. Even if you do end up sparing Vince this go around, don't forget: right here, right now, as I'm speaking to you. That boy is dead in this world line, and here you are, practically killing yourself to get rid of your guilt. But still..." Xavier said as he started the machine.
"I hope you find the peace you're searching for."
Words couldn't describe how I felt at that moment. I didn't feel good. I didn't feel powerful. I felt pity. I felt hesitation. I could feel the poor guy trembling on my tongue, for Pete's sake. And it was all my fault.
~ ~ ~
He resisted, half-heartedly from what I could discern. But I carefully centered him near the back of my tongue. I raised my head slightly, making eye contact with the girls, who looked more eager than I'd ever seen them.
And...
And...
I stopped. I didn't move a muscle. I felt Vince squirming away from my throat, and I don't fucking blame him.
Something strange had happened. I don't know how to describe it. Have you ever heard how people's lives flash before their eyes when they're dying? Well, that's what this felt like to me. I was able to see it, almost in an instant. My entire life after this point panned out, and I experienced every grief-filled moment of it in my mind. What should have been forty years was revealed to me in about three seconds.
I was an old woman, and this was the thing I regretted most in my life. If I were to swallow Vince, he would have died and I'd have lost these shallow friends of mine anyways.
It's strange, but everything about this makes sense to me. Re-do...? I can't believe a thing like that's supposed to exist later! I can even remember the conversation I had with Xavier, clear as day.
I had left out certain details during my interview, of course. Such as what was supposed to happen tomorrow: I ended up searching through my feces with some plastic gloves and finding parts of Vince's skeleton. And that pushed me over the edge, mentally. I felt like a murderer, and I never married. My life was miserable.
But, it doesn't have to be. Those last words Xavier told me still rang clear as day in my head. That he hoped I'd find the peace I was searching for.
I tilted my head down, and carefully released Vince into the palms of my hands. He's just staring back up at me, now, positively drenched in my saliva.
"Umm... that's not wha--" Desirea started to chide me.
I look straight at the three of them.
"Fuck you," I spat, venemously. I hated cussing, but I couldn't help myself this time.
In the grand scheme of things, I didn't need them nor their acceptance anymore. I left them standing there, dumbstruck, as I walked off with Vince towards my house. It wasn't that far off.
In my peripheral vision, I can see Vince is still staring up at me, but he hasn't quite relaxed around me yet. He seems super tense. I can absolutely forgive that.
I don't know what happened. But whatever it was, I am glad it did. Sydney must have had a change of heart... or maybe she was never actually going to go through with eating me in the first place? I don't know. But, I do know one thing.
I'm scared of her.
While I am thankful she didn't devour me, she's still holding me. Carrying me somewhere-- not the direction I normally go home. And that... makes me nervous.
Maybe she's just taking me somewhere away from those three witches so she can release me? That would be nice. Yeah. I'll just hope for that.
I watch her as she walks towards our unknown destination. The way her eyes carefully and constantly scan the horizon, the way her hair slightly sways with every step. I notice she's lacking a bit in the chest area, but things like that never made a difference to me when it came to women. As far as I was concerned, it only made their faces harder to see.
Not like it mattered, though. I've never met a girl who was interested in me, neither for my unusual height nor my... uhh, charming personality... that I wish I had.
Admitting I found her attractive would be an obvious statement. But this girl had done more psychological damage to me in a single minute than any of those other three ever had.
We travel in silence. The minutes continue to pass, until she finally stops. I turn around to see where we are. From my perspective, I can tell that it's a moderately sized house in the suburbs near the school.
She still hasn't acknowledged me yet. We enter the house, and she takes a flight of stairs on the right to the second floor. At this point, it occurred to me that we were at her house, obviously. She entered what I assumed was her bedroom. It was decorated fairly plainly, nothing worthy of note. But then, the moment I'd been dreading finally arrived.
Alone time with my tormentor.
She gingerly sat me on her bed, as she climbed onto it herself on the opposite side. Her face looked flushed as if she's about to cry. I snap to attention the second she breaks the silence.
I simply had to make things up to him and get to know him a little better.
After situating him and myself on my bed, I look down to him. He looks extremely uncomfortable now, but I've got a lot of things I want to cover with him. He'll see the light, soon enough. He won't need to fear me any longer.
"...Vince?" I finally ask.
"Y-y-yes ma'am?" Vince replied with a bit of a quiver clearly present in his voice.
I cringed. I didn't want to be referred to as a ma'am since I wasn't very much older than he appeared to be. Perhaps it was because he saw me in a position of power over him now? I really didn't like that thought, either.
"Please, call me Sydney," I replied. Hopefully that was enough of a hint.
"O...okay, Sydney," Vince replied.
I smiled to show him that I meant no harm. This was an awkward situation for the both of us, but I pressed on. I owed it to myself, at the very least.
"I'm very sorry about what I started to do to you, earlier," I apologized as sincerely as I could manage.
Vince stared at me intently, staying quiet, so I decided to add on to that apology.
"And I didn't mean to frighten you by bringing you here either. I just wanted somewhere quiet where we could chat with no interruptions... especially from my former friends," I said.
Bravely enough, he spoke back to me.
"Do... um... do you really mean all of that?" He asked, incredulously, as if a huge weight was lifting from his shoulders.
"I do. I apologize whole heartedly. I was being stupid, and I took it too far. I don't want you to be scared of me, but I also know that it might take a bit of time before you can fully trust me," I paused, before adding, "Still. If it's alright with you, can we possibly... be friends?"
This was surreal.
I was absolutely dreading having to spend any length of time with the girl who nearly swallowed me, but I can tell she's being sincere about what she's telling me now. I've never really had any true friends, yet. Sure, people at the school would be polite and not step on me, or whatnot. But I was usually lucky if I could even get the time of day from someone. And it didn't help that the trouble trio liked to pick on me. The things they'd put me through bordered on assault, and I had to deal with that for a long freakin' time.
As I looked up and made eye contact with Sydney, I felt... well, happy.
"Yes... please... I'd really like that. You're the only person who's ever said something like that to me,and... I forgive you," Vince basically squeaked out. He was smiling now. Score!
I wanted this to be more official than that. Maybe it was corny, but I slowly poked my finger out close to him. Fortunately, he didn't flinch, though it wouldn't have made me mad if he did.
I giggled a bit.
"Nice to meet you, Vince," I said.
Thankfully, Vince understood what I wanted and somewhat shook my finger in some sort of odd handshake.
"N... Nice to meet you too, Sydney," Vince answered, still trying to take this all in.
We disengaged our 'handshake.' I was sitting on my pillow, cross-legged. I was comfortable enough, sure, but I had some things I wanted to ask Vince and I'd have preferred him a bit closer now that he's been put at ease. As it stood, he was about midways across the bed from me and it felt strange, almost like he was far away. He was within arm's reach, but his voice didn't carry itself too strongly from this distance.
"Hold on a sec," I said, as I maneuvered myself off of my pillow and placed it on my lap.
"May I pick you up?" I asked.
I knew there wasn't a rulebook on etiquette for conversing with tiny humans, so I was just going to do what felt natural to me. And talking to someone who was closer to my feet than my face was... well, it irked me. He might have been used to people talking to him from a foot's perspective in school, but I wanted to set a new trend.
Vince nodded, albeit warily.
Sydney reached her hand out to grab me, and I stayed as still as I could. We were making good strides on making me more comfortable near her, but being picked up by the tall people was usually something only Desirea or the girls did when they wanted to torment me. Somehow, I managed to act natural.
Sydney then placed me on the pillow she had previously been sitting on. It was slightly warm from where her butt had been, but I decided not to announce that to her. If anything, it was kind of hot, being on something a girl's ass recently touched.
"I just wanted to talk to you a bit closer, now that you seem to be more at ease," Sydney explained.
I honestly didn't know how to feel about that.
"... Really? I, um... thank you. I've actually been used to people talking to me with their faces far away. I'm more used to seeing people's feet, and dodging them, normally," I replied.
Sydney frowned. Very slightly.
"That's a little sad, Vince. I think you're worth talking to on a more even level than that," Sydney replied.
That really made me feel something stir within me. She was being overly considerate of me, but I'm not complaining. So I smiled at her to show I recognized her efforts. She returned one as well.
"So, there's not going to be any normal way to ask these questions I've got for you, so just answer them without judging me, please?" Sydney asked.
"Sure thing, what would you like to know?" I replied.
"Hmm... Well, I guess one question would be how you view me, and/or other people. Are we towering titans? Do you get scared often that normal sized humans might accidentally kill you somehow?" Sydney asked me, slightly nervously.
"It kind of depends. I mean, I've been this way for as long as I can remember, so you and the others don't scare me because of your height so much, but I still totally feel fear when a foot lands too close to me or if someone like Desirea has malicious intent against me. I guess what I'm saying is, I'm not scared of your presence, but I'm completely wary of your motives around me. I know how vulnerable I am compared to you. The difference in our strengths and size is something I've learned to accept ever since I was aware I could be killed the moment someone desired to do so," I answered.
"Um, wow. That's kind of depressing, actually," I admitted to Vince.
He must have had it pretty rough, and yet I knew somehow that I'll likely never truly understand what his life is like unless I magically shrunk to his size one day. But that doesn't mean I can't be empathetic. I can at least try to visualize myself in his place.
"What made you spare me and ditch your friends?" Vince randomly asked me.
I didn't want to explain to him the real truth of how I ended up sparing him. Somehow, hearing that I swallowed him and digested him in another life might not be the best for building our friendship.
"I dunno, Vince. I was almost about to do it, but then my guilt got the better of me. And at about the same time, I realized that those girls were pretty bad influences, and I didn't want to be like one of them and torment someone I hardly knew," I answered. It wasn't a lie, but the whole truth would've probably been harder to swallow... err, accept.
Vince nodded his head, and seemed to accept my answer.
"So, where were you originally heading after school? Home, to your family?" I asked, innocently enough. I was just curious. It seemed to be a tender subject, though.
"I... live on my own," Vince replied vaguely, breaking eye contact with me for a bit.
I'm not sure if I liked that answer: that he didn't have anyone to care for him. He also dodged answering about his family, which led me to assume they weren't in the picture for some reason, whether tragic or selfishness. Come to think of it, he said I'm his only friend, so that must mean... I'm literally his only friend. No family, no nothing. It was strange he even attended school in the first place, since he didn't have a guardian. I couldn't legally be one, but maybe later I might ask if he'd like to stay here with me instead of... wherever he stayed at currently.
"I noticed there wasn't anyone here when we came inside," Vince noted. I think I get what he's asking.
"I live here by myself," I replied, "My parents paid for everything, and I have a part time job most days after school to help pick up the slack for my food bill and whatnot. I come from a rich family, and while it's nice, it's not something I'm proud of. I never wanted to become complacent and have them spoil me. So that's why I enjoy my lowly minimum wage job. Oh, and later I plan on attending college to fully support myself without their help down the road. It's nice, but I feel like I don't really deserve any of this."
If only I had known Vince's living situation at that point, I'd have kept my trap shut then and there.
~ ~ ~
Me and Vince spent the whole day hanging out and getting to know each other better. I was really starting to like the little guy, since he was actually quite nice to be around. It made me sad that he was bullied simply for his stature, but now he had me to back him up. If I so much as smell Desirea, Kayla, or Ophelia near him, I'm not sure how I'm going to react. All I'm saying is; they'd better not screw with him any more.
"It's getting a tad late, Sydney... I should probably head home, now," Vince eventually mentioned to me. But the way he said it-- it was obvious. He liked it here.
"Aww! Come on, don't leave me all alone, Vince!" I teased, "But if you really want to, I'll take you there myself."
"N... No thanks, I, um. I can manage to make it there alone, I don't want to be a burden," Vince replied. He actually looked fairly embarrassed.
I looked outside the nearby window. It was pitch black night-time. To Hell with that. I turned back to him with an annoyed look on my face.
"Vince. I'm not letting you walk alone out there at night, I won't be able to sleep peacefully unless I know you make it back safely. Please, let me go with you," I replied again, in an urgent tone. I wasn't going to force him to take me with him if he didn't want me to, but I really wished he would.
I heard Vince let out a tiny sigh of defeat. That was an easy victory. Whatever he was hiding, I wasn't going to make fun of him for it. I legitimately cared about his safety.
~ ~ ~
We walked for probably five minutes. I offered to drive him in my car, but he said it would be a complicated turn to make into his driveway. I dropped the offer, and accepted that he probably knew what he was talking about.
"Okay... you can stop, now," Vince spoke up. He had given me directions on which roads to take, but currently we weren't near any houses, or driveways for that matter. All I could see was trees to my left, and a wheat field to my right.
I was super confused. Where was his home at?
"Uhh, Vince..." I began to start as I looked to him in my palm, but he answered the question I hadn't even formed yet by pointing.
"That's... that's where I live," Vince said, with no shortage of sadness in his voice.
I squinted my eyes since it was kind of hard to see outside right now. The nearest light pole was a fair distance away. But, I was able to see it.
And I wasn't able to hide my gasp.
Vince lived in cardboard box that had a hamster cage on the inside of it.
And I explicitly remember complaining about being rich... God! I'm so stupid!
"You can drop me off at the entra-" Vince began, but I interrupted him.
I wasn't about to let my friend stay homeless, not when I had more than enough room to accommodate a thousand of him.
"Vince," I silenced him. My tone was kind, but serious.
He stared at my palm.
"Look, I know you don't want to be a burden on me but... I'd really be happy if you'd be my roommate, please. This... this isn't safe. A car might run off the road and squash you and your home flat, or an animal might break its way in somehow and eat you. I... I haven't wanted to force you to do anything you don't agree to, but, I'm not giving you a choice this time," I said to him.
He looked like he was supremely relieved, and on the verge of tears, but he nodded in agreement. Good. I decided not to tell him my other plan, which was to leave him here if he refused, and then sneak back and kidnap him along with his entire house and bring it back to my own.
"C-can I g-go get my clothes and stuff?" Vince asked, still not sure if he had a say in the matter any more. It kind of hurt to hear him say it like that.
"Wha--! Of course you can! I'm sorry I kinda resorted to making this choice for you, but hypothetically, if my friend liked to aim guns at his head all day, I wouldn't let him continue if I thought it was dangerous. This is sort of the same thing in my eyes. I'm... well, I'm not sure how you've made it this long in that, but I'm glad you're okay anyways," I explained with a warm smile as I placed him carefully on the ground.
I didn't want him to think he didn't have a say in things that involved him-- but this wasn't something I could personally accept with a clean conscience. I wanted to take care of my friend. This went beyond the guilt trip I received in my vision earlier after school. I would've done this regardless.
Vince gathered his stuff, and we left the cage and box on the side of the road where it was. I'll be damned if I was going to let him stay in something someone threw out of their vehicle on a whim. He's not... trash.
~ ~ ~
The return trip back to my place was a slightly lighter mood than the original trip to his roadside cage, since Vince wasn't worried about embarassing himself now. I can't really blame him, though. I would've hesitated to show someone something like that, too, especially since he learned I was far from broke.
After we made it back to my place, I spoke up. I wanted him to understand the gravity of this.
"Welcome home, Vince," I half-sang.
He looked up at me, and the look on his face was just so precious.
"Hungry?" I asked and grinned, changing the subject to something else.
Today was the best day of my life.
In a matter of hours, my near meaningless existence was given purpose through Sydney. I now had a real home and a good friend practically overnight, and I was happy as a lark. How many people can truly say that? That they're happy.
It was still a little strange, though. I don't know why she took such a severe liking to me-- but I was afraid that if I questioned it too hard my luck would run out and she'd hate me somehow. I didn't want that. I was beginning to idolize Sydney, she had a heart of gold.
She was so considerate of everything. Even when we ate dinner, she caught me making discreet, quick glances at her mouth and throat and tried to eat in a more subtle manner. It was something small that I came to appreciate, because I'm not gonna lie, it was intimidating, watching her both chew and swallow. There was a fine line earlier today that separated me and that food-- I was near the point of being an indistinguishable lump forced down her throat. The more I thought about it, the more I got depressed about my size. The only silver lining to it that I can think of, is that this being had the power to erase me in any number of ways, and yet she was completely on my side and wanted nothing but to see me happy and safe. I know it's sappy, but I think I'm in love.
I was sitting on a pillow in her lap as I watched TV with great wonder, as it was something I rarely ever had a chance to do. She was behind me, playing around on her phone, with a constant half-smile equipped on her face.
"Ready for bed, bud?" Sydney asked me, after which she yawned. I couldn't help but watch her mouth, her throat was visible for a second before she closed her jaws and looked at me. I wasn't sure if I had a fetish or a phobia now.
Ready for bed? No. I wanted to spend time with her forever. I wish we didn't sleep, I wish school wasn't a thing anymore. I figured I'd just be honest with her.
"Honestly, Sydney, I don't really want to. Not because I'm tired, but because I love hanging out with you. Thank you for everything you've done for me. You're a God-send, and the most important person in my life now," I said. I quickly realized how sappy that sounded after noticing her reaction.
It didn't take Sydney very long to start blushing, as it must have caught her off-guard. But screw tact. As far as I saw it, she deserved to know how grateful I was to have met her.
"Um... Umm!..." Sydney started to lose her usual coolness and grace, and went total embarassed-mode. Her eyes flicked away from me, as her hand rather quickly scooped me up off the pillow.
I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting it. When her hand came into view, I held my arms up in a mock-defence mode, as if I could block it somehow. I don't know why I reacted that way, but it didn't stop her. Next thing I knew, she had brought me to her lips. Deep down in my heart, I knew she wasn't going to, but for a split second, my world shattered as I thought she might finish the job from earlier. It didn't take her long to prove me wrong. Dead wrong.
My entire head was quickly pressed into her lips, and removed just as quickly as I'd been introduced to them. I would have probably complained about whiplash if that wasn't my first kiss, even if it was a tiny 'peck.' I stared up at her in amazement.
I can't believe I just did that. I lost control of myself, and I really freakin' kissed him! It was my first, although I don't doubt it was his, too.
The way he stared at me, I could tell it wasn't unwelcome. My heart was beating really quickly now, and I didn't know what to do next. I was lost in that rush that a virgin gets when they're finally alone with someone who they're crushing on.
"W...as that... o-kay with you?" I asked, nervously. I hadn't stopped to think about it, but it might've been scary to him initially.
Vince vigorously shook his head Yes, so that was one less thing to worry about. But I wasn't done being a tease, yet. I was about to take him to my room to retire for the night, but I might as well make the trip fun.
"Okay, how would you like me to carry you as I make my way upstairs to my bedroom?" I insinuated. With any luck, I'd find out if he was a boob or butt guy. Or maybe even perhaps--
"Oh, your hands are fine," Vince replied, absolutely oblivious to my offer as it soared over his head. Typical boy.
"That's not what I meant, Vince," Sydney stared at me, intently, as if I were missing something important. I wracked my brain as hard as I could, but I was probably going to need her to spell it out for me. I don't get it? How else should she carry me? Her hands are safe enough, I thought.
"You're not thinking about carrying me around in a bowl or something, right? Please don't do that, I trust you completely. You don't have to treat me with kid gloves, Sydney. I'll be okay in your palm," I reassured her.
She looked... I don't know. Amused? Her face was in this sort-of cocked smile, like she couldn't believe what I was saying.
This guy is dense.
Come on. A bowl? That's what he's afraid of?
I'm tempted to make the choice for him. If he's going to be a little stinker, I'll just shove him back between my cheeks. I really considered it for a second, but I decided against it.
Maybe some other time.
"Um... yeah, sorry, you're right. I don't know what came over me. I thought you needed more protection when I transported you. Maybe I'm getting a little too protective?" I said sarcastically, and laughed it off. Funnily enough, he mindlessly laughed with me.
So, much to my disappointment, I carried him up to my room as I normally would-- in my palm. Honestly, after that kiss, I was kind of hoping things would spiral into a more romantic direction, but perhaps that would be moving too fast. Regardless, I liked him. A lot.
"Okay, I'm going to let you sleep on my nightstand. You can use... hmm..." I said, as I checked the room for something soft. I ended up picking out a clean, fuzzy sock.
"Will this do as a mattress?" I asked, showing him the sock.
"You kidding? That's a hundred times better than what I had in the cage!" Vince replied, overjoyed. Sock, it is, then.
I fixed him up with the sock, and opened the top drawer of my nightstand slightly, in case he rolled in the night. It was full of my underwear, but I figured it was a decent safety net. Vince cuddled up within the sock, and poked his head out. It was kind of cute, actually.
"Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite," I sang.
"B-bugs?" Vince asked, full of worry. Had he never heard of bed bugs?
"I'm just kidding. My house is pest free, as far as I know. Yell if you see anything and I'll come squash it for you," I reassured him. A look of fear spread across his face when I mentioned squishing something his size, and I felt a twinge of guilt at saying that to him. I'd best quit while I'm ahead.
"A-Anyways! Good night," I told him, and tried my best to give him a grin.
"Good night, Sydney," he replied, and smiled back at me. I loved seeing that.
Probably an hour or so after lying down nearby in my bed, I got back up. It was hard to sleep for some reason, so I decided to go browse on the computer. Maybe I could find some cute ideas to make him a proper bed or something.
I searched on Google: "how to take care of a tiny man"
I don't know what I expected. I was sure that no one else in the world had ever needed to ask that question, since Vince was practically a modern anomaly. What popped up on screen surprised me.
It was more of a popular topic than I originally thought. Apparently, I'd stumbled across what appeared to be a fetish of some sort. There was... lots of content, pictures, stories, and the like. I blushed pretty hard at some of the stuff. However, I did end up learning a lot.
I spent nearly four hours studying what I'd found. Most of it was reading stories on what appeared to be a moderately active website. Some of this stuff was actually very good reads, despite the topic. Some were too long for me to have enough time to check, so I bookmarked the interesting ones for later.
One common theme that kept reoccurring, was how... piss poorly these tiny men kept being treated. It was so sad! Many of these stories involved absolute bitches making these guys' lives a living Hell, and frequently ending them in some. I glanced back at Vince, who was sound asleep across the room, before looking back to my computer. Some of these stories really opened my eyes to the dangers he faced, even the little things I never would have even considered.
As sad and as horrible as some of the stories were, I'm glad I read them. I silently made a mental checklist of all of the possible things I'd learned, and I felt better about myself now about how to help Vince continue to survive. It was a miracle he made it this far alone. It's official. I'm not letting him out of my sight again. Too much could go wrong. I don't care if I'm in the shower, on the pot, or whatever. I have a responsibility to him, now.
Of course, I don't want this to get in the way of my feelings for him. I had no doubt that Desirea and her group had likely put him through some of the shit I'd read already. It was high time he had someone who cared for his well being. Someone... gentle.
And the sheer amount of crazy situations they got themselves into. It's insane what could happen. I'll constantly need to keep checking my shoes, and the like. If I ever wind up finding him in my food, or my ass crack for some reason... I'm just gonna let it go. In fact, if I'm right, his luck should be running out right about now...
I turned around in time to watch Vince roll over in his sleep, and land in the open drawer. I giggled as he made a slight yelp from falling.
I walked over to investigate. He was currently trying to unravel himself from my panties. I suppose this is the point I'm supposed to wake up groggily in the middle of the night, realize I forgot to wear my underwear, and accidentally wear him all night?
Vince managed to pop his head out.
"Umm! Uhh, Sydney! It's not what it seems, I swear!" He practically begged. I knew it wasn't, I mean, I watched it happen. I'm not going to let him live in fear of misunderstandings. But he still owed me for screwing up earlier, and not picking a sexy place to ride in on the way to bed. I was going to have some fun, just this once.
Somehow, I fell during my sleep. Great. Just great. Now, I'm stuck in Sydney's panties! I need to get out before she finds me and thinks I'm being perverted! I need to hurry before...
Sydney was above me. Staring down into the drawer, though she looked pretty sleepy. I needed to explain myself, pronto.
"Umm! Uhh, Sydney! It's not what it seems, I swear!" I started.
She didn't answer. She looked like she was pretty tired. Did she even hear me?
I was about to repeat myself, before Sydney randomly reached in, and picked out the panties I was trying to get out of.
Thank god, she found m--
Wait.
"Sydney! Stop, I'm in here!" I yelled, trying to get her attention. Oh my god, she was about to put these panties on, but I'm still in them! If I hop out now, maybe I can-- Nope. That's a long fall. Damn it.
My world gets darker and darker, as I'm slowly lifted towards her ever-encroaching lovely behind. I shut my eyes. I can't believe this is happening. But, these are loose fitting panties, or so they seem. I'm barely even touching her ass now--
I pull up my panties, much further than they usually go, subsequently wedging Vince fairly far up between my cheeks. He's squirming now, and frankly, it feels kinda good. Maybe those stories I was reading were onto something? I mean, I'm never ever going to do anything to hurt him. But... I think I like this. This is a whole new level of teasing most girls probably don't even think about. Maybe he'll forgive me if I explain the situation later.
I lie face down on my bed, with my crush now trapped in my ass. Thirty minutes should be more than enough time to make up for his denseness earlier.
I'm looking forward to our time together, Vince.